130-134
[130]
PAIN
(1) Pain is that upward struggle through matter which lands a man at the Feet of the Logos; pain is the following of the line of greatest resistance and thereby reaching the summit of the mountain; pain is the smashing of the form and the reaching of the inner fire; pain is the cold of isolation which leads to the warmth of the central sun; pain is the burning in the furnace in order finally to know the coolness of the water of life; pain is the journeying into the far country, resulting in the welcome to the Father's Home; pain is the illusion of the Father's disowning, which drives the prodigal straight to the Father's heart; pain is the cross of utter loss, that renders back the riches of the eternal bounty; pain is the whip that drives the struggling builder to carry to utter perfection the building of the Temple.
The uses of pain are many, and they lead the human soul out of darkness into light, out of bondage into liberation, out of agony into peace. That peace, that light and that liberation, with the ordered harmony of the cosmos, are for all the sons of men. (4 - 533), (5 - 677).
(2) With this consciousness, incident upon an awareness of the pairs of opposites, is connected the entire problem of pain and of suffering, as we today understand it. The animal suffers, but suffers entirely physically and sentiently. Man suffers, but suffers physically, sentiently, and also mentally, and the mental suffering is due to the development in him of certain aspects of the lower mind - anticipation, memory, imagination, the power to visualise, remorse, and the inherent urge to reach out after divinity, which brings with it a sense of loss and of failure. The sufferings of God Himself (to which the scriptures of the world so often mysteriously refer), are divorced from sentiency, and are mental and intuitive. (14 - 250).
(3) Upon the Path of Initiation pain is largely negated, not because the initiate endeavours to avoid pain, but because the sensitivity of the form to undesirable contacts disappears; pain is the guardian of the form and the protector of substance; it warns of danger; it indicates certain definite stages in the evolutionary process; it is related to the principle whereby the [Page 303] soul identifies itself with substance. When the identification ceases, pain and disease and also death lose their hold upon the disciple; the soul is no longer subject to their requirements, and the man is free because disease and death are qualities inherent in form, and subject to the vicissitudes of form life. (17 - 502).
(4) Pain has always been the purifying agent, employed by the Lords of Destiny, to bring about liberation. (13 - 116).
See also: (6 - 650).
[131]
THE PERSONALITY
(1) The personality is a triple combination of forces, impressing and absolutely controlling the fourth aspect of the personality, which is the dense physical body. The three personality types of energy are the etheric body, which is the vehicle of vital energy, the astral body, which is the vehicle of the feeling energy or sentient force, and the mental body, which is the vehicle of the intelligent energy of will, that is destined to be the dominant creative aspect. . . . These forces constitute the lower man. (15 - 8).
(2) The progress of humanity is from one realised integration to another; man's basic integrity is, however, in the realm of the consciousness. This is a statement of importance. It might be remarked - speaking loosely and generally - that
1. In Lemurian times, humanity achieved the integration of the vital or etheric body with the physical body.
2. In Atlantean times, humanity added to the already achieved synthesis still another part, that of the astral nature, and psychic man came definitely into being. He was alive, and at the same time sensitive and responsive to his environment, in a wider and more specialised sense.
3. Today, in our Aryan race, humanity is occupied with the task of adding still another aspect, that of the mind. To the achieved facts of livingness and sensitivity, he is rapidly adding reason, mental perception, and other qualities of the mind and thought life.
4. Advanced humanity upon the Probationary Path, is fusing these three divine aspects into one whole, which we call the personality. Many hundreds of thousands stand at this time upon that Path, and are acting, feeling and thinking simultaneously, making these functions one activity. This personality synthesis comes upon the Path of Discipleship, under the direction of the indwelling entity, the spiritual man.
This integration constitutes alignment, and - when a man has achieved [Page 304] this - he passes eventually through a process of reorientation. This reveals to him, as he slowly changes his direction, the still greater Whole of humanity. Later, upon the Path of Initiation, there will dawn upon his vision, the Whole of which humanity itself is only an expression. This is the subjective world of reality, into which we begin definitely to enter as we become members of the Kingdom of God.
