The Life Blood of Aquarian Service

Good evening friends and welcome to the festival of Aquarius – a time when the ethers are showered with the expansive powers of love-wisdom that qualify Jupiter, one of its ruling planets. This quality of love-wisdom can express itself through right human relationships in the Aquarian age depending upon the choices humanity makes now at its beginning, preparing the way for the full light of Aquarius to be seen, a light that "shines on Earth, across the sea". Also at work in this testing time is the influence of Saturn, a planet associated with karma, opportunity and the fostering of humility in those it touches, symbolically bringing us to our knees if necessary and i seems that the whole of humanity is currently going forward into the Aquarian Age brought to this kneeling position with a drastic lesson in the global cooperation and sharing which will characterise the new era.

In keeping with His Aquarian work, Christ comes as the "Dispenser of the Water of Life" but we have been advised to avoid obvious interpretations of this as His work has been described as "most mysterious and not at all easy to comprehend". The Life Aspect from the angle of the vision of Christ expresses itself on the physical plane as the central point of living light in each and every cell of each and every organism. It also expresses itself in spiritual life as loving, lighted heart energy as each person becomes part of the spiritual Hierarchy of the planet, and thirdly, it expresses itself as "Life more abundantly", enabling the disciple to share in and co-operate with humanity, the kingdom of souls, but also with Shamballa itself, which harbours life in its purest essence. In sharp contrast with the current world situation of deprivation and need for relinquishment, the Aquarian Age will see these three expressions of Christ's life being "set loose" as the "implementing force of universality".

Can we take a few moments of quiet and then say together the Noontime recollection said by men and woman across the globe to reaffirm their alignment with this source of livingness: I know, O Lord of Life and Love, about the Need.
Touch my heart anew with love
That I, too, may Love and Give.
OM This whole issue of universality, of the distribution of energies from Shamballa, through the Hierarchy to Humanity and through Humanity to the sub-human kingdoms, involves the flowing and re-connecting of all the centres of the planetary life in a great electrical circuit referred to as the divine circulatory flow. So far human greed and selfishness have prevented this from reaching the sub-human kingdoms in the way it should, and it could almost be said that humanity is presently being helped to "re-wire" itself in order that it may fulfil its collective destiny in this area. Certainly, we are on the whole very well connected now at the physical level through the worldwide communications networks, but it is the spirit of group identification and sharing that is lagging behind for some and this needs to become the norm.

An everyday example of this struck me recently when I was exercising on a "tread mill" at the gym in a desperate attempt to offset some of the effects of sitting at a desk and regain some vitality during these dark winter months. For those of you who go to gyms, you will know that these exercise machines are usually set up in rows, straight ahead of which are placed a series of television screens to help relieve the tedium of this repetitive form of exercise. It was quite a surreal scenario as we all exercised together in a semi-regimented, semi-conscious fashion, while blankly staring at the bombing and shelling of Gaza unfolding in all its horror on the screens before us.

Sadly we see terrible images of one kind or another on our television screens regularly, but watching it together in a sort of half-trance state, far away from the conflict and while engaged in an activity that can easily be so entirely self-centred was very strange and unsettling. There was a feeling of guilt, as though, rather than working off the excesses of a comfortable lifestyle, we should all be doing something more to help. Of course, this does not take into account the good and helpful work that may have filled the other hours of the day, either directly through jobs and vocations, or through charitable activities – it just seemed to be a striking symbol of how, generally speaking, we can all be linked up at one level while remaining disconnected at another.

There is, of course, much public outrage at all the inhumanities, destruction and suffering taking place around the world, and this sense of indignation can become inflamed, leading to a fanaticism in our desperation to make a difference. This is encouraging from the point of view that not so long ago, this conflict would be seen as "theirs" and the realisation is dawning that it is also "ours", that such conflicts affect us all. But one of the difficult lessons of treading the path is, that in order to really make a difference, we ourselves must change. A revolution has to take place in our consciousness so that we can serve the world as the fountain head of a stream of life giving energy that pours into the world continuously, every minute, every second of our lives. It requires that supreme state of love and compassion that can only be brought about by being emotionally detached and dispassionate. If this were not so, the astral body would interrupt and downgrade the flow, and the service would become restricted to the limited capabilities of the personality. This is a hard lesson to learn while we are also learning to stand as the initiate does, silent and serene in a world full of conflict and woes. It is a high ideal to serve practically in the world as a high-grade personality, prompted by the impulse of the soul, but at some point, we must cease to be player and rather become the director with full soul fusion and entrance into the world of energies. Here the disciple learns to take a stand with power and purpose behind the scenes, working with the knowers and guides of the race to step down and transmit the multitude of spiritual energies seeking to condition human consciousness at this time.

