Thoughtline  September 1999

There is a story about a new arrival in Heaven who was being shown around by an angel. On the tour they come upon a playground for baby angels. They observe one baby angel in a sandbox full of sparkling sand. As they watch, the baby grabs a fist full of sand and tosses it into the air. As the sand falls back the baby squeals with laughter.

The new arrival turns to his guide and asks, "What is the baby laughing at?"

His guide says, "Do you see all that sparkling sand? That sand is truth. Each time the baby tosses some of it into the air a grain or two falls outside the sandbox to earth. A human comes along and picks up a single grain of sand and thinks he or she has found the whole truth! That is why the baby is laughing."

Many grains of the sands of truth have, indeed, been found, and out of each of them have sprung religions and teachings and scientific discoveries. We may look forward to the day when they will be placed in one sandbox here on earth. It will be called The New World Religion. We are told by the Tibetan, Djwhal Khul, that such a religion is in the offing. It will consist of the grains of truth found in all religions, philosophies and science. In addition, it will consist of the ancient mystery teachings.

Now is the time to take a long look down the road ahead and consider what this New World Religion might be like. With the information given us primarily by the Tibetan and a little logical conjecture—a few "educated guesses"—we should be able to get a pretty good idea of what this new sandbox of truth will be like. (While I’m at it, I want to issue a disclaimer. I am not an expert of the New World Religion, but I am fascinated with the prospect of it. With that in mind, I present this as an initial research paper, if you will.)

There is an immediate opportunity here for those who have vision and love humanity to prepare for the unfoldment of this grand event. To be alert to the opportunity as it unfolds, it is necessary that we have an idea of what to look for—the form of it. By so doing, we will be able to, as D.K. puts it, "make due application under the urge of your own souls,"1  and to open the "Path of Light which leads to God."2  We can participate in this grand development which will be what the Tibetan calls "the flower and fruition of the past and the hope of the future."3 

The first thing we know is that as this New World Religion unfolds all will be revealed—all, at least, that we are capable of receiving. In the Bible, Christ told us, "For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."4  The emphasis will not be one of believing but one of knowing through the method of thought, reflection, experiment, experience and revelation. 5 

The Tibetan tells us that, "Religion is the name given to the invocative appeal of humanity and the evocative response of the greater Life to that cry."6 

A keynote of the new religion is Divine Approach. The injunction is, "Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you." That divine approach will bring a new revelation.7 

This unfolding religion has its foundation in the past. Each religion has come out of a new revelation brought by an advanced Son of God. Each, then, gradually normalizes, and then degrades what was the pure teaching. They devolve into religions of the average, and the average is always at war with the ideal.8  The Tibetan states that the church today is the tomb of the Christ and the stone of theology has been rolled to the door of the sepulchre.9 

In the past, and in the present, the fundamental truths given to man have been further adorned with man’s speculations, extrapolations, interpretations and assumptions that he likes to call theology. These timeless truths must be discovered and recognized10   and brought forward into the new religion.

The present-day churches are struggling to survive. What they do not realize, yet, is that, "The work of the great world religions has been eminently successful…"11  but their work is completed and it is time to evolve to the next step in mankind’s spiritual awakening.

Prior to the first coming of the Christ, religion was a mostly emotional process. Christ brought a new approach to one’s inner divinity that was to replace the emotional approach that had existed since the Atlantean days. The search for inner divinity had been an individual quest. Christ came as an example, or prototype, of what we all must become if we are to reach that "visioned perfection" of the Christ consciousness He represented. The emphasized goal of humanity, then, became that of achieving that ideal embodied in Jesus Christ.

It is a polarized humanity that will face the future, as individuals within the existing orthodox religions begin to understand what is unfolding and to prepare for it. D.K. informs us that "…out of the wreckage will emerge those true and spiritually enlightened churchmen who—with vision and sure knowledge, free from dogmatism and hating ecclesiastical authority—will develop the new world religion."12  The fruition of what is being prepared for now will come after the reappearance of the Christ,13  but the foundation is being laid today.

