67. ALICE BAILEY - Discipleship in the New Age,Vol. II - 08. SECTION TWO - TEACHINGS ON MEDITATION - PART 2

SECTION TWO - TEACHINGS ON MEDITATION - PART 2

This coming externalisation of the groups which constitute the Ashrams of the Masters (not yet of the Chohans, because they are still basically too potent) will be a gradual process, but it will in time restore the Mysteries, bring the first two initiations into a relative prominence as integral parts of the coming world religion, familiarise the whole of mankind with the fact of the subjective world, and finally bring the most developed of the sons of men into a faint glimmer of understanding of the essential Reality underlying all phenomena, and give some grasp of the purpose of Shamballa and the will of the Lord of the World. Humanity has now reached a point of development where there is a definite grasp of the Plan of the Hierarchy—call it brotherhood, sharing, internationalism, unity or what you will. This is a growing and factual apprehension and is a general recognition [Page 137] by the thinkers and esotericists of the world, by the religious people of enlightenment, by broad minded statesmen, and even today by the man in the street; divine purpose, however, implemented or engineered by the divine will, eludes as yet the most advanced.

The work of the next few centuries will bring about changes in this respect, and these changes will be brought about by the work done in the Ashrams of the Masters, guided by the Ashrams of the Chohans, welded together in the great Ashram of the Hierarchy itself, and moving ever into closer relation with the great Council Chamber of Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World, in Shamballa. This has to be brought about on Earth by disciples, acting under instructions such as I now give you and by their prompt collaboration with their Masters. The doing of this will invoke the creative imagination of the disciple, and this, in its turn, will be conditioned and controlled by the illumined mind.

A second stage comes when the disciple, having considered the Ashram as outlined above, and having thereby imaginatively "fixed" the fact of Shamballa in his consciousness, turns his thoughts to the Hierarchy or to the soul. Remember always that the Hierarchy is simply the world of souls, that it is consciously aware of the Plan, sensitive to the purpose, and creatively and constantly impressing humanity with the aim in view of expanding the human consciousness. Of this your soul—in its pure nature—is a part. You will therefore think of the Hierarchy; you will attempt to vision its work, and you will endeavour to relate yourself to my Ashram by an act of faith and of will which is, in this case, the sublimation of the personal self-will; you will also take your position as a conscious, integral part of my Ashram, and consequently of the Hierarchy. Such is the duty of all disciples. You have had much instruction as to the Ashram and I need not further enlarge.

The third point of the triangle (as far as your work in this meditation is concerned) comes into the light of your reflective consideration. You will now turn your attention to yourself, the soul, the conscious disciple in preparation for that expansion of consciousness which is the next step in [138] your spiritual unfoldment, leading eventually to initiation. This reflective consideration you do, not from the angle of the consciousness of your imperfections, qualifications or capacities, your failures or your successes, but entirely from the angle of cooperation with the Plan, with the divine Will and Purpose. It is with these highest aspects that the disciple is asked to cooperate.

It is not possible for the individual disciple in any Ashram to cooperate in all phases of the Master's work, and it is not possible for you, for instance, to cooperate in every phase of the work in my Ashram which I have outlined in my pamphlets (and which has been summarised in the one entitled My Work). But it is possible for you to choose some phase of that plan and give it your paramount attention.... These activities can—if adequately and strongly carried forward—aid in the esoteric work of the world and the exoteric rehabilitation of right human relations....

The fourth stage of the meditation work is concerned with the square which—for the purposes of our work—we will simply regard as the field of service and of experience—experience in work and not individual life experience.

You will note that this description of the meditation work, which I am asking you to carry forward for a year at least, is based upon the three previous meditations; these sought to bring the etheric body with its various force centres into such a condition that it could become receptive to impression, and cooperate thereafter actively; through the alignment exercise you endeavoured to bring that organised instrument of service into contact with the source of inspiration and the source of impression, i.e., the Ashram and the soul. Now we are in a position (theoretically at least and dependent individually upon the successful action of all work previously done) to begin the task of bringing through the inspiration and impression consciously, by determined contact with their sources. I will therefore briefly outline the work, asking you to do it after close study of all that I have written above:

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I. The Stage of Recognition.

