The New Group of World Servers
Recognized as the Pamphlet
THE NEXT THREE YEARS
From A Treatise on White Magic
Pages 398-433
We have spoken often of the integrating group of knowers who are beginning to function upon the earth, gathered together in loose formation and held by the inner spiritual tie and not by any outer organization. The planetary Hierarchy has always existed and from time immemorial and right down the ages those sons of men who have fitted themselves for work and who have measured up to the requirements, have found their way into the ranks of those who stand behind the world evolution and guide the destinies of the little ones. Their grades and works are theoretically known, and names of some have been given out to the masses,-at what cost and personal sacrifice those masses will never know. With the Hierarchy of adepts I do not propose to deal. The books upon the subject are easily available and should be read with the needed reservations as to symbolical interpretations and the limiting effects of words.
An event is however transpiring upon earth which is, in its way, as momentous and as important as that crisis in Atlantean times when the physical, vital and astral bodies were coordinated and formed a functioning unit. Then the `yoga of devotion’ or bhakti yoga was initiated for the training of the aspirants at that time. A physical plane replica (as far as such a replica was then possible) was organized of those who could work devotedly and who could learn, through the use of ceremonial and pictures, some mode of activity which would carry on the hierarchical work on earth and thus constitute a training [399] school for those who later would be admitted into the ranks of the Hierarchy. The remnants of this Atlantean group remain with us in the modern Masonic movements, and the work of the Hierarchy was thus perpetuated in sign and symbol. There has thus been preserved in the consciousness of the race a pictorial presentation of a momentous planetary condition which worked out in the human family in this threefold coordination. But it was primarily objective. Form and symbol, tool and furniture, temple and tone, office and externalities were the prominent factors; they veiled the truth and therefore preserved the ‘outer and visible form of an inner and spiritual’ reality. Only those were, in those days, allowed to participate in these mysteries and work who felt within themselves the longing and desire for the mystical vision, and who loved deeply and were devoted to the spiritual ideal. They were not required to possess active mentalities, and their intellectual powers were practically nil. They liked and needed authority: they learnt through ceremonial; they were devoted to the Great Ones Whose names and forms stood behind the office holders in the esoteric lodges. Mind entered not in. This must be remembered. There were no personalities. Today, in the world, another great moment of crisis has arrived. I refer not to the present world condition, but to the state of the human consciousness. Mind has arrived at a functioning power, personalities are coordinated. The three aspects of man are being blended; another formation or precipitation from the Hierarchy of adepts has become possible. On the physical plane, without any exoteric organization, ceremonials, or outer form, there is integrating—silently, steadily and powerfully—a group of men and women who will supersede eventually the previous hierarchical effort. They will supersede all churches, all groups, and all organizations and will [400] eventually constitute that oligarchy of elect souls who will govern and guide the world. They are being gathered out of every nation, but are gathered and chosen, not by the watching Hierarchy or by any Master, but by the power of their response to the spiritual opportunity, tide and note. They are emerging out of every group and church and party, and will therefore be truly representative. This they do, not from the pull of their own ambition and prideful schemes, but through the very selflessness of their service. They are finding their way to the top in every department of human knowledge, not because of the clamor they make about their own ideas, discoveries and theories, but because they are so inclusive in their outlook and so wide in their interpretation of truth that they see the hand of God in all happenings, His imprint upon all forms and His note sounding forth through every channel of communication between the subjective reality and the objective outer form. They are of all races; they speak all languages; they embrace all religions, all sciences and all philosophies. Their characteristics are synthesis, inclusiveness, intellectuality and fine mental development. They own to no creed, save the creed of Brotherhood, based on the one Life. They recognize no authority, save that of their own souls, and no Master save the group they seek to serve, and humanity whom they deeply love. They have no barriers set up around themselves, but are governed by a wide tolerance, and a sane mentality and sense of proportion. They look with open eyes upon the world of men and recognize those whom they can lift and to whom they can stand as the Great Ones stand,—lifting, teaching and helping. They recognize their peers and equals, and know each other when they meet and stand shoulder to shoulder with their fellow workers in the work of salvaging humanity. It does not matter if their terminologies differ, their interpretations of symbols [401] and scriptures vary, or their words are few or many. They see their group members in all fields—political, scientific, religious, and economic—and give to them the sign of recognition and the hand of a brother. They recognize likewise Those who have passed ahead of them upon the ladder of evolution and hail Them Teacher, and seek to learn from Them that which They are so eager to impart. This group is a product of the past and upon that past I will touch; I will also indicate the present situation and forecast somewhat the general lines along which their association