Within this Absolute is the germ of manifestation, which in itself is unmanifested. She uses the term First Logos, or the First Cause. It is equivalent to the Hindu Brahman, and the Ain Soph of the Kabbalah. It may be equated with the Godhead of early Christian mystics.
At the dawn of manifestation, there is a stage which she describes as the Second Logos, still unmanifest, which has now the principle of dualistic differentiation: Puruşa-Prakŗiti, Spirit-Matter, Father-Mother.
Only on the third stage, or the Third Logos, does manifestation of the Cosmos actually begin. It is called by various names: Mahat, Cosmic Ideation, Adam Kadmon of the Kaballah, Brahmā of the Hindus. From this Third Logos is emanated the manifested universe, starting from the Seven Planetary Logoi and then the hierarchy of divine intelligences, down to the other beings or entities in the physical world.
Blavatsky states that the mythology and scriptures of the world have many correspondences with this view of cosmogenesis. She devoted the first volume of her Secret Doctrine to the comparison of the above cosmogenetical view with those of ancient cultures and beliefs.
This is the same principle of that the Tao te king describes the creation of the universe.