The Spirit of Sacrifice

 

The working disciples throughout the world are struggling with every means at their disposal to spread the gospel of sacrifice, because only upon sacrifice can world stability be safely founded ~ the sacrifice of selfishness.
                                              - Alice A. Bailey (1)

Universal Sacrifice

Without sacrifice, the entire manifested universe would not exist. Cosmic Deity sacrificed life to the universe, just as our Solar Deity gave life to the solar system. And the legacy of our Planetary Deity is laced with the theme of sacrifice.

"Bliss and Sacrifice are synonymous terms as far as our solar Logos is concerned, and also for the majority of the planetary Logoi." (2)

As above, so below.

The Deva kingdom exhibits sacrifice on our behalf, as well as do the so-called lower kingdoms in nature, through our Planetary Purpose.

... Sacrifice and the impulse to give can ... be traced throughout every kingdom in nature. It is typified for us in the basic sacrifices which take place between the various kingdoms. The essential qualities of the minerals and chemicals of the earth are an instance in point. They are needed by other forms of life and are donated to man through the medium of the vegetable kingdom and through the water which he drinks, and thus, even in the first and densest [mineral] kingdom in nature (whose consciousness is so far removed from ours) does this process of giving hold good. (3)

In sacrifice,

... we glimpse something of Planetary Purpose and our relationship to it. We also come to understand more clearly the meaning underlying the experiences of pain and loss that are so characteristic here, for all life on the planet is actually a disciplinary training. That training falls into three major categories:

1. That which is Logoically-imposed.
2. That which is Soul-imposed.
3. That which is self-imposed. (4)

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Law of Sacrifice

The esoteric Law of Sacrifice is the first of seven Laws of the Soul or Group Life given by Alice Bailey in Esoteric Psychology II.

As the energy of Harmony through Synthesis increases in our planetary life, sacrifice is applied, producing Union through diversity and adversity. (5)

Sacrifice governs the process of Death. Sacrifice relates also to Forgiveness and Sharing, for

It means the impulse of giving. The whole secret of the doctrines of "the forgiveness of sins" and of the "at-onement" lies hid in this simple phrase. It is the basis of the Christian doctrine of love and sacrifice. (6)

Sacrifice of the lower allows that which is higher to be expressed. This is based on identification with the Soul, instead of the lower aspect of the self. It involves the relinquishing of negative thought and emotion to those of higher vibration.

The Law of Sacrifice means also salvage and underlies all the evolutionary processes and particularly does this emerge into clear significance in the human family. The instinct to betterment, the urge to progress (physical, emotional and intellectual), the effort to ameliorate conditions, the tendency to philanthropy which is so rapidly taking hold of the world, and the sense of responsibility which does make men realise that they are their brother's keeper, are all expressions of this sacrificial instinct. (7)

From the angle of form, we tend to think of sacrifice as the will of the weak giving way to the will of the strong.

Yet in later cycles of life, through the application of wisdom and for the purpose of evolution, the will of the strong (or further evolved) is yielded to assist the weaker.

With every decision, we sacrifice all else for the one avenue being chosen. Sacrifice, then, is the yielding of energy. We give up!

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Essential Sacrifice

Sacrifice is a process of making sacred, as seen in a body that is full of light. All those things in our lower natures that act as blocks to that light have to be replaced by or transmuted into Light ~ which is what makes us holy. "When the eye is single, the body is full of light." - Matthew 6:22

Through selfless service, the Gospel of Sacrifice runs in and through the life expression of all world servers. To sacrifice calls us to share what we have to offer with that which has need for it. This compels us to bring sacrifice all the way into and through the physical manifestation of life itself.

Sacrifice, then, entails giving up our personal will to the will of the Soul, and eventually giving up the will of the Soul to the will of Divinity. This progression is a product of humanity’s evolution through experience ~
1. Individual, leading to selfishness and focus on the material;
2. Helping others ~ first from a selfish motive, avoiding distress at the sight of suffering, and later through pure, disinterested service, a quality of the soul;
3. The complete sacrifice of the separated lower self through the power to stand in spiritual being. (8)

The result of selfless sacrifice transcends any difficulty incurred in the process, for what has been gained outweighs all cost. Sacrifice is offered unto the altar of grace, to serve and heal humanity. Grace and Compassion are the products of Sacrifice being applied on the level of soul.

