THE EXTERNALIZATION OF THE HIERARCHY
Alice A. Bailey, March 1934
SECTION ONE, INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION, Continued Part 3
(NOTE) All printing in Black are the writings by the Tibetan through Alice Bailey
All printing in Blue are comments by MMF
II. Esoteric Schools and Disciplines
Some of the Hierarchy we are working with
From Upper Left to Right:
Master Hilarian; Lord Lanto & Mother Mary
Our second question relates to the work of the esoteric schools or "disciplines," as they are sometimes called, and the training and safeguarding of the aspirants found working in them.
I would like first of all to make one point clear. The great hindrance to the work of the majority of the esoteric schools at this time is their sense of separateness and their intolerance of other schools and methods. The leaders of these schools need to absorb the following fact. All schools which recognize the influence of the trans-Himalayan Lodge and whose workers are linked, consciously or unconsciously, with such Masters of the Wisdom as the Master Morya or the Master K.H., form one school and are part of one "discipline." There is therefore no essential conflict of interests, and on the inner side - if they are in any way functioning effectively - the various schools and presentations are regarded as a unity. There is no basic difference in teaching, even if the terminology used may vary, and the technique of work is fundamentally identical. If the work of the Great Ones is to go forward as desired in these days of stress and of world need, it is imperative that these various groups should begin to recognize their real unity in goal, guidance and technique, and that their leaders should realize that it is fear of other leaders and the desire that their group should be numerically the most important which prompts the frequent use of the words, "This is a different discipline," or, "Their work is not the same as ours." It is this attitude which is hindering the true growth of spiritual life and understanding among the many students gathered into the many outer organizations. At this time, the "great heresy of separateness" taints them. The leader and members talk in terms of "our" and "your," of this "discipline" and that, and of this method being right (usually their own) and the other method which may be right, but it is probably doubtful, if not positively wrong. Each regards their own group as specifically pledged to them and to their mode of instruction, and threaten their members with dire results if they cooperate with the membership of other groups. Instead, they should recognize that all students in analogous schools and working under the same spiritual impulses are members of the one school and are linked together in a basic subjective unity. The time must come when these various (and at present) separative esoteric bodies will have to proclaim their identity, when the leaders and workers and secretaries will meet with each other and learn to know and understand each other. Some day this recognition and understanding will bring them to the point where they will endeavor to supplement each other's efforts, exchange ideas with each other, and so in truth and in deed constitute one great college of esotericism in the world, with varying classes and grades but all occupied with the work of training aspirants and preparing them for discipleship, or superintending the work of disciples as they prepare themselves to take initiation. Then will cease the present attempts to hinder each other's work by comparison of methods and of techniques, by criticism and defamation, by warning and the cult of fear, and the insistence on exclusiveness. It is these attitudes and methods which at this time are hindering the entrance of the pure light of truth. pgs 15-17
Please Note that the above information was written in 1934 and now in the year 2022, we are still experiencing much of the same separateness that the Master D. K. talked about way back then. Today, many of the New Group of World Servers are finally getting it together with both the "Triangles" (working as group souls in triangles throughout the world) as well as "Twelves" (working with the Star Retreat of Hierarchy during the New Moon and Full Moon to spread the Light throughout the World). This team of Light Workers are dedicated to acting as mediators between Hierarchy and Humanity during this Transition Period of Time. These particular organizations are working completely in harmony as group souls, working at the "soul level" in order to maintain harmony and one-pointedness in their endeavor to raise mankind quickly into the awareness of the urgency of the hour. I have given here some of the many schools that have arisen over the past one hundred years that are all part of the Trans-Himalayan disciplines.
Madame Helena H. Blavatsky in 1877
Under the Trans-Himalayan Mahatmas
El Morya and Koothmi
Helena and Nicholas Roerich
The Agni Yoga Society was founded in 1920 by Helena and Nicholas Roerich. It is a nonprofit educational institution incorporated in New York in 1946, directed by the Master El Morya.
Guy & Pearl Ballard, Founders of the I AM Activity
Alice Bailey, Founder of the Arcane School in NYC
Through
a method of forcing – what does this mean??
Beginning with Madame Blavatsky, and on down the line to the Ballards, we
have these high disciples who gave over one of their “Jivas” within the mental
body of each one to be used in the process of telepathic communication. Just think for a minute how we’re so far
behind them, because even today, we have not reached that state of
consciousness. In order to form a clear
path of communication from the Himalayas to wherever in the world they would
be receiving these messages, there had to be a rapid opening of the consciousness
through the mental plane. If you just stop and think about this for a
moment, you’ll realize that we haven’t managed to come to this mental
development even after all these years since 1877. So, it’s important to see how
powerful and resourceful these Mahatmas were and how they were able to achieve
what no one in our modern world has accomplished at the present time. Oh Yes, there are certain schools out there
who profess to have telepathic abilities and I know for a fact that many
Russian military are using a form of telepathy and so is the United States military
establishing telepathy as part of their special forces units. None of them, however, are capable yet of taking one of the jivas* of our minds and working
through that mechanism to accomplish the task at hand. We, who are doing the Triangles, World Service and the Twelves are marching forward towards the time when we will be
totally connected to our Soul and/or Holy Christ Self – and once this occurs we
will be working at the same level as those few initiates – receiving telepathic
information from the Great Ones.
