The Ascension Flame

[Lunaria]

THE ASCENSION FLAME


Serapis Bey
Hierarch of the Ascension Temple & Chohan of the Fourth Ray

THE GNOSIS AND THE LAW
CHAPTER 27

Our physical form, as we know it, is composed of air, water and earth. For their function, these three elements are animated by Spiritual Fire which is the Transmuting element that eventually absorbs the other three elements into itself.

When, as unascended individuals, we "die", the Spiritual Fire in us ascends but without absorbing the substance of the Earth body, and remains but one element.

But when the three elements by which the human form is composed have been purified, they are completely permeated by the Spiritual Fire and they become etheric substance. When that takes place, we have the Ascension.

In the Ascension, the Spiritual Fire does not ascend alone, as before, but it takes, along within it, the transmuted elements of the Earth Substance that formerly composed the physical form. Thus, it becomes a four-square activity of the Fourth Dimension, in which the Earth journey ends, and which journey had its auspicious beginning when the first we felt the most exquisite experience of spiritual ecstasy, the first moment of realization of individuality, as self-conscious beings, at the beginning of the road to life. When the Ascension comes, for the second time this exquisite experience of spiritual ecstasy touches the consciousness but in a more potent manner for, while the first, superb though it was, nevertheless was based on hopes of future achievement, often with clouded impediments looming in the distance; the second, free from these, moves ahead on clear and Holy ground, sure of the future and the open road that, eventually, will lead him to fantastic heights.

To the average individual not thoroughly versed in the intricacies of the Cosmic Law, the above may appear simple and the attainment of the Ascension easily won. Such is not the case however, and considering, only as an example, two of its seemingly simplest requirements, given to us by no lesser authorities on the subject than Jesus the Christ and the Maha Chohan, we can see how difficult the attainment can be. In an address to the students, at the Retreat of Resurrection, May 16, 1953, ("Bulletin", Vol., 2, #6) Jesus gave us the following:

" . . . The moment of the Ascension for each individual was determined by the specific service that lifestream was destined to render in the evolution of the Planetary scheme, and that it was not necessarily merit which allowed some individuals to complete their course more quickly than others, but sometimes it was that their service was completed in a shorter time, for none may return home until the fiat of his own God Self (which forms the motivating power by which the lifestream incarnated) is successfully accomplished. Then, and then alone, does the call of the Presence come and the individual, his service completed, may, if his inner bodies are in order, at the completion of that service, accept his Freedom. . . . "

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But it is here, at this point, adds the Maha Chohan, where the difficulty arises. "The service of the lifestream may take the soul down the whole course of history and the circle of that ego's completed incarnations encompass the entire recorded time in the history of the Planetary evolution - or the circle of the lifestream's service may be a small one - requiring perhaps no more than two or three incarnations, but, in the performance of that service - whether it is as early as the Spring Violet or as late as the Autumn Aster - the condition of the inner bodies will determine how long after the service is completed it will be before the soul may accept the release from the service and return home. . . ."

Previously, in these discussions, we have spoken of the Retreats, and an effort was made to show their various Fames and what quality or service these Flames offer. The Retreat at Luxor where the Ascension Flame is located was, also, noted, but before expanding on Its qualities, it may be well that we, cursorily, see how these Flames originate generally, and how, in Their development, help man in his evolution. Serapis Bey graciously informs us on that.

" . . . A specific requirement of any Planetary System, for a Quality or Activity which is not present, is cognized by an individualization who is interested in that Planet or Planets and who has taken embodiment, through the gates of birth, and realizes that there is a requirement and that there is an answer to that requirement from The One Light and Life of Heaven. Such an individual, whilst not yet Ascended, makes the call to the Heavenly Father during the aeons of physical life experiences and thus magnetizes from the Heart of Heaven and the God-free Beings Who represent that specific Quality, Virtue, Gift or Requirement into the substance of Earth, a specifically God-qualified Flame. Unascended beings hold that Divine Flame in the atmosphere of Earth for a specific purpose by their Love Divine. . . . " ("Bulletin", Vol. 10, #4)

That "specific purpose", when cognized by other individuals, that it may have a direct bearing upon themselves and others, in their present embodiment as well as in the future, they decide within themselves to assist that "specific purpose", and expand its usefulness. 1 This is the way all the Flames are developed and the Ascension Flame is one of them.

