“STRENGTHENING THE HANDS OF THE NEW GROUP OF WORLD SERVERS”
Meditation is the primary form of service for those following a spiritual path. It is a means of cooperation and alignment with hierarchical intent. The new moon period follows upon the cycle of outbreathing in the rhythmic cycles of the breath; it is a time of pause wherein together we can establish a soul-mind-brain alignment. During this period we work in thought to concretize the ideas and impressions received at the time of the full moon period and undertake the sometimes difficult process of translating them into practical plans that can be of service in the world. The effect of this meditative effort is to enhance the many ways in which the “power of the one Life” and the “love of the one soul” are working out through all true servers everywhere. The meeting will be held in the Reading Room of our offices at 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 482 and will include an exploration on the theme National Identity, a Spiritual Asset, followed by group discussion and meditation. Please call or email us if you will be attending, or contribute your thoughts prior to the meeting we will share them with the group when possible.
Theme: National Identity, a Spiritual Asset
The consideration of a ‘national psyche’ or ‘national identity’ is, in one sense, an abstract conception, yet the expression of national thoughtforms is ubiquitous in our societies. Evidence of these thoughtforms can be seen in art, culture, history, music, education systems, constitutions and the actions of government, and even in the personalities of individual human beings. These thoughtforms condition the way we see ourselves, our own group or nation, and others in the international community. They are also the means through which the soul of a nation is expressed.
National thoughtforms, when bereft of that soul connection, have the tendency to engender separateness and enmity with other national groups. Yet, these thoughtforms are also tools of unification and the means whereby spiritual ideas are expressed in the phenomenal world. Many of the spiritual ideas today seeking expression through humanity are being expressed in group formation.
National identities are a means to evoke the soul of a nation when merged with the expression of right human relations. This is a work in which we can all take part.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What is national identity? What is its role in the spiritual life of the individual?
- What is the soul of a nation? What is its relation to the individual soul?
- What are some of the spiritual ideas seeking expression through the vehicle of a nation?
Readings:
- Andreas Wimmer, “Why Nationalism Works,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2019.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2019-02-12/why-nationalism-works - Max Fisher and Amanda Taub, “National Identity is Made Up.” The New York Times. Febrary 28, 2018.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/national-identity-myth.html - Kwame Anthony Appiah, “In Defense of Cosmopolitanism,” Foreign Affairs. March/April 2019.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-02-12/importance-elsewhere?fa_package=1123876 - Alice A. Bailey, Problems of Humanity, p. 8-16