The Destiny of the Nations Page 3

  I call this to your attention as the underlying, motivating idea behind all the work which you are called upon to do. I suggest, therefore that you endeavour to see the three major ideologies with which you have perforce to deal in terms of the three efforts which are emanating from the three major planetary centres at this time: Shamballa, The Hierarchy and Humanity. You will thus gain a more synthetic [22] viewpoint, and a deeper understanding of the slowly emerging world picture.

  Is it not possible that the ideologies which we have been discussing are the response — distorted and yet a definite and determined, sensitive reaction — to the energies playing upon humanity from the two higher major centres? I would like to suggest that the ideology which is embodied in the vision of the totalitarian states is an erroneous but clear-cut response to the Shamballa influence of will; that the ideology behind the democratic ideal constitutes a similar response to the universality which the love of the Hierarchy prompts it to express, and that communism is of human origin, embodying that ideology which humanity has formulated in its own right. Thus the three aspects of God’s nature are beginning to take form as three major ideas and what we see upon the planet at this time are the distorted human reactions to spiritual impulses, emanating from three different centres, but all equally divine in their essential natures, and in their essences. Ponder on this.

  I have brought this to your attention and discussed these basic modern schools of thought because the potency of their idealism is affecting every person, capable of thought, upon the planet. Not one of you is immune from their effects; not one of you but is inclined to range yourself upon one side or another, fighting furiously and under the cloak of so-called “adherence to principle” for what appeals to you. Most of you are, nevertheless, far more affected by the methods employed to materialise the ideas and by the quality of their exponents than you are by the ideas themselves. These you could hardly define if asked to do so. You are affected by their impact upon your emotional bodies (not your minds) after these divine impulses have filtered through from the Shamballa and the hierarchical centres [23] into and through the human centre and have then been seized upon and applied to specific national, racial and political conditions. You are hardly at all affected by the pure idealism which gave them birth and which lies behind them as the motivating (though unrecognised) impulse. You cannot grasp or view these great mental trends as does the Hierarchy. Hence much of your confusion and your difficulty.

  If we consider these three great planetary centres and their relationships in tabular form we can get the general idea more clearly in mind:

  I. Shamballa Will or Power Planetary head centre,

  The Holy City Purpose . . Plan spiritual pineal gland.

  Life Aspect.

  Ruler: ── Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World.

  The Ancient of Days.

  Melchizedek

  II.The Hierarchy Love-Wisdom Planetary heart centre.

  The new Jerusalem. Consciousness.

  Group Unity.

  Ruler: ── The Christ.

  The World Saviour.

  III. Humanity Active Intelligence Planetary throat centre.

  The city, standing

  foursquare Self-Consciousness.

  Creativity.

  Ruler: ── Lucifer.

  Son of the Morning.

  The Prodigal Son.

  These three centres are closely interrelated and must be thought of in their entirety as expressions of divine livingness, as embodying three great stages in the unfoldment of God’s plan and as constituting the three major centres in the body of the “One in Whom we live and move and have our being.” Students who have studied as you have can relate if they so choose, these three centres to the three solar systems, referred to in A Treatise on Cosmic Fire —

  1. In the first solar system, the centre which is Humanity [24] was prepared, and the principle of intelligence came into manifestation.

  2. In the second solar system, the Hierarchy of love made its appearance and must eventually come into full manifestation upon the physical plane, thereby enabling the Love of God to be seen.

  3. In the next solar system, the centre which we today call Shamballa will manifest (intelligently and through love) the will aspect of Deity. It is only however in this second solar system that all these three centres, expressing the three divine aspects, meet simultaneously at various stages of livingness. It is interesting to note that it is only through human beings that these centres can ever come into true functioning activity.

  Little is known of Shamballa except by Members of the Hierarchy to Whom that centre is the goal in the same way that the Hierarchy is, at this time, the goal for humanity. Shamballa is the directing centre for the Hierarchy. Little is really known of the will of God except by Those Whose function it is to interpret and express that will through love, intelligently applied. They know what the immediate purpose is and Their major occupation is the working out of that will into manifestation.

  We have, therefore, three great centres and from them emanate three types of energy which are taking form as the three governing ideologies in the consciousness of the race. Old ideologies still persist; subsidiary schools of thought are everywhere to be found; distorted interpretations and travesties of reality abound on every hand; on all sides the dead level of the people (the ignorant masses) is played upon by these energies and men become victims of the exponents of the ideologies — past, present and future. [25]

