The Major Nations and Their Rays

It is of major interest for us to know something about the energies and forces which are producing the present international situation and presenting the complex problems with which the United Nations are confronted. In the last analysis, all history is the record of the effects of these energies or radiations (rays, in other words) as they play upon humanity in its many varying stages of evolutionary development. These stage s extend all the way from those of primeval humanity to our modern civilization; all that has happened is the result of these energies, pouring cyclically through nature and through that part of nature which we call the human kingdom.

To understand what is today taking place we must recognize that these energies are seven in number. They are called by many names in many different lands, but for our purposes the following seven names will be used:

1. The energy of Will, Purpose or Power, called in Christian lands the energy of the Will of God.
2. The energy of Love-Wisdom, called frequently the Love of God.
3. The energy of Attractive Intelligence, called the Mind of God.
4. The energy of Harmony through Conflict, affecting greatly the human family.
5. The energy of Concrete Knowledge or Science so potent in this time.
6. The energy of Devotion or Idealism, producing the current ideologies.
7. The energy of Ceremonial Order, producing the new forms of civilization.

These energies are ceaselessly playing on humanity, producing changes, expressing themselves through successive civilizations and cultures, and fashioning the many races and nations.

This is no way infringes upon man's freewill; these forces have both their higher and their lower aspects and men respond to them accordingly to their mental and spiritual development, and so do nations and races as a whole. Humanity has reached a point today when there is a most sensitive response to that which is higher and better. (The Destiny of Nations, pp. 3-4)

All of the great nations are controlled by two rays, just as is the human being. With the smaller nations we shall not concern ourselves. All nations are controlled by a personality ray (if so we call it), which is dominant and potent and the main controlling factor in this time, and by a soul ray which is sensed only by the disciples and aspirants of any nation. The soul ray must be evoked into an increased functioning activity by the New Group of World Servers, for this is one of their main objectives and tasks. This must never be lost to sight. Much could be written about the historical influence of the rays during the past two thousand years, and of the way in which great events have been influenced or brought about by the periodic ray influence. But for this I have neither the time nor the inclination. Interesting as it is, and indicative of the present national trends and problems, all that I can do now is to point out the rays governing each nation, and leave you to study and note their effect at your leisure, and to comprehend their relation to the present condition of the world. One thing I would point out, and that is that those rays which govern a particular nation, and which are at this time in incarnation, are very potent, either materially, or egoically, whilst some of the problems may be due to the fact that certain rays governing certain nations, are at this timeout of incarnation.

Nation Personality Ray Soul Ray Motto

India 4th ray of art 1st ray of government "I hide the Light"

China 3rd ray of intellect 1st ray of government "I indicate the Way"

Germany 1st ray of power 4th ray of art "I preserve"

France 3rd ray of intellect 5th ray of knowledge "I release the Light"

Great Britain 1st ray of power or 2nd ray of Love "I serve"

government

Italy 4th ray of art 6th ray of idealism "I carve the Path"

USA 6th ray of idealism 2nd ray of Love "I light the Way"

Russia 6th ray of idealism 7th ray of magic & order "I link two ways"

Austria 5th ray of knowledge 4th ray of art "I serve the Lighted Way"

Spain 7th ray of order 6th ray of idealism "I disperse the clouds"

Brazil 2nd ray of love 4th ray of art "I hide the seed"

(Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, pp. 381-3)

In connection with this discussion which governs and influences the leading nations of the world, bear in mind the fact that all are primarily conditioned by the Law of Cleavages; however, advanced groups in every nation are beginning to respond to the Law of Understanding. This is a law which will eventually emphasize the eternal brotherhood of man and the identity of all souls with the Oversoul. This will be recognized in the racial consciousness, as well as the oneness of the Life which pours through, permeates, animates and integrates the entire solar system. This life functions in and through all planetary schemes, in all their kingdoms of forms and with all that can be included under the phrase "form life." That phrase contains three basic ideas: the ideas of life, of form and of evolution.

The functioning of the Law of Loving Understanding will be greatly facilitated and speeded during the Aquarian Age which we are considering; it will eventuate later in the development of a world-wide international spirit, in the recognition of one universal faith in God and in humanity also as the major expression of divinity upon the planet, and in the transfer of the human consciousness from the world of material things to that of the more purely psychic. This will lead in time and inevitably to the world of spiritual realities. It should be remembered that (for advanced humanity) the sequence of the recognition of these expansions of consciousness is as follows:

1. The world of physical living. This requires the recognition, by the brain consciousness, of the need for mental and spiritual control, as the first step.
2. The world of mental unfoldment.
3. The world of the soul or ego, the individualized man. When these recognitions are established in the aspirant, then there comes the recognition by the disciple of the Master Who should guide him.
4. The control of the physical plane life by the soul.
5. The functioning and the utilization of the psychic powers and their place and part in the field of intelligent service.
6. The interpretative faculty of the illumined mind.
7. An inspired creative life upon the physical plane.

