The annals of human time are punctuated with a chorus of voices cautioning humanity against a presumptive attitude of privilege and power. None quite so succinctly as Pascal: “The narrow limits of our Being conceal Infinity from our view.” Blaise Pascal was a French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist who lived in the seventeenth century and wrote these words on a scrap of paper. They were later included in a well-known compilation work published shortly after his death, ‘Pensées’’, or ‘Thoughts.’
On the surface, the meaning of Pascal’s thought appears to be transparent, obvious. On subtler levels, the intuitive intent of his words points to a deep comprehension of the vital role of humility. To be born into this world with humility seems one of the kindest gifts that Spirit can bestow upon an incarnating soul. Especially given the harsh reality that the rest of us spend years, decades, and in some cases entire lifetimes struggling to come to terms with what humility actually means, where it comes from, and its predestined role in our collective journey towards harmonic Oneness.
From the perspective of personality, birth is Life; and death is the-never-to-be-spoken-of-event which lies in the far distant future. From the perspective of Soul, birth becomes Death; and real Life is the-yearned-for-return-to-One upon the completion of a chosen purpose. For Soul whose existence is defined by union, synthesis, and wholeness to abruptly become an infinitesimal fragment of itself, locked within the material form and shape of a human being, is shocking at best.
To have known the completeness of One; then, find oneself fragmented into an individualized being can be a powerful lesson in understanding “a low esteem for one’s importance”, Webster’s definition of humility.
Yet, the soul’s connection to all-permeating and all-pervasive Spirit is not broken; but rather, it is masked. Hidden deep within the etheric shape is the living spark of Spirit’s eternal flame, placed precisely in time and quite specifically in space, at the exact moment of purposeful birth. Right now, on Earth there are 8.1 billion living sparks within the human kingdom; as well as countless billions more within the sub-human kingdoms carrying lit fragments of divinity.
From this spiritual perspective, the definition of humility becomes a proportional recognition of one’s importance based upon placement in time and space within the Whole of Life.
This transforms the arcane expression Freeing the Prisoners of the Planet into an image of evengreater significance. Freeing the Prisoners now becomes a deeply personal realization that each of us is a prisoner, right along with every other living being on the planet. This recognition invokes a meaningful pathway into humility which over time develops the free flow of harmlessness in thought, word, and deed. This shift in consciousness transcends the personality and forever alters an individual human life into a vibrant and wholistic spiritual life of living flame.
One of the goals of every disciple is the time-honored fusion of consciousness and heart through the energetic medium of the etheric body which then automatically widens their chosen field of service. This fusion can be jump-started by learning the lessons of humility.
True humility breaks the ancient seductive spell of human desires. Desires propel mankind headlong into the vibrating world of maya, illusion, duality, and darkness. Spiritual will leads every living being in the direction of ever-expanding waves of concentric radiating Light. Light reveals truth and beauty living above and beyond the darkness. Love and Light are Divine Expressions of Spiritual Will.
Within a human being, the expression of spiritual will is the actualized material manifestation of an inner fusion of consciousness achieved, in part, by awakening to the sense of belonging discovered within the contentment of humility. This is affirmed each time we utter the words: “O Thou in Whom we live and move and have our being, the Power that can make all things new.”
That which distinguishes spiritual will from human will can be discerned through an honest appraisal of intent. Human will inevitably reveals itself through personal stubbornness and willful disregard; spiritual will shines an open light upon a clear willingness to comply with all that is good and true, simply because nothing else in the world of form is of greater value.
The insidious culprit which triggers human willfulness is self-absorption. This highly addictive, private preoccupation with personality fuels an inflated sense of one’s importance. Conversely, when a more meaningful sense of other-absorption is allowed to flourish, the energies of existence rush in to rapidly rebalance the life force into a natural, easy equilibrium.
Of course, we tend to miss the mark with an unsettling regularity. We are spiritual beings living our lives in restrictive human forms. This makes us vulnerable to the litany of shortcomings and limitations implied by our very humanness. Yet, it is our shared vulnerability which serves our greater collective evolutionary growth and movement forwards into all that is good, true, and beautiful.
Visualize Whole, serve Whole, and therein become and know Whole.
Irritation with a coworker, impatience with a family member, anger at a stranger’s behavior, hurt feelings at an unintentional slight, these are but a few of the precious daily teachable moments we are given by Life.
By relying on spiritual will in our response, the lit flame of Spirit is strengthened, affirmed; and the outreach of loving light grows. Its divine touch comforts the most vulnerable amongst us, especially those harboring shifting shapes that are activated by radical mood swings, unmet desires, and uncontainable negative forces. These are the human beings struggling in the darkness whose ultimate release into Light can be aided by understanding the moment and responding with compassion.
We are sharing this long journey into Light. The quality of our sharing is entirely of our own making; and is ultimately revealed by the power of our choice. Bailey’s book, Discipleship in the New Age, Volume I, page 95, offers the following words: “…the very deep necessity for humility. That adjusted sense of right proportion which equips its possessor with a balanced point of view as to himself, his responsibilities, and his lifework.”
By choosing the contentment of humility we free not only ourselves, but more importantly, we invite all those around us to loosen the constraints of darkness and move with supple ease into the Light. Only then, will redemption, restoration, and resurrection become tomorrow’s fulfilled promise.
