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SECTION TWO - THE GENERAL WORLD PICTURE - Part 5

1. The Buddha, the embodiment or agent of the Forces of Light can then be contacted and that which They seek to transmit to humanity can be consciously appropriated.

2. The Christ, the embodiment of the love and the will of God and the agent of the Spirit of Peace, can also be contacted and humanity can be trained to appropriate this extra-planetary type of energy.

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3. Through the Christ and the Buddha, humanity can now establish a close relationship with Shamballa and then make its own contribution—as a world centre—to the planetary life. Pervaded by light and controlled by the Spirit of Peace, the expression of humanity's will-to-good can emanate powerfully from this third planetary centre. Humanity will then for the first time enter upon its destined task as the intelligent, loving intermediary between the higher states of planetary consciousness, the super-human states and the sub-human kingdoms. Thus humanity will become eventually the planetary saviour.

If you will have these thoughts in mind, the first three phrases of the Great Invocation will assume great significance. Let me put some of these significances in tabular form:

Let the Forces of Light bring illumination to mankind

Intermediary....................................
Agent..............................................
Expression......................................
Planes of emphasis........................
                                      
                                     
Focal point......................................
Planetary centre.............................

The Hierarchy. Soul consciousness
The Buddha
Light. Understanding. The illumined mind
The second or monadic plane
The buddhic or intuitional plane
The mental plane
The head centre
The Hierarchy

 

Let the Spirit of Peace be spread abroad

Intermediary....................................
Agent..............................................
Expression......................................

Planes of emphasis........................
 

Focal point......................................
Planetary centre.............................

Shamballa. Spiritual consciousness
The Christ
The will of God as love and peace
Sentient response
The logoic or first plane
The buddhic, or intuitional plane
The astral or emotional plane
The heart centre
Shamballa

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May men of goodwill everywhere meet in a spirit of cooperation

Intermediary..................................
Agent............................................
Expression....................................


Planes of emphasis......................


Focal point....................................
Planetary centre............................

Humanity itself. Self-consciousness
The Lord of Civilisation
Intelligent love, dedicated to the Plan
Creativity
The will-to-good
The atmic or plane of spiritual will
The mental plane
The physical plane
The throat centre
Humanity

 

Thus all the great centres are linked and all the planes are interrelated; the past has contributed its finished work; the present is evoking its just and right development; the future of wonder and of divine possibility appears—its results contingent upon a spirit of right understanding and invocation. Three statements in the New Testament begin now to demonstrate their profound esoteric significance and their amazing living potency:

I am the Light of the World............ The Forces of Light — Phrase 1. 2nd Aspect

My peace I give unto you............... The Spirit of Peace — Phrase 2. 1st Aspect

Love thy neighbour as thyself......... The Men of Goodwill — Phrase 3. 3rd Aspect

The three aspects of divinity in man achieve practical expression through the influence of the Great Invocation, both in living usefulness and true comprehension—true at least in so far as man's present point in evolution permits of his correct apprehension of significance. Goodwill, as the practical and possible expression of love demonstrates on earth, evoking right relationship; light, as the expression of the Hierarchy pours into the human consciousness, irradiating all dark places and evoking a response from all [165] forms of life in the three worlds of manifestation, and in the three subhuman kingdoms through the medium of the human; peace, as the expression of the will of Shamballa produces balance, equilibrium, synthesis and understanding, plus a spirit of invocation which is basically an action, producing reaction. This demonstrates as the first great creative and magical work of which humanity is capable, swinging, as it does, all the three divine aspects into a simultaneous activity in line with the will of God.

We come now to the last two phrases which summarise the effects—synthetic and eternal (and consequently lasting) which the establishment of direct relationship with Shamballa will produce in the two other planetary centres, the Hierarchy and Humanity. I refer to effects which will express themselves as a group activity, motivated by the essential values of selflessness and persistent effort (which is sustained concentration, in the last analysis) and thereby producing conditions for which the Lord of the World, the Ancient of Days, has long waited. The patience and sustaining love of Shamballa is infinite.

