Significance of Atomic Bomb

THE OCCULT SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ATOMIC BOMB

For ages, the potency of that which lies behind the fifth initiation - in
the planetary sense and not in connection with the individual initiation
with its revelation indicating first ray purpose - has held sway on Earth.
Knowledge, the revealing of the Mysteries, the attainment of scientific
achievement, producing the activity of the fifth plane of mind, has governed
human thinking and advancement; God in nature (i.e., the planetary Logos in
concrete and material expression) has been revealed, and this has culminated
in that tremendous expression of power - the atomic bomb. [RI656]

At present, the physical effects of the fission of the atom and its
subsequent constructive use is the immediate problem before modern science,
and (I would remind you) it is now an exoteric problem. Its use, or
corresponding use on esoteric levels, still remains one of the secrets of
initiation.

Is the etheric web of the planet sufficiently stable and balanced so that it
can adequately respond to the new and potent forces which could and will
pour through it into objective expression? I would remind you that the
release of atomic energy has had a far more potent effect in the etheric web
than in the dense physical vehicle of the planet. Three times the atomic
bomb was used, and that fact is itself significant. It was used twice in
Japan, thereby disrupting the etheric web in what you erroneously call the
Far East; it was used once in what is also universally called the Far West,
and each time a great area of disruption was formed which will have future
potent, and at present unsuspected, results.

The formation of the Triangles of Light and of [62] Goodwill - essentially
the manipulation of energy into a desired thought pattern - has a definite
relation to this area of disruption. It will in due time be found that the
Japanese people, with their peculiar knowledge of thought power (used along
wrong lines in the war period), will respond more intelligently to this type
of work than many of the Western peoples. An effort should therefore be made
to reach the Japanese along the lines of the Triangle work.

We come now to our second point, that initiation veils a secret and that the
revelation of that secret is imminent. Just what this secret is, I may not
reveal, but it is concerned with a peculiar type of energy which can be
induced at a moment of supreme tension. The only possible hint I can give
you in connection with this mysterious matter is that it is closely related
to the "Blinding Light" which Saul of Tarsus saw on the road to Damascus and
the "blinding light" which accompanied the discharge of energy from the
atomic bomb. The "Blinding Light" which ever accompanies true conversion (a
rare and sudden happening always when true and real) and which is an
attendant demonstration of all Lives who have passed the human stage of
consciousness - according to their degree - and the light which is released
by the fission of the atom are one and the same expression on different
levels of consciousness, and are definitely related to the processes and
effects of initiation. This will not even make sense to you until certain
initiate-experiences have been undergone by you. It is not easy for the
average aspirant to realize that progressive stages upon the Path indicate a
progressive ability to "take the Light." When the aspirant prays in the new
Invocation: "Let Light descend on Earth" he is invoking something which
humanity will have to learn to handle; this is one of the things for which
the disciples of the world must begin to prepare the race of men.

All these planetary developments are attended by risks, and none more so
than that of the absorption of light - on a worldwide scale - by humanity,
with a subsequent reflex action on the three subhuman kingdoms. Nothing
which affects humanity or which stimulates it to a forward-moving activity
is without its inevitable effect upon the three lower kingdoms in nature.
Forget not! Mankind is the macrocosm to this threefold lower microcosm.

This as you may well surmise, can be among the secrets [328] of the
initiatory process. The "principle of absorption" emerges as one of the
subjects to be studied, understood and mastered between initiations, for
each initiation carries the subject another step forward. At present, the
physical effects of the fission of the atom and its subsequent constructive
use is the immediate problem before modern science, and (I would remind you)
it is now an exoteric problem. Its use, or corresponding use on esoteric
levels, still remains one of the secrets of initiation.

That atomic bomb (though used only twice destructively) ended the resistance
of the powers of evil because its potency is predominantly etheric. Its uses
are twofold at this time:

a. As the forerunner of that release of energy which will change the mode of
human living and inaugurate the new age wherein we shall not have
civilizations and their emerging cultures but a world culture and an
emerging civilization, thus demonstrating the true synthesis which underlies
humanity. The atomic bomb emerged from a first ray Ashram, working in
conjunction with a fifth ray group; from the long range point of view, its
intent was and is purely beneficent.
b. As a means in the hands of the United Nations to enforce the outer forms
of peace, and thus give time for teaching on peace and on the growth of
goodwill to take effect. The atomic bomb does not belong to the three
nations who perfected it and who own the secrets at present - the United
States of America, Great Britain and Canada. It belongs to the United
Nations for use (or let us rather hope, simply for threatened use) when
aggressive action on the part of any nation rears its ugly head. It does not
essentially matter whether that aggression is the gesture of any particular
nation or group of nations or whether it is generated by the political
groups of any powerful religious organization, such as the Church of Rome,
who are as yet unable to leave politics alone and attend to the business for
which all religions are responsible - leading human beings closer to the God
of Love.