To make this transition from the service oriented personality to the unseen world server takes lives of hard and unglamourous work but it is a journey that culminates in the emergence of the Aquarian server who radiates the spirit of the keynote of the disciple in Aquarius: Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men. Aquarius is unusual in that it is an air sign and yet its name is a Latin adjective meaning `watery'. We know that water has to be lifted into the air to distribute its life sustaining properties, and similarly, human expression has to be lifted out of the watery sphere of the emotions and into the spiritual air of the higher planes of consciousness to be of assistance to others. Here, it seems, spiritual and physical law reflect one another: lifting things upwards imbues them with potential energy and the power to serve. Water evaporates from the sea by means of the heat of the sun's energy. By "loving, lighted heart energy", the human being is elevated into the next kingdom – by the power of the soul's energy, we free ourselves from the accumulated personality traits and habits which otherwise deter progress and service.

The impact of the incoming energies of Aquarius will bring a powerful transformation in the watery realm of the astral plane. The symbol of that plane is water – fluid, stormy, reflecting all impressions, the source of mist and fog, and yet essential to human living. The Piscean Age, now in process of passing away, is also closely related to this plane and to the symbol of water; it fixed in the human consciousness the realisation that "men are as fishes, immersed in the sea of emotions." The Tibetan explained that for some time the sixth ray of idealism has been bringing together...Piscean energy, Aquarian energy and the energy of the astral plane itself; and that this...produces a vortex of force which is invocative of mental energy; it is a controlling factor, which has plunged humanity into a tumultuous awareness of clashing ideologies, which has precipitated a reflected vortex in the world war, and which is responsible for the present crisis and point of tension.

The universality that distinguishes Aquarius, as portrayed in its keynote "Water of Life am I, poured forth for thirsty men", is seen again in the fact that this sign governs the blood system and its circulation. By means of the blood, the life force, anchored in the heart, is distributed throughout the entire human body. It is, therefore, symbolic of the task of the liberated Aquarian who dispenses spiritual life throughout the fourth kingdom in nature." He dispenses this to the lower kingdoms of nature and in his relationship to the animal kingdom – a kingdom that hides deep mysteries associated with the blood. When we look at the way nature works "red in tooth and claw" we can begin to understand the difficult esoteric concept that "The secret of release for the animal nature is hidden in the watery nature; this is the blood aspect, and in the shedding of the blood, esoterically understood, lies the clue to the liberation of the animal kingdom." We learn too that "certain initiatory processes occurred on a large scale in the shedding of blood through the slaughter of the animal form of the human being in the World War. The spilling of blood, from the standpoint of 'living purpose', produced certain esoteric results…Through the "pouring out of that water which is of the 'colour red' there is eventuating a liberation which will initiate the life of that kingdom into new states of consciousness and of awareness."

This is a reminder that the life of the various kingdoms of nature achieves its goal by methods foul or fair. Evolution achieves its ends through pain and suffering until consciousness can take control of the process and become part of the evolutionary force and introduce more fitting and harmonious means of advancement. At this stage of evolution, the animal kingdom, not to mention the human kingdom, should not be subjected to the shedding of blood in order to progress. In the case of the animal kingdom, domesticity and mutual love are meant to take its place. The domesticated animal is in search of that same spark of mind that changed animal man into an individualised human being aeons ago, and the mental aspect has to be fostered in the animal with impersonal love. If this is so for man’s relation with the animal kingdom, it goes without saying that the slaughter of the animal form of man is nothing short of an outrage against his soul at this stage of evolution. We must learn through mediation, and the right use of speech, to settle our differences, and thereby change the mode of animal initiation, whether in respect to the animal kingdom or to our own animal bodies.