The fourth phrase runs: May forgiveness on the part of all men be the keynote at this time. As you know, the word "forgiveness" is a curious and unusual one and signifies (according to the best derivative sources) simply "to give for." Forgiveness is not therefore, a synonym for pardon though the word has been distorted in theological circles to mean this, so little has the Church understood the basic, motivating power behind divine expression in our solar system. Theologians ever think in terms of the human mind and not in terms of the divine mind. Forgiveness is sacrifice, and is the giving up of one's self, even of one's very life, for the sake of others and for the good of the whole group. This spirit of sacrifice is ever found when the Shamballa force is rightly contacted, even in the smallest degree, and the underlying impulse behind the loving will of God is sensed and understood, accompanied as this always is with the desire to participate in that will and its spirit of divine sacrifice. Manifestation is itself the Great Forgiveness. The [166] stupendous Lives—outside manifested existence—entered into manifestation in order to give Themselves for the lesser lives and forms of existence in order that these lesser lives might be enabled to proceed onward towards a goal which is known to Deity alone, and thus eventually reach high places of spiritual expression. Achievement is ever followed by sacrifice and the giving of the greater for the lesser. This is an aspect of the Law of Evolution. Such is the note and theme of the entire creative process and is the basic meaning of the phrase, "God is Love," for love signifies giving and sacrifice, at least in this solar system.

It is for this reason that the esoteric teaching emphasises the fact that the soul of man is a Lord of Sacrifice and of loving persistent Devotion—the two outstanding qualities of the Shamballa Lives, sustaining life and giving. This is lasting devotion to the good of the whole or the expression of the spirit of synthesis and sacrifice in order again that all lesser lives (such as those embodied in the personality of man) may rise to the "resurrection which is in Christ," through the crucifixion or sacrifice of the soul upon the Cross of Matter.

It is this thought again which gives significance to the life of Christ on earth for He re-enacted for us an eternal process, externalising it in such a way that it became the symbol of the motive of the entire manifested universe and the impulse which should direct each of us—crucifixion and death, resurrection and life, and the consequent salvation of the whole.

It is this thought which is embodied in the challenge of this fourth phrase of the Great Invocation, and means literally, "May all men everywhere respond to the keynote of the universe and give themselves for others."

And, is not this in a faint and dim manner, the present keynote of human effort? In spite of a real inability to think truly, effectively and intuitively, the mass of men in all lands are responding clearly and definitely to this note of sacrifice. Leaders of the great nations everywhere are using this note and call to sacrifice in their appeals at this time to [167] their peoples. Men in Germany were called to battle by their leaders with the challenge of sacrifice and told that they must give their lives in order that Germany may live. A study of the speeches by the German leaders will be found to contain this note. The other group, whom you call the Allies (because they stand more specifically for the good of the whole and not for the good of the separated nation or unit) are also calling the masses of their people to fight for the good of civilisation and for the preservation of those values which are next upon the evolutionary scale and essential to the general good. The wording of these calls and the objectives expressed may differ in formulation but the theme is the same and the effect is to call forth the spirit of sacrifice in the nations. Though the motives behind such a call may be mixed and the leaders guided as much by expediency and selfish, national interests as by the general good, yet they know that the note which will evoke an immediate response from the unit and the individual is fundamentally the good of the larger unit (the nation or the group of nations). Therefore, forgiveness or sacrifice in order to save others is increasingly the recognised needed keynote at this time and in this recognition lies much to justify the sorry story of past evolutionary processes and methods. When it is recognised that the "giving-for" involves right living upon the physical plane and not (as is so often thought) the dying of the physical body then we shall see a revitalised world. It is the living Christ (the living world Saviour) Who saves humanity. It is the sacrifice, day by day, in the process of daily living which can save the world of men—the sacrifice of selfish personal interests for the good of the whole and the giving up of one's practical life to the salvage of the world. It is living in order that others too may live which is the theme of the New Testament. When, therefore, the mode of sacrifice enters into the realm of the subtler and subjective values and the true meaning of forgiveness is intellectually, practically and spiritually comprehended, the New Age will be abundantly realised with its truly human civilisation and a culture which will embody [168] the realities of the esoteric teaching, as well as the best of the externalised past. Then and only then will the new esotericism be revealed to a race of men who have made aspiration a fact in their outer experience. The attitude of the masses in the present conflict is the guarantee of this and the proof also of the success of Christ's mission.

The result of what is happening today must, sooner or later, produce an at-one-ment between all nations and peoples. At-one-ment is ever (under evolutionary law) the consequence of sacrifice. Of this, Christ's sacrifice was the symbol and the guarantee, impulsed as His life and activities were by the Spirit of Peace. As He made "of twain, one new man, so making peace" (Ephesians 2:15) so today out of the duality of soul and body, humanity is achieving the same ends and the result of this final stage of the Piscean Age will be the fusion in consciousness of soul and body. The Aquarian Age will demonstrate an increasing expression of this at-one-ment, wrought out in the crucifixion of humanity at the present time. The difference between this coming stage and that of the past is that, in the past, the soul has sought this development and at-one-ment and (from the angle of evolution) it has been slowly and gradually attained, but in the future, it will be consciously sought, achieved and recognised by man upon the physical plane as a result of the present period of "giving-for" the whole, of the best which the individual can give.

