The Fingers of One Hand

By Kathy Newburn

I’d like to share a few thoughts with you today about group work. The Tibetan writes extensively about the challenges involved in following a spiritual path and discipleship service, but he also reminds us that the joys and compensations of this way are many and worth the effort. When I was unable to sleep last night, I started thinking about those compensations. We might like to think they are related to our spiritual development and, of course, that is part of it; but I think the real compensations--for me at least--were brought home by being here with all of you, because in the truest sense of the word we are all brothers and sisters. These relationships with our co-workers are the great compensation of the path, the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and learn so many things as a result.

Sometimes in the course of our lives we meet people on the physical plane who form part of our inner ashramic group and such occurrences are a real joy because it is like meeting a member of one’s true spiritual family. These bonds are often closer than those we form with the more “ordinary” people in our lives because they are of long duration, having been forged over the course of many years and lifetimes of joy and sorrow. The closeness of these bonds also stems from the fact that we have all begun a process of distillation and purification within ourselves and have consequently burned off some of the dross of our personalities and the veils of separation that generally separate us one from the other. We have begun to break through these separating veils and we are able to approach one another in ways that are not possible in the other types of relationships in our lives. A forging of relationship becomes possible and that is the real beauty, power and strength that collectively we can wield and present as an offering to the ashram, because that is really what all our work is about--presenting a vehicle for ashramic use so that the energy of the ashram and the collective strength of the Christ, the head of the Hierarchy, can pour through us. That is not what I wanted to talk about but that was what was passing through my head in the middle of the night.

We all know that we are passing through a tremendous time of stimulation during the present transition period. This is said to be the most important period in the entire history of life on our planet and all forms of life, all kingdoms in nature, are caught up in the stimulation of the cosmic initiation through which our planetary Logos is passing. All life forms part of the great chain of Hierarchy—linking, as the Tibetan says, sun with sun, star with star, solar system with solar system, planet with planet and all planetary lives with each other.

But the present problems on our planet stem from humanity--humanity is the kingdom in nature that is out of alignment, you might say, because of our selfishness, our separativeness and our materialism. We’ve chosen to place ourselves outside of the divine circulatory flow of energy and, therefore, broken the link within the great chain of Hierarchy. But what is important about this time, and why I feel hopeful about the future, is because many people within the planet have consciously chosen to place themselves back within that divine circulatory flow.

The title I chose for this talk was taken from a phrase used by Helena Blavatsky in an essay entitled “Practical Occultism” in which she compared a discipleship group to “the fingers of one hand.” This phrase wasn’t original to Blavatsky, she took it from an ancient Eastern book of rules that was used to train teachers and so it might be useful for us to consider because many people in this room are attempting to bring forward the Ageless Wisdom teachings to a wider public. Another phrase in that book stated that “the co-disciples must be tuned by the guru as the strings of a lute, each different from the others, yet each emitting sounds in harmony with all.” This is a beautiful image and the musicians in the room would have a great appreciation of what it means to be tuned by the guru like the strings on the lute. I think if we take these two images of the fingers of one hand and the strings of the lute into our minds, they might help us be more successful in the work that we do together.

In this same article Blavatsky highlighted the differences between theory and practice in the pursuit of the spiritual path. She pointed out that it is easy to become a Theosophist--it’s an outer, external affiliation that requires little effort; it is quite another thing, however, to learn the fine art of working together as a group. Blavatsky wondered how western students, raised from birth to be competitive with each other, could come to feel this sense of comradeship with their co-workers—a comradeship that would enable them to work as the “fingers on one hand?” How could we, she wondered, overcome the difficulties of implementing and following these rules in the West, where we are raised from birth within the overwhelming cult of personality that exists here.

And when we look at the state of the esoteric groups 130 years down the road, we can see how prophetic Blavatsky’s concern was. What would she think of the difficulties and infighting that presently exists, suffering as we are under the weight of today’s heightened sense of personality? We have to be a little compassionate with ourselves and with each other, with our failures and our shortcomings, because we are working in a time of tremendous glamour—a time when it is difficult to see people and situations clearly. We are all still very conditioned by our individuality, by the Leo sense of the separated self, and we are not yet functioning fully within the stream of Aquarius. But we know that these two signs are polar opposites and the fires of Leo, once transmuted into their higher calling, can be fanned into a fuller flame by the air of Aquarius. The two signs need each other, forming two parts of one whole and can be strengthened through their merging and blending, as is true of all zodiacal oppositions,.

