The Compass Of Light, Volume 5: Polysemy In The Great Invocation

The Compass of Light Volume V: Polysemy in the Great Invocation Starling David Hunter III

The Compass of Light, Volume V: Polysemy in the Great Invocation Copyright © 2009, Starling David Hunter III All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced or transmitted by any means— electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise—without written permission from the author. Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): pending ISBN: pending



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The Great Invocation From the point of Light within the Mind of God Let light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth. From the point of Love within the Heart of God Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to Earth. From the centre where the Will of God is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men— The purpose which the Masters know and serve. From the centre which we call the race of men 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.



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Dedication For Reuben Ross (1961-1996), my cousin and friend: I still look up to you.



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About the Author Starling David Hunter III was born in California and raised in Washington State, Colorado, and Arizona. His higher education was obtained at Arizona State University, where he earned a BS in Electrical Engineering, and Duke University, where he earned both a Masters of Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Management. His professional experience has been divided between industry and academia. Starling worked as an electrical engineer at the Boeing Company in Seattle and as a compensation analyst at Exxon Chemical. His academic posts have been at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The American University of Sharjah, and Carnegie Mellon University. Starling has published, reviewed, and edited numerous academic papers on the strategic use and organizational consequences of management information systems. This is his fifth book on the linguistics of the Great Invocation.



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Contents The Great Invocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v List of Abbreviations and Acronyms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Part I:  Within. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 1:  Within as an Adverb, I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Chapter 2:  Within as an Adverb, II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Chapter 3:  Within as an Adverb, III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Chapter 4:  Within as an Adverb, IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Chapter 5:  Within as a Preposition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Chapter 6:  Within as an Adjective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Part II:  Let. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Chapter 7:  Let as a Verb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Chapter 8:  Let as “Possession” and “Occupation”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Chapter 9:  The Let-into Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Chapter 10:  Let-v1 as “Allowance” or “Permission”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Chapter 11:  Let-v1 as “Appearance,” “Behavior” and “Thought”. . . . 21 Chapter 12:  Phraseological Combinations of Let-v1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Chapter 13:  Let as “Hindrance” and “Withholding” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Part III:  Forth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Chapter 14:  Forth as a Noun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Chapter 15:  Forth as a Noun, II:Grammatical Count. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Chapter 16:  Forth as an Adverb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Chapter 17:  Forth as a Preposition and a Verb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38



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Part IV:  A Common Theme: Duality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Chapter 18:  The Duality of Within. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Chapter 19:  The Duality of Let. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Chapter 20:  The Duality of Forth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Part VII:  The Three Keywords in Sentences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Chapter 21:  Sentence Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Chapter 22:  Empty Subject Slots, I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Chapter 23:  Empty Subject Slots, II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Chapter 24:  Ellipsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Chapter 25:  Relative Ellipsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Chapter 26:  Simple Repetitive Ellipsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Chapter 27:  Absolute Ellipsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Part VIII:  Planetary Implications, Individual Parallels. . . . 75 Chapter 28:  The Races of Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Chapter 29:  The Father and Grandfather of Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Chapter 30:  The Three Crises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Chapter 31:  The Constitution of Man, I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Chapter 32:  The Constitution of Man, II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Chapter 33:  The Ancient of Mays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Chapter 34:  Causality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Selected References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Other Books in this Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114



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Tables and Figure Table 1: Selected Definitions of ‘Within’ as an Adverb, Preposition, Adjective, and Noun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Table 2: Selected Definitions of Let-v1 as a Verb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Table 3: Definitions of Let-v1 as ‘A llowance’ or ‘Permission’. . . . . . . . 20 Table 4: Definitions of Let-v1 as Connoting Behavior, Appearance, and Thought. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Table 5: Definitions of Selected Phraseological Combinations of Let-v1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Table 6: Definitions of Let-v2 Connoting Hindrance and Withholding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Table 7: Parts of Speech of “Forth” in 14 Dictionaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Table 8: Definitions of ‘Proffer’ as a Verb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Table 9: Definitions of ‘Propose’ as a Verb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Table 10: Selected Definitions of Let-v1, Let-v2 and ‘Dwell’. . . . . . . . . . 46 Table 11: The 10 Basic Sentence Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Table 12: The Pattern of the Seven Sentences of the Great Invocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Table 13: Possible Subjects for two Empty Slots in the Great Invocation’s Sentences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Table 14: Possible Subjects for Four Empty Slots in the Great Invocation’s Sentences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Table 15: Six Possibities for Empty Subject Slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Table 16: Three Types of Ellipsis and Empty Subject Slots. . . . . . . . . . . 73 Table 17: Sentence Patterns with Filled Sentence Slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Table 18: Definitions of “Race” as a Noun Indicating Forward Progression, Running, Movement, etc. with Reference to People, Animals, etc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Table 19: Definitions of “Race” as a Noun Indicating a Path, Channel, or Course, and Related Senses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Table 20: Definitions of “Race” as a Noun Indicating Forward Progression, Running, Movement, etc. with Reference to Inanimate or Immaterial Things. . . . . . . . . . . . . 80



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Table 21: Miscellaneous Definitions of “Race” as a Noun. . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Table 22: Definitions of “Race” as a Noun in Reference to Groups of People, Animals, and Plants Connected by Common Origins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Table 23: Definitions of “Race” as a Noun in Reference to Groups of People, Animals, or Things Having Common a Feature or Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Table 24: The Great Invocation and the Constitution of Man, Part I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Table 25: Definitions of ‘May’ as a Noun and a Verb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Table 26: Empty Verb Slots in Sentences of the Great Invocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Figure 1: The Science of Meditation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91



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List of Abbreviations an Acronyms Adj. = Adjective Adv. = Adverb AHDEL = American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Arch. = Archaic Conj. = Conjunction Esp. = Especially Fig. = Figurative Lit. = Literal Obs. = Obsolete OED = Oxford English Dictionary Poet. = Poetic Prep. = Preposition Theat. = Theater



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Foreword Since the first sounding of the Great Invocation by the Christ a mighty appeal upon the hidden centers of the “Saving force” has gone forth. Through its worldwide use now by millions, the evocative power of the Great Invocation, with the sound of its mantric rhythm, has given correct orientation and spiritual direction to the men and women of goodwill throughout the world. The Crown Jewel of the ancient Words of Power, the Great Invocation is not without its price. The full arsenal of the language of linguistics has been marshaled by Starling showing that if sufficient love and dedication are brought to the task the hardest and most abstruse cosmic truths become readily accessible and easy. An enhanced appreciation of the deeper implications of the words and phrases of the Great Invocation requires a thorough and versatile education, in all, a long period of preparation. So profound in truth are the relative and successive levels of meaning found within the words of the Great Invocation to cover the entire field of Ancient wisdom imbedded in it requires a series of volumes. Happily, Starling does not disappoint his avid readers and is adequate to the task. In ‘The Compass of Light’ Vol. V: Polysemy in the Great Invocation, he continues his exploration into the garden of humanities World Prayer. With his readers it means direct communion with the learned and the inspired so we jointly participate more thoughtfully in a cosmic event of tremendous importance. A polysemic approach to the study of the Great Invocation is imperative for the following important reason. Under mantric inspiration the descending three-fold energies of the Great Invocation which are invoked anchor where the focus is in the consciousness. The Compass of Light series has successfully served to help build the rainbow bridge through the weaving of the multilayered meanings of the Great Invocation into a seamless thread uniting the meanings available and giving direction to the consciousness of the general public, the world disciples and the great



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initiates of Hierarchy. The purpose, plan and process of the One in Whom we live becomes no longer incomprehensible and mysterious but is seen as summarized in the five stanzas which actually express the conclusive thoughts of our planetary Logos. Master the polysemic directions and organization of the Great Invocation and the blueprint of the White Lodge plan, both microcosmic and macrocosmic, takes shape in the mind. Across the rainbow bridge spiritual energies can then penetrate deeper into substance and will be successfully anchored and grounded on the physical plane. In the star-studded literary landscape of Vol. V there are linguistic nuances and operational suggestions on every page which will be eagerly seized by the reader who has been searching beyond the simple and obvious meaning of the Great Invocation to fathom the deeper understanding concealed in the words and ideas. What is required of the student is that he should follow closely the masterly craftsmanship of the perfect Anglo Saxon form, translated from the seven sacerdotal Senzar word-forms and the multiple layer arrangement and construction of the ancient Word of Power formula. To the student who pursues the series of lessons intelligently, by analyzing, synthesizing and understanding each word step that is specifically crafted, the “maya” of difficulty will vanish completely. That which seems indigestible is in reality not so when the great Word of Power has performed its magic of the transformation of consciousness. What power lays in the truer comprehension of the ancient words, what thrilling heights are connected with the magical discovery of their true import? Daily we use the English language unaware of a world of meaning contained in every single word. If we were to analyze each sentence our eyes would be opened to behold not only events remote in time and place from the present but wonders of Universal law and harmony which are silently at work whenever and wherever man voices his thoughts and feelings.



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Soaring well beyond the obvious and simple meanings intended for the general public, Volume V of ‘The Compass of Light’ excites a living realization of Man’s cosmic blueprint bringing to light the deeper initiate significances of hidden in the words of the Great Invocation, until like sun rise the world of divine Will and Purpose unfolds itself to him who humbly and patiently mines the ore of the 113 original words of power contained in the five stanzas. Stephen D. Pugh Hahei Beach, New Zealand July 2009



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Introduction The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines ‘polysemy’ as “the fact of having several meanings; the possession of multiple meanings, senses, or connotations.”1 The word itself is derived from the Late Latin ‘polysemous’ and its two roots are the Greek ‘poly’ (many) and ‘semos’ (sign, mark). Other definitions include: (1) “having multiple meanings: the existence of several meanings for a single word or phrase” 2; (2) “the ability of words, signs and symbols to have multiple meanings” 3; (3) “diversity of meanings”4; and (4) “the ambiguity of an individual word or phrase that can be used (in different contexts) to express two or more different meanings.” 5 Of all the books authored by Alice Bailey, it is Discipleship in the New Age, Volume 2, that contains the most detailed and extensive commentary on the Great Invocation. Although the word polysemy is never used, several passages highlight that mantram’s polysemous nature, as here: The meaning of this Invocation has been expressed in terms which are understandable, in a measure, to the average person because of its familiar wording, based on many Scriptural terms. But the true inner implications and significances are of very deep import and are not superficially apparent. I challenge you to penetrate, through meditation, more deeply into the vital meaning of these words, these amazing words.6 Three points are notable here. First, polysemy is implicit in the distinction drawn between the “vital” meaning and the one “understandable… to the average person.” Second, there is the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. Encarta MSN. http://bit.ly/13pfni Wiktionary. http://en.wiktionary.org/Wiki/polysemy Random House Unabridged Dictionary. http://Dictionary.Infoplease.Com/ Polysemy 5 Wordnet© 3.0. http://dictionary.reference.com/Search?Q=Polysemy&R=66 6 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 156.

1 2 3 4



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suggestion that the “vital” meaning is best, or perhaps only, “penetrated” through meditation. Finally, note the use of the word “amazing.” Superlatives such as these are used sparingly in Bailey’s works. Interestingly, we find on the same page a second accolade—“wonder”—also being used in relation to the Invocation’s polysemous nature: The wonder of these mantric stanzas is that they are comprehensible to members of the human family and to members of the Kingdom of God. They mean one thing to the ordinary man, and that meaning is good, powerful and useful; they mean another thing to the man upon the Probationary Path, for he attaches to the words a deeper and more esoteric meaning than is possible to the man who is entirely polarized in his lower nature; these words mean still another thing to the disciple affiliated with and functioning consciously in an Ashram; to initiates and to the senior Members of the Hierarchy, they convey a still higher and more inclusive significance. 7 The most remarkable assertion in this passage is the suggestion of multi-tiered meaning. The Invocation, we are told, is understandable to ordinary humanity, to Hierarchy and at least two distinct grades of disciples in between. If what is written above could be verified or objectively measured, the Invocation would rightly be considered “amazing”, and by more than just students of esoteric philosophy. This is the obvious and simple meaning and it ties in with the spiritual aspiration of all men everywhere. There are deeper implications and upon them I will later touch, but the clarity of spiritual desire and aspiration is expressed in these words in such a form that its use offers no barrier to the different types of mind which may receive it. 8

7 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 156. 8 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, pp. 167-8.



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Again a two-fold distinction is drawn between a “simple and obvious meaning” and a “deeper” one. Importantly, no one type of mind would seem more able or predisposed to receive inspiration from it. I would like now to touch upon some of the deeper meanings for you who are disciples or who are in training for discipleship.9 This passage reminds us that “deeper meanings” (note the plural) are intended for or recognized more readily by “disciples.” This suggests that access to deeper meanings may be a function of the evolution of consciousness of the perceiver. It is likely that the depth of comprehension is also a function of effort directed specifically toward that end. There is also the possibility that part of discipleship training and preparation for initiation involves instruction about how to access these deeper meanings.10 Those of you who are disciples will easily see the significance of the third stanza. Its meaning is that the Invocation as used by the Hierarchy (note this) will help to bring about the evocation of the spiritual will in humanity and the recognition of the divine will by the Hierarchy. There is little that can be said to the general public anent this third stanza. 11 Here we are told that disciples are more readily able to understand (“see”) and appreciate the significance of certain passages in the Invocation. This is likely due to both their previous exposure to esoteric philosophy and to their relatively higher state of consciousness. When it is stated that “little can be said to the general public” regarding the Invocation’s third stanza, it need not be taken to mean that the information should be kept secret. Rather, the statement probably means that “little” of this information, if communicated to the general public, would be rightly comprehended or appreciated. 9 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 169. 10 Or, it did involve such training at the time of the writing of these passages, c. 1945. 11 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 172.



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I would like to indicate to you three approaches to the subject of this Invocation. I will do so briefly, as time lacks. It is for you to arrive—according to your evolutionary status and the depth of your reflection—at what I may leave unsaid. These three approaches are: That of the general public. … That of the esotericists, that is, of aspirants and disciples. …(and) That of the more advanced disciple (as far as I can) and of the Hierarchy.12 Here we find a three-fold distinction drawn in the approach to the Invocation, approaches that map onto the different levels of understanding mentioned above. Also important is the assertion that the disciples were asked to arrive at what was left “unsaid.” This permits considerable subjectivity in the process of investigation and, hence, allows for multiple meanings to be obtained by the same audience. On the surface, the beauty and the strength of this Invocation lie in its simplicity and in its expression of certain central truths which all men, innately and normally, accept … This is the obvious and simple meaning and it ties in with the spiritual aspiration of all men everywhere. … There are deeper implications and upon them I will later touch.13 Finally, we see here underscored the broad appeal of the “obvious and simple” meaning. One implication is that the deeper meanings have less breadth of appeal, but are also more inclusive. And yet, the simpler has its rightful place; it is the one that must be most widely shared and spread abroad. The preceding excerpts offer assertions as to the polysemous character of the Invocation, assertions that can be accepted on authority or taken as hypotheses to be tested. The remainder of this volume is devoted to the latter of these two propositions and is organized as follows. Parts I, II, and III respectively, contain an analysis of the grammatical and linguistic properties of three polysemous words in the Invocation—‘within’, ‘Let’, and ‘forth.’ 12 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 165. 13 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 168.



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Part IV examines the effect of these words on other words and on related phrases in the Invocation. Part V considers the effect of these on the grammar and structure of the sentences to which they belong. Part VI contains a discussion of the planetary analogs and individual parallels of the preceding analyses.



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Polysemy in the Great Invocation

Part I Within

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 1: Within as an Adverb, I

Within is a compound word whose elements are ‘with’ and ‘in’. 14 As shown below, it has many definitions and may assume at least four parts of speech—adverb, preposition, adjective, and noun. Most of its definitions are closely related: almost all refer to interior states, places and positions and/or to things found therein. There are, however, a few rare, obsolete, and domain-specific definitions embodying extended senses of the word. Interestingly, all of these are adverbs. The first of them, Definition 2b, is considered here and the rest are taken up, in turn, in ensuing chapters.

14 Walton, R., 2276 Compound Words. (http://rickwalton.com/curricul/compound.htm)



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Table 1:  Selected Definitions of ‘Within’ as an Adverb, Preposition, Adjective, and Noun15 Part of Speech

Def. #

Definition

Adv.

1a

In the inner part or interior, or on the inner side (of a receptacle or other material thing); inside, internally.

Adv.

1b

In the interior of the body or some part of it.

Adv.

1c

In this writing or document; herein. Obs. except in technical use.

Adv.

1d

So as to go in or be inside. With verb of motion.

Adv.

2a

In the limits of, or in the inner part of, a space or region, esp. a city or country; in the place or realm.

Adv.

2b

In (or into) the house or dwelling, indoors; also, in the inner part of the house, in an inner chamber; behind the scenes, Theat.

Adv.

2c

In the number or membership of a class or community. Rare.

Adv.

3

In the inward being; in the mind, soul, or heart (sometimes implying ‘in one’s true character as opposed to outward appearance’); inwardly. Fig.

Adv.

5

Adv.

6a

In possession or occupation. Obs. Rare.

Prep.

1a

In the inner part or interior of, inside of, in (a space, region, receptacle, etc.)

Prep.

1b

With emphasis on the restriction or confinement by limits or boundaries: In the limits of, not outside or beyond.

Adj.

1

That is within, especially. In reference to a letter or document.

Noun

1

That which is within or inside.

Below the number or amount mentioned; less. Obs.