The New World Religion will not only spring from the great present-day world religions but from the work of present-day esotericists, scientists and world servers, as well. The growing awareness of the Spiritual Hierarchy, the true role of the Christ and the techniques of meditation being taught will all conspire to bring this future religion closer. 14 

Whereas orthodox religion emphasizes Christ’s divinity, Christ informed us of our divinity. Step by step, we have been brought closer to that realization by:

• Prayer—the voice of desire;

• Worship—the recognition of deity; and

• The fact of human identification with the divine. 15 

Two of the factors that will lead to the synthesis to be embodied in the new religion are (1) a conscious unified group approach to the world of spiritual values that (2) evokes reciprocal action from the planetary Hierarchy and affiliated groups.16 

Although it is referred to as the New World Religion, perhaps it could be more accurately referred to, in the future, as the New World Spirituality.

Whereas traditional world religions have anthropomorphized God, the New World Religion will have as its purpose the godization, so to speak, of man. It will be done by basing the New World Religion on four foundational truths that have long been with us:

1. The Fact of God;

2. Man’s Relationship to God;

3. The Fact of Immortality and Eternal Persistence;

4. The Continuity of Revelation and the Divine Approaches.17 

With the aid of these foundational truths, the new religion will put its followers in touch with the divinity that is potential in them. It will set a religious discipline that promotes the evolution of its practitioners. It will strengthen and develop the connection between Hierarchy, Humanity and Shamballa. It will show mankind how to conduct the Great Approaches spoken of in the Alice A. Bailey book, The Externalization of the Hierarchy.18   As a result, it might be referred to as the Religion of the Great Approaches.19 

The New World Religion will synthesize the teachings of the two great Avatars—Christ and the Buddha—both upon the second Ray of Love-Wisdom.20   21 

D.K. says, "The Buddha demonstrated the consummation of substance-matter as the medium of Light, hence His title of the ‘Illumined One.’ Christ embodied the underlying energy of Consciousness." The illumination of the Buddha helped man to recognize the Christ. As a result, the New World Religion will teach us how to use light scientifically to bring about a conscious unity that promotes the right "…relationship between a man and his soul, and between humanity and the Hierarchy."22 

As I pointed out earlier, the New World Religion will become the synthesis of all spiritual "ways," traditional religions and philosophies. There is a difference between a "way," a religion and a philosophy:

• A "way" is an approach to Spirit that involves a total commitment and way of life.

• "A traditional religion is a system of beliefs and rituals which may or may not be a ‘way’ for any particular person.

• A philosophy is a mental system of ideas resulting from an investigation into the principles that underlie knowledge and reality.23 

As an added note about religion, Alfred North Whitehead states: "A religion, on its doctrinal side, can … be defined as a system of general truths which have the effect of transforming character when they are sincerely held and vividly apprehended."24  All of these paths will be coalesced by the new religion to raise the consciousness of its followers to that of world consciousness. A.N. Whitehead tells us that the difference between world consciousness and social consciousness is the change of emphasis in the concept of rightness. The social consciousness is concerned with the rightness of one’s own society. World consciousness is concerned in a more disengaged way, with the essential rightness of things—the individuals are unknown to you and your concern is one for humanity. 25 

Another purpose of the new religion will be to assist its practitioners to learn love—not a sentiment of character, but the love that is the cause of everything, the "glue" of all creation, and is the electromagnetic milieu in which we "live and move and have our being."

The New World Religion will promote the triangles meditation work as a part of developing right relationships and raising the world’s consciousness.

When will the new religion begin? The New World Religion is in its seminal stages right now. The Tibetan assures us, "Those thoughtforms which will materialize as the religion of the New Age already exist on the mental plane and are in process of precipitation upon the physical plane. Their lineaments can already be discerned."26 

However, the process of its coming into outer structure will take time. It is unlikely our generation will see its full emergence. The signs of it, however, are already manifest. There are fresh breezes blowing in orthodox religion. There is a spiritual re-thinking of doctrine. Spirituality is being expressed in new ways. Again, Djwhal Khul tells us that, "Subjective realization always precedes the objective manifestation and so it is today in this case."27 

Because of fierce partisanship and old loyalties on the part of many people to traditional doctrine, the process of the emergence of a New World Religion will be difficult. In this regard, there are two signs the Tibetan says are significant. First, the present-day theological quarrels are mainly over non-essentials. Second, the younger generation is basically spiritual, but not remotely interested in theology.28  It is significant that in the four Gospels of the New Testament, Christ never taught theology. He gave us only direct truth.

