SOUND THE NOTE OF LOVE,
INVOKE THE SOUL RAY,
PERMIT THE CHRIST SPIRIT ENTRANCE
DISTANCE GROUP MEDITATION
– EVERY SUNDAY AT 21.00 –
for invoking Soul Ray of Greece, Nations and One Humanity
Αpril 10, 2022
Text read by sister A.M.
The New Sacrament
‘Sacraments’
are commonly associated with the ceremonies of the Christian Church such as
baptism, communion and marriage; and during these sacred rituals, it is
believed that God’s blessing or Divine grace is poured forth on the
participants. Sacraments are not confined to religious congregations though – a
sacramental approach to life can be practiced by anyone – inside or outside of
any specific religion or faith. Sacraments are defined by the Catholic Church
as “visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God to
all those who receive them with the proper disposition.”1 In
the spirit of this definition, sacramental living is an approach to life wherein
all forms are regarded as symbols of an inner reality; and under the right
conditions, when certain alignments come into play, the energy of this realm
can surge into the mundane world, setting all things, all activities, ablaze
with new life. The author, Marilynne Robinson, describes the experience of this
in her novel Gilead:
“It
has seemed to me sometimes as though the Lord breathes on this poor grey ember
of Creation and it turns to radiance—for a moment or a year or the span of a
life. And then it sinks back into itself again, and to look at it no one would
know it had anything to do with fire, or light. . . . Wherever
you turn your eyes the world can shine like transfiguration. You don’t have to
bring a thing to it except a little willingness to see.”2
The
term, ‘sacrament,’ has its roots in the Latin words for ‘consecrate’ and
‘sacred,’ which, in turn, were translated from the word ‘mysterion,’ used in
the Greek Old Testament for secret counsel of God. And when life is
lived in this spirit with a “willingness to see,” the daily routine of
activities, along with all the forms that make up the surrounding environment,
have sacramental value. This truly religious approach to life is the first step
on the way to becoming an agent of sacred transformation – both in the local
and in the global environment; in short, it is to follow in the footsteps of
the Christ, as Patriarch Bartholomew of
Constantinople, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide,
explains:
“The
Feast of Christ’s Transfiguration…highlights the integral connection
between metamorphosis and theophany [the
appearance of Deity in form], extending the divine light and transformative
power to all creation… The breadth and depth of the Orthodox cosmic vision
implies that humanity is a part of a theophany… Thus, in The Brothers
Karamazov, Dostoevsky urges: Love all God’s creation, the whole of it and
every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the
animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will
perceive the divine mystery in things…
…In order to achieve this sacramental vision of creation, human beings are
called to practice a spirituality of thanksgiving and self-discipline…we are
also called to practice an ‘ascetic ethos,’ namely self-restraint and
self-control, so that we no longer wilfully consume every fruit, but instead
manifest a sense of frugality from some things for the sake of valuing all
things. Then, we shall learn to care for plants and animals, for trees and
rivers, for mountains and seas, for all human beings and the world. Then, we
shall be instruments of peace and life, not tools of violence and death. Then,
everything will assume its divine purpose, as God originally intended the
world.”3
It’s
not difficult to comprehend why an ‘ascetic ethos’ is needed for “extending the
divine light and transformative power to all creation,” as Patriarch
Bartholomew so eloquently describes it. This sacramental approach to life is of
the highest order of creativity and one wherein all thought, emotions and
deeds, are dedicated to the consecration of each moment in time and space that
it may be filled with the energy of the Christ force. In this way the whole of
life experience becomes one of ceremonial rhythm and ritual, for sacrament is
to do with movement, transition, passage – a type of spiritual motion that
enables Divine Grace to pour into the world – remembering that Grace also means
“beauty and ease of movement.” We can all move gracefully through this busy
world, conducting our time and energy from the eye of the storm, and extending
the light, love and power that we contact within to all that we contact without.
Such
an approach to life might be thought of as a new sacrament – a life lived in
the spirit of ceremony and ritual – a life that moves in concert with the
magical light and sound of the Kingdom of the Soul within; and it is a way of
life that can be practiced by all who are aspiring to live in the light, think
in the light, and transform in the light. And in the Alice Bailey writings we
are given a “solar instrument” to help us in this quest – The Great Invocation
– the giving out of which was the first step in the planned precipitation of
Light Supernal right down on to the physical plane; the second step, we are
told, will be “the reappearance of the Great Lord, Who will act as the lens
through which the light can be focused and adapted to human need.” 4
It
is the destiny of all human beings to become agents of transformation in
accordance with divine purpose; and those who are becoming so are referred to
collectively as the New Group of World Servers in Alice Bailey’s writings. Each
of these creative individuals is to be found working in one of the three great
areas of human endeavour that is under the influence of a major stream of
divine energy: Government (reflecting the Divine energy of
Will and Purpose), Religion (reflecting the Divine energy of
Love and Wisdom), Education (reflecting the Divine energy of
Active Intelligence). In conformity with the Godhead itself, the energies of
these three great departments of the Divine Plan are seeking expression in
human affairs as a “trinity in unity.”
Accordingly,
the religious spirit has an important part to play in the transition to a new
world civilization. The ceremonies and rituals of the great world religions
have served humanity well in their time and place, but the new energies now
flowing into human consciousness are demanding correspondingly new forms
through which to manifest to suit the modern, scientific age. The concept of
“energy as the basis of all life, all forms and all action and the medium of
all relationships” can be the springboard for those new and living ceremonials
and rituals whose grace and power are needed to lift humanity towards the
light. While the core values of all the great religions have served as a
firm foundation, the spiritual principles that are currently seeking expression
– for example group consciousness and the unity of all life – require a new
embodied emphasis more suited to our contemporary world society. The step
ahead, in Alice Bailey’s words, is for all people “of vision and of inclusive
thinking in all the ‘churches’ of every world faith…[to]…end their doctrinal
differences, agree on the essential religious truths and then proceed unitedly
and with some uniformity of ritual and ceremonial to approach together the
centre of spiritual power.”5
While
this will clearly take time to develop, all who study the Ageless Wisdom
teachings can hasten this by attuning to the great Ray energy of Ceremonial
Magic and Ritual that is now growing in power. As we approach the Three
Spiritual Festivals when the energies seeking entrance into the world are at
their peak, we can each work to transform our personal life into “an
efficacious channel for the grace of God” – and let daily living and the
mundane round of activities and duties – become the new sacrament.
Ιn
the light of group service
Lucis
Trust
1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church
2. Marilynne Robinson, Gilead, p. 279
3. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, The World as Sacrament. https://mospat.ru/en/news/57191/
4. A.A. Bailey, Discipleship in the New Age, Vol II, pp 425-6
5. A.A. Bailey, Problems of Humanity, p. 162
From the brochure "Three Spiritual Festivals'' 2022
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