Reflections on Aspiration and some of its Roles

Reflections on Aspiration and some of its Roles

New Moon Meditation Meeting, New York
June 12, 2026

Emmanuel Sackeyfio

There are three definitions of aspiration in the Webster’s dictionary as follows (1a): “a strong desire to achieve something high or great, (1b):”an object of such desire. (2a): a drawing of something in, out, up, or through or as if by suction such as (a): by the act of breathing and especially of breathing in.

We can apply these definitions to many aspects of the work that we do as one of the worldwide groups within the heart center of the NGWS, for we aspire, towards invoking Hierarchical energies into the human three-fold world of material forces, to transmute, transform and transfigure the world and humanity.     

Such is the fundamental role of aspiration in our work that for a major part of our training and learning to serve the Plan, we are characterized as Aspirants.  

This characterization of the students of the Ageless Wisdom is a most reasonable, appropriate and responsible description of our efforts and activities. It is a safe characterization which guides and guards against the all-too-common “misconceptions existing on all levels of the personality life – maya on the etheric level; glamour on the emotional plane; and illusion on the mental plane; climaxing in the sum total of all three combined in the personality – the so-called dweller on the threshold.” (GWP, back cover)

For there is a manner of characterizing our activities/efforts which lead to many difficulties, loss of time and much bewilderment. And one such characterization which is problematic and leads to difficulties on the path stems from personalizing our efforts, ignoring the implications of the essential group nature of the work, forgetting the need for increasing carefulness as we proceed with the work, and overlooking the significance of humility, as the sense of “right proportion”, in the One Work.

It may be said that “all phases of desire are essentially forms of aspiration …” (EP, II, p.329), but as aspirants, working among the many other groups in this esoteric worldwide endeavor, one of our goals is to understand and employ aspiration in a more intelligent manner. First identifying aspiration as a specific soul energy permitting a wide range of applications in our training; secondly, as involving an occult, and a scientific process, and above all, as one of the essential modes and means of achieving the objectives of Service and of discipleship in the New Age.

The effort to achieve the yogic disciplines and techniques of detachment, dispassion and the discrimination, meditation, etc., required /needed in treading the Path are all accomplished through a habit of steady aspiration, and so are the achieving of inclusiveness, harmlessness and right speech, three major states of consciousness, facing us all in the One work, to be achieved through an increasing potency of a developing aspiration.

These states of consciousness provide the safe conditions for successfully invoking and evoking the group energies needed in the work of the NGWS— in holding the Vision before the eyes of the people, …, preparing the world for the ROTC, toiling in Pisces and illumined by Taurus….

All Actions (physical activities), feelings, sensing, and the formulating of thought forms when devoid of personal and separative considerations are all motivated by some form of aspiration. Surely may we say that the spiritual disciplines attendant to the esoteric work of working with the Plan and training for DINA, are all instruments of aspiration.

There is the tendency to consider aspiration as being emotional, and the Tibetan has sought strongly to disabuse us from this misconception about aspiration as being an emotional activity and has stated in many places of the teaching that aspiration is not an emotional activity at all. For instance, “Students must lose sight of the foolish and erroneous idea that aspiration is really an emotional attitude. It is not. It is a scientific process governing evolution itself. When given free scope and duly followed, it is a mode par excellence whereby the matter aspect, or the whole personality “is raised up to heaven.”  He further stated: “Aspiration is an activity of an occult and scientific nature and is instinctual in substance itself.”  (EPI, pp. 326-327)

These are words of tremendous import concerning aspiration, for the “raising of the matter aspect, the whole personality to heaven” is a most comprehensive description of the work to be done on the path of return, the whole Path of Discipleship training. The significance of understanding aspiration and its role on the path cannot be over emphasized.    

In fact, our work is a major enterprise in the aspiration of the right kind, the kind that leads unerringly to the fulfillment of the purpose and the achievement of the goal set for the human kingdom.

What is this purpose or goal, we might ask. The Tibetan stated that the purpose [of the human kingdom] is the Transfiguration, He further stated that “this is the esoteric goal set before humanity.” (EP I, p. 328)  

This is the third initiation of Transfiguration, the consummation of the Birth and Baptism initiations, (the first and second human initiations), and we are told that it, “is an initiation which lies far ahead of humanity”. This third initiation is significantly related to the above definition of aspiration by the Tibetan as “… the mode par excellence whereby the matter aspect, or the whole personality “is raised up to heaven.”   

It is “an initiation which lies far ahead for humanity”, and we are told is vitally connected with the first two initiations, for the energies associated with the crisis of the third Initiation, become increasingly available while struggling to achieve the first two initiations of the Birth and the Baptism.

In these two initiations, aspiration plays a significant role in two ways simultaneously: (1) “Fiery aspiration, [brings about] the domination of the physical man so that every atom of his body is afire with zeal and endeavor.” (LOS, p. 123), and (2), aspiration helps to engender “spiritual [D]devotion to human welfare and to a one-pointed adherence to the Plan of the Hierarchy; all emotional reaction to the Hierarchy of Masters fades out, and the disciple can now work without being hindered by constant astral disturbances.” (RI, p.582)

Devotion, as it is fired and engendered by aspiration and related to the Baptism initiation is not emotional, and involves certain important factors, such as employing the aspiration to develop a “capacity to decentralize oneself, to change one’s attitude from self-centeredness and selfishness to one of outgoing to the loved one.  In this case the God within, the soul, the Christ in you the hope of glory.)

Secondly, the aspiration is employed to bring about “obedience to the beloved, [the inner God] this is covered under the phrase of “Devotion to Ishvara”. (LOS, p. 123)

In concluding, let us remember the similarity between aspiration and fire and recall from the Affirmation of the Disciple that, “we are points of sacrificial Fire, focused within the fiery Will of God…”, And thus we stand.

Today the fires of aspiration are sorely needed in the world to burn away all that separates and all that puts humanity in harm’s way and all that employs the wrong use of words/speech to distort, to deceive and to destroy the good, the beautiful and the true.

In this sense it is relevant to note that the Christ will be bringing the “Fire of Love”, the very first aspect of Love, the most powerful energy in this solar system, and thus linking love and life more abundantly in His Work, in this rapidly approaching Aquarian Age.

An increasing fiery aspiration by the members of the world groups will not only accustom the world to the purificatory and healing benevolence of the element of fire, but will hasten the ROTC because, in the words of Agni Yoga, “human strivings (aspirations) are needed for a natural affinity with the World of Fire.” (Fiery World, 1933, pp 8-9)      

Thank You.

QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION:

The world seems to be on fire, what is the fire (light) destroying and simultaneously seeking to Reveal?

Let’s share our understanding of the word aspiration. How would you define or explain it?