1. Recognition of your pledged discipleship.

2. Recognition of your equipment, gratefully rendered.

3. Recognition of your achieved alignment.

4. Recognition of the soul, the source of love-wisdom.

5. Recognition of the Hierarchy.

All this should be done very rapidly, holding the consciousness steadily in the mind, and not in the head. It presupposes an immediate mental focussing of the disciple at the very beginning of his meditation work.

II. The Stage of Consideration.

1. Of the Ashram as a whole, i.e., of the Hierarchy as the Ashram of Sanat Kumara. You will see, through the use of the creative imagination, all the Ashrams in close contact with Shamballa as:

a. Responsive to the Purpose, implemented by the Ashrams of the Chohans.

b. Impressed by the energy of Will as the great Ashram energises its component parts—the various Ashrams within its periphery of influence.

c. Vitalising the initiates and disciples who are affiliated with the Masters and working in Their Ashrams.

d. Reaching out, through the accepted and pledged disciples, into the world of men.

Then you will say with purpose and determination:

"I strive towards comprehension. Thy will, not mine, be done."

All the above section of your meditation work concerns purpose, will and the "destiny" of Shamballa, to use an old occult phrase.

2. Of the world of souls which is the Hierarchy in relation to this world of men, and not in relation [Page 140] to Shamballa as in the first part. This involves:

a. A study of the nature of the hierarchical effort, as it is expressed through love.

b. A conscious identification with the Plan.

c. Dedication to the work originating in the Ashram with which you know yourself to be in touch, seeing it all as an integral part of the hierarchical work.

Then you will say with love and aspiration:

"I strive towards understanding. Let wisdom take the place of knowledge in my life."

3. Of yourself as a unit in my Ashram. This will involve:

a. Recognising which aspect of my planned work you are equipped to do.

b. Determining how to do it.

c. Considering the factor of preparation for eventual initiation, as a means of increasing your capacity for hierarchical cooperation.

d. Energising by light, faith, love and power, the spiritual centre within which you serve and the ashramic projects for which you accept responsibility. In this instance it can be the Arcane School and the Service Activities. You will then say:

"I strive towards cooperation. Let the Master of my life, the soul, and likewise the One I seek to serve, throw light through me on others."

III. The Stage of Fixed Determination.

1. A reflection upon the distinction between Purpose, Will and Intention.

2. A period of complete focussed silence as you seek to present an unobstructed channel for the inflow of light, love and strength from the Hierarchy.

A statement made by you, the soul, the disciple, to the personality:

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"In the centre of the will of God I stand.
Naught shall deflect my will from His.
I implement that will by love.
I turn towards the field of service.
I, the Triangle divine, work out that will
Within the square and serve my fellowmen."

If you can do this work correctly, you will not only greatly increase your own realisation, service and understanding, but you will definitely be cooperating in the task of externalising the Ashram and furthering the work of the Hierarchy (from the foundation angle in relation to the New Age), and so aid in bringing in the new civilisation, the new world attitudes and the new world religion.

PART VI

The meditation given you in your last instruction had several objectives in view. It was a preliminary meditation to a wide scheme for a particular kind of developing meditation, greatly needed by disciples, prior to unfolding a unique kind of ashramic sensitivity.

It was intended, first of all, to give you (if you worked with faithfulness) a growing sense of planetary relationship, from the subjective angle, and above all, from the angle of "intelligent supervision"—a phrase which will mean more to you later. A true grasp of the implications and intentions behind this meditation would develop in the disciple's consciousness a realisation of a living world of Intelligences, linked together from Sanat Kumara downwards until the chain of Hierarchy reaches the individual disciple, leading him to a later realisation that he too is but a link, and that there are those whom he also must reach and relate to the world of realities and awaken to their responsibilities. In the training of all disciples, one of the goals is to make the world of phenomena recede into the background of consciousness whilst the world of meaning becomes more vital and real. This world, in its turn, is the antechamber to the world of causes, where conscious relationship can be established with the Initiator.

