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Discipleship in the New Age II - Talks to Disciples - Group Instruction
One of the problems confronting disciples in times of world stress is that of the preservation of a right sense of proportion. This leads to right paralleling activity - the activity of the inner disciple and the work of the outer man. A perfect balance is the goal and this is not at all easy of achievement. In all times of world agony and catastrophe (such as we are at this time experiencing) a third and paralleling aspect of life appears and complicates the problem with which the disciple is faced and which he already regards as most difficult and challenging. There is (within the man) the inner disciple, oriented consciously towards the Hierarchy [35] and the life of the Kingdom of God; there is the busy outer man, preoccupied with various activities, playing the part of the intelligent citizen and seeking always to shoulder his share of national and group responsibility; there is also a suffering emotional human being, bewildered oft by world agony, reacting painfully to the sorrows and distresses of his fellowmen, horrified by the appalling psychological results of world war, by the psychological impacts and complexities, aghast at the present and overwhelmed by fear of the future. The greater his power to include, the greater his strain and pain; the further on he is upon the Way, the more keen are his reactions and the more he thinks and plans for the future, and the greater also the clarity with which he can view the imminent possibilities. I would not have it otherwise; this threefold position which inevitably you have to take and which you cannot avoid if you are true disciples, gives opportunity for planned integration and also proffers an invitation for you to shoulder an individual share of hierarchical responsibility and comprehension. The only thing that I would ask is that you accept the implications of this triple situation and that you do not use it as an alibi; this, some of you have definitely done; you have regarded your complex problems as so strenuous and difficult that it makes your work in the group (which is a definite part of my Ashram) entirely out of the question. You have - many of you - not done the work which I requested; only a few - a very few - endeavored to fulfil requirements. Had you managed to carry them out, you might have found your entire path in life more simple and easy and your service more effective. Certain things anent the group aura, or rather anent its general characteristics, might prove of interest to you. A Master, when studying a group considers, first of all, the various lines of force which relate the individuals in the group to him, to the inner Ashram and to each other. He looks for the constancy of the interplay, for the brilliance of the group light, as a whole, and for its emendatory influence, its radiation and its magnetic effect in the world. Changes constantly occur. In the past, the lines of force between the [36] group and myself were strong, and the relationship between the group members was definitely weak. Today, the lines of energy, carried by thought and directed towards me, are steady but not so brilliantly fluctuating, the lines between the group members are strengthened by mental determination, but not by emotional or embryonic love. This indicates, on the whole, improvement, because the tide of devotion, poured out to me was not something which guaranteed to me that the group had staying power. There is a more wholesome attitude. The relation between you as an individual and your co-disciples is one of a relative indifference, but of a mental recognition of your joint group affiliation. The magnetic radiation of the group is the weakest point in the entire presentation which you make to the world. As yet, from the angle of service, you do not count, for the group is doing nothing as a group. That is serious, my brothers. As individuals, many of you are serving in some way or another, but it is a detached and personal service and has no relation to a fused group endeavor. You might here ask: What can we as a group accomplish? What is it that we can do? You can, for one thing, begin to work as an Ashram works, using the power of thought, originating pressures, directing thought currents along specified lines out into the world, creating thought-forms which will make clear-cut contact with other minds and which will bring about definite changes in the consciousness of humanity. This you do not as yet do, nor have you evidenced any desire so to work. I have waited to see if the initiating impulse would come from you without any prompting by me. I have waited in vain. I told you elsewhere that "an Ashram is an emanating source of hierarchical impression upon the world. Its 'impulsive energies' and its inciting forces are directed towards the expansion of the human consciousness, through the magnetic lives of the group members as they carry on their duties, obligations and responsibilities in the outer world; it is aided also by the steady vibratory activity of the members of the Ashram who are not in physical incarnation and [37] by the united clear thinking and convinced awareness of the entire Ashram." I have thus explained the need because you require clear understanding as we consider our first point, meditation, and begin to plan the work to be done by you during the coming year. Will you accept my words that you need a reorientation and a greatly lessened preoccupation with the Ashram, its Master, its personnel and its life? If you will do this, and thus mentally free yourselves, you can and will go on to a fuller life of service, with your eyes on human need and not upon your co-disciples, their activities, my plans and the purpose at this time of your preparation for initiation. I would like now to try an experiment. Continue with your group work with me at the time of the full moon, exactly as outlined in your group instructions, but to that work I want to add another activity. Each month I will speak three words, forming one consecutive sentence. Will you see if you can, in the silence of intensity, record these words? To help you in your task, I am giving a list from which I will choose each month a phrase. Send in what you think you registered each month on your full moon report. I will signify to A.A.B. the correctness, or otherwise, of your choice, by letting her know what I said. This is the list from which I will choose: Go in peace. Faith, hope and charity. God keep you. God bless you. Enter within thyself. Love thy brother. Stand in light. Om Tat Sat. Where art thou? Tread the Path. God guard thee. Enter into peace. Lift up thine eyes. Speak low, brother. Give love always. The open gate. The work to be done is now outlined and you enter upon a fresh period of study, of effort, and of training. May I, in order to stir you to fresh decisive living, remind you that: [38] You are in training for initiation. Therefore, face the future with clearer vision. You are pledged disciples, therefore take up your task and move forward. You are members of the New Group of World Servers, and have therefore, no time to be idle. You are not alone, but your group brothers stand with you, and I stand also by your side. That there is no task which is insuperable, and no way that is too long for you to tread it. You are a soul with all the powers of the soul and - as you are linked with the Hierarchy - you are facing toward success.
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