The emphasis in all esoteric schools is necessarily, and rightly, laid upon meditation. Technically speaking, meditation is the process whereby the head center is awakened, brought under control and used. When this is the case, the soul and the personality are coordinated and fused, and at-one-ment takes place, producing in the aspirant a tremendous inflow of spiritual energy, galvanizing his whole being into activity, and bringing to the surface the latent good and also evil. Herein lies much of the problem and much of the danger. Hence also the stress laid in such true schools upon the need of purity and truth. Over-emphasis has been laid upon the need for physical purity, and not sufficient emphasis laid upon the avoidance of all fanaticism and intolerance. These two qualities hinder the student far more than can wrong diet, and they feed the fires of separativeness more than any other one factor. Pgs 17-18
There is a proper way to meditate. One needs to find time, preferably first thing in the morning as one is fresh from visiting the temples at night. Find a space where you can be at peace without any disturbance that you and only you can use. It could be a small place with a chair, some pictures, some incense and/or a white candle for example. You can sit quietly in a comfortable chair and do not have to be in the “lotus” position. The meditation should be done at the same time each and every day for about 15 minutes at first and never exceeding 40 minutes. One thing you can also do, is to play either the OM and/or AUM meditations or the 639Hz meditation (you can find these on YouTube). This will be great background vibration if it is set at a low level of sound. The energy from each of these meditations is especially powerful and will place you in a quiet responsive mood. Take a couple of deep breaths and then turn both physical eyes towards the center of the forehead between the eyebrows and the hairline, the "Third Eye." Your goal is to look upwards towards the “Crown Chakra” at the very center top of your forehead. At first you do not want to put a strain on yourself. If concentrating on the “Third Eye” makes you feel uncomfortable in the beginning, stay there until it becomes easier. Then once this is accomplished you will want to move your physical eyes towards the Crown Chakra. This is a little more difficult and will take a little time to feel comfortable; but it will come – do not force it. If you can't quiet the mind then chant the AUM for awhile, as it tends to stop the little mind from its chattering and moves you to that at-one-ment that will lead to your Soul connection. Continue to concentrate upon the opening of the Crown Chakra as you continually look upwards towards your Soul. Eventually the Soul will begin to shine its light upon you. At first, it will be tiny glimpses of flashing light. As you continue to daily concentrate upon the Crown Chakra while doing the AUM, you will begin to see and feel the inflow of light and energy within the head center. At this point you want to be still and in listening grace.
Meditation involves the living of a one-pointed life always and every day. This perforce puts an undue strain on the brain cells for it brings quiescent cells into activity and awakens the brain consciousness to the light of the soul. This process of ordered meditation, when carried forward over a period of years and supplemented by meditative living and one-pointed service, will successfully arouse the entire system, and bring the lower man under the influence and control of the spiritual man; it will awaken also the centers of force in the etheric body and stimulate into activity that mysterious stream of energy which sleeps at the base of the spinal column. When this process is carried forward with care and due safeguards, and under direction, and when the process is spread over a long period of time there is little risk of danger, and the awakening will take place normally and under the law of being itself. If, however, the tuning up and awakening is forced, or is brought about by exercises of various kinds before the student is ready and before the bodies are coordinated and developed, then the aspirant is headed towards disaster. Breathing exercises or pranayama training should never be undertaken without expert guidance and only after years of spiritual application, devotion and service; concentration upon the centers in the force body (with a view to their awakening) is ever to be avoided; it will cause over-stimulation and the opening of doors on to the astral plane which the student may have difficulty in closing. I cannot impress too strongly upon aspirants in all occult schools that the yoga for this transition period is the yoga of one-pointed intent, of directed purpose, of a constant practice of the Presence of God, and of ordered regular meditation carried forward systematically and steadily over years of effort. pg 18
Read carefully all of these words of the Master for He explains
very clearly how one should meditate and how long one should meditate but
especially how not to force the experience by coming in the “back door” or
doing exercises and/or concentrating on a particular chakra. You should never try to raise the serpents
from the Kundalini at the base of the spine.
You should only concentrate on one-pointed intent of directed purpose, especially when connecting with the I AM Presence of God. When following these instructions daily over
a certain period of time, you will have naturally opened all of your chakras
and the centers within the head. At the same time, the serpents will
eventually release from the “white cube” at the base of the spine and rush
through the chakras and move unerringly through the Crown Chakra bursting
through it as seen on top of many Buddha's heads. This is a slow and true process without any danger or disaster.