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The second purpose of the meditation was to bring to light the fact that the disciple (as an outpost of the Ashram as a functioning soul) must be oriented to humanity in a more definite manner; the purpose of such orientation is that the "life of the triangles may penetrate the area of the square and produce the inevitable consequence, the germinating of ideas and the flowering of the new civilisation and culture." So has one of the Masters expressed the purpose of certain phases of the ashramic work, particularly that connected with meditation. Another Master has explained the purpose of the hierarchical intent as the "merging of the higher with the lower triangle and their fusion in the square." The Masters view the work of Their disciples from this symbolic angle. The disciple who reaps the benefit of this last suggested meditation becomes—through an enlargement of his consciousness and the greater scope of his vision—"a sower of the seed within the world of men"; he distributes ideas, living and potential, in the field of the world, and these he receives from two sources:

1. His own soul, as his intuition awakens.

2. The Ashram, as he grasps more of its purposes and becomes accustomed to assimilating its teachings. This takes time.

Still another objective of this meditation was to bring the disciple to the point where his interest (evoked through the stages of recognition and consideration) would lead him to a realisation of the need for the evocation of the Will, the first faint indications of which I called that of "fixed determination." In the above statements you have the goals which I had in mind when assigning the meditation last year.

It is hard, I know, for the neophyte at any stage along the Path to grasp the necessity for engendering (to use an unusual word in this connection) a magnetised area of thought upon which the higher impressions can play, yet persistence in the daily recognition and consideration, accompanied by a fixed determination to bring the life and service into conformity with the revealing relations will [143] (almost unexpectedly) produce great and transforming results. The Masters waste not Their time or yours in assigning needless exercises; the disciple who faithfully and with a definitely unbroken rhythm follows his instructions, can expect to see effects of a surprising and lasting nature within himself, and consequently within his environment. It is not upon the results, however, that you are asked to focus, but simply upon the themes presented for your use and consideration.

In the earlier stages of your training the emphasis was laid upon the form side, upon the achieving of alignment (still most necessary), upon the sounding of the OM, with its power to clarify the aura and the atmosphere, and upon the processes to be followed. In the meditation which you should now be doing, alignment should be instantaneous and easy and the following of a set form unnecessary, because you start as a centre of focussed thought, as the ready recipient of awaited impression, as the trained analyser of ideas, and finally as a transmitter of that which has been received from the higher sources of inspiration. This involves also the power to distinguish the sources from which the impression comes. It is these aspects of yourself in action which will form the basis of the suggested meditation to be followed by all of you during the coming twelve months.

The basic intention of the meditation is to train you to be intelligently aware of what Patanjali calls "the raincloud of knowable things," of the intentions, purposes and ideas which, at any given period, motivate the hierarchical work and condition the quality of the inspiration which can be received from the Ashram to which you may be attached. By "attached" I mean the sense of relationship and not devotion or affection. Attachment, in reality, is an expression of the freewill of the subject, choosing and recognising its relationships and adhering thereto. In the spiritual sense, the motivation will be loving responsibility; in the personality sense, it will be sentient emotion.

As an aid to your concentration and receptivity, I will give you twelve words which will be the theme for twelve months' work, and which could—as you gain the power to [144] meditate, relate, receive and transmit—provide the seed thoughts for twelve years' work instead of twelve months. Words are living things, possessing form, soul and spirit or life; this you should ever bear in mind as you use them to open the door to a month's realisation and inspiration, plus the consequent service. Here are twelve words. Use one each month in your daily meditation.

1. Recipient	2. Impression
3. Recognition	4. Relationship
5. Source	6. Ashram
7. Transmitter	8. Expression
9. Determination	10. Seed
11. Idea	12. Attachment

You will notice how the meditation now to be outlined is a natural sequence to the one which presumably you followed all last year.

STAGE ONE . . . Preliminary.

