CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood ...

Observing the current tremendous turmoil in the world of form, many of us are wondering how all these conflicts could ever be mediated or prevented, as they seem such an unavoidable pattern of life. But we can realise that mediation is not just a work carried out between nations or groups, rather it is also sacred process that arises and unfolds within consciousness. As so many religions and philosophies have stated: each human being, sooner or later, must choose which way to live his or her own life from options that are often in conflict. 

As described by the first lines from Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken,1 often it is not easy to decide. What the personality desires for comfort, security and recognition often clashes with the more spiritually purposeful options, but the friction between these two choices is the birthplace of growth recognised in meditation. This is a form of mediation that can call upon the soul’s perspective – it raises the point of view above the level at which the conflict occurs, and this requires a conscious choice and an application of our free will. This process provides a third position which emerges by inner mediation, becoming the observer who neither judges nor rejects but keeps the mind open to higher soul energies. The soul’s wide-reaching perspectives are qualified by inclusiveness, love and the will to serve the whole rather being restricted to satisfying self-centred desires.

Here, in the service of Triangles, we find an extension of this inner mediation – the activity of linking in thought with two others, forming a triangle of light and goodwill. In the Triangles work, the personality stands aligned with the soul and contributes to this enlightened network encircling the world. The personal self, once a source of conflict, is infused with soul energy and becomes a transmitter. The tensions that once divided are now transformed into currents of directed energy, flowing through the triangle and into the collective field of humanity. In this way, even the least experienced Triangles worker can contribute to the healing of the whole. By persistence, those who stand as points of light within this network contribute to the resolution of the world’s ancient dualities.

One can also understand the whole of humanity as an individual unit with a personality and a soul, standing before these conflicting options. True mediation begins with this recognition. Just like separate individuals in moments of tension, humanity feels the weight of regret at the necessity of decision and knows the courage it requires. This has long been recognized in human reflection. Yet the deeper teaching is not merely to choose, but to choose in the light and love of the soul and in alignment with the will that serves the greater whole with joy. So then, returning to the final lines of Robert Frost’s poem:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

1. The lines quoted are part of a longer poem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken

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