In the quest for spiritual understanding, it’s crucial to distinguish between two fundamental constructs: spiritual laws and spiritual principles. These terms often get used interchangeably, but they hold distinct meanings.
A spiritual law can be seen as a universal truth or guideline that governs the cosmos and life within it. Much like the physical laws of nature (like gravity), spiritual laws are consistent and unchanging. They apply to everyone, regardless of belief or awareness. For instance, the Law of Cause and Effect (also known as the Law of Karma) is a spiritual law that dictates that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, not just on a physical level, but also in the realm of thoughts, emotions, and deeds.
On the other hand, a spiritual principle serves as a foundational premise that guides behavior and decision-making on the spiritual path. Principles are more flexible and personal than laws. They are the moral compass that helps us align with the spiritual laws. For example, the Principle of Love or Compassion may guide one’s actions to generate positive karma in alignment with the Law of Cause and Effect.
In summary, while spiritual laws are universal truths that govern the cosmic order, spiritual principles are guidelines that help individuals navigate their spiritual journey in alignment with these laws. They work together, shaping our spiritual evolution and leading us towards greater wisdom and enlightenment.
The New Group of World Servers will talk in other terms and their emphasis will be upon:
1. The Law of Right Human Relations.
Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. II, by Alice A. Bailey, p. 237
2. The Principle of Goodwill.
3. The Law of Group Endeavour.
4. The Principle of Unanimity.
5. The Law of Spiritual Approach.
6. The Principle of Essential Divinity.
The outcome of these spiritual laws and principles might be called PEACE, a spiritual harmony, a state where an individual’s actions, thoughts, and emotions are in alignment with the universal truths (the spiritual laws) and their personal moral compass (the spiritual principles).
Peace is an internal state. It’s not always evident in external circumstances, but it manifests in a sense of spiritual harmony, fulfillment, and wisdom that permeates one’s life, regardless of outer conditions.
Peace is not merely the absence of conflict or disturbance, but a profound state of equilibrium. It’s an inner tranquility that arises when our thoughts, words, and actions align with the spiritual laws of the universe and our personal principles.
The only place of complete “peace” (the meaning of the word Jerusalem) is Shamballa; the Hierarchy is not a centre of peace in the true meaning of the term, which has no relation to emotion but to the cessation of the type of activity with which we are familiar in the world of manifestation; the Hierarchy is a very vortex of activity and of energies coming from Shamballa and from Humanity. From the standpoint of true esotericism, Shamballa is a place of “serene determination and of poised, quiescent will” as the Old Commentary expresses it.
The Rays and the Initiations by Alice A. Bailey, p. 314
| Shamballa | Hierarchy | Humanity | |
| Laws | Essential Divinity | Group Endeavor | Right Human Relations |
| Principles | Spiritual Approach | UNANIMITY (One Soul) | Goodwill |
| Outcome | PEACE | PEACE | PEACE |
“May the Holy Ones Whose disciple I am show me the light I seek; give me the strong aid of Their compassion and Their wisdom. There is a peace which passeth understanding; it abides in the hearts of those who live in the Eternal. There is a power which maketh all things new; it lives and moves in those who know the Self as one. May that peace brood over us, that power uplift us till we stand where the One Initiator is invoked, till we see His star shine forth. ”
Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I, by Alice A. Bailey, p. 359
The Law of Essential Divinity embodies the understanding that God’s presence is inherent within us all. Each of us carries a piece of the divine, a spiritual seed, formed in God’s likeness, which grows according to a blueprint bestowed upon us by our Divine Parent, God.
By acknowledging this innate divinity within us and others , we become aware of our immortal spiritual essence. We understand that this essential divinity is a common bond among all humans, and together, as the One Soul (Law of Group Endeavor), we possess the capacity to free humanity from the constraints of materialism.
We are no longer small, insignificant beings, but rather powerful creators in our own right. Our thoughts and actions hold tremendous influence over our lives and the world around us. We can indeed embody the Law of Right Human Relations and bring peace on Earth, a reflection of that peace which surpasses understanding, as experienced in Shamballa and expressed as the UN-ANIMITY of the One Soul. Thus, the One Soul of Humanity — the spiritual Hierarchy, the Masters of Wisdom and Compassion — serves the Purpose of the Lord of the World and enact the Plan of Love and Light, for Humanity to seal the door where evil — the good that should be left behind — dwells on Earth.
May there be the PEACE, PEACE, PEACE. The peace of:
- serene determination and of poised, quiescent will in Shamballa;
- the perfect equilibrium of forces in the spiritual Hierarchy; and
- right human relations and goodwill in Humanity.
So may it be.
Is this too much to expect and to ask of humanity in the hour of man’s need? Cannot the enlightened members of the present great world religions in the East and in the West get together and plan for such an invocative undertaking and thus together inaugurate the mode of spiritual Approach which will serve to unify their efforts and establish the seed at least of the New World Religion? – The Problems of Humanity by Alice A. Bailey, p. 162
The need has long been apparent for some point of contact between the exoteric religions of the West and the esoteric faiths of the East. On the levels of the esoteric or spiritual approach to divinity there has always been uniformity between the East and the West. The techniques followed by the mystical seeker after God in the Occident are identical with those followed by the seeker in the Orient. At a certain point on the path of return to God all ways meet and then the procedure is uniform for all subsequent stages of approach. The steps in meditation are identical. This will be apparent to anyone who studies the works of Meister Eckhart and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. All of the great expansions of consciousness as outlined in the Hindu philosophy and the expression of these five great expansions as portrayed in the five great crises in the life [Page 238] of the Christ, related in the New Testament, are also the same. When man begins consciously to seek out God and consciously to take himself in hand for discipline and endurance, he finds himself at one with seekers in the East and in the West and with those who lived before Christ ever came and with those who are seeking today. – Unfinished Autobiography by Alice A. Bailey
The Spirit of Peace
Let the Forces of Light bring illumination to mankind.
Let the Spirit of Peace be spread abroad.
May men of goodwill everywhere meet in a spirit of cooperation.
May forgiveness on the part of all men be the keynote at this time.
Let power attend the efforts of the Great Ones.
So let it be and help us to do our part.
DINA I, 536