Pass rapidly through the steps of recognition, consideration and fixed determination. These, if correctly followed, will bring you to the point at which this new meditation starts.

Then proceed as follows:

STAGE TWO . . . The Centre of Focussed Thought.

1. Polarise yourself consciously upon the mental plane, tuning out all lower vibrations and reactions.

2. Then orient yourself to the Spiritual Triad, through an act of the will and the imaginative use of the antahkarana.

3. Next, take your theme word under consideration and ponder deeply upon it for at least five minutes. Endeavour to extract its quality and life, thus lifting it and your thought to as high a plane as possible.

4. Then sound the OM, and wait silently, holding the mind steady. This is "the pause of reception."

STAGE THREE . . . The Recipient of Impression.

1. Assuming an attitude of the highest expectancy, you [145] will now express in your own words the highest truth of the monthly word-theme that you have been able to reach.

2. You then relate that theme to the present world opportunity, thus universalising the concept, seeing its relationship to world affairs, its usefulness and spiritual value to humanity as a whole.

3. Holding the mind in the light, you will then write down the first thought (no matter what it is) that enters into your waiting mind in connection with the theme of your meditation. The ability to do this will grow with practice, and will eventually evoke the intuition and thus fertilise your mind.

4. Again sound the OM, with the intent of refocussing yourself upon the mental plane. If your work has been successful, your original focus will have shifted to intuitional levels or to the levels of the higher, abstract mind, via the antahkarana. This must happen, in time, if your work has been faithfully followed. But bear ever in your thought that you must work as a mind, and not as an aspirant or from the angle of memory. Think on this.

STAGE FOUR . . . The Analyser of Ideas.

1. You now analyse or think over with clarity the work you have done, and the ideas now in your mind, seeing them in a true perspective in relation to the whole problem of the day.

2. Then, choosing one of the ideas which your theme-word has evoked, you think about it, analyse it and relate it to life, getting all you can out of it. This evoked idea may and should vary from day to day but will always remain related to the monthly theme.

3. Then study the idea in connection with yourself, the disciple, active in service and the Master's work, but not in connection with the personality. This you will find an interesting distinction. Make the idea practical, enabling it to "qualify" you or enrich you.

4. Again sound the OM, with the intent of making the sensed idea a part of your very nature.

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STAGE FIVE . . . The Transmitter of Ideas.

1. As the disciple, you have realised that a knowledge of truth and the reception of ideas lays on you the responsibility to be a transmitter to others. Ponder on this.

2. Now take the idea which the theme has engendered, or take the theme-word itself if no ideas have come to you, and in imagination formulate it in such a way that it can be presented to others, to your friends, to those you seek to help and to humanity—when opportunity offers. Think the idea through mentally, emotionally, and practically, thus precipitating it outwards into the world of thought.

3. Then (using the creative imagination and seeing yourself as a responsible transmitter, doing the work of the Ashram) breathe out the idea as a formulated, living thoughtform into the great stream of mental substance which is ever playing upon the human consciousness.

4. Sound the OM, thus "closing the episode."

Close the above meditation with a daily dedication of yourself to the service of humanity; renew your pledge to your Master and say the Mantram of Unification I gave you some years ago:

The sons of men are one and I am one with them.
I seek to love, not hate;
I seek to serve and not exact due service;
I seek to heal, not hurt.

Let pain bring due reward of light and love.
Let the soul control the outer form, and life and all events,
And bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time.

Let vision come and insight.

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Let the future stand revealed.
Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone.
Let love prevail.
Let all men love.

I have given you this meditation in some detail, as I am anxious to have you comprehend what it is you will be doing. A shortened form of the meditation follows at the close of this general instruction.

