Units of Service

A group of people of goodwill, unifying their efforts and guided by a common purpose, can have an effect on their environment far out of proportion to their numerical strength.

Purpose

Formation

Activities

Purpose

A unit of service is composed of individuals who share a common vision, and recognise their responsibility in bringing about a future based on spiritual values and principles. By harmonising their efforts, they blend their understanding and activity into a definite group service to humanity.

Practical, effective service by groups is the most important single factor in humanity’s effort to create a new and more just civilization. Today, the number of active groups and non-governmental organisations is flourishing. Their presence, and the scope of their work, are being firmly established in human consciousness through the media and the Internet.

Many of these outer groups have an inner link with the new group of world servers, a subjective network of people of goodwill who work in every branch of human enterprise and who share a common vision of the unity, inter-relationship and inter-dependence between nations and peoples.

Units of service are drawn from the new group of world servers and are developing new modes of service through their responsiveness to the spiritual needs of the time, learning in the process the difficult lessons of selfless group activity. These groups are meeting world need through local enterprise demonstrating the well-known maxim “Think globally, act locally”. If care over the essential of service—soul contact—is taken, then the service rendered will flow spontaneously and effectively along the right lines. It is perhaps the ability to meet the spiritual needs of communities within which they work which constitutes the greatest contribution units of service make to the emerging age.

Formation

There is no rush, no hurry. And yet there is no time to lose.

Service begins where we are, and the formation of a unit of service is an organic process. When an individual is inspired by the vision of selfless service to the Whole, then the seed for a unit of service takes root. Over time, as the vision of service deepens, the new server will naturally be inclined to share this with others, and a group may begin to emerge.* As others are magnetically attracted, the capacity for useful service expands, with each member contributing dynamic qualities to the group life. With one or more dedicated servers at the heart of the group, its stability and growth are assured. Small beginnings, and slow, careful growth from this core helps to anchor the group’s vision and work.

The key to success lies in a unity of purpose, which flows from a dedication to serving humanity and a spirit of cooperation, group love and group consciousness. When this inner focus is present, all personality divisions and frictions can be set aside. One of the most effective ways to create and maintain this focus is through group meditation.

* World Goodwill and Triangles are always pleased to offer advice on how to form groups. And we may be able to put you in touch with a group in your area.

Activities

Each unit of service is a living organism and a dynamic focal point of spiritual energy in the worldwide work. The subjective network of all units of service is anchoring a culture of the soul, and so deepening the inner alignment between the spiritual realms and the human family.

Each unit acts under its own initiative, and there are a number of possibilities to consider and ways in which you can help, such as working with Triangles and World Goodwill; group meditation and visualisation; group study; the distribution of literature electronically, or through the mail; and, organising events that focus on the expression of right human relations and the promotion of goodwill.

Triangles: uses the power of thought and prayer to invoke light and goodwill for all of humanity. The work is done by units of three people linked in a global network.

Headquarters provides literature for distribution to encourage people of goodwill to form triangles of light and love. Also, people can form triangles through the web-based Bulletin Board, found at:
www.lucistrust.org/service_activities/triangles/online

World Goodwill: establishes right relationships through the practical application of the principles of goodwill. Its work is primarily educational and is carried out through its many publications, which are available for distribution.Its home page is: www.worldgoodwill.org

Ways to co-operate include:

  • presenting the principles, publications and programs of these two service initiatives at a local level.
  • publicising the three major Spiritual Festivals of Easter, Wesak, and the Festival of Goodwill. The Festival of Goodwill is also celebrated worldwide as World Invocation Day, a worldwide day of prayer, meditation and invocation.
  • forming triangles of light and goodwill.
  • distributing the Great Invocation, a world prayer.
  • forming study groups on the problems of humanity in order to generate a thoughtform of solution. World Goodwill provides a comprehensive and up-to-date study course, consisting of seven study sets, which are available for download from our website or posting from headquarters.
  • informing the public of the principles and programmes of the United Nations, a major externalised focal point of the energy of goodwill.

Through these projects groups help to release a positive influence into the consciousness of their communities and into the wider world through the energy of goodwill.

Also, many serving groups find that coming together in a group meditation on a regular basis, focused on goodwill and service, is important to the inner strength and unity of the group. By working with spiritual energies and relating them to daily, physical life these groups can help to condition the subjective atmosphere of the planet and create a climate for constructive change in the world and in their communities. Some of the group meditation techniques promoted by World Goodwill are:

  • Goodwill Meditation Group: The purpose of this meditation work is to strengthen and increase goodwill, a powerful and creative energy which can help humanity solve the urgent problems with which it is faced.
  • Twelve Spiritual Festivals: The time of the full moon is a period when spiritual energies are uniquely available and facilitate a closer rapport between humanity and the spiritual Hierarchy. The energies contacted at these twelve spiritual festivals can be grounded at the time of the new moon, which is an opportunity to focus on how the Plan can be manifested; and on the many ways in which the "power of the one Life" and the "love of the one soul" are working out through the servers of the world.
  • Cycle of Conferences: A visualisation initiative using the power of enlightened thought to help create a positive mental climate for conferences taking place on specific world problems.

It is important to recognise the role of units of service as focal points for the flow of spiritual energy and creativity. The relationship with headquarters is one of cooperation and inner alignment. We will be pleased to send further information and assist in any way we can.

The Future

One of the great needs in the world is the relating of group to group in a worldwide network of light and goodwill. As groups recognise their relationships with one another, they will eventually blend and fuse into one great movement of goodwill, which is spirit in actual expression. Today we see this movement arising spontaneously around the world, a spontaneity which is characterised by a lack of central control. What is not needed is any super-organisation attempting to direct and enforce unity. What is needed is a multiplicity of living organisms held loosely together by cooperation, constant communication and an identity of goal and purpose.

Units of service are a vital, living part of such a network of light and goodwill. Through their selfless dedication to the service of humanity, they are truly forerunners of the new age.

For further information on active groups see:
www.lucistrust.org/service_activities/worldwide_network

It is not so much the active outer service of a group of disciples which is of major importance (though it has necessarily a vital purpose) as the coherent, integrated group thought which is so potent in effecting changes in the human consciousness.