A response to living in interesting times

On the 6^th of July 1941, almost two years into the bloodshed and destruction of the Second World War, Dion Fortune sent out her 80^th war letter to members and friends of the Fraternity of the Inner Light. Over 70 years later, in a seemingly vastly different world to the one she knew -- at least on the surface -- much of this particular letter’s content has a fresh poignancy and strong sense of currency for where we find ourselves in the 21^st Century.

"This is the basis of the psychological leadership of democracy. Its use demands of the leaders two things: firstly, a realisation that life is governed by certain principles which are universally and eternally prevalent, and that the departures therefrom are no more than the rise and fall of the waves on a tidal beach -- it is the tides that count, not the ripples. Leaders must trust and be true to such principles, and never, in a spirit of short-sighted opportunism, avail themselves of the ripples. Secondly, such leaders must have a spirit of dedication and self-abnegation which will cause them to have no care for power for its own sake but only as a means to an end -- the end being the service of society, so that they will be willing to delegate power in order that experience may be gained and growth made by those of whom they are the trustees. Those are the leaders we want, and, those are, the leaders we must have if the history of the last generation is not to repeat itself. "

In the accompanying meditation for the week she also asked her co-workers and friends to work through the theme of “Invocation for the sending of the leaders of the New Age”. This topic continued her established approach of using the meditation subjects to either tackle an immediate issue or to look towards establishing a better future.  

Now, in the past few months many people in the United Kingdom and the United States of America have been horrified by the apparent rise in the popularity of right wing politicians and their often hateful and self-serving views. People in Spain, France and Germany have also expressed real concerns about the growing interest and following of fascist beliefs.

By all accounts, compassion and kindness towards our fellow humans appear to be retreating. In the circumstances it is easy to become angry, hateful and despondent. It is, perhaps, also easy to fall into an outlook that all has been lost and that we are now trudging through the Wastelands.

A close friend recently questioned “the point of it all” in reference to magic and the Western Mysteries against this backdrop of rising fascism and general hatred. I responded that I felt it was easy to mistake 70 years as a long time. However, in truth, it is a blink in the eye of God, or indeed the Human Project, and, we must continue to do the right things even if the tide often appears to be going against us. Desired outcomes can sometimes take a much longer time to manifest than a mortal lifespan. That’s a particularly difficult one to swallow for many of us in a world bustling with narcissism and immediate gratification.

Many things keep me personally going through the flotsam and jetsam. Meditation and contemplation, ritual and ceremony, divination and dreaming, visualisation and visioning, to name a few! Turning off social media for a day or more can help too.

Recently I’ve found great inspiration by returning to Dion Fortune’s war letters. Reflecting on these I have been reminded of a salient passage from Galatians which reminds us of a universal truth we perhaps need to hear more of over the coming times:

 “…for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone…”

I hope others can also find and share some love, light and compassion from meditation and reflection on the war letters. 

If you are not already part of a lodge, group or coven tackling these very real challenges before us, you may find it useful to take up the practice of the Keepers of the Planetary Flame. In fact, you might find it a useful addendum to your spiritual practise even if you are involved in a group.

The Keepers of the Planetary Flame is a technique Gareth Knight introduced in the late 1970s. It continues the work exemplified by Dion Fortune and is similar to the techniques used by a small number of lodges working within her Tradition.  My internet friend, Sheila Browning, until recently curated a network of co-workers carrying out this regular exercise. More recently, the baton has been handed over to Katie Belle. You can check out their Facebook Group and connect with the network here.

Amongst other things, the work links people together across the globe, focussing on mediating the power of the stellar fire at the centre of our planet. This spiritual presence, which some look on as being our planetary heart, is essential to the well-being of our planet and all Humankind living upon it.

The exercise can be done daily or once a week and takes a few minutes each day to carry out the core practice described below. Gareth Knight’s instruction are as follows: -

“You will need a stone (or crystal) and a candle. Place your stone before the candle. Light the flame and be aware how it is an expression of the fire at the centre of our planet, of the sun, and of the starry regions around us.

Be aware of your stone as ultimately originating in the stars. Feel its connection to the land you live on and the processes of flowing fire within the earth.

Be aware of others who participate in this work and sense a field or network of spiritual energies linking us all together. Along these lines of connection, and up from the centre of the planet through your stone and flame, and from the stars, great streams of spiritual power and light flow and move.

Hold this awareness and attunement as long as feels right. Then blow out your candle, being aware that what you have set in motion is still running through the mortal realm.”

The destiny of Humankind is to bring the Kingdom, which already exists in the world of spirit, to Earth. That task involves both individual and group effort -- of families, teams, partnerships, communities and nations. Before it can happen we must learn to express our innate quality of being community creatures. Love of Humankind makes possible the building of community life, and true community living depends upon spiritual principles, not political ideas. This doesn’t mean that we should throw the baby out with the bath water and not participate in political acts or have related views. We are on incarnated on the Earth and need to participate fully in living -- in community -- and that means taking interest in and actions in politics too. However, it does mean we should take time out from the mundane to come back to the core spiritual principles behind appearances.

I hope you can join with us in this important venture.