Definition 2b of ‘within’ has two parts. The first is clearly consistent with the general sense of the word—“in (or into) the house or dwelling, indoors, the inner part of the house, in an inner chamber.”16 The second part of the definition belongs to the domain of theater, and refers specifically to stage directions. 15 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. 16 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., 1989.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

In this context ‘within’ means “behind the scenes”, i.e., “amidst the actors and stage-machinery, where ordinary spectators are not admitted.” 17 This term is a figurative sense of “back stage”, i.e., “the hinder or upper part of a stage; the part of a theatre behind the stage containing dressing-rooms.” 18 By this meaning we are to understand that the Mind and Heart of God are two-fold, and hierarchically so: there are upper and lower sections. The former is inaccessible by and inadmissible to the “ordinary” and uninitiated. This interpretation is consistent with the distinctions drawn in Bailey’s books between the higher “abstract” and the lower “concrete” minds, as well as that made between the heart center and its correspondence in the head. This interpretation also complements the idiomatic use of the phrase “of God” in Biblical rhetoric. In his book Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, E.W. Bullinger explains that when the phrase ‘of God’ is used in place of an adjective it acts as a superlative. As such, in 1 Samuel 14:15, the phrase “Tremblings of God” means “great or mighty tremblings, meaning an earthquake.” Similarly, in Psalms 36:6, the phrase “Mountains of God” means “the highest or grandest mountains.” 19 As such, we could understand the phrases “the Mind of God” and “the Heart of God” to mean ‘the upper, uppermost, higher, or highest’ Mind and Heart, respectively. It is left to the interested reader to work out the many meanings of “within the Mind of God” and “within the Heart of God” that may arise from taking the second half of Definition 2b together with the Biblical sense of the phrase “of God.”

17 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., 1989. 18 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., 1989. 19 Bullinger, E.W., Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, p. 834.



Polysemy in the Great Invocation

Chapter 2: Within as an Adverb, II

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In the OED, Definition 2c for ‘within’ is “in the number or membership of a class or community.” This definition is “rare”, a fact apparently underscored by the lack of examples of its usage. Instead, we are referred to the word’s opposite—‘without’—which is defined as “outside of a class, body, or community; not in the number or membership; in an alien or foreign community” or simply “outsiders.” 20 By these definitions we could understand the phrases “within the Mind of God” and “within the Heart of God” to mean such things as (1) among the class of things on the Mind of God, (2) among the thoughts of God, and (3) among the things belonging to the Heart of God. In the third volume of The Compass of Light series, I described how one definition of ‘mind’ involved its use in the now-obsolete phrase ‘without the mind of.’ That phrase means “without a person’s approbation or consent” and “in opposition to a person’s judgement, wish, or opinion.” 21 I suggested that if the phrase ‘without the Mind of God’ can be taken to mean ‘without the approbation (consent) of God’ or equally ‘against the wish, opinion, or judgement of God’ then “within the Mind of God” could mean ‘with the approbation, consent, or approval of God’ or also ‘in accord with the wish, opinion, or judgement of God.’ It further follows that another interpretation of “within the Mind of God” could be ‘among the class (of things) permitted (or approved of) by God.’ When we further consider that ‘mind’ can also mean purpose, intention, desire, and wish22 then “within the Mind of God” can also mean “among the class (of things) intended by God” or “in the set of things willed by God” or even “in line with God’s Will or purpose.”

20 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., 1989. 21 Ibid. 22 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., 1989.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 3: Within as an Adverb, III

The fifth definition in the OED for ‘within’ as an adverb is “below the number or amount mentioned; less.” Although this meaning is also obsolete, several examples of its use are provided. Surprisingly, they are very old: the two most recent examples provided are from the years 1450 and 1509—an average of over 500 years old! Those examples are, respectively: • “To bye it at the some of C. mark or wythynne.” = To buy it at the sum of 100 mark or within = To buy it at the sum of 100 marks or less. • “To the nowmer of xii personis or within.” = To the number of 12 persons or within = To the number of 12 persons or fewer. As is readily apparent, this definition does not carry the connotation of in-ness. That said, it is not entirely clear what is meant by “within the Mind of God” under this definition: “Mind” is not numbered in this context. However, we may note that one definition of mind—an equally archaic and obsolete one—is “a number or amount (of something).” 23 The most recent example of this definition is taken from The Tale of King Edward and the Shepherd (c. 1400-1500): “The scheperde hows ful mery stode Vndir a forest fayre and gode, Of hert and hynde gret mynde.” = The shepherd house full merry stood under a forest fair and good, of hert and hynde great mind. = The shepherd house stood full (and) merry under a forest fair and good, (with) a great number of male (herd) and female (hynde) deer.

23 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., 1989.



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With these connotations the phrase “within the Mind of God” is understood to literally mean ‘below the number or amount of God’ or more simply ‘less than (the number or amount of) God.’

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 4: Within as an Adverb, IV

The sixth definition in the OED for ‘within’ as an adverb is “in possession or occupation”—yet another that is obsolete and/or rare. The sole usage example is from 1573. In the English of the period it reads “Aforesaid Agnes survived him, and kept herself within, and was, and still is, seised thereof for term of her life.” The context of this example concerns a mansion or manor that was seized, by one “Agnes,” a manor within which she lives or, we might say, of which she has taken possession and will occupy for the “term of her life.” ‘Possession’ has several definitions which are relevant to our understanding of the phrase “within the Mind of God.” Among them are these four, all but the first of which are obsolete: (1) to own, to have or gain ownership of (2) to have knowledge or command of (a language, subject, skill); to be familiar with, conversant in (3) of a person or body of people: to hold or occupy (a place or territory); to reside or be stationed in; to inhabit with(out) ownership and (4) of a thing: to occupy, take up (a space or region); to be situated at, on, or in. Under these connotations the phrase “within the Mind of God” can mean ‘in possession of the Mind of God (or higher Mind)’, ‘occupancy of the Mind of God’, ‘situated at/in/on the Mind of God’, or ‘(having) knowledge or command of the Mind of God.’ These meanings are consistent with injunctions given in the Bailey books for disciples and initiates to enter within the Mind of God, i.e., to come into possession of and/or to read the Mind of God: …the initiate has two things to do: Become sensitive to impressions coming to him from various levels of the divine consciousness and awareness (and) Become aware of the “raincloud of knowable things” to which Patanjali refers. … Putting the objective of all this into its highest possible terms, the disciple and the initiate are learning the technique (through meditation)



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whereby the Mind of God, the Universal Mind, or the thinking process of the planetary Logos, can be recorded and registered.24 It is left as an exercise to the interested reader to work out the significances of the above analysis for the other affected phrase— “within the Heart of God.”

24 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, pp. 153-4.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 5: Within as a Preposition

The OED provides just one definition of the ‘within’ as a preposition. It has two parts (1a and 1b) and both are consistent with the general sense of the word, i.e., inwardness. Definition 1a is “in the inner part or interior of, inside of, in (a space, region, receptacle, etc.)” The example provided is “I will walke within my house with a perfect heart.” Definition 1b emphasizes “restriction or confinement by limits or boundaries: In the limits of, not outside or beyond.” The example is “Within the Liberties of the City of Westminster.” Both of these are contemporary and their use is commonplace. As such, it would seem that by their definitions there is little to consider them polysemous. And yet, when we take note of the specific context of its use in the Invocation, we find a vastly different situation. Let us begin by first noting that the first appearance of ‘within’ is as the sixth word in the Invocation’s first line: “From the point of Light within the Mind of God.” One way to read this first line is as four consecutive prepositional phrases: (1) From the point (2) of Light (3) within the Mind (4) of God. There are several ways in which these phrases can be related to one another. One is a sequential or cascading arrangement. Here each prepositional phrase qualifies the object of the one that immediately precedes it. This would mean that “of Light” modifies “point”, “within the Mind” modifies “Light”, and “of God” modifies “Mind.” The key here is that ‘Light’ is contained or found ‘within’ the Mind of God. The implication is that there could be another source of light, light that is ‘without’ or outside of the Mind of God. Another possible arrangement is that the phrase “within the Mind of God” qualifies ‘point.’ Note the difference in emphasis. Now “point” has three qualifiers—“the”, “of Light”, and “within the Mind of God.” Regarding the last of the three, what is emphasized is that location or position of the point is inside the Mind of God. This is a related but different meaning.



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Chapter 6: Within as an Adjective

There is only one definition of ‘within’ as an adjective in the OED and it means “that is within.” This usage is rare and all of the examples provided make reference to letters, documents, or other forms of communication: • This is a favour you will see by the within letter. • Give him the within letter. • Agreeably to the command of the within writ. • You will not fail, in addition to the within talk, to enhance our paternal regard for this nation. In English, adjectives typically precede the nouns which they qualify. And this is what we observe in above examples: ‘within’ appears prior to the noun in each sentence or phrase. In the Invocation the word ‘within’ does not precede a noun; rather, it follows one. It does not seem possible that ‘within’ behaves as an adjective unless the word order is reversed for figurative or poetic effect, as in the famed line “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” 25 Here the adjective (scorned) follows the noun (woman) and the added effect is clear. There are several instances in the writings of Alice Bailey where ‘within’ is used in this manner: (The mystic) concentrates upon the God within, brooding on that inner center of consciousness…26 … a cosmic note is heard beneath the sound systemic. The fire within, the fire without, meet with the fire ascending.27 Workers must therefore have practiced meditation, have reflected much upon the nature of thought and its uses, and must be aware of the light within.28 25 26 27 28

Congreve, William, The Mourning Bride. Bailey, Alice A., Letters on Occult Meditation, p. 149. Bailey, Alice A., A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 12. Bailey, Alice A., Glamour: A World Problem, pp. 212-3

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Through the scientific study of the macrocosm, “the kingdom of God without,” he has to reach a point where he locates that kingdom likewise within.29 The God within expresses all his latent virtues through forms by the use of activity or intelligence.30 When the Master within is known, the assertion of his power becomes increasingly felt, and the aspirant submits his entire lower nature to the control of that new ruler.31 It is also possible to read the first line of the Invocation in this manner, i.e., where “within” qualifies “Light.” By this reading, instead of four prepositional phrases—“From the point  of Light  within the Mind  of God”—we have just one—“From the point of Light within.” It is, in turn, followed by the noun phrase “the Mind of God.” This understanding of ‘within’ transforms the sentence: the mood of the verb ‘Let’ changes from imperative to indicative, its tense becomes past, and the subject of the sentence changes from the understood ‘you’ to “the Mind of God.” As we will show later, this slight change has an enormous effect on our understanding not just of this one sentence, but of the entire Invocation.

29 Bailey, Alice A., Letters on Occult Meditation, p. 152 30 ibid, p. 239 31 Bailey, Alice A., The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, p. 60



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Part II Let

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 7: Let as a Verb

‘Let’ has two major groups of definitions, definitions that include three parts of speech and which descend from two different IndoEuropean roots. As such, ‘Let’ can be said to have more than one sense and is therefore polysemous. What makes the word unique among words in the Invocation is its status as an auto-antonym, i.e., a word with two or more definitions with opposite meanings. Tables 2-5 below contain 27 definitions for the first of two forms of the verb ‘Let’ (hereafter Let-v1). The OED places these 27 definitions into four groups: • Those with the general meaning of “to leave” or “to allow to pass” (15) • Uses requiring a following infinitive, normally without to (2) • Those with the general meaning of “to behave, appear, think.” (3) • Various “phraseological combinations” (7) And while it is apparent from just the descriptions of the four categories that Let-v1 has more than one sense, what is not obvious is how much variation exists among definitions within each group.



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Table 2:  Selected Definitions of Let-v1 as a Verb32 Def. #

Definition

I

To leave; to allow to pass.

I.1.a

To allow to remain; to leave behind; to abstain from taking away, using, consuming, occupying, etc. Obs.

I.1.b

To loose one’s hold of, let go. Obs.

I.2.a

To leave undone, omit to do; to leave out, omit (in reading, recitation, etc.). Obs.

I.2.b I.2.c I.3 I.4.b I.5 I.6.a

To omit or forbear to do something. Obs.

To desist, forbear. Obs.

To omit or cease to speak of. Obs.

To bequeath. Obs.

To quit, abandon, forsake. Obs.

To lose (one’s life, virtue, honour, etc.). Obs.

I.6.b

To abate, allow a deduction of. Obs.

I.7.a

To allow the escape of (confined fluid); to shed (tears, blood); to emit (breath, sounds, etc.). Also, to discharge (a gun). Obs.

I.8

To grant the temporary possession and use of (land, buildings, rooms, movable property) to another in consideration of rent or hire.

I.9

To set free, liberate. Obs.

I.10

To allow to pass or go; to admit to, into a place.

I.11

With the preposition into can mean: (a) to admit to, give entrance to, allow to enter (lit. and fig.) (b) to insert in the surface or substance of (c) to introduce, bring to (d) to introduce to the knowledge of, make acquainted with, inform about.

The first thing that stands out among the above 15 definitions is the great variation among them. All but three are obsolete—Definitions 8, 10, and 11a-d being the only exceptions. While obsolete definitions, per se, present no barrier to this analysis, taken together these two facts suggest that the number and variety of uses of this sense of Let-v1 has declined over time. Also noteworthy is the relation that some of them bear to other words in the Invocation, and in some places, to the same sentence, e.g., “within”, “into”, and 32 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed., 1989.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

“stream”. Although many of these definitions could influence our understanding of the Invocation, I concentrate on only a few of the most significant. The first is Definition 7a, “to allow the escape (of confined fluid), to shed (tears, blood), to emit (breath sounds, etc.).” Examples from the OED include (1) “Before they let their last breath” (2) “Mr. Walter wants to consult you about letting the water from the great pond” and (3) “The oak, that let many a heavy groan…” While there is no direct mention of fluids in the Invocation, two words evoke a sense of flow—“light” and “love.” Similarly, as a noun the first definition of the word “stream” is “a course of water flowing continuously along a bed on the earth.” As a verb, its first definition is in relation to a body of liquid: “to flow or issue in a stream; to flow or run in a full and continuous current.” In relation to light, air, vapor, and “immaterial effluences”, Definition 2a of ‘stream’ is “to be carried or emitted in a full and continuous current.” Definition 2b, in relation to stars or meteors is “to form a continuous trail of light as it moves in its course.” Thus, in the clause “Let light stream forth into the minds of men” we have a verb (Let), its indirect object (light) and its direct object, the nominal infinitive (stream forth into the minds of men). This is a clear and clear grammatical relationship. There is also a subjective and figurative one: there is the action, to “stream”; there is another action, ‘Let’, that concerns things that stream, and there is “light”, that both is a stream and is streamed.



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Chapter 8: Let as “Possession” and “Occupation” Definition 8 in the OED for Let-v1 refers to the “temporary possession and use” of various kinds of property. Among the examples provided we have: • “He went to let his labour where it would obtain a better reward.” • “A quarter of the town that has gone down in the world, and taken to letting lodgings.” • “She had let her Second Floor to a very genteel youngish Man.” This definition and its uses remind of that rare and obsolete Definition 6 of ‘within’ as an adverb (“possession or occupation of ”) and its sole example (possession and occupation of a mansion). With Let-v1 the relationship is similar but related: whereas ‘within’ can mean to take possession or occupation of something, ‘Let’ here means to grant the rights of occupation and possession of something or someone, for a time and perhaps for hire. By this connotation, the words “Let Light” are understood to literally mean ‘grant temporary possession or use of Light to someone or something for hire.’ One of the figurative definitions of ‘hire’ as a noun is the “reward, recompense, payment (for work or service).” Thus “Let Light” can also mean to grant the use (possession, occupation) of ‘Light’ as a reward for work or service already (or to be) rendered. The same would apply to the other objects of ‘Let’ in the Invocation—“light”, “love”, “purpose”, “the Plan of Love and Light”, and “Light and Love and Power.”

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 9: The Let-into Construction

By Definition 11 of Let-v1, when it is used with the adverbial preposition ‘into’, it can mean: • To admit to, give entrance to, allow to enter, e.g., “A Man of a polite Imagination is let into a great many Pleasures, that the Vulgar are not capable of receiving” • To insert in the surface or substance of, e.g., “A pointed arch of stone let into the plastered wall.” • To introduce, bring to, e.g., “That which I have now to say to you will need no preamble to let me into my discourse.” • To introduce to the knowledge of, make acquainted with, inform about, e.g., “Before I let you into the amusements and customs of this delightful country.” In the Invocation the word ‘into’ does not immediately follow ‘Let’. Applying the above definitions to clauses like “Let light stream forth into the minds of men” requires asking whether the appearance of words in between ‘Let’ and “into” affects this particular meaning. From the four examples above, it would seem not. Two have an intervening word, a noun acting as a direct object, (e.g., …to let me into my discourse; Before I let you into the amusements…). The other two examples could be rephrased or altered so that they did. That said, we should note that in the clause “Let light stream forth into the minds of men” there are two objects, not one, embedded between ‘Let’ and “into”—one direct (the infinitive verb “stream”) and one indirect (the noun “light”). None of the examples for Definition 11 included a grammatical relationship of this kind. As such, it is not clear if both are subject to the “Let into” relationship or not. If so, then it raises the intriguing possibility that a compounded effect of “light” and “stream” could be intended. Among the possible meanings would be:



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• allow entry of a stream of light (a light-stream) into the minds of men; • insert or embed a light-stream into the minds of men; • introduce or bring a light-stream into the minds of men; • introduce the minds of men to a light-stream of knowledge; • make the minds of men acquainted with a light-stream; and • inform the minds of men about a light-stream. Clearly an analogous set of possible meanings can be created for the clause “Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.”