At the end of each month, go through the ideas you have jotted down in your daily work and from them pick three which seem to carry the most inspiration and which you judge could be a seed for useful distribution or transmission. At the close of the year send in your thirty-six seed thoughts. As you will all have been using the same theme-words, much help can be accorded to the entire group by each of you. You will find this work most interesting. It is, in a way, a tiny reflection of the technique of the Hierarchy and the way the Masters work (though on a much higher turn of the spiral) in times of crisis, or when there is need for all the groups or Ashrams—as there is today—to unite in some endeavour, necessitated by the need of humanity or by some planetary emergency. The Masters, starting Their work on one of the planes of the Spiritual Triad, instead of the mental plane as do Their disciples, concentrate on the "theme" under Their consideration, during the period of three Full Moons. They then meet in conclave and each makes His contribution to the joint problem, as also does the Christ and, at critical times, Members of the Council Chamber of Sanat Kumara. On the basis of the proposals, and after due analysis and discussion, the united decision is transmitted by impression to the initiates and disciples in the Ashrams, and from them to the world. If you study the above statement you will see the importance of the meditation which I have outlined; it is to prepare you for closer work—along correct hierarchical lines—in the Ashrams and with the Master.

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SHORT FORM

I. Preliminary state of recognition, consideration and fixed determination.

II. The Centre of Focussed Thought:

1. Polarisation.

2. Orientation.

3. Meditation on theme word.

4. OM. Pause.

III. The Recipient of Impression:

1. Statement of highest idea received.

2. Relation of theme to present world opportunity.

3. Write down first thought then received.

4. OM. Refocus on mental plane.

IV. The Analyser of Ideas:

1. Period of analytic thought.

2. Summarise conclusions practically.

3. Breathe out the idea into the world of thought.

4. OM.

V. The Transmitter of Ideas:

1. Dedication of yourself to service.

2. Pledge yourself to the Master.

3. Say the mantram: "The sons of men are one..."

VI. Intensive work at the time of the Full Moon along established lines.

PART VII

April 1945

MY BROTHERS:

As this world catastrophe draws to its inevitable close and the Forces of Light triumph over the forces of evil, the time of restoration opens up. For each of you this indicates a renewed time of service and of activity. I send you herewith the final stanza of the Great Invocation, as per my promise. I gave you the first about nine years ago and the second during the course of the war. I would ask you to use it daily and as many times a day as you can remember to do so; you will thus create a seed thought or a clear-cut thoughtform [149] which will make the launching of this Invocation among the masses of men a successful venture when the right time comes. That time is not yet.

This Great Invocation can be expressed in the following words:

From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let Light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let Love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.

From the Centre where the Will of God is known
Let Purpose guide the little wills of men—
The Purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the Centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out.
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

It has been difficult to translate into understandable and adequate phrases the very ancient word-forms which the Christ will employ. These word-forms are only seven in number, and they will constitute His complete, new utterance. I have only been able to give their general significance. Nothing else was possible. But even in this longer form, they will be potent in their invocative appeal, if said with mental intensity and ardent purpose. The points of emphasis upon which I would ask you to dwell (once it is permissible to use the phrases) are two in number:

1. May Christ return to Earth. This return must not be understood in its usual connotation and its well-known mystical Christian sense. Christ has never left the Earth. What is referred to is the externalisation of the Hierarchy and its exoteric appearance on Earth. The Hierarchy will eventually, under its Head, the Christ, function openly and visibly on Earth. This will happen when the purpose of the divine Will, and the plan which will implement it, are better [150]understood and the period of adjustment, of world enlightenment and of reconstruction has made real headway. This period begins at the San Francisco Conference (hence its major importance), and will move very slowly at first. It will take time, but the Hierarchy thinks not in terms of years and of brief cycles (though long to humanity), but in terms of events and the expansion of consciousness.

2. May it seal the door where evil dwells. The sealing up of the evil forces, released during this war, will take place within the immediate future. It will be soon. The evil referred to has nothing to do with the evil inclinations, the selfish instincts and the separativeness found in the hearts and minds of human beings. These they must overcome and eliminate for themselves. But the reduction to impotency of the loosed forces of evil which took advantage of the world situation, which obsessed the German people and directed the Japanese people, and which worked through barbarity, murder, sadism, lying propaganda, and which prostituted science to achieve their ends, requires the imposition of a power beyond the human. This must be invoked, and the invocation will meet with speedy response. These evil potencies will be occultly "sealed" within their own place; what this exactly means has naught to do with humanity. Men today must learn the lessons of the past, profit from the discipline of the war, and deal—each in his own life and community—with the weaknesses and errors to which he may find himself prone.