Owing to extra-planetary stimulation, to the immediate planetary crisis and
to the present invocative cry of humanity, energy from Shamballa has been
permitted to play upon the "center which is called the race of men" and has
produced two potent results: first, the world war was precipitated and,
secondly, the fission of the atom, resulting in the atomic bomb, was brought
about. Both these events were made possible by the pouring-in of the energy
and power of the third aspect of the first Ray of Power or Will. This is the
lowest aspect, and definite [647] material effects were produced. The
destroyer aspect was therefore the first aspect to take effect. It split the
thought-form of materialistic living (which was governing and controlling
humanity everywhere) upon the mental plane and, at the same time, it
produced a great agent of destruction upon the physical plane.

Thus was the new era ushered in; thus was the stage set for a better future.
This was the intent and the purpose of Those Who compose the Council Chamber
of the Lord. It rests with humanity itself to take advantage of the
proffered opportunity which this destructive manifestation made possible.

Shamballa having acted in this manner, it is nevertheless the Hierarchy
which will bring into expression a measure of the second aspect of the first
Ray of Will or Power, and it is for this that the Hierarchy is preparing; it
is for this event that the Christ is fitting Himself to be the distributing
Agent and the directing Factor, with the concentrated assistance of the
united Hierarchy; it is this that will begin to manifest when He appears.
You have here the true reason for His proclaimed Coming or Reappearance. The
distinction between material living and spiritual living will be clearly
demonstrated. This is made possible by the cleavage of the ancient
materialistic thought-form on mental levels; the reorientation of human
thinking, as this fact is grasped, will have its first results upon
emotional levels through the focused expression of human goodwill; this is
the lowest aspect of the second Ray of Love-Wisdom, implemented and
strengthened by the second aspect of the first Ray of Will.

On the physical plane, the great scientific discovery, called colloquially
the "splitting of the atom," will be turned eventually to the production of
those conditions which will enable mankind to follow the good, the beautiful
and the true. This men will then be able to do, freed from the dread
presence of purely materialistic thinking. This is no idle vision or vague
dream. Many scientists today (and particularly those who love their
fellowmen) [648] are not only visioning the non-destructive aspect of atomic
energy but are already engaged in harnessing - for the good of humanity -
some of its products and its radioactive properties.

Curiously enough, it is the wise, controlled use of the results of this
scientific adventure in connection with the atomic bomb which will
eventually bring about a specific revelation of the nature of certain forces
in relation to light; this event will transform world thinking and lead to a
new type of transmutative process, as far as man is concerned.

It must not be inferred from the above that humanity, as a whole, will be
taking the fifth initiation, for such is not the case. Many advanced souls
(perhaps amounting to many thousands) may and will take this initiation, but
the masses of men everywhere, constituting the sum total of the world
disciple, will eventually take either the first or the second initiation.
The effect however of hierarchical happenings, in conjunction with
Shamballa, will lead finally to the great stimulation of the fifth Principle
of manas, the intelligence principle in man. A revelation which is not
perceived, which remains unrelated and unexpressed, is of no true service to
mankind, except from a purely subjective standpoint; nevertheless, through
the proposed stimulation, through the efforts of those who have taken or who
will take the fifth initiation, and through the new direction of first ray
energy from Shamballa, the mental plane will receive such an inflow of
energy that the thinking principle, the reasoning factor within humanity,
will reach new heights. Thus will the "light stream forth into the minds of
men," and the first stanza of the Invocation prove that it can and does
receive an answer to its invocative appeal.