We are told that the Hierarchy is returning. History has come full circle. The Hierarchy left humanity long ago to allow us to mature to a point of readiness. Their eminent return will, I believe, be the fulfillment of the prediction in the Book of Revelation of the "New Jerusalem" that will descend from Heaven.29 

What might be the architectural form of this new religion? Will there be a specific architecture to the primary places of gathering—perhaps one that promotes the flow of energy with spires that serve as conductors? Perhaps. We can only conjecture, because the Tibetan gives us no clue about that.

What kind of rituals will be observed? Certainly they will be based upon 7th Ray magic. Also, a new form of communion may be a part of the rituals. It will not be an empty ritual, I’ll venture, but one that promotes true human relationships.30  Alice Bailey, in her Unfinished Biography points out that, "Leonardo da Vinci’s great picture of the communion in the upper room is the great symbol of the Aquarian Age, for we shall sit down together under the loving direction of Christ when brotherhood will be established and men will be banded together in the bonds of divine relationship. The old barriers between man and man and nation and nation will, during the next 2,000 years, slowly disappear."31 

Most certainly, the Science of Invocation and Evocation that will bring together great spiritual energies and step them down for the benefit of the masses will be practiced. 32   And, let us not forget the Great Invocation that we already use. It will "…be to the new world religion what the Lord’s Prayer has been to Christianity and the Twenty-Third Psalm has been to the spiritually minded Jew."33 

As already practiced by followers of the ancient wisdom, much will be focused around the various full moons.34  Each month will be dedicated to the particular constellation that governs it.35  Each of the lesser full moons of the year will "…constitute lesser festivals in which certain spiritual qualities necessary for the expression of discipleship and initiation are considered and emphasized."36 

In addition to the Three Festivals of Spring, there will be a significant August festival which will, according to the Tibetan, have as its purpose the "…task of making contact, via the Hierarchy, with Sirian force." Sirius is the constellation home of the great Lodge.37 

What holidays, or "High Holy" days will be observed by the new religion? As it is now, the Festival of Easter will be significant and will emphasize the Risen Christ, not the Crucified Christ.38  You may be surprised to know that the Tibetan tells us the present Christian celebration of the Pentecost will also be celebrated in the new religion. It will have a different emphasis, however. It will be "…the symbol of right human relations in which all men and nations will understand each other and—though speaking in many and diverse languages—will know only one spiritual speech."39  Christmas will continue, but it will take on a new meaning. It will emphasize, as it does in many churches today, the birth of the Christ in us. 40 

What icons and symbols will be associated with the new religion? First, there is one that will not be a symbol any longer. Palestine will no longer be called the Holy Land. D.K. says, "…its sacred places are only the passing relics of three dead and gone religions." And, "The ‘Holy Land’ is no longer holy, but is desecrated by selfish interests, and by a basically separative and conquering nation."41 

If I were a betting man, I would bet that the symbol of the unfolding new religion will be that of the Aquarian image of a man holding a water jug on his shoulder or, perhaps, pouring the "water of life" out of the jug for all to avail themselves. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to arrive at that possibility.

What kind of people will its followers be? Again, it doesn’t take a genius to know that the aspirants in this new religion will be more intelligent and better educated than at any time in history. They will be free thinkers in pursuit of truth. It was the philosopher/scientist Bacon who remarked that "...a little philosophy inclineth a man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth man’s mind about to religion."

We are informed that a new type of mystic will arrive on the scene. He or she will be recognized by a high interest in world affairs and a notable lack of interest in his or her personal development. This new mystic will see God immanent in all faiths and will live his life openly in the divine Presence. This new mystic will exercise a high degree of intuition.42 

What specifics will the new religion teach? Its teaching will have three platforms or doctrines:

1. "The fact of the Spirit of God, both transcendent and immanent…" and its demonstration. D.K. says it "…might be called Transcendental Mysticism."

2. "The fact of the divine quality of the Forces in nature and in man and the method of their utilization for divine purposes by man. This might be called Transcendental Occultism."

