SPIRIT OF GOODWILL

Invocation & Evocation

Most of us pray or make supplication to a higher power at some point in our lives.  We do so for a variety of reasons, but primarily because we desire some outcome which is beyond our capacity to handle or produce.  Sometimes our prayers are answered and other times apparently not.  But our innate belief in something greater, –our faith– draws us to make entreaty and gives us the hope and a strength to carry on, which otherwise, we would not have had.  We invoke help through prayer, supplication, meditation, or in any of a number of ways, and help or an outcome is eventu­ally evoked.

Central to the understanding of drawing upon a Higher Power for our greater needs, is the concept of invocation and evocation.  We draw upon a Higher Power, for example, for the gaining of answers to life’s bigger questions, and for anything which we perceive to be beyond our capabili­ties, yet needed for our continued well-being, or the well-being of others.  It is the science of invo­cation/evocation that is at the core of God’s method for drawing us all to a higher purpose.  This is the primary method by which evolution proceeds at a subjective (or “inner” and causative) level.  

 Invocation and evocation are two halves of one process.  Invocation is an outgoing call.  Evoca­tion is the answer or response from the greater power.  In terms of action and consequent reaction, invocation is the action and evocation is the reaction.  Of course, it can be seen to be the other way around as we shall see later (that is, when the greater power invokes some sort of response from the lesser), but in human terms the former case is the one with which we are concerned at present. 

Nothing draws a person to invoke help quite the way pain does.  Pain and disharmony are great driving forces within humanity.  It is inherent in the human condition to experience pain.  In fact, it is endemic to the entire planet.  All lives on this planet apparently experience pain and discom­fort in some way.  The greater the consciousness of a being, the greater is the capacity to suffer, and likewise, the greater is the capacity to ease suffering, both for the self and for others.  On the whole, people who are not religious, or spiritually inclined, do not tend to enter into prayer—ear­nest prayer—unless they are suffering in some manner.  In a very real sense, suffering can drag a person down, but it can also lift one’s consciousness; it can give one call to seek something greater, in an effort to relieve the suffering. Suffering is a tremendous spur toward evolution. 

The entire litany of human achievement throughout history bears testament to the potency of pain as a catalyst for turning to God for answers.  Illness, war, famine, pestilence, natural disaster— indeed, an endless list of calamities—have given us cause to turn our eyes upward and inward, to ask for help, to lay our suffering at the feet of God, and to trust that help will come, so that we will somehow get what we need and be looked after.  And help does come. 

But help does not come unless we are prepared to make the needed effort.  An old adage states: “God helps those who help themselves.”  This means, simply, that insofar as we are willing to work and apply ourselves, so too will our prayers eventually be answered in some way. “Upward” effort brings a “down-flow” of response, to state the matter figuratively. 

In times of great human need there are always people who take the tasks upon their shoulders and work to alleviate the problems at hand.  These workers can be found in all walks of life and in every corner of the world.  They work, often without any certainty of outcome, or even any cer­tainty of how they need to apply themselves.  Almost without fail though, they all have certain things in common... plus faith.  They either have faith in themselves, or in something greater.  They have a determination to succeed even at great cost to themselves, as well as a burning desire to be of help.  They apply themselves, they toil, they seek, and usually they get some sort of result.  They invoke through their toil and their asking, and response is evoked.  As a result the human condition is bettered. Humanity or some other aspect of Nature progresses, and the love of God stands more fully revealed to all those affected.  There is also growth in wisdom. 

It is a fact in nature that those lives which do not produce results, which do not fulfill their part in the greater scheme of evolution, eventualy die out. They are replaced by lives which do contribute to the greater good. It is the same in human life. Generally, people are not  very accepting of lazi­ness in other people, nor very kind about it.  It is inherent in the nature of people to work.  Many times, we may not wish to work, yet there is a sense of fulfillment that comes from completion of a task, especially if that task is helpful to someone else in addition to oneself.  Exertion in the appropriate direction produces positive results and all lives benefit from it. 

The last century ushered in phenomenal examples of human achievement and triumph over obsta­cles.  For the most part, the great technological achievements that we enjoy today were conceived in the first fifty years of the last century.  Most of this grand technology was born out of the urgent necessities brought about by the two world wars. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” as the saying goes.  But we could take it a bit further and say “Dire need produces the most brilliant achievement” or even “The greatest suffering invokes the greatest light”.