When the sun moved northward that year (1942), the great White Lodge knew
that the battle had been won. Their preparations were halted and the Masters
then organized for renewed effort (through Their disciples) to bring about
those conditions wherein that which was new and that which was in line with
loving divine purpose could freely move forward. The war was not won by the
surrender of [495] Germany. That was only the outer result of inner
happenings. The war was won by the Forces of Light when the mental potency
of the forces of evil was overcome and the "energy of the future" was
directed or impelled by Those Who were seeking the higher human values and
the spiritual good of mankind. Four factors lie behind the momentous
happening of the release of this form of atomic energy, through the medium
of what is erroneously and unscientifically called the "splitting of the
atom." There are other factors, but you may find the following four of real
interest:

a. There was a clearly directed inflow of extra-planetary energy released by
the Lords of Liberation, to Whom invocation had been successfully made;
through the impact of this energy upon the atomic substance being dealt with
by the investigating scientists, changes were brought about which enabled
them to achieve success. The experiments being carried forward were
therefore both subjective and objective.
b. A concerted effort was made by a number of disciples who were working in
fifth and seventh ray ashrams, and this enabled them to impress lesser
disciples in the scientific field and helped them to surmount the well-nigh
insuperable difficulties with which they were confronted.
c. There was also a weakening of the tension which had hitherto successfully
held the forces of evil together, and a growing inability of the evil group
at the head of the Axis Powers to surmount the incidental war fatigue. This
brought about, first of all, a steady deterioration of their minds, and then
of their brains and nervous systems. None of the men involved in the
direction of the Axis effort in Europe is today normal psychologically; they
are all suffering from some form of physical deterioration, and this has
been a real factor in their defeat, though one that may be difficult for you
to realize. It is not so in the case of the Japanese, whose psychological
makeup is totally [496] different, as are their nervous systems, which are
of fourth root-race quality. They will be and are being defeated by physical
war measures and by the destruction physically of their war potential and
the death of the form aspect. This destruction... and the consequent release
of their imprisoned souls, is a necessary happening; it is the justification
of the use of the atomic bomb upon the Japanese population. The first use of
this released energy has been destructive, but I would remind you that it
has been the destruction of forms and not the destruction of spiritual
values and the death of the human spirit - as was the goal of the Axis
effort.

Forget not that all success (both good and bad) is dependent upon the
sustaining of the point of tension. This point of tension involves the
dynamic focusing of all mental, emotional and physical energies at a central
point of planned activity. This, by the way, is the objective of all true
meditation work. It is in this act of tension that the German people failed.
This cost them the war; their tension broke because the group of evil forces
who were impressing the negative German people were unable to attain the
point of tension which the Hierarchy could reach when it was reinforced
through the action of the Lords of Liberation.

d. Another factor was the constant, invocative demand and the prayers
(articulate and inarticulate) of humanity itself. Men, impelled largely by
fear and the innate mobilizing of the human spirit against slavery, reached
such a pitch of demanding energy that a channel was created which greatly
facilitated the work of the Hierarchy, under the direct influence of the
Lords of Liberation.

The release of the energy of the atom is as yet in an extremely embryonic
stage; humanity little knows the extent or the nature of the energies which
have been tapped and released. There are many types of atoms, constituting
[497] the "world substance"; each can release its own type of force; this is
one of the secrets which the new age will in time reveal, but a good and
sound beginning has been made. I would call your attention to the words,
"the liberation of energy." It is liberation which is the keynote of the new
era, just as it has ever been the keynote of the spiritually oriented
aspirant. This liberation has started by the release of an aspect of matter
and the freeing of some of the soul forces within the atom. This has been,
for matter itself, a great and potent initiation, paralleling those
initiations which liberate or release the souls of men.

In this process of planetary initiation humanity has carried its work as the
world savior down into the world of substance, and has affected those
primary units of life of which all forms are made.

5. You will now understand the meaning of the words used by so many of you
in the second of the Great Invocations:

The hour of service of the saving force has now arrived.

This "saving force" is the energy which science has released into the world
for the destruction, first of all, of those who continue (if they do) to
defy the Forces of Light working through the United Nations. Then - as time
goes on - this liberated energy will usher in the new civilization, the new
and better world and the finer, more spiritual conditions. The highest
dreams of those who love their fellowmen can become practical possibilities
through the right use of this liberated energy, if the real values are
taught, emphasized and applied to daily living. This "saving force" has now
been made available by science, and my earlier prophecy substantiated.

(See A Treatise on White Magic, published in 1934, beginning on Page 333,
where the following statements appear:

It might be noted here that three great discoveries are imminent and during
the next two generations will revolutionize modern thought and life.

One is already sensed and is the subject of experiment and investigation,
the releasing of the energy of the atom. This will completely change the
economic and political situation in the world, for the latter is largely
dependent upon the former. Our mechanical civilization will be simplified,
and an era ushered in which will be free from the incubus of money (its
possession and its non-possession), and the human family will recognize
universally its status as a bridging kingdom between the three lower
kingdoms of nature and the fifth or spiritual kingdom. There will be time
and freedom for a soul culture which will supersede our modern methods of
education, and the significance of soul powers and the development of the
superhuman consciousness will engross the attention of educators and
students everywhere.

