054-059
[54] FAILURE,
[55] FEAR,
[56] THE FIFTH KINGDOM (The Kingdom of God),
[57] THE FOUR FREEDOMS,
[58] FREE WILL,
[59] TO GIVE
[54]
FAILURE
(1) It is a serious waste of time for a disciple to ponder upon a failure or to fear failing. There is no such thing as failure; there can only be loss of time. That in itself is serious these days of dire world need, but the disciple must inevitably some day make good and retrieve his past failures. I need not point out that we learn by failure, for that is a well known truth, and is known as such by all who are attempting to live as souls. Nor need the disciple sorrow over the failures, apparent or real, of his fellow disciples. The sense of time produces glamour and disappointment, whereas the work goes truly forward, and a lesson learnt by failure acts as a safeguard for the future. Thus it leads to rapid growth. An honest disciple may be momentarily glamoured, but in the long run nothing can really deter him. What are a few brief years in a comparative cycle of aeons? What is a second of time in a span of man's allotted seventy years? To the individual disciple they appear most important; to the onlooking soul, they seem as nothing at all. For the world perhaps, a temporary failure may connote delay in expected help, but that again is brief, and help will come from other sources, for the Plan goes unerringly forward. (4 - 634/5).
(2) The emergence of emotional conditions or of glamour in your life-expression need not necessarily indicate failure. There is only failure if there is identification with these astral conditions, and a succumbing to old rhythms. (5 - 88).
(3) Recognise failure - if it is there - but then, with a face lifted to the light, and a smile upon your lips, turn your back upon such failure and go with steadfastness forward. (5 - 366).
(4) The only regret that is justifiable, is based on failure to learn the lessons of failure. (5 - 604).
See also: (6 - 732).
[55]
FEAR
(1) (Fear) is the product of ignorance, and in its initial stages it is not the product of wrong thinking. It is basically instinctual, and is found dominating in the non-mental animal kingdom, as well as in the human kingdom. [Page 120] But in the human, its power is increased potently through the powers of the mind, and through memory of past pain and grievance, and through anticipation of those we foresee, the power of fear is enormously aggravated by the thoughtform we ourselves have built of our own individual fears and phobias. This thoughtform grows in power as we pay attention to it, for "energy follows thought", till we become dominated by it. (4 - 238).
(2) Every human being knows fear, and the range of the fear vibrations extends from the instinctual fears of the savage man, based on his ignorance of the laws and forces of nature, and of his terror of the dark and the unknown, to the fears prevalent today of loss of friends and loved ones, of health, of money, of popularity, and on to the final fears of the aspirant - the fear of failure, the fear which has its roots in doubt, the fear of ultimate negation or of annihilation, the fear of death (which he shares equally with all humanity) the fear of the great illusion of the astral plane, of the phantasmagoria of life itself, and also fear of loneliness on the Path, even to the very fear of Fear itself. This list could be largely extended but suffices to indicate the prevalence of fears of all kinds. They dominate most situations and darken many happy moments. They reduce man to a timid and frightened atom of sentient life, standing afraid before the stupendousness of the problems of existence, aware of his insufficiency as a man to cope with all the situations, and unable to leave his fears and questionings behind and step into his heritage of freedom and of life. Often he is so ridden by fear that he becomes afraid of his very reason. The picture cannot be too blackly coloured, for fear is the dominant astral energy at this time, and sensitive humanity succumbs all too easily to it. (4 - 297/8).
(3) The Fear of Death is based upon:
a. A terror of the final rending processes in the act of death itself.
b. Horror of the unknown and the indefinable.
c. Doubt as to final immortality.
d. Unhappiness at leaving loved ones behind or of being left behind.
e. Ancient reactions to past violent deaths, lying deep in the subconsciousness.
f. Clinging to form life, because primarily identified with it in consciousness.
g. Old erroneous teaching as to Heaven and Hell, both equally unpleasant in prospect to certain types. (4 - 300).
[Page 121]
[56]
THE FIFTH KINGDOM
(The Kingdom of God)
(1) In the fifth kingdom . . . the outer phenomenal appearance will be retained, as far as the form is concerned, though refinement and quality will be intensified. The kingdom of God materialises in and through humanity. But in the realm of consciousness, a very different state of affairs will be found.
