There are a growing number of thinkers spanning continents and cultures who acknowledge the importance of goodwill in local, national and world affairs. Such is its significance that Alice Bailey, who wrote a number of books on spiritual philosophy, commented (many years ago): “In the word, Goodwill, the secret purpose of the planetary Logos is hidden”.
Our planetary Logos or Life, known by a number of divine appellations in various spiritual scriptures, such as the ‘One in Whom we live and move and have our being’, ‘Melchizedek’, ‘King of Righteousness’, the ‘Lord of the World’, ‘King of Salem’ and ‘Priest of the Most High God’, holds all within the circle of His divine love. Within the circumference or ring-pass-not of His eternal Will-to-Good and supreme sacrifice, all lives work out their predetermined purpose. Our work, in this unfolding planetary effort, is to bring goodwill from latency into objectivity. Goodwill, it is said, must become “active in expression and in tangible deed upon the physical plane”, and not ‘frozen’ or ‘trapped’ upon the higher planes. It needs physical anchorage in initiatives that serve the common good. And there are many today. Perhaps, this is testimony to the evolutionary process that there are now countless hundreds of thousands of people (and probably millions) worldwide, from different cultures, religions and races, who share a common vision of the working out of practical goodwill in constructive efforts around the world. Two spiritual initiatives that have been working for many years using and focusing on the energy of goodwill are: Triangles and the Goodwill Meditation Group. Others too are wielding this energy with skill in action. And the need is great.
A force for good
Humanity is awakening to its high calling of acting as a divine intermediary, as a force for good, in connecting the inner and outer levels of our planetary Life through a bridge in consciousness. Spiritual philosophy observes that “upon the shoulders of humanity rests unbelievable responsibility”. We are not privy to know exactly what was in the mind of the thinker when writing these words but perhaps the following ideas may provide a clue. It is not easy to visualise a future world in which every incarnating human being will wield love and light in accordance with divine Purpose, and with the same consummate ease that we presently express degrees of selfishness and self-interest. The potency of the human kingdom at that far distant date, on a planetary and solar scale, will be unimaginable. Not without good reason has it been said that through the instrumentality of humanity there will emerge upon earth “an outpost of the Consciousness of God in the solar system” and a focal point of such energy that “humanity – as a whole – can be a factor in the solar system, bringing about changes and events of a unique nature in the planetary LIfe and lives (and therefore in the solar system itself) and inducing an interstellar activity”. In one of her books, Alice Bailey further comments that through the human kingdom a station of light will develop which will serve “not only the planet, and not only our particular solar system, but the seven systems of which ours is one”. These are sobering and profound thoughts and allude to the noble and high destiny of the human family from a cosmic, systemic and planetary perspective. Millennia will pass before this comes to fruition but this far future vision gives an indication of the interconnectedness of life, and a growing recognition that all evolving lives, kingdoms of nature, planets, suns and beyond have a unique and indispensable part to play in the macrocosmic Whole, the Universe.
Shifts in consciousness
So, perhaps, it is not surprising that great and stirring events are unfolding upon the planet. The inflow of powerful conditioning energies impacting the human race has probably never been so challenging, stimulating, and exacting, pendant as we are between two great zodiacal cycles – the Piscean and Aquarian. If we try to penetrate deeper and see the underlying trends in consciousness, we see that there is purpose and objective behind the apparent turmoil of the outer world. Significant shifts in consciousness are playing out upon the world stage and a growing number of people sense the Aquarian principles of truth, cooperation, sharing and spiritual values. For example, who would have thought even fifty years ago that such terms as “the great family of nations” or “the international community” would have entered into mainstream thinking or for that matter the emergence of a growing worldwide movement focusing on environmental issues, social justice and the eradication of inequality. That all these, and more, are works in progress is undeniable, but nonetheless all are strands of a practical vision for a better world and shared by people of goodwill, by progressive governments, by international agencies and by NGOs the world over. Not only the physical, but the psychological consequences, of these positive developments will ultimately have a profound impact on human consciousness. They will lead to a world more at ease with itself.
Profound turning points
In the long course of human evolution profound turning points have dramatically and irrevocably altered the political,social and economic landscape of races and nations. One such example was ‘Magna Carta’ (translation from Medieval Latin: ‘Great Charter of Freedoms’), a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. And although its 800th anniversary was observed in 2015, we can still celebrate and reflect upon its significance today. It marked the beginning of the end of the absolute power of the monarchy. It has been described as “the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot”. Magna Carta, Alice Bailey commented, was an event influenced by that great spiritual Centre, Shamballa. Other great momentous ‘declarations, pronouncements, treaties and events’ in the realms of governance and law throughout history are well documented, Notable examples are the US Declaration of Independence, the French Revolution and the American Bill of Rights, and other constitutional and legal frameworks that served to foster better governance and legislation, to bring about a greater stability amongst nations, and to promote the freedom and responsibility of the individual in society. In more recent times, other examples of progressive thinking in the realms of declarations and treaties that span nations and national boundaries are the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’, and the ‘Treaty of Rome’, which established the European Economic Community, and subsequent treaties that gave rise to the European Union.
Another outstanding development of this progressive shift in consciousness and born out of a world ravaged by war and terrible suffering was the birth of the United Nations Organisation in 1945. Let us be mindful of Alice Bailey’s comments regarding this august organisation, although not without its flaws, but nonetheless a living testimony to the noble cause of human welfare: “Within the United Nations is the germ and the seed of a great international and meditating, reflective group – a group of thinking and informed men and women in whose hands lies the destiny of humanity”.
A cascade of crises
For the last few hundred years or so, groups of visionary thinkers have appeared and helped to lift the human family from relative darkness into a greater measure of light. This process is ongoing and inspired from the very heart of God upon our planet. But, even so, a ‘cascade of crises’ overshadows the planet. From environmental concerns, to the growing inequalities in society, and on to the acknowledgement of the right of every human being to live in dignity and freedom and not squalor and ‘imprisonment’, rises the cry of humanity. Their recognition and ultimate resolution are within the capacity of human thinking and creativity, but only if there is the collective (good)will, and resolve to do so.
A new vision dawns which will ultimately reveal that ‘goodwill exists everywhere’. It will lead to the release of weary and tried humanity into a not too distant era of better relations between nation states, communities, religions and individuals. It is all a question of time and much depends upon the work of spiritual groups, people of goodwill, progressive thinkers, and the elicit broad support of millions of decent and fair-minded people the world over. The tide is turning and we can all have a part to play in this unfolding planetary drama.
