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The grasp of the divine sciences lies within the domain of all, but it requires of man certain significant dedications and consistencies of application. Many have cried, "How long, O Lord, ere freedom be trumpeted over the whole world? How long, O Lord, before the victory of the Light?" They must remember that never in recent history has the world enlisted the aid of the total body of humanity in the defense of freedom. The relatively few have consistently held for the many the balance of spiritual power by which marvelous accomplishments have been made upon earth and by which the quality of man's life has been correspondingly enhanced.
Now we stand at the crossroads of light and darkness. Man is crucified upon a cross of iron and steel that he himself has erected. The mechanistic diorama which appears everywhere on the horizon has multiplied variegation and destroyed simplicity. People long for a quiet spot in the country, by the sea, or in the mountains. They yearn to "get away from it all," and they are finding the process increasingly difficult. The world seems a giant ant hill and man but a slave of his own crucial endeavor.
This season I wish particularly to call to the attention of all who will lend an ear to the Brotherhood, that those who raise themselves up among men, those who insist upon being "king upon the hill," ruling large blocks of people, have throughout history employed the tactic of dividing the populace, setting one group against another, thereby creating those divisions necessary for controlling the masses.
The alert must become wary of smear attempts, from whatever source, leveled against individuals and organizations. They ought to recognize from their study of history, past and present, that there do exist in the world unscrupulous men and women who do not hesitate to tactically employ the accusing finger, thus diverting the spotlight from themselves and their own nefarious doings. There are many crafty ones embodied upon the planet who take advantage of the tempest in a teapot that is typical of society today. Peering over the affairs of men, they lay their plans according to the ebb and flow of the tide of mass emotion and the cycles of the moon, taking advantage of the susceptibility of human beings to idle chatter and their failure to investigate the source of communications they receive.
In the past, rumors have unseated kingdoms as well as kings; and today the world is being racked by a literal war of nerves calculated to destroy the poise of nations and individuals. Those who are devoted to spiritual truth should take care not to allow themselves to become the victims of these contemporary plots, thinking they are too wise to be fooled; for I assure you that in other ages these same plots have been employed most unscrupulously and most successfully.
Man should realize that the most important quality of individual life - that which will raise the entire world, that which must be placed above all else if a planet is to be righted in its course - is the glorious mastery of the self by the power of the Christ. This self-mastery of which I speak is the true definition of individual freedom; for freedom, as I have said before, is never license. There is an area of interaction between peoples and nations which must be respected. None can practice depredation upon another with impunity; likewise, courtesy, tact, and diplomacy, universally employed, are always a source of blessing to all. This is freedom in social interaction.
If at this hour I could safely say that the gentle folk of the world were in complete control of the governments of the world, the marts of commerce, the religious temples, the moneychanging institutions, the entertainment industry, the news-reporting agencies, and other vital arteries of human life, I should be most content. But such is not the case. Instead, what amounts to a cloak-and-dagger situation is and has been going on during this entire century and many before, and so the various segments of the people have danced as puppets not only in the minds of the puppeteers but also in actuality.
The lamentable state of affairs in the world order has left the man in the street entirely confused, for he knows not where to place his allegiance. Almost numb with unbelief at the changes rapidly taking place in the world, some do not even feel that life is worth living; still, they hesitate to go about ending it all, and wisely so.
What is needed is a summoning to cosmic purpose; but ere they respond to the call from cosmic heights, all who love freedom must recognize that they are being victimized by unseen forces in treacherous ways. Saint Paul said, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Thus men must be willing to face the truth that their favorite organization, church, or party is no longer necessarily finding favor in heaven - if it ever did. People must be loyal to Principle, not to personality - let the chips fall where they may! Above all, men must not allow themselves to be driven by a competitive or a self-righteous spirit into a state of fury where, in defending their so-called rights, they destroy a culture and an age and then go down themselves with the destructive spirals they have initiated.1
The people are not "dumb cattle," as the manipulators suppose; they are becoming increasingly aware of the manipulation of the news media and the gross economic deceits practiced against them. The very fact that the entire population of the planet can be in instantaneous contact through vast communications networks such as Teletype and Telstar provides even more reason why those who would manipulate the mankind of earth choose to obtain control of the media as well as the dissemination and interpretation of the news. The motion-picture industry has become a disgrace not only to the people of earth but also to those of us who observe from on high. Meanwhile, the Karmic Lords have almost tottered in their decision betwixt mercy and swift justice. As you say upon earth, "The fat is in the fire."
The Brotherhood, in addition to censuring the entertainment industries of the world, perceives the cosmic justice that must one day fall as a bolt of lightning from the skies upon the moneychangers and their manipulative tactics in the world of finance. In the fields of government, cowardly legislators have continually allowed the disgraceful erosion of the freedom of man to go on before their very eyes. In many nations, government has become a mechanical monster, greedily grinding its gears of inefficiency while world progress literally staggers in its course.