I would point out that just as the energies released by use of the first three phrases of the Invocation relate to the Head, Shamballa; to the Heart, the Hierarchy; and to the Throat centre, Humanity; so the right use of this fourth phrase will bring into conscious, functioning activity the centre between the eyebrows, the ajna centre in individual man and in humanity as whole. This centre begins to become active and to function dynamically, governing and directing the individual energies, once any real measure of personality integration has been achieved. It is, as you know, the fourth centre found above the diaphragm [169] in the human body and the phrase which awakens it (both individually and in the group) is this fourth phrase. There is, therefore, a numerical relationship. When used wisely and intelligently by human beings, many of the blended potencies which the first three phrases have made available are invoked and so made available to the individual as well as to the group. They can then be focussed for his use in the ajna centre. In many ways, therefore, this fourth phrase of the Great Invocation is of paramount importance to the individual as well as to humanity, invoking as it does great and vital potencies and indicating process (Sacrifice) and purpose, plus the identification of the unit and the group with the basic intent of manifestation.

The fifth phrase, Let power attend the efforts of the Great Ones, is definitely related to the effect in the Hierarchy of a constructive use of the Great Invocation, just as the previous one is related to the effect in humanity. This effect in the Hierarchy is a relatively new one and is due to the participation of humanity in the process of invocation, thus producing new effects and contacts. It is the united effort of the two great centres which is of such paramount importance and upon which I desire to have you concentrate. Its utterance by man throws the weight of human appeal and desire behind the age-old efforts of the Hierarchy and this is now, for the first time, truly possible on a large scale. For aeons, the Hierarchy has struggled alone to help and lift humanity and to stimulate the potency of the human planetary centre so that its vibratory activity would eventually be sufficiently powerful to swing it into the radius or magnetic field of hierarchical activity. This long task has at last achieved success. The Hierarchy and humanity are at last en rapport. This is the higher reflection or correspondence to what goes on within the consciousness of a human being who—having reached the stage of discipleship—is at the point of blending the light of the personality (as it is expressed through the ajna centre and its externalisation, the pituitary body) and the light of the soul (as it is, in its turn, expressed [170] by the light in the head, or by the head centre and its externalisation, the pineal gland).

You will, therefore, note afresh the practical significance of these fourth and fifth phrases of the Great Invocation. One serves to arouse humanity (as a planetary centre) to activity and realisation and the other serves to aid the Hierarchy in its ancient efforts so that the two are then related to each other's magnetic fields and produce a blending and a synthesis which will lead to a fuller expression of the soul of divinity through the medium of humanity. Ponder on this statement.

In the esoteric teaching, this takes place in the life of the individual when—by an act of the will—the centre at the base of the spine is aroused and the fire and the light of the personal threefold life (one aspect of which is often called the kundalini fire) is carried upwards and merged with the power and the light of the soul. The major approach of the two basic energies of form and soul (as an expression of spirit) are thereby related within the human being; the "marriage in the heavens" takes place and the task of the creative process of incarnation or individual manifestation is on the way to completion. Within the planetary life, the same process goes on. The life of humanity as a whole (which is intelligent form life) and the life of the Hierarchy (which is the life of the soul), under impulse from the Spirit or will aspect as symbolised in Shamballa, are fused and blended and then a new departure in the evolutionary process becomes possible. The kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of souls, and the human kingdom as mutually expressive and interrelated, are perfectly synthesised and anchored on earth. The glory of the One can then be faintly seen, which is the glory of Shamballa. The Dweller upon the threshold of divinity and the Angel of the Presence then stand face to face.

This is the situation today. Tomorrow they will blend and synthesise and the glory of God will appear on earth. The second great Approach will have been achieved.

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CALL TO A UNITED ACT OF SERVICE

November 1939

The situation is serious. Sea and air and land are arrayed against the Forces of Light; they are the agents of material substance and can be used potently against the spiritual Forces. The forces of the air are, however, increasingly on our side. The Members of the Hierarchy are hard put to it to turn the tide in favour of that true and more spiritual civilisation which is on the way. This civilisation will be a combination of the best which has hitherto been produced and that which is new and, as yet, dimly sensed by the best of the world thinkers. The tide must be turned in favour of that which we call righteousness.

