Full Moon Festival in Aquarius London February 2015

Full Moon Festival in Aquarius London February 2015 Dominic Dibble Good evening and welcome to our group meditation meeting in the sign of Aquarius. Welcome also to everyone who is tuning in over the Internet. Aquarius is an especially significant sign for humanity at the moment, because the Ageless Wisdom indicates that we are currently shifting from a period or age governed by Pisces, of around 2,000 years, to the next 2,000 year age governed by Aquarius. So the energies of Aquarius are gradually exerting a larger and larger conditioning role on the consciousness of humanity as a whole. Yet this transition is still far from complete, and we can expect that over the next couple of centuries there will still be evidence of Piscean influences slowly dying out, while the Aquarian influences struggle to assert themselves. Detecting these effects is quite a tricky problem. We are talking about subtle yet far-reaching changes in human consciousness, taking place over time spans much longer than a human life. So, even though the Ageless Wisdom teachings give us some very useful hints, working out what sorts of changes we might expect does rely on a measure of guesswork. One area in particular where we can expect to see changes, and they are already beginning to become evident, is in a shift from a more mass approach to life towards an individualised one. At the same time, and initially on a smaller scale, we can also expect to see those who have already achieved an individualised approach to begin to move into that form of consciousness which is destined to be the crowning achievement of the Aquarian Age, namely, group consciousness. To examine these overlapping transitions in more detail, we can take examples from one of the main technologies that has emerged in this time of transition, namely, television. Television has been the dominant form of mass entertainment over the last 50 years. It is now facing a crisis of identity, as more and more people watch programmes in different ways via catch-up, over the internet, on their tablet or phone, in short extracts or watching entire series at a time. Also, both the sheer volume of content which it has generated over its existence, and the more advanced delivery mechanisms now available, mean that there is now a channel devoted to almost every topic under the sun. These facts suggest that the TV audience is becoming more differentiated and fragmented, with less and less likelihood that a particular event, like the shooting of JR Ewing, will be regarded as a cultural landmark. This fragmentation, or dis-integration, might seem disturbing at first glance, for if a culture begins to lose a sense of shared experience, isn t it in imminent danger of falling apart? This danger is particularly acute when other institutions are also undergoing similar processes: religion is a good example, where the ebb of Piscean energies means that fewer and fewer people have the comfort of a collective vision of life s ultimate purpose and meaning. Yet both of these examples can also be seen as evidence

for the success of the evolutionary process. Both demonstrate a rise in personality integration, with the individual increasingly thinking and discriminating with less regard for the mass response. Within the content of TV, we can see these processes going on. For example, the X factor is a good illustration of what we might call the glorification of personality, where an individual is plucked from relative obscurity and thrust headlong into the public gaze. Fame and its attendant glamours lie in wait for those who succeed. To use a relatively old-fashioned term, they are lionised, which shows the connection with Aquarius's opposite sign, Leo, which is very much a sign of individual achievement. Even the name of the competition is interesting from the standpoint of esotericism - for what is it that its creator, Simon Cowell, is seeking? - the X factor, the mysterious subtle quality that distinguishes a 'star' from a merely talented person, which makes their presence and actions magnetic, attracting attention, and ultimately, money. To be sure, the lavish way in which the competition is staged, with guest stars of world calibre, and elaborate light shows, may help make the competitors seem entertaining: but ultimately, it comes down to a simple question - is there something in their voice which compels attention? Perhaps this is why a competing TV singing show calls itself "The Voice", to suggest that it is less focused on glamorous production values. In any event, both these singing competitions, and other TV talent shows, highlight the way in which the creativity of the individual is now coming to the forefront of human consciousness. There has never been a time before this in which so much art is being produced and, almost immediately, consumed. This again shows the success of the evolutionary process, for even though much of what passes for art these days may be derivative or even decadent, the simple fact that it is being created shows that very many people are rapidly integrating the personality and finding their own personal vision. We could argue that the next natural step forward for someone who is developing their creativity, which, in the case of the X Factor is expressed through their voice, is to find a way to blend their voice with others. And sure enough, there are also TV shows where people band together to form a choir - the choirmaster Gareth Malone has had some success with this format on British television, bringing together amateurs who have previously never sung. However, this doesn't correspond directly with the evolutionary move forward from individual personality integration into group consciousness, because in a choir, there is not the emphasis on the distinctive quality of each person's voice, but rather a sort of averaging out, as the general range of the voice, whether soprano, alto, tenor or bass, is what determines the contribution each person will make. Arguably, this is still a phenomenon connected with mass consciousness. A similar situation is true in the orchestra, with each instrument