I would here recall to you what I said last year to ... anent this final stanza of the Invocation:

"I am preparing to present to you for wide distribution throughout the world, the last stanza of the Great Invocation. It is by no means easy to translate the words of this stanza in terms which will make it of general appeal and not simply of importance to convinced esotericists.... It can be so presented that the masses everywhere, the general public, will be prompted to take it up and will use it widely; they will do this on a relatively larger scale than the intuitional, the spiritually minded or even the men of [Page 151] goodwill. A far wider public will comprehend it. I will give A.A.B. this stanza at the earliest possible moment; this will be conditioned by world affairs and by my understanding of a certain esoteric appropriateness in the setting of a time cycle. If plans mature as desired by the Hierarchy, the new stanza can receive distribution at the time of the Full Moon of June 1945, as far as the Occident is concerned, and considerably later for the Orient. Prior to these set points in time, the stanza can be used by all esoteric school members, after being used for one clear month by my group, dating that month from the time that the most distant members of the group receive it."

I seek to have this Invocation go forth on the power generated by my Ashram and by all of you affiliated with my Ashram: the Ashrams of the Master K.H. and the Master M. are likewise deeply committed to participation in this work.

I would ask you also to read and reread the two Instructions—one dealing with the Cycle of Conferences, ^[ix]* and the other with the work of the Christ. ^[x]** Master their contents and let the blueprint of the hierarchical plan take shape in your minds. Then you can do your share in implementing it and will be able to recognise those who, in other groups and in different lands, are also a vital part of hierarchical effort.

PART VIII

Before we proceed further with this subject of meditation, I would like to call your attention to the fact that the type of work I am now giving you is formless in comparison with the earlier meditations outlined. I have already given you five meditations which, as a group, you have been asked to follow. I would like to summarise their objectives for you so that (again) you may intelligently go forward.

The first meditation was concerned with the transfer of energy from the solar plexus centre to the heart centre, so[Page 152] that the great dividing barrier (of which the diaphragm is the exoteric symbol) could be bridged and the emotional personality be controlled by the heart. By this means, the selfish individuality of the average man could be transmuted into the group awareness of the dedicated disciple. I sought to help you set up a facility of transference which would be of primary importance to you in your daily lives.

The second meditation was concerned with the impartation of a major concept. I wonder if it was so registered by you? The idea behind that meditation was the free flow of directed energy. You need ever to bear in mind that the initiate is eternally occupied with energies and forces which he directs and manipulates in accordance with hierarchical intent. Before, however, he can do this, he must be in control to some extent of the seven types of energy to which the human mechanism responds. He must be able to direct the flow of energy to any particular centre, to focus certain types of force in certain centres—at will and with understanding—and to institute a free flow and interchange throughout his own little microcosm. The meditation given was not intended to bring this about; it had only one objective: the impartation of an idea and the presentation of a possibility.

The third meditation was closely allied to these two, even if this is not immediately apparent to you. It concerned alignment. You have been apt to think of alignment in terms of the process whereby the personality is brought into relation with the soul. This is entirely accurate, yet alignment is a term which in reality covers four processes:

1. The alignment of soul and personality, resulting in a conscious relation to the Kingdom of God.

2. The alignment of soul and personality with the Ashram, resulting in a conscious relation with the Master of the Ashram.

3. The alignment of the initiate of higher degree with the spiritual Triad and the consequent result of a recognition of monadic energy.

4. The alignment of all the centres in the etheric body [153] of the disciple. This results in the ability of these centres to register and transfer energies which enter into the lower mechanism as a consequence of the three higher alignments—listed above.

I would ask you to study the above tabulation with care.