The seeds of evil are in every country; those who war against that which is good are numerous in every land, whether they war with aggressive and planned intent, whether they preserve an attitude of passivity and acceptance, or a planned neutrality, as in America, or are actively fighting for that which is against the material forces.

The World Crisis was, as you know, inevitable, but physical warfare could have been avoided if right psychological methods had been employed, and it could have been cured if a process of transmutation and of transference had been correctly carried forward, and if the spirit of sacrifice had also been demonstrated by the world aspirants. The need for group sacrifice has not met with adequate response, except in those cases where it has been imposed by governments upon their nationals. Such is the sorry history of what is taking place today.

What can be done at the present moment to arrest defeat and the overwhelming of the Forces of Light? Here I refer not to the outer physical victory. True victory will not be indicated unless the higher values which should govern human civilisation emerge with clarity and power. I would here like to emphasise the fact that the tide must be definitely turned before the close of the year if a prolonged conflict is to be avoided. I would ask you, therefore, to participate [172] in the subjective focussing and rallying of the world thinkers, and particularly the heads of organisations, groups and churches of all kinds and temperaments who can swing their many adherents into a uniform and united activity.

The Masters of the Wisdom have no time today to do the task Themselves; Their hands are full, combating the forces of materialism. These forces are active in every country; the Hierarchy in its consciousness does not isolate Germany, even though these forces have chosen that sad land for their major point of departure and enterprise; in Germany They have Their people working as elsewhere. The Masters of the Wisdom are active in dispelling the depressions and terrors which settle down upon all Their workers in the arena of the world today, as these workers struggle to stand steady under the fierce impact of wrong thinking and of world-wide despair; these workers are likewise sensitive (owing to their point of integrated development) to the agony of mind, the tension of emotion and the ravages of physical pain which are felt by all those upon whom the War has had its dire effects, and upon whom it has laid the hand of suffering. Such a sensitivity and such a sympathetic response are apt to produce a condition of negativity and a psychic preoccupation with the immediate situation among all workers, and thus render them deaf to the call of their actual duty or else liable to become distraught by the dual effort of being effective in service, whilst at the same time fighting off emotional reactions. The capacity of the worker to respond, therefore, to the inner voices and to serve dispassionately and selflessly is seriously handicapped.

I challenge all workers and all members of the New Group of World Servers to leave their personal problems behind. This is a time of crisis and such problems must be solved through complete self-forgetfulness. I ask you to work anew with fresh ardour in joyful service, forgetting past weaknesses and failures in the urgency of that which I ask all to do for the world. There has been much lack of joy in the service rendered to the world lately. When I speak thus, I refer not to happiness, which is a personality reaction, [173] but to that joyous confidence in the law and in the Hierarchy which lies behind the Biblical words, "The joy of the Lord is our strength." "Rise up and fight, Arjuna," preserving the flame of love intact, permitting no breath of hate to disturb the serenity of love or upset that inner poise which will enable you to sound forth the clarion note of world understanding, that will rally all men and women of goodwill to the aid of the Hierarchy. This will bring to an end all hatred, separativeness and aggression, which are the three major sins of humanity. All men have hated; all men have been separative in both thought and action; all have been and many still are materialistic, full of pride and the desire to gain that which is not their own by right. This spirit of acquisitiveness belongs to no one group; it has been a universal and general fault, and has produced the present disastrous economic situation, thus precipitating the world into war, hate and cruelty.

The fusion of many minds into one directed activity is today of supreme importance; this has been symbolised in the union which now exists between two great nations, France and Great Britain. Unity of directed thought and purpose is the guarantee of inevitable and future success. The power of massed thought is omnipotent. The potency of focussed and directed mental activity is unpredictable. If you accept this premise and this statement, then act upon it.

The Spirit of Peace is hovering close to humanity, seeking opportunity to make His Presence felt. The Spirit of Peace is not an abstract concept but a potent Individual, wielding forces hitherto unfamiliar to our planet. Great Forces are awaiting the hour when They can function as the Liberators and the Deliverers of mankind. But the door to Their entrance must be opened by humanity itself and it will be opened by a united act of the will, expressed through some formula of words and expressed in sound. It will be brought about by an activity performed simultaneously by all men and women of goodwill and by all the world aspirants and disciples. The door will not open unless the act of invocation is backed by the focussed will. The [174] directed determination of the man or the group who is using the suggested formula, prayer or invocation is essential.

