October-December 2020

CONTENTS:

The Long Goodbye – Editorial
In these times of world crisis, insight and understanding of the tests being presented to humanity are imperative to throw light on the way forward. We are living in a critical period that will determine the future of human evolution for a long time to come. The march of peoples for human rights, racial equality, environmental action and greater democracy in political decision making – all illustrate the crumbling demise of countless hindering illusions within human society.

Humanity – the Keynote of the Lord of the World – Djwhal Khul
May I remind you of the occult state­ment that every living being or mani­fested life—from the planetary Logos down to the tiniest atom—either has been, is, or will be a man. This has reference to the past, to the present and to the future of every mani­fested life. Therefore, the fact of humanity and of that for which humanity stands is probably the primary and major aspect of the divine pur­pose. Pause and think about this statement.

Thinking in the Heart – A Student
We can trace the source of this principle back to the birth of a cosmos, to a primeval “thirst” or “desire” to take form, to be embodied, perhaps as an expression of the Law of Sacrifice: it is the cross in the circle, the Infinite undergoing a nec­essary distortion of its wholeness, submerging it­self in the realm of division, in order to redeem matter, or infuse it with consciousness – Orpheus being killed and torn to pieces by Maenads, the form nature. An unfathomable mystery.

The Life Changing Art of Detachment – Elise Carr
Detachment today can seem cold. ‘Emotion­ally detached’ is a term many of us have heard of. As though we have removed ourselves from fully feeling or experiencing life. But that is far from the truth of detachment’s pure essence, that even Camus eloquently captures in his work. This practice, this art, this way of life is a learned skill that we can all benefit from if we are dedi­cated and persistent enough to achieve it.

Give Away Wealth – Fay Loomis
The Buddha reminds us that suffering is part of our existence, due to our desire or attachment, and elimination of cravings is the way to libera­tion. The means of achievement is in the eight­fold practice of right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and con­centration. Such a practice may seem like sop when it comes to solving the calamitous world crises we are facing—crises that center on own­ership of wealth and power.

None But are Accepted, None But shall be Dear to Me – John Rasmussen
We are taught that the ubiquitous state of human suffering is largely an effect of the misuse of lower astral and mental energies. The student looks out upon a world aching with misery. It hurts. Greedy, venal desires and thoughts over the course of millennia have produced this familiar unpleasantness. “A gigantic thought-form hovers over the entire human family, built by men everywhere during the ages, energised by the insane desires and evil inclinations of all that is worst in man's nature, and kept alive by the promptings of his lower desires.

Detachment and the Nature of the Etheric Body – Dr. J.S. Phillips
At some time all students treading the oc­cult path must grapple with the follow­ing ideas and questions. What actually is the etheric body, and what is the effect of “egoic impulse” on the etheric centres? How does one explain the differences in the energies which qualify and flow through the etheric body of a human being? And how are the energies safely transferred to the higher centres and with what effect on the whole person?

The Emergence of the National Soul: Psychological Renewal – Michael Galloway
Any serious investigation of how to evoke the emergence of a nation’s soul and to bring about its psychological renewal must start with a simple question: what is a na­tion? More specifically, what is the national psyche or soul and how is it distinct from its manifesta­tion? The whole aim of psychological renewal (for an individual or a nation) is establishing right re­lationship between the outer form and its in­dwelling life. A true psychological renewal creates harmony between soul and its expression; it makes the outer form an adequate vehicle for that which seeks expression through it.

Eduard Tomáš a Forerunner – Jarmila Avratova
Eduard Tomáš taught people to concentrate on the silence of their own attention, and also that the essence of man can be discovered at any time as peace in the background of the mind. If we pay more attention to this peace and bring it to the surface of the world, it will become a per­manent property of all humanity. He said it was high time to transfer our inner peace to the realm of the outside world.7 Through his work, he helped to raise the overall vibrational level of the people of the country, and thus partially con­tributed to the development towards democracy and freedom.