Now, what shall I say of freedom? It is an airy creature of the heart, ever rising, ever moving forward; but if the outer man will not keep pace with the advancements of his own soul, he may find himself "tail ending it" and falling to rise no more. The soul will go on. It is a flaming radiance from the Heart of God. It has beckoned and called; it has patiently sought to glorify in man the Divine Nature and that loving-kindness in all man's doings which is promoted by the spirit of holiness and righteousness.
While justice is frequently our concern, we love mercy and understanding with an equal heart; and we see the need for the millions of mankind to focalize the spotlight of their attention not upon those dribbles of human emotion that splash upon the floor of the human playground, but upon the realities of the human soul that sparkle from within and shed light upon every human problem.
People must not despair of hope for a solution to the world's problems; but they must understand that all of the problems upon the council tables of the world are possible of solution if the human heart will submit itself to the freedoms inherent within the soul. Until they do, and until they are better able to draw forth from God a greater measure of understanding, in all probability they will stew in their own juice.2
At the same time, the spiritual people of the world ought not to become disturbed by these outer conditions to the extent that they lose their own souls or become enmeshed in such a consciousness of doom as to be almost unfit for spiritual service. What is needed now more than anything else is the understanding that what God hath wrought God can work again, that God can do these things through the invocation of his strength by those peers of humanity that stand ready to cooperate with the Brotherhood.
The day of salvation is at hand - the day of renewal. Freedom is a part of the Nature of God. Like the May flowers, it blooms upon the crest of the land; and it is also to be found glowing upon the crest of the wave. What a bounty is to be found in freedom by those who know where to look!
It is freedom to employ the mind and heart
And consciousness and will
In the majestic service of being still
A friend to God and man.
It is freedom to reject
All that opposes the divine plan.
Upholding banner, guiding star,
Shedding Light rays from afar
Into nearer newness, holy fragrance,
Man at last becomes content
To follow God's Will - the way He bent
The twig of opportunity.
Dark has the hour of present time
In shadow shaped the world.
Now let the Sun of Love come out,
Its banner be unfurled.
The way of strength and brotherhood,
The way of peace made plain,
Will bring to all upon the earth
The Glory of His Flame.
The Flame of worth and strength and purpose,
'Neath the banner of the free,
Conceals no virtue, utters purpose,
The way each man can be.
If you will to be, the pure equality
Of freedom all can see
Appearing in the Flame
To keep the heart still free -
No darkness in its motive,
No failure in its heart -
The Way I AM is Freedom.
Oh, won't you now, then, start
To realize at last
The brave New World to be -
When man all one does understand
His graceful opportunity.
It is to this end that all men were born, conceived in God's likeness; and the living Word remains a lamp unto the feet of those who are willing to consider the way in which they shall walk. Because this is a time of the dividing of the way, a time of separation between segments of humanity, when the children of Light shall espouse the banner of freedom and the children of darkness remain the slaves of that darkness, I cannot fail to invoke freedom this year as never before by making plain to mankind the hierarchical intent and the correct use of the Law of Life and Liberty.3
O sons of Liberty, awake! As Saint Paul said: "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." While I do not urge upon you a witch-hunt wherein the fires of fanaticism, enflamed by senseless fury, create even darker deeds amongst men than those which they seek to expose, I do urge that vigilance upon man which in sanity and reason will see the course of human events as they are taking shape as the handwriting on the wall.4
The fierce determination of the hordes of darkness to capture the minds of the youth of the world, that they may trap in one Babylonian world-government of chaos the very wave of the future generation, is something to behold from inner levels! If you could see as we do, I am certain that you would not let an hour pass without invoking assistance and protection on behalf of the youth.
There is a renaissance coming all right, and there is a revolution coming; but these need not have as their objective the destruction of the sovereign governments of the free powers of the world. Let change take place first within the heart and soul of man, creating there that determination which will enable him to overcome all negative hereditary and environmental influences; then, having mastered himself, let him introduce a kingdom of spiritual values where Life and Light and Love under brotherhood will at last bring in a Golden Age of understanding and peace because man wills it so.
Let none fail to realize that to merely cry, "Peace!" does not in itself produce it. Man must work and serve his Creator and his fellowmen; for the fires of freedom are not fanned by indolence, but guarded by eternal vigilance. Therefore, in the words of Paul, we leave with you in this hour of supreme testing the warning of The Brotherhood: "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye Light in the Lord: walk as children of Light and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. ... All things that are reproved are made manifest by the Light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is Light."5
In the heart of the struggle, we stand as Captains of the Lord of Hosts and enlist your aid.
Devotedly, in Cosmic Service, I remain