During the First, Second and Third Root Races on Earth, and before the coming of the "laggards" to the Earth, the Ascension, into one's eternal Freedom, was accomplished consciously and as a matter of course. This was done after the individual had gone through each of the Seven Rays, of two thousand years each, at the end of the Seventh receiving his Ascension. With the spreading of "maya" and the general disintegration, humanity lost the beneficent uses of the Ascension, as well as of other Divine qualities. Jesus came to the Earth to leave the example of His Ascension for others to follow, but mankind instead, consciously, ignored that and with much alacrity put emphasis on the Crucifixion, thus defeating Jesus' purpose in coming to Earth. Says the Savior: "Observe My experience in leaving the example of the Ascension to mankind - how little good it did. Three hundred years afterward 1A the great truth was so obscured that mankind scarcely understood a thing of the example which I left. My intent was to leave the concentrated action upon the Ascension, but instead it was placed intentionally, by the forces of darkness, upon the Crucifixion, giving the impression thus to mankind that I was the only Being for which the Ascension was possible." Continuing, he adds: "Today they preach of Me in the Churches, but in their feelings they deny Me." 2 As we have noted, previously, during that embodiment, only His Mother Mary and John the Beloved received Their Ascension. The rest of the Disciples had to wait for the future, some of them still waiting.

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During the Lemurian civilization, many of the Flames were flourishing there and through decree and invocation were adding to the good of mankind. When that civilization reached its nadir in decline, and that continent was submerged under the smooth carpet of waves, many of those Flames were moved to other designed places, including Atlantis. As the centuries slipped by and that glorious Atlantean civilization, like its sister in Lemuria, declined, the Exodus of the Fames started over again. Certain Priests and Priestesses who were unascended at that time, and had served in sustaining the Flames, were given the honor as well as the responsibility of transferring these Flames to new locations. Serapis Bey, unascended then, was one of those Priests and was entrusted with the Flame of Ascension to bring It to Egypt. With those who were to help him, He carried the Flame in an open boat across the Ocean and four hundred eighty miles up the Nile River and established It at Luxor, guarding It on the perilous journey with their bodies and breathing upon that Flame to sustain It, rowing against time, knowing that Cosmic Moments wait for no man! They had barely reached the shores of Egypt and placed this precious Flame upon the landed surface when the Earth shook and they knew that Poseidonis had sunk beneath the sea.

In the following, Serapis Bey gives us details how the Flame of Ascension was transferred to Luxor and how It was kept there ever since. ("Bridge", February, 1957, p. 5)

" . . . All in all, one hundred ships of the Great Atlantean Fleet set forth to carry the Flames of the Virtues of the Godhead which they had magnetized and sustained all through the centuries. Some went westward and settled in the neighborhood of the Easter Islands, Peru, and Mexico. Others ventured further across the vast expanse of the Pacific into Asia. Of the one hundred parties which originally set out, only ten arrived at their various destinations with the enduring focus of Their flame, which contains with It, today, a portion of the actual undying Sacred Fire from the Atlantean Temples. These Flames were carried with Us in the great golden braziers which used to hang above the Altars in those early times.

"After the establishment of a portion of the Ascension Flame at Luxor, each one of Us finished Our span of life for that embodiment. Many times after that, some of Us returned and took embodiment in Egypt - in and around Karnak and Luxor, serving again the Flame We so adored. In these early days, there was no written discipline necessary, for We remembered well the purity and honor of the Priests and Priestesses of the Flame. Only as the light of the Atlantean Day grew dim, preceding the days of Moses, did the Hierarchy insist upon Our writing down the disciplines of the neophyte to preserve there through these darker days.

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Many of the early Israelites were guests of Our Temple - Joseph (who through the Pharaoh, was to rise to the Throne of Egypt), Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and those who were to be instrumental in the Exodus. Beloved Jesus, Mary and Saint Germain were also guests in Our Retreat in Their day. Much of the Hebrew Law incorporates instructions given in the Temple and much of the Mosaic Law was imbedded in the consciousness of Moses, long before His ascent into the Mount. Thus is Truth conveyed from heart to heart and then carried by the feet of men into far places . . . "

At Luxor, Serapis Bey and His Group began again the rhythm of magnetizing, sustaining, and expanding the Ascension Flame. Serapis Bey re-embodied many times in Egypt for the purpose of serving His Beloved Ascension Flame. At one time, He re-embodied in Greece, where, as Leonidas, King of Sparta, He fought and was killed at Thermopylae, 480 B. C. It was His last re-embodiment on Earth.

Centuries went by, and as the Egyptian civilization declined and the "dark age" entered, the Temple of the White Brotherhood was camouflaged for protective purposes, and today but one white building remains which is the entrance to the subterranean chambers and the Ascension Flame and the Presence of its mighty Hierarch - Serapis Bey.