3. "The fact, implied in the first, that Humanity, as a Whole, is an expression of divinity, a complete expression, plus the allied fact of the divine nature and work of the planetary Hierarchy, and the mode of the Approach of these two groups, in group form, to each other. This might be called Transcendental Religion."43 

I have already mentioned that theology will be superceded by spirituality. There will be no "creedal" barriers. God, in the past, has been known as Intelligence and Love. D.K. tells us the future will reveal that He will be known as Will and Purpose.44 

The concept of God will change from the anthropomorphized God of the past to that of "…a Deity of essential life, who is the sum total of all energies; the energy of life itself, the energy of love, the energy of intelligence, of active experience, and that energy which produces the interplay between the seen and the unseen; a God most surely transcendent, but at the same time most assuredly immanent; a God of such immensity that the Heavens proclaim Him, and so intimate that the humblest child can recognize Him." 45 

Another development will be that the mystery teachings will be brought ever more into the light.

Also, there will be an end of separation and in its place will be a "…unity and the fellowship of the spirit." 46 

Need I point out the obvious point that meditation will be taught?

Our intuition will be developed. According to Alfred North Whitehead,47  religion has evolved from almost instinctive ritual to ritual that evokes emotion. Myths are a product of the need to evoke an emotional religious response from its followers. From there the world’s religions evolved into increasing rationalism. The challenge was to bring man up from the purely emotional response to ritual, to a rational response to ritual. Modern religions are evolving to the degree that they become increasingly rational. It is my contention that the New World Religion will take the next evolutionary step to a primary focus on ritual, to induce intuition, both individual and group—the next step beyond rationalism.

There will, of course, be development of the antahkarana through the triangles work. 48   As well, the science of the Words of Power will be taught.49 

Science will combine with religion to reveal the truth around subjects like:

• Death—with instruction in conscious withdrawal from the body. The Tibetan says the crematory services (there will be no funeral services) will be joyous events with an emphasis on release and return.50 

• Resurrection which will be taught as the "lifting up" of matter, but not the Fundamentalist Christian teaching of the preservation of the physical body.51  We will come to understand what Christ meant when he said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’’52 

• And service—we will be taught a new form of "basin theology" that Christ taught. Pilot used a basin in an attempt to wash his hands of Christ’s Crucifixion. Christ used a basin to wash the feet of his disciples.

• Also the transcendent and eminent God. The Koran says, "Wherever you look, there is the face of God." Present-day mental science has an expression that says the same thing: "There is not a spot where God is not." The immanent God is within us and the transcendent God towers above us and outside us.

• Another is groupness—the spiritual journey cannot be taken alone if one is to go further, but must be traveled in groups.53 

• And let us not forget the mysteries of initiation. The New World Religion will have as one of its keynotes "universality and initiation."54 

In summary, historically, traditional religion has anthropomorphized God, as I said; the New World Religion will, instead, lead to the "godization" of its followers. In the Bible, Hosea attributes the statement to Jehovah that "…I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."55  Christ took it a step further by referring to Psalms 82:6 when the Jews were preparing to stone Him because he said He was the Son of God, by asking, "Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, "You are gods"’"?56 

We are assured the "…new world religion … will suffice to meet man’s need for many centuries ahead… .",57  and that "Nothing can prevent the new world religion from eventually emerging."58 

This future religion will have no "Defenders of the Faith," for truth needs no defense and faith is not generated by doing battle with untruth. The Tibetan mentions many keynotes of the New World Religion, but perhaps the keynote of keynotes might be Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s statement that "There is no Religion higher than Truth."59  But, I think I would vote for the statement of the Christ: "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."60 

Namasté.

 One of the things I most love to do is to walk my dog down by the river that borders my town of Sandpoint, Idaho. The town lies on one side of the path, while the lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains lies on the other side. The air is clean and fresh and being there does my heart good! But nothing makes me as joyful as being with all of you in meditation at the time of the full moon. It’s been happening for so many years that I now look forward to it as a special time each month. It really does my heart good.

What do you think I mean when I say, "It does my heart good?" Do I mean that there is some actual effect on my physical heart? As many people as there are reading this, there are probably almost as many ideas of what that means. Language is so marvelous. It allows us to express ourselves and define ourselves, our world and our thought lives, and everything we can perceive as far as our sensitivity extends. It’s a way of sharing and communicating everything; and, our language—the English language—is especially elastic, creative and magical. We have adopted tens of thousands of words from other languages and, therefore, ours is expanding constantly. But, communication is a two-way process that includes speaking and hearing. There is usually a big gap between what I think I’ve said and what others think they have heard, and vice versa. There seems to be a big lesson here about the importance of hearing to communication.