5. Upon the Probationary Path, though only during its later stages, he begins to serve humanity consciously, through the medium of his integrated personality, and thus the consciousness of the larger and wider whole, gradually supersedes his individual and separative consciousness. He knows himself to be but a part.
6. Upon the Path of Discipleship, the process of integration into the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Souls, proceeds until the third initiation is undergone.
All these various integrations work out into some definite form of activity. First, there is the service of the personality, selfish and separative, wherein man sacrifices much in the interests of his own desire. Then comes the stage of service of humanity, and, finally, the service of the Plan. (15 - 350/1).
(3) This particular phrase "death of the personality", has two definite connotations:
a. It may mean the death of the physical body, which is inevitably followed by the two stages of the death of the emotional vehicle, and the subsequent dissipation of the temporary and ever-changing form which the quota of mental energy has assumed during incarnation.
b. The subjective and mystical "death of the personality". This is a phrase indicating the transfer of the focus for the distribution of energy from the personality (a definite centre of force), to the soul (another definite centre). (16 - 17/8).
(4) It must be borne in mind that the life of the personality falls into the following stages:
1. Its slow and gradual construction over a long period of time. For many cycles of incarnations, a man is not a personality. He is just a member of the mass.
2. The conscious identification of the soul with the personality during this stage is practically non-existent. The aspect of the soul which is concealed within the sheaths is for a long, long period dominated by the life of those sheaths, only making its presence felt through what is called "the voice of conscience". However, as time goes on, the active life of the person [Page 305] is gradually enhanced and co-ordinated by the energy which streams from the knowledge petals of the egoic lotus, or from the intelligent perceptive nature of the soul on its own plane. This produces eventually the integration of the three lower sheaths into one functioning whole. The man is then a personality.
3. The personality life of the now co-ordinated individual persists for a large number of lives, and also falls into three phases:
a. The phase of a dominant aggressive personality life, basically conditioned by its ray type, selfish in nature and very individualistic.
b. A transitional phase wherein a conflict rages between personality and soul. The soul begins to seek liberation from form life, and yet - in the last analysis - the personality is dependent upon the life principle, conferred by the soul. Wording it otherwise, the conflict between the soul ray and the personality ray starts, and the war is on between two focussed aspects of energy. This conflict terminates at the third initiation.
c. The control by the soul is the final phase, leading to the death and destruction of the personality. This death begins when the personality, the Dweller on the Threshold, stands before the Angel of the Presence. The light of the solar Angel then obliterates the light of matter.
The "control" phase is conditioned by the complete identification of the personality with the soul; this is a reversal of the previous identification of the soul with the personality. This also is what we mean when speaking of the integration of these two; the two are now one. (17 - 506/7).
[132]
THE PHYSICAL BODY
(1) Each human life period sees a man taking a more evolved physical body of a greater responsiveness, tuned to a higher key, of more adequate refinement, and vibrating to a different measure. . . . We have seen how the aim of each life . . . should be the effecting and the carrying out of a definite purpose. This purpose is the development of a more adequate form for the use of the spirit; and when this purpose is achieved then the Indweller turns his attention away, and the form disintegrates, having served his need. (3 - 132/3)
(2) Man is essentially mental man, and astral man; then the two take to themselves an etheric sheath for purposes of objective work. That is the true lower man, these two in the etheric body. But later - in order to know [Page 306] even on the lowest plane of all - man takes to himself a coat of skin, as the Bible expresses it, and puts on (over his etheric body) that outer illusory form we know so well. It is his lowest point of objectivity and his direct "imprisoning". (3 - 788).
(3) On this (his physical condition) I cannot enlarge, beyond begging all disciples to act with wisdom, to give themselves sufficient sleep, right food (which must vary for each individual), and those surroundings, if possible, which will enable them to work with the greatest facility. The penalty for the infringing of these suggestions, works out in lack of power in service, and in the growing thralldom of the physical body. Where the physical body is in poor condition, the disciple has to add the liabilities incident upon the bringing in of force which he finds himself unable to handle. (4 - 636/7).