Earlier reference was made to the Ascension Flame being at Lemuria, before its sinking. It seems logical to believe, and no doubt must be the factual truth, that between man's complete degradation and the Coming of Sanat Kumara, there was no Ascension Flame on Earth. In the following, Serapis Bey gives us some poignant information on that. ("Bulletin", Vol. 10, #4, p. 2)

" . . . I came ages ago to the very feet of your own Sun God and Goddess, Helios and Vesta, in joy, knowing that there should be a requirement for an Ascension Flame on every Planet of your System. Thus it was after the preparation of the Beloved Sanat Kumara's Focus at Shamballa and My Greeting to Him 3 that my entire Being was dedicated to the requirement of establishing a sustained activity of the Ascension Flame upon the Earth, so that those who would live on Earth in the future, including every "laggard" and every other guest from every other Planet whom the Lords of Karma might consider worthy, could have an "Open Door" through which to return home. . . . "

THE COMPOSITION OF THE ASCENSION FLAME

The Ascension Flame is composed of the magnetic powers that were drawn by Beings Who volunteered when the Earth first came into being, to stay upon the Earth and to magnetize that Light, as a ladder in the atmosphere upon which those Who were ready might Ascend. It is composed then, of the powers of Invocation and Magnetization by many Priesthoods in every Golden Age that has been. That Ascension Flame is composed also of the ascending energies of all the prayers and decrees and fiats, all the invocations and aspirations of every lifestream upon this Planet Earth. It is gathered up by the Brothers and Sisters of the Ascension Temple and by the Silent Watchers of all the various nations upon the Planet - that energy is gathered up and becomes part of the Ascension Flame.

The Ascension Flame is therefore, like all the Flames and Rays, dual in activity. It is the descending, conscious stream of energy from the Godhead which is drawn and sustained upon the surface of this Earth through the self-conscious cooperation of the Brotherhood at Luxor; and it is also ascending energy of the mankind of Earth, the Angelic Host imprisoned here, and all of Life that is aspiring upwards.

Within this Ascension Flame is the record of every Ascension that has taken place upon this Planet Earth. That is why it is such a happy Flame. Every Ascension, the first and second Root Races and all their sub-races went Home on that Flame. Then the lower activity came in with the "laggards" from the other Systems, but yet from time to time, individuals did persevere in the purification of their vehicles and utilized this Ascension Flame; and the gratitude of the lifestream when it is caught up into the Infinite "I AM" Presence, knows eternal freedom from bondage, from limitation, from fear, from distress of any kind, can hardly be described to the outer mind. This is the imprint in the Ascension Flame. Everyone who has become God Free, who has utilized that - many of your loved ones who have passed through the change and have Ascended - have utilized that and their energy is within it. This buoyant Flame is not to be treated with a consciousness of fear and of negative feeling. . . . " (Bridge", April, 1959, p. 16)

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THE ASCENSION

During the course of centuries of time, each lifestream who has embodied on the Earth has developed certain talents and powers of accomplishment through the voluntary investment of life energy in some specific interests. This, as we already have noted, is known as momentum "of healing, of teaching, musical or artistic ability". It is part of the lifestream's harvest woven out of the heartbeat and is the only heritage of human endeavor which is allowed to go into the Higher Spheres and which ascends with the consciousness at the moment when the soul is released from the Earth-pull at the time of the final embodiment.

When the Lords of Karma examine the individual for the last time preceding the Ascension, the full gathered momentum of the lifestream's service to Life is presented for consideration before the Karmic Board. If the lifestream is found ready to be freed from the wheel of birth and re-birth, the disposition to which the individual puts his gathered momentum of service must be made before the actual ritual of the Ascension takes place.

When the Christ Self of the individual signifies to the Cosmic Law that the individual is ready, the Sponsor secures a hearing before the Karmic Board whose duty and responsibility it has been to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the soul through the centuries. The individual's "Book of Life" is examined, the lifestream itself has audience before the Karmic Board and the assent of this Board is requisite to the Freedom of the soul from further re-embodiments.

Because of the use of free will, the individual may refuse to accept its freedom, preferring to re-embody to further some particular Cause to which it has devoted its energies through many centuries. If such a one does refuse the Ascension, it is always with the clear understanding that such forfeiture makes the lifestream personally responsible for the creation of any future Karma that might enchain such a soul again, which would not allow the opportunity for full freedom when and if the soul should change its mind in the future. 4

Individuals who have been offered the Ascension because they had expiated their individual Karmic debts and had gained mastery over energy, but have renounced that freedom to better serve mankind, are among the Holiest Sons of Heaven. They wear upon their foreheads a spiritual identification in the form of an open Lotus that is easily discernible to all whose inner eye is developed.