and future work will run. That such a group is forming is true and holds a good augury for the coming decades. In quiet and subtle ways they are already making their presence felt but theirs is as yet primarily a subjective influence. Let us begin with the past. About the year 1400, the Hierarchy of Masters was faced with a difficult situation. As far as the work of the second ray was concerned (which had to do with the impartation of spiritual truth) there had come to be what I might call a complete exteriorization of that truth. The activity of the first ray had also brought about an intense differentiation and crystallization among the nations and governments of the world. These two conditions of concrete orthodoxy and political differences persisted for many generations and are still manifesting. Today we have a similar condition both in the world of religion and in that of politics. This is true whether one is considering India or America, China or Germany, or whether one is studying the history of Buddhism with its many sects, Protestantism with its myriads of warring groups, or the many schools of philosophy in the orient or the occident. The condition is widespread, and the public consciousness tremendously diversified, but this state- of- affairs marks the summation [402] of the period of separativeness and the end, before so many centuries, of this intense distinctiveness of thought. After noting and watching this trend of affairs for another one hundred years, the Elder Brothers of the race called a conclave of all departments about the year 1500 A.D. Their object was to determine how the urge to integration, which is essentially the keynote of our universal order, could be hastened, and what steps could be taken to produce that synthesis and unification in the world of thought which would make possible the manifestation of the purpose of the divine life which had brought all into being. When the world of thought is unified, then the outer world will fall into a synthetic order. It should be remembered here that the Masters think in large terms and work in the wider cycles of evolutionary endeavor. The tiny and temporary cycles, the small ebb and flow of the cosmic processes do not engage Their attention in the first instance. At this conclave They had three things to do: 1. To view the divine plan on as large a scale as possible, and refresh Their minds with the vision. 2. To note what influences or energies were available for use in the large endeavor to which They were pledged. 3. To train the men and women who were then probationers, chelas* and initiates so that in due time They could have a satisfactory band of assistants on whom They could in future centuries rely.
* Chelas is the Sanskrit word for students and/or disciples
They too are forced to use such unmeaning terms in Their teaching as Absolute Reality, and Ultimate Realization. Hence, during the past three centuries, group after group has appeared and played its part, and we today reap the benefit of their accomplishment. Under the cultural group for instance we find emerging the poets of the Elizabethan age, and the musicians of Germany and of the Victorian era. Groups of artists are likewise to be found, giving us the famous schools which are the glory of Europe. Two famous groups, one cultural and the other political, also played their parts, the one producing the Renaissance and the other bringing about the French Revolution. The effects of their work are still [409] to be felt, for the modern humanistic movement with its emphasis upon the past which is completed in the present, and its search for the roots of man’s equipment in the earlier trends, harks back to the Renaissance. Revolution and the determination to fight for the divine rights of man find their prime inaugurating influence and impetus in the revolution in France. Revolt, the formation of political parties, the class warfare which is so rampant today and the splitting of every country into warring political groups, though sporadic always, have become universal during the past two hundred years, and are all the results of the group activity started by the Masters. Men have grown thereby and have learnt how to think, and even though they may think wrongly and may initiate disastrous experiments, the ultimate good is inevitable and unavoidable. Temporary discomforts, passing depressions, war and bloodshed, penury and vice may lead the unthinking into the depths of pessimism. But those who know and who sense the inner guiding hand of the Hierarchy are aware that the heart of humanity is sound and that out of the present chaos and perhaps largely because of it, there will emerge those competent to deal with the situation and adequate to the task of unification and divine rights of man find their prime inaugurating influence and impetus in the revolution in France. Revolt, the formation of political parties, the class warfare which is so rampant today and the splitting of every country into warring political groups, though sporadic always, have become universal during the past two hundred years, and are all the results of the group activity started by the Masters. Men have grown thereby and have learnt how to think, and even though they may think wrongly and may initiate disastrous experiments, the ultimate good is inevitable and unavoidable. Temporary discomforts, passing depressions, war and bloodshed, penury and vice may lead the unthinking into the depths of pessimism. But those who know and who sense the inner guiding hand of the Hierarchy are aware that the heart of humanity is sound and that out of the present chaos and perhaps largely because of it, there will emerge those competent to deal with the situation and adequate to the task of unification and synthesis. This period has been occultly called the “age of restoration of what has been broken by the fall”. The time has come when the separate parts can be reunited and the whole stand together again in its earlier perfection. The religious groups have likewise been many,—so many that their enumeration is