A Master of the Wisdom appears phenomenally to be a human being. He has the physical attributes, functions and habits, and mechanism of the fourth kingdom in nature, but within the form, the consciousness is entirely changed. . . . In the past each great unfoldment of consciousness, has precipitated new forms. This will no longer occur. . . . Under the divine plan for this solar system, this form-differentiation has its limitations, and cannot proceed beyond a certain point. This point was reached in the human kingdom for this world cycle. Now, in the future, the consciousness aspect of Deity will continue to perfect the forms in the fourth kingdom in nature, through the instrumentality of those whose consciousness is that of the fifth kingdom. This is the task of the Hierarchy of Masters. This is the delegated task of the New Group of World Servers who, upon the physical plane, can become the instrument of Their will. Through this group, the inner divine qualities of goodwill, peace and love, can increase and express themselves through human beings, functioning in the forms of the fourth kingdom. (15 - 252/4).
(2) The goal of all endeavour upon our planet, is right relations between man and man, and between man and God, between all expressions of divine life, from the tiniest atom up and on into infinity.
From the standpoint of our planetary evolution, there is naught but love, naught but goodwill and the will-to-good. This exists already, and its true manifestation is nearer today than at any time in planetary history.
From stage to stage, from crisis to crisis, from point to point and from centre to centre, the life of God progresses, leaving greater beauty behind it as it moves through one form after another, and from kingdom to kingdom. One attainment leads to another; out of the lower kingdoms man has emerged, and (as a result of human struggle) the kingdom of God will also appear. The bringing in of that kingdom is all that truly concerns humanity today, and all living processes in mankind are bent towards preparing each individual human being to pass into that kingdom. The [Page 122] knowledge that there may be greater manifestations than even the kingdom of God, may be inspiring, but that is all. The manifestation of the Kingdom of God on Earth, the preparing of the way for its great Inaugurator, the Christ, the making possible the externalisation of the Hierarchy upon Earth, give us each and all a fully adequate task, and something for which to live and work, to dream and to aspire. (18 - 737/8).
(3) The Kingdom of God is not something which will descend on Earth when man is good enough! It is something which is functioning efficiently today, and demanding recognition. It is an organised body which is already evoking recognition from those people who do seek first the Kingdom of God, and discover thereby that the Kingdom they seek is already here. Christ and His disciples are known by many to be physically present on Earth, and the Kingdom which They rule, with its laws and modes of activity, is familiar to many and has been throughout the centuries. (8 - 50).
(4) The citizens of the Kingdom of God are all those who are deliberately seeking the light, and attempting (through self-imposed discipline) to stand before the One Initiator; this worldwide group (whether in the body or out of it) accepts the teaching that "the sons of men are one"; they know that divine revelation is continuous and ever new, and that the divine Plan is working itself out on Earth. (8 - 65).
(5) It is only in desperation, and when completely at the end of his tether, that the disciple finds his way into that Kingdom, and is ready to relinquish the old ways. What is true of the individual must also be true on a larger scale, of humanity. (8 - 100).
(6) Your spiritual goal is the establishing of the Kingdom of God, One of the first steps towards this is to prepare men's minds to accept the fact that the reappearance of Christ is imminent. You must tell men everywhere that the Masters and Their groups of disciples are actively working to bring order out of chaos. You must tell them that there IS a Plan, and that nothing can possibly arrest the working out of that Plan. You must tell them that the Hierarchy stands, and that It has stood for thousands of years, and is the expression of the accumulated wisdom of the ages. You must tell them above all else that God is love, that the Hierarchy is love, and that Christ is coming because He loves humanity. This is the message which you must give at this time. And with this responsibility I leave you. Work, my brothers. (13 - 701).
See also: (6 - 406/7).
[Page 123]
[57]
THE FOUR FREEDOMS
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want - which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants - everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear - which, translated into world terms, means a worldwide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion, that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbour - anywhere in the world. . . . Franklin D. Roosevelt. (13 - 319).