I would ask you to call as many people as you can reach through the medium of every available channel to a definite activity upon the coming Christmas day, if possible, and again at the time of the full moon of January, thus making two great appeals to the Forces of Peace and Light, so that they may help humanity. I would ask you to get in touch with leaders and workers—important and unimportant—in every land, asking them to associate themselves in their own way and with their own people, and to do this on as large a scale as possible—as large, at least, as that of your effort in May, 1936.

The times are ripe for a response to these ideas; the recognised pain and distress of the world will open both hearts and purses. The idea of a Christmas appeal and call to prayer and to invocation of the Prince of Peace will be potent in evoking a desirable reaction, and will serve also to blend into closer unity all who recognise the work the Hierarchy is attempting to do. I would ask you to call for help from all sides, and to let these ideas work out into the world on the basis of their usefulness and opportuneness. Omit from this appeal none that you know, for through them millions can be reached and swung into the desired activity.

To those of you who can appreciate and use the Great Invocation, I would suggest its renewed and earnest use. This alternative invocation might, however, be suggested and found useful:

"O Lord of Light and Love, come forth and rule the world.

May the Prince of Peace appear and end the warring of the nations.

May the reign of Light and Love and Justice be begun.

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with us."

THE COMING WORLD ORDER

April 1940

This analysis of world conditions is being written in America, where there is, as yet, relative physical safety and [175] time for the re-adjustment of views, and the opportunity also to give direction—along with embattled Britain and her Allies—to a world sorely needing guidance and vision. There is great confusion of voices. Those who know the least speak ever the loudest and apportion the blame for events with facility. There is much mental distress everywhere, occasioned by the war and also by the desire of the well-intentioned to stress their particular solutions of the world problem.

It is necessary, therefore, to speak with directness, to indicate the inherent dangers of the present situation, to present its amazing opportunity to bring about needed changes, and to point out the lines of demarcation between the right and the wrong ways of living, between a vision of the new world order and the retrograde plans of the so-called "new order" with which the totalitarian powers seek to bewilder humanity.

We start with the premise that two opposing world visions confront humanity and that two world orders are presented to mankind. Between these man must choose, and his choice will determine the future.

The years 1941 and 1942 will be years of crisis and of tension. Those who perceive the risks, the opportunity, and the important decision to be made are struggling with almost frantic haste to awaken the masses to the uniqueness of this moment. What mankind decides during the next twelve months will condition the future as no other human decision has ever before done in the history of mankind.

There have been points of crisis before in history, but not one that involved the entire planetary population. There have been periods of danger, difficulty, war, famine and distress, but none which conditioned the lives of untold millions as does the present. Time and again there has been the emergence of leaders, conquerors, dictators and world figures, but they have hitherto come at a time when their influence was limited by world communications and by national limitations; therefore their power was not universal and their progress was arrested by the conditions of the [176][176] period in which they lived. Today, the entire planet is involved and all the nations of the world are definitely affected.

There is the setting up of barriers in a futile effort to keep out of trouble and avoid war; dominant groups are swinging many nations under their banners so that they are either associated with the totalitarian powers or with those nations which are opposing them. The nations which are not actually belligerents are equally active in the task of endeavouring to preserve their national integrity.

The conflict today is a world conflict. The following groups of people are involved:

1. The fighting aggressor nations, ruled by ambitious dictators.

2. The nations which are seeking to defend themselves and the liberties of humanity.

3. The neutral nations, seeing the issues involved and faced with the immediate necessity to take sides.

The momentum of this struggle is gaining daily. Fresh areas of the world are being swept into the conflict every week. The real issues, the impending economic results and the political implications are emerging with growing clarity in every land and—make no mistake—even in those lands which lie numbed and suffering under the heel of the conqueror. Among them there is a silent and at present voiceless revolt. The inner speechless revolt in itself constitutes a menace to world peace and, if evoked into full expression, may plunge the world still deeper into conflict.

Facing humanity today are two major dangers. These are: first, the conflict will be so prolonged that humanity will be completely exhausted, and thus a stalemate will be reached and a situation will arise which will bring to an end all civilised relationships and all hope of an ordered life of beauty, peace and culture. Secondly, the nations not yet involved will fail to see the realities of the situation and will not come to the assistance of those fighting for the preservation of national and individual freedom. If this [177] should prove to be the case, then—without so intending and yet inevitably—they will stand on the side of evil and share in the responsibility of engineering world disaster.