hopeless. We have the groups of Catholic mystics who are the glory of the Occident, there are also the protesting Lutherans, Calvinists and Methodists, the Pilgrim Fathers—those sour and earnest men—the Huguenot and Moravian martyrs, and the thousands of modern sects in every group. These have all served their purpose and have led man to the [410] point of revolt and away from acquiescence in authority. They have driven man to the stage of thinking for himself by the force of their unique example. They stood for freedom and the personal right to know. These latter groups have acted largely under the influence of the sixth and second rays. The cultural emerged under that of the fourth ray, whilst the first ray has impelled the political activities which have brought such changes in the nations. Under the fifth and third ray impulses, groups of scientific investigators have arisen, working with the forces and energies that constitute the divine Life, dealing with the outer garment of God, searching from without towards the within, and demonstrating to man his essential unity with all creation and his relationship, intrinsic and vital, with all forms of life. The names of the individuals in any group are legion and of relatively no importance. It is the group and its interrelated work that counts. It is interesting to note that in the scientific group the underlying unity is particularly noticeable, for its members are singularly free from sectarianism and selfish competition. This cannot be said of the religious and political groups. In relation to the many nations and the myriads of men on earth, these molding groups under the various divisions are few in number. Their personnel, their contribution to the growth of human expression, and their place in the plan can quite easily be traced. The point to be emphasized is that these have all been motivated from the inner subjective side of life; they have come forth under a divine urge and with a specific work to accomplish; they have all been composed in the primary stage of disciples and initiates of the lesser degrees; they have all been subjectively guided step by step by their own souls, which have, in their turn, been cooperating consciously with the Hierarchy of Knowers*. This has [411] been the case even when the individual man has been totally unaware himself or his place in the group and that group’s divine mission. Let it be remembered also that there has not been a single failure, though again and again the individual has not been cognizant of success.
* Knowers - those who have wisdom and understanding
The mark of these workers is that they build for posterity. That those who have followed them have failed, and that those who have responded to this work have not been true to the ideal is disastrously true, but the initial group has uniformly achieved. This surely negates pessimism and demonstrates the exceeding potency of the subjective activity. The three groups to which I earlier referred require a word of comment. Their work is curiously different to that of the other groups and their ranks are recruited from all the ray groups, though the members of the third group (that of the financiers) are found primarily upon the seventh ray, that of ceremonial organization. In the order of their emergence, they are the groups of philosophers, psychologists and business men. The group of philosophers of more modern date are already powerfully molding thought, whilst the ancient schools of Asiatic philosophers are just beginning to influence western ideas. Through analysis, correlation and synthesis, the thought power of man is developed and the abstract mind can be unified with the concrete.
Through their work therefore that interesting sensitivity of man, with its three outstanding characteristics of instinct, intellect and intuition is brought to a condition of intelligent coordination. Instinct relates man to the animal world, intellect unites him to his fellow men, whilst the intuition reveals to him the life of divinity. All these three are the subject matter of philosophical investigation, for the theme of the philosophers is the nature of reality and the means of knowledge. The two most modern groups are the psychologists [412] who work under the Delphic injunction “Man, know thyself”, and the financiers who are the custodians of the means whereby man can live upon the physical plane. These two groups necessarily, and in spite of apparent divergences and differences are more synthetic in their foundational aspects, than any of the others. One group concerns itself with mankind, with the varying types of humanity the mechanism employed, and man’s urges, characteristics, and with the purpose—apparent or hidden—of his being. The other group controls and orders the means whereby he exists, controlling all that can be converted into energy and constituting a dictatorship over all modes of intercourse, commerce and exchange. They control the multiplicity of form—objects which modern man regards as essential to his mode of life. Money, as I have before said, is only crystallized energy or vitality,—what the oriental student calls pranic energy. It is a concretization of etheric *force. It is therefore vital energy externalized, and this form of energy is under the direction of the financial group. They are the latest group in point of date, and their work (it should be borne in mind) is most definitely planned by the Hierarchy. They are bringing about effects upon the earth which are most far reaching. Now that centuries have elapsed since the conclave in the sixteenth century, these external groups have played their part and performed most notable service. The results achieved have reached a stage where they are internationally effective, and their influence is not confined to one nation or race. The Hierarchy is now faced with another situation which requires careful handling. They must gather up and weld together the various threads of influencing energy and the differing trends of thought power which the work of the groups since the year 1500 has produced.
