It is the primary task of disciples to serve humanity, but it is important that they do so as esotericists. For there may be a tendency among many esotericists today to identify service work with physical activities as, for instance, those performed by relief agencies or the United Nations.

Normally, people in such organizations deal with humanitarian and socially oriented concepts and not esoteric thought forms, and this may mean that disciples distance themselves from the esoteric outlook and primarily function as exoteric “relief workers”.

Here we might ask, “does it matter? What is the difference between an esoteric and a humanitarian outlook? Isn’t it just a question of serving humanity?

These are of course very relevant questions, but it is also here that disciples may diverge from the area in which they are particularly qualified to serve- the esoteric. That they are particularly qualified does not in any way mean that esotericists are “better” than others, but just that they are the only ones who read esoteric books or obtain esoteric information in other ways.

The esoteric teaching is a formulation of the ideation of the soul, and its concepts are the very ones which are needed in the years to come where the soul will increasingly express itself through humanity.

We can also say that they are the only concepts which will be able to bring about an implementation of unity, peace and plenty - that is brotherhood - on a large scale in the world. This is due to the fact that souls absorb these concepts from the Ashrams of the Hierarchy who have outlined the plan of evolution on the basis of the impulse from the highest, ruling centre- Shamballa.

These ideas, which hold the solution to the practical realization of brotherhood in everyday life, exist in the dimension of pure intuitive reason “above” or “behind” the world of thought. The active disciples, who on the level of the soul serve the plan in the Ashrams, give the ideas abstract mental form, and this is why we say that the esoteric teaching represents the ideation of the soul itself.

But the ideas cannot be utilized until they are formulated by incarnated disciples on the level of the physical-etheric brain consciousness, because only then are they available to the many specialists whose task it is to launch project “brotherhood” in practical details.

At the same time, today we are witnessing a situation where esoteric ideas, as for instance “evolution”, “reincarnation” or “karma”, are welcomed by many people who have painfully ascertained the helplessness of materialism in the face of humanitarian problems and are, therefore, thirsting for alternative visions.

This thirst is usually unconscious, because most people haven’t yet met with esoteric ideas, but they will respond intuitively when they are presented to them because their souls are exerting heavy pressure from within.

But in addition, the consciousness of humanity today is far more fluid than ever before. It is due, not least, to the cyclic inflow of the first ray during the previous century and the transition into the present one. This was the energy which disrupted many of the ancient authoritarian and materialistic thought forms that the forces of resistance have used to maintain their dominion for millenniums, and which forced them into open battle during the world wars.

As we know the battle was won by the forces of light, and that is tantamount to a solution of the ancient karmic problem which has kept back the spiritual evolution of the Earth from time immemorial. But, as mentioned before, it also resulted in the disintegration of many crystallized thought forms, which have overshadowed humanity, so that today there is a clarity and transparency in the human mind as never before.

So there is a unique opportunity for humanity to take a quantum leap forward in its development, but it necessitates that the “tools”- the esoteric thought forms- souls have to use in order to express themselves in the physical world and create a new world order are made available within the reach of the physical brain consciousness.

It is only disciples who may do that, and as there are still relatively few esoteric disciples in the world it is imperative that they concentrate on this task. This demands that they live and think in the esoteric dimension, and that they pass on their conceptual universe by teaching, writing about, speak out and especially “radiate” esoteric concepts and values, for the power of example is still one of the most impressive ways of communication.

Lucille Cedercrans, who was the secretary or amanuensis of the Lord of Civilization, the Mahachohan or Master Rakoczy, has expressed herself about this question, so let us conclude by quoting what they say:

The purpose of this Thoughtform Presentation¹ is to provide a vehicle within which the conscious Soul, which overshadows… can incarnate, can express in the three worlds of human endeavor this Wisdom which is its life… so that when the Thoughtform Presentation has actually rendered its service within the body of humanity, human consciousness will recognize the conscious Soul incarnate, will aspire to that imminent goal of spiritual growth and development and will have available within a physical plane of appearances, the techniques, the methods, the way of achieving that goal.

One of the major services rendered by this Thoughtform Presentation of the Wisdom, through those who work with it, is that of thoughtform building, of bringing the basic concepts of the Wisdom (and remember these concepts are the ideation of the Soul) into those thoughtforms which will perfectly convey them, and then projecting the thoughtforms via the etheric body of humanity, into those frequencies of mind, of astral force, and of etheric substance, which will make the thoughtforms available to the brain consciousness of humanity. These concepts with which you are familiar through your efforts to understand them, can make their impact upon human beings everywhere, so that they can correctly interpret these same thoughtforms, so that they may be inspired by them to bring them into expression within their own life and affairs.¹

¹ Their version of the esoteric teaching. 

¹ Lucille Cedercrans: Applied Wisdom, Thoughtforms.