Expression of the Fourth Ray
FOURTH RAY COMPILATIONS FOR OUR TIME
The Fourth Ray is known as "Harmony through Conflict," and also as "The Will to Relate."
The Tibetan says it is the outstanding ray of the artist, but then he goes on to say the arts are found along all the ray lines...so what is it? According to the teachings, the fourth ray is due to come into full potency in the coming two hundred years or so. At the moment, we are walking in a fourth ray “buffet” due to the multiple tensions operating to render a world in crisis.
These sharings are an attempt to convey varying gradations of the fourth ray in action. In its rawest form, it may drive tectonic plates to shift; in its most refined expression it is the adroit tailoring of outer manifestation to the inner inspiration.
Below are outlined some of these varying expressions of fourth ray activity.
THIS IS ABOUT ENERGY – MEETING, CLASHING, FORMING, EVOLVING
- CLASH – At its rawest level, fourth ray activity manifests as conflict (2): this includes war, opposites, polarization, repelling one another, no understanding, but a relationship is forged via enmity/animosity/tension. (3) In psychological terms this is shadow, in statehood this is war. In more everyday environments, it shows up as a whole series of visible and invisible barriers to collaboration, inclusion, understanding, or productivity.
When (4) we allow ourselves to slow down and notice our inner world as it relates to the outer world, we find that – indeed we ourselves are “not of one mind,” but are driven by varying impulses – to be comfortable, to have agency, to have company, to be good – all to manage drives and needs that are part of our human fabric. Unspoken signals between people establish relations in mere moments.
(5) The unique challenge of this time – a primordial fourth ray happening if there ever was one – is the tendency for everything to be polarized at this time, as old orders fall away, outdated leaders grip the old-style reins of power, and we all feel squeezed in the middle. Here we are, between ages, between genders, between political parties, between continents, between countries, between ecosystems: everything in flux. If you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath, and give yourself a moment to let it all out. (6) One thing to bear in mind, though, with conflict, is this question of alignment: fundamentally, conflict can set us at odds with our desired directions.
- COMPLEX, OR DAEMON –The German word for pattern is “Daemon,” which is often mis-interpreted as “demon,” though they have a kind of relatedness. The inner demons that trouble people, of which Assagioli wrote much in his masterwork, “Psychosynthesis,” are often a hint of both their latent genius and struggle. (7) Here, we see how the 'relationship' between two inner aspects may feel like a torment.
Michelangelo rendered these beautiful sculptures called "the slaves," men shackled, strong and wrestling against what chains them. The fourth ray rules the soul of humanity and oversees the friction, on the path, between the soul’s call and the inertia of matter, or habit. James Hillman, the famed Jungian psychologist, authored "The Soul's Code," naming that neither genes nor environment were adequate to explain the directive of people’s unique life choices, - a bold and rare statement in psychology today. Examples include Oprah choosing to leave the cotton fields, or (8) Laurence Olivier, overcoming stage fright – a condition so intense that he used to vomit before his nightly stage performances - because he loved his craft. In each case, these beings felt a drive to move dramatically outside their circumstances into a particular field of endeavor which involved challenge, sacrifice, intense discomfort, and certainly an abandonment of their home environment.
III. CHARACTER – As the soul’s design takes over, the pattern shines through in a way that shows traces of resistance or friction, so the luminosity is there alongside the traces of what holds it back/in. Artistically people refer to this as ‘soul,’ but esotericists understand that this as the crucible of the personality, with more or less input from the soul. Most notably, today we live in this unique age of integration, in which most people understand that the way out, is in - psychological healing and integration reduce to shadows that prevent us from perceiving the heaven that is here. Redeeming matter is the trenchwork of today's spirituality. Character results from uniqueness, struggle, discipline, adaptation to the slings and arrows of life.
A fourth ray person breaks new ground, or breaks the mold. (9)Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir made history by camping together in Yosemite for three weeks, breaking ranks with everyone’s notion of what presidency was, and giving birth to the national parks system. (10)Nelson Mandela stood up to apartheid and changed South Africa’s trajectory. The quality of uniqueness or originality.
Ultimately, the personality surrenders to the soul’s complete direction, but not before the deep battle between habits and tendencies developed to a high degree make their last stand. To this we give the name, (11)“The Angel and the Dweller.” In nature we see examples of the beauty of unique expression in (12)trees, (13) pearls, star systems and more.
- IMPRIMATEUR - on a higher turn of the spiral, the coherence between inner and outer expression is clearer. Examples include artistry, architecture, and order. Featured here is a (14, 15) 3-D printed home design that brings whole new levels of beauty and efficiency to natural building. (16, 17,18)Here are a few samples of artwork as varied as the artists themselves. (19) Finally at Stonehenge, we see timeless stones mark seasons’ passing and mysterious rituals lost to history.
(20) At a finer level of order, rings of water spread out from a single drop on a still surface – immediate evidence of a small movement. On a higher note, one pure thought on a calm mind, one seed of inspiration in a neglected place, one skillfully applied stream of love in a wounded place, can ripple out in beautiful ways. For this reason, obviously, we meditate and calm our own fields to receive and transmit such quality. (21) The newer field of cymatics reveals patterns in water created by vibration. This new realm of dynamic adaptation, or conscious evolution, constitutes our capacity to be present to life in more moment to moment ways. (22)
(23) In sum, the fourth ray covers a vast array of expressions from clash, to friction, to extrusion, to form, to artistry and refinement. See what beauty reveals itself as you contemplate how the fourth ray works in your world.
Artistic credits (from slides) –
(2) An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745, David Morier (Scotland)
(7) The Slaves, Michelangelo (Italy)
(16) A. Joseph Casson (Nanaimo, BC, Canada)
(17) “To the Stars,” Tracie Cheng
(18) “Dawnings,” Jill Sykes, USA
(22) “The Power of Love,” digital art by John Free1608, FB user
(23) “A Human Being is a Human Dreaming,” Tatiana Plakova