They have also now to offset some of the effects which are tending towards a further differentiation. [413] This must inevitably be so when force is brought into contact with the material world. Initial impulses have in them potency both for good and for evil. As long as the form remains of secondary importance and relatively negligible, we call it good. Then the idea and not its expression controls. As time elapses and the energy of the thought makes its impact upon matter and lesser minds seize upon the particular type of energy or are vitalized by it, then evil begins to make its presence felt. This finally demonstrates as selfishness, separateness, pride and those characteristics which have produced so much harm in the world. About seventeen years ago the Masters met and came to a momentous decision. Just as it had been decided at the earlier conclave to gather out of the inchoate masses of men, groups of workers along various lines, and set them the task of elevating humanity and expanding the human consciousness, so now it was felt wise to gather out of the many groups, a group which should contain (as does the Hierarchy itself) men of all races, of all types and tendencies. This group has a specific mission, and some of the facts about it might be stated as follows: It is first of all an attempt at an externalization of the Hierarchy upon the physical plane, or a small working replica of this essentially subjective body. Its members are all in physical bodies but must work entirely subjectively, thus utilizing the inner subjective apparatus and the intuition. It is to be composed of men and women of all nations and ages, but each one must be spiritually oriented, all must be conscious servers, all must be mentally polarized and alert, and all must be inclusive. One of the essential conditions imposed upon the personnel of the group is that they must be willing to work without recognition, on the subjective levels. They must work behind the scenes as do the Great Ones. Its members [414] therefore must be free from all taint of ambition, and from all pride of race and of accomplishment. They must be also sensitively aware of their fellowmen and of their thoughts and conditioning environment. It is a group that has no esoteric organization of any kind, no headquarters, no publicity, no group name. It is a band of obedient workers and servers of the WORD—obedient to their own souls and to group need. All true servers everywhere therefore belong to this group, whether their line of service is cultural, political, scientific, religious, philosophical, psychological or financial. They constitute part of the inner group of workers for humanity, and of the world mystics, whether they know it or not. They will be thus recognized by their fellow group members when contacted in the casual ways of world intercourse. This group gives to the word “spiritual” a wide significance; they believe it to mean an inclusive endeavor towards human betterment, uplift and understanding; they give it the connotation of tolerance, international synthetic communion, religious inclusiveness, and all trends of thought which concern the esoteric development of the human being. It is a group therefore without a terminology or Bible of any kind; it has no creed nor any dogmatic formulations of truth. The motivating impulse of each and all is love of God as it works out in love for one’s fellow man. They know the true meaning of brotherhood, without distinction of race. Their lives are lives of willing service, rendered with utter selflessness and without any reservations. The personnel of the group is known only to the Elder Brothers of the race, and no register of names is kept, and there are only three main requirements: 1. A certain amount of at-one-ment between the soul and its mechanism is essential, and that inner triplicity, [415] usually dormant in the majority, of soul-mind-brain must be in alignment and active. 2. The brain has to be telepathically sensitive in two directions and at will. It must be aware of the world of souls and also of the world of men. 3. There must also exist a capacity for abstract or synthetic thought. This will enable a man to leap over racial and religious barriers. When this is present also there is an assured belief in the continuity of life and its correlation to the life after death. To sum up the situation, it must be noted that the groups in the past have stood for certain aspects of truth and have demonstrated certain ray characteristics. The new group will express all the aspects and have in it members on all the rays. The majority of the workers in the many groups have carried forward certain details of the plan, and added their quota of energy to the forward urge of humanity, but they have for the most part done this without any true understanding of what they were accomplishing, and without any real comprehension of that body-soul relationship which leads to really intelligent work, unless we except a few prominent mystics such as Meister Eckhart. They have been primarily groups of personalities, with that added touch of genius which indicates a certain contact with the soul. The group that is now in process of formation is composed of those who are aware of the fact of the soul, and have established a soul intercourse that is real and lasting; they look upon the mind, emotions and body nature as simply an equipment whereby human The true exponent of this new group type will of course not appear for many decades. He will be a true Aquarian with a universal touch, an intense sensitivity, a highly organized mental apparatus, an astral equipment which is primarily responsive to the higher spiritual vibrations, a powerful and controlled energy body, and a sound physical body, though not robust in the ordinary use of the term. What then is the present situation in connection