(4) There is a tendency among students to identify the centres with the physical body in their thinking, and not so clearly with the etheric body. This concerns location in the majority of cases, and is a mistake. Aspirants would do well to avoid any concentration at all upon the physical body, and learn gradually to shift their focus of attention into the etheric body. Necessarily the physical body is active and potent, but increasingly it should be regarded as an automaton, influenced and directed by:
1. The vital body and the forces of maya; or by inspiration, emanating from points of spiritual tension.
2. The astral vehicle, and the forces of glamour; or sentient, conscious love, emanating from the soul.
3. The mind and the forces of illusion; or by illumination, coming from higher sources than the life in the three worlds.
4. The soul, as the vehicle of monadic expression, until such time as the antahkarana is built - that bridge in mental matter which will eventually link the Monad and the personality. (10 - 260/1).
(5) It is frequently overlooked by the casual student, that both the astral and the mental bodies are material, and just as material in their own way, as is the dense physical body. ...( 3 - 55).
(6) The Training of the Physical Body:
This involves certain definite requirements:
The building in of matter of the higher sub-planes, and the elimination of the lower and coarser matter. This is needed because it is impossible for those with coarse bodies to contact high vibration. It is impossible for the Ego to transmit the higher knowledge and guidance through a coarse physical body. It is impossible for the loftier currents of thought to impact the [Page 307] little evolved physical brain. Hence the refinement pf the physical body is an essential. It is effected in various ways, all of them reasonable and utilitarian.
By pure food. This involves a vegetarian diet, chosen with discrimination; it requires the eating of only those vegetables and fruits that vitalise. Careful judgment shown in the choice of food, wise refraining from too heavy eating, and a little pure good food, perfectly assimilated, are all that a disciple requires. You ask what foods? Milk, honey, whole wheat bread, all the vegetables that contact the sun, oranges (above all, oranges), bananas, raisins, nuts, some potatoes, unpolished rice, and may I again reiterate, just as much of all the above as to insure activity.
By cleanliness. Much use of water, externally and internally, is vitally required.
By sleep. This should be always between the hours of ten in the evening, and five in the morning, and as much as possible out of doors.
By sunshine. Contact with the sun should be much sought after, and the vitalisation that comes through its rays. The sun kills all germs, and frees from disease.
When these four requirements are attended to adequately, a definite process of elimination proceeds, and in the course of a few years, the whole physical body shifts its polarisation gradually up, until you will have a body composed of atomic subplane matter. . . . This may take several incarnations, but it should be borne in mind that at each fresh incarnation, a body is taken of exact quality (if I may so put it) as the one previously discarded at death. Hence time is never lost in building. (2 - 334/5).
(7) The dense physical body ... is the sumtotal of all the organisms which compose it; these possess the varying functions which enable the soul to express itself on the physical or objective plane as part of a greater and more inclusive organism. The physical body is the response apparatus of the indwelling spiritual man, and serves to put that spiritual entity en rapport with the response apparatus of the planetary Logos, the Life in which we live and move and have our being. (17 - 2).
(8) To sum up: the physical body is not a principle; it is not a main object of attention of the aspirant; it automatically responds to the slowly unfolding consciousness in all the kingdoms of nature; it constantly remains that which is worked upon, and not that which has an innate influence of its own; it is not important in the active process, for it is a recipient and not that which initiates activity. That which is important is the unfolding consciousness, the response of the indwelling spiritual man to life, circum-[Page 308] stances, events and environment. The physical body responds. When the physical body becomes, in error, the object of attention, retrogression is indicated; and this is why all profound attention to the physical disciplines, to vegetarianism, to diet and to fasting, and to the present modes of (so-called) mental and divine healing, are undesirable, and not in line with the projected plan. Therefore undue consideration, and excessive emphasis upon the physical body, is reactionary and is like the worship of the golden calf by the children of Israel; it is reversion to that which at one time was of importance, but today should be relegated to a minor position and below the threshold of the consciousness. (17 - 613/4).