This article is called Language of the Heart because it’s about language, and I’ve used the word heart as an example of how sayings, clichés and concepts grow up around one word or phrase. I want this to be fun and playful, so I’ll try to make it lighthearted. Now, what on earth do you suppose I mean by that? Literally? A feeling? A holdover from childhood when we "tripped the light fantastic?" I’d sure rather be lighthearted than light-minded. No one wants to be thought of as a mental lightweight. But then, nobody wants to be heavyhearted.

For most people, lighthearted probably simply means happy. I believe it means feeling light, maybe even a little floaty, no heavy burdens weighing one down; no reservoir at the moment of unfinished business; no dark shadows lurking … just joy, laughter, fun. This state of heart increases circulation throughout the body, carrying oxygen to all the cells, sweeping away obstacles to free-flowing energy. So, lightheartedness is truly related to optimum health. Many verses in the Old Testament reinforce this concept. Gladness of heart and letting the heart rejoice are mentioned in both Psalms and Job. When doing spiritual healing, the healer should be able to lift the spirits of the patient—to make him or her more lighthearted. It is necessary that the afflicted one be able to lift his or her vision up and away from the body so that his/her thoughts present no impediment to streams of healing energy. That’s why patients are often encouraged to talk or visit about other things when receiving an energy balancing, massage or other forms of ministration. And the healer needs to work from his own center of joy. The Bible teaches this view with the proverb, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." An old Irish saying proclaims, "If I keep a green bough in my heart, a singing bird will come."

The opposite of this, of course, is heavyhearted. What does that mean? That the physical heart actually gains in weight? Or that one simply feels heavier? Where does he feel it? In his mind? In the emotions? In his everything? If so, why do we call it heavyhearted? And what about hearty?—which is neither light nor heavy. If neither, then what is it? When we want to be strong, we eat heartily—a hearty meal. Is that about the heart? Or about stomach hunger? What’s the relationship? And if we laugh a hearty laugh, aren’t we really doing a big belly laugh? Not from the heart at all? Yes—but again, it’s about how we feel, so the heart in all these examples is related to feelings. The Bible says, in St. Luke 21:26, "Men’s hearts are failing them for fear of those things that are coming upon the world." I think this means, very clearly, that fear weakens one’s heart. When we say, Take heart! we’re saying, Be strong, be bold, be confident. You can do it! There is a power in you greater than whatever stands in your way. This has to do with courage. The word courage comes from the Latin core or old French coeur, which both mean heart. When I hear the word courage, I usually think of Daniel in the lion’s den. Daniel must have been afraid—how could he not be? Yet, he literally rose above his emotions of fear and dread and faced the beasts with a peaceful heart. Where did this courage to rise above his emotions and enter into peace come from? I believe it came from his habit of daily prayer and his steadfast faith in God. The Bible tells us that Daniel prayed morning, noon and night as he had aforetimes, meaning as was his habit. From this, I surmise that courage, as a heart quality, can be cultivated through prayer and the exercise of faith. What do you think? Can you think of other meanings related to taking heart?

Solomon had this thought, given to us in Psalm 28:7, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song I praise him." So, obviously, he associated the heart with both strength and joy. Maybe those were Daniel’s thoughts, too, as he faced his ordeal and emerged victorious.

One of humanity’s frequent references to the heart is brokenhearted. BROKENHEARTED. (I loved you, truly, but you got away; melancholy baby; romance, passion and sex that lost their promise, but never their allure. The bluebird of happiness—maybe next time.) Desire of all kinds. We know that strong emotions and desires are generated from the solar plexus and, sometimes, from even lower places in the anatomy that have nothing to do with the heart. So, why the confusion in calling unfulfilled desire heartbreak? The answer lies in the understanding of the development of the etheric centers. Up to the Atlantean period of mankind’s development, there was a powerful interplay between the solar plexus and the sacral (sexual) centers. They were very close together and the "petals" of each faced and vibrated toward the other. This interplay of vibration within their shared magnetic field can still be noted in the mass consciousness when in the heat of strong emotions, like anger, people use language that refers to the lower extremities of the body. Think about what unrefined people say when they are angry. (You don’t know anyone like that? Okay, you can skip that part.)