Today, there are no more than two parties in the world—those who are on the side of right human relations and those who are on the side of selfish and cruel power politics. The totalitarian powers are on the march—ruthless, selfish, cruel and aggressive; the powers which are battling for human liberty and for the rights of the defenceless little nations are standing with their backs to the wall, facing the strongest display of human might that the world has ever seen. The nations which are not yet physically involved are preparing for some form of action and for defence—defence against the dictator powers but not against the fighting democracies.

The battle today is being fought out on the land, on the sea, and in the air. From the economic standpoint, every country is involved, and ruin stalks in the wake of war; the stopping of imports or of exports in many lands is bringing about the financial ruin of thousands; the pressure of economic disaster, the fear of famine and pestilence and the constant risk of becoming actively a part of the war faces every country not yet actually in the fighting line. The fear of defeat, of death and injury, and of the loss of all possessions is added to these problems, where the nations at war are concerned.

Humanity must face up to these facts. No matter how people may evade the truth, no matter how they may escape into a dream world of wishful thinking, the fact remains—inevitable and undeniable—that the world is at war and everyone is involved.

The Goodwill Work

Prior to September, 1939, the objectives of our world-wide work, over a period of nine years, were the spreading of world goodwill, the discovery of the men and women of goodwill throughout the world, and the endeavour to teach the meaning of the will-to-good. This is the main task of [178] the New Group of World Servers. We inculcated a non-separative attitude and the need for right human relations. We endeavoured to make clear that differing forms of government and varying ideological systems were right and possible, provided that human beings lived together in goodwill and recognised their blood brotherhood.

Then humanity made its decision to fight, and the war broke out: one group, the instigators of the war, fighting to acquire material power, the glory of a nation and the subjugation of the defenceless; and the other, fighting to preserve its own liberty of action, the preservation of its integrity, the right of the little nations and the spiritual values. Immediately, the issue was abundantly clear in the minds of those who were in touch with human affairs; immediately certain nations took sides against the forces of aggression; immediately, other nations, biased by similar distorted ideologies and equally selfish purposes, stood with the aggressor nation; immediately, panic swept the remaining nations, who took refuge in short-sighted neutrality and defence programmes—a neutrality and programmes which have proved quite futile to protect them.

Where, then, should the New Group of World Servers stand? What should the men and women of goodwill do? Should they side with the totalitarian powers because in so doing they will bring the conflict more rapidly to an end, or should they stand on the side of the neutral powers, frantically pursuing ineffective peace programmes, policies of appeasement, and play into the hands of the totalitarian powers?

Humanity having decided to fight out the battle physically, there was nothing left to do but issue a challenge to the men and women of goodwill to take their stand on the side of such action as would release humanity through the destruction of the evil forces. These had determined to prove that might was right. Therefore, the forces fighting for progress and civilisation had to meet force with force.

The challenge was taken up by the democracies who [179] stand for human rights and liberty. Because of the decision to fight on the side of spiritual progress, the spiritual forces of the planet had no alternative but to align themselves on the side of the allied democracies, and endeavour to awaken the neutral nations to the issue. They ranged themselves against the leaders of the aggressor nations, though not against their poor deluded or subdued peoples. They too must be liberated by the allied democracies.

On the basis of an active will-to-good, the men and women of goodwill, acting under the inspiration of the New Group of World Servers, had no alternative but to take their stand with the spiritual forces and join the struggle for the liberation of humanity from totalitarian ambitions and the intentions of a group of evil men. But the spirit of goodwill must be, steadily and unchangingly, the motivating impulse. No hate must be allowed to enter in. The greatest good of the greatest number lies today in the release of the nations from the domination of the totalitarian powers.

The Pacifist Position

The second point upon which I would touch is the arguments brought out by the pacifists of the world. All true and good people are pacifically minded and all hate war. This is a fact which the academic idealist and pacifist often forgets. Such people tell us that two wrongs do not make a right; and to meet murder with murder (which is their definition of war) is sinful; that war is evil (which no one denies) and that one must not take part in it. They contend that thinking thoughts of peace and of love can put the world straight and end the war. Such people, fighting the existent fact of war, usually do little or nothing concrete to right the wrongs which are responsible for the war, and permit their defence—personal, municipal, national and international—to be undertaken by others. The sincerity of these people cannot be questioned.