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 10: Let-v1 as “Allowance” or “Permission” The definition of Let-v1 as “to permit, allow, or give permission” is perhaps its most commonly understood meaning. As such, it appears to contribute little to the polysemy of the word itself or the Invocation more generally. This sense is included here mainly for the purpose of underscoring the place this definition has in the broader set of definitions.

Table 3: Definitions of Let-v1 as ‘Allowance’ or ‘Permission’ Def. #

Definition

II

Uses requiring a following infinitive, normally without to

II.12.a

Not to prevent; to suffer, permit, allow, e.g., I was not let see him.

II.12.d

To allow, give permission. Obs.



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Chapter 11: Let-v1 as “Appearance,” “Behavior” and “Thought” A final set of selected definitions of Let-v1 concerns behavior, appearance, and thought.

Table 4:  Definitions of Let-v1 as Connoting Behavior, Appearance, and Thought Def. #

Definition

III

To behave, appear, think

III.15

To behave, comport oneself; to have (a particular) behavior or appearance; to make as though, to pretend. Obs.

III.17.a

To regard as. To consider to be, that (a person or thing) is. Obs.

III.17.b

To think. Obs.

Examples from the OED of the three definitions of this sense are, respectively: • Definition 15: “You are not so mad as you leeten you.” = You are not so mad (crazy) as you behave (or as you make yourself to seem). • Definition 17a: “Thus leit he no man his peir.” = Thus he regarded no man his peer. • Definition 17b: “Nothyng is more redy for to mete Then couetous and falshode as man lete.” = Nothing is a more wise measure (of man’s character) than (his) covetous and false thoughts.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Before considering how our understanding of “Let light stream forth into the minds of men” changes by these definitions, recall that an understood subject, you (either singular or plural) precedes ‘Let’. As such, we have respectively • Comport yourself as (if you were) light streaming into the minds of men. • Consider yourself to be light streaming forth into the minds of men. • Consider yourself as a stream of light sent forth into the minds of men. • Think (of) a light streaming forth into the minds of men.

The analogous meanings for the phrases “Let love stream forth into the minds of men” and “Let purpose guide the little wills of men” are • Comport yourself as (if you were) love streaming into the hearts of men. • Consider yourself to be love streaming forth into the hearts of men. Consider yourself as stream of love sent forth into the hearts of men. • Think (of ) a love streaming forth into the hearts of men. • Comport yourself as (if you were) purpose guiding the little wills of men. • Consider yourself to be purpose guiding the little wills of men. Consider yourself as purpose guiding the little wills of men. • Think (of) a purpose guiding the little wills of men.



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The parallels between those phrases and another mantram, The Affirmation of the Disciple, are immediately apparent: I am a point of light within a greater Light. I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine. I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focused within the fiery Will of God. And thus I stand. I am a way by which men may achieve. I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand. I am a beam of light, shining upon their way. And thus I stand. And standing thus revolve And tread this way the ways of men, And know the ways of God. And thus I stand. When we recall that the above three phrases are preceded by • From the point of Light within the Mind of God • From the point of Love within the Heart of God • From the center where the Will of God is known the parallels are more striking, e.g., “A point of light within a greater Light” vs. “the point of Light within the Mind of God.” The parallels are enhanced if we recognize (as will be discussed in the next section) that among the definitions of ‘forth’ as a noun is a way, i.e., a pathway. What is also highly significant is that The Affirmation of the Disciple was given out to selected disciples at the very same time the Great Invocation was given to them. It was intended to be used as an integral part of a meditation exercise on the Invocation itself. 33

33 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, pp. 174-6

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 12: Phraseological Combinations of Let-v1

As we can see from the table below, all of the phraseological combinations possess a parallel structure to one discussed earlier, i.e., Definition 11, Let into. Definitions 34a-d are almost identical with Definition 11, except that ‘into’ in the latter is replaced by ‘in’ in the former. Thus it is not included in the discussion that follows.

Table 5:  Definitions of Selected Phraseological Combinations of Let-v1 Def. #

Definition

IV.33

Let forth: To allow to pass forth or out; to give passage to. Obsolete.

IV. 34.a

Let in: To admit, give admittance to (a person), especially into a dwelling-house; to open the door of a house to.

IV.34.a

Let in: To include; to allow (someone) to share (confidential information, privileges, etc.). Frequently with on.

IV.34.b

Let in: To give entrance or admittance to (light, water, air, etc.). Figurative.

IV.34.c

Let in: To insert into the surface or substance of a thing.

IV.34.d

Let in: To make a way for something to happen; to give rise to. Obs.

IV.37.a

Let out: (1) To give egress to; to cause or allow to go out or escape by an opening, esp. through a doorway (2) to set free, liberate; to release from prison or confinement (3) to get out into the open (4) to excuse, to release (from some obligation). Fig.

Definition 37a, however, is highly relevant. Examples of its use provided by the OED include: • (37a) Letting themselves out from their large pew under the gallery.



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• (37a) They said he could vote when he was at home. Well, that lets me out! • (37a) Oh, that’s quite different. It lets you out completely. • (37a) The early Morn lets out the peeping day. The Let-out construction appears in the third line of the fourth verse of the Invocation- “Let the Plan of Love and Light work out.” Assuming that the number of intervening words does not lessen the strength of the construction, then by these definitions of “Let out” from Definition 37a • to give egress to; to cause or allow to go out or escape by an opening, esp. through a doorway; • to set free, liberate; • to release from prison or confinement; • to get out into the open; and • to excuse, to release (from some obligation) any or all of the following meanings for “Let the Plan of Love and Light work out” are possible, plus many others: • Give egress to the Let the Plan of Love and Light (to do its) work • Liberate (set free) the Plan of Love and Light to (do its) work • Release the Plan of Love and Light to (do) its work • Get the Plan of Love and Light out (of concealment or imprisonment and) into the open to (do its) work • Excuse/release the Plan of Love and Light from (its other) work (or prior, lesser obligations) • Put the Plan of Love and Light out (through the door and onward) to (its) work.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 13: Let as “Hindrance” and “Withholding” Recall that all of the above 27 definitions of Let-v1 were for the same sense of the word, as evidenced from the fact that they descend from the same root. The definitions in Table 6 below are for the second sense of ‘Let’, hereafter Let-v2.

Table 6:  Definitions of Let-v2 Connoting Hindrance and Withholding Def. #

Definition

1

To hinder, prevent, obstruct, stand in the way of (a person, thing, action, etc.). Arch.

1b,d

(With infinitive or clause or double object) indicating the action from which one is hindered. Obs.

1e

To hinder, to be a hindrance. Obs.

2

To check or withhold oneself, to desist, refrain; to omit to do (something). Obs.

2b

To delay, tarry, wait. Obs.

Before analyzing specific definitions of Let-v2 we should note two things about them as a group. First they are much fewer in number. Secondly, and significantly, they are antithetical to those of Let-v1: whereas Let-v2 emphasizes hindrance, prevention, and obstruction, Let-v1 emphasizes to allowance, permission, and release. From this fact the word ‘Let’ can be considered an “auto-antonym”, i.e., “a word with multiple meanings, one of which is defined as the reverse of one of its other meanings.”34 34 Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/auto-antonym. Other names for auto-antonym include contranym, contronym, autantonym, antagonym, self-antonym, and Janus-word.



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As for the definitions themselves, what is particularly noteworthy is that they specifically mention how grammatical constructions affect meaning. Case in point, Definition 1b specifies that when ‘Let’ is used with an infinitive, it indicates the action from which someone or something is hindered. Thus in the examples “I let no man to sing” and “Hee could not let her to dispose of her owne” it is singing in the former not “man” or men, and it is disposing, not “her” that is hindered. The reason why this distinction about action is significant is that were it not stated, it would be ambiguous as to what was obstructed—the actor (indirect object) or the act (direct object). This definition and these examples have important implications for our understanding of the Invocation: accordingly by this meaning clauses like “Let Light descend on Earth” can be understood to mean ‘Obstruct Light’s descent of on Earth.’ By extension, the analogous meanings for the other five uses of ‘Let’ as Let-v2 are: • Hinder the streaming forth of light into the minds of men. • Prevent the streaming forth of love into the hearts of men. • Withstand the purpose that guides of the little wills of men. • Thwart the working out of the Plan of Love and Light. • Oppose the restoration by Light and Love and Power of the Plan on Earth.35 Definition 1d carries the same meaning as Definition 1b and indicates that the meaning holds when Let-v2 appears in sentences with double objects, i.e., with a direct and an indirect object. Every use of the verb ‘Let’ in the Invocation involves two objects, as shown below where direct objects are in italics and indirect in boldface: 35 Clearly these definitions are antithetical to those described and extolled in all of the commentary on the Invocation found in Bailey’s books. However, later in this volume it will be explained how and why they are relevant, even vital to a fuller understanding of the Invocation’s deeper meaning.

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• Let light stream forth into the minds of men • Let Light descend on Earth • Let love stream forth into the hearts of men • Let purpose guide the little wills of men • Let the Plan of Love and Light work out • Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth Two examples are provided in the OED for Definition 1d. Again, direct objects are italicized and indirect objects placed in boldface: • “Ther was no ston which mihte letten hem the weie.” = There was no stone which might let him the way. = There was no stone which might obstruct his way. • “We shall fynde none that wyll let us the way.” = We shall find none that will let us the way. = We shall find none that will obstruct our way. The primary differences between these two examples and those provided for Definition 1b is that here both objects are nouns: previously, one was a noun and the other a verb in the infinitive mood. Thus, one is left to determine what it is that is hindered in the examples, the wayfarer or the way. Even though the Invocation has a noun and verb—not two nouns—as its objects, this definition opens up the possibility that either the noun (indirect object) or the verb (direct object) is hindered.



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Part III Forth

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 14: Forth as a Noun

The word ‘forth’ appears twice in the Invocation, in the 2nd and 5th lines: • …Let light stream forth into the minds of men. • …Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. Like most words in the Invocation, ‘forth’ has more than one definition: in fact, it has several definitions—some archaic or obsolete, many related and many not—covering several parts of speech— verb, noun, adverb, and preposition. By any definition of ‘polysemy’, this word qualifies. And though the large majority of definitions of ‘forth’ are for its adverbial form, I begin this discussion with a consideration of its noun form. I do so because this form has the fewest definitions; it is the one most closely linked to the preceding discussion; and it has the greatest influence on our understanding of the Invocation. A search of several dictionaries reveals two definitions of ‘forth’ as a noun, both of which are obsolete. They are (1) a way; a passage or ford36 and (2) free course, wide publicity, e.g., to have one’s forth.37 According to the OED, among the definitions of ‘way’ include: • a road, path, a place of passage, e.g., an opening made through a crowd, door, gate, etc. • a line or course of travel or progression • guidance and direction, and mode of transport • a distance travelled • the direction of motion • a path or course of life and • a course of action. 36 ARTFL Project, Webster’s Dictionary, 1913 Edition. http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=forth. 37 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989.



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Definitions of ‘passage’ include • the action of going or moving onward, across, or past • movement from one place or point to another, or over or through a space or medium • transit • a boat or ship as a means of conveyance over water • A journey by water or (formerly) land • a voyage, a sea crossing • an expedition • an opportunity to pass and • the power, permission, or right to pass. Among the most significant definitions of the word ‘ford’ are38 • a place in a river, or other water, where it may be passed by man or beast on foot, by wading39 • an area in a river or stream which is not deep and can be crossed on foot or in a vehicle40 • a stream; a current41 • a shallow place in a river or other water, where a man or beast may cross by wading42 and • a tract of shallow water and a stream, current. As we can see from the definition of ‘forth’ and the definition of its synonyms, ‘passage’ and ‘ford’ share an association with water: the former is a mode of conveyance over water and/or a journey by 38 ‘Ford’, unlike ‘way’ and ‘passage’descends from the same root as “forth.” 39 ARTFL Project, Webster’s Dictionary, 1913 Edition. http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=ford 40 Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary, 2008. http://dictionary. cambridge.org/define.asp?key=30388&dict=CALD 41 ARTFL Project, Webster’s Dictionary, 1913 Edition. 42 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989.

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water. The latter is a body of water (e.g., a stream, a current, a river) or a specific area in a body of water that is shallow enough to cross (or pass) by foot (or in a vehicle). What ‘passage’ and ‘way’ have in common is the sense of movement or displacement more generally. The former concerns the actions of moving, crossing, going onward or moving from one place to another. The latter is more specific and concerns the actual path taken in such movement, its particular direction and course, as well as guidance and direction more generally. There are several implications of these definitions and associated meanings for our understanding of ‘forth’ in the Invocation. First, observe that ‘forth’ is one of four words in the first sentence of the Invocation associated with the idea of streaming and/or the movement of fluid-like substance. In addition there is, of course, the word “stream” as a verb. There is Definition 7a of ‘Let’ which is “to allow the escape (of confined fluid), to shed (tears, blood), to emit (breath sounds, etc.). And there is Definition 7 of ‘stream’ as a noun which is “a ray or beam of light.”43 It is quite fascinating that these four words related to streams and streaming appears in sequential order: “Let Light stream forth.” Thus, we have four words in a row, the fourth of which is ‘forth’, that all concern the action of streaming, of streams, and things that stream. A second implication concerns the ambiguity about what specifically is modified by the prepositional phrase “into the minds of men” when ‘forth’ is the object of ‘stream’. It could be adjectival and thus qualify ‘forth.’ If so, additional information is provided about ‘forth’ as a path. Under this interpretation, we understand that ‘forth’ is a path into the minds of men. Or the phrase could be adverbial and qualify “stream”, thereby indicating where the streaming of a ‘forth’ is to take place. In this case a path is streamed by light into the minds of men. These are, as we can readily see, quite different meanings.

43 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989.



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Chapter 15: Forth as a Noun, II: Grammatical Count Another way in which ‘forth’ is polysemous concerns its grammatical count , i.e., whether or not it is (1) a countable noun, one that can be counted and which has a plural form (2) an uncountable or non-count noun, one that cannot be counted and that does not have a plural form or (3) a collective noun, one that is a name for a group/collection of people, animals, or things. Plurals of most countable nouns are formed by adding an ‘s’ to the singular form, e.g., dog, dogs; car, cars; house, houses. However, for singular nouns ending in —s,—sh, —ch, and —x, an –es is added, e.g., glass and glasses, coach and coaches, box and boxes, stitch and stitches.44 There are also certain countable nouns whose singular and plural forms are identical—words like aircraft, series, species, sheep, buffalo, deer, and salmon. It is possible that ‘forth’, as the object of ‘stream’, is a countable noun45 of this kind. If so, then there are two related but different interpretations for the clause “Let light stream forth into the minds of men.” It could be that just one path, way, or ford is being streamed into the minds of men, or more than one is being streamed, i.e., that paths, ways, or fords are being streamed. It is also possible that ‘forth’ is an uncountable or mass noun, one “whose referents are not thought of as separate entities.”46 The distinguishing features of mass nouns are the inability to take a plural form and a co-occurrence with some determiners (e.g., ‘some’ and ‘more’) but not others (e.g., ‘many’). 47

44 There are other additions made for words ending in —f, —fe, —y, and —o. 45 Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_noun 46 http://www.sil.org/linguistics/glossaryoflinguisticterms/whatisamassnoun.htm 47 http://www.sil.org/linguistics/glossaryoflinguisticterms/whatisamassnoun.htm

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An example of a mass noun is ‘furniture’, which can not take the plural suffix ‘–s’ normally given to words ending in ‘e.’ And we do find it occurring with several, but not all, determiners. For example, we can say ‘the furniture’, ‘much furniture’, and ‘some furniture’, but not ‘a furniture’ or ‘many furnitures.’ Other mass nouns are ‘water’, ‘baggage’, ‘information’, ‘knowledge’, ‘research’, ‘training’ and ‘equipment.’ While we do not have words such as ‘informations’ or ‘equipments’, there are ways for these nouns to express plurality: it is through measurements or containers associated with each noun, e.g., glasses of water, piece(s) of furniture, bit(s) of information, research papers, fount(s) of knowledge, slice(s) of bread, and plates of pasta. In order to determine whether or not ‘forth’ is a mass noun, it would be helpful to see examples of its use in other contexts. Unfortunately, only three of fourteen dictionaries shown in Table 7, below, recognize ‘forth’ as a noun. None of them provide examples of its use with determiners. That said, the absence of any mention of a plural form of ‘forth’ as a noun could be taken to indicate that it does not have one, and is thus a mass (uncountable) noun. In summary, it is not clear whether ‘forth’ is a countable noun but one of few that doesn’t take a plural form, or if it is mass noun that cannot take a plural form.



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Table 7:  Parts of Speech of “Forth” in 14 Dictionaries Dictionary

Part of Speech for “forth”

Compact Oxford English

Adverb

Encarta® World English Dictionary, North American Edition

Adverb

Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, 10th Edition

Preposition, adverb

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Adverb

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed.