When this is done with detachment and is paralleled by a life of loving service, the awakening of the centers and the raising of the sleeping fire of kundalini will go forward with safety and sanity and the whole system will be brought to the requisite stage of "aliveness." I cannot too strongly advise students against the following of intensive meditation processes for hours at a time, or against practices which have for their objective the arousing of the fires of the body, the awakening of a particular center and the moving of the serpent fire. The general world stimulation is so great at this time and the average aspirant is so sensitive and finely organized that excessive meditation, a fanatical diet, the curtailing of the hours of sleep or undue interest in and emphasis upon psychic experience will upset the mental balance and often do irretrievable harm. pgs. 18-19
Remember that the Master D. K. again warns us about prolonged
meditation for hours – this only causes irritation and can be very harmful to
the student. He also warns about
intensive exercises in trying to raise the Kundalini fires from the base of the
spine – this can very easily lead to disaster; because any forcing of this
powerful fire energy can do irreparable damage to the student. Because we are already sensitive and the
world is receiving intense vibration and energy from the incoming rays, it is
not the time to be experimenting and/or playing with fire. This particular
fire is only tolerated when one has passed several major initiations and has
opened all of the centers within the body as well as the head. Most people do not realize that these chakras
or centers are very difficult to open and it takes daily meditation over a long
period of time to reach that point where it is safe to move into the fire
element; but this takes years of patience and practice allowing the opening of
each center and the spinning of each chakra to occur naturally without any
forcing or premature manipulation which always puts the student in great danger.
Let the students in esoteric schools settle down to steady, quiet, unemotional work. Let them refrain from prolonged hours of study and of meditation. Their bodies are as yet incapable of the requisite tension, and they only damage themselves. Let them lead normal busy lives, remembering in the press of daily duties and service who they are essentially and what are their goal and objectives. Let them meditate regularly every morning, beginning with a period of fifteen minutes and never exceeding forty minutes. Let them forget themselves in service, and let them not concentrate their interest upon their own psychic development. Let them train their minds with a normal measure of study and learn to think intelligently, so that their minds can balance their emotions and enable them to interpret correctly that which they contact as their measure of awareness increases and their consciousness expands. pg. 19
Master D. K. really emphasizes the seriousness of overdoing the
meditation process – again, he says 15 minutes to start with and no longer than
40 minutes because their bodies cannot tolerate this type of tension. He wants the student to enjoy the process,
doing your meditation first thing in the morning and then proceed to do your
daily routines always being mindful that there’s a need to keep a balance in
all four lower bodies: i.e. the physical, mental, emotional and etheric
bodies. As you proceed to form a simple
routine on a daily basis (never exceeding the 40 minutes and not placing any
emphasis upon psychic development) the student will find after a period of time
that he/she is naturally blossoming into a disciple of the most high God and
can and will be of benefit to Hierarchy when they are called upon to give service.
Students need to remember that devotion to the Path or to the Master is not enough. The Great Ones are looking for intelligent cooperators and workers more than They are looking for devotion to Their Personalities, and a student who is walking independently in the light of his own soul is regarded by Them as a more dependable instrument than a devoted fanatic. The light of his soul will reveal to the earnest aspirant the unity underlying all groups, and enable him to eliminate the poison of intolerance which taints and hinders so many; it will cause him to recognize the spiritual fundamentals which guide the steps to humanity; it will force him to overlook the intolerance and the fanaticism and separativeness which characterize the small mind and the beginner upon the Path, and help him so to love them that they will begin to see more truly and enlarge their horizon; it will enable him to estimate truly the esoteric value of service and teach him above all to practice that harmlessness which is the outstanding quality of every son of God. A harmlessness that speaks no word that can damage another person, that thinks no thought which could poison or produce misunderstanding, and which does no action which could hurt the least of his brethren - this is the main virtue which will enable the esoteric student to tread with safety the difficult path of development. Where the emphasis is laid upon service to one's fellowmen and the trend of the life force is outward to the world, then there is freedom from danger and the aspirant can safely meditate and aspire and work. His motive is pure, and he is seeking to decentralize his personality and shift the focus of his attention away from himself to the group. Thus the life of the soul can pour through him, and express itself as love to all beings. He knows himself to be a part of a whole and the life of that whole can flow through him consciously, leading him to a realization of brotherhood and of his oneness in relation to all manifested lives. pgs. 19-20
In summary, the Master D. K. really explains why we must keep
on in our daily meditations, but not as fanatics trying to spend
hours in meditation or trying to raise the fiery serpents when the body, the mind
and the emotions are not capable of tolerating this type of energy. He advises us to keep to a schedule, set
some goals and make sure that devotion is to service and for the betterment of all
souls. He makes a strong statement to always be mindful that we should not criticize other schools and other disciples; rather,
look within and work each day on purify your thoughts, words and deeds. Prepare yourself for service to all life;
while living in peace and love for all life.
This is the difficult but simple Path to reaching all your goals and to
become an instrument to work within the group in loving service to Hierarchy
and all mankind.
End of Lesson 3
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