It should be remembered, in countering these ideas and in justifying the fighting spirit of the Christian democracies, [180] that it is motive that counts. War can be and is mass murder, where the motive is wrong. It can be sacrifice and right action, where the motive is right. The slaying of a man in the act of killing the defenceless is not regarded as murder. The principle remains the same, whether it is killing an individual who is murdering, or fighting a nation which is warring on the defenceless. The material means, which evil uses for selfish ends, can also be employed for good purposes. The death of the physical body is a lesser evil than the setting back of civilisation, the thwarting of the divine purposes of the human spirit, the negating of all spiritual teaching, and the control of men's minds and liberties. War is always evil, but it can be the lesser of two evils, as is the case today.

The present war, if carried forward to a successful completion by the defeat of the totalitarian powers, constitutes a far lesser evil than the subjugation of many nations to the unparalleled cupidity, the appalling educational process and the defiance of all recognised spiritual values by the Axis powers. If the totalitarian powers should conquer, it would mean years of turmoil and revolt; their victory would result in untold misery.

It is no doubt an undeniable spiritual truth that right thought can change and save the world, but it is also true that there are not enough people able to think to do this work. Also, there is not enough time in which to do it. The thoughts of peace are mainly founded upon a stubborn idealism that loves the ideal more than humanity. They are based also upon an unrecognised fear of war and upon an individual inertia which prefers the dream world of wishful thinking to the shouldering of responsibility for the security of humanity.

Thus briefly have I sought to make the position of the New Group of World Servers clear as it fights for the rights of man, for the spiritual future of humanity, and for the new world order. What I have now to say will fall into four parts:

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I. The world as it exists today. The present situation is the result of past tendencies, of underlying pressures and of human decisions.

II. The new world order. This we will contrast with the old order and with the so-called "new order" of the totalitarian powers.

III. Some problems involved. Four major world problems will call for discussion and these we must consider.

IV. The task ahead. We will then deal with the interlude until peace is achieved plus some suggestions for the coming period of reconstruction.

I. THE WORLD TODAY

What are the causes which have produced present world conditions? What are the underlying pressures which are producing the present chaos or those which can produce eventual order? Before there can be correction, there must be appreciation of error; there must be understanding of the predisposing causes producing the necessity; there must be realisation of the general guilt and a shared responsibility for the evil conditions; there must be determination to make restitution, and to cease from evil doing.

The tendency to fasten the war on Hitler and his gang of evil men should not blind us to the causes which have made his evil work possible. He is mainly a precipitating agency, for through him world selfishness and cruelty have been brought to a focus. But, as Christ has said: "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." (Matthew 18:7.) The causes of this rampant evil are inherent in humanity itself.

Ancient and untrammelled selfishness has ever been a characteristic of man; the desire for power and for possession has ever motivated men and nations; cruelty, lust, and sacrifice of the higher values to the lower have been deeply rooted human habits for ages. Of these ancient habits of thought and behaviour all peoples and all nations are guilty. Steadily, [182] as the world grew closer, the lines of cleavage and the antagonism of the nations increased, and thus the present war (beginning in 1914) is the inevitable result of wrong thought, selfish goals and ancient hatreds. Individualistic interest, separative aims and aggressive desire march towards their inevitable finale—war and chaos.

The economic situation also provides a symbol of this condition. The nations divide themselves into the "Haves" and the "Have Nots," and thus bring in the present era of gangsterism. Organised gangs in the United States came into being as an expression of these tendencies in national life. In the international world, three nations are now playing the same part. The allied nations and the United States are recognising the menace of national and international gangsterism and are endeavouring to crush it. But—and this is the point of importance—these conditions have been made possible by humanity as a whole.

Materialism and Spirituality

There are today three major human trends: First of all, a trend towards a spiritual and free way of life; secondly, a trend towards intellectual unfoldment; and lastly, a potent trend towards material living and aggression. At present, the last of these innate tendencies is in the saddle, with the second, the intellectual attitude, throwing its weight upon the side of the material goals. A relatively small group is throwing the weight of human aspiration upon the side of the spiritual values. The war between the pairs of opposites—materialism and spirituality—is raging fiercely. Only as men turn away from material aggression and towards spiritual objectives will the world situation change, and men—motivated by goodwill—force the aggressors back to their own place and release humanity from fear and force. We are today reaping the results of our own sowing. The recognition of the cause of the problem provides humanity with the opportunity to end it. The time has arrived in which it is possible to institute those changes [183] in attitude which will bring an era of peace and goodwill, founded on right human relations.

These two forces—materialism and spirituality—face each other. What will be the outcome? Will men arrest the evil and initiate a period of understanding, cooperation and right relationship, or will they continue the process of selfish planning and of economic and militant competition? This question must be answered by the clear thinking of the masses and by the calm and unafraid challenges of the democracies.