Sacrifice is truly an opportunity. Reaching for our higher selves through service to others is an act of purification, allowing each of us to utilize our most potent asset ~ love without desire for reciprocation. Such offerings are of great assistance in achieving heightened group consciousness, as sacrificial acts such as kindness or giving reverberate like the ripple effect of a stone tossed in a pond.

It’s really very simple. Every time we help the one or the many we come closer to our essential divinity, until that stupendous experience is accomplished at the end of the long evolutionary process of human experience when nothing else remains to be done or purified or sacrificed, and we actualize our true identity as one with God. Than this full and complete achievement, there is no higher purpose. We are part of God, sparks within the One Flame.

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Formula for Sacrifice

1. Dispassion - The emotional nature is rendered immune from the appeal of the senses and desire fails to deter the soul from its rightful task.
2. Discrimination - The mind identifies with the good, the beautiful and the true and overcomes illusions of the personality.
3. Detachment - The functioning brain is intentionally withdrawn from the world of sensory perception, subordinating the personality to the higher impulses. (9)

Sacrifice requires the relinquishing of gain. (10) This can be accomplished through applying this sequence to any challenge or disruptive situation, and will bring about reorientation from a horizontal focus to a vertical expression.

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Becoming the Path

Excerpt from "An Esoteric Catechism"

I play my part with stern resolve, with earnest aspiration
I look above, I help below
I dream not, nor I rest
I toil, I serve
I reap, I pray
I am the Cross, I am the Way
I tread upon the work I do,
I mount upon my slain self
I kill desire, and I strive, forgetting all reward.
I forego peace, I forfeit rest
and, in the stress of pain,
I lose myself and find Myself
and enter into peace.
To all this I solemnly pledge myself,
invoking my Higher Self. (11)

 

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Sacrifice in World Religions

Sacrifice is exemplified in this statement by Lord Krishna ~ “Having pervaded the universe with a fragment of myself, I remain.” This describes the soul's endeavor, and the spirit underlying all creative work. (12)

In the Buddhist tradition, taking the Bodhisattva Vows exhibits great sacrifice. The Buddhist ideal is to become a bodhisattva who strives to liberate all beings from the cycle of birth and death. The Bodhisattva Vows are taken formally by a Buddhist to accomplish this. (13)

The Vows are an expression of bodhichitta, the desire to realize enlightenment for the sake of others. "The bodhisattva-warrior, therefore, makes a vow to wake up not just for himself but for the welfare of all beings." (14)

In Christianity the Prodigal Son experience represents the sacrifice of that which was held dear, yet was discovered to be nonfulfilling, to approach the Divine. (15)

Sacrifice itself is reflective of the Christ energy. Through sacrifice we emulate the Divine Son to approach and eventually become the Christ consciousness, thus realizing our essential identity as One with the Father or spirit.

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Sacrifice and Era 2012

A number of the themes associated with Era 2012 events on the planet are tied to the Law of Sacrifice.

For, "Our planet … has a peculiar relation to the position of our solar system in the series of solar systems which constitute the body of expression for The One About Whom Naught May Be Said." (16)

There is a stage to be reached in the human consciousness, where that which lies behind the dualities—the stage of essential oneness—can, and will be recognised.

When this takes place, the consciousness of our humanity will then merge with that underlying consciousness of the whole, which recognises no pain or sorrow and has, therefore, slipped out of the realisation which predominantly governs the consciousness of the three great Lives in our solar system. (17)

At this time in the history of the world and its periodical salvaging from conditions which are wrecking the current civilisation, it is necessary that aspirants grasp the fact that that salvaging process must be carried on under the Law of Sacrifice, and that only a relative outer unity can be at this time achieved. ... The establishing of an inner contact and relationship, based on a realised oneness of purpose and soul love, is magnificently possible, and for this all disciples must struggle and strive. ... when disciples relinquish the sense of authority over each other and of responsibility for each other's activities, and at the same time stand shoulder to shoulder in the One Work, then the differences, the divergences, and the points of disagreement will automatically be overcome. There are three rules which are important to disciples at this time. (18)

We, humanity, grow in experience " ... as the result of the determined, conditioned activity of a Great Life, Which chose to make a major sacrifice ..." (19) and evidenced through