When a person faces almost certain death, when loved ones are threatened, when a way of life seems doomed to be wiped away, when the suffering of a people tears at the heart and conscience of another people, be assured there is a Greater Power watching and waiting to aid when the desired and needed effort is made.  During the great wars of the last century (and indeed in every great conflict) every mind and heart of good-willed people everywhere was trained and straining toward the resolution of those conflicts, to the restoration of peace and well-being in the world, and to invoking the greater will of God. They sought a greater good. Every invention (one could say every creation) aimed toward the winning of those wars and the restoration of peace in the world was the result of people in all walks of life working and invoking help of some kind.  Help was invoked that went beyond their human capactity. They sounght, toiled, and persisted in the   face of all odds, and thus invoked a needed response.  These things are testaments to human capacity and achievement, but they are also gifts from God, and and rewards for work well done.  The same kind of scenario applies to any sort of calamity or situation which tries the souls of peo­ple anywhere. 

Nature provides many brilliant examples, through analogy, for every kind of human situation.  With respect to invocation and evocation, consider the common thunderstorm.  We stand outside and watch the gathering clouds.  The pressure and moisture in the air intensifies.  The clouds blacken and threaten.  The air is electric and we feel an ominous dread because we know what is coming and what could possibly happen.  The wind begins to pick up and eventually howls across the land.  Then the lightning begins, followed by the thunder and the rain, maybe even followed by hail or, even worse, tornadoes.  We are helpless before it, and can only take shelter from it.  The only certain knowledge we have of the situation is that it will eventually pass and the sun will shine again. 

Storms in nature are analogous to storms in human consciousness and experience.  (There are some schools of thought which even go so far as to say that weather patterns are reflections of the world ethos and mind set.)  The approaching storm represents a looming situation over which we have little or no control. We feel awestruck and powerless.  We want it to pass quickly and leave us untouched.  We very likely will appreciate the rain so long as it does not cause flooding or dam­age, but on the whole the storm is unpleasant.  Rain represents the gift of moisture—of material, emotional and mental fulfillment—which is the outcome of any crisis.  A storm is a point of crisis in nature.  It is a release of tremendous amounts of pent-up energies that have been collecting over time.  And though it can be violent, the eventual release is beneficial for the whole.  We seek ref­uge nonetheless, preferring the light of day to the fury of our trials.  

As the crisis (storm) progresses, the electric charge in the air becomes too much and must be released.  Lightning is a fascinating phenomenon.  It happens in three stages: 1) there is a polar­ization and build-up of electric charge between the earth and the clouds.  2) Once the polarized charge is of sufficient potential there are small, almost invisible tendrils of electricity which reach upward from the earth toward the clouds, seeking to balance the separated charges.  These are called pilot arcs. 3) Once a pilot arc has connected with a charge of sufficient potential in the cloud, the charges in the cloud are released instantaneously toward the earth in a fantastic flash of current of the most intense density.  That discharge is what we see as lightning.  Lightning con­tains sufficient energy within it to fuse into glass the earth that it contacts, to split huge trees in half, or to kill a person instantly. 

The polarized charge in item (1) is an analogy of our own polarized thought or thoughts, which always seek resolution whether or not we wish it, so powerful is the individual subconscious and the collective consciousness involved.  This polarization builds up to intolerable levels and must, of necessity, be released or we will be hurt or destroyed in the process.  Once we reach this point of intolerable discomfort or anguish we realize the situation is beyond our control and we begin to invoke a resolution either consciously or subconsciously.  This is the stage represented in item (2), the pilot arc. 

Eventually, through dint of effort, we make some sort of contact with the power we seek and, in an instant, we see the truth of the matter. Sometimes the truth is seen as a blinding flash of insight, but always experienced as a relief and a release of our burden.  And once our insight has come (item 3) it is as if the voice of God booms out over all creation: “Behold what has been given!  Be at peace and share my light with all around you.” This booming voice is analogous to thunder. An interesting corollary which comes as a result of such resolutions is that people often feel moved to share their insights with others.  Thus they aid others and the human condition is made better. 

Eventually the storm does its work and passes.  The clouds dissipate, the earth is refreshed and enlivened by the rain, the air is cleared, and through the lightning, sweetened by the ozone.  Then the sun comes out and all is right with the world again.  And of course, all during the storm, high above the clouds, the sun was still shining, bestowing the light and love of God all along. It is always thus. 

It is of interest, too, that art is often borne out of such conflagration.  The minds of creative think­ers everywhere, in all walks of life and in every profession, seemed driven to create through the process just described: polarization—ensuing conflict—invocation—eventual response—the cast­ing of light on the problem, and the eventual sharing of the outcome with others.  It is of further interest that the lightning produced from the storms is of many magnitudes greater than the pilot arc which invoked it, and is in direct proportion to the charge which is seeking release. 

There is a law within nature, little-known to most people, which might be called “the Rule of Ten.”  Interestingly, this rule is known to certain of the greatest financiers and business people in the world and it works in the following manner:  For every ten units of currency earned or accu­mulated, one tenth is given back to the world as a service—a gift toward uplifting and easing of human need.  In doing this with altruistic intent these people get back what they have given ten­fold.  Their wealth thus increases exponentially.  In their response to need they are filled in ever-greater measure.  In religious circles this “Rule of Ten” is known as tithing. 