  Forget not that behind all of them stands He Whom we call the Lord of the World. When all these temporary experiments have been tried and when humanity has been led on in its consciousness from one stage of understanding to another and of recognised interrelation, the kingdom of God will be established upon Earth and the Ruler of the Earth will then work through the Hierarchy to produce that synthetic living creative response from nature (of which humanity is a part) which will enable each kingdom fully to reveal the glory of God. Shamballa will work through the Hierarchy and the Hierarchy, in its turn, will reach the various kingdoms in nature through the medium of Humanity, which will then enter into its pre-ordained and destined function. It is for this that all is taking place. The time of fruition lies relatively far ahead but in the meantime humanity is experimenting or is the subject of experiment; it is exploiting or being exploited; it is learning the lessons of enforced obedience or the dangers of selfish license; it is victimised by powerful personalities in every land and this without exception, or it is being guided in right directions (and this again without exception) by the emissaries and disciples of either Shamballa or the Hierarchy. All vaunted freedom or vaunted control is but the temporary reaction of a humanity which is swept by ideas, controlled by ideals, impulsed by selfishness, impregnated by hates and yet all the time is struggling to express the higher and better qualities and to free itself from the thralldom of ancient evil, the slavery of ancient codes and the curse of ancient habits of thought and living. It is what is happening behind the scenes to mankind as a whole which is of moment; it is the unfoldment of the human consciousness which counts with the Hierarchy, and that unfolds in response to the presented conditions in any country or countries. Let me assure [26] you that under the pressure of modern life, under the strain of the imposed present conditions and civilisation, plus the mental concern, the terror of marching armies, the thunder of the many voices and the stress of the worldwide economic stringency, the human consciousness is rapidly awakening from its long sleep. That great and fundamental reality which you call the “human state of mind” is just beginning to focus itself upon the things which matter and to express itself in a living fashion. That is the factor of moment and not the happenings in any particular country.

  And, I would remind you, all that is occurring is an evidence of energy and is expressive of force. That is the factor never to be forgotten. It is essential that you recognise them as existing. There is little that you, as individuals or as groups, can do about them beyond see
ing to it that there is nothing in you which could make you — unimportant as you may be — a focal point for hate, separation, fear, pride and other characteristics which feed the fires which threaten to bring disaster to the world. Each of you can aid more than you can guess through the regulation of thought and ideas, through the cultivation of a loving spirit and through the general use of the Great Invocation whereby these forces and energies — so sorely needed — can be invoked.

  We have now considered the three major energies which are pouring into our planetary life at this time through the three major centres. It remains for us now to consider the energy of the two minor rays, the sixth and the seventh, which are in many ways of more immediate moment to the masses and of tremendous effectiveness. One is of moment because of its pronounced hold and because of the crystallisation it has produced particularly in the world of thought, and the other because its hold and its power, its influence [27] and its effects will be of an increasing momentum. One is potent in producing the necessity for the present chaos; the other is potential and holds in its activity the seeds of the future.

  This is a fact of great interest and of really practical import. It takes us, moreover, into the realm of prevision. I would have you remember, at this point, that no prevision is divorced entirely from the past but that there must always be the seed of truth. The Law of Cause and Effect holds good eternally and particularly so in the realm of spiritual insight (so rapidly developing at this time) which enables the seer to see the future as it may be and to forecast coming eventualities. There are several ways in which such prevision can — during the next three centuries — be developed in the race of men:

  1. Through the development of soul contact among the advanced members of the race. This contact will relate soul knowledge with brain impression and, if the meditating factor of the mind is duly trained and controlled, there will be a correct foreknowledge of individual destiny and coming events.

  2. Through the development of the science of astrology — a science which is, as yet, in its infancy and which is based on so many uncertain factors that it is difficult for a student to arrive at those true indications which will truly present the future. Character indications and small personality happenings can frequently and correctly be deduced but the general subject remains until today much too nebulous for certitude. I will later deal with this matter and will indicate the lines along which future investigation should proceed.

  3. Through the recurrence of “soothsaying” and the reappearance [28] of those ancient “informers of the race” who, in Roman times, were called “sibyls.” These mediums (for such they were) will be trained by the workers upon the seventh ray to speak under inspiration from the Hierarchy Whose foreknowledge extends far ahead into the future, but does not extend beyond two thousand years. These mediums will, however, only be used under direction, after careful training and only twice a year at the May and June Full Moon rituals.

  As to the prevision with which I shall deal, unorthodox as it may appear to be to some of you, it will be based upon two factors: First of all, the logical indications to be gathered from the past and present events which condition the immediate future and which must inevitably lead to definite and tangible happenings. Any deep student of human affairs could follow the same line of reasoning and come to approximately the same conclusions, provided he loved his fellowmen enough to see them truly as they were and allow, consequently, for the appearance of the unexpected. And, secondly, what I may say to you is based on a knowledge of the ray influences which are at this time so powerfully and effectively affecting humanity and its coming civilisation and culture.

  I would ask you, therefore, to read what I have to say with an open mind; I would beg you to relate my words to present world conditions and to see, emerging from the realms of subjectivity, those forces and potencies which are directly changing the current of men’s thoughts, which are moulding their ideas, and incidentally altering the face of the earth and the policies of nations.