The fourth meditation was definitely directed towards bringing about a closer relation to the Hierarchy, via the Ashram and its life of pledged service. This statement is of importance to you at this time. This meditation was divided into three stages: Recognition, Consideration, Determination. Disciples need to build into their brain consciousness recognitions of relation and of attitude. These must eventually and automatically condition the personality, and this, not through a forced effort, but through a positive receptivity. This receptivity is brought about by a stabilised orientation. Disciples need constantly to reflect upon the life of the Ashram as it makes its impact upon their consciousness. What impact, my brother, are you individually aware of? Upon this reflection must succeed a planned determination to form a constructive part of the ashramic life to which their thinking and their service have admitted them. The first faint efforts of the emergence of the spiritual will can be seen in the working out of this determination.

This was followed by the fifth meditation, which has been the subject of your attention during this past year. You will have noted how the meditations have become increasingly abstract until—in this last one—you have been occupied with the consideration of ideas and with what those ideas can reveal when they are regarded as seed ideas, shielding or containing a flowering—as yet unseen and recorded.

I have been working, as you can now realise, upon a definite plan and (if you have done your work regularly and conscientiously) you are now ready for the next phase in this abstract work. I would like at this point to refer to two concepts which I have already presented to you; they are related to the fact that the initiate has two things to do:

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1. Become sensitive to impressions coming to him from various levels of the divine consciousness and awareness.

2. Become aware of the "raincloud of knowable things" to which Patanjali refers. ^[xi]*

Both of these will become clearer to you as we proceed with our consideration of our third point in these instructions—the point which deals with telepathy. ^[xii]** Each of these possible registrations involves a certain and specific phase of alignment, a conscious use of the mind as a contact agent, and a receptive activity of the brain.

Putting the objective of all this into its highest possible terms, the disciple and the initiate are learning the technique (through meditation) whereby the Mind of God, the Universal Mind, or the thinking process of the planetary Logos, can be recorded and registered. For the majority, at present, the knowledge of the divine thought (as registered by disciples, as it works out in the emerging Plan, and as it gives livingness to life purpose) is reached through the Ashram. The Master imparts the nature of the Plan or the Purpose—according to the status of the initiate—and that is accepted by him under the Law of Free Occult Obedience. But the disciple or the initiate must not remain forever dependent upon the transmission of the divine thought to him by Those more advanced than he. He must learn to make his own contacts and to tap the "raincloud" for himself. He must—unaided—penetrate into the thinking processes (by permitted spiritual telepathy or impressibility) of Sanat Kumara. I have the responsibility at this time to give you those meditations which will enable you to take the first steps towards this knowledge; it is for me to give to you the A B C of the later greatly simplified, yet exceedingly abstruse, techniques. Have these thoughts in mind as you study this résumé of the meditations already given, and then go forward with that to be suggested in this series of instructions. [155] On the basis of what I have here said, I would ask you also to write a clear statement:

1. Of your understanding of the progressive synthesis of the six meditations which you will have received and of their purpose in connection with your moving forward towards initiation.

a. What have these meditations done to you?

b. What were they supposed to do?

2. A clear definition of the phrases:

a. The Science of Impression, referring here to the mechanism of impression and stating what you know about the technique of impression.

b. The "raincloud of knowable things." What is the nature of these things? Why the symbol of the raincloud?

You will endeavour to bear in mind that the source of these impressions shifts steadily higher or deeper, as the case may be, and that for average disciples, such as you, the impressions to be recorded until such time as you have taken the third initiation concern:

1. The ideas, purposes and intentions which motivate the Hierarchy and which are transmitted to you by the Master of your ray and therefore of the Ashram with which you are affiliated.

2. The quality of the inspiration which you can receive and register and which emanates from the Ashram in which you find yourself. This again will have the outstanding characteristics of your ray, though those of the other six rays will also be present, implied and inherent.

3. The nature of the hierarchical mode of work and the methods to be employed in any particular world period, such as the present difficult and transitional era.

