Living in the Light of the Group Soul

This contemplated group unity will have its roots in group meditation, or in the contemplative life (in which the soul knows itself to be one with all souls). This in its turn will work out in some form of group activity which will constitute the distinguishing contribution of any particular group to the raising of the human race esoterically. Within the group life, the individual will not be dealt with as such by those who seek to train, teach and weld the group into an instrument for service. Each person will be regarded as a transmitter of the type of energy which is the predominant energy in any ray type, either egoic or personality rays. Each can in time learn to transmit the quality of his soul ray to the group, stimulating his brothers to greater courage, clearer vision, finer purity of motive, and deeper love, and yet avoid the danger of vitalising his personality characteristics. This is the major difficulty. To do this effectively and correctly, we must all learn to think of each other as souls, and not as human beings.

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Therefore, as a preliminary statement, we have the following objectives in the group work of the New Age, as they make their tentative beginnings at this time. The later and more esoteric objectives will emerge as the earlier ones are reached:

1. Group Unity. This must be achieved through the practice of love, which is part of the practice of the Presence of God, through the subordination of the personality life to the group life, and constant, loving, living service.

2. Group Meditation. These groups will eventually be grounded in the kingdom of souls, and the work done will be motivated and carried forward from the higher mental levels in the demonstration of the contemplative life. This involves the dual activity of the life of the disciple, wherein he functions consciously both as a personality and as a soul. The life of the personality should be that of intelligent activity; that of the soul is loving contemplation.

3. Group Activity. Each group will have some distinguishing characteristic and this will be dedicated to some specific form of service.

When the groups are properly established (and the time is imminent) and after they have worked together subjectively for a certain necessary period of time (to be determined by the quality of the life of the individuals composing it, and their selflessness and service) then they will begin to function outwardly and their life aspect will begin to make its presence felt. The various lines of activity will emerge when the group vibration is strong enough to make a definite impact on the consciousness of the race. Therefore, it will be apparent that the first and foremost requirements are group integrity and group cohesion. Nothing can be accomplished [Page 183] without these. The subjective linking of each group member with each, and the emergence of a group consciousness is a vital objective for the next few decades. Thus there will emerge a group circulation or transmission of energy which will be of real value in world salvage. For the individual it should be remembered that purity of body, control of the emotions, and stability of mind are fundamental requirements and should be the goal of the daily practice. Again and again we must come back to these prime character requirements, and tiresome as the reiteration may be, I urge upon you the cultivation of these qualities. Through these groups it may be possible to restore some of the ancient Mysteries, and some of the groups mentioned previously in Letters on Occult Meditation, will be found among the emerging New Age groups.