Adverb

The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus

Adverb

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Adverb, preposition

Infoplease Dictionary

Preposition, adverb

UltraLingua English Dictionary

Adverb

Cambridge Dictionary of American English

Adverb

The Online Plain Text English Dictionary1

Adverb, noun, preposition

Webster Dictionary, 19132

Adverb, preposition, noun

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

Adverb, preposition

Oxford English Dictionary

Verb, adverb, preposition, noun

Table 7 notes:   1 Onelook.com, 2008. http://www.Onelook.com/?Other=Web1913&W=Forth   2 ARTFL Project, Webster Dictionary, 1913. http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/webster.sh?word=forth

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 16: Forth as an Adverb

A search of several dictionaries turned up 37 definitions for ‘forth’ as an adverb. They can be divided into four groups: • Onward, forward in time or space or order(13) • Out and away from (12) • Out of concealment or inaction, into view or consideration (7) • Progressiveness, furtherance, intensification, thoroughness, eagerness (5) Their implications for our understanding of the Invocation are fairly clear and not in need of the detailed consideration that other words have received thus far. Concerning the first grouping, the implication is that the streaming forth of light and love happens over space and/or time. In the Invocation there are sources—a “point of Light” and a “point of Love”—and there are recipients— “the minds of men” and “the hearts of men”—and the latter are separated from former by time and/or space, whether literally or figuratively. The sources and recipients are also linked, by a path, by ‘forth’. Taken together, the second set of definitions emphasize a more general direction, i.e., “out and away from”, rather than the more specific “forward” of the first group. What is interesting about the third set of definitions is the antithesis that they establish within the sentence. The definition suggests the coming out of concealment and into view, into the open. Applying this definition to the Invocation’s first sentence is straightforward: light streams out of the Mind of God and into public view, where it can be seen and heard. And yet at the same time it is to stream into the minds of men, the contents of which are not discernible by other men.



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The fourth set of definitions add to the above the idea of an intensification or continuity, i.e., to go on doing activities already underway. The import of this definition would be to underscore that light is already streaming into the minds of men. To have more of this could mean more light into the same number of minds; the same amount or intensity of light into the same quantity of mind; and greater recognition and consideration in the public sphere of light. Clearly several other interpretations are possible.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 17: Forth as a Preposition and a Verb

Seven definitions of ‘forth’ as a preposition were found in six dictionaries. They are remarkably similar to those for the adverbial form of the word. There is little that they seem to contribute in the way of additional meaning beyond what has already been discussed. • forth from : out of. Arch.48 • Out of; forth from. Arch.49 • Out of; forth from. Arch.50 • Forth from; out of. Arch.51 • Out of. 52 • Forward to, up to, to the extent or limit of. 53 • Forward, out or away from; out of, from out of. Rare.54 Definitions of ‘forth’ as verb are even more rare. They do however increase the number of senses of the word. The first OED definition, which is obsolete, is “to accomplish, carry out; to manage to (do something).” An exmple of its use is “Alle that I say I shalle forthe” which means ‘A ll that I say I shall do (carry out).” The second definition, also obsolete, is “to put forward, offer.”

48 Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, 2008. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forth%5B2%5D 49 AHDEL, http://www.bartleby.com/61/3/F0270300.html 50 Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ forth 51 Webster’s Dictionary, 1913. http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/ WEBSTER.sh?WORD=forth 52 Webster’s Dictionary, 1828. http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/forth 53 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. 54 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989.



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The example provided for this use is “Vnderstonde we…his holie wordes, and forthe [proferamus] we him ure rihte bileue” and it dates from the late 12th or early 13th century. Word-for-word this is “Understood we his holy words and forth [proffer] we him our right belief.” What is interesting here is the parenthetical use of the verb ‘proffer’. This verb has several definitions, including several from the OED given in Table 8, below.

Table 8:  Definitions of ‘Proffer’ as a Verb Def. #

Definition

1a

To offer or present oneself (to a person); to put oneself forward (to do something).

1b

To bring or put before a person for acceptance; to offer, present.

1c

To make an offer; to propose or suggest (a course of action, etc.); to propose or offer (to do something).

3

To attempt to inflict (injury, a blow, etc.); to challenge to or attempt to engage in (battle, combat, etc.).

4a

To attempt or venture (to do something).

5

To venture out of a place; (esp. of a deer) to make a movement as if about to do something; to begin to move and then stop or turn back.

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Notably the first four definitions implicitly or explicitly suggest the act of proposing. As a verb, ‘propose’ takes any of the meanings shown in Table 9, below:

Table 9:  Definitions of ‘Propose’ as a Verb Def. #

Definition

1a

To form an intention or design. Later more generally: to propose a course of action; to make proposals.

1b

To set before oneself as something to be done; to intend, purpose, or design.

1c

To put forward or suggest as a scheme, plan, or course of action; to recommend or advocate that something be done.

2a

To put forward or present for consideration, discussion, etc.; to set forth, propound, state (an argument, question, etc.).

2b

To put forth or present to view or perception; to exhibit, display. Also fig. Now rare.

2c

To put forward as something to be attained; to state or have as an aim, end, or object.

2d

To represent to one’s imagination; to envisage, hold in mind; esp. to anticipate as an outcome, to expect, look for.

4a

To put forward or offer for acceptance, assent, or approval.

4b

To set before someone as a gift or offering; to present. Obs.

5

To carry on a discussion; to confer, converse, discourse. Obs. rare.

In this list note that Definition 1b makes indirect mention of ‘purpose’ and that the others all suggest purposeful action. Thus by a chain of synonyms we have ‘forth’ = ‘proffer’ = ‘propose = ‘purpose.’ This is a link, however derivative and subtle and curious, between the first two verses of the Invocation—which both contain the word ‘forth’—and the third, which contains ‘purpose.’



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Part IV A Common Theme: Duality In the previous two sections I have demonstrated that each of the three keywords—within, forth, and Let—is polysemous in its own right and that each has an impact on the other, on other words and phrases, and on the sentences as a whole. This section is devoted to describing additional relationships between these three words that were not shown or highlighted in the preceding discussion. In short, these keywords are very closely related to each other— and in ways not immediately or superficially apparent. More importantly, these relationships mirror those described in the last section. The word that best and most broadly characterizes them is duality, i.e., the condition of being dual, the fact of having of two parts or natures, of being twofold. Moreover, many of the relationships are special cases of duality; they demonstrate polarity. That is, the two parts are polar or diametrical opposites.

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

Chapter 18: The Duality of Within

‘Within’ is a compound word whose elements are ‘with’ and ‘in.’ Interestingly, ‘within’ is also an element of at least five other compound words. Among them ‘withindoor(s)’, ‘withinside’, ‘withinward’, and ‘withinforth.’ What is highly unusual about the last of these is that its elements—‘within’ and ‘forth’—are antonyms: the first means ‘inward’ and the second ‘outward.’ Interestingly, when compounded they form a third word ‘withinforth’ which means “everywhere within, internally throughout”—an obvious combination of the two opposing ideas. The word ‘withinforth’ does not appear in the Invocation. Its two parts do, however, though they are separated by several intervening words: • within the Mind of God Let light stream forth • within the Heart of God Let love stream forth There is a name in the canon of rhetoric for this relationship—Tmesis. It is defined as “the separation of the elements of a compound word by the interposition of another word or words.” 55 The OED tells us that the effect of this rhetorical device is “often a reversion to the earlier uncompounded structure”, i.e., reversion to separate words. Thus, we have a several dualities at work here: • ‘Within’ is a compound, the product of two elements. • ‘Within’ is itself an element in five other compounds, one of which is ‘withinforth.’ • ‘Withinforth’ is highly unusual among compounds for being composed of two antonyms. • ‘Withinforth’ appears in the Invocation as part of the figure of speech known as ‘Tmesis’, the division of a compound and the insertion of one or more words in between the halves. 55 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. Note: there are over two dozen potential instances of Tmesis in the Invocation.



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• The recognition of Tmesis may lend to the separated elements a second meaning in relation to each other, to the interposed words, and to the sentence as whole.

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Chapter 19: The Duality of Let

The duality of ‘Let’ is implicit its status as an auto-antonym. Recall that there are two separate and opposing senses of the word as a verb in the OED, each with several definitions. The first sense is ‘to allow or permit’ (Let-v1), while the latter is ‘to hinder, obstruct, and prevent’ (Let-v2). But that is not the only duality ‘Let’ possesses. Its two senses are opposites but at the same time joined by way of an unusual relationship that both have to a third word in the Invocation—‘dwell.’ The relationship is similar to the one linking ‘forth’ and ‘purpose’ just described in Chapter 17. There it was shown that among the definitions of ‘forth’ was found the word ‘proffer’, that among the definitions of ‘proffer’ was found ‘propose’, and among the definitions of ‘propose’ was found ‘purpose.’ The relationship between ‘Let’ and ‘dwells’ is more direct, requiring only one such step instead of three. As shown below, among the nine definitions of “dwell”, the second and third are consistent with the sense of Let-v2, i.e., to hinder, delay, desist, tarry, etc. Definitions 4b and 7 of ‘dwell’ share with Definitions 1a of Let-v1 the idea of allowing things to remain. Definitions 4, 7, 8, and 9 of ‘dwell’ and Definition 8a of ‘Let’ all concern residences and residency. Definition 8 of “dwell”, for example, is defined as “to occupy as a place of residence; to inhabit.” Definition 8a of ‘Let’, as noted earlier, is “To grant the temporary possession and use of (land, buildings, rooms, movable property) to another…” Thus, it is clear that both senses of ‘Let’ are included among the senses of ‘dwell.’ Now once this relationship is recognized, it can be shown to extend to the other two keywords—“within” and “forth.” Recall that Definition 6 of ‘within’ as an adverb was “possession or occupation” especially in relation to property, as in “Aforesaid Agnes survived him, and kept herself within (the manor) and was, and still is, seised thereof for term of her life.” Clearly, the word ‘within’ shares with Let-v1 the concept of residency. And, given that ‘within’ is related to ‘forth’ through the compound ‘within-



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forth’, there are semantic and conceptual links between all three of the keywords. The semantic link is as follows: the word ‘dwell’, as well as the concepts of residence, abiding, living in, or “continuing for a time in a place, state, or condition” is a shared or common sense between ‘within’ and Let-v1. The conceptual link is that of duality and encompasses both senses of ‘Let’, as well as ‘within’, ‘forth’ and ‘withinforth’, their compound: • Both ‘within’ and ‘forth’, whose meanings are opposing, are brought into relation as two elements of the compound ‘withinforth.’ Thus two are unified in a third. • The two opposing meanings of ‘Let’—to allow or permit (Let-v1) and to hinder, obstruct, or prevent (Let-v2) – are associated via their relationship to a third verb, dwell. Again, two are unified in a third. • Further, ‘within’ is related to Let-v1 via the definitions they both share with ‘dwell.’ Again, two are united in through relationship to a third. So in all three cases duality is resolved through relation to a third or unified in a third.

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Table 10:  Selected Definitions of Let-v1, Let-v2 and ‘Dwell’ Word

Def.# Definition

Dwell

1

To lead into error, mislead, delude; to stun, stupefy. Obs.

Dwell

2

To hinder, delay. (Only OE.)

Dwell

3

To tarry, delay; to desist from action.

Dwell

4a

To abide or continue for a time, in a place, state, or condition. Obs. or arch.

Dwell

4b

To let dwell: to let (things) remain as they are, let alone, let be. Obs.

Dwell

6

To continue in existence, to last, persist; to remain after others are taken or removed. Obs.

Dwell

7

To remain (in a house, country, etc.) as in a permanent residence; to have one’s abode; to reside, ‘live’. To occupy as a place of residence; to inhabit. Obs.

Dwell

8

Dwell

9

To cause to abide in. Obs.

Let-v1

1

To leave; to allow to pass

Let-v1

1a

To allow to remain; to leave behind; to abstain from taking away, using, consuming, occupying, etc. Obs.

Let-v1

8

To grant the temporary possession and use of (land, buildings, rooms, movable property) to another in consideration of rent or hire.

Let-v2

1a

To hinder, prevent, obstruct, stand in the way of (a person, thing, action, etc.)

Let-v2

1b

With infinitive or clause, indicating the action from which one is hindered. Obs.

Let-v2

1e

To hinder, to be a hindrance. Obs.

Let-v2

2

To check or withhold oneself, to desist, refrain; to omit to do (something). Obs.

Let-v2

1

To delay, tarry, wait. Obs.



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Chapter 20: The Duality of Forth

‘Forth’ also has its share of two-fold or dualistic associations. Mostly these are grammatical as much as semantic and due in large part to its relationship to the verb “stream.” As shown earlier, ‘forth’ can be the direct object of “stream” (when it is a noun) and can qualify “stream” (when it is an adverb or preposition). Another dualistic relationship between “forth” and “stream” arises out of the former’s definitions, several of which are related to bodies of water in general, and to streams in particular. Further, there were others that had it as a ‘ford’, i.e., a shallow place where in a stream or river could be crossed on foot or by wading. This doubly dualistic relationship between “forth” and “stream” is rather remarkable. To summarize: • “Forth” can qualify “stream” or be its direct object, and in the latter case thus be the direct object of a direct object. • “Forth” can mean a stream itself, as well as the crossing of a stream or passage through it. • “Forth” can be a divisible and countable noun, or it can be non-count, like the noun ‘water’ and many words associated with it. Further recall that the words “forth” and “stream” are the last two of a series of four words associated with streaming: • “Let” has meanings concerning the escape, emission, or issuance of fluids and fluid-like substances, and • “Light” can be a “stream” and/or is capable of being streamed, particularly in its association with astral bodies. Thus in the words “Let light stream forth”, we have four streams, figuratively if not literally. And to extend the metaphor a little further, note that:

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Starling David Hunter III  •  The Compass of Light, Volume V

• ‘Forth’ is the fourth in the series of ‘stream’ words: “Let light stream forth.” • ‘Fourth’ and ‘forth’ are homophones, two words with the same sound and different meanings (polysemes). • The numerical values associated with the five letters of ‘forth’ are 6 + 15 + 18 + 20 + 8 = 67 which reduces to 6 + 7= 13 which, in turn give 1+3 = 4. • The number four is esoterically and etymologically associated with squares, and thus suggests the lower, earthly and material quaternary. • One sense of ‘forth’ concerns the crossing of a stream. In the literal sense that means to wade through or across the shallow part of a stream. Figuratively, to ‘cross’ a stream could mean to form a cross from four lines (streams) of force. On one axis, perhaps the vertical one could be comprised of actions, e.g., ‘Let’ and ‘stream. The horizontal could then include the two objects, the recipients of action, i.e., ‘forth’ and light (or love). Later in this volume I will discuss in greater detail the nature of a cross defined by the words of the Invocation, in particular ‘within’ and ‘love’, which have and inward sense of direction. In the above delineation of the dualistic relationships among the three keywords—‘within’, ‘Let’, and ‘forth’—other words in the Invocation were implicated, e.g., ‘out’, ‘dwells’, ‘stream’, and ‘purpose.’ They were identified as related because of grammatical and semantic properties they shared with the three keywords. But their inclusion was incidental, a by-product of the analysis of the three keywords. The next section of this study extends the idea of relationships to explicitly include these and other linguistic concepts. Duality, a defining characteristic of the relationships among the three keywords, is still present. But the three are also related by figures of speech like parallelism and ellipsis, and by sentence structure.



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Part VII The Three Keywords in Sentences Although it usually shown as four stanza of three lines and a final 13th line, the Great Invocation is actually comprised of seven sentences: 1. From the point of Light within the Mind of God Let light stream forth into the minds of men. 2. Let Light descend on Earth. 3. From the point of Love within the Heart of God Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. 4. May Christ return to Earth. 5. From the center where the Will of God is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men—The purpose which the Masters know and serve. 6. From the center which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out and may it seal the door where evil dwells. 7. Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth. In this section the properties of the sentences are included in the analysis of the impact that the three keywords—within, Let, and forth—have for our understanding of the Invocation.

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Chapter 21: Sentence Patterns According to grammarians Martha Kolln and Robert Funk (K&F, hereafter), there are a potentially infinite number of grammaticallycorrect sentences in English. By a marked contrast, the number of sentence structures into which nearly all sentences can be classified is very small—about 10. This is due, we are told, to “the systematic nature of sentence structure and the limited number of elements that make up sentences.” 56 These ten structures share several characteristics, the most consequential and identifiable of which is the two-fold division into subject and predicate. A sentence’s subject is “what the sentence is about—its topic” while the predicate is “what is said about the subject.” 57 Variation in the predicate results in the different sentence structures. The analytical framework that K&F provide centers on the variation in “sentence slots”, the first of which is occupied by the subject. The second slot is filled by one of four kinds of predicating verb—intransitive, linking, being, and transitive. The ten patterns are built around one intransitive, two linking, three being, and four transitve predicating verbs, as shown in Table 11.

56 Kolln, M and R. Funk, Understanding English Grammar, 6th Edition, p. 24. 57 Kolln, M and R. Funk, Understanding English Grammar, 6th Edition, p. 24



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Table 11:  The 10 Basic Sentence Patterns58 #

Sentence

Slot 1

Slot 2

1

The pilots rested.

Noun Phrase Subject The pilots

Intransitive Verb (predicate verb) rested

2

The pilots seem Subject competent. The pilots

Noun Phrase

Linking verb (predicate verb) seem

Adjective (Subject Complement) competent

3

The pilots became captains.

Noun Phrase Subject The pilots

Linking verb (predicate verb) became

Noun Phrase 1 Subject Complement captains

4

The pilots are inside.

Noun Phrase Subject The pilots

Adverb of time/ Be place (predicating verb) (adverbial) are inside

5

The pilots are experienced.

Noun Phrase Subject The pilots

Adjective Be (Subject (predicating verb) Complement) are experienced

6

The pilots were Subject trainees. The pilots

Noun Phrase 1 Be Subject (predicating verb) Complement were trainees

7

The pilots studied the maps.

Noun Phrase 1 Subject The pilots

Transitive Verb Noun Phrase 2 (predicating verb) Direct Object studied the maps

8

The pilots gave the air traffic control their flight plan.