grouped together in sections - first violins, second violins, etc.. Imagine instead the challenge of directing an orchestra composed entirely of soloists; or a choir made up of 'superstars'. From the standpoint of the integrated personality, such an undertaking would appear doomed to failure, as each individual would be expected to try to make their own contribution more prominent than everyone else's, resulting in tremendous creative friction - a lot of heat with little light. Perhaps we might say that this is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, because, as noted earlier, we do live in a period where there are very many integrated personalities making their mark on the world stage, each with their own distinctive vision for the future. One billionaire is building rocket ships; another is managing a global humanitarian foundation; while yet another is warning of the perils of anti-democratic political movements. Which of them has the 'right' priorities? Answering the question from the angle of the personality is impossible, because the personality's viewpoint is limited to the three worlds and to a short time horizon. It is only when the group-conscious soul, whose instinct is world service, begins to energise the individual, that alignment with the Divine Plan becomes truly possible. Whether any of the billionaires mentioned above have reached this point is an interesting question. And of course, it is not just billionaires who run the world, although by the simple fact of their wealth they wield significant influence: politicians and religious leaders also wield power, and thus bear the heavy responsibility of learning to engage in the true cooperation that the soul bestows. It may be that, out of the gaze of the public, in such venues as the halls of the UN, or the various international gatherings such as the recently completed annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the beginnings of such cooperation are taking place. If so, the chances are that they are small-scale, i.e. involving few individuals at first, and experimental in scope, for it will be hard for such powerful personalities to lay aside the privileges of leadership and power that they have become used to in their own lives. So maybe a better analogy for these small-scale experiments would be a chamber group, or a jazz ensemble. In both these cases, musicians learn to listen very carefully to each other in order to create a sound which synthesises their particular talents. Are there examples of TV shows where such close cooperation exists? One possibility are the various series of Star Trek.

Before we talk about how Star Trek highlights the issues of individual creativity and close teamwork, let s pause for a few moments of silence, and then say together the Mantram of Unification: The sons of men are one and I am one with them. I seek to love, not hate; I seek to serve and not exact due service; I seek to heal, not hurt. Let pain bring due reward of light and love. Let the soul control the outer form, and life and all events And bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time. Let vision come and insight. Let the future stand revealed. Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone. Let love prevail. Let all men love. OM A key characteristic of the Star Trek version of the future which makes it relevant to thinking about the transition into the Aquarian Age is that it is actually quite close only about a century away, covering a period roughly from the 22 nd to the 24 th centuries. And a major difference between our civilisation and theirs is that, at around the turn of the 22 nd century, Earth makes the transition to what has been described as a post-scarcity economy. In broad terms, this means that individual members of society no longer need to worry about earning a living, as all basic goods such as shelter, utilities etc. are taken care of. This is in line with the Tibetan s remark that the great gift of the Aquarian Age to humanity will be sharing. How this sharing of planetary resources has been achieved is rather sketchy, but is presumably linked to advances in technology. This vision of how economic life might change in future is not particularly uncommon in science fiction, and has respectable roots: in 1930 the eminent economist John Maynard Keynes suggested that by 2030, a 15-hour working week would be the norm, and the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim recently suggested that we should move to a 3-day week. While one could focus on whether such a transition is possible in the current global situation, let s instead just suppose that it could happen. The result would be, for most people, even more time to develop their talents and interests. There would be