In that development of the racial consciousness, the process does not necessarily follow the above seven stages and sequence. This is owing to the stimulation and consequent sensitizing of the form aspect through the increased radiation and potency of the dynamic New Group of World Servers, their ranks are filled by those who have passed, or are passing, through the stages of aspirant or disciple, thus learning to serve. Psychic unfoldment in the masses parallels the spiritual unfoldment of advanced humanity. This can be seeing going on today on a large scale everywhere and it accounts for the tremendous growth of the spiritualistic movement and the for enormous increase in the lower psychic powers. Old Atlantean magic and the lower psychism are upon us in the great turning of the wheel of life, but this time good may eventuate, if the world disciples and the spiritually-minded people measure up to their opportunity.

Today there are many thousands coming under the influence of this Law of Loving Understanding. Many in every nation are responding to the broader synthetic brotherly note, but the masses as yet understand nothing of this. They must be led in right ways gradually by the steady development in right understanding of their own nationals. Bear this in mind, all of you who work for world peace and right human relations, for harmony and for synthesis.

(The Destiny of the Nations, pp. 47-9)

It should be remembered that as with individuals, so with nations - the reaction to the increasing influence of the soul rays ever accompanied by the breaking down period; this demonstration of destruction is, however, only temporary and preparatory.

It is too dangerous in these days of difficulty and world turmoil to express myself more definitely as to the future lines of unfoldment. The destiny and the future functioning of the nations lie hid in their present activities. The majority of the readers are far too nationalistic in their thinking, and too deeply engrossed with the prime importance of their nation and its supreme significance, for me to be able to do more than generalize and indicate the major lines of progress. The role of the prophet is a dangerous one, for destiny lies in the hands of the people and no one knows exactly what the people will do - once aroused and educated. The time has not yet come when the bulk of the people of any nation can see the picture whole or be permitted to know the exact part their nation must play in the history of nations. Every nation - without exception - has its peculiar virtues and vices which are dependent upon their point of evolution, the measure of control of the personality ray, the emerging control of the soul ray, and the general focus of the nation.

National relationships and the major intellectual cleavages are based also upon the governing ray influences. Spain, Austria and France, being governed by the seventh, fifth and third rays, have a close inter-relation. This worked out in a most interesting manner in the Middle Ages, and the destinies of these three nations were closely related. The newly forming country of the United States likewise spiritually and intimately associated - in its form aspect - with Brazil, Russia and Italy; hence the early influx of certain types of emigrants into the country and hence also the pull of the South American countries upon the American consciousness, and the growth (rightly or wrongly) of the ideal of Pan-America. These relations are all on the form side and emerge out of the personality rays or energy of the nations concerned. The Ray of Love or Inclusiveness, the Ray of Active Intelligence showing itself so predominantly in the electrical civilization of modern times, and the Fifth Ray of Exact Science are all potentially active at this time, for they are all pouring their energies onto our planetary life. The incoming seventh Ray of Order is surely, even if slowly, imposing order and a new rhythm of life upon mankind. The effect of these incoming energies and of the rays which are active at any one time is felt in the following sequential order:

1. The sensing of an ideal.
2. The formulation of a theory.
3. The growth of public opinion.
4. The imposition of the new and developing pattern upon the evolving life.
5. The production of a form, based upon that pattern.
6. The stabilized functioning of the life within the new form.

It should be remembered that each ray embodies an idea which can be sensed as an ideal. The rays in time produce the world pattern which moulds all planetary forms and thus bears witness to the inner potency of the evolutionary processes. This pattern-forming tendency is being recognized today by modern psychology in connection with the human being and his emotional or thought patterns are being charted and studied. So it is with the nations and races also. Every ray produces three major patterns which are imposed upon the form nature, whether it be that of a man, a nation or a planet. These three patterns are: the emotional pattern, embodying the aspiration of a man, a nation or a race; it is the sum total of the desire tendency at any one time, the mental pattern, emerging later in time and governing the thought processes of a man, a nation or a race. The emotional and mental patterns are the negative and positive aspects of the personality of a man, a nation or a race. The soul pattern is the pre-desposing and spiritual goal, the ring-pass-not or destiny which the spiritual principle succeeds eventually in imposing upon the personality of a man, a nation or a race. This soul pattern eventually supersedes and obliterates the two earlier pattern-producing processes.

The Tibetan (The Destiny of Nations, pp. 55-8)