An eternally advancing horizon
Following the arduous testing of Scorpio, Sagittarius is viewed esoterically as a sign of balance with no extremes. This is so because the Archer, symbolic of Sagittarius, has to maintain a steady stance in order to direct the arrow of vision towards its intended target—an apt metaphor for the attributes necessary for advancement on the spiritual path. Direction is a major theme in Sagittarius, particularly as it pertains to visualization of a goal. Visualization is always a directing energy, we’re told, employed to bring about a specific desired effect when it’s followed by an interior process that works with energy rather than simply diffused desire. To fulfill this objective requires more than the intellect; only the intuition can propel the searcher towards the goal, Alice Bailey wrote. Idealism is needed as well, perhaps because a spiritual goal is similar to a moving goalpost—ever looming ahead on an eternally advancing horizon. This is the implication of the keynote of Sagittarius: I see the goal. I reach that goal and then I see another.
Belief must ever be the first stage in striving towards a goal. By beginning with a theory, followed by experimentation, realization is achieved. In this way the seeker moves beyond wishful thinking or those illusory concepts that seem utterly convincing but are not sustained by evidence. It’s imperative that we test our beliefs. Perhaps that is one reason why a favored technique of spiritual training is the use of hints. Rather than declarative statements, which can deprive the seeker of the opportunity to learn through experiment and experience or, worse, can be coercive or deceptive, a hint provides a clue but nothing more, leaving it to the seeker to test it out on his or her own. That is why the theme of direction underlies the system of giving hints, for, as Alice Bailey wrote, the key to the correct interpretation of a hint lies in its association with the idea of direction.
Developing a keen sensitivity to spiritual direction begins by listening inwardly to the soul’s subtle promptings, examining the motivations and imagining their probable results through the power of thought. Learning to evaluate all soul and personality activities in terms of the Plan, as one understands it, is invaluable training in setting goals. However, at a time when hatred and violence are raging in so many parts of the world, the Plan can seem to be delayed or even delusional, but despair does not constitute a vision, it’s said. The writings of Alice Bailey urge us, “So hold the inner vision steadily and have that long patience which endures through the lesser cycle, because the key to the greater cycle has been held with firmness.” When the vision shifts from a focus on external circumstances to an interior process of directing spiritual energy on subjective causal levels, aspiration conforms itself to the Plan.
The seeker has to know the self as the director of forces, rather than as a buoy bobbing on the waves of an ocean. Taking the post of the observing Director of one’s life requires both detachment and trust in the beneficence of Deity. The Pole Star that exists in space is emblematic of the internal pole star that dwells within each human soul—a “star of direction” which unfailingly leads to an awakening sense of purpose. In the natural world we find a resplendent demonstration of the evolutionary power of direction through experiment and experience, and as our understanding of the synthesis of the natural realm deepens, we gain a clearer sense of the purpose that seeks to work out through our own little human lives.
I see the goal. I reach that goal and then I see another. What the ultimate goal might be lies beyond our grasp. All that we can surmise is that the spectrum of manifestation, from the tiniest atom of matter up to and including the seven solar systems, is encompassed within a great Life known only as THE ONE ABOUT WHOM NOUGHT MAY BE SAID, and Its Purpose is intuitively sensed as wholly good.
