Beauty, the Arts and the 4th Ray

Beauty, the Arts and the 4^th Ray

June 3, 2019

Maria Calegari

Because of my experience in the world of dance I wanted to share with the group some reflections on beauty in our world today.

Throughout the Ageless Wisdom teachings there has been a great emphasis on the understanding of Beauty and what occult or hidden beauty is. The Tibetan gives us a simple definition of Beauty in the Alice Bailey book Discipleship in the New Age Vol. 1 (P279). “Beauty is after all as much divinity as can be expressed through any one form.” 

As we work together and contribute to the ballet world we see firsthand how the arts and culture are assisting humanity’s role of bringing inner beauty into manifestation.  Many of the ballets choreographed by George Balanchine use shapes and patterns that are expressed by the dancer’s bodies and reveal the music. One of his favorite quotes to the audience was, “Come and see the music, hear the dance,” thereby challenging our perceptions.  This photo of his classic work “Serenade” shows us some of this use of symmetry. The arms of the dancers almost seem to be creating interwoven triangles.

Dance and the arts express beauty in different ways and all the arts create a bridge for humanity not only to the world of spirit, they also help to foster right human relations and goodwill. Beauty is a result of co-creation with the divine and is a way to find the spiritual thread throughout matter. In dance the use of geometry creates patterns of energy and light not unlike our Triangles network. These patterns serve to invoke even greater light and love from the higher realms and the devic kingdom.

Those of us familiar with clairvoyant Geoffrey Hodson’s book, Music Forms, have seen the color plates which depict the beautiful etheric patterns music makes. Here is one of those plates of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “The Messiah.”

The Tibetan (DK) urges us to see beauty as a quality and that a state of beingness creates beauty.

“True art” he states is a “soul function”.  And so the arts can serve to wake us up to beauty and meaning in the world and this includes the nature and devic kingdoms as well as the heavenly bodies, planets and stars.

DK urges us to take note of the beauty we experience throughout the day in our spiritual diary.  So beauty needs to be sought out and appreciated in order to cooperate with the Divine Plan. It is said that the “Robe of Beauty” of  the Lord of the World, is created by humanity acting as the medium of ideas and that every great world cycle sees the emergence of greater beauty in all the kingdoms.

In the Agni Yoga Teachings the Master Morya states “The miracle of Beauty in the adornment of our daily lives will exalt mankind.  Teach the Joy of Beauty.” (Leaves 1, Stanza 45)

As dancers and teachers we have had the privilege of helping to create some of the most beautiful ballets of the 20^th century. To be immersed in some of the great orchestral music from such composers as Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky is indeed a great joy.   The arts expressing beauty can be a great healing agent in our world today.

Bart Cook

I would like to continue on this theme and share with the group some thoughts on the 4^th Ray of Harmony through Conflict (one of the seven rays as described by the Tibetan) and how it affects the arts and culture. This is such a rich area to consider and today we can just barely touch the surface.

Ray 4 as we know is the mid-way point between the first major 3 Rays of Aspect and the last of the 3 Rays of Attribute. We’re told it’s also the governing Ray of Humanity and brings up the work of conflict/resolution going on in our world today. In the arts we’ve experienced this 4^th Ray in action as the creation of beauty is made through conflict/resolution.

A question to consider is-what causes a person to crave and appreciate beauty, to actually attempt to create beauty- to create Art?  I think the urge to solve conflict is the urge to create.

And this also begs the question –‘what is a creation of art, and what is its function?

DK tells us ( Esoteric Psychology, Volume II, pg 220):   That the urge to creative life, through the divine faculty of imagination- is one way to induce soul control.  In other words be under the influence of that part of us which is divine.

-Beauty is the result of tension/resolution within triangular energy.

The Tibetan tells us that the 3 points of the triangle represent two poles in opposition and the third point at the top is the resolution- the point of beauty- the balanced or mid- point.

-And so too can we consider the 4^th Ray as the mediator between the other 6 Rays. One of the names of the 4^th Ray Lord is “The link between the three and the three.”  

-Also by correspondence, the 4^th chakra, the heart is the cauldron into which love attracts our lower and higher elements to meet and blend.   

 

I am fascinated with the relationship of the number and symbol of 3- and the number and symbol of 4- as in “I the triangle divine work out that will within the square”- Maria Christina spoke about the symbolism of the triangle within the square last week.

Putting the divine -3   into the physical -4 is a conflict which needs a solution:---

--3 and 4 are both multiples of the number 12- which is regarded  by esoterisists of all faiths as signifying the number of completion-(– From Bethlehem to Calvary, p75 76)- 12 as the resolved whole.   As in 12 disciples- 12 petals in the crown chakra- 12 signs in the zodiac etc.

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The zodiac signs are also classified into 3 crosses of four points-the fixed mutable and cardinal…   and are also divided by the 4 triangles of the elements- fire air earth and water.

 

Another illustration of the 3 and the 4 within the same 12 is seen in the ballet Concerto Barocco.

Mr. Balanchine illustrates this 3/4 resolution in a most beautiful visual way.   In this specific section of the ballet, he visually illustrates the harmonics and counterpoint in Bach’s Double Violin Concerto.

The women as shown here in this photo are doing hops on their toes, a very difficult ballet move. They begin together as a group with the step in a 4 count:  up up up down… hop hop hop pose… up up up down… and then to make the music even more visual, after that complete phrase of 12- the dancers split into two groups and do a counterpoint, half of them change the step into a 3 count: up up down…  Hop hop Pose… up up down… up up down… and half continue in the 4 counts at the same time- and the music of Bach does the same.  

When the dancers finish again in unison- at the end of the repeated musical phrase, it illustrates the tension resolve- and has the effect of beauty on all the senses.

 

In thinking about the arts and culture we would need to remember all the good work done by Russian painter and disciple Nicholas Roerich who did so much to spread beauty and the arts as a unifier of peoples and nations.

This photo is of a painting by Roerich called “Pax Cultura” or The Banner of Peace.

The Banner of Peace was created by Roerich to symbolize the Roerich Pact.  Created during the time of World War II the flag was flown to protect cultural sights of beauty and value throughout the world.  And as we can see it has the symbol of the triangle within the circle. The three red circles have been interpreted as representing, religion, art and science, encompassed by the circle of culture, humanity’s achievements, past, present and future, presented on the square of the flag

As members of Humanity- on the 4^th ray, we strive to become co-creators with the divine through the conflicts presented by our material natures and desires and the beautiful resolutions presented by contact with our higher divine selves.  Through the creation and presentation of works of art and beauty we evolve and come closer to that sought for perfection.

Roerich’s invocation of beauty reads;

“In Beauty we are united, through Beauty we pray, with Beauty we conquer.”

Perhaps the creation of the Antahkarana- the rainbow bridge is our most urgent Art project- the bringing together of the lower physical self and the higher subjective self in service to hierarchy and humanity.

Our work in the Triangles Network, creating points of light and beauty, has a resounding affect on our planet.

It is good to consider a Way of Beauty and Creativity where we further connect with each other, fuse and blend through the love of the soul.

 We can create, strengthen and encourage our group brothers and sisters.