(9) One of the problems which all sincere disciples have to solve, is to learn to live as if the physical body did not exist. By that I mean that its limitations and the hindrances which it imposes upon the expression of the free, spiritual consciousness, are negated by an inner attitude of mind. (5 - 433)
(10) Pay not undue attention to the physical vehicle. Its preservation is of no moment and can - in your case - become of too prominent importance. The time of your liberation is set by karmic law; this ever determines the demise of the real man within the body, but if the physical body is unduly nurtured, and if it becomes the recipient of undue care, it can hold that real man in prison in defiance to karmic law. That is a sorry spectacle to watch, for it means that the physical elemental is assuming power. (6 - 697).
[133]
THE PILGRIM
(1) The life of the Pilgrim can be . . . divided into three main periods:
1. That period wherein he is under the influence of the Personality Ray.
2. That wherein he comes under the Ray of the Ego.
3. That wherein the Monadic Ray holds sway.
The first period is by far the longest, and covers the vast progression of the centuries wherein the activity aspect of the threefold self is being developed. Life after life slips away during which the aspect of the manas or mind is being slowly wrought out, and the human being comes more and more under the control of his intellect, operating through his physical brain. . . . Centuries go by and the man becomes ever more actively intelligent, and the field of his life more suitable for the coming in of this second aspect. . . .
JThe second period, wherein the egoic ray holds sway, is not so long [Page 309] comparatively; it . . . marks the lives wherein the man throws his forces on the side of evolution, disciplines his life, steps upon the Probationary Path, and continues up to the third Initiation.
The third period ... is by far the shortest ... It marks the period of achievement, of liberation, and therefore, although it is the shortest period when viewed from below upward, it is the period of comparative permanence when viewed from the plane of the Monad. (3 - 174/8).
(2) "Pass on, O Pilgrim, with steady perseverance. No candle is there nor earth lamp fed with oil. Ever the radiance groweth till the path ends within a blaze of glory, and the wanderer through the night becometh the child of the sun, and entereth within the portals of that radiant orb". (4 - 121).
(3) THE LISTENING PILGRIM: Listen, O Pilgrim, to the chanting of the Word by the great Deva Lords. Hush all earth vibration, still the restless strivings of the lower mind, and with ear intent hark to the sounds that rise to the throne of the Logos. Only the pure in heart can hear, only the gentle can respond.
The stormy sounds of all earth struggle, the shrill vibration of the watery sphere, the crashing note marking the place of thought, dims the sound and shuts out the tone. He who is silent, quiet and calm within, who sees all by light divine, and is not led by light reflected within the threefold spheres, is he who will shortly hear. From out the environing ether will strike a note upon his ear, unlike the tones that sound within the world terrestrial.
Listen, O Pilgrim, for when that sound strikes in colourful vibration upon the inner sense, know that a point has been achieved marking a great transition.
Watch then, O Pilgrim, for the coming of that hour. With purified endeavour mount nearer to that Sound. Know when its tone steals through the misty dawn, or in the mellow sunlight strikes soft upon the ear, that soon the inner hearing will become expanded feeling, and will give place to sight and perfect comprehension.
Know when the music of the spheres comes to you note by note, in misty dawn or sunny noon, at cool of eve, or sounding through the deep of night, that in their rhythmic tone lies secret revelation. (18 - 763).
(4) The Six Rules of the Path (Road):
I. The Road is trodden in the full light of day, thrown upon the Path by Those Who know and lead. Naught can then be hidden, and at each turn, a man must face himself.
II. Upon the Road the hidden stands revealed. Each sees and knows the [Page 310] villainy of each. . . . And yet there is, with that great revelation, no turn back, no spurning of each other, and no shakiness upon the Road. The Road goes forward into day.
III. Upon that Road one wanders not alone. There is no rush, no hurry. And yet there is no time to lose. Each Pilgrim, knowing this, presses his footsteps forward, and finds himself surrounded by his fellowmen. Some move ahead; he follows after. Some move behind; he sets the pace. He travels not alone.
IV. Three things the Pilgrim must avoid. The wearing of a hood, the veil which hides his face from others; the carrying of a water pot, which only holds enough for his own wants; the shouldering of a staff without a crook to hold.
