Developing a sense of direction
The keynote of Sagittarius—I see the goal. I reach that goal and then I see another—presents us with one of those conundrums of the spiritual path. The Archer, we’re told, has to acquire and hold a steady eye, hand and stance prior to firing the arrow which leads to the destined goal. However, elsewhere in esoteric teaching we are reminded that blindness is a prelude to spiritual advancement at every stage. Why this is so is implied in the writings of Alice Bailey as a form of protection. “From the moment when a human being catches the first, faint glimpse of the ‘something other’—some dimly sensed, distant reality…blindness is imposed by the soul “. This enables the unfolding lessons of experience to take firm hold in the consciousness and thus prevent too rapid and superficial progress and the potential for over-stimulation. “It is depth and a profound ‘rootedness’” that are needed, she wrote; the effect of this is to throw the seeker back upon the personal self and its resources. The imposition of a type of spiritual blindness compels the seeker to look within rather than without—to find understanding not in the world of material living but through the effort to penetrate into higher levels of consciousness to extract meaning from any experience at any stage.
It takes effort, courage, dogged persistence and the willingness to face life as it is. Prior to the ascent up the mountain of initiation in Capricorn, the energies of Sagittarius require a level, stable foundation anchored in an orientation to truth and a commitment to reality. The goal envisioned can then be approached with clarity. As the ancient spiritual text The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali affirms, “Fiery effort, steady persistent longing and enduring faithfulness to the ideal visioned are the sine qua non of discipleship, for the devotion they inspire invokes soul vision and eliminates obstructions.”
Sagittarius is one of the intuitive signs, Alice Bailey wrote, for only the intuition will carry the aspirant to the foot of the mountain in Capricorn. The intuition leads the seeker forward on a path which requires a strong sense of direction, yet is without a map. Instead, the way forward is discovered through the awakening of a spiritual sensitivity which gradually awakens the intuition. We’re told that spiritual sensitivity to revelation is developed by creating a bridge between the emotional nature and the intuition, between the ideal (which is an elevated form of emotional desire) and the essential idea which is revealed by the intuition.
This helps us to understand why one of the major themes of Sagittarius is direction, and “There is no true direction apart from thought, and thought is power,” Alice Bailey wrote. The intuition is a function of the mind, and when rightly used, it enables the human being to grasp reality with clarity and to see that reality free from glamour and the world illusion. We are not bereft of resources, for esoteric teaching affirms that the cosmic energy of Intelligence conditions the very substance of our planet Earth. This implies that we live in an ocean of intelligence—that a vast reservoir of energy is available to the minds of human beings if they can attain mental balance and control the tidal wave of the emotions. (Water metaphors seem appropriate to express the flood of misinformation coursing throughout the world at this time.)
The mission of the world servers is to hold the vision of the Plan before the eyes of men, for “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Maintaining clarity of mind in a time when the forces of darkness, glamour and illusion seek to prevail is both a challenge and a profoundly needed service. The incremental nature of the path in Sagittarius (I see the goal. I reach that goal and then I see another)provides a key to the way forward, for in the present cycle proceeding with measured steps helps to preserve balance amidst the buffeting forces of a transitional era. The distant goal might be only dimly sensed but it provides a glimpse, a vision of what will be. “Today millions of servers are developing the power to think clearly and to wield the energy of thought. Those who can register patterns of thought can help to create thoughtforms for the future world culture and civilization”, Alice Bailey wrote. To this great planetary service all are summoned.