even more time for all forms of creativity, and also for meditation. So we could expect that the opportunity for the integration of the personality would increase. Would this necessarily be a good thing? Bear in mind that having many more integrated personalities would further increase the potential for conflict between them, particularly as the 4 th ray of Harmony through Conflict is the major conditioning ray of the fourth kingdom, humanity. In reference to this possibility of conflict, the Tibetan noted that, The Principle of Conflict has a close connection with the Path of Discipleship, and here lies the reason for the inclusive and synthetic aspect of the present world conflict... (Rays and Initiations, p.610). So conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. The natural human reaction is to avoid conflict, or, if it has begun, to seek to end it as swiftly as possible. But further on in the same passage, the Tibetan remarks, There could, however, be no disaster more serious than a too abrupt ending of this clash of the emotional reactions of humanity and of the current ideologies. It is essential that the issues become still clearer in the minds of men, prior to any final choice or decision. This must be remembered, and students would do well to avoid discouragement and train themselves to wait with spiritual optimism for the way of humanity to clear. Too prompt a choice at this time might prove only a makeshift decision and one based on expediency and impatience. (ibid., emph. added) So the purpose of conflict is to present the opportunity for clear decision, and it would seem that recognising the right time to bring a conflict to an end is the key to reaching harmony. In the Star Trek universe at least, this potential for conflict between creative integrated personalities was safely negotiated, at least on Earth, as the picture is presented of a planet at peace. What is also presented, in its depiction of the crew of a starship, is the next step forward, a study of integrated personalities working together as a group for a common purpose. Indeed, there is something in this vision which is almost protoashramic. For example, the structure of the crew is clearly hierarchical there is a captain; (which, etymologically, is closely related to the Latin for head ); there is a first officer; and, particularly in The Next Generation series, there are senior officers who form a kind of cabinet for consultation on major issues. Much of the drama in the series revolves around how the very different personalities of the crew combine effectively to resolve the challenges they face. Nevertheless, this is not to suggest the crew are a perfect example of group consciousness there are still personality conflicts and mis-understandings.

Rather, as we might expect from the fact that their adventures take place quite early on in the Aquarian Age, they represent a transitional phase towards a true ashramic group. Another notable similarity between the crew of a starship and an ashram is the fact that they are both assembled primarily for the carrying out of a specific mission. This is emphasised in the following passage from the Tibetan: It would be of benefit to you also to consider the Masters' Ashrams as expressions of the highest type of constructively functioning groups. There exists amongst its personnel a complete unity of purpose and an utter dedication (without any reservations, as far as the disciple involved is concerned) to the furthering of the immediate ashramic enterprise. The position of the Master at the centre of the group has no relation to that of a teacher at the centre of a group of learners and devotees, such as we have learned to recognise in this Piscean Age. He is the centre simply because through the quality of His vibration, through karmic ancient relationship and through the invocative demand of disciples, initiates and some aspirants, He has gathered them together in order to further the ends of His ashramic enterprise; He has not gathered them together in order to teach them or to prepare them for initiation as has hitherto been taught. Aspirants and disciples prepare themselves for the processes of initiation by becoming initiated into the mysteries of divinity through discipline, meditation and service. (DINA Vol. II, pp.103-4) One final aspect of Star Trek which reveals the high ideals underlying the operation of Starfleet is the Prime Directive, which is the principle that personnel should refrain from interfering in the natural, unassisted, development of societies, even if such interference is well-intentioned. The Prime Directive was viewed as so fundamental that officers swore to uphold it, even at the cost of their own life or the lives of their crew. This principle of noninterference is strongly reminiscent of the Hierarchy s own method of operation, for the Tibetan makes it clear in a number of places that it would be counterproductive for the Hierarchy to solve humanity s problems for us directly we must reach the stage of recognising them and tackling them on our own. So let s now enter into meditation, with the intention that the Aquarian energies we contact will help Humanity make a safe transition into an era of sharing, creativity and purposeful group service. Our seed thought is Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men.