- Delivered at the Quest Conference 1992
The Age of Aquarius draws ever closer. Even if we cannot put an exact date on it, we can feel the reverberations already, both personally and in the world at large. The Age of Aquarius is coming as surely as day follows night. What will it bring, what shape will it take? It will take the shape that we give it, for we shall all be containers of the Aquarian energy according to our own light. We can expect the concept of the universal family to become a working principle, guiding the practical shape of affairs in the world. We can expect technology to bring us global communication, to make neighbours of us all and to remind us even more clearly that we share the same home, planet earth. This process is already well established. We may also expect an influx of spiritual force and a resultant spiritual quickening among many people which will manifest and new movements of mass consciousness. This quickened vibration will prove initiatory in its effect. It will put humanity to the test Can we contact, hold and integrate the Aquarian energy or will we be carried away on an ' Aquarian high'. It will be only too easy to do that.
The Aquarian energy has already been at work, most notably since the sixties, the first era of mass gatherings, spiritual seeking and considerable burnout. Since then the Aquarian movement has gathered a considerable momentum of its own as it has settled into many new forms of expression. Anyone involved with the New Age movement for more than a decade will have experienced the quickening pace of change. We now stand at a very important point in time. The Age of Pisces is at our backs, the Door of the Age of Aquarius stands ajar.
Every age has its priesthood. The priesthood of the Piscean age was and still is a male priesthood representing a male deity. The Age of Aquarius will have its priesthood too. We as forerunners of the age to come, can do more than a plant a seed. Yet the seed contains the blueprint of the whole. We should therefore go about out work with great care. We are the seed bearers. It is impossible not to notice the spiritual vacuum which has fallen upon our society. Yet as Nature abhors a vacuum, the very decline of orthodox, organised religion has given rise to a new spiritual search which is committed, personalised and heartfelt. From the outside this movement can appear disorganised, fragmented, even chaotic. Aquarian energies take many forms and work in many different ways.
Many people have been genuinely moved by the Aquarian spirit. The priesthood of the New Age will surely come from this group. Priesthood continues to perform a specialised function, mediating between the supra- mundane and the mundane levels, the physical and the non-physical planes. The Piscean priesthood limited this function to a single mediator. The Aquarian priesthood will reclaim the mediating function. In ancient priesthoods those who directly impersonated the gods were few in number in relation to the whole. These priests and priestesses were drawn from a special class and took the major roles in sacred dramas. The inner priesthood has always stood as the guardians of Sacred Knowledge, the knowledge of what is ultimately real. If we wish to be heirs to that sacred tradition, we too must seek out who we are and what is real. To discover the true nature of self is the keynote of all living spiritual traditions.' Know Thyself ' has always been the clarion call of the Mysteries. Sacred Knowledge brings both responsibility and personal change. As consciousness expands aspirations change radically. If we seek to become practitioners of the sacred, we must be prepared to work with personal and transpersonal consciousness, to build the rainbow bridge, the Antakarana which is the channel between the mundane and the supra-mundane. Building the rainbow bridge is the Great Work itself. It is the living bridge between spirit and matter. The work of transformation begins here in Malkuth. It commences when we step onto the Path. Building the Antakarana represents the work of a lifetime, indeed of many lifetimes. Contrary to popular belief, following a path of spiritual unfoldment is not a matter of discarding material values and adopting DIY spirituality. The inner path takes us deeply into the psyche and its working dynamics. We acknowledge the function of a psychiatrist if we need to unravel the workings of the mind. We acknowledge the function of psychotherapist when we wish to untangle mind and emotions. We need to acknowledge the function of the metaphysician when we wish to consciously journey into transpersonal regions. A priest or priestess is a trained metaphysician, a midwife to the birth of higher consciousness, a transpersonal facilitator.
Where is this training to be found ? The Age of Pisces trained and created priests in its own image. The Age of Aquarius will assuredly do the same but in another manner. The creation of institutional structures belong to the past. The Aquarian modus operandi is typically flexible, rising and falling according to inner impetus and outer need. It is unlikely that we will see the emergence of an organised and outwardly recognised Aquarian priesthood in the near future. This is not the Aquarian way. Groups will come and go. There will be fluidity of movement and organic growth. In the past the road to priesthood was perfectly clear. Now the student will have to search diligently and fully exercise Discrimination, the Virtue of Malkuth.
The priesthood was once tucked away behind temple walls, now it functions in the world. Aquarian individuals may well function in a dual capacity as workers in the mundane and spiritual world. The astrological sign for Aquarius is itself dual. This inner priesthood will be directly empowered by inner plane teachers but will work directly in the world. We need to take the concept of priesthood from the ritual circle to the real world. If esoteric teaching is to have any value it must relate to the world. It must enhance and enrich our understanding of the world in which we live. It must inform our actions, inspire our creativity, enlarge our vision and support our decisions.
The Tibetan who wrote through Alice Bailey for some thirty years held out a fascinating and significant vision of the time in which we now find ourselves." Little groups will spring up here and there whose members respond to the new note. Little by little these groups will come to know one another and meet at set times and places. These will come to mutual conferences and with no desire to impress one another and with no thought of relative numerical strength. They have no teaching to give of a doctrinal nature. They will endeavour to employ each others terms, to familiarise themselves with each others approach to reality and symbology. Later as a result of their telepathic relationship and their united conferences, there may emerge certain esoteric groups and schools for development." These words were written in the 1930's. We may recognise ourselves in the accuracy of the prediction. Nowadays it is possible and quite acceptable for groups from different esoteric traditions to work together. The training itself unites across the traditions and we are all turning to face the Aquarian vibration.
