Nelson Mandela

David Cameron is quoted as saying (on hearing of the death of Nelson Mandela), ‘A great light has gone out in the world’. I would say that a great light has shone upon the world through his physical lifetime, and that light will continue to shine and inspire generations to come. He is indeed a great torch bearer for humankind.

As the tributes to this amazing man pour in from around the world, we must all be touched by his extraordinary example of courage, forbearance and unconditional love. After twenty-seven years of imprisonment, his thoughts were of forgiveness and how to help South Africa forward in a new era. His vision was and I believe always will be, a vision of universal brotherhood, race with race, religion with religion, country with country.

In some ways maybe in his death, he will be giving the world as much as he gave in his lifetime, as the new generations hear afresh about what he thought and what he achieved, as the media put their spotlight upon him. ‘All nations have to learn to live together in harmony’ was his message. ‘He was prepared to die for his cause’ was a quote from a close associate. Maybe, indeed, in his dying, his vision will be fulfilled.

Advent's Inner Blessing

I always feel this time of Advent is very special. We have just held our ‘Advent Spiral Celebration’ here in the Temple at New Lands for families, children and indeed everyone who wished to join in and it was quite magical—the Temple in semi-darkness, the ad hoc choir singing and the children one by one lighting their candles and gradually creating a beautiful spiral of light on the Temple floor. And at the London Lodge we held our traditional Advent Service following this year our community day of celebration and thankfulness as we prepare to move our Lodge at the physical level.

Although Christmas can be a joyously anticipated time of festivity, I know that for many it is very poignant. Perhaps it is the time of year more than any other when loved ones who have passed on are missed. It is also a time which may be particularly lonely for those without (or separated from) their families.

White Eagle’s teaching brings great comfort. He reminds us that our dear ones are only separated from us physically and that we can all learn to feel their never ending love surrounding us, if we put aside the doubting mind of everyday and ‘open our hearts’. For me, advent time is about ‘opening our hearts’. Life in the physical body is so often about change, surrender and acceptance. (This is the Wise Men’s gift of myrrh!). But the Wise Men also brought frankincense—the holy incense which awakens the consciousness to heavenly wisdom and allows us to accept into our hearts the gift of gold. The gold is the absolute certainly of God’s love and care for all of us and the knowledge that ‘nothing happens by chance’. God’s love is perfect. God’s timing is perfect. I believe that the more we can hold onto our faith no matter what, the more we can accept in our hearts the inner blessing of this special time of year.

White Eagle says this of those who have passed into the world of light: 

When you are happy at the Christmas festival wherever you are you can be quite sure that you have with you those you love. At Christmas time your friends come to you and talk to you in their own way. Do not reject impressions which they give to you of their presence and their love.

Compassion and Understanding

When I look at the news and see the devastation and human suffering in the Philippines, White Eagle’s teaching enables me to find a way of helping through working with the Star. 
It also helps me to look for the spiritual purpose of such an event, so that I can hold on to hope and not sink into emotions which would not help the radiating of the Light. 
Listening to the news of planes arriving from a multitude of countries bringing aid, I was struck by the possibility that again one of those spiritual reasons might be to bring the whole world together as one—helping us further in our understanding that we are one world, not many individual countries, and that what affects one part of that world affects all. 
And what moved me the most was that this message comes not through preaching, but through the sacrifice of so many souls to stimulate the compassion of others. One of the planes mentioned was from Spain, for example, and when you consider how relatively poor that country is at the moment, it fills one’s heart with awareness of the greatness of humanity—the ability of us all to rise in times of suffering and say: ‘Here am I Lord, use me.’ This is what we do, of course, when we think of the Star shining over the Philippines, which I’m sure you are all doing at the moment, bringing the aid of the angels and the Christ light to help those on earth. 
And of those who have been flung out of life White Eagle says: ‘Souls who are cast violently into the beyond…are instantly and tenderly taken care of…hardly have they realised it before someone is there to help them…You would be surprised if you could see the extent of the organisation…according to the needs of the particular soul, so the helper is chosen, someone who can most easily or readily communicate with the soul in need…the world of spirit is very normal, and has all things which the lower etheric of the soul just detached from the physical will want. You naturally think of heaven as being a most beautiful place, which indeed it is. Remember at the same time that a comforting meal might seem heavenly to some soul which has just been released from physical conditions.’

