Superior Index Go to the next: Chapter 40
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To Those Seeking the Bond of Hierarchy:
Shall we cognize life unlimited? Then let us open the door of thought and ponder. Let us consider the limitations of body confinement.
Man is linked with his body. His physical body becomes a prison house. His sense of limitation is an enclosure that forestalls communion with higher octaves, that hinders the movement of his being from higher expression. Man is drenched with emotional substance, he is drowned in self-pity. His ordinances are established by a sense of separation from his fellowmen, whom he often regards as but pawns in his personal schemes. Thus he breaches the covenant of unity.
Mastery is achieved by the emulation of cosmic principle. All that betrays cosmic law betrays the individual. The struggle that seemingly arises from man's mishandling of karmic opportunity fosters the illusion of separation. Man is separate from God. He must 'make good', he is success motivated; therefore, he creates his own standards of cosmic good, ignoring the golden rule proven over the centuries as the true emancipator of embodied humanity.
"Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."1 The law evolves in man as he becomes fixed to the practical aspects thereof. Recognizing that he cannot defraud it, he sees it as a pearly bridge transcending the deepest chasms.
Although there is obviously a link between the lower self and the Higher Self, man is not willing to hold the hand of those who are nearby in the cosmic chain. Out of earthly pride he seeks instead to bypass those whom he does not consider to be worthy links in the mystic circle, those who in reality are identified with himself by inner magnetic affinities.
Why will men seek out of pride to escape their rightful place? A moment's acceptance often gives eternal liberation. Yet, men do not see their victories as composed of small stuff. Obedience to the law seems beneath them from time to time. Like Naaman, the Syrian, they would rather obey their own rationalizations than to dip seven times in the Jordan as the prophet commanded.2
We understand and we love. We understand man's dilemma, his search for reality, his despairs and his most miserable hopes made more miserable when they fall short of fulfillment. Certainly our hopes for humanity are caught up in the reality of the law, not in its unreality; for our hopes are not in conformity with human opinion, but in obedience to the fashion of eternal principle meted out as a ladder of safety upon which even the weak ones need not fear to step.
The bond is a strengthening one, and those who understand hierarchy as a chain of light will be raised. Those who spurn the offered hand may yet come full cycle only to see that same hand extended once again. As pride vanishes, so rises divine esteem for the soul of the individual. As the clarity of the light enters into the darkened recesses of consciousness, it may expose those areas never before seen, but it also becomes a road map to successful conquest of the self by the Self.
Outer encroachments are often walls that would imprison the Spirit; but the prisoner is often he who erects the walls, and the Spirit goeth free. We live in an age of tyranny, an age that is devoid of higher understanding. The cult of success judges all things by earthly standards. But our measurement and the commeasurement thereof is the degree of victory. He who cannot conquer the self remains conquered by it; groveling upon the turn of an opinion, he may find himself the arbiter of a fruitless destiny.
We who observe the ritual of valor understand that the flower of knighthood is yet to be found in a true sense of justice resident within the soul. There are those who say chivalry is dead. To these I say: If the mystic road to pilgrim's progress be carefully observed, one need not hesitate to walk thereupon. There is a mighty energy release to be found in the idea of upward rising, but relativity shows that a regrouping of man's energies can impel him to virtuous motives.
The old corrosions do not satisfy, even when garbed in splendid colors; for the inner fires yearn to see the removal of the dross and the purification of the inner patterns, that the mind may shine clear and, in the flow of communion with purity, emulate the grace of the saints.
In the vilest of men there is a hunger for purity. And well might the last be first, if men who profess without possessing are not cautious of their opportunities. Those who have been unworthy of the shining mantle of continuous opportunity may then find themselves drawing their life from the short end of the horn, where is to be found the most meager sustenance.
Maitreya beckons upon the mountain. The adventure of Christ-magnificence can be externalized now. If the lagging spirit does not find the energy and the will, let the individual understand that both the energy and the will are to be found in the eye of the master. Let men grow accustomed to seeking from the eye of the master a new vision of themselves. Outworn senses of limitation have impelled them long enough to a state of lethargy and inertia. Maitreya's eye is upon the disciple. The light of the mountain is the light of the heart; and the mountain is to be found in the heart, both foothill and pinnacle.
If the limited goals cannot be achieved, how shall the limitless ones be? Yet, out of continuous approaches to the altar of God is the petitioner recognized. Through the recognition of the great ones men come well recommended. The Karmic Board lends a hand, the burden is lifted, the mist clears, and the pinnacle is clearly perceived. Once glimpsed, it is not forgot. The challenge of the first real glimpse is to dispel illusion and to pray for clarity of vision.
Men are often content with limited aims. They stagnate in pools of human energy, of old and horrid momentums, of the masquerading discord of others, literally glued to the tyranny of the senses. Astral seepages occur, and the toes of the emotions are stepped upon. The callousness of men's hearts slows the beat. Putridity abounds where generosity and movement should occur.
Morya exalts the banner. The wise perceive a new star. The rays, in exalting hope, also exalt courage. Out of patience is born a new understanding of love: to labor and to wait, but to labor, but to wait, above all, holding the hand of contentment. The arrow of cosmic purpose flies majestically. The serene ones follow it with their thought; their eyes are wary that the trajectory be perfect, that the mark of purpose be fulfilled. The call to arms, the sounding of the trumpet, the knitting together of purpose, is one act of winning the icon of attainment.
In the very wall of the heart, purpose is seen as initiating response. Man perceives that God has planned. In the search for will and motive man finds behind turmoil peace. But peace is victorious. Without victory there can be no peace; for the restless hearts of the seekers move in undulating cycles, and each discovery that honestly reflects the position of man, of self, is welcomed. Is there darkness? There is also light.
Morya searches the heart. The divine task given unto him is to purify motive, to sanctify chalices, to increase devotion, to flood forth the will of God in all-engulfing waves. It is his to reach through the very heart of nature and to bestow the armor of grace, the armor that protects the plan, that seizes the hand of opportunity, that blazes a trail of hope across the firmament, that accepts chastening but gives none, that invokes mercy and insures goodwill to all.
Each bend of the road reveals new and valiant needs. The hunger of the world mounts, engulfing the hills. The struggle of the world is a belt of gravity. The chaos of the world is a dragon to be conquered by order; while the perfectionment of God is the crown of illumination that in crowning purpose flows forth as a mantle of achievement.
The Lord of the First Ray has spoken
And his glory is in our eye -
May it electrify thy consciousness
And witness the end of senseless turmoil
And the beginning of newness of life
That shall forever be a badge of kind goodwill,
Sustaining momentum and releasing still
The steady flow of purposed goal,
Enhancing the glow of heavenly molds,
An outreach of stillness like vibrant pools,
Reflecting affection and changing fools
Into wise men who even today follow the star
That leads them to where eternal life is.
May the valedictory message that conquers all be born in the crucible of thy being.