No one in this room needs to be reminded of the present difficulties confronting groups because they exist within us and all around us. We still hold to certain thoughtforms that preclude our ability to fully integrate into the group and leave the personality “outside the door.” We all know what needs to be done. What is in question is whether we care enough to do it. But the present situation is only a temporary, transitional stage through which we are passing. We will not live to see the fruit of the seeds that are now being planted, but we work for the future, for the reincarnated aspects of ourselves, and for all who will tread the path in the coming decades when world conditions will begin to readjust and the heavy weight of the present challenges will have been lifted.

What’s occurring is that group work is shifting out from under the weight of its present third ray personality focus and forms that have outlived their usefulness, and into the more spiritualizing influence of the second ray. This ray shift presents us with new ways of working, as we move away from the material focus on names, status, insignias, rules and leaders and into a more organic, holistic way of working. The new groups will be composed of free individuals who recognize no authority but that of their own soul and who willingly submerge their individual interests to the larger purpose of the group of which they are a part. This doesn’t mean there will be no leaders in the emerging groups (which is a common misperception), but rather that the onus of responsibility will be placed upon leaders to change and work in new and creative ways. And this is happening.

Rule Eleven in The Rays and Initiations speaks about the two primary attitudes that develop in groups that cause problems--too much liking on the one hand and the tendency to “rebuff” on the other. The Tibetan cautions against both of those attitudes and advises us to seek the middle way in our group relations. It’s easy to understand why rebuff is not a healthy attitude as we all like to be liked--especially those of us on the second ray--but why is too much liking a problem? Well, for many reasons. Too much liking blinds and cements our attachments to individuals and this can lead us to lose our focus and alignment with the work. D.K. gives us that important teaching, the one we should always remember, as to where our loyalties should lie. He gives us the correct sequence. Should our loyalty be to gurus and the Masters? No, not really. That particular loyalty, of devotion to the guru, is last on the list of three—it is still important, it’s still on the list, but it is the last in the sequence. And I would also like to include in this particular loyalty, not just loyalty to the guru but also the loyalty we extend to those whom we recognize as ahead of us on the path of evolutionary development. We often have a tendency to devote ourselves to them because we recognize and respect their knowledge, wisdom, strength and love. But this type of loyalty belongs to the passing Piscean dispensation and would not be demanded by any true teacher. Personal loyalty clouds the recognitions we should be attempting to embody as we move into Aquarius. True leaders don’t want or need our loyalty, they are forging ahead and they have their priorities straight. 

The sequence of loyalties as given by the Tibetan is first to the Plan, then to those whom the Plan serves, and only finally to Those who serve the Plan. If we remember this sequence, and I’m speaking here to myself, we keep our loyalties straight and become free to dedicate ourselves to the Plan. Now what does that mean, it sounds very abstract and we like abstractions here, so maybe it is good. Perhaps we could easily dedicate ourselves to an abstraction—then we don’t have to deal with people and problems. But I don’t believe that is really what we are enjoined to do. But DK also tells us that we cannot understand the Plan and so how can we dedicate ourselves to something we cannot understand? Well, we have to make an attempt and my understanding of the Plan means establishing those conditions that will allow us to place ourselves within that divine circulatory flow of energy. I think, broadly speaking, to place one's loyalty to the Plan means living the teachings, embodying the teachings. This is not abstract, nor is it easy. DK doesn’t give too many definitions of the Plan, but the one he does give is clear. He wrote, “The Plan is the creation of a subjective synthesis and a telepathic interplay that will eventually annihilate time.” That’s all we have to do--dedicate ourselves to the creation of a subjective synthesis and a telepathic interplay that will eventually annihilate time. The physicists and astrologers will certainly like that.

Our second loyalty should lie to those who follow behind us in the path, “those whom the Plan serves.” And in that group we should include the over half the planet that is living on under $2/day. That is a huge group of people and sometimes we forget them. By working to restore the “break” within the chain of Hierarchy we provide the great service of using our collective spiritual energy to heal and lift the many who are suffering at this time. And that is what it is all about, because as the Plan is implemented on the planet and as the divine circulatory flow is released, we will find that there is more than enough food available to feed all the world’s people, we know that. But it is the present imbalance within the human kingdom that has created the present situation that denies right livelihood, and life itself, to so many in our world. In fact we are told that the World Teacher cannot reappear until the present imbalances are readjusted and the most important means by which this can occur is through the implementation of the principle of sharing.