A second discovery will grow out of the present investigations as to light
and color.
The third development, which will be the last probably to take place, will
be more strictly in the realm of what the occultists call magic. It will
grow out of the study of sound and the effect of sound, and will put into
man's hands a tremendous instrument in the world of creation.) [498]

"Since I last communicated with you the outer aspects of the world war, the
carnage and the slaughter are over, except in a few sporadic instances. The
struggle now being waged is to reach a point of stabilization in human
thinking and understanding from which a true and reliable peace can emerge.
On the emotional plane, there is as yet no peace. On the mental plane, a
great and deep seated cleavage is going on and the occult significance of
certain words, enunciated by the Christ when in Palestine, is being worked
out. He gave them as the keynote for the particular subjective happening
which is taking place at this time. He said: "He that is not with Me is
against Me." This refers to the after effects of the conflict between the
Forces of Light and the Forces of Evil. Great decisions have to be made all
over the world, as to whether humanity moves forward into a New Age of
cooperation and of right human relations or whether the materialistic groups
will reassert their control and succeed in winning the day. This great
cleavage is now in process of settlement."

"On the other hand, a deeply spiritual division is also taking place. In a
peculiar sense, and speaking largely symbolically, [60] the first phase of
the Great judgment is asserting itself. The sheep and the goats are forming
into two distinct groups. The judgment being given is not the generally
assumed one of assigning penalties or rewards; it is not the negation of all
effort as the result of decisive moves, nor will it result in the emergence
of major dividing lines. Such interpretations are man-made and are not true
interpretations of the parable or word picture which Christ gave to his
disciples nearly two thousand years ago.

The judgment referred to has relation to a mysterious process which is going
on in the thinking (if one dare use such a word for such a comprehensive
process) of the planetary Logos. He is deciding at this time the mode by
which a momentous event or happening within the Hierarchy shall take shape;
he is timing the process of its externalization; he is deciding which
Ashrams shall be externalized and who, within those Ashrams, should and must
proceed with the purely inner and subjective work, and who should be chosen
to work - consciously and openly - in the outer world of men, thus
duplicating in their numbers what Christ experienced when he "descended into
Hell." Many things have to be considered; the objectives in view of the
Masters concerned, the rays in manifestation, and many astrological
relationships.

In this deciding judgment Sanat Kumara is being aided by certain Members of
the Great Council at Shamballa, by the Christ and by the seven Masters who
are responsible for the seven groups of Ashrams. He is also reaching certain
conclusions as to the groups of disciples who have hitherto been under
training during the final stages of the Path of Discipleship. This decision
has to take under advisement the rapidity with which the entrance of men and
women into the Ashrams can take place; it is also dependent upon the members
of the Ashram moving forward according to their degree, and upon the power
of the Ashrams to absorb and assimilate the much larger numbers, without
upsetting ashramic stability. He has also to consider the ability of the
neophyte under training to take and hold the far greater tension necessarily
incident to true ashramic life in the New Age. [61]

These points are all being most carefully considered, because a major
expansion of the Hierarchy as a whole, and the consequent reaction upon
humanity, again as a whole, is not a thing lightly to be undertaken.
Expansion - if it is to be safely undertaken - must proceed hand in hand
with consolidation. The expansion now contemplated in the highest quarters
will greatly alter the potency of the relation of the Hierarchy to Humanity,
and therefore of the second divine aspect to the third. Can Humanity take
this increased potency correctly and safely? Will the aspirants of the world
- given opportunity to pass off the Probationary Path on to the Path of
Discipleship - be stable enough to stand steady under the impact of hitherto
undiscerned spiritual energy? Can the Masters, tinder the pressure of their
enormous task of world reconstruction, find the needed time to increase
their training of their disciples? For they are still governed by the time
equation where their disciples are concerned. Can the senior members in any
Ashram relieve to some extent the pressures upon the Masters as well as upon
the incoming and junior, and therefore inexperienced, disciples? If,
however, the relation between the Hierarchy and Humanity is thus
strengthened and there is freer access in both directions, there will
clearly emerge the invocational pull or the magnetic potency of these
blending centers; the pull will be upon Shamballa, which is the highest
center of all.