[58]
FREE WILL
(1) It might be said that within the limits of the intelligent direction of the intelligent man, there is free will, as far as activity in the human kingdom is concerned. Where no mind activity is present, and where there is no power to discriminate, to analyse and to choose, there is no free will. Within the vaster processes of the Plan, however, as it includes the entire planetary evolution, there is, for the tiny unit, man, no free will. He is subject, for instance, to what we call "acts of God", and before these he is helpless. He has no choice and no escape. Herein lies a hint upon the working of karma in the human kingdom; karma and intelligent responsibility are inextricably woven and interwoven. (15 - 29).
(2) The great distinction between the human kingdom in the three worlds, and the other kingdoms in nature, is the factor of freewill. In the matter of death, this freewill has, in the last analysis, a definite relation to the soul; the will of the soul is either consciously or unconsciously followed, where the decision of death is concerned, and this idea carries with it many implications, which students would do well to ponder. (17 - 248).
(3) Mankind is oft unpredictable, owing to the factor of free will. (18 - 231).
(4) (The following) are points which it will be difficult for you to grasp, but which are of major importance:
[Page 124]
The human being is influenced upon the path of evolution from above downwards; the initiate is directed from within upwards. It is this which formulates the underlying significance of the energy of the free will, and is something only truly possible through self-direction; this can be seen struggling for expression today in that great world disciple, Humanity. (18 - 566).
(5) Men decide for themselves direct action; they make their own choices and exert unimpeded the free will with which they may at any time be equipped. (18 - 640).
(6) Christ and the spiritual Hierarchy never - no matter how great the need or important the incentive - infringe upon the divine right of men to take their own decisions, to exert their own free will, and to achieve freedom by fighting for freedom - individually, nationally, and internationally. When true freedom covers the earth, we shall see the end of tyranny - politically, religiously and economically. I am not here referring to modern democracy as a condition which meets the needs, for democracy is at present a philosophy of wishful thinking, and an unachieved ideal. I refer to that period which will surely come, in which an enlightened people will rule; these people will not tolerate authoritarianism in any political system; they will not accept or permit the rule of any body of men who undertake to tell them what they must believe in order to be saved, or what government they must accept. When the people are told the truth, and when they can freely judge and decide for themselves, we shall then see a much better world. (8 - 164/5).
(7) The Hierarchy - because of the divine principle of free will in humanity - cannot foretell how men will act in times of crisis; the Hierarchy cannot enforce the good way of life against normal human desire, for this good way of action must come from out of the very depths of human thinking and feeling, and must emerge as a free and non-supervised endeavour; the Hierarchy may not take those possible steps which will prevent men making mistakes, for it is through those mistakes that men learn "by the means of evil, that good is best", as your great initiate-poet has expressed it. (13 - 636).
See also: ''Guidance''.
[59]
TO GIVE
There is a great law which can be embodied in the words "to those who give all, all is given". . . . Most aspirants to discipleship today do not know [Page 125]or realise this law; they do not give freely and fully, either to the work of the Hierarchy or to those who need. Until they do, they limit their effectiveness and shut the door on supply, not only for themselves, but for the group with which they are affiliated in service. Herein lies responsibility. The clue to supply is personality harmlessness and dedication of all individual resources to the service of the Great Ones, without restraint and spontaneously. When you, as a disciple, try to live harmlessly - in thought and word and deed - and when nothing is held back materially, emotionally or from the angle of time, when physical strength is so given, and the gift of all resources is accompanied with happiness, then the disciple will have all that is needed to carry on his work, and the same is true of all working groups of servers. Such is the law. Perfection is not yet possible, it is needless for me to say, but greater effort on your part to give and serve is possible.
The time will, therefore, surely come when you will, as individuals and as part of a Master's group, subordinate your personal lives to the need of humanity and to the intention of the Master. You will be and not struggle so hard to be; you will give and not fight constantly the tendency not to give; you will forget your physical bodies and not give so much attention to them (and the result will be better health); you will think, and not live so deeply in the world of feeling; you will sanely and wisely, and as normal procedure, put the work of the Master and of service first. (5 - 692/3).