Returning to the discussion of right group attitudes, I found the following passage attributed to the Master Morya to be most helpful. He wrote, “One of the first proofs of self-mastery is when one shows that he can be kind and forbearing and genial with companions of the most dissimilar characters and temperaments. One of the strongest signs of retrogression is when one shows that he expects others to like what he likes and act as he acts.“

This reminds me of something I recently heard about Abraham Lincoln, the great American president. As you know, the Tibetan called him a racial Avatar, someone who comes forth at the founding of a nation to set the note for the future and who embodies the highest qualities of the people. Lincoln’s way of governing was very Aquarian and, in fact, he was born under the sign of Aquarius. He was a forerunner and we can learn from him. He drew into his cabinet people from across the political spectrum, from all political persuasions—many of his opponents when he was running for office worked hard to prevent him from being elected. Lincoln saw the wisdom in bringing together people who disagreed with him because he realized that their collective energy could produce a creative group.

I wanted to share a few thoughts about the hands because of their symbolic importance in relationship to group work. As we attempt to shift our consciousness out from under the weight of our individuality and into a group orientation, it might be helpful to consider the fingers of the hand, for they can teach us much. The hands are indeed related to group work. The word “hand” itself comes from the Latin word for manifestation and that is what groups, and hands, do—they are the agents of creativity, they work in healing and blessing, teaching, purification, invocation and prayer. Aristotle called the hands the “organ of organs, the instrument of instruments.” Kant called them the “visible part of the brain.”

The hands are the active agents of the cerebral system and, by extension, of the soul, just as the groups are the external agents of the ashrams, stepping down and releasing energy in a form suitable to humanity at any given time. The hands and the group teach us about relationships, about grasping and letting go--about acquisitiveness in its higher and lower forms and about the interconnection that is established with other “hands,” other groups. But in true Aquarian fashion, the hands work without any need for outer controls or enforcements of leadership responsibilities, rather they work effortlessly in group formation—each finger knowing its place and willingly accepting its dharma and contribution to the great service. The fingers respond to higher directives—intuitively, gracefully, beyond the realm of words and within the realm of straight knowledge, with its swiftness and united action. And while the fingers are all different, holding different responsibilities within the overall work to be done, their united work produces an exponentially greater and larger contribution than would ever be possible through the sum of their individual parts. 

It is interesting to observe the “many hands of God” depicted in eastern paintings and tonkas—holding gifts, flowers, jewels, and swords—I now look at these hands as ashramic groups, making their offerings to the One Initiator. And in many of the paintings in ancient civilizations, the palms in the hands contained the symbol of the third eye, indicating the power that flows through them that can be used in healing work. The hands are the wielders of the sword, or first ray energy, and those who have learned to work this way are known as the “violent ones,” who take the kingdom of heaven by violence and wield planetary and eventually cosmic currents in the service of the Plan.

Group initiation means that each time we move forward upon the path or penetrate more deeply into the mysteries of life, we do so together. That’s comforting. Each member of the group handles his or her own affairs, undertakes his or her discipline--for it ever holds true that we are primarily self-taught and solve our own problems. This discipline enables the group members to willingly submit themselves to the sacrificial life, “seeking nothing, asking nothing, hoping nothing for the separated self.” We’re not there yet, but that is the goal.

The inner teachers depend upon humanity to help them in the work that needs doing. The teachers do not know as fully as we the specific needs of men and women in the world today, because that is not where their focus of attention lies. At this time they are working to prepare their vehicles for the challenges that the externalization process will require as well as with the larger issues related to the working out of the Plan. The teachers, therefore, look to us to undertake the work that needs to be done in the world today by “modifying, qualifying and adapting” the Plan.

I cut out a lot of material here and I was thinking about what I could put back in--something of a different nature. I was thinking about the Wesak, I know we are all thinking about the Wesak as it is so close at hand and it is the most powerful point of the year. I have read a book that some of you may have read, Buddha by Karen Armstrong. This is a very beautiful book about the life and times of Buddha and since our theme for this conference is initiation, I thought I would read a few passages from this book about the initiation of the Buddha. We don’t often have the opportunity to read much about the actual initiation of the great teachers but this book does contain some information about it.