V. Each Pilgrim on the Road must carry with him what he needs: a pot of fire, to warm his fellowmen; a lamp, to cast its rays upon his heart and shew his fellowmen the nature of his hidden life; a purse of gold, which he scatters not upon the Road, but shares with others; a sealed vase, wherein he carries all his aspiration, to cast before the feet of Him Who waits to greet him at the gate - a sealed vase.
VI. The Pilgrim, as he walks upon the Road, must have the open ear, the giving hand, the silent tongue, the chastened heart, the golden voice, the rapid foot, and the open eye which sees the light. He knows he travels not alone. (10 - 50/1).
[134]
THE PLAN
(1) What is this Plan? When I speak of the Plan, I do not mean such a general one as the plan of evolution or the plan for humanity which we call by the somewhat unmeaning term of soul unfoldment. These two aspects of the scheme for our planet are taken for granted, and are but modes, processes and means to a specific end. The Plan as at present sensed, and for which the Masters are steadily working, might be defined as follows: It is the production of a subjective synthesis in humanity and of a telepathic interplay which will eventually annihilate time. It will make available to every man all past achievements and knowledges, it will reveal to man the true significance of his mind and brain, and make him the master of that equipment, and will make him therefore omnipresent and eventually open the door to omniscience. This next development of the Plan will produce in man an understanding - intelligent and co-operative - of the divine purpose [Page 311] for which the One in Whom we live and move and have our being, has deemed it wise to submit to incarnation. Think not that I can tell of the Plan as it truly is. It is not possible for any man, below the grade of initiate of the third degree, to glimpse it, and far less to understand it. . . . All can therefore strive towards achieving continuity of consciousness and at awakening that inner light which, when seen and intelligently used, will serve to reveal other aspects of the Plan, and specially that one to which the illumined knower can respond and usefully serve. (4 - 403/4).
(2) The Plan, as it is sensed by the world disciple, in the attempt to work and co-operate with it, is only the sensing of that portion of it which concerns the human consciousness. We have not yet been able to catch even a glimmer of the vastness of the synthetic Plan for evolutions other than human, both superhuman and subhuman; nor can we grasp the fabric of God's ideal as it underlies the sum total of the manifested processes, even upon our little planet. All we really know is the fact of the Plan, and that it is very good; that we are enfolded within it, and subject to it. (15 - 29).
(3) For obvious reasons, a vision of the Plan, nebulous as it must necessarily be, confers a sense of proportion and also of stability. It leads to a much-needed re-adjustment of values, indicating as it does, that there is purpose and objective behind all the difficult happenings of daily life. It broadens and widens and expands the consciousness, as we study the great volume of the planetary life, embracing as it does the detail and the finished structure, the item man, and the entire life of the planet, with their relation to the greater Whole. This is of far more importance than the minute detail of the human being's individual capacity to grasp his own immediate place within the larger picture. It is easy and natural for man to emphasise those aspects of the hierarchical work which concern himself. The Masters of the Wisdom Who are advanced enough to work upon the larger areas of the spiritual plan, are oft amused at the importance which the disciples and aspirants of the world attach to Them, and at the manner in which They are over-estimated. Can we not realise that there are members of the Hierarchy Whose grasp of truth, and Whose knowledge of the divine Plan is as much in advance of the Masters known to us, as They are in advance of the savage and of the undeveloped man? We do well to ponder on this fact.
It is not, however, a profitless task for the disciples and aspirants to catch the dim outline of that structure, that purpose and that destiny, which will result from the consummation and the fruition of the Plan on earth. It need evoke no sense of futility or of endless striving, or of an almost permanent [Page 312] struggle. Given the fact of the finiteness of man and of his life, given the tremendous periphery of the cosmos, and the minute nature of our planet, given the vastness of the universe, and the realisation that it is but one of countless (literally countless) greater and smaller universes, yet there is present in men, and upon our planet, a factor and a quality which can enable all these facts to be seen and realised as parts in a whole, and which permits man (escaping as he can, from his human self-consciousness) to expand his sense of awareness and identity, so that the form aspects of life offer no barrier to his all-embracing spirit. It is of use also to write these words and to deal with these ideas, for there are those now coming into incarnation, who can and will understand, when present readers are dead and gone. I and you will pass on to other work, but there will be those on earth who can vision the Plan with clarity, and whose vision will be far more inclusive and comprehending than ours. Vision is of the nature of divinity. Expansion is a vital power and the prerogative of Deity. Therefore, let us struggle to grasp what is possible at our particular stage of development, and leave eternity to reveal its hidden secrets. (15 - 218/20).