I would like to point out that the distinction between the "sheep and the
goats" is mainly hierarchical. The term "goats" is esoterically applied to
initiated disciples and to those who have climbed the mountain of
initiation. The term "sheep" is applied to those who are following blindly
the inner urge of their souls and who are groping their way (in relatively
large numbers) toward the Hierarchy. For them still has to come the great
revelation that the "kingdom of God is within you." Such is the word for
them at this stage in humanity's history. Once they have realized that, they
are already being absorbed into the Hierarchy. Life will now for them
simplify. For the "goats" must come the impelling call from the highest
aspect of the Spiritual Triad, "Seek the way of Ascension" - ascension out
of even triadal life into that of pure Being and of monadic existence.

In this Great judgment all decision lies in the conclusive thinking of Sanat
Kumara. It is his judgment; neither the sheep nor the goats, nor the great
mass of men from among whom they have emerged, can affect that decision in
the slightest degree. Any moment or climax of decision on the part of the
Lord of the World institutes new law and brings into play new energies. Laws
are only the unalterable conditions brought about by the activity, the
orientation and the emanated decisive thoughts of the One in whom we live
and move and have our being, just as the activities, the orientation and the
thinking of a human being carry the cells and the atoms of his body along
the line of his wishes. Energies are but the rhythm of his breathing and the
results of the systolic and the diastolic action of his heart. From these
energies we cannot escape, but - in a mysterious and peculiar [63] manner -
the planetary Logos directs them or withholds them to suit the recognized
planetary needs of the period.

3. I stated as our third point that every initiation indicated a closer
sharing in all forms of the hierarchical life. Do you realize in any measure
what that statement means or what the implications are? I am dealing with a
point not only of profound significance but of major testing. There is a
spiritual counterpart or higher correspondence of the economic life of our
planet to be found in the Hierarchy. Sharing is associated with that which
is of value, which should be shared if justice is to be demonstrated, and
basically, with those values which are life-giving. The sharing to which I
am here referring is the sharing in all reactions, of all attitudes, of all
types of wisdom, of all problems and difficulties and limitations, so that
they become constructive in the group sense and cease to be destructive.
Nothing destructive has place in any Ashram, but disciples can and do use
ashramic force in their work in a destructive manner, and in the three
worlds. This is not easy to understand. Perhaps I can make it clearer to you
if I point out that this sharing involves complete knowledge of all the
personality reactions of all the members of the Ashram, i.e., of all
preparing for the lesser initiations, and therefore of all below a certain
degree. There is nothing secret which will not be known, and you can
understand that the discovery of the factual nature of this constitutes a
major test for all disciples. There is nothing in the mind of a disciple
which cannot be telepathically known to all the other members of the Ashram
who are at the same degree of development or to all of a higher degree, for
it is a law that the greater can always include the lesser.

I wish students would consider this fact with great intelligence and closer
attention; they would then arrive at the [329] knowledge that their
limitations definitely provide a problem for those less limited. The time
has to come wherein candidates for admission into an Ashram, and later, for
initiation, must realize that their limitations, their relatively petty
points of view and their circumscribed attitudes are a hindrance to ashramic
progressive events. If the principle of sharing has any significance
whatsoever, these are points of great importance and are supremely worthy of
consideration. An illustration of this can be seen in the response of this
group to the work which I have asked you to undertake over the years. A tiny
handful of you have responded and have made sacrifices and worked hard to
further the Triangle work, to spread the Invocation and to help in the
Goodwill work, but it is a very tiny minority. The rest have either been
interested intellectually but could not make the needed sacrifices, or they
refused to put first things first, and secondary issues occupied their
lives. This limitation, as you may realize, has handicapped the ashramic
plans, and those who whole-heartedly have worked (and they know I know who
they are) have had to share - with pain and distress - in the limitation. I
have frequently stated that on entrance into an Ashram the disciple leaves
behind him his personality life and enters as a soul. What I have stated in
the above paragraph in no way contradicts this fact. It must, however, be
remembered that a disciple has become what he is as a result of his
personality aspiration, his struggles in the three worlds, and an attained
point of spiritual unfoldment. Therefore, though he may leave behind his
personality with its faults and problems, he indicates clearly to his
co-disciples and to those more advanced than he is, exactly what is lacking
in his equipment, what is his point in evolution, and what stage of
discipleship he has achieved. In this connection, I recommend the rereading
of all that is said anent the six stages of discipleship in Discipleship in
the New Age (Vol. I); the material given there is of great importance here.