It has been stated that every step one takes toward God, God takes ten toward us.  As in the exam­ple of the lightning every effort toward greater good is met by a response from the greater power commensurate with the potency of that greater force or power and the need. Nature indeed pro­vides in abundance when commensurate work is done. In such cases we are always provided with a bounty which more than offsets the need, sometimes more than could possibly be used.  These great gifts carry a responsibility, though, and are meant to be shared with all those around us, not to be hoarded. In this way Nature assures that all lives are provided for. 

This brings us to some final thoughts.  The greatest conflict or calamity veils the greatest amount of light.  This is an old truism, but it may not be recognized by some readers.  Often the most tor­tured souls are the greatest bearers of light for us all.  Out of the crucible of our struggles we grow in strength, in aptitude, in knowledge, and most of all, in love.  That love yields a greater appreci­ation: of others, of the greatness of life, of the wonder life holds for us, and brings us closer all the time to the great Heart of God.  All the time the greater Consciousness watches, waits, prompts us, and somehow guides us to the desired end.  God invokes a response from us through presenting us with toil and trials, drawing us ever-closer to that great Heart until finally we achieve a point of rest.  It is always a two-way street, for synchronicity is a fact in the world of meaning, even if we may not recognize that in our physical world.   

All is not doom, gloom, and calamity with respect to invocation and evocation.  Very often there are people who invoke God’s guidance and help even though they feel no sense of conflict them­selves.  They do so instead because they know a little of the love which God bestows on everyone and everything, and simply desire that love be given out in the fullest measure.  They feel a sense of a joy in so doing.  These great servers work to draw us all closer to our own intrinsic purpose and in turn, to draw upon the light of God in an effort to lift our burdens. 

Many of us pray every day or meditate in a disciplined manner in an effort to attune ourselves to the greater good and to fully manifest our purpose within God’s plan.  It is the life and earnestness of our efforts which yields results, not mechanical repetition, for the heart responds and beats to life, not concept. 

Just as humanity seeks to invoke help from the higher worlds and lives, so these greater servers seek to invoke humanity to turn towards God and to serve more fully.  More than that, they invoke us to seek our own source and thus become conscious co-creators and thus “manifestors” within the plan of God.  These servers do this through innumerable methods, each one suited to each per­son or group’s specific needs and makeup. Nature is, in fact, a vast spiritual Hierarchy, from the lowliest mineral up to the vastness of space. Each kingdom draws forth the kingdom below it and helps it evolve. For the human kingdom the next kingdom beyond ours has been called the King­dom of Souls, and those Souls work tirelessly to help us evolve beyond our limitations and fulfill our spiritual birthright, whatever that may be. They invoke our evolution through their example and the potency of Their lives, just as we do for lives less evolved than ours and for each other. 

It has been said that we are all born in God’s likeness.  In our prayers, meditations and invocations each day let us spare some time and thought toward the lifting and betterment of all around us, not simply humanity, but all lives.  Let us take the hand of our fellow traveler in our one hand while we reach out toward the heart of God with our other hand and thus help our fellows by our striving and our giving.  Whenever we do this from the sheer joy and selflessness of our own hearts, Nature gives its bounty back to us many times over.  What greater message could we give to a world in need?  By our example and our very being we give much to those around us.  By the potency of our being and thus our example we invoke those around us to attain toward something greater in their lives, just as God does with us.  When we invoke help only for ourselves we get only what we need, if that.  When we invoke help for others we receive in undreamed of abun­dance, receiving both for ourselves and for others. 

At the end of our days the soul looks outward upon our creation and sees what has been given, what service rendered, and if we have thus grown in light and love.  God seeks to evoke love within us, and a greater service, through what is presented as a result of our invocations. Those who have given most, and thus helped many others along the Way, are rewarded mightily.  But those who have thus given and received much care not, for their own sake, what has been bestowed, for they know that every gift is a thing to be passed along to those in need. Every gift is a sign and an invitation to cast our eyes away from that which limits and holds us in thrall toward that which guarantees greater life. Thus our infinite journey toward the Source of all Life is assured.

Let our invocations spring from a heart filled with the joy which only service can bring and the certain expectation that the inexhaustible supply of Light, Love, and Power which is God will respond and do that which is needed.  Let all lives be uplifted!

 

From the Point of Light within the Mind of God, let Light stream forth into human minds, let Light descend on Earth.   From the Point of Love within the Heart of God, let Love stream forth into human hearts, may the Coming One return to Earth.  From the center where the Will of God is known, let Purpose guide all little human wills, the Purpose which the Masters know and serve.  From the center which we call the human race, let the Plan of Love, and Light work out, and may it seal the door where evil dwells.  Let Light, and Love, and Power restore the Plan on Earth.