Ghana - A Country Rich In Gold

The national flag of Ghana is brightly coloured—green, yellow and red. 

 

As many of you know, I have just spent two weeks in this beautiful country and I have been thinking how appropriate the vibration of these colours is for the soil of this land. The green brings the energy of its verdant natural landscape, abundant with flowers, trees and fruits. The red reflects the colour of the actual soil. As I walked on this red earth it was not difficult for me to feel the underlying strength of Africa, the Earth Devas and the embrace of Earth Mother.

Walking on the earth reinforced my belief that there truly is a strong spiritual light burning brightly is the heart of this great continent of Africa and that it manifests strongly in Ghana. This country was called the Gold Coast in days gone by before its independence. During my visit I was walking in an area of the country where gold has recently been discovered. There has indeed been a gold rush. Many have been tempted by the thought of getting rich quickly, but as the saying goes ‘all that glitters is not gold’ and some are disappointed and learning valuable spiritual lessons. Actually, I feel that at its spiritual heart there is a great store of inner gold in Ghana, so it does not surprise me that the third colour of its flag is the bright golden yellow (which is also the colour of spiritual wisdom). I believe Ghana has a golden opportunity to be one of the leaders of a new era in Africa of stable just leadership and true brotherhood. It is sad to note that many African countries have drifted into partial or full anarchy during the last 20 years. This emphasises the urgency of building the light to restore the continent to order and dispel the fear of so many. Ghana is indeed playing its part in this. After its troubled and corrupt early history, it now has more enlightened leadership—by chance I saw part of a TV programme in which the President was offering his new code of ethics (i.e. no more bribes). Maybe this is another example of the leader working under the Star of the new age of awakening brotherhood. (I have previously written of others.) Indeed, I believe the Star is working in many places in Africa. I have just heard that the M23 rebels have ceased their fighting and this will have a stabilising effect on Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo, bringing peace and normality for all the people living in this extensive area.

Our new Star Centre—our White Eagle Star Centre for West Africa—(opened and dedicated during my recent visit) in Ghana will boost the Star light in this ‘Country of Gold’. The light shines through the hearts and lives of so many. The natural character of these lovely people is indeed pure gold—warmth of heart, friendliness, a strong sense of community and daily practice of Jesus’ commandment to ‘love thy neighbour as thyself’. So ‘may the golden light of the Star shine brightly in the heart of Ghana and its people all and throughout Africa’.

A Torch of Brotherhood!

‘The most important thing in the Olympic games is not to WIN but to take part.’

I believe the whole world was blessed in 2012 by the happiness, harmony and increased understanding between individuals and nations generated by the London

summer Olympic games. So many stories of individual courage and endeavour emerged—particularly during the following Para-Olympics. The energy of shared and brotherly comradeship has continued for many months into 2013. Although, obviously, there are the news stories of suffering and sadness, there are also many which celebrate individual heroism. Now the world looks forward to the Winter Olympic games in Russia. Last week the Olympic torch set off on its 123 day journey of 40,000 miles before it comes back to the Black Sea resort for the opening of the games on 7^th February 2014. Mr. Putin said: ‘Today is a joyous and momentous day. The Olympic flame—the symbol of the planet’s main sports event, the symbol of peace and friendship—has arrived in Russia, and in a few minutes it will be on its way around our huge country.’

It seems very significant to me that at the same time as the Olympic torch is on its journey (which includes travel to the North Pole and ascending Europe’s highest mountain), the Commonwealth Games baton (containing a secret message from the Queen) has set off on its journey—this one is 120,000 miles across Asia, Oceana, Africa, North and South America, returning to the UK for the opening ceremony in Glasgow on 23^rd July.

What a wonderful opportunity both these travelling symbols of brotherhood and peace, bring to our world for the months ahead, uniting us all as they journey through all these diverse countries. In Healing the World White Eagle reminds us that we can all be ‘light-bearers’. It makes me think that though we may not physically carry the Olympic torch or Commonwealth Games baton, we can carry the Christ power and light wherever we go, through our love and thoughtfulness, and energy of peace. White Eagle says:‘Your task is to be a peacemaker and a light-bearer. Radiate peace in your world and in your own country. All can recognise the spirit within themselves and within their brothers and sisters. All can put on one side earthly standards, and see humanity through the eyes of the spirit. So often humans bow the head and look at the earth instead of looking up to the heavens to see the vision of the spiritual realms, the kingdom of God.’