No other group of beings, human or Divine, have this particular spiritual mark and wherever they are encountered, the Supreme Intelligence of the Universe bows in acknowledgment of Their Presence, Their Sacrifice, Their Love. When these individuals do finally accept their Ascension, this Lotus is amplified and even in Heaven's Highest Spheres it is a permanent identification of Their Love and service to Life, that all who can may read! The Master Jesus is One Who belongs to the Sainted Order of the Lotus Flame.

The lifestream who decides to accept the Ascension stands at a forked pathway where again the free will decision must be made; whether the lifestream taking the Ascension will pass on into the peace and happiness of the Higher Spheres, or choose to remain as an Active Worker in the Great White Brotherhood, in actual contact with the lesser evolved sons and daughters of Earth.

Those who choose the "bliss of Nirvana" turn over the energies within their momentums of whatever they may be, to Devas who incorporate them into the beautiful Fire Temples whose radiation and powers serve the Earth and its people. They really "will" their heritage to mankind but take their own conscious selves into Realms that no longer have any connection with the struggles on the Earth plane. ("The Goal of All Life")

In sequence to the above, and so that the reader will get a better understanding of this all-important subject of Ascension, I present in the following excerpts from talks given by Chohan El Morya and the Maha Chohan. I also include another excerpt from an address of Chohan Serapis Bey, Who, as Hierarch of the Retreat of Ascension and Director of the Fourth Ray, is superbly qualified to talk on both these subjects.

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MORYA'S TALK

("Bridge", Series No. VIII, Part VI, p. 158)

" . . . Think of the long journey of each soul, millions of embodiments, trials, errors, hopes and disillusions, Karma always being woven out of every thought, feeling and action; chains and limitations that wait to enshroud the incoming soul through which the spirit seeks to fulfill a portion of the Divine Plan and return to the Karmic Board with a harvest in which there is something of merit.

"Finally the embodiment of opportunity comes! The soul is accepted by Beloved Serapis Bey and the Brotherhood of Luxor. The soul is sponsored by some Member of the Ascension Temple and examined by the Karmic Board, Who look carefully at both the strength and weakness of the individual as well as the amount of unpaid Karmic debts which remains on the Books of each such a one. If the Spiritual Strength is such that it is even remotely possible that the re-embodying Spirit may redeem, transmute, purify and sublimate these energies set into motion so carelessly through the ages, the soul is accepted and the words "Candidate for the Ascension" are written across the breast of the etheric body. Then an embodiment is arranged where all the opportunities will be given for such balancing of the debts. There are also opportunities given to contact the Teacher to learn again the Spiritual Law through the outer consciousness.

"The Soul, balancing itself precariously between the opportunities to illuminate the outer self and the seeming burdens (opportunities in disguise, the returning energies seeking redemption) become the personal "Field of Armageddon" - light and shadow, strength and weakness - aspiration and abandonment. The Sponsor watches, hopes and prays. The light from above plays upon the momentums of good in the lifestream; the forces of gathered lust and discord in the astral realm play upon the weaknesses.

"Then, one day, when the service has been enough, the purification sufficient, the constancy, loyalty and perseverance to the light proven (not in days of happy experience but also, in hours and years of adversity) the call comes "well done, thou good and faithful servant! Come Home in dignity, wearing Freedom's robes and enter the spiritual household of your lord."

"Each of Us, Who is now Ascended, remembers that summons and the lift of heart, of soul and Spirit, when the chain of life and seeming death was broken, and We were invited HOME.

"For even one Spirit Who comes Home, the rocks, the trees, the Nature Kingdom sings a song of gratitude. The Heavenly Host also join in and there thrills through every human heart (although the cause is unknown) a little vibration of happiness and exaltation which men often attribute to some personal experience, although that may be from the true reality. The Heart Flame of the densest of sinners sings at the freedom of part of its Element at last."

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THE MAHA CHOHAN'S TALK

("Bridge", Series VIII, Book VI, p. 160)

" . . . Beloved Children, how well known you are to My Heart. The very first breath breathed into your nostrils came from My Own Life and in this embodiment, as your infant form entered into this world of manifestation, above you stood a beautiful White Dove (Symbol of the Holy Spirit) visible to the Inner sight of any who had developed that consciousness where they might see the beauty that is all around and interpenetrates the world of form.

"Do you know what that Dove means to Me! to the Builder of Form that stood with your own Holy Christ Self, to your Sponsor? It signified the fact that it is possible, in the course of this Earth life for you to complete your cycle of evolution and pass from the wheel of birth, death and pain, consciously, into the Glory of your Ascension! What a magnificent accomplishment.

