Today, as Planetary Servers oriented towards Goal 6.3 of the evolutionary Plan, dedicated to “Communion with the World of Ideas”, we celebrate the entry of the Sun into Libra – which marks the September equinox and the interlude in which light and darkness are equal across the earth – by solemnly affirming the tenth of the 12 Assertions of the One Humanity*:
Humanity balances Spirit and Matter
A passage from Agni Yoga takes us straight into the heart of this statement and into the essence of the work of the Masters:
When humanity will come to understand the Cosmic Oneness, the cosmic construction will be affirmed. The chief task of humanity is to unite the world of matter with the world of spirit. […] The striving of an Agni Yogi and the work of the centers help to determine the cosmic consciousness. Therefore, the most important affirmation of the energy is the broadening of consciousness. The creativeness of Our Brothers is directed toward the development of cosmic consciousness in humanity. […] (Infinity I § 360)
The keyword of Libra is balance.
An etymosophical note can help us understand the idea of equilibrium: the word derives from the Latin aequilibrium, “balance”, a term composed of aequus, “just”, “impartial”, and libra, the scale.
The adjective aequus derives, according to the most educated guess, from the same root as Eka, the One, in Sanskrit. H. P. Blavatsky in her work The Theosophical Glossary under the entry EKA writes: “(Sk.) – “One”; also a synonym of Mahat, the Universal Mind, as the principle of Intelligence”.
The noun Li-bra derives from (T)LI-bra, composed of the Indo-European root *TUR- and the ending -bra, used in Latin to form the names of instruments: the etymon denotes and expresses the idea of “moving [ṛ] with force [u] from one point to another [t]”. [1]
Basically, the essence of the term equilibrium, which also contains the same word that names the Sign, Libra, expresses the idea of the One as the focal point of the dynamic balancing of opposites.
That point where Unity reigns is thus the pivot of the Energies of the Sign, and indicates that the command “Choose”, a motto consonant with the necessary experiences of the formal aspect, in the evolutionary spiral of consciousness must rise to the affirmation of the free will of the spiritual aspect: “I choose the way which leads between the two great lines of force”, an intent that the Disciple is able to express when he learns to include in the idea of Unity all the processes of becoming.
Libra conveys, in the current precessional cycle, the 3rd Ray Energy, which is Light and active Intelligence. In certain passages of the Teaching, certain names and qualities of this Ray are mentioned, indicating its nature and quality, and among these we find precisely:
“[…] The Lord of Balance
[…] Let the two paths converge.
Balance the pairs of opposites and let the path appear between the two.
God and the Path and man are one.
Quality………balance. […]” [2]
“Adaptability. This is, as we know, the prime attribute ascribed to the third Ray […]. Therefore, fundamentally it may be considered as the attribute of intelligence which adapts the matter aspect to the Spirit aspect, and is a characteristic inherent in matter itself. […]” [3]
We are also shown the peculiar characteristic of the three Air Signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, which are above all the Signs of the Mind of God as expressed in man: first the lower mind prevails and the Self and the Non-Self are recognised (Gemini/Duality); then the higher mind grows in power asserting its control, balancing the pairs of opposites with the light that pours into the lower mind (Libra/Equilibrium); finally the Soul, the “Son of the Mind”, becomes the ultimate synthesis, concentrating the universal mind and bringing it into relationship with the two lower aspects of the Mind of God (Aquarius/Initiation).
Similarly, the relationship between the three Luminaries that govern the Sign is indicated to us: Saturn, agent of the 3rd Ray, Venus (5th) and Uranus (7th) are the three planets that in a peculiar way work to manifest Christ consciousness through the mind, as their Energies lead the individual from instinct to intellect (Saturn), from intellect to intuition (Venus) and from intuition to inspiration (Uranus). [4]
We can add, in a nutshell, that Saturn is evolutionary light, designing every space and illuminating every consciousness, and that Venus teaches the golden Proportion as the Law of equilibrium between the opposites of Manifestation to realise Unity.
As for Uranus, it is the principal Luminary of reference for the Disciple-Humanity, as the esoteric Ruler of Libra.