Can One Person Really Make a Difference?

White Eagle tells us that they can! Recently I opened White Eagle’s book Healing the World at this page: ‘In world affairs the individual work may turn the scale, may turn the affairs of humankind from evil to good. Good comes out of evil or ignorance. Good will come but you must know this truth in your hearts and minds. Your thoughts must dwell upon it; your speech must express this divine truth. You must live in the Star, and however contrary the conditions of earth may be, never give way to pessimism; never in any situation. Be sure that if you think aright, think creatively and positively, you are an instrument of God, for you set into operation the law of divine love, and the results will be wholly good.’

Although the media news is often full of sad and distressing stories, it seems to me there are an increasing number of stories/events that give real hope that there is an actual change in consciousness taking place in many millions of people throughout the world. White Eagle has long told us that the coming of the new Golden Age of Brotherhood will be brought about by many individuals turning their thoughts and their faces to the light, rather than the dark.

New leaders are emerging on the world stage who have definitely turned their faces towards light and reconciliation, rather than keeping to entrenched ideas from the past and the sense of individual territory. For me personally, the newly re-elected German Chancellor, Angela Merkel is one of them. Like me you may have seen Andrew Marr’s BBC documentary about this remarkable woman. In a very interesting way she seems to be a bridge between the past Piscean Age and our present day Aquarian Age of working together for brotherly understanding, forgiveness and moving on. Her background is so interesting, having her roots in the Eastern sector of the old divided Germany (before the Berlin Wall came down).

Andrew Marr’s programme showed so clearly how, in her style of leadership, she is actually demonstrating a whole new way of being—a leadership from the heart, calling upon the intuitive heart in all humanity to arise, rather than the hard, mental, war-like energies of the past. It seems that Angela is an iron lady with a velvet glove, and with a very soft and open, intuitive heart. Apparently she works always for consensus and yet gives firm leadership. What a role model for others. She has won many awards, including ‘Vision for Europe’ in 2006, and the Nehru Award for the year 2009 for international understanding. She is working for greater understanding between the world’s religions, supporting expanding religious classes in German schools, including Islam. In spite of Chinese protests, she met with the Dalai Lama on 25^th September 2007—interesting that I should be writing this on the very anniversary of that auspicious meeting.

Let us hold her, the Dalai Lama, the United Nations and all working for peace and reconciliation under the shining ray of the Star today.

'How can a God of love allow such suffering?'

Like many of you I expect, I see the horrific happenings in Syria and the plight of so many refugees, especially over one million children, and I think many people must be asking the question ‘If there really is a God of love, how can he/she allow such suffering?'

I find White Eagle’s teaching profoundly helpful at times like this. I do believe that there are divine laws which encompass all life and that sometimes one of the purposes of so-called evil is to open our hearts in greater compassion. White Eagle is very reassuring for me when he says: ‘God is complete and absolute justice and love. God is not hard; God is more loving, more compassionate, more tender, than any human being alive, and has set in motion a law for the evolution of all.’

The Lord Buddha, too, offers an example in his teaching about suffering and the ‘Bodhisattva of infinite compassion’ Avalakitsvara, is depicted as a being with many arms and in each palm of one hand an all-seeing eye of wisdom and in the other a different object—symbolising the care which exists for all created life to give to each according to their unique need.

At such times people also naturally ask what they can do to help and in the book ‘Healing the World’ White Eagle says: ‘There is great need for your untiring service, and we ask you to give forth to the world from the well of truth that is within you, the spirit of peace and love and brotherhood. A mighty power from the Centre of Light is being concentrated upon world affairs at this time, but also there is the opposite force at work; always there are the two: positive and negative, the constructive and the disintegrating forces, and it is of vital importance that the balance be kept. Don’t think, ‘I am so insignificant, I can do nothing’. You must never fail in your obligation to think positively, to send forth the light of love and goodwill.’ Those of us who have been working for the light for many years will know the power of this radiation and what it can achieve.