"When you look down the course of millions of years, millions of nice new babies provided, and countless opportunities to use the pure and primal substance of life, to weave garments of immortality for yourselves, then finally, through your own individual endeavors century after century, you come to the point of birth when the Dove stands manifest, and all who know may read: "This child may be among those whose names are written on the pages of the Immortals, within the compass of this Earth life, how We rejoice!".

"When I see a Dove manifest above an infant form, at that moment (in My Office as Maha Chohan of this System) "I AM" required to provide a Guru and a Sponsor for each one - a Member of the Ascended or Angelic Host, Who will give the assistance to the lifestream required, in order for each one to take full advantage of every opportunity offered and wherever possible, manifest that magnificent Victory of the Ascension. So I gave you a Guardian Angel and assigned to you an Ascended Master. I wrote your name in "The Book of Life", and I have carefully watched you all through the infant days and the growing days; through the days of groping, the days when you sought the pleasures of the world, as well as the days when your heart began to respond to the pressure of the Master and the Angel, and the Holy Christ Self, and you began again to walk upward on the Mount of Attainment, toward the Shining Summit from whence one day you will hear the summons of your own God Self - 'Come Home, My Son - Come Home, My Daughter - it is finished.'.

"Oh, if I could convey to you the feeling that will enter into the deepest recesses of your being when you hear that call There will be nothing in the world of form that will hold you one instant from the dedication of the energies of your individual being to the weaving of those Garments of Immortal Light. Oh, you will serve true, for in the service do you weave the colors into your Causal Body and draw pure electronic light into the Earth's atmosphere and bless it with your own feeling of God Love, which becomes part of the raising activity of your lifestream and the entire Earth.

"Remember, My Children, in service do not neglect your own individual application 5 for it is your soul that must become as white as snow; it is your feeling world that must be non-recordant to discord. It is your mind which must be cleared of all human concepts; for you cannot take soiled garments into the Realms of Eternal Perfection. When the Clarion Voice of your "I AM" Presence speaks, and you must respond, it is the application that you have made through the energies of your own world that will determine the condition in which you will stand before the Lords of Karma.

"The Karmic Board performs a merciful activity of life, but those above whose heads have stood that Dove of Light - those who have been given the privilege of embodiment where the Ascension is a possibility, are measured by a strict code. It is not lightly that the final Earth body is built, into which the soul is judged at the close of the Earth life when such opportunity has been given and NEGLECTED.

"Children, it has been a long journey; ages and ages have passed since you looked upon the Father's Face. Cycles of time have come and gone since the shining Presence of the Angelic Host walked with man, since the Deva in tree, in flower, in ocean and in mountain was revealed to the physical sight. The Earth is in a sorry state. It is Our hope and desire - through you, to return her again to that early perfection she once knew.

"Why We do come and speak with you? In order that you may understand something of Our Service at Inner Levels and, in understanding, cooperate with Us. Oh, Children! so many centuries mankind have listened to the Law, have read the Law - (within the Vedas of India is the fullness of Truth) and yet how few people are released from the wheel of Birth and Death in a century?

"We are at the end of a cycle of time and We come again, to speak with man but not just to entertain the intellect, not just to soothe the feelings, though God knows that is part of Our intent.

"Now accept the Love of One Who has given you your breath, and one day, when your journey is done, I will stand by your side and accept your final breath, so never fear that change and transition which some call death, but in dignity and honor, when your Call comes to return the breath, I shall be waiting to receive it and you shall pass in honor, with the Dove above your head, into the Halls of Karma, and receive the Wreath of Victory and become an Ascended Being."

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CHOHAN SERAPIS' TALK

It was given January 19, 1954, to the students. ("Bridge", Series II, Book IV, p. 2 )

" . . . In the Fourth Sphere - which it is My privilege and honor to guard - dwell the Holy Christ Selves of the human race. Here these magnificent God-Free Beings worship together in Temples of such magnitude that many millions may gather and send up adoration through song and the spoken word. Here I become well acquainted with the divine pattern of every ego who belongs to the evolution presently enjoying progress upon the Planet and around it. There comes a time in this sphere, during the long course of evolution, when the Holy Christ Self of an individual, will signify by Its auric light that the ego or personality which it has sustained, has attained to a point of evolution wherein the Ascension of that ego is a possibility through the sublimation or transmutation of the outer self. These particular Christ Selves are then drawn together and segregated from the great mass. They enter into special Temples, under the direction of the Angels of the Ascension Flame. Here they receive instruction from Those of Us, Who are dedicated to the education of the consciousness in the drawing of the Sacred Fire which makes possible a final transmutation of consciousness.

