The Twelve Festivals
We should also take into consideration the purpose and effect of each full moon period throughout the year. The nine lesser Festivals build the "divine attributes" into human consciousness, while the three major Festivals establish the "divine aspects." The aspects are well known in terms of their basic energy qualities reflecting the underlying trinity of the God-head; will or purpose, love/wisdom, and light or intelligent activity. The divine attributes are based on: harmony through conflict, concrete science, idealism and devotion, and order and organisation. These qualities are just as divine in their potential perfection as the three major aspects; all twelve Festival opportunities can be used to stimulate the evolutionary spiritual growth of all kingdoms in nature.
These twelve Festivals at the time of the full moon each month are used increasingly as a means of service through meditation. Meditation opens a channel in consciousness through which energies are invoked, received and consciously directed. Energy qualified by the nature and influence of each full moon period, flows towards us on the tide of life from our solar centre, the Sun. We work in group meditation at the full moon Festivals, therefore, because when the moon is "full" to our vision, the path of energy communication is wide open, clear and unimpeded.
The Three Festivals
In the future all men of spiritual inclination will keep the same holy days. This will bring about a pooling of spiritual resources and a united spiritual effort, plus a simultaneous invocation. The potency of this will be apparent. The three major Festivals each year are concentrated in three consecutive months and lead to a prolonged annual spiritual effort which affects the remainder of the year. These are:
(1) The Festival of Easter . This is the Festival of the risen living Christ, the teacher of all men and the head of the spiritual Hierarchy. He is the expression of the love of God. On this day the spiritual Hierarchy, which he guides and directs, is recognised and the nature of God's love is emphasised. This Festival is determined always by the date of the full moon of Spring and is the great Western and Christian Festival.
(2) The Festival of Wesak . This is the Festival of the Buddha, the spiritual intermediary between the highest spiritual centre, Shamballa, and the Hierarchy. The Buddha is the expression of the wisdom of God, the embodiment of light and the indicator of divine purpose. This Festival is fixed annually in relation to the full moon of May; it is the great Eastern Festival.
(3) The Festival of Goodwill . This is the Festival of the spirit of humanity aspiring towards God, seeking conformity with the will of God and dedicated to the expression of right human relations. The Festival is fixed annually in relation to the full moon of June. It is a day whereon the spiritual and divine nature of mankind is recognised. On this Festival for two thousand years the Christ has represented humanity and has stood before the Hierarchy and in the sight of Shamballa as the God-man, the leader of his people and "the eldest in a great family of brothers" (Romans VIII:29). Each year at this time he has preached the last sermon of the Buddha before the assembled Hierarchy. This is, therefore, a Festival of deep invocation and appeal, of a basic aspiration towards fellowship, of human and spiritual unity; it represents the effect in human consciousness of the work of the Buddha and of the Christ. This Festival is also observed as World Invocation Day.
These three Festivals are a part of the unified spiritual approach of humanity, although they are not yet sufficiently related to each other. The time is coming when all three Festivals will be kept throughout the world and by their means a great spiritual unity will be achieved and the effects of the Great Approach, so close to us at this time, will be stabilised by the united invocation of humanity throughout the planet.
Energies Available to Build a New World Order
The Forces of Restoration are particularly active at the time of the Easter Festival. These Forces emanate from the mind of God; they are connected with the intelligence principle in the divine nature, stimulating the human intellect. This type of energy is peculiarly creative in nature and carries the "life which produces the birth of forms," It is a mass energy, related to the stimulation of the mass intelligence. It makes men think, plan and take action. It produces neither good nor bad results but simply brings about the awakening of men's minds so that they take intelligent action. The action itself is necessarily dependent upon the type of mind of those who respond to the forces of restoration and will be conditioned by the point in evolution, the racial and national background, tradition, religious and civilised reactions. These forces are now active in every land, frequently producing increased initial difficulties but leading eventually to a definite reorganisation of the national life. The effects are primarily physical. Their objective is the production of the new Earth and all the outer evidences of an inflowing new life.
The Forces of Enlightenment are active at the time of the Wesak Festival. These Forces emanate from the heart of God; they are related to divine understanding and can reach and strengthen those who love and serve their fellowmen. This energy transmits the second principle of divinity, love-wisdom, of which the Buddha and the Christ are the two outstanding expressions. The forces of enlightenment initiate the new world education. The first to be affected by them are the great educational movements, the forums of the people in all lands and the values which can unfold through mass communications media. The press, publishers of world literature, speakers, writers, radio commentators, newspaper men and social workers are all affected by these forces which stream into the minds of men. Their effects are not yet apparent to any degree, but these movements and people are the recipients today of the energies of enlightenment; as they recognise the new emerging ideas they can channel and direct energy to influence the masses of men everywhere.
The Forces of Reconstruction are active at the Festival of Goodwill, which is the Festival of the Christ and of Humanity. These Forces are related to the will aspect of divinity and remain, as yet, the least powerful of the three streams of energy released during the three Festivals in 1945. The forces of reconstruction are mainly effective in relation to nations. The use made of these impersonal energies depends upon the quality and the nature of the recipient nation, on its measure of true enlightenment and on its point in evolution. Nations are the expression today of the massed self-centredness of a people and of their instinct to self-preservation. These energies can therefore, increase this aspect of the national life or they can increase the potency of the objectives of world unity, peace and progress which the United Nations hold before the eyes of men as a true vision of the Plan. These constructive, synthesising energies should have the effect of transforming the theory of unity into practical experience so that the word "united" may come to hold a true significance and meaning for all nations. Today a will-to-synthesis is slowly generating within the General Assembly of the United Nations under the inspiration of the forces of reconstruction and the Avatar of Synthesis, aided by the Christ.
The new world to which the Forces of Restoration, Enlightenment and Reconstruction contribute, will express the light, the love and the knowledge of God in a crescendo of revelation, producing seven great results:
1. Power will be given to the disciples of the world and the Initiates among men so that they can direct efficiently and wisely the process of rebuilding.
2. The will-to-love will stimulate men of goodwill everywhere, gradually overcoming hatred. The inner urge in men to live together co-operatively already exists and is subject to stimulation.
3. The will-to-action will lead intelligent people throughout the world to inaugurate those activities which will lay the foundation for a new, better and happier world.
4. The will-to-cooperate will steadily increase. Men will desire and demand right human relations as a natural way of life.
5. The will-to-know and to think correctly and creatively will become an outstanding characteristic of the masses. Knowledge is the first step towards wisdom.
6. The will-to-persist will become a human characteristic, a sublimation of the basic instinct of self-preservation. This will lead to a persistent belief in the ideals presented by the Hierarchy and the demonstration of immortality.
7. The will-to-organise will further a building process which will be carried forward under the direct inspiration of the Hierarchy. The medium will be the potency of the will-to-good of the new group of world servers and the responsive goodwill of mankind.
THE GREAT INVOCATION
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men-
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
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