(4) It is this universal capacity to work and plan, which is the guarantee that there exists in man the capacity to respond eventually, and in group formation to God's Plan, based on God's vision. ... It is no part of my purpose to indicate my understanding of God's Plan. This is limited naturally by my capacity. Only dimly do I sense it, and only occasionally and faintly does the outline of God's stupendous objective dawn on my mind. This plan can only be sensed, visioned, and known in truth by the Hierarchy, and then only in group formation, and by those Masters Who can function in full monadic consciousness. They alone are beginning to comprehend what it is. (15 - 241).
(5) The first thing to be grasped, is that there is a Plan for humanity, and that this Plan has always existed. It has worked out through the evolutionary developments of the past ages, and also through that special impetus which has been given it from time to time, by the great intuitives and teachers of the races. Today there are a sufficient number of men and women in the world, adequately developed, so that they can contact it, and work in connection with it. It is becoming more a matter of group recognition than of intuitive revelation. Secondly, it is to be noted that there is upon our planet a group of men and women belonging to every nation, who are definitely upon the Path of Discipleship, and because of their status, they are all of them as definitely serving the race. They are subjectively welded together in a body, which we have called the New Group [Page 313] of World Servers, for lack of a better name. . . .
The group will be found divided into two parts:
1. The inner nucleus, composed of those active servers who know themselves to be disciples, is consciously in touch with the Plan, and is strenuously working at its development.
2. Those who have responded to the vision as it has been presented to them by that inner nucleus, and have ranged themselves definitely on the side of the Plan. They are, therefore, men and women of goodwill.
Connected with these two groups, there is a steadily growing public, which is becoming increasingly responsive to the new ideas. They have expressed their interest, and are eager to see the Plan materialise in proper form on earth. The diverse needs of all these groups must be met, and this is the definite problem of all who are working in conscious collaboration with the Hierarchy.
It is not easy for all of us who are working and struggling in the battlefield of life, to see the world picture as it really is. It is difficult to appreciate the urgency of the present time, and to evaluate correctly the opportunity that is offered for the bringing of sorely needed changes. It is hard too to gauge the extent and the power of the forces working in opposition. It would be useless to refer thus to these forces, if there were no chance of success, and the victory were not possible. Both success and victory are possible, if there is unity of ideal and method amongst us.
The new Plan of the Great Ones is, therefore, in the last analysis, simply an extension of the Plan as it has always existed. No changes in the basic idea are involved. The success of the present endeavour, is contingent upon the availability of the forces which stand for progressive righteousness, and the ability of the disciples of the world to act in unison, and so to influence public opinion, that there can be a worldwide change in human attitudes, but the members of the New Group of World Servers must refrain from dissipating their efforts in secondary activities. For these latter, there will be time, once the main objective has been reached. The immediate objectives of the Plan might be stated as follows:
1. To raise the level of the human consciousness so that intelligent thinking men and women will be consciously in touch with the world of ideas, and the realm of intuitive perception. This means that they will be oriented towards reality.
Average men and women will then be led definitely to shift their attention from the world of the emotions in which they have hitherto lived, and will begin to live more in their mental natures, and to think clearly and [Page 314] wisely. As a direct result of a growing awareness of the two above mentioned groups, the masses, as a whole, will be definitely benefited. They will find their living conditions so ameliorated, and wisely ordered, that the present state of fear, and of intense competitive struggle for existence, will be superseded by a real measure of stability and security. A more leisured life will consequently be possible, and this will enable men to unfold their powers - mental and spiritual - normally.
This is no picture of an immediate Utopia. The modification of the present situation, even in a small measure, is a Herculean task, and will strain the resources of the New Group of World Servers to the utmost.