"These Holy Christ Selves abide within these Ascension Temples and in each twelve month cycle, when the Lords of Karma announce in every one of the Seven Spheres, how many lifestreams are to be admitted to incarnate in the course of that year, it is My opportunity to suggest a certain number from the Ascension Temple who are to join the incarnating egos who will take embodiment within that year. This ensures entrance into the Earth, every year of the maximum number of lifestreams who could attain their freedom with self-conscious endeavor.

"From each of the other six spheres the Chohan in charge draws the lifestreams representative of His Ray. These are all presented to the Lords of Karma, in a magnificent ceremony which yet has much sadness in it because there are so many more applicants than those to whom it is possible to give opportunity. The Lords of Karma then must segregate from this number the small few who are offered incarnating privileges - the others returning again to their respective spheres until the passing of some soul from the Earth makes room for another incarnation. . . . "

"If a man could see how much of energy - how much of time and prayer and application goes into the drawing from these inner spheres of each lifestream who is taken within the compass of Our aura be fore the Lords of Karma in the hope that a flesh body might be allowed them, they would not weary so easily of life or rebel at the opportunity of each day, worse still, they would not snuff out that life and withdraw themselves from the appearance world. 6

"The priceless gift of life is so little understood by even the most advanced chela. We stand by those whom We have sponsored, those who live because of the petitions We have placed before the Karmic Board and so often rebellion and discontent is Our reward. If man understood these things, his first gesture in the morning would be to bend the knee of the outer self in gratitude for the opportunities that life offers him. . . "

"When the Karmic Board designates the lifestreams that are to enter the earth plane, each one of the Chohans takes back into the Temples in His Own Sphere those who come under His particular supervision and guidance. For a longer or shorter period of time, He prepares them through radiation, if they are spiritually undeveloped and by conscious instruction if they are chelas. Then these great friends stand at the gates of birth enfolding the incarnating souls with the blessing of Their Flame and Ray as they pass through into the world of form.

"Here I digress for a moment into My own activity, which you can duplicate in your own minds for any one of the other Chohans. . . . "

"Those whom We have trained in the action of the Ascension Flame, for instance, - and those still on the Earth who are ready to accept it - are particularly blessed because a Brother or a Sister from the Realm of Bey (Serapis) is given charge over the lifestreams. These become sponsor and guardian throughout the entire Earth life wherever the individual incarnates and according to the response of the outer self to the inner intuition and light in the heart and the promptings of the attending member of the Ascension Brotherhood. Every conceivable way, means, shape and manner is used to stimulate the heart's desire for freedom. It is one of the tragedies of life when those who have been marked for the Ascension return Home without taking full advantage of the opportunities given them.

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We are very happy, at present, because so many of the lifestreams in their great scheme of evolution are taking advantage of the magnificent opportunities within their grasp and the incarnating egos that are coming to Earth within the next twenty years (talk was given in 1952) have unprecedented opportunities offered them. Now, through the great kindness of Lord Michael, We have been told that many, many thousands of souls of varying degrees of advancement are to be prepared at inner levels for the Ascension, without the necessity of re-embodiment. With this purpose in view, they are being taken to the great Ascension Temples, in each one of the Seven Spheres, which are all snow white in appearance, something like alabaster. In each one of these Temples, Brothers and Sisters of the Ascension shall remain permanently and, through the souls of the enrolled members, the Ascension Flame will be passed, as well as through all their inner bodies, until they come to a point where their consciousness can absorb a little of the understanding of the Law. . . . "

"You see, it is one thing to take a consciousness that has an understanding of the Law and develop that, but it is quite another thing to take an orthodox consciousness who has been given a grant of grace and transmute the energies in the one's world. This can be accomplished only through the action of the Sacred Fire and it is My desire, at this moment, to ask for volunteers to give their time in the Temples at night, to pass the Flame through these souls whom Michael has sworn to give their freedom. This would greatly hasten the preparation of those egos and it would show the Karmic Board in the coming six months, what a Dispensation of such great scope can do for the evolution of the entire world. . . . "

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FOOTNOTES - CHAPTER 27

1. " . . . None of you who are in this Activity (which is to expand the Light of the world) are individuals who have just awakened from the sleep of the senses. You are all students of the Law back unto the beginning of individualization upon this Planet. Most of you were students of the Law on other Planets and on other Systems before you offered to become guardians of the race which was to use the Earth as a schoolroom for its evolution. Then when you, too, took the choice of embodiment you retained within your etheric garment the understanding of the Cosmic Law and its various aspects. You were teachers in all the great civilizations and Golden Ages that have been. You taught the Law! You manifested the Law! All of that momentum is within your etheric consciousness and it is one reason why you responded in this embodiment to the call of Saint Germain for it stirred within you the memory of your experiences and you were able to confirm within your feeling world the reality of the Ascended Host and the possibility of creating on this Earth a permanent Golden Age which would know no disintegration, decay or limitation, but which would, according to God's Holy Will, be sustained forever. . . . " (The Chohan Morya, "Bulletin", Vol. 6, #8)

1A. The Ecumenical Synod of Nicea took place at 325 A. D.

