Post by Tamrin on Sept 7, 2008 18:47:42 GMT 10
WHY I DISLIKE ALICE BAILEY’S GREAT INVOCATION
By Andrew Fitzherbert
By Andrew Fitzherbert
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men—
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Life work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men—
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Life work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
“The Great Invocation” is used by several groups besides the followers of Alice Bailey. Many people find it both impressive and inspiring. My own opinion is that it is a load of twaddle. Of course this opinion is purely personal, and certainly everyone is entitled to his own view on the matter. However, it does seem worthwhile to set out these criticisms. Make up your own mind as to whether they are valid or not.
Some years ago I visited a group which used another invocation concocted by an American showman. Someone pointed out that it made no sense at all. This aroused heated discussion, because no one else had noticed they were reciting nonsense. Eventually one member remarked, “Well it sounds good, even if it doesn’t make sense!” Perhaps this applies to the Alice Bailey invocation as well.
My first objection to the invocation is that it is totally passive. It proposes mankind must be guided, controlled and motivated. It makes no affirmations. It encourages no actions. It calls on the higher powers to take charge of our lives. Knowing how easily man can be misled by his own imagination, or by contact with entities on the astral plane, I am very wary of calling on “higher powers” to take charge.
Secondly the invocation proposes an anthropomorphic god. Alice Bailey herself acknowledges that God is not anthropomorphic. Nevertheless her invocation speaks of God as an entity. He has a heart, a mind, a will, and a purpose. In support of this the invocation employs the name of the Masters. In H.P.B.’s time the Masters specifically repudiated the idea of God living as a living entity.
My second objection is that many phrases appear to be meaningless. “The point of Light within the Mind of God”: What on earth is this? Quite apart from the fact that the Universal Consciousness can scarcely be called the Mind of God, it is hard to see how it could contain a point of Light. It is diffused throughout the Universe, not concentrated in one place. Furthermore, at the level of ultimate reality there can be no parts, all is one. There is no possibility of a hypothetical point or centre.
The concept of “Light” is usually taken to mean spiritual wisdom or knowledge. I object to the idea that this can “descend on Earth”. The Light is here now. It is all around us and within us. We aspire to know and experience the Light. Jesus said, “Let your Light shine forth”. It is absurd to imagine that it can be poured down onto the Earth by some big man in the sky.
“The point of Love within the heart of God” is almost as bad. Dare I suggest that it is meaningless to speak of Love streaming into our heats? This sounds as bad as criticising Motherhood or Apple Pie! We may learn to love. I agree with the Christian teaching that God loves the world. We live in an infinitely beautiful universe, and since the Universe is a manifestation of God—the One Life Force—it is obvious that God loves us. As the New Age people say, God is Love. What I deny is that Love is some sort of force, which can be poured out like an electric current, by an anthropomorphic God who wants to recharge our batteries.
“The centre where the Will of God is known”: This is a presumptuous phrase. Leave aside the anthropomorphism. I deny that there is any centre—that there could ever be a centre—which could so identify with the One Life Force as to claim to know its will. Is it even meaningful to speak of “Its will” except in an anthropomorphic sense?
I also object to “purpose guiding the wills of men”. I applaud man’s aspirations to a higher purpose. I object to any outside entity, even Mrs. Bailey’s God, imposing its purpose on man. Most religions teach that man has free will, he is not an automaton. I also consider it an affectation to speak of “the little wills of men”. Man’s little will bids fair to destroy this planet. There have been a good many little wills who have attained sainthood. My suburb is full of derelict alcoholics, but I would not dare to accuse any of them of having a “little will”. No thanks, Mrs. Bailey, the phrase is cute but I do not accept it.
“The centre which we call the race of men”: No one, not even Mrs. Bailey, has ever called the race of men a centre, except in the invocation. Why not call it a teapot or an elephant? In this context, those words would be just as meaningful—Centre of what?
A Theosophist might also point out that there is no “race of man”. There are said to be several races, ours being the fifth. Being a heretic I doubt the truth of this theory, but Mrs. Bailey accepts the theory of races and sub-races. Why then does she speak of “the race of men” as if it were a single thing?
The phrase “May it seal the door where evil dwells” also bothers me. I do not believe that there are dark powers. I believe even more strongly in men’s ability to act in an evil manner of his own volition. This phrase implies that evil is something to be constrained. I disagree with this. All entities must ultimately evolve, which means to grow out of the behaviour and attitudes which we call evil.
The Master Jesus was once brought face to face with a supposedly evil woman. He did not say “Constrain her”, nor Seal the door where she dwells.” Instead he said, “Go, and sin no more”. It seems to me that the invocation disagrees with this view of evil, and therefore I disagree with the invocation.
What about “May Christ return to Earth”? Once again, this is an idea I reject, though millions of devout people all over the world await this event. Moslems, Christians, Hindus, and Theosophists; all have at some time believed that some great spiritual being was going to incarnate on Earth to lead us to a golden age. It is a pleasant thought, but I do not think it is a good one. There are indeed great souls who incarnate at times. All of them tell us to get on with our own evolution. I agree with Krishnamurti, that we need to get on with the job ourselves and not wait for some divine teacher who is coming to save us all.
Finally the phrase, “Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth”. Is there a plan? Are we all supposed to be swept along by some sort of Cosmic programme? Don’t do anything; God’s plan will take care of you. The invocation says this plan has gone wrong and must be restored, but not by us. Only the divine Light, Love and Power Company can do so. Personally I don’t believe there is a plan, nor anything to restore. There are immutable laws, and we have choices to make and actions to undertake. Let us try to make the right ones.
Analysed like this, the Great Invocation breaks down into:
- a number of false ideas
- a number of fine sounding but meaningless phrases
- a view of the universe which looks suspiciously like a fundamentalist monotheistic religion
Neither would I urge anyone to follow any particular teacher. However, I would like to close with another invocation, from Annie Besant. To me it seems simple, reverent and entirely meaningful.
Oh hidden Life, vibrant in every atom;
Oh hidden Light, shining in every creature;
Oh hidden Love, embracing all in oneness;
May each who feels himself to be one with Thee,
Know he is also one with every other.
Oh hidden Light, shining in every creature;
Oh hidden Love, embracing all in oneness;
May each who feels himself to be one with Thee,
Know he is also one with every other.