Noun Phrase 1 Subject The pilots

Noun Phrase 2 Transitive Verb (indirect object) (predicating verb) the air traffic gave controllers

Noun Phrase 3 (direct object) their flight plan

9

The pilots consider the safety regulations important.

Noun Phrase Subject The pilots

Noun Phrase 2 Transitive Verb (direct object) (predicating verb) the safety consider regulation

Adjective (object complement) important

Noun Phrase Subject The pilots

Transitive Verb Noun Phrase 2 (predicating verb) (direct object) consider the Boeing 777

Noun Phrase 2 (object complement) a technological marvel.

Noun Phrase 1

The pilots consider the 10 Boeing 777 a marvel.

58 Adapted from Kolln & Funk, 2005

Slot 3

Slot 4

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Recall that the first sentence of the Invocation has two objects: the common noun “light” is its indirect object and the infinitive verb “(to) stream” is the direct object. There is only one sentence structure in the above table that accommodates two objects: it is the eighth one and the second of the four “transitive” verb patterns. The example for this sentence is “The pilots gave the air traffic controllers their flight plan.” The sentence slots are as follows: • Subject: The pilots • Verb (transitive): gave • Indirect Object: the air traffic controllers • Direct Object: their flight plan In Table 12 below are the words and phrases that fill the corresponding slots in the Invocation’s seven sentences. Several points concerning the entries are noteworthy. First we should observe that though there are seven sentences in the Invocation, there are eight rows in the body of the table. This is because the sixth sentence, which reads “From the center which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out And may it seal the door where evil dwells” is a compound sentence coordinated by the conjunction “And.” The words that appear before the coordinating conjunction form a complete sentence. So, too, do the ones that follow. Thus, there are two entries for this sentence— 6a and 6b—and the subject, verbs, and objects of each are treated independently. Secondly, we should note that the ‘Subject’ slots are all empty. As discussed previously, this is because the verb “Let” is in the imperative mood and, thus, a command. In such cases the subject is understood to be ‘you’, either in the first person, i.e., referring to an individual, or the second person, i.e., ‘you all.’ Even though four of the Invocation’s sentences begin with a series of prepositional phrases—“From the point…” and “From the center…” –they are placed in an ‘Adverbial’ slot in the far right column. This leaves the subject slot in first position in entry of the table. This is preferred if for no other reason than that it is consistent with the preceding table and discussion about subjects and predicates.



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Third, in the ‘Direct Object’ column the word to has been added, in parentheses, at the head of each phrase. This is done to emphasize that these are noun phrases even though they begin with verbs. Ordinarily, when an infinitive is an object, ‘to’ will precede it. However, when an infinitive is the object of the causative verb “Let” then ‘to’ is omitted. Fourth, note that in sentence 5 the phrase “The purpose which the Masters know and serve” refers to the indirect object, “purpose.” Since it is the only object complement among the seven sentences, I placed that phrase in the cell with its referent rather than create an additional column in the table. Finally, in the way of formatting, we should take note that there are eight rows and five columns, giving a total of 40 sentence slots. The borders of the 12 empty cells are highlighted with bold, blue lines. This includes all eight subject slots and another four adverbial slots. The following discussion on the twelve empty subject slots is the most significant part of this study.

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Table 12:  The Pattern of the Seven Sentences of the Great Invocation Sen.

Noun Noun Phrase 2 Phrase 1 Transitive (Indirect (Subject) Verb Object)

Noun Phrase 3 (Direct Object) Adverbial

1

Let

light

(to) stream forth into the minds of men.

2

Let

Light

(to) descend on Earth.

From the point of Light within the Mind of God

From the point of Love within the Heart of God

3

Let

Love

(to) stream forth into the hearts of men.

4

May

Christ

(to) return to Earth.

Let

purpose—The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

(to) guide the little wills of men

From the center where the Will of God is known

6a

Let

the Plan of Love and Light

(to) work out

From the center which we call the race of men

6b

May

it

(to) seal the door where evil dwells.

7

Let

Light and Love and Power

(to) restore the Plan on Earth

5



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Chapter 22: Empty Subject Slots, I As noted in the previous chapter, the subject slots of the Invocation’s seven sentences are empty. This is because each sentence is, or can be construed to be, an imperative, i.e., “a sentence in the form of a command.”59 Imperative sentences use the base form of the verb— in this case the verb is ‘Let’—and typically have an understood subject. For example, in the sentences ‘Take off your hat when entering the building’ or ‘Start the meeting without me’ the subject is understood to be ‘you’, i.e., whomever the speaker is directly addressing. The ‘you’ can be singular (referring to an individual) or plural (referring to a group). In the Invocation it is not at all clear who the subject or subjects are. That is to say, their exact identity is unknown, not just unstated because understood. However, if we return to our earlier discussion of ‘within’, it is possible identify an understood subject— at least for two of the sentences. We recall that ‘within’ can be an adjective, as well as an adverb and preposition. While both adjectives and adverbs qualify other words they differ in one important respect-- the proximity they have to the qualified word(s). Typically, adjectives immediately precede the noun or noun phrase that they qualify, e.g., an old car, a big box. When adjectives have occasion to follow their nouns, it is often for emphasis or rhetorical effect, as with paired adjectives in the sentences ‘The car, bright red, stood out in the parking lot’ and ‘The dessert, sweet and rich, was delightful.’ 60 Adverbs, on the other hand, are portable; they may precede or follow their referents, often with many other words intervening. In the five sentences below we can see a variety of positions that adverbs and adverbial phrases (both in italics) can occupy.

59 Kolln, M. and R. Funk, Understanding English Grammar, 6th Edition, p. 358 60 English Plus, 2008. http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000091.htm

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• In spring Frank often gives parties at his house. • There we always play games. • Jackie usually gets prizes at the parties. • I never won one. • We sometimes sing songs at school.61 The noun most likely to be qualified by ‘within’ in sentence 1 and sentence 3 of the Invocation is the one immediately preceding it. If ‘within’ is taken as an adjective, the subject of the sentence 1 would no longer be the understood subject, ‘you.’ Below we see how the subject slots of sentences 1 and 3 are changed when ‘within’ acts as an adjective qualifying either “Light” or “Love” rather than acting as a prepositional phrase. The result is that the subjects of sentences 1 and 3 are now “the Mind of God” and “the Heart of God” respectively. This represents a substantial change in the meaning of the sentences. One important implication is that the location from which the action takes place has changed to “the point of Light within” and “the point of Love within.” Also, the mood of the sentence’s verb has changed from imperative to indicative, i.e., from a command to a statement of fact. Specifically we can say that ‘Let’ is now in the past tense. As such, we can read the two sentences below as describing actions or events that have already transpired: • “the Mind of God Let light stream forth into the minds of men” = the Mind of God permitted/allowed light to stream forth into the minds of men • “the Heart of God Let love stream forth into the hearts of men” = the Heart of God permitted/allowed love to stream forth into the hearts of men

61 Adapted from Education Highway OberOsterreich. http://www.eduhi.at/dl/position_of_adverbs.htm



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While the esoteric significance of these sentences will be discussed later in this volume, one important implication for our understanding of the Invocation is immediately apparent: the dimension of time has been introduced. In the imperative mood the focus is on actions to be taken in the here-and-now and/or in the near future. In the indicative mood, at least as it pertains to these two sentences, the focus is on the past.

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Table 13:  Possible Subjects for two Empty Slots in the Great Invocation’s Sentences Noun Phrase 2 (Indirect Object)

Noun Phrase 3 (Direct Object)

Let

light

(to) stream forth into the minds of men.

Let

Light

(to) descend on Earth.

Let

Love

(to) stream forth into the hearts of men.

May

Christ

(to) return to Earth.

5

Let

purpose —The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

(to) guide the little wills of men

From the center where the Will of God is known

6a

Let

the Plan of Love and Light

(to) work out

From the center which we call the race of men

6b

may

it

(to) seal the door where evil dwells.

7

Let

Light and Love and Power

(to) restore the Plan on Earth

Sen. 1

Noun Phrase 1 (Subject) the Mind of God

2

3

4

the Heart of God

Transitive Verb

Adverbial From the point of Light within

From the point of Love within



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Chapter 23: Empty Subject Slots, II Given the obvious parallelism in the structure of the Invocation’s seven sentences and having seen the effect of ‘within’ on sentences 1 and 3, it is reasonable to ask whether other sentences can be similarly transformed. Since “within” does not appear in other sentences, we have to look elsewhere. The word “known” in sentence 5 turns out to be a good place to begin. According the OED, ‘known’ can assume three parts of speech—verb, adjective, and noun. As a verb it is the past participle of the verb ‘know’, as in “Who could have known what the outcome would be?” As an adjective, ‘known’ means “apprehended mentally, learned; familiar, familiar to all, or generally known or recognized” as in the phrase “some man of known ability and high reputation.” 62 Finally, as a noun ‘known’ is defined as “something that is known”, e.g., “In this instance, the only known is our actual profit margin.” 63 It seems unlikely that in sentence 5 “known” can be the past participle of “know.” That the word itself is preceded by a verb in the present tense, ‘is’, would seem to largely preclude this possibility. It is possible, in fact very likely, that ‘known’ acts as an adjective in this sentence, particularly as a subject complement. Assuming we recognize that the clause “the Will of God is known” has a subject (the Will of God) and a predicate (is known) then we recognize that it fits Sentence Pattern 5 from Table 11, one of the three with forms of ‘to be’ as the predicating verb. The structure of that sentence is Subject—Being Verb—Subject Complement and its example was “The pilots are experienced.” Obviously, in sentence 5 of the Invocation, “known” plays the same role as does “experienced” in the above example. This leaves only the question of whether “known” can also be a noun in Sentence 5.

62 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. 63 Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=known&r=66

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If it is, then it would have to be a subject complement, just as when it is an adjective. This is so because the verb ‘to be’ does not take an object. As such, a noun or noun phrase appearing after ‘to be’ can be considered a subject complement, as a reference to the subject to which the verb belongs. This is the relationship that is described in sentence pattern 6 in Table 11. Its structure is Subject—Be Verb—Subject Complement and its example is “The pilots were trainees.” Here “trainee” refers to characteristics or attributes of the pilots. If “known” is to play a similar role in the clause “the Will of God is known’ then we must understand it to mean ‘something that is known.’ If so, then the entire first line, which reads “From the center where the Will of God is known” must be understood to mean ‘From the center where the Will of God is something that is known.’ This interpretation may not represent anything substantially different than the one just discussed but it does point the way toward a new interpretation. In order to access this new interpretation we have to reconsider where in the first line of the 3rd verse that we should pause. The end of the line seems like the natural place. However, as we saw with sentence 1 and 3, pausing after ‘within’ helps us to recognize that different subjects are possible. Since only nouns or noun phrase can be subjects, then “known” could be the hidden or veiled subject of sentence 5 is the same that “the Mind of God” was for sentence 1. All we need do to see this is to pause after the word “is” and a new subject is revealed- (something that is) known. As with sentences 1 and 3, the verb ‘Let’ changes mood from imperative to past tense so that the sentence now refers to something that has taken place at some undefined point in the past. By this reading, the clause “From the center where the Will of God is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men” is understood to mean ‘From the center where the Will of God is, (something that is known) allowed or permitted purpose to giude the little wills of men.’ The parts of speech and sentence slots for this interpretation are shown in Table 14. By similar logic we can discover that in Sentence 6a the word “call” is the one that can unveil a new meaning. By pausing after this word we recognize that the phrase “the race of men” can become



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the sentence’s subject. This is possible because like “within” and “known”, “call” can take on many meanings. In this case, however, the different senses are all within with the same part of speech. Even though “call” can be a noun and a verb, it is the multiple meanings as a verb which unveil the new subject. The meaning of “call” that may be intended is “to name, give a name or designation to.”64 By this definition we understand the first line to indicate that there is a center to which the name “the race of men” has been given. A second definition of ‘call’ is “To shout, utter loudly, cry out, summon.”65 If we pause at the word ‘call’ then the phrase “the race of men” becomes the subject of sentence 6a in a manner analogous to what we observed with sentences 1, 3 and 5. So, we understand sentence 6a, which reads “From the center which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out” to mean ‘From the center which we summon, the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out.’ Most noteworthy in this interpretation is the implication that the center which is summoned is different from the center which is called “the race of men”, i.e., humanity. The parts of speech and sentence slots corresponding to this interpretation also can be found in Table 14. What we can see in Table 14 is rather remarkable: four previously “understood” subject slots are now filled by the four new and overt subjects—“the Mind of God”, “the Heart of God”, “(something that is) known”, and “the race of men.” These four subjects were identified by noting that three words—“within”, “known”, and “call”—are polysemous. In the next few chapters I discuss how the other four subject slots can be filled. As we have come to expect, the properties of the words and the structure of the sentences are crucial in unveiling the new subjects.

64 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. 65 Ibid.

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Table 14:  Possible Subjects for Four Empty Slots in the Great Invocation’s Sentences Noun Phrase 1 (Subject)

Transitive Verb

Noun Phrase 2 (Indirect Object)

Noun Phrase 3 (Direct Object)

Adverbial

(to) stream forth into

1

the Mind of God

Let

Light

the minds of men

From the point of Light within

(to) descend on Earth 2

Let

Light (to) stream forth into

3

the Heart of God

Let

Love

the hearts of men

From the point of Love within

(to) return to Earth 4

5

6a

(something that is) known

the race of men

May

Christ

Let

purpose (The purpose which the Masters know and serve)

Let

the Plan of Love and Light

(to) guide the little wills of men (to) work out And

From the center which we call (to) seal the door

6b

May

it

where evil dwells (to) restore the

7

Let

Light and Love and Power

From the center where the Will of God is

Plan on Earth



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Chapter 24:  Ellipsis Four of the original eight empty subject slots remain to be considered. In the previous chapters, two slots were filled by noting that ‘within’ could take more than one part of speech. Then, corresponding words were identified in other sentences. The approach to filling the remaining slots relies more on the canon of rhetoric than on the rules of grammar. It begins with the recognition of a figure of speech called ellipsis, a figure of omission. In Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, Bullinger defines three different types of it—absolute, relative, and repetitive. In the former, the omitted word(s) is supplied by “the nature of the subject alone.” With relative ellipsis the omitted word(s) is “supplied from (and) suggested by the context.” In repetitive ellipsis, the missing word(s) is supplied by “repeating them from a clause which precedes or follows.” 66 All three types are applicable to this study and are considered in turn.

66 Bullinger, E.W., Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, p. 2.

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Chapter 25: Relative Ellipsis By one reading, all of the sentences in the Great Invocation have an understood subject—‘you’. In the preceding chapters the words and phrases which preceded the subject were used to identify it. This approach won’t work, however, for sentences 2 and 7 because there are no words prior to the subject. Instead we can rely upon relative ellipsis. This figure of speech has two varieties, the first being where a missing noun is implied by a verb in the sentence or phrase. The second is the reverse condition, i.e., where the missing verb is suggested by the noun.67 In the Invocation’s second sentence, “Let Light descend on Earth” what is omitted is a noun or noun phrase acting as the subject. By the definitions above, it must be inferred from one of the verbs in the sentences—‘Let’ and ‘descend.’ The former is the main verb while the latter is an infinitive acting as the direct object of ‘Let.’ If ‘Let’ is implicated, then it follows that we must determine what it is that lets, that does the letting. If the main verb were ‘paint’, the answer would be ‘a painter.’ And if the main verb were ‘ran’, the implied noun would be ‘runner.’ There are only two nouns that correspond to ‘Let’ in this manner. The first is the noun ‘Let’ which is defined by the OED as “hindrance, stoppage, obstruction; also something that hinders, an impediment.”68 A second noun is ‘letter’, i.e., “one who lets or hinders.”69 The final line of the Invocation is the seventh and final sentence—“Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.” The two relevant verbs here would be “Let” and “restore.” The corresponding noun phrases are ‘Let’ or ‘Letter’ for the former, and ‘the Restorer’ or ‘the Restoration” for the latter. Table 15 below shows these subjects in relation to the four already ascertained previously. 67 Bullinger, E.W., Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, p. 56. Emphasis in original. 68 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. 69 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989.