(2) " . . . Whatever Dispensation is granted to mankind by the Spiritual Hierarchy, and later is suspended, it is suspended because the investment from above was not balanced by work below . . .

The Christian Dispensation, which has functioned in blessing life for two thousand years, lived on the vital energies of Jesus in these works which He pressed into the three short years of His conscious ministry. After His passing, it lived on the magnetic forcefield drawn by Mary, His Mother, the Disciples, and the Apostles, which during the thirty years She remained after His Ascension, was stored into the etheric substance of the lower atmosphere of Earth. It was then easily accessible to the Christians up to and through the fourth century after His Physical Presence had Ascended. That is why the early Christians were so vitalized with the power of Light. The sustaining of the Christian Dispensation, making possible the radiation vitalizing it since that time, has been due to the few who, beyond the fourth century mark were able to individually, and in small communities, pierce into the highest octaves, connect with the Presence of Jesus and, through themselves paying the balance for the Christians who followed the teachings, set forth to the best of their abilities---."(The Maha Chohan in address of February 4, 1954. "Bridge", September, 1954, p. 7)

Discussing the Spiritual Powers of Jesus, and comparing them to the "I AM" Presence of the Students, the Maha Chohan said the following: (Special Gift Letter, March, 1963)

" . . . A little further thought will show you that the same powers are within your own "I AM" Presence, for the Presence of God in Jesus and in you are ONE - it is merely the knack of releasing those powers by your constant attunement and your calls to your Presence that you must learn to be like Him - and Practice makes perfect . . .

By practicing I mean contemplating the God Powers that flow through the lifestream in even the smallest daily activity.

Now, the God Power allotted the average man is less than ten percent of the Great God Power of each one's "I AM" Presence, but of that ten percent, people use less than one hundredth of one percent, which provides for the functions of the body and the limited intelligence within the brain, the beat of the heart, etc., the other nine-tenths of the God energy passes through the body completely unused.

If any student were to draw forth from within the ten percent of energy, which is automatically released from his "I AM" Presence, the Gifts and Powers that are contained within that ten percent, he would stand out from among mankind as a being from another more evolved Planet and when such a one taps the entire reserve of the Presence, the Earth could no longer hold him. . . . "

3. In a message to the students of "The Bridge to Freedom", Sanat Kumara said the following:

"Dearly Beloved children, Sacred Chalices of the Most High Living God, abiding yet upon the Planet Earth, I come to you today as the opportunity is provided Me to say just a few words to you about the activities of Beloved Serapis, present Hierarch of the Retreat at Luxor.

Much has been written about the sacrifice of Beloved Lady Venus, and My humble Self, but little of My Son Serapis' tremendous Service to the Planet Earth.

[Lunaria]

Much has been written about the sacrifice of Beloved Lady Venus, and My humble Self, but little of My Son Serapis' tremendous Service to the Planet Earth.

His dedication to carrying out the Plan of the Father-Mother God, in the externalization of the Kingdom of Perfection hereon is matched only by His determination to carrying out the Divine Edict in this regard.

Think of His Great Sacrifice in this dedication, for it is ordained that He shall succeed Me in the office of Sanat Kumara, as the evolutionary changes take place.

Ponder deeply what I have just stated and invoke the tremendous determination and dedication of the Mighty Serapis to become an integral part of your being.

In Holy and devoted Divine Love, I enfold you in the Blessing of the Beautiful Lady Venus, all the Kumaras and My humble Self." ("Bridge", April, 1967, p. 22).

4. There is a case, quoted by Beloved Jesus, of an individual who refused the Ascension when offered, but it took him eleven more re-embodiments before he was able to regain it.

5. What this "individual application" is and what it does imply, we see in the following "Code of Conduct" prepared by the Maha Chohan Himself for His disciples. "Code of Conduct For A Disciple of the Holy Spirit".

A. Be conscious ever that thou aspirest to the fullest expression of God, and devote all thy being and thy service to that end, as expressed so ably in the First Commandment.

B. Learn the lesson of harmlessness; neither by word nor thought, nor feeling inflict evil upon any part of Life. Know that action and physical violence are but the lesser part of the sin of harmful expression.*

C. Stir not a brother's sea of emotion, thoughtlessly or deliberately. Know that the storm in which thou placest his spirit will sooner or later flow upon the banks of thine own lifestream-rather bring tranquility to life and be as the Psalmist so ably puts it "oil on the troubled waters".

