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The Externalization of the Hierarchy - Section IV - Stages in the Externalization
Modern esotericism and the success of scientific, spiritual living are now so widely recognized that the consciousness of men everywhere has been profoundly affected; this will be increasingly so as the hope of His coming and the preparation for it spread among men. The situation indicates no divine frustration (of which that of the world disciples might be the reflection), nor does it indicate any inability to appear. Rather, it indicates the wonder of the divinity in man and the success of the divine plan for man. Divinity, however, awaits the expression of man's free will.

Another answer is that when Christ comes forth from the Place of Power, bringing His disciples, the Masters of the Wisdom, with Him, that Place of Love and Power will be situated on earth, and will be publicly recognized; the effects of that appearance and of that recognition will be terrific, calling forth an equally terrific onslaught and effort by the Forces of Evil - unless humanity itself has first sealed "the door where evil dwells." This must be done by the establishing of right human relations.

Still another reply, upon which I would ask you to ponder, is that Christ and the spiritual Hierarchy never - no matter what the incentive may be - infringe upon the [618] divine right of humanity to achieve freedom by fighting for freedom, individually, nationally and internationally. When true freedom covers the earth, we shall see the end of tyranny, politically and religiously. I refer here not to modern democracy, which is at present a philosophy of wishful thinking, but to that state of the realm in which the people themselves will rule; these people will not tolerate authoritarianism in any church, or totalitarianism in any political system or government; they will not accept or permit the rule of any body of men who undertake to tell them what they must believe in order to be saved, or what government they must accept. I say not that these desirable objectives must be accomplished facts on earth before Christ comes. I do say that this attitude to religion and politics must be generally accepted as necessary to all men, and that steps must have been successfully taken in the direction of right human relations.

These are the things which the new group of world servers, the disciples, the aspirants and the men of goodwill everywhere must believe and teach in preparation for His coming.

There is, therefore, nothing to offset the sense of frustration (which is undeniably present and based on factual conditions) but the acceptance and the development of a state of mind which will be founded on a belief in the veracity of the historical records which bear witness to many advents at crucial times in human affairs, and to many world Saviors - of Whom the Christ was the greatest. The right and constructive attitude must also be based on an innate recognition of the existence of the Christ and of His Presence with us at all times; it must be grounded in the knowledge that the war - with all its unspeakable horrors, its cruelties and its cataclysmic disasters - was but the broom of the Father of all, sweeping away obstructions in the path of His returning Son. It would have been well-nigh impossible to prepare for the coming in the face of the pre-war conditions. Upon these facts the new group of world servers must today take their stand. They must recognize the obstructing [619] factors, but must also refuse to be frustrated by them; they must be aware of the hindrances (many of them financial and based on material greed), and then employ such skill in action and such business acumen that these hindrances will be overcome; they must walk clear-eyed through world difficulties and - holding His five-pointed star before them - pass unscathed and successful through the midst of all frustrating factors.

I seek not here to deal with the usual spiritual frustrations or, wish to waste time with the ordinary platitudes and the well understood replies, which do not aid because they remain platitudes and are not translated into action. I shall deal here with only two factors which condition the present opportunity; these can be regarded as so completely hindering that, unless they are removed, there will be a long delay before Christ can return. They are:

  1. The inertia of the average aspirant or spiritually-minded man.
  2. The lack of money for the work of preparation.

Both these hindrances are fundamentally based on one and the same thing: materialism - one on the materialism of physical effort, and the other on that of a world attitude.

Let us keep these themes simple and down on the level at which most people work and think today; let us be intensely practical and force ourselves to look at conditions as they are, thus arriving at a better knowledge of ourselves and of our motives.
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