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Table 15:  Six Possibities for Empty Subject Slots Noun Phrase 1 (Subject)

Transitive Verb

Noun Phrase 2 (Indirect Object)

Noun Phrase 3 (Direct Object)

Adverbial

1

The Mind of God

Let

Light

(to) stream forth into the minds of men

2

‘Let’ or ‘the Letter’

Let

Light

(to) descend on Earth

Let

Love

(to) stream forth into the hearts of men

May

Christ

(to) return to Earth

5

(something that is) known

Let

purpose (The purpose which the Masters know and serve)

(to) guide the little wills of men

From the center where the Will of God is

6a

The race of men

Let

the Plan of Love and Light

(to) work out And

From the center which we call

May

It

(to) seal the door where evil dwells

Let

Light and Love and Power

(to) restore the Plan on Earth

3

The Heart of God

4

6b

7

‘the Restorer’ or ‘the Restoration’

From the point of Light within

From the point of Love within

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Chapter 26: Simple Repetitive Ellipsis Simple repetitive ellipsis (SRE) occurs when one or more words are repeated from the preceding or following phrase or clause. Bullinger provided these illustrative examples for the former case in relation to pronouns: • In Isaiah 40:13, the pronoun “who” should be repeated from the first clause. Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or [who] as His counselor has informed Him? • In 2 Corinthians 6:16, the phrase “the temple of ” should be repeated. And what agreement hath the temple of God with [the temple of] idols. Applying the above rules of SRE to the sentence 2—“Let Light descend on Earth”—requires identifying which nouns or noun phrases can carry over to replace the understood subject, i.e., the pronoun ‘you.’ There are two obvious choices—“the Mind of God” and “the minds of men” from sentence 1. Either is possible. The former has already been identified as the subject of sentence 1. If its presence is inferred, then we would understand sentence 2 as if it read ‘The Mind of God Let Light descend on Earth.’ As with the other transformed sentences, the verb “Let” is now in the past tense and its mood indicative rather than imperative. By extension the sentence as a whole refers to an action(s) taken at some earlier time. The second choice for a subject taken from sentence 1 is “the minds of men.” If it is inferred then sentence 2 is understood as if it read ‘The minds of men let Light descend on Earth.’ This also has much to commend it. Since the pronoun ‘you’ can be both singular and plural, then “the minds of men” is the only choice if the subject of the second sentence must be plural. It is also the only choice among the two if human agency must be implied. Finally the relationship between the two sentences is notable for the linking of God and man in a causal and temporal chain: the first sentence



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sees “The Mind of God” having streamed “light” into “the minds of men” while the second sees “the minds of men” become the agency by which “Light” reaches “Earth.” The repeated words in sentence 7 are not as easy to identify. If it is the immediately preceding sentence from which the repeated phrase must be taken, then two choices are “the race of men” and “the Plan of Love and Light” from Sentence 6a. If so, we the last line in either of two ways: • [The race of men] Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth. • [The Plan of Love and Light] Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth. But there are other possibilities. The final line clearly summarizes the preceding four verses. But it does more; it brings them all into direct and immediate relation with one another. Thus, it is conceivable that any or even all of the subjects from prior verses have been omitted from the closing line. That is to say, it is possible that the understood ‘you’ in the final sentence could be plural and refer to all of the subjects made overt by • the polysemy of “within”, i.e., “the Mind of God” and “the Heart of God” • the polysemy of “known”, i.e., “(something that is) known” • the polysemy of “call”, i.e., “the race of men” • relative ellipsis, i.e., ‘Let’, ‘the Letter’, ‘the Restorer’ and ‘the Restoration’ and • simple repetitive ellipsis, i.e., “the Mind of God” and “the minds of men.” Other possibilities remain to be considered.

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Chapter 27: Absolute Ellipsis E.W. Bullinger described several varieties of absolute ellipsis which he defined as “the omission of words or terms which must be supplied only from the nature of the subject.” 70 The omitted words can be nouns, adjectives, pronouns, verbs, participles, adverbs, (or) prepositions. In practice, discerning the omission from “the nature of the subject” requires the use of logical inference. The premises may be completely or partially informed by knowledge beyond the immediate context. The following two examples provided by Bullinger make this clear. Genesis 14:18-20 reads: [18] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. [19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: [20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. The omission in question is the second sentence of verse, “And he gave him tithes of all.” It is not clear from that sentence, from the preceding one, from the preceding verse, or from all three verses to whom “he” and “him” refer. However, we may determine this quite readily by stating the correct major and minor premises: • Major premise: Priests are the recipients of tithes, not the givers of them. • Minor premise: Melchizedek is a priest, but Abram is not. (see Hebrews 7:3-4) • Conclusion: Melchizedek received the tithes from Abram, not the other way around.

70 Bullinger, E.W., Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, p. 4. Emphasis in original.



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Genesis 39: 1-6 describes how Joseph came to serve in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of the Pharaoh and captain of the guard, and eventually become entrusted with its oversight. Verse 6 reads, “And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored.” Of this verse Bullinger wrote: Here it is not at all clear which it was of the two who “knew not ought he had.” If we understand Potiphar, it is difficult to see how he only knew the bread he ate: or if it is Joseph, it is difficult to understand how he knew ought what he had. If the Ellipsis, however, is rightly supplied, it makes it all clear. The verse may be rendered, and the Ellipsis supplied as follows:—“and he [Potiphar] left all that he had in Joseph’s hands: and he [Potiphar] knew not anything save the bread which he was eating. And Joseph was beautiful of figure, and beautiful of appearance.” All the difficulty is removed when we remember that “the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for it is an abomination unto the Egyptians.” (Genesis 43:32). Everything, therefore, was committed by Potiphar to Joseph’s care, except that which pertained to the matter of food.71 Note that in both cases, determining the omission requires the incorporation of information from well outside of the clauses under consideration. Also required is the ability to logically apply that information to the specific context. Applying this method to the omissions in sentences 2, 4, 6b, and 7 of the Invocation supplies several additional entries for their empty sentence slots. Sentence 2 reads, “Let Light descend on Earth.” The omission is the understood subject ‘you.’ Two questions immediately arise. The first is: Who or what is the source of Light (that can descend on Earth)? The second and related question is: Who lets, i.e., withholds or allows passage, of that Light (to descend) on Earth? The answer to the first question could be the Solar Logos, the source of 71 Bullinger, E.W., Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, pp. 4-5.

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Light and Life in our solar system. The answer to the second question could be the Planetary Logos or Sanat Kumara, the One for whom energies like Light and Love are …but the rhythm of His breathing and the results of the systolic and diastolic action of His Heart. From these energies we can not escape, but—in a mysterious and peculiar manner—the Planetary Logos directs or withholds them to suit the recognized planetary needs of the period.72 That the Planetary Logos both “directs” and “withholds” is instructive. From our previous discussions we know that the latter of the two actions (possibly both) could be replaced with ‘lets.’ Thus, the Planetary Logos is another possibility. But we need not choose between the Solar and the Planetary Logoi. Since ‘you’ can be a plural meaning ‘you all’, then either or both could occupy sentence 2’s empty subject slot. Sentence 4 reads “May Christ return to Earth.” The omission concerns the identity of the ‘you’ that granted permission to Christ to return to Earth. This would likely be the Planetary Logos, the Father to whom Christ is the Son. It is He that gave permission and only a select few know the date of Christ’s reappearance. 73 As an imperative, sentence 6b—“may it seal the door where evil dwells”—is understood as “(You) empower/enable it (to) seal the door where evil dwells.”74 Thus, it has two omissions, the understood subject, ‘you’, and the pronoun ‘it.’ When we recall that the pronoun ‘we’ appears in Sentence 6a, it is apparent that determining the omitted words can quickly become very complicated. It makes sense to begin with the simple question, who or what might let some other one or thing seal the door where evil dwells? 72 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, vol. 2, p. 63. Italic emphasis added. 73 Bailey, Alice A., The Reappearance of the Christ, pp. 14, 43, 72. 74 Here “may” is understood neither as an auxiliary verb nor a conditional one. Rather it is a transitive verb meaning “to be able to do” something, e.g., “It has been the pleasure of him who may all things.” See the Oxford English Dictionary, efinition 2b, for the first of three senses of “may” as a verb, i.e., “may, v1.”



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The question that follows is who or what will do the actual sealing? If we exclude from consideration, for now, the two most obvious noun phrases from the preceding clause, i.e., “the race of men” and “the Plan of Love and Light”, the choices narrow. Two possibilities are the Hierarchy and Shamballa, the center where the Will of God is known. The quote below speaks directly to this question and suggests why both or either are possible: May it seal the door where evil dwells. The sealing up of the evil forces, released during this war (World War II), will take place within the immediate future. It will be soon. The evil referred to has nothing to do with the evil inclinations, the selfish instincts and the separateness found in the hearts and minds of human beings. These they must overcome and eliminate for themselves. But the reduction to impotency of the loosed forces of evil which took advantage of the world situation, which obsessed the German people and directed the Japanese people, and which worked through barbarity, murder, sadism, lying propaganda, and which prostituted science to achieve their ends, requires the imposition of a power beyond the human. This must be invoked, and the invocation will meet with speedy response. These evil potencies will be occultly “sealed” within their own place: what this exactly means has naught to do with humanity. Men today must learn the lessons of the past, profit from the discipline of the war, and deal—each in his own life and community—with the weaknesses and errors to which he may find himself prone.75 Determining the omitted words from sentence 7—“Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth”—is potentially as complex as doing so for sentence 6b. However, if we exclude from consideration any nouns appearing in the previous verse, the options for filling the slot narrow. Framing the choice with this question is helpful: What one or ones, what thing or things, embody the three Aspects of Light, Love and Power, and/or can 75 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, vol. 2, p. 150. Italic emphasis in original.

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withhold or direct them in line with the Plan? The two quotes below suggest that both the Solar and the Planetary Logos (in conjunction with the Buddhas of Activity) fit the description. As has already been stated, at the head of affairs, controlling each unit and directing all evolution, stands the KING, the Lord of the World, Sanat Kumara, the Youth of endless Summers, and the Fountainhead of the Will, (showing forth as Love) of the Planetary Logos. Cooperating with him as his advisers are three Personalities called the Pratyeka Buddhas, or the Buddhas of Activity. These four are the embodiment of active intelligent loving will.76 What, then, is the purpose back of this endless process of form building, and this combining of the lesser forms? What is the reason of it all, and what will prove to be the goal? Surely it is the development of quality, the expansion of the consciousness, the development of the faculty of realization, the production of the powers of the psyche, or the soul, the evolution of intelligence. Surely it is the gradual demonstration of the basic idea or purpose which that great Entity Whom we call the Logos, or God, is working out through the solar system. It is the demonstration of His psychic quality, for God is intelligent Love, and the fulfillment of His determined purpose, for God is intelligent loving Will.77 Having applied three types of ellipsis to four sentences in the Invocation, we have identified several candidates for the open subject slots. The table below summarizes the preceding analyses. To be clear, this listing is suggestive, not definitive. Other possibilities surely exist that are not accounted for here. And this is part of the beauty and the mystery of the Invocation. To borrow a metaphor, the actors occupying the roles are many and varied and, perhaps, ever changing to fits the needs of the time.

76 Bailey, Alice A., Initiation, Human and Solar, pp. 38-9. 77 Bailey, Alice A., The Consciousness of the Atom, p. 67



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Table 16:  Three Types of Ellipsis and Empty Subject Slots Subjects by Absolute Ellipsis

#

Text

2

Let Light descend on Earth.

4

May Christ return to Earth.

The Planetary Logos

6b

And may it seal the door where evil dwells

Shamballa The Hierarchy

7

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

The Solar Logos The Planetary Logos The Buddhas of Activity

The Solar Logos The Planetary Logos

Subjects by Relative Ellipsis

Subjects by Repetitive Ellipsis

Let the Letter

The Mind of God the minds of men The Heart of God the hearts of men

Let The Letter The Restorer The Restoration

The Mind of God The Heart of God (something that is) known the race of men

The table below depicts eight sentences with all subject slots filled per the analysis in the last few chapters. As with the table above, it is merely suggestive, not definitive. Deeper study of the cosmology of Alice Bailey, in general, and of figures of speech like ellipsis, in particular, will undoubtedly reveal an even greater number, and perhaps an even more impressive cast of Actors in our Cosmic drama.

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Table 17:  Sentence Patterns with Filled Sentence Slots Noun Phrase 1 (Subject)

Transitive Verb

Noun Phrase 2 (Indirect Object)

Noun Phrase 3 (Direct Object)

1

the Mind of God

Let

Light

(to) stream forth into the minds of men

2

The Solar Logos The Planetary Logos Let, the Letter The Mind of God the minds of men

Let

Light

(to) descend on Earth

3

the Heart of God

Let

Love

(to) stream forth into the hearts of men

4

The Planetary Logos May The Returning One The Heart of God the hearts of men

May

Christ

(to) return to Earth

5

(something that is) known

Let

Purpose

(to) guide the little wills of men

6a

The race of men

Let

the Plan of Love and Light

6b

Shamballa The Hierarchy May The Dweller the race of men The Plan of Love and Light

may

It

(to) seal the door where evil dwells

7

The Solar Logos The Planetary Logos + The Buddhas of Activity Let, the Letter The Restorer The Restoration The Mind of God The Heart of God (something that is) known the race of men

Let

Light and Love and Power

(to) restore the Plan on Earth

(to) work out And



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Part VIII Planetary Implications, Individual Parallels Let us recall here the charge given in the second volume of Discipleship in the New Age to those who would undertake to meditate upon the Invocation for one year: I am going to leave you free to consider this Invocation in your own way and to approach this most important and significant mantram from the highest possible point of your individual intuitive perception. I would ask you to meditate on what appear to you to be the planetary implications, but would also remind you to consider the individual parallels. All that is invoked on behalf of humanity is also susceptible of interpretation in a personal sense, regarding the personality as the microcosm of the Macrocosm and as the field for the circulation of light and love, for the expression of the Christ Life and of the sacrificial Will, plus the instrument of service and an area in which evil is scaled, frustrated and rendered futile. At the end of the year, I would ask you to embody your understanding of the

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Invocation and your interpretation of it (both macrocosmically and microcosmically approached) in a paper. These papers, if truly the result of intuitive perception, could constitute a useful book, giving the general public a truer comprehension of words which will condition the thinking of spiritually-minded people for many decades. 78 What remains for this volume is clear from this paragraph. The preceding analysis of the Invocation’s words needs to be linked to foundational concepts in the esoteric philosophy articulated by Alice Bailey. Of especial importance are concepts with “planetary implications” and their “individual parallels.” The chapters that follow link the three keywords—within, Let, and forth—to three topics: the evolution of consciousness, the crisis of individualization, and finally, the constitution of man.

78 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, 175-6



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Chapter 28: The Races of Men The three keywords in the Invocation have implications for, effects upon, and relationships to several other words in the Invocation, as well as each other. Recall that the first of the three words— “within”—revealed four overt subjects: (1) the Mind of God (2) the Heart of God (3) (something that is) known and (4) the race of men. Each subject can be linked to the idea the Macrocosm. Both “the Mind of God” and “the Heart of God” clearly refer to the 3rd Aspect (Light or Intelligence) and the 2nd (Love-Wisdom) Aspects, respectively, of some Great Life, be it the Planetary, Solar, or Cosmic. The ‘thing that is known’ is related obviously to the 1st Aspect of Deity, that of Will or Power, as evidenced by its role in allowing purpose to guide the little wills of men. Moreover, it does so from the center where the Will of God is held in high esteem, i.e., “known.” Finally, “the race of men” refers to mankind, the Planetary Throat center in relation to Hierarchy’s role as Planetary Heart and Shamballa’s as Planetary Head center. But it may have other meanings, too. After all, the word ‘men’ is used in verses 1, 2, and 3 and is widely assumed to refer to humanity as a whole. As such, the phrase “race of men” is somewhat redundant. But if the intent is to convey additional meanings, then the wording is less redundant than it is polysemous. And if so, then it is incumbent upon us to consider other definitions of the word ‘race.’ As it turns out, ‘race’ is indeed a highly polysemous word. The OED provides dozens of definitions for the word as a noun, verb, and adjective. These definitions are divided into 14 distinct senses, many of which descend from different roots. Tables 18-23 contain most of the definitions provided in the OED for eight different senses of race as a noun (labeled N1-N8). A large number of them are relevant to the preceding analysis and are considered in turn. Among the most notable is the group of definitions indicating forward progression and movement. By definitions 1, 4a, and 4b, the phrase “the race of men” could mean “the forward progress of

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men”, “the progress of men through life”, “the journey of men” and perhaps “the evolution of men.” Also of note is the group of definitions encompassing the idea of a path, a channel, or a course. By definition 5a, “the race of men” could mean “the course, line, or path taken by men” and by 6 and 6a “period of time or space allotted to men”. This last meaning is broadly consistent with the use of the word ‘race’ by both Alice Bailey and Helena Blavatsky, who both use it in conjunction with the terms ‘round’, ‘scheme’, ‘globe’ and ‘chain’ to delineate specific periods of time in the evolution of mankind on this planet. Other relevant definitions within this group are 5b and 6c, both of which refer to moving bodies of water, i.e., a stream (5b) and a river (6c). Recall that one of the definitions of ‘forth’ is “a ford or passage” across a stream while another is a stream itself. Further recall that the phrase “Let forth” means “to allow to pass or to give a passage to.” Thus, by these definitions the fourth verse is brought into relation with the first and second through the shared connation of a path, passage, or channel and by that of a moving body of water. More specifically, by Definition 5b the phrase “the race of men” can mean, generally, “the passage of or the path taken by men” or more specifically “the course of the stream taken by men.” From the third group of definitions of ‘race’ as a noun—Definitions 9a-c, 10, and 12a—we get further reinforcement of the above senses of the word. They also connote forward progress or movement of immaterial or inanimate things. By 9a we have “the course or progress of men” and by 9b “the progress of time of men” which could refer again to evolution. Definitions 10 and 12a make reference to moving bodies of water (streams and rivers) and thus carry similar connotations as Definitions 5b and 6. In the next chapter the etymology of race is briefly considered. Finally, it should be noted that the sixth set of definitions (those with “N6” in the first column) is the one that seems to be implied in the Invocation, i.e., “a group of people connected by common descent or origin.” Among this set is an obsolete definition that has especial relevance; it is 6c, “the line or succession of people holding an office.” By this definition of ‘race’, the phrase “race of kings” would mean “the line or succession of kings.” In the works of Alice



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Bailey we are told something analogous in reference to Christ, i.e., that the name is a title, like President or King, and that periodically the incumbent of this position changes, as do kings and chief executives of companies. We are further told that the current incumbent will be with us for another Age, after which the Master KH will take over. While this definition of ‘race’ does not seem to bear directly on the meaning of “the race of men”, it could, when coupled with other definitions, refer to the succession of men (especially disciples and initiates) out of the mass of humanity and into the ‘office’ of Master and/or succeeding to membership of Hierarchy.

