January-March 2008

CONTENTS:

Man's Task — Editorial
The very meaning of "man" touches upon his potential greatness: "man" has its root in the Sanskrit manas, meaning "one who thinks" or "thinking entity". Under the divine Plan, it is man's task to create the living forms and structures through which the Plan of God can manifest divine Purpose, which is the revelation of the all-pervasive divinity from star systems and realms of the universe that are incomprehensible to the human mind, down to the cellular level of the most minute atom. All is imbued with Purpose, all is innately expressive of the quality of Deity.

Meditation as an Act of Creation, Part I—Djwhal Khul

Connected Consciousness—Arnold Ward
To say that an electron possesses consciousness may seem to be an overstatement of what consciousness is but electrons possess at least awareness, and when one particle of a pair changes its "spin" the other immediately reverses its "spin".

The Role of the Propagandist-in-Training—Laura Harrison
We must endeavour to engage the existing and entrenched cultures by inspiring and stimulating the same sense of awe and wonder of the internal world and its laws that humanity feels in regard to the external world, while simultaneously presenting the pursuit of soul contact as a natural and normal endeavour.

Advertising—Its Influence on Humanity—David Hopper
For decades, the desire body in the average person has been exploited by advertising. Through a continual insatiable appetite for more products, capitalists are naturally responding to the public's wants, needs and desires. This appetite, however, has serious karmic consequences on the environment.

Notes from the Field of Service: The Story of the Development of a Full Moon Meditation Group— A Student
All the individual members of the group know that this work, while impersonal and selfless, is important and that they as individuals make important group contributions and the importance is because it is a selfless group work. As such there is a subjective connection of gratitude and love that is unspoken but deeply felt by all the group members.

Evolution —Elizabeth Holland
Soon after beginning my esoteric studies I began to think of death as simply the casting away of a worn out garment, etc. It was an entirely new concept to me up to that time. A year later death came into my home, and a few days later I received a copy of The Beacon which contained my statement. It seemed to say "now here is what you say about death, do you believe it; if so, act and think as if you did."

Sree Narayana—The Iconoclastic Guru—Linda Bialobroda
It was Narayana's mission to break down and discard the caste system. This was a revolutionary idea, but he was inspired, and determined that it was time to discard the practice. It was not easy to make the poor ignorant people realise the presence of the universal spirit within them. It would take bringing them together and educating them.

Cosmic Union; Planetary Purpose and the Plan—Nancy Connally

Books and Publications