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You will see from the above how diverse, spiritually speaking, are the impressions to be received by the attentive disciple. The word "diverse" here employed is not of a separative connotation; it signifies the basic unity in diversity and the vastness of the inclusive thinking of the planetary Logos. Achievement for the disciple, consists (along this line) in a sequential and growing capacity to include in his thinking more and more of the divine conclusions. I use this word in its esoteric significance.

It is my intention this year to have you concentrate upon the new Invocation from the point of view that it embodies the divine intent and summarises the conclusions of the thinking of the planetary Logos. It is the most abstract form of meditation with which you have yet been presented. The meaning of this Invocation has been expressed in terms which are understandable, in a measure, to the average person because of its familiar wording, based on many Scriptural terms. But the true inner implications and significances are of very deep import and are not superficially apparent. I challenge you to penetrate, through meditation, more deeply into the vital meaning of these words, these amazing words. They embody, as far as is possible in modern language, a formula which has been in possession of the Hierarchy ever since it was founded on Earth, but which is only now available for use, owing to the point in evolution reached by mankind. The wonder of these mantric stanzas is that they are comprehensible to members of the human family and to members of the Kingdom of God. They mean one thing to the ordinary man, and that meaning is good, powerful and useful; they mean another thing to the man upon the Probationary Path, for he attaches to the words a deeper and more esoteric meaning than is possible to the man who is entirely polarised in his lower nature; these words mean still another thing to the disciple affiliated with and functioning consciously in an Ashram: to initiates and to the senior Members of the Hierarchy, they convey a still higher and more inclusive significance.

I am anxious to ascertain your reaction to these words, and am asking you for one entire year to concentrate your[157] meditative thinking and your reflective power upon them. At the same time, they provide, in an almost singular manner, the next developing stage in the series of meditations I have planned for you; they should also (in a peculiar manner) enable you to move forward in your thinking and in your ability to grasp abstractions. Look for the underlying abstract idea in this Invocation. It is there. From your reaction to this Invocation, and your ability to use its phrases as "stepping-stones" to certain levels of abstract thought not hitherto attained, I shall be able to judge your readiness, as individuals, for certain specific preparatory work for the initiation which you (again as an individual disciple) should take.

The final stanza of the "Invocation for Power and Light," as it is called in the Archives of the Masters, is apparently simple. It has, in these Archives, an indicatory symbol beside it which indicates the era or period in human history during which it can and should be used. It is interesting to us to note that the evolution of humanity is in line with the indicated timing. This Invocation will have a potent appeal to mankind. My considered advice is that in its presentation to a definitely Christian public (as for instance to the ecclesiastics of all denominations) the third verse in the stanza be changed and that its last line should read: "The Purpose which the Master knows and serves," or perhaps "which disciples know and serve." The word "disciple" is an inclusive word, in the hierarchical sense; it is, at the same time, one easily recognised by the orthodox but offers no limitation to the esotericist. It covers every grade of human aspirant from the newly accepted disciple up to and inclusive of the Christ Himself. Let me here quote the Invocation:

From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let Love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.

From the Centre where the Will of God is known

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Let Purpose guide the little wills of men—
The Purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the Centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out.
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

Each of the four stanzas refers to one or other of the three aspects of divine energy, plus a reference to humanity itself in which the three meet, are potentiality in latency, and finally develop into the full flower of divinity, with all three lines perfectly expressed. Hence, my brothers, the intensity of the human conflict—a conflict unparalleled in any other differentiation of the divine Life. In humanity all lines and aspects meet. This is a fundamental of the occult teaching. The subhuman kingdoms find their consummation in humanity, and the superhuman kingdoms their opportunity, and through the human kingdom all superhuman lives have at some time passed. This you well know.

In the first three lines you have reference to the Mind of God as a focal point for the divine light. This refers to the soul of all things. The term "soul," with its major attribute of enlightenment, includes the anima mundi, the animal soul, the human soul, and that consummating point of light which we regard as the "overshadowing" soul of humanity. It is an aspect of the divine manifestation to which that great Son of God refers when (as Shri Krishna) He remarks, "Having pervaded this entire universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain." That fragment is the soul of all things. That soul brings light and spreads enlightenment.