  As you know, there are at this time, two minor rays (which are rays of attribute) affecting powerfully the destiny [29] of mankind. These are the sixth Ray of Abstract Devotion or Idealism and the seventh Ray of Ceremonial Magic or Organisation. The sixth ray began to pass out of manifestation in 1625 after a long period of influence, whilst the seventh Ray of Ceremonial Order began to come into manifestation in 1675. There are three points to be remembered in connection with these two rays and their effects upon the race of men. (I am not here dealing with their effects upon the other kingdoms in nature.)

  1. The sixth ray is as you know, the most powerful in manifestation in this time and a very large number of people are responsive to its influence. It is still the line of least resistance for the majority, particularly in the Aryan race, for the reason that when in process of time and through evolution the influence of a ray has become potent, it is groups that are primarily affected and not just individuals. A rhythm and a momentum is then set up which lasts a long time and which gains power through the very force of organised numbers. This truth will emerge more clearly as we proceed with our studies. Suffice it to say that the sixth ray people are the reactionaries, the conservatives, the die-hards and the fanatics, who hold on to all that is of the past and whose influence is potent to hinder the progress of humanity into the new age. Their name is legion. They provide, however, a needed balance and are responsible for a steadying process which is much needed in the world at this time.

  2. The seventh ray is steadily gaining momentum and has for a long time been stimulating and enhancing the activity of all fifth ray nations. If you bear in mind that one of the major objectives of seventh ray energy is to bring [30] together and to relate spirit and matter and also substance and form (note this distinction) you can see for yourself that the work of science is closely connected with this endeavour and that the creation of the new forms will definitely be the result of a working interaction between the rulers of the fifth, the second and the seventh rays, aided by the help — on demand — of the ruler of the first ray. A large number of seventh ray egos or souls and also of men and women with seventh ray personalities are coming into incarnation now, and to them is committed the task of organising the activities of the new era and of ending the old methods of life and the old crystallised attitudes to life, to death, to leisure and to the population.

  3. The result of the increasing flow of seventh ray energy plus the decreasing influence of the sixth ray — which shows itself as a pronounced crystallisation of the standardised and accepted forms of belief, religious, social and philosophic — is to throw the millions of people who do not respond to either of the above influences through egoic or personality relation, into a state of bewilderment. They feel entirely lost, are gripped by the idea that life holds for them no desirable future, all that they have learnt to cherish and to hold dear is rapidly failing.

  These three groups of people, influenced by the sixth and seventh rays or who are bewildered by the impact of forces generated by those rays, are those who must together, with understanding and clear vision, bring order out of the present chaos. They must materialise those new and desirable conditions which will conform to the subjective pattern in the minds of the illumined people of the world and to [31] the spiritual plan as it exists in the consciousness of the members of the Hierarchy. The new age with its peculiar civilisation and culture will be brought into manifestation through the collaboration of the well-intentioned many, responsive increasingly to the good of the whole and not of the individual; they are the idealistic but practical thinkers, influenced by the pattern of things to come and the world disciples, impressed by the plans and under the instruction of the Hierarchy which is directing and controlling all.

  It is with these three groups of people and with the work upon which they are engaged that any prevision I may evidence will consistently deal. All changes in connection with the human family, the fourth kingdom in nature, are always dependent upon three factors
:

  1. Those outer physical events which are definitely “acts of God” and over which no human being has the slightest authority.

  2. The activity of human beings themselves, working on all the different rays but in any given time and in any particular period conditioned by:

  a. The preponderance of egos to be found on any particular ray. There are a very large number of second ray egos in incarnation today and their work and their lives will facilitate the coming Great Approach.

  b. The nature and the quality of the predominating personality rays of the majority. At this time there are a vast number of souls in incarnation whose personality rays are either the sixth or the third. They condition the coming civilisation outstandingly including all educational and financial enterprises, just as the influence of those who have soul contact and can express soul quality condition and determine the current culture. [32]

  c. The activity of the fifth principle, that of the mind. This mind principle is peculiarly active today in a broad and general sense. If I might put it symbolically the vertical activity of the mind which has affected individuals everywhere down the ages has always produced the mental guides, the directors and the leaders of humanity. Today, the horizontal activity of the mind, embracing huge masses of the populace and sometimes entire nations and races, can everywhere be seen and this must lead inevitably to events and effects hitherto unvisioned and impossible.

  3. The influence of the outgoing and the incoming rays at any time. You have often been told that these events — for the emergence or disappearance of a ray influence is an event in time — are a matter of slow development, are psychic in nature, and are governed by law. The length of time in which a ray appears, manifests and does its work and finally disappears is one of the secrets of initiation, but — as time elapses and the nature of time itself is better understood — the period and the time equation of the minor rays of attribute will be established but that time is not yet, although the intense interest taken today in the phenomena of time indicates a growing awareness of the problem itself and of the need for understanding the relation of time, both to space and to event. It will be realised before long that time is entirely a brain event; a study of the sense of speed as registered by the brain, plus the capacity or incapacity of a human being to express this speed, will, when properly approached, reveal much that today remains a mystery.