1. Progress in human consciousness.
2. Growing refinement of the forms of life, paralleled in the various kingdoms of nature.
3. Intensified conscious activity, on a scale of rapid living, that transcends time as we know it.
4. Expanding realisation of progress from one dimension to another, until today physicists are generally convinced of multiple dimensions.
5. Increasing scientific control of the physical elements and of the forces of nature. Today we talk in terms of space exploration just as 500 years ago they talked in terms of the mastery of oceans. We are offsetting the gravitational pull of the earth so that we can "fly into the face of the sun."
6. The instinctual life of sense consciousness in material forms ~ we have progressed to intellectual life as self-conscious human beings and beyond that, to intuitive acuity. (20)

Based then on the above, humanity’s expressed objectives include
1. Development of consciousness,
2. Refining of forms,
3. Intensification of realized life. (21)

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Sacrifice and Service

To serve the One Life is to sacrifice our personal will to Divine Will. Therefore the tier of Soul petals associated with the will aspect is interchangeably referred to both as the Sacrifice petals and as the Service petals.

Service to the Hierarchy of Light is service to the General Good. Of course, striving to the General Good opens the gates of higher knowledge and Service. But I would like you to realize clearly what qualities you must first develop in yourself for advancement on the path of Service. Many people are dreaming about the General Good and even are ready to work for it as long as it does not interfere with their habits and prosperity. But true service to the General Good, which leads to the gates of the Stronghold of Light, requires sacrifice and complete disdain for everything personal, in other words, the complete abandonment of selfhood. When the consciousness is broadened, when all feelings and comprehension are refined, the law of sacrifice will be accepted as the highest achievement. There will be no room for self-pity, fear of the future, offenses and envy because with every breath will sublimity, beauty, and the highest joy of service be realized.

The mature spirit who consciously chooses the path of Service knows the joy of a broadened consciousness and the fiery striving to the Highest Consciousness; he knows the joy of fulfillment of the Higher Will; he knows the joy of discovery and the destination of life; and in the appointed hour he will learn the sublimity and beauty of the final sacrament.

And so, after understanding and accepting with our heart the significance of the great liberating and crowning sacrifice, let us strive to develop in ourselves love, devotion, gratitude and obedience to Hierarchy. Let us be ready to take any burden, remembering that the heavier the burden the shorter will be our path. Truly speaking, from love and devotion issue all the other qualities which help our advancement. Thus, let us cultivate them as the most precious flowers; and, since these flowers of spirit grow and nurture each other, the greatest love will bring the greatest answer. Therefore, let us surround the Great Teacher with the fire of love. Let us guard our respect for Him. Let us evince the most careful, the highest understanding of the Teaching and the Indications, and sacredly, reverently, with the tremor of the heart, face the beauty and the majesty of his creativeness. Remember, those whose understanding is higher will ascend higher ....

                - Letters of Helena Roerich I, (22)

We are in essence a reflection of the Godhead, made in the image of God, and eventually reflect the Holy Spirit or Mother or Matter through our bodies, the Son or Soul through our consciousness, and finally the Father or One Spirit or God through our spirits. We can thereby see how sacrifice and service are necessary for an individual, or the entire human kingdom, to eventually reflect perfectly that which we ARE.

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Examples of Sacrifice

Sacrifice expresses throughout life on earth, and through countless actson the part of world servers.

Such examples as these serve also to inspire others ~

The Sacrifice Play in Baseball

[Baseball] is a community activity. You need all nine people helping one another. I love bunt plays. I love the idea of the bunt. I love the idea of the sacrifice. Even the word is good, giving yourself up for the good of the whole. That's Jeremiah, that's thousands of years of wisdom. You find your own good in the good of the whole. You find your own individual fulfillment in the success of the community ~ the Bible tried to do that and didn't teach you. Baseball did.
                                              - Mario Cuomo (23)

Rabbit in Hindu Mythology

The Rabbit's association with the Moon, as explained in this story ~
Rabbit in the Moon

NYPD Officer Buys Boots for Barefoot Homeless Person

The hearts of thousands of people were touched when NYPD Officer Lawrence DePrimo was photographed giving boots and socks to a homeless man. NYPD Cops Good Deed Goes Viral

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Much of the above is synthesized from
Esoteric Psychology II by Alice A. Bailey, p. 87–109

Footnotes

Principles and Laws Defined
Principle of Goodwill Synthesis
Principle of Essential Divinity
Principle of Unanimity Synthesis
Law of Spiritual Approach
Law of Group Endeavor
Law of Right Human Relations
Principle of Decision
Law of Compassion
Principle of Freedom
Law of Ancient Dominating Good
Path to Peace
Divine Truths Revealing the Soul of God
3 Spiritual Festivals
Festivals
Principles & Laws
A World Religion

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