2. The second objective of Those who are working out the Plan, is the clarifying of the international situation. It is necessary that each nation should realise two things: First, the importance of attending to its own business, and its own internal problems, which are those of beautifying the national life, by the production of order, stabilisation, and above all, freedom. Each nation must internally adjust itself to peace. This must be done, not by the armed force of some powerful group, but by the wise consideration of the needs of the entire people, excepting no part of the national life.
Second, the prime importance of each nation realising its responsibility to all other nations, and the interrelation of all parts of the life of our world. This realisation will bring about a reciprocal interplay in the field of economics, for this is the most important field at this time. Practically all world problems and differences, are based upon an economic situation. It is, therefore, more important in the solution of the present world problem, than are the political rivalries and the selfish, individual, national ambitions.
The providing of adequate food, raiment and housing facilities to the unthinking masses everywhere, will bring about a changed world psychology, which will be constructive and sound, and which will usher in the deeply desired era of peace and plenty. That the problem involved is difficult, no one denies, and for this, man's selfishness and greed is responsible. It is, in reality, relatively simple, if not complicated by too much statistical deduction, and the opposed selfishness of national and monied interests. The term "monied interests" is here used to designate no one class in particular, for the transition of money out of one set of hands into another, provides no real solution. Whoever possesses the money at any particular time, wields power, and this is true, whether it is the present capitalistic class or an enriched proletariat, or a grasping government.
[Page 315]
3. The third objective is the growth of the group idea with a consequent general emphasis upon group good, group understanding, group interrelation, and group goodwill. These four are the ideals of that subjective group, working on the physical plane, which we call the New Group of World Servers.
These aims will be achieved, not by propaganda backed by force, but by example, backed by sacrifice and love. Another important objective of the Plan, which will materialise later when world conditions are bettered, is the emergence into physical plane activity, of the group of souls of Whom the New Group of World Servers are the outer representatives. This appearance can be called (in Christian phraseology) the second coming of Christ with His Disciples, or it can be called the manifestation of the planetary Hierarchy, or the appearance of the Masters of the Wisdom, Who will restore upon earth the ancient mysteries and institute again the order of Initiation.
Such is a broad and general idea of the objectives of the Plan, and the aim of its Custodians. Each phase of it constitutes a field of active service, and all men of goodwill everywhere, and the members of the New Group of World Servers find their place in one or another of its departments. The members of this group are, in reality, an intermediate group, between the Custodians of the Plan, as They express the mind and purpose of God, and the intelligent public. They constitute the "brain trust" of the planet, for they are definitely wrestling with the problem of unrest and distress in the economic, political and religious fields. Through them the Plan must work out, and if they work with the desired selflessness and wisdom, and if they demonstrate adequate skill in action, they will eventually achieve much power. It will, however, be power based upon an intelligent goodwill, upon a right understanding of brotherhood, and upon a determination to bring about the good of the whole body, and not the good of certain sections of the national life, or of certain nations, at the expense of other sections and other nations. Hence, my constant emphasis upon the necessity of thinking in terms of goodwill to the whole. The very effort so to think, is part of the technique required to expand the present human consciousness, and in these words I have stated the basic principle underlying the new technique of world unfoldment and integration. The development of self-consciousness and of the uniquely separative individual, has been the right and desired technique in the past. The development of group consciousness, through the activity of the New Group of World Servers, is intended to be the right and desired technique of the future. (15 - 649/57).
(6) The one thing which humanity needs today is the realisation that [Page 316] there IS a Plan, which is definitely working out through all world happenings, and that all that has occurred in man's historical past, and all that has happened lately, is assuredly in line with that Plan. Necessarily also, if such a Plan exists, it pre-supposes Those Who are responsible for the originating of the Plan and for its successful carrying forward. From the standpoint of average humanity, who think in terms of earthly happiness, the Plan should be something joyful and something which would make material life easier. To the spiritual Hierarchy, the Plan involves those arrangements of circumstances which will raise and expand the consciousness of mankind and enable men, therefore, to discover the spiritual values for themselves and to make the needed changes of their own free will and thus produce the demanded betterment of the environment, consistent with the unfolding spiritual recognition. (13 - 670). See also: (6 - 390, 667).