with the integrating group of mystics? Let me be somewhat explicit. In every European country, in the United States of America, and in parts of Asia and South Africa are to be found certain disciples, usually unrecognized in the world at large, who are thinking truth. Let me call your attention to that phrase. The most important workers in this new group and those who are closest to the Great Ones are those whose daily thought life is oriented by the new ideal. true exponent of this new group type will of course not appear for many decades. He will be a true Aquarian with a universal touch, an intense sensitivity, a highly organized mental apparatus, an astral equipment which is primarily responsive to the higher spiritual vibrations, a powerful and controlled energy body, and a sound physical body, though not robust in the ordinary use of the term. What then is the present situation in connection with the integrating group of mystics? Let me be somewhat explicit. In every European country, in the United States of America, and in parts of Asia and South Africa are to be found certain disciples, usually unrecognized in the world at large, who are thinking truth. Let me call your attention to that phrase. The most important workers in this new group and those who are closest to the Great Ones are those whose daily thought life is oriented by the new ideal. That this thought life of theirs may work out in definite esoteric activities may be true, but they are first of all and always those who live in and work from the “high and secret place”. Their influence is wielded silently and quietly and they lay no emphasis upon their personalities, upon their own views and ideas, [417] or upon their methods of carrying forward the work. These possess a full realization of their own limitations, but are not handicapped thereby, but proceed to think through into objective manifestation that aspect of the vision which it is their mission to vivify into form. They are necessarily cultured and widely read, for in these difficult transitional times they have to cultivate a world grasp of conditions and possess a general idea of what is going on in the different countries. They possess in truth no nationality in the sense that they regard their country and their political affiliations as of paramount importance. They are equipped to organize, slowly and steadily, that public opinion of a powerful subjective body of thinking Souls can speak the needed words, and outline those concepts which will hasten the work of integration, and put the units in this group in touch with one another. Do your utmost to see that this is done and [418] make this the message and keynote of the work you all do wherever you are. What should therefore be the work of the immediate present? Let me outline the program as far as I can. The first thing to be done is to strengthen the ties and establish firmly the link between yourselves and all those whom you recognize as possible working disciples in the new group. To do this, acquaint yourselves with the work of the leaders of groups in the various countries of the world—such as Switzerland, the United States, Holland, Germany and Great Britain. From their reaction to the vision of this new age type of work you can then make a temporary decision. Watch them at their work. Note the emphasis laid by them upon personalities. If personal ambition seems to govern their activities, if their position is one of a determination to work in the group of mystics because of its novelty or because it gives them a certain standing or because it intrigues their imagination or gives them scope for gathering people around them, then proceed no further, but—preserving silence—leave time and the law to correct their attitude. Secondly, be receptive towards those who seek you out and seem to vibrate to the same note. When I say you, I mean the group to which you all subjectively belong. They will come if you work with decision and sound out the note of unity so clearly that they are in no doubt as to your motives and your disinterested activity. Some of the 156 who form the present nucleus will be known to you and will work in unison with you, though maybe not in your peculiar field of action. The picture to be held before your eyes is that of a vast network of groups, working along the many possible lines, but having at their heart or behind them—working silently and persistently influencing through soul contact—one or more members of the new slowly emerging [419] group.
*concretization of etheric force means that that which comes from "spirit and/or etheric plane will become solidified in the earthly plane - mf
These focal points through which the Hierarchy is now seeking to work stand together telepathically and exoterically* they must work in the completest understanding, preserving always an attitude of non-interference, and leaving each worker free to teach his own group as he sees fit. The terms used, the methods employed, the types reached, the truths taught, the discipline of life demonstrated concern no one but the working disciple. The members of this group of new age workers will, however, possess certain general characteristics. They will impose no enforced dogmas of any kind, and will lay no emphasis upon any doctrine or authorities. They are not interested in having any personal authority nor do they rest back upon traditional authority, whether religious, scientific, cultural or any other form of imposed truth.
* What does esoteric and exoteric mean? The opposite of esoteric is exoteric, which means "suitable to be imparted to the public." According to one account, those who were deemed worthy to attend the Greek philosopher Aristotle's learned discussions were known as his "esoterics," his confidants, while those who merely attended his popular evening lectures
No comments:
Post a Comment