Table 18:  Definitions of “Race” as a Noun Indicating Forward Progression, Running, Movement, etc. with Reference to People, Animals, etc. Part of Speech

Def. #

Definition

N1

1

A rush, onset, charge; a raid. Obs.

N1

2a

The act of running.

N1

2b

The act of riding rapidly on horseback.

N1

3

Rapid action, haste; a hurry. Obs.

N1

4a

A person’s progress through life or some part of it. Obs.

N1

4b

More generally: a journey or voyage. Obs.

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Table 19:  Definitions of “Race” as a Noun Indicating a Path, Channel, or Course, and Related Senses Part of Speech

Def. #

Definition

N1

5a

The course, line, or path taken by a person or a moving body. Also fig. Obs.

N1

5b

A channel or bed (of a stream); spec. an artificial channel leading water to or from a point where its energy is utilized, as in a mill or a mining claim.

N1

5c

A circular path to be followed by a horse that is driving machinery.

N1

5d

A narrow passageway through which animals (esp. sheep) are driven singly, for separating, branding, etc. (Aust, NZ)

N1

6

A portion of time or space.

N1

6a

A period of time, a while.

N1

6b

The distance or space between two points.

N1

6c

A section or reach (of a river). Obs. rare

Table 20:  Definitions of “Race” as a Noun Indicating Forward Progression, Running, Movement, etc. with Reference to Inanimate or Immaterial Things Part of Speech

Def. #

Definition

N1

9a

The course or progress of events, or of a narrative. Obs.

N1

9b

The progress of time.

N1

9c

The regular progress, movement, or journey of the sun or the moon.

N1

10

Forward movement of a thing, as a vehicle, a stream, etc.; the running or rushing of water; an instance of this. Obs.

N1

12a

A strong or rapid current in a sea or river.



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Table 21:  Miscellaneous Definitions of “Race” as a Noun Part of Speech

Def. #

Definition

N1

IV

A contest.

N1

13a

A contest of speed in running, riding, sailing, or some other activity, between two or more competitors.

N2

1

A root (of ginger).

N3

1

A cut, mark, scratch.

N4

1

A (usually white) mark down the face of an animal, esp. a horse.

N5

1

A breed of horses; a herd of horses, esp. one kept for breeding. Obs.

Table 22:  Definitions of “Race” as a Noun in Reference to Groups of People, Animals, and Plants Connected by Common Origins79 Part of Speech

Def. #

Definition

N6

1a

A group of people belonging to the same family and descended from a common ancestor; a house, family, kindred.

N6

1b

A tribe, nation, or people, regarded as of common stock.

N6

1c

A group of several tribes or peoples, regarded as forming a distinct ethnic set.

N6

1d

Any of the major groupings of mankind, having in common distinct physical features or having a similar ethnic background.

N6

2a

The offspring or posterity of a person; a set of children or descendants. Poet.

N6

2b

Breeding, the production of offspring. Obs.

N6

3

Any of the major divisions into which living creatures may be separated.

N6

3b

The class of humans; mankind.

N6

4a

The stock, family, or class to which an animal, person, or plant belongs.

79 Recall that the preposition “Race” Suggests Origins or Starting points

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Table 23:  Definitions of “Race” as a Noun in Reference to Groups of People, Animals, or Things Having Common a Feature or Features Part of Speech

Def. #

Definition

N6

II

A group or class of people, animals, or things, having some common feature or features.

N6

6a

A set or class of people who share a characteristic attitude or other feature.

N6

6b

Either of the sexes (as distinct from the other).

N6

6c

The line or succession of people holding an office. Obs.

N6

7b

Each of the three kingdoms (animal, vegetable, and mineral) into which natural objects are traditionally classified. Now rare.

V4

1

Of a bird: to impart its character, habits, etc., to its offspring. Obs. rare.



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Chapter 29: The Father and Grandfather of Men As shown in the previous chapter, the word ‘race’ has many definitions, several of which have important implications for our understanding of the Invocation. As I will now show, the etymology of ‘race’ is equally revealing. Most importantly, its meaning relates to the widely accepted definitions of ‘race’, i.e., groups of people connected by common descent or origin. Let us begin by noting that the Indo-European root of many of the definitions of race is ‘ers’ and further note that one of its many derivatives is the Sanskrit ‘rsih’ which means seer, poet, and rishi. The OED defines ‘rishi’ as “an inspired poet or sage; a holy seer; an ascetic or saint.” In Compass of Light, Volume 2: Etymology in the Great Invocation I had the following to say about rishis and their relationship to the Planetary Logos. According to the Tibetan, Rishis are Great Lives that ensoul the seven stars of the constellation The Great Bear. Of that constellation we are told many extremely important things including (1) its central relationship to our highest planetary center, Shamballa: The energies coming from the Great Bear are related to the will or purpose of the solar Logos and are to this great Being what the monad is to man. This is a deep mystery and one which even the highest initiate cannot yet grasp. Its sevenfold unified energies pass through Shamballa. 80

80 Bailey, Alice A., Esoteric Astrology, p. 416.

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(2) the relationship of one of those seven Rishis to our Planetary Logos: The devas of the atomic levels of all the planes in our scheme work in close affiliation: … With those devas who form the spirit-substance of the manifestation of that particular Rishi of the Great Bear Who is the prototype of our particular planetary Logos.81 and (3) perhaps most importantly of all, the role of one of those Rishis as the source of “cosmic evil” in relation to our planet: Cosmic evil from the standpoint of our planet consists in the relation between that spiritual intelligent Unit or “Rishi of the Superior Constellation” as He is called (who is the informing Life of one of the seven stars of the Great Bear, and our planetary prototype) and one of the forces of the Pleiades. Students need here to remember that the “seven sisters” are occultly called the “seven wives” of the Rishis, and that the dual forces (resultant from that relationship) converge and play through that one of the planetary Logoi who is the Logos of any particular planet, and is the “reflection” of any specific Rishi. In this relation, at present lacking perfect adjustment, lies hid the mystery of cosmic evil as it makes itself felt in any particular planetary scheme.82 While the actions of such a Great Life may seem impossibly remote to we “little ones” it is also important to make note of this passage, which follows on the heels of the one above: This avatar has naturally a direct effect upon the centers of the Heavenly Man and therefore upon the units or human Monads, but only indirectly and upon the Monad on its own plane. This influence meets with little response from 81 Bailey, Alice A., A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, pp. 656-7. 82 Bailey, Alice A., A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 990



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the Monad until after the third Initiation when its conscious life becomes so strong that it grips afresh its egoic expression in one direction, and awakens to planetary realization in another. This type of avatar appears only at the time of the initiation of a planetary Logos.83 ‘Race’ and ‘rishi’ both descend from the same root and are thereby related. By comparing the qualities and actions of the aforementioned Rishi with the above definitions, the exact nature of the relationship becomes clearer. Key points are (1) that one of the Rishis of the Great Bear is the “prototype” of our Planetary Logos and (2) that this Rishi has an effect on the centers of our Logos and by extension, on human monads, “the race of men.” The relevant definitions are all from the sixth noun form, the one related to common ancestry and progeny. Among them are 2a, “the offspring or posterity of a person; a set of children or descendants” and 2b, “breeding, the production of offspring.” Also relevant is the fourth definition of ‘race’ as a verb, “of a bird: to impart its character, habits, etc., to its offspring.” If anything is suggested by the above, it is that this Rishi is the ‘father’ of our Logos where that word, father, takes the meaning of “a male ancestor more remote than a parent, esp. the founder of a race or family, a forefather, progenitor.” 84 But in relation to ‘the race of men’ He is more than that. The Planetary Logos is our Father, the One in whom we live and move and having our being. As such, the Rishi in question would be rightly considered our grand-father, one definition of which is “a male ancestor; a forefather.” 85 In the next section I relate these definitions of race to specific passages in the books of Alice Bailey concerning the evolution of mankind and the crisis of individualization.

83 Bailey, Alice A., A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 726 84 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. 85 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. Further, it is interesting to note that one definition of “granddaddy” is “one that is the oldest, first, or most respected of its kind.” http://www.bartleby.com/61/28/g0222800. html

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Chapter 30: The Three Crises In the previous chapters I showed how the word ‘within’ gave rise to four new subjects, one of which was “the race of men” and the rest of which were related the three Aspects of God, i.e., Mind, Heart, and Will. I went on to show how the many definitions and senses of ‘race’ could give it meanings related to the evolution of humanity in time and space. I ended the most recent chapter with a discussion of how “the race of men” related to both humanity, to its Father (the Planetary Logos), and to our Father’s Father, a certain Rishi associated with the constellation known as the Great Bear. The passages that follow relate all of these ideas. The first is taken from The Destiny of Nations and is part of a discussion there about the influence of the Rays on the course of world affairs. Chief among these energies, we are told, is the “the first Ray of Will and Power” which works out constructively as the will-to-good and destructively as selfish diplomacy, separation, disease, and death.86 In speaking of this force, we find this esoteric historical information about previous instances of humanity’s exposure to it, as well as the crises that ensued and the progress that arose therefrom. This is the force which pours into the world from the major world center, Shamballa. Little is known of Shamballa. More will be known as you study this text and note how world affairs are taking shape … Only twice before in the history of mankind has this Shamballa energy made its appearance and caused its presence to be felt through the tremendous changes which were brought about: • When the first great human crisis occurred at the time of the individualization of man in ancient Lemuria. • At the time of the great struggle in Atlantean days between the “Lords of Light and the Lords of Material Expression.” 86 Bailey, Alice A., The Destiny of Nations, p. 12.



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This little known divine energy now streams out from the Holy Center. It embodies in itself the energy which lies behind the world crisis of the moment. It is the Will of God to produce certain radical and momentous changes in the consciousness of the race which will completely alter man’s attitude to life and his grasp of the spiritual, esoteric and subjective essentials of living. It is this force which will bring about (in conjunction with second ray force) that tremendous crisis—imminent in the human consciousness—which we call the second crisis, the initiation of the race into the Mystery of the Ages, into that which has been hid from the beginning. The first crisis, as you have been taught, was the crisis of individualization wherein man became a living soul. The second crisis is the immediate one of racial initiation, made possible (if you will but believe it) by the many individual initiations which have lately been undergone by those members of the human family who had vision and a willingness to pay the price.87 The passages below are taken from second volume of Discipleship in the New Age. They provide further detail about these crises and how each related more strongly to one or the other of the three Divine Aspects: In Lemurian times, the third divine aspect, that of Intelligence, was invoked by the mass appeal of instinctual animal-man; he little knew what that almost inchoate appeal would invoke. Light appeared on Earth and true progressive enlightenment became possible. I am not here referring to physical light, but to the light of the intellect.88 The first passage obviously is related to the Third Aspect, Active Intelligence, to Light, and by extension, “the Mind of God.” The references to “progressive enlightenment” and “the light of intellect” are suggestive of the impact that appearance of Light on Earth had on “the minds of men.” 87 Bailey, Alice A., The Destiny of Nations, pp. 12-13. 88 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Volume 2, p. 160.

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In Atlantean days, as a result of the strife between the Lords of Light or of the Shining Countenance and the Lords of the Dark Face (as they are called in the ancient Scriptures and in The Secret Doctrine) another “era of invocation” occurred and the second divine aspect of Love became a possible unfoldment, though still only an embryonic quality of mankind. The mass appeal was then more intelligently voiced, though the instinctual appeal still persisted. It was not intelligence, however, as we understand the term. In the above passage we find a clear reference to the second Aspect, Love-Wisdom. By extension the vehicles of expression for this energy, i.e., “the hearts of men” and “the Heart of God”, are implicated. In our Aryan cycle, another great invocative cry is issuing forth. It is this time a threefold cry. It is the cry for light upon our way and for light to flow into the dark places of the Earth; it is also a cry for more love in the world as voiced by the men of goodwill and of humanitarian attitudes; it is, finally, the intuitive appeal of the aspirants and the disciples of the world for the full expression in time and space of the will-to-good—the Will of God. Average instinctual humanity, the men and women of goodwill, and the disciples of the world are all concerned in this invocation, bringing in the attributes of instinct, intelligence and intuition. All three are blended in this great Invocation. Have also constantly in mind this basic fusion, now finding voiced expression, and take courage from the massed approach to the Source of all Life, Love and Light. Nothing can withstand the united demand of men everywhere in their graded and their serried ranks.89 Taken together the three passages, plus those above, provide a broad outline of the evolution of humanity, one punctuated by crises attendant to invocative periods and the release of the Shamballa energy. What is most interesting about this last passage is that it refers to the synthesis of the three Aspects: light and love and 89 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 160.



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goodwill are all invoked. That this is now possible is a testament to how extraordinary is the progress, the forward movement, the point in evolution achieved by humanity. Or more simply, how extraordinary is the race 90 of “the race of men.” Perhaps it is due to some change in the relationship of the Great Rishi, whose influence reaches us by way of Shamballa, and the Planetary Logos, or more simply, the relationship between one “the race of men” and another “the race of men.”

90 Recall definitions from Table 18-23.

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Chapter 31: The Constitution of Man, I Another individual parallel arises from the preceding analysis: the relationship of the three keywords to what Alice Bailey terms “the constitution of man.” By “constitution” she means the organization, composition, or combination of the elements comprising the inner bodies of man. The topic is a complex one and hundreds of pages spread over several books are devoted to its elaboration. No attempt will be made here to summarize the breadth and depth of that teaching. Rather, I will treat the topic with broad brush strokes and concentrate mostly on the areas where the link to the words of the Invocation is most apparent and meaningful. As a prelude to the discussion, I would note that in many ways the words of the Invocation read like a set of instructions for building the individual, group, and Planetary “Antahkarana”, the rainbow bridge that (in the case of the individual) connects the constitution of man to higher, subtler, and more far-reaching sources of energy and force. But in order to recognize this, one must be conversant with the relevant conceptual vocabulary. And with that idea expressly in mind, I first present the figure on next page, an adapted version from A Treatise on Cosmic Fire entitled “The Science of Meditation.” 91 Several features of this chart need elaboration. Beginning with the chart as a whole, we note the description placed vertically on the left side which reads “The Seven Planes and 49 Sub-Planes of the Cosmic Physical Plane.” This title explains the overall organization of the chart which shows seven groupings of seven rows or planes. From the bottom up we have the Physical Plane, above which is found the Emotional, followed in order by the Mental, Intuitional, Spiritual, Monadic, and Divine Planes. Depending on ones previous exposure to the works of Alice Bailey, these names and, more importantly, their relationship to each other, may convey much or little. What is most important to consider is that from the lowest 91 Bailey, Alice A., A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, p. 961.



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Figure 1:  The Science of Meditation.

to the highest, energies and forces associated with each plane possess greater rates of vibration (frequency) and potency. There are many other ways in which the seven planes are related to one another. For example, the odd-numbered planes, beginning from the bottom or the top, are said to be similar in nature and in

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sympathetic resonance with one another. The same is said to hold for the even-numbered. The planes are also related to the Seven Rays. Although many different rays can find expression on any given plane, the highest plane, the Divine Plane, is the one most strongly associated with the First Ray of Will-Power. Similarly, the second plane from the top, the Monadic Plane, is associated with the Second Ray of Love-Wisdom, and so on. Another important relationship concerns adjacent planes. Although each plane has its own characteristic rates of vibration, potency, and effects, in relation to the plane above it, any given plane is negatively polarized or receptive. In turn, it is positively polarized in relation to the one below it. As already noted, the planes arranged from the most physical or material on the bottom to the most rarified or spiritual at the top. This holds true within planes as well. Each plane has seven sub-planes and the lowest within each is the least subtle, the lowest of vibration, and the least energetically potent. Thus, the relation of higher to lower across planes is mirrored within them. What is more, there is a relationship among the planes and sub-planes that is akin to that of the spectrum of light. As we know from physics, what we call light, the light that we use to see on the physical plane, comprises a very narrow band of the frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. Just above the range of visible light is ultra-violet and just below is infra-red. As it pertains to the seven planes, there are a limited number of energies to which we can respond. The lowest three sub-planes of the physical plane are labeled ‘gaseous’, ‘liquid’, and ‘dense’, terms which are to be interpreted literally. As their names suggest, these are the three planes that comprise the manifested world that we comprehend with our five senses. Things of these planes can be touched, tasted, etc. But as we reach the fourth sub-plane of the physical plane, the lowest of the four etheric planes, we reach a range of frequencies beyond our senses. Finally, it is worth mentioning a more metaphorical aspect of the relationship of the planes and sub-planes to one another. As we just noted, the physical plane is the most dense and material. Each higher plane and sub-plane is said to inter-penetrate the one below, in a manner like soil can be inter-penetrated by water and water