Esoterically understood, blood is a precipitation from the soul’s vehicle on its own plane – the causal body – and it goes through a cyclic process analogous to the planetary water cycle. As water precipitates from the sky, runs towards the sea and is evaporated back into the sky again, so too do the unevolved life atoms within the causal body precipitate down into the bloodstream, circulate around the physical body for a specific period and then go through a process of "etherialisation" in the region of the heart centre, making their way back up through the astral and mental vehicles towards the causal body again – the microcosmic sun. On the soul's own level, the life atoms circulate around the causal body as a stream of vitality just as the blood does in the physical body, but at this higher level there is also a constant interplay of these life streams between one causal body and another. On the soul's level, therefore, we truly are all brothers, sharing the same lifeblood, and in our physical bodies, precipitations of this group lifeblood circulate in a more concretised state. As our meditations directly affect the quality of the blood via the centres, glands and hormones, this redemption of the human blood through spiritual living contributes to the development of the life streams that run through our soul group and the soul of humanity as a whole.

Sharing through the circulation of all things is a fundamental law on all planes of the solar system, and the stymieing of this process on the physical plane is a serious problem that must be resolved. "The blood is the life, and free interchange, free sharing, free circulation of all that is required for right human living will characterise the world to be. Today these conditions do not exist, the body of humanity is diseased and its internal life disrupted. Instead of free circulation between all parts of the life aspect, there has been separation, blocked channels, congestion and stagnation. It has needed the terrific crisis of the present to arouse humanity to its diseased condition, to the extent of 3 the evil which is now discovered to be so great, and the diseases of the "blood of humanity" (symbolically understood) so severe that only the most drastic measures—pain, agony, despair and terror—can suffice to establish a cure."

These words of the Tibetan written at the time of the crisis of the World War are deeply prophetic, and we can see today how the rampant materialism, unequal distribution and misuse of resources have created, apart from an economic downturn, a point of tension in the world around which the thoughts, inspirations and prayers of so many people are now focused. Recently we all experienced an injection of hope into this gloomy scenario, bringing humanity together through the presentation of a shared vision. On the 20th January, President Obama was inaugurated midst incredible demonstrations of hope and jubilation. The sense of fellowship, common identity and fresh expectation was felt not just in America but across the world. Obama seemed to "light the way" across the sea of gloom and worry over finances, the future and poor international relationships – not only in terms of his mixed race origin, which is nevertheless a potent symbol of unification, but also he seemed to reconcile opposites by bringing people together through his words and actions. His message was one of co-creation in a societal sense.

Demonstrating his Aquarian spirit, Obama made an inspiring declaration that Martin Luther King day be made a National Day of Service. A movement was made to reach out to organizations of all sizes and ideologies, including faith-based groups, unions and businesses as well as political groups to motivate their members to participate. Attention was given to each individual’s responsibility to do what he or she could for the community and fellow citizens as an ongoing commitment – a "shared purpose to tackle the common challenges we face". This simple message if taken on board across the world, can do much to overcome any sense of helplessness and to engender a creative impulse of active goodwill.

In an article in the Times last year, the Nigerian poet and author, Ben Okri, also addressed the current crises saying that our future depends not on whether we get through this, but on how deeply and truthfully we examine its causes. He said we need a new vision for our times – one that arises not just from necessity but rather one that orientates us towards a new future. "One of our much neglected qualities is our creative ability to reshape our world. Our planet is under threat. We need", he said, "a new one-planet thinking. Scientific rationality has proved inadequate to the unpredictability of the times. This is where we step out into a new space." The new space that Okri refers to is a place where creative thinking must be fused with the sense of universality to meet the crisis and opportunity of the present.

The sense of universality is precipitating rapidly from the waters of space, and the task of all meditating groups is to recognise our place in this cosmic bloodstream, and help pass its life giving forces directly into the consciousness of humanity to inaugurate a new era of heart-based thinking. As "strands of loving energy within the stream of love divine", we have unlimited power to infuse the spiritual blood of humanity with new life. Aquarian service is all about right distribution and circulation and it is through meditation that we can oxygenate the lifeblood of the fourth kingdom in nature and build the new humanity – one that turns its back on materialism and self interest, and as one group entity, looks up to the heavens for inspiration, and down into the lower kingdoms, to distribute the light of universality to all.

Christine Morgan
London, February 2009