The Tibetan, prophetic in so many ways outlined the development of ten Aquarian seed groups. The work of these ten groups might of course be aligned to the Tree of Life. The following attributions are entirely personal. The reader is perfectly free to draw different conclusions.
The Ten Seed Groups of Aquarius -The Priesthood of the New Age?
- Kether - The Telepathic Communicators - the custodians of group purpose mediating directly between the spiritual and the material. The consciousness of this group serves as the living bridge, the group antakarana.
- Chokmah - The Trained Observers - seers who work with a highly developed intuition to see clearly through all events . They dispel the glamour of the astral plane but are not part of it.
- Binah - The Creative Workers - visionaries working to synthesise the impetus of the nine groups.
- Chesed - The Workers in the Field of Religion - working to formulate a new platform for loving synthesis between current world religions.
- Geburah - The Political Organisers - working with governments to solve international problems.
- Tiphareth - The Psychologists - working to relate soul and personality through a unified theory of being.
- Netzach - The Educators - working to bring in a new type of spiritually based culture.
- Hod - The Scientific Servers - working to establish the spiritual nature of scientific revelation.
- Yesod - The Magnetic Healers - working with the subtle spiritual energies to bring about healing of the whole being.
- Malkuth - Financiers and Economists - working to bring in new ideals of Sharing.
In the ancient priesthoods Sacred Knowledge had many branches including healing, education, scientific study, a rich cultural and artistic expression even political and economic influence. Above all its mediating priesthood transmitted guidance from the inner custodians of current tradition. The days of the enclosed temple estates are gone. The temple is now the world itself. The Age of Aquarius will need many priests and priestesses, each confirmed in the knowledge of their own spiritual nature, each in touch with the inner realms, each granted the right to be a part of the priesthood by the inner custodians themselves. The Company of Aquarius Find yourself standing in your own sacred space. This may be a magic circle, a room set apart, a temple, a grove of trees. You may choose to be alone, or you may find yourself surrounded by the companions of your own tradition. Simply find yourself in your own sacred space in whatever way feels most appropriate to you. The sacred symbols of your own tradition are about you. Acknowledge them and offer respects in whatever way you wish. Now in your own way call upon the deity of your heart. If you feel unable to call upon a particular deity, visualise a figure in whom you have absolute trust. Await their coming with joy.
Your deity or guide will lead you on a journey away from the security of familiar territory into new realms.
Take your guide's hand. Now in an instant Earth falls away to reveal a night sky. Your guide steps onto a path which is invisible to you. You are safe through the love and trust that there is between you. The path sweeps upwards into the sky like an invisible highway. See the beauty of the night sky. You travel together amidst the wonders of space. Now your speed begins to lessen. You are in the depths of space close to your guide. Be assured that all is well. Now from all directions, pin points of light emerge from the darkness. They draw closer to you moving at enormous speeds. The lights grow brighter and you see that here are other deities with their charges each surrounded by a brilliant light.
There is a convergence of hearts and minds as the assembly grows. Look about. Here are many deities you have not approached before and here are some you already know. Greet each other with open hearts and minds here in the glow of these glorious energies. In the distance another light appears, fast moving, brilliant. It grows larger all the time. The company falls quiet. Everyone watches as a form coalesces. It is a craft, a vessel. It is the Boat of Millions of Years. It draws close and waits beside the group. It awaits you. Before you step in, look far below. The planet Earth glows like a jewel against the dark sky. It is one world hanging in space. From your vantage point send your love to this troubled and torn world. Now it is time for the real journey to begin. Step into the vessel. Your deities will await your return. The vessel pulls away suddenly, moving at tremendous speed. It seems to be powered by an unseen and unknown force. It moves silently and without effort. Look about. Here are stars, galaxies and worlds unknown. Yet this is all one creation. The vessel continues on its way moving faster. Earth is far away. Be assured that you are safe. The Aquarian traveller need have no fear. The vessel comes to a halt as suddenly as it began. You are in the depths of space. About you, there are pinpricks of light and in the distance one especially bright, white star which radiates a piercing light.
You wait in the silence of space. Unexpectedly as you watch it seems that you perceive a movement in the background, as if you had caught a star in the act of moving. Like a stone dropping into a pool, a ripple begins to move through space. Even the vessel seems to rock as a wave flows beneath the craft. The steady rippling grows into a pattern of regular waves like gentle movements upon the surface of the ocean. Attune yourself to this pattern and its rhythm. If your inner hearing is sharply attuned you will also hear a note vibrating in harmony with pulse of the flowing energy. This is the Aquarian vibration emanating from planes of mind far beyond our own. In this moment you stand in direct contact with the custodians and inner minds of this new impulse. Speak what is in your heart.
Choose your words with care, for at this level thoughts have a reality of their own. Offer the highest that you have to the Custodians of Aquarius, that you in turn may become the custodians of your rightful portion. Listen, open your heart and mind to the voice of wisdom and inspiration. Soon we must begin our return to the Earth where the Aquarian energies will manifest. Prepare to take your leave of this place. Bid farewell. Your vessel begins to move, slowly at first but with an ever increasing speed. You hold on to your thoughts in case you forget the small voice of inspiration. Looking out you see the assembled deities and guides awaiting your return. The vessel comes to a halt. There is a warm embrace for each traveller. But we still have far to travel, bid farewell to this assembly. Your own deity will carry you back to the security of the earth plane.
The journey back to terra-firma is rapid. You find yourself in your own sacred space. Give thanks to those who served you as guides. They will now depart leaving you to return to waking consciousness. Hold the full memory of your experience in heart and mind.
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