During the Atlantean period and thereafter, humanity began to purify and control its emotional nature, which had the effect of lifting the solar plexus energies up toward the etheric heart center. The petals of the solar plexus center began to reverse and turn upward while the petals of the heart center were still turned downward. Thus began a growing interplay between solar plexus and heart. This, as always, was reflected in the language. Lower desire was linguistically transmuted into heartfelt desire. Mankind’s consciousness has been registering and expressing this upliftment by attributing to the heart more noble and aesthetic aspects of love than raw emotion. Strong, self-preserving emotions such as fanatic loyalty (my country, right or wrong) are lifted by the heart into more tolerant and universal loyalties. The my softens into our. My world becomes the world and I yields to we. The ego becomes decentralized, no longer the center of my universe. This is the stage of transformation Khalil Gibran had in mind when he said, "Say not ‘God is in my heart,’ rather ‘I am in the heart of God’." Ponder on this, for it represents a subtle, but major, shift in consciousness.

What about Have a heart!? What are we talking about? Have sympathy, empathy, sharing, caring—neighborhood, community; being sensitive to others’ needs, where one’s interests become broader? At this place in consciousness, competition (I win—but you lose) dissolves into cooperation (we all gain) and companionship (which literally means walking together). And, a person who has a lot of heart, whose heart is stretched to encompass and love and serve broadly, could break. He or she could have a heart attack. Our heart never attacks us, but we could possibly stretch so far and so fast that the physical heart could not endure the pressure. Negative, fearful and angry thoughts and emotions can attack our hearts. We read in Proverbs, "… the foolishness of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord."

Today, the heart center of mass humanity is sufficiently activated that most qualities associated with it are considered good. Stouthearted (strong and courageous) is good. Pure-hearted (without deception) is good. Hardhearted and heartless are not good. Let’s see what some of the scriptures say about these qualities. "Keep thy heart pure with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life," from Proverbs 4:23. What does that mean—to keep the heart pure? Pure from what? Or with what? I’m not sure I know, but it must be important because it’s very clear that God wants us to do it. Proverbs 22:11 talks about "He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend." So, pure-heartedness is important—to be sought after. Another counsel, from Chronicles 28:9, is "Know thou the God of Thy Father, and serve Him with perfect heart and with willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of your thoughts." This would indicate that the purity of heart that we were questioning has to do with intent or motive. From an esoteric point of view, these qualities of heart—empathy, sharing, compassion, community, sensitivity, etc.—mark a very important space or episode in advancing consciousness; for, until those qualities are fixed in a person’s character, there cannot begin a corresponding opening of the cave of the heart, the 12-petalled lotus at the center of the Brahmarandra, the 1000-petalled lotus, which is the exact replica of the etheric heart center in the energy matrix of the human body.

Throughout esoteric literature, the heart represents the life of the group. The Sun (the heart of the solar system) is Life to its group of planets, just as the heart within the body is life-giving to its group of major organs and energy centers. This is an accurate analogy. The heart of any working group is a 3-pointed nucleus (visioner, energizer, organizer) on which the others depend for sustenance. The heart represents the Source of Life, not only to the group, but to humanity. As a source, it is also the center—the deepest, most hidden, yet most real part of us. The language reflects our consciousness of this in such phrases as deep in my heart, at the heart of the matter or the heart of the city. If the Source is within the center, and God is within the center, and the Heart is within the center, then there is a major connection between the three: God, the Source, and the Heart. The heart is then seen as a contact point between man and God. See the Bhagavad Gita for more exposition on this concept.