On all sides the need for a new world order is being recognised. The totalitarian powers are talking of the "new order in Europe"; the idealists and thinkers are unfolding schemes and plans which vision entirely new conditions that will bring the old bad order to an end. There is a constant demand for the Allies to state their peace aims and indicate clearly what adjustments will be made after the war, because a vision of the future world policy will help humanity through the present crisis.

Historical Background

Throughout the Middle Ages, the rule of powerful monarchs, the spread of empires and the march of national conquerors were outstanding characteristics. A relatively small number of people were involved. The Church of the time had immense power in all European countries; it controlled the education of the people, but laid no foundation for right political thought. The history of the past is the history of many forms of government. Races and nations have come and gone. Political regimes and religious forms have played their part, have persisted or disappeared. The sorry history of humanity has been one of kings and potentates, rulers and warriors, presidents and dictators—rising into power at the expense of their own or other nations. Conquerors come and go—Akbar, Genghis Khan, the Pharaohs, Alexander the Great, Caesar, Charlemagne, William the Conqueror, Napoleon, Hitler and Mussolini. These have all upset the rhythm [184] of their times and have come to power through aggression and slaughter. As the nations grew more closely interrelated, their influence and their field of expression increased. The growing means of communication brought this about; Great Britain knew nothing of the movements of Alexander; the peoples of America knew naught about Genghis Khan; but the sound of the marching armies of Napoleon was heard over a far wider area, and the triumphs of Hitler—diplomatic and military—are known throughout the world.

The totalitarian powers have turned the world into one armed camp—for offence or defence. Motivating all these conquerors was lust for gold, lust for land, lust for power, lust for personal triumph. The modern dictators are no exception. They bring nothing new.

World Anarchy

The history of the world has been built around the theme of war; its points of crisis have been the great battles. The thought of revenge motivates some nations; the demand for the righting of ancient historical wrongs influences others; the restitution of lands, earlier held, directs the acts of others. For instance: the ancient glory of the Roman Empire must be restored—at the expense of the helpless little peoples; the culture of France must be paramount and French security must outweigh all other considerations; British imperialism has in the past outraged other nations; German hegemony and "living space" must dominate Europe, and the German superman must be the arbiter of human life; American isolationism would leave humanity defenceless in its hour of need and hand men over to the rule of Hitler; Russia, in her silence, cannot be trusted; Japan is upsetting the balance of power in Asia. Such is the picture today. Anarchy rules the world; famine stalks the inhabitants of Europe; the civilian population of cities, the women and children, are in grave danger of injury and death and are forced to live underground; pestilence appears; there is no safety on land or sea or in the air; the [185] nations are on the verge of financial ruin; science has turned to the invention of the instruments of death; the populations of cities and entire districts are shifted from one part of a country to another; families and homes are broken up; there is intense fear, hopeless looking into the future, bewildered questioning, suicide and murder; the smoke of countless fires blackens the skies; the seas are strewn with dead and with wrecked vessels; the thunder of guns and the noise of exploding bombs are heard in approximately twenty countries; war rises up from the waters, marches over the lands and descends from the skies.

It is to this situation that the old order has brought humanity. It is to this disaster that man's cruelty and selfishness have tended; no nations are exempt from this criticism, and all are more rapidly moved by selfish purpose than by the spirit of sacrifice.

Even idealistic America can only be aroused into action by an appeal to her self-interest and security.

For our encouragement let us recognise that the same humanity which has brought about these terrible conditions can also create the new world, the new order and the new way of life. The selfish, wicked past can give way to a future of understanding, of cooperation, of right human relations and of good. Separativeness must be superseded by unity. The combination of totalitarian aggressors, of allied democracies and of anxious neutral nations must be changed into a world which is characterised by one endeavour—the establishing of those relations which will produce the happiness and peace of the whole, and not only of the part.

II. THE NEW WORLD ORDER

I assume that my readers recognise some intelligent or spiritual direction of humanity. I care not by what name they call that guiding Purpose. Some may call it the Will of God; others, the inevitable trends of the evolutionary process; still others may believe in the spiritual forces of the planet; others may regard it as the spiritual Hierarchy of the [186] planet, or the great White Lodge; many millions speak of the guidance of Christ and His disciples. Be that as it may, there is a universal recognition of a guiding Power, exerting pressure throughout the ages, which appears to be leading all towards an ultimate good.