“The seventh ray is, in the last analysis, the focussed differentiated energy of Ray One as it expresses the will of the first aspect of divinity on earth through the power to relate and bring into objective manifestation—by an act of the will—both spirit and matter” [5], is He Who perceives the end from the beginning [6], connects the Highest with the Abyssal, orders and makes things new.
In short, the Energy of the esoteric Ruler offers the Disciple-Humanity the inspiration and the strength to strive to become the Way itself, that path which, golden and infinite, central between the great lines of force of dualism, recreates the original magic of the Balance between the two Origins.
The Builders, who in Aries had laid the first stone of the Temple, in the specular phase of Libra “[…] have to make a symbol of the kingdom of the Mother: the floor of the Temple. The floor holds up and below delimits, yet it must also reflect Heaven. […]” [7]
We, Disciples and Builders, in our daily lives walk on this pavement, which unites all men, learning to discern more and more with the light of our minds and in a heartfelt way, the regular and divine grid of light, powerful but physically invisible, which was traced first, in order to substantiate the formal appearance of the stone slabs of the paving. The latter, ordered along the lines of light, represent the pairs of opposites we have to face along the way, which, when we consciously direct our steps, are gradually recognised as opportunities to understand unity.
As we recognise the Light of the divine plan and project, understanding that it is our task to work together as a group in order to realise it, we learn to abandon the partisanship that arises from the tumult of uncontrolled emotions and the mental barriers that originate from separative attitudes, to free ourselves from illusory hesitations, to assimilate experiences: we then strive to establish right relationships, to wisely reorganise partial points of view into the unity of vision, to aim for the common Good.
We become ever more profoundly aware that, in becoming agents of balance, we are sustained by the practice of meditation and dedication to Service, as another passage from Agni Yoga so effectively and succinctly indicates:
The path of equilibrium is attained through meditation. […] Cognition from without must furnish the impulse for the fiery process of meditation. Fire is the great equilibrator. Absolutely consciously must one approach the Path of Balance, where there will be no more waverings and doubts—where there will be only Great Service. (Fiery World II § 411).
We, Disciples of the One Humanity, must therefore bear witness in our lives of the light of thinking out of love and the power of the One, from which springs the idea of brotherhood among all creatures.
As we awaken to our hierarchical dignity, we recognise the luminous creative power of Mind and Thought, foreshadowing that, by aiming to identify with the soul, man is able to consciously fulfil his role as mediator between the higher and lower Kingdoms, ruling from the Centre, transmitting the spiritual forces of the universe.
[…] Consciousness resembles the spirit’s understanding; it grows until it swallows up one’s whole being like an all-embracing flame. […] We call you to the encompassment of the Universe. But it is only the instrument of consciousness that will make possible new experiments that blend spirit and matter. […] (Leaves of Moria’s Garden II § 105)
We conclude with a very short etymosophical note and a final excerpt from Agni Yoga, in tune with the notes with which we opened these reflections:
“Disciple” derives from the Latin discipulus, a word that comes from the Indo-European root *DIŚ- [8]: “connecting [ś] to the continuous motion [i] of the light [ś]”: we keep this sound diamond in our hearts, which urges us to remember that we are disciples of the One Humanity when, feeling the responsibility to stand firm in the light, we thus become bearers of planetary light and agents of balance in contributing to the unfolding of the Plan.
[…] We, your Brothers, know that page of life wherein is inscribed the oneness of Cosmos. We affirm that the manifested evolution is created not in dissociation but in a limitless striving of harmony. […] Why manifest conflict between spirit and matter when they issue from one Source? Why not intensify the power and feel the psycho-life of Cosmos within oneself?
We call to the Primary Source of conception. For centuries We have applied Our striving to give humanity the joy of Be-ness. […] The path is adorned by the striving toward Infinity. (Infinity I § 71)
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* See introductory article and online ritual Celebration.
[1] Franco Rendich, Comparative etymological dictionary of classical Indo-European languages, 2010, p. 127
[2] Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Psychology Vol. I, pp. 68-70
[3] Alice A. Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 423
[4] Freely adapted from: Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Astrology, pp. 241-242, 248
[5] Ibid., p. 138
[6] Ibid., p. 247
[7] Excerpt from E. Savoini, Rebuilding the Sanctuary of human life, unpublished paper, 1976
[8] Franco Rendich, Op. cit., pp. 160-161