When man’s mind begins to develop and to register consciousness (including memory) the heart and mind come into close association. We then can learn things by heart. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah recognized that heart learning was more lasting than intellectual learning and told his students, Lay up my words in your heart. (Memorize them.) The love of the heart interpenetrating with the light of mind leads to what Solomon called "Thinking in the heart." No matter how educated or intellectual a person is, no matter how many facts he may have stored in his memory, he cannot be wise unless his heart center is functioning freely. This may be one meaning behind II Timothy 3:7 which refers to those who are always learning but never able to come to an accurate knowledge of Truth. The intellect is one-dimensional and, by itself, is never whole. In the same respect, the feelings and emotions of the love nature alone are never whole. Wisdom watches over Love. When the head and heart cooperate and vibrate together, the result is this thinking in the heart—conscious, lighted, aware thinking. When someone says, I know it in my heart, they’re pretty sure that they know that they know. I may not be able to prove it, reproduce it, or convince anyone else, but I know.

The heart of anything is its innermost part. We say we want to get to the heart of the matter. When we learn something by heart, we have learned it right to the core of our being. So, to think in the heart is to know it in the center of one’s being. The reason some people say, I know it in my gut, or I just have a gut feeling, is that our language has not quite caught up to our consciousness. They really do know it in their heart, but still fall back on the old concept of the solar plexus being the center-most part of our being; thousands of years of development of that center has impacted our language very strongly.

In Esoteric Healing, the Tibetan says, "Thinking in the heart becomes truly possible only when the mental faculties have become adequately developed and have reached a fairly high stage of unfoldment. Feeling in the heart is often confused with thinking. The ability to think in the heart is the result of the process of transmuting desire into love during the task of elevating the forces of the solar plexus into the heart center." (p157.) Obviously, this heart thinking is very potent. For Solomon’s teaching—"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"—is universally accepted as the key to one’s liberation into a truly spiritual life.

During the current phase of humanity’s evolution, the soul has begun to infuse the personality with its qualities of Light and Love, and our language is once again growing to encompass and reflect this. The heart center on the mental plane is the agent through which this fusion takes place, and this activity causes great impact on the etheric heart center. For these two great centers—the center of fusion on the mental plane and the organ of circulation on the physical plane—are very closely related. The petals of the etheric heart center now face upward and vibrate into the soul’s field of activity. About this, the Tibetan says that "The heart center corresponds to the ‘heart of the Sun,’ and therefore to the spiritual source of light and love. It is brought into functioning activity after ... the emotional nature … is brought under soul control, and the desire of the personal lower self has been transmuted into love." The energy thus made available will bring about "the regeneration of humanity... ." The human heart’s "... transforming, magnetic and radiatory power is essential for the reconstruction of the world and for the establishment of the new world order. Upon the unfoldment of the heart center … with the consequent response of man to the energy of love, all disciples are asked at this time to ponder and reflect, for as a ‘man thinketh in his heart, so is he.’" (Esoteric Healing, p156-157.)

The primary distinction between emotion and heart quality is that the former is inherently personal, while the latter is inherently impersonal. Personal energy is reactive, attractive and repulsive and tends to form attachments via the astral plane. But, the emotions refined, disciplined and qualified by heart energy are non-reactive and, therefore, can be used as a means of relating effectively with a humanity as yet unable to respond intelligently to higher impression, or those from the intuitional level. Thus, the spiritually-poised individual of considerable heart quality is an instrument of impersonal love, compassion and goodwill that can achieve an intelligent rapport with humanity, while remaining poised and detached. The heart quality itself is a reflection of the character of the soul via the heart center, which bridges between the levels of the soul (atma-buddhi-manas) and the levels of the personality (physical-emotional-mental). While the emotions are expressions of the personality utilizing astral matter and forces, heart quality is a qualification in consciousness, spanning several planes, so is neither a level of consciousness nor a construct in consciousness. (This paragraph was my paraphrase of a longer quote taken from The Upper Triad Commentary on Esoteric Philosophy, #385.)

The soul-infused heart is always group and inter-group conscious because all souls constitute one Group. Was this possibly the Lord’s meaning when, through Ezekiel (ll:19), He said, "I will give them One Heart and I will put a new Spirit within them, and I will take the stone heart out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God?" It seems obvious, to me, from this verse and the other quoted passages, that this Love and Goodwill, associated with the heart are God’s Will for his people, and that the heart center is associated with the soul’s qualities of Light and Love. This is reiterated in the epic Indian poem, the Mahabarata, which counsels us, "If your heart breaks or closes up, if it becomes bitter, dark or dry, Thy Light is lost." And, of course, we know that a love-starved heart can neither teach nor heal.