Courage and determination were the primary qualities the Buddha needed to cultivate in order to pass through his initiatory experience. As he approached the initiation we’re told the following things happened and we can take them as symbolic but they might also have been actual manifestations. “’The broad earth heaved and sunk, as though it was a huge cartwheel lying on its hub, and somebody was treading on its rim.’ Eventually, Gotama approached the eastern side of the tree, and when he stood there, the ground remained still. Gotama decided that this must be the ‘immovable spot’ on which all the previous Buddhas had positioned themselves, so he sat down in the asana position facing the east, the region of the dawn, in the firm expectation that he was about to begin a new era in the history of humanity. ‘Let my skin and sinews and bones dry up, together with all the flesh and blood of my body! I will welcome it!’ Gotama vowed. ‘But I will not move from this spot until I have attained the supreme and final insight’…. It is in the Axis Mundi, the still point of calm where human beings, in many world myths, encounter the Real and the Unconditioned; it is the ‘place’ where things that seem diametrically opposed in the profane world come together in…an experience of the Sacred. Life and death, emptiness and plenitude, physical and spiritual merge and conjoin, like the spokes of a wheel at its hub, in a way that is unimaginable to normal consciousness. When Gotama had reached the state of perfect equilibrium that he had glimpsed as a child under the rose-apple tree, when his faculties were concentrated and his egotism under control, he was, he believed, ready to sit in the ‘immovable spot.’ He was at last in a position to receive the supreme insight.” 

And then there is a long passage that goes on to state how the Buddha had to confront the powerful dweller, which was similar to Christ’s experience in the desert. Buddha overcame the dweller and “entered the first jhana and penetrated the inner world of his psyche; when he finally reached the peace of Nibbana all the worlds of the Buddhist cosmos were convulsed, the heavens and hells shook, and the bodhi tree rained down red florets on the enlightened man. Throughout all the worlds, The flowering trees bloomed; the fruit trees were weighed down by the burden of their fruit; the trunk lotuses bloomed on the trunks of the tress…The system of ten thousand worlds was like a bouquet of flowers sent whirling through the air. The ocean lost its salty taste, the blind and the deaf were able to see and hear; cripples could walk and the fetters of prisoners fell to the ground. Everything suddenly glimpsed new freedom and potency; for a few moments, each form of life was able to become more fully itself.”

That was the description of the Buddha’s enlightenment. It was interesting to note the Buddha’s reaction after his enlightenment. He was so touched by the experience that he thought all he could do was to be silent. “His Dhamma was too difficult to explain, he told himself; the people would not be prepared to undergo the arduous yogic and moral disciplines that it required. Far from wishing to renounce their craving, most people positively relished their attachments and would not want to hear his message of self-abandonment.” He didn’t see how he could ever describe what he’d been through in any effective way that would reach humanity and so he initially decided, the Pali texts say, to be silent--the silent Buddha. But there was an intervention by the great Lord Brahma, the Hindu deity, who came down and told the Buddha that while he might want to be silent, he was not permitted to be so. He was summoned to find the words to speak about these things. “Lord,” he prayed, “please preach the Dhamma…there are people with only a little desire left within them who are pining for lack of this method; some of them will understand it.” He pleaded with the Buddha to “look down at the human race which is drowning in pain and to travel far and wide to save the world.” And so that’s what the Buddha did and he spent the next forty years traveling throughout India, preaching the dhamma. And so this gives an insight, perhaps, into what’s going to occur on our planet as more and more people pass through some of the higher initiations, and it cautions us to not be silent as we might want to be and do what we can to bring forward the teaching needed for the suffering people of our day. We all know that we hold a responsibility to share the little that we know. And as the Buddha reflected upon the suffering of the people his heart was turned. “Only when we learn to live from the heart and to feel the suffering of others as if it were our own do we become truly human.” That was the great lesson from the Lord Buddha for us at this time.1

* A transcript from a talk given at the 2007 Seven Ray Institute/University of the Seven Rays Conference in Mesa, Arizona

1 Armstrong, Karen, Buddha, A Penguin Book, New York, 2001, pp. 92-95