Unfinished autobiography

Twenty-Four Books of Esoteric Philosophy is an initiate or a Master immediately indicates deception or gross ignorance. No one in the Arcane School (and this includes Mr. and Mrs. Bailey and the Headquarters Staff) makes any claim to high spiritual status; any worker making such a claim would cease automatically to be a worker in the Arcane School. He may claim to be a disciple; he may not claim to be a high initiate or a Master.

VI. The Arcane School is non-sectarian non-political and international.

The Arcane School stands ready to help any man or woman, no matter what their religious views, their political party, ideology or their national allegiances. If it is true (and we undeviatingly believe it to be so) that the "souls of men are ONE," then we hold that the concepts and acceptances of the conscious mind of the student do not, in reality, interfere with his ability to grasp this spiritual fact, nor can they prevent his contacting his soul. We only ask that he keep an open mind and cultivate a willingness to see life and world events as a whole; we ask him to regard world affairs—whether political, religious, sociological or economic—as a vast method or field of experience whereby and wherein divine purpose is slowly being worked out; we ask him to investigate how his particular belief fits into that world programme, and also whether he is exclusive or inclusive in his approach.

Because of this attitude in the Arcane School, our students today express every kind of political belief and are of every kind of religious persuasion. They should have no barriers or separating wall between themselves and others. How could there be in reality! A man's religious background and his political ideology are usually determined by his place of birth and his national background and tradition.

Churchmen of all denominations and spiritual people who own no ecclesiastical allegiances are working with us; members of all political parties and ideologies are also represented. We work together without interfering with each other's views or entering into controversial discussions. Our secretaries are not Permitted to enter into political or religious arguments with the students they supervise. We seek only to indicate the common goal, the universal field of service and the ancient methods whereby human beings can pass from the unreal to the Real.

It is true that during the war (1914-1945) the Arcane School officially aligned itself with the purpose of the Allied Nations and took a firm stand against the nations who were fighting the Forces of Light; that was in no way a political move but was based upon the spiritual conviction that the purpose of the Axis powers was contrary to the Plan of God, that it was in opposition to the Spiritual Hierarchy of the planet and the general good and welfare of humanity. The Axis policy was based on the wickedness of separation and hate. This decision on our part not to hold a neutral position was according to the will of the majority of the students. There are esotericists, however, who hold that to be an esotericist means that one holds oneself aloof from mundane affairs and that esoteric students should take no part in the affairs of humanity as a whole; they should be active in spiritual and mental realms. If the physical plane and its affairs lie outside the sphere of influence of spiritual livingness, then there is something basically wrong with our interpretation of truth; if the goal of the spiritual effort is to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, then all physical plane events become the concern of all spiritual people everywhere. May it not be true that, because of this ancient cleavage between spiritual life and material action, politics, the Church in all countries, and the economic life of the world have degenerated into the terrible condition which twentieth century humanity has had to face.

The students of the Arcane School are encouraged to carry their spiritual knowledge, energy and understanding into the affairs of humanity and to do this upon the physical level of existence. We ask our students in every nation to study the effective implementation of the spiritual plan and purpose in every phase of human activity, thus relating the word "spiritual" to all our daily activities and not only Copyright Š1998 LUCIS TRUST