D. Disassociate thyself from the personal delusion. Let self-justification never reveal that thou dost love the self more than the harmony of the universe. If thou art right, there is no need to acclaim it; if thou art wrong, pray for forgiveness. Watching the self, thou wilt find the rising tides of indignation among the more subtle shadows on the path of Right, called "self-righteousness".

E. Walk gently through the Universe, knowing that the body is a Temple in which dwelleth the Holy Spirit that bringeth peace and illumination to life everywhere. Keep thy Temple always in a respectful and cleanly manner as befitting the habitation of the Spirit of Truth. Respect and honor in gentle dignity all other Temples, knowing that ofttimes within a crude exterior burns a greater Light.

F. In the presence of Nature, absorb the beauties and gifts of Her Kingdom in gentle gratitude. Do not desecrate Her by vile thoughts or emotions, or by physical acts that despoil Her virgin beauty.

G. Do not form, or offer opinions unless invited to do so, and then only after prayer and silent invocation for guidance.

H. Speak when God choosest to say something through thee. At other times, remain peacefully silent.

I. Make the ritual of thy living, the observance of God's rules, so unobtrusive that no man shall know that thou aspirest to Godliness, lest the force of his outer will might be pitted aginst thee, or lest thy service become impinged with pride.

J. Let thy heart be a song of gratitude that the Most High has given into thy keeping the Spirit of Life which, through thee, chooses to widen the borders of His Kingdom.

K. Be alert always to use thy faculties and the gifts loaned unto thee by the Father of all Life, in a manner to extend His Kingdom.

L. Claim nothing for thyself, neither powers nor principalities, any more than thou claimest the air thou breathest or the Sun; using them freely, but knowing the God-ownership of all.

M. In speech and action, be gentle, but with the dignity that always accompanies the Presence of the Living God that is within the Temple.

N. Constantly place all the faculties of thy being, and all the inner unfoldment of thy nature, at the feet of the God-power, especially when endeavoring to manifest perfection through one in distress.

O. Let thy watchwords be gentleness, humility, and loving service, but do not allow the impression of humility to be mistaken for lethargy. The servant of the Lord, like the Sun in the Heavens, is eternally vigilant and constantly outpouring the gifts which are in his particular keeping.

[Lunaria]

In an address given to the students of "The Summit Lighthouse" July 3, 1965, Chohan Morya related an experience he had as a Mogul Emperor.

" . . . I remember long ago, during the period when I was a Mogul Emperor in India, that there was a certain Princess who had her heart set on capturing My love and so she did everything that was in her power to extend to Me the face of "Sweetness and Light", and she determined that she would win My hand in marriage.

"Well, there came a time when I could no longer keep from declaring My heart, for she confronted Me forthrightly and demanded that if I did not tell her, she would perform an act that would have endangered a member of My family who was most dear to Me and, therefore, under this duress and strain, and being cornered by a woman's scorn, I did reveal to her that I was without love for her in that way.

"She then immediately opened her mouth and poured a stream of vehemence at Me that was most frightful to behold. She returned home and that night she broke out with a plague similar to smallpox. Her entire body was absolutely filled with sores and all types of affliction; for she did not realize that I was even then in a great and holy attunement with God, and every word which she brought forth to her lips and spoke to Me had the sting of an adder and the curse of a viper in it, and by the great Power of the Law, it returned to her physical body to wreak havoc upon frame. . . . "

6. In the following, Archangel Uriel, in a talk given to the students May 16, 1954, in Philadelphia, referring to the souls which were allocated for re-embodiment by the Karmic Board for that year, said:

" . . . There are some three hundred million lifestreams who have passed by the Karmic Board, all of whom have vowed to serve the Light according to their capacity - but many inner vows are never kept. However, they bind the lifestream and sometime, somewhere, those vows must be fulfilled.

"Of these three hundred million, about one out of every three will lose his body before he receives it. This is a sad but true fact - "You have your stillborns, your abortions, your miscarriages. You have the many embodied lifestreams who will rebel furiously at being caused to fulfill the service for which they engage their senses and so, out of three hundred million, not all will incarnate. ---Those who do so lose it suffer terribly. Imagine being passed by the Karmic Board, then losing opportunity to incarnate. It is a great trial. The individuals are picked out and given a chance. Two people have been denied incarnation so that they can come in, and then, just when the body is fashioned, it is destroyed and that opportunity is lost. That is, also, call for sadness and rebellion---." ("The Seven Archangels Speak", p. 139, 142).