Sensing this evolving destiny, man’s language again casts the shadows of future, yet imminent, events. We hear phrases such as heart and soul, wisdom of the heart, and so on. In the last few years we’ve begun to receive an immense amount of information about the heart through books, music, visualizations, meditations, healings, sermons … everything. This is a wonderful sign for humanity because it means that we—humanity, the One Son of God and the One World Disciple—are lifting our collective consciousness up from the solar plexus and the lower centers, which govern family life and all that makes up the personality, into the higher, more communal consciousness. We’re hearing words like commune, communication, community, and the petals of the heart center are collectively turning upward toward the soul so that we are hearing references to the spiritual heart center, and the twin heart within the Brahmarandra. I make a special point of the communality of this movement because, while we who read this are training to become Masters and Hierarchical workers, we are still very common and must work and live as part of the whole body of mankind until the full transition of forces carries us, liberates us, into a new realm of service. Here in this room, within the periphery of our Ashramic consciousness, we study and prepare to be Masters; and then, containing what we receive, we step out the door and become, once again, part of the common cause. It’s not easy to be a bridge, but we are assured by the words of the Christ whom we serve, "Because you have been faithful in these few things, I will make you master over many."

We could go on with this … it is nearly endless. But why don’t you continue to play with this idea? What can you say about wholehearted, with all my heart, coldhearted, heartfelt or others? In his book, Cosmic Consciousness, Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke expounds on the evolution of language as it parallels the evolution of consciousness. In our own lifetimes we have seen an entire language base created around space explorations and discoveries, computer science and holistic practices. When The Church of Truth in Pasadena held Southern California’s first workshop on Holistic Medicine, the word holistic wasn’t even in the dictionaries yet. You might want to look into "language watching" because it is really useful. Language is a record of consciousness. The first Hermetic law, "Energy follows thought," is followed closely by, "The mind is father to the word." When you hear the consciousness people are experiencing underneath the words, it is said you are reading people. You have become a better listener … and, therefore, a better communicator. Should you have been in consciousness where they now are, your life and consciousness can be a light on their path. Should you read by their light that you have not yet been where they now are, you may gather therefrom wisdom relating to your path. This does not apply just to individuals; one can also learn to read groups, public opinion, etc. The process of understanding one’s language is very consciousness-expanding. So, even though this little word game has been "in fun," it may also be useful and practical.

In conclusion, I’d like to speak of the heart and all that we have just talked about in relation to healing, since the Tibetan has projected the activation of esoteric healing centers in our time period. To see how the heart relates specifically to healing, let’s review how the soul is connected to the body. The consciousness aspect is anchored in the brain, and from there permeates the nervous system and cerebral/spinal system. The Life aspect is anchored in the heart, and it is permeated with God consciousness, which it circulates throughout the circulatory system. When one’s heart is tranquil and open to the inestimable power of God’s Love, which is Life itself, healing and regeneration take place. It is nourishment, not only to and from our souls, but to our bodies. It is the Bread of Life, and the Source of all that is Good, and good for us. And, we increase these powerful energies through conscious use and in being connected with the spiritual will.

Take these forces, these truths, into the Silence, where the greatest blessings and healing are to be found. Learn to open the heart to Divine Power and gratefully send it forth to be shared with all humanity. And so shall the heart of man be healed and the heart of the nations be opened to Justice, through Love—the Universal Life Principle.

As always, I’d like to close with a quote from one of our much-used Leo seed thoughts:

The Sun is the Heart of the Solar System; so also the heart of man is the sun of his being.

Thus the heart, intent in silence, replete as a dynamo, beats out the rhythm of the Universe and personal desires are transmuted into the guiding Universal Will.

It is precisely the quality of the magnet that is inherent in the heart. Verily, the silver thread which links the Teacher with the disciple is the great magnet of the heart.

Not egotism dwells in the heart, but pan-humanity. Thus the heart is verily an international organ.

I hope you have kept this time we’ve had together lighthearted and light-minded. It has been a playground for thought—not a thesis. Psalms tells us "be glad in the Lord and rejoice you that are upright in heart." Oh, gosh, what does that mean—upright in heart?

Enjoy. My heartfelt love is with you now and always.