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by gas. This ability for one plane to infuse another plane is important to remember because it relates to one of the most important aspects in the teaching about the constitution of man—the nested nature of the rates of vibration and planes. Even though the planes are represented one atop the other, a truer depiction—were it possible—would be to see one inside of the other. According to Bailey’s writings on the topic, each plane higher is really a move further inward, closer to the core of our being. Beginning with the three lowest planes we find matter and material of which our physical body is composed. The next four sub-planes comprise matter at rates of vibration from which our energy-body is composed. Above that we find that which comprises our emotional and then our mental body, and so on. Each of these bodies or vehicles responds to a higher rate of vibration and is closer to the core of our being than the one below or exterior to it. With the planes described and broadly related to one another, the preliminary ground work is laid for a discussion of the constitution of man, the bodies and focal points of energy and force through which the human soul works on those planes. As noted above, just as there are different planes, the human soul has different bodies with the attendant senses that respond to and use the associated energies and forces. We have a physical body made of the matter of the three lowest sub-planes of the physical plane. But according to the teaching of Alice Bailey, there are several more subtle bodies. A useful analogy is that of an automobile, the bulk of which is comprised of gears, and wheels and glass, metal, etc. But these do not move themselves. The car has a fluid system, and electrical system, an air/gas system, as well as the ability to ignite or combust certain elements in combination with one another to produce energy needed for movement. In a similar manner are the subtler bodies of man related. The next in order above the physical body is the etheric body or etheric double. It is the electromagnetic system that energizes the physical body. Above it or further within is the emotional body, which responds to with rates of vibrations of the emotional plane. Next is the mental body which is related to the mental plane, and so on. What is important to recognize about the chart is that these

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bodies are not shown. Instead emphasis is given to the focal points of energy and the lines of force that serve to integrate and organize the bodies and make of them a coherent whole. It should be further noted that some of the lines form a discernible and familiar geometrical pattern—a triangle. There are three triangles in the chart which deserve especial attention. They are the Egoic or Causal body, the Spiritual Triad, and the Monad. There is also the triangle of the personality. Even though the three points in this triangle appear on a straight line, other representations of this relationship show them connected to a variety of triangles on the Mental, Emotional, and Physical planes. The relationships among these focal points of energy and the lines of forces that connect them are a subject of immense complexity. There is no way that this can be adequately conveyed in such short space. What will serve our purpose, however, is to name the focal points and to describe them in relation to the planes and the aforementioned triangles. From the bottom up we see the three focal points of the personality triangle—the physical permanent atom, the astral (emotional) permanent atom, and the mental unit. Though not shown here, through these focal points energy flows from higher planes into the corresponding energy centers on the corresponding plane. For example, energy from the physical permanent atom flows into the head, heart, throat, base of spine, and other centers on the etheric sub-planes of the Physical Plane, and from there down to the glands and organs associated with those centers. A similar flow happens with the astral permanent atom. The mental unit operates a bit differently. Note that it is located on the 4th sub-plane of the mental plane while the permanent atoms are located on the 1st sub-planes. The details of how the mental unit operates is not as important as knowing that it is the higher of three focal points in the personality and that from it there is a line of force (not shown) to the center of the causal body, represented by a yellow triangle. In some depictions of these relationships, the causal body is shown as unfolded lotus of 12 petals formed by four sets of nested triangles and with a ‘ jewel’ in the center. That jewel is the human soul and the causal body is the womb inside which it is nurtured by



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a greater Soul, the Solar Angel. The 12 petals are named according to the energies and forces to which they are most responsive. There are three Knowledge petals, three Love petals, and three Sacrifice petals. They correspond to the energies of the 3rd Ray of Active Intelligence, the 2nd Ray of Love-Wisdom, and the 1st Ray of WillPower, respectively. The four innermost petals are known as the bud petals and each one of them is related to one of the tiers of three petals.92 What is especially important to know about the causal body is that a line of force extends from it to the lowest point of the next highest triangle. That point is the Manasic or Mental Permanent Atom and the triangle in question is the Spiritual Triad. As we can see, the Spiritual Triad reaches three focal points, one on the highest sub-plane of each plane. Specifically there is also a Buddhic Permanent Atom on the 1st sub-plane of the Buddhic or Intuitional Plane and an Atmic Permanent Atom on the Atmic or Spiritual Plane. There is a correspondence amongst all of these triangles. The Spiritual Triad is associated with the energies of Mind (Manasic Plane), Intuition (Buddhic Plane), and Spiritual Will (Atmic Plane). The Causal body has Knowledge petals (Mind), Love petals (Intuition, Emotion), and Sacrifice petals (Will). Finally, there are three permanent atoms of the personality—the mental unit; the astral permanent atom; and the physical permanent atom. Two other important triangles are present and need to be described. One is between (1) the lowest point of the Spiritual Triad, the Mental Permanent Atom (2) the center of the Causal Body or Lotus and (3) the mental unit. This triangle is known as the Antahkarana or the Rainbow Bridge. It links the personality vehicles of the human soul, to the energies of the Spiritual Triad. As such, it is one path or line of force by which the higher, Triadal energies reach down into the physical plane. There are others. For example, in some representations, we also see lines of force streaming from the higher permanent atoms down into the corresponding petals of the Lotus, and from there to the energy centers on corre92 For more information on this topic, see The Subconscious Mind and the Chalice by Torkom Saraydarian.

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sponding planes—all of this seemingly independent of the triangle that is the Antahkarana. But still the main point is clear: there is a bridge between the lower and higher realms. Many pages are devoted in the books of Alice Bailey to describing that bridge and how it is built. The important thing to know is that every human soul must construct the bridge from the lower mental plane to the higher mental plane, where the Lotus is found, and from there to the upper mental plane. It is one of the most important tasks of disciples. It should come as no surprise that meditation is an important part of the process. Again, there is much more that can be said about the planes, the bodies, the focal points, and the lines of force connecting them. However brief, this summary should suffice as background for linking the words of the Invocation, particularly the three keywords, to the Constitution of Man.



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Chapter 32: The Constitution of Man, II As shown in the last chapter, the Constitution of Man is comprised, in large measure, of bodies on various planes of consciousness, bodies in which are focal points of energy and which are connected by lines of force. What remains, then, is to links the terms and concepts of that constitution to the wording of the Invocation. A good place to begin is by recalling from Chapter 1 that the phrase “of God” had an idiomatic interpretation: things that are referred to as being “of God”, e.g., the mountains of God, were things that are the grandest, highest, and most esteemed of their kind. Another point to recall is that both in the Bible and the esoteric canon is the idea that man and God correspond to one another. The Bible tells us that man is made in the image of God. The Hermetic axiom is “As above, so below.” And we see this in the Invocation: God has a Mind, Heart, and Will as do men. We also see this in the Constitution of Man where there is a correspondence among the various triangles. The highest triangle, the Monad, whose three points are Will (1st Ray), Wisdom (2nd Ray) and Activity (3rd Ray). These are reflected in the Spiritual Triad whose three points are associated with Spiritual Will (1st Ray), Intuition (2nd Ray), and Mind (3rd Ray). These are in turn, reflected in the Causal Body with its Sacrifice petals (1st Ray), Love petals (2nd Ray), and Knowledge petals (3rd Ray). Finally there is the personality triangle in which the Mental Unit functions as the focal point for Will energy (1st Ray), the astral or Emotional Permanent Atom responds to the energy of Love-Wisdom (2nd Ray), and the Physical Permanent Atom corresponds to Light or Active Intelligence (3rd Ray). What is apparent here is that there are lower and higher correspondences to each of the three basic energies. When we examine these correspondences rhetorically, we might state that the higher correspondences of Mind, Heart, and Will are the Mind of God, the Heart of God, and the Will of God.

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We might also note that the correspondence between the focal points on the various planes and in the various bodies and other phrases within the Invocation. For example, the Spiritual Triad has a Mental, Buddhic, and Atmic permanent atom. These are focal points into which and from which lines of force stream into the various energy centers. Given their association with the Rays of Aspect and their correlates, it is reasonable to think of them as a point of Light, a point of Love, and a center of Purpose or Will. Similarly, if the things “of God” mean those which are highest and noblest, things “of men” can mean both that which is wicked or sinful 93 or more generally that which is more earthly or material. As such, phrases like “the minds of men”, “the hearts of men”, and “the little wills of men” could figuratively refer to specific centers on the physical, emotional, and mental planes that correspond to the three Rays, e.g., the throat, the heart, and the head centers, respectively. Or it could refer to all of the centers on those planes. To be sure, there are many more correspondences that can and should be worked out to complete this analysis. That would, however, extend beyond the scope of this volume. The reader may find the following tables useful to extend this analysis.

93 Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989.



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Table 24:  The Great Invocation and the Constitution of Man, Part I Great Invocation

Macro- and Microcosmic Correspondences

Mind of God

Intelligence aspect of Monad

Heart of God

Wisdom aspect of Monad

Will of God

Will aspect of Monad

point of Light (within the Mind of God)

Manasic Permanent Atom

point of Love (w/in the Heart of God)

Buddhic Permanent Atom

The center where the Will of Atmic Permanent Atom God is known the center which we call the race of men

Human Soul

the minds of men

Knowledge petals of the Lotus and associated centers, e.g., throat and generative organ centers on the lower mental, astral, etheric, and physical planes

the hearts of men

Love petals of the Lotus; solar plexus and heart centers on lower planes

the little wills of men

Sacrifice petals of the Lotus; base of spine and head centers on lower planes.

The Plan of Love and Light

Bud petals

Christ

Solar Angel

Earth (1st stanza)

Physical permanent atom

Earth (2nd stanza)

Emotional Permanent atom

The door where evil dwells

Mental Unit

Light & Love & Power

All 3 Aspects of the Monad Table 24 continues on next page

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Table 24 continues Let light stream forth into the minds of men

Line of extending energy from:  Intelligence aspect of the Monad to  Manasic permanent atom to  Knowledge petals to  Mental Generative Organs (GO) center …  Astral Throat center…  Astral GO center…  Etheric Throat…  Etheric GO…  Carotid  Thyroid…  Gonads (Testes/Ovaries)

Let Light descend on Earth.

Line of extending energy from:  Manasic permanent atom (PA)  Mental Unit  Emotional PA  Physical PA  All 7 etheric centers

Let love stream forth into the hearts of men

Line of energy extending from:  Wisdom aspect of the Monad to  Buddhic PA to…  Love petals  Mental solar plexus  Astral heart center  Astral solar plexus  Etheric Heart  Etheric solar plexus  Pituitary  Thymus  Pancreas



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Chapter 33: The Ancient of Mays Recall that in several earlier chapters a number of actors and agents were suggested as overt subjects for the Invocation’s eight sentences. One of these is especially worthy of further attention: it is the word ‘may’ which twice in the Invocation, both times as a verb. The first time is in sentence 4, “May Christ Return to Earth” while the second is in sentence 6b, “And may it seal the door where evil dwells.” As shown earlier, it is possible by the figure of speech called ellipsis, for an omitted word to take the characteristics of the sentence’s verb. By this logic, I suggested that the proper noun ‘May’ and/or the noun ‘may’ could be subjects of their sentences. I also alluded to the many definitions of these words in support of this assertion. The table below adds detail to this earlier allusion; it contains several definitions of ‘may’ and ‘May’, both as verb and noun.

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Table 25:  Definitions of ‘May’ as a Noun and a Verb Part of Speech

Def. # Definition

N3

2

The springtime of life; youth.1

N1

1

A male relative. Obs.

N2

1a

The fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendar, containing 31 days and falling between April and June.

N2

1b

With allusion to May’s position at the start of summer (in the northern hemisphere), and to the vitality, optimism, and exuberance traditionally associated with it for this reason. Poet.

N2

1c

The month of May personified. Poet.

One’s bloom or prime; the heyday of something. Fig. Poet.

N2

1d

N3

1

N4

1

An instance of what is expressed by the verb may; a possibility.

V1

I

As a full verb, or as an auxiliary with a verb in the infinitive understood.

V1

1a

To be strong; to have power or influence.

V1

2a

With verb of motion understood. To be able to go. Poet.

V1

2b

To be able to do or be.

V1

II.

As an auxiliary verb with a following bare infinitive.

V1

4

Expressing ability or power; be able, can. Obs.

V1

5

Expressing objective possibility, opportunity, or absence of prohibitive conditions; have the potentiality to, be at liberty to, be permitted by circumstances to. Rare.

V1

6

Expressing permission or sanction: be allowed (to do something) by authority, law, rule, morality, reason, etc. Rare.

V1

7

Expressing present subjective possibility, i.e., the admissibility of a supposition, in a direct or indirect statement.

V1

12

Used (with inversion of verb and subject) in exclamatory expressions of wish.

V1

15

Expressing ability or power: was able, could. Arch.

A maiden; a virgin; a young woman. Arch.

Table 24 notes: 1 American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition, 2000.



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V1

16

Expressing objective possibility, opportunity, or absence of prohibitive conditions; have the potentiality to, be at liberty to, be permitted by circumstances to.

V1

17

Expressing permission or sanction: was allowed (to do something) by authority, law, rule, morality, reason, etc.

V2

1

To dismay. Obs.

V3

1

To take part in the festivities of May Day, or in the general celebrations of the month of May; to gather flowers in May. Chiefly Poet.

Several definitions are worthy of further discussion, but four in particular are most relevant to this discussion. They are • the springtime of life; youth • to be strong, have power or influence • the Month of May personified and its association with the start of summer and hence vitality, exuberance, and optimism, and • expressing ability or power. What makes these relevant, and remarkable, is the similarity they bear to several names given to Sanat Kumara—“the Eternal Youth”, “the Creator”, “the Lord of the World”, “the Ancient of Days” 94 and “the Youth of Endless Summers”, “the KING”, and “the Fountainhead of the Will.” 95 Taken together these names express very clearly two ideas: youth, exuberance and vitality on one hand, and power and ability on the other. The last name is especially interesting in this regard because: a fountainhead is “a spring that is the source or head of a stream” and “a chief and copious source; an originator.” 96

94 Bailey, Alice A., Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 2, p. 288. 95 Bailey, Alice A., Initiation, Human and Solar, p. 39 96 AHDEL, http://www.bartleby.com/61/0/f0280000.html

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The notion of power is further reinforced by the Indo-European roots of “may”—one of which is ‘magh’, defined as “to be able, (to) have power.” 97 Other words descending from this root include might, main, machine and magic. The other root of “may”, the one giving rise to its definitions as the 5th month and to springtime, is ‘meg’ which means ‘great.’ 98 Words descended from this root include much, magnate, mayor, master, mahatma, and the Sanskrit, maha. Given the above, if ‘May’ or ‘may’ in sentences 4 and 6b are indeed the overt subjects, then the meanings of those sentences could be any of the following: • May (i.e., Sanat Kumara) [let] Christ return to Earth. • Sanat Kumara gave (give) Christ permission to return to Earth. • Sanat Kumara empower(ed) Christ (to) return to Earth • May (let) it seal the door where evil dwells. • May gave it permission to seal the door where evil dwells. • May enable/enabled it to seal the door where evil dwells. There is one distinction here that ought to be explicitly noted. In sentence 4 it is not possible to tell whether or not ‘May’ is a proper noun or whether it is capitalized because it is the first word of the sentence. Nor can we tell if it is capitalized because it is the first word of the line, the convention used in the Invocation. What is clear, however, is that the noun “may”, not the proper noun, ‘May’, is used in Sentence 6b. The first word of the line is “And”; the second is “may.” This could be a very important distinction. Recall, for instance, the earlier discussions concerning the ways in which words could exhibit polysemy. One of these was via capitonyms, words whose meaning or sense changes when capitalized, e.g., when it becomes a proper noun.99 Examples include august and August, catholic and Catholic, china and China. If ‘may’ and 97  AHDEL, http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE292.html 98  AHDEL, http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/ie308.html 99  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitonym



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‘May’ are similarly related, then there are only three choices for the former from the above definitions—a male relative; a maiden, virgin, or young woman; or a possibility. At first glance, none of these would seem relevant. The one that comes closest is “a male relative”, an instance of which could be a father. In order for that term to work, we would have to interpret it figuratively, i.e., father as a progenitor, an interpretation that is consistent with many of the above definitions of “may” and with some attributes of Sanat Kumara. But even still, it would be hard using these definitions of ‘may’, to work our way to the link between ‘May’ and Sanat Kumara. Thus, it is likely that something different, or at least lesser, is meant. If instead we work from the verb to the noun, as with the figure ellipsis, we could define ‘may’ as one that has power and the ability to do, to accomplish something, but without any divine suprahuman ability or metaphorical associations to seasons and time spans. In short it would just mean people who can and do work, i.e., what we in the United States call ‘can-do’ people.100 If so, then we might take ‘may’ to refer to a class of lesser creators and directors; lesser in the sense that their sphere of influence and the scale of their accomplishment is less than that of a Logos—but creators nonetheless. Provided that such a group works toward goals consistent with the will-to-good and right human relations, the above is a particularly adequate description of groups of aspirants, disciples, and initiates who collectively comprise the New Group of World Servers (NGWS). As we are told, this group has no central command or structure on the physical plane, but it is and has been tasked with very important work, including paving the way for the reappearance of the Christ and the working out of the Plan of Love and Light.101 Thus, by the above definitions of ‘May’, sentence 4—May Christ return to Earth—can be understood to mean any of the following, plus many variants. 100  AHDEL, http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/C0065100.html 101  Bailey, Alice A., The Externalization of the Hierarchy, pp. 333-5 Bailey, Alice A., The Reappearance of the Christ, pp. 44-5

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• Sanat Kumara permitted Christ to return to Earth. • Sanat Kumar permitted Christ’s return to Earth. • Sanat Kumara enabled or empowered Christ to return to Earth. Similarly, by the definitions of ‘may’, sentence 4 could also mean: • (The efforts of) the NGWS enable(d) the return of Christ. • (The efforts of) the NGWS empower(ed) Christ’s return to Earth. • (The efforts of) the NGWS permits Christ (to) return to Earth. Finally, by these same definitions of ‘may’, sentence 6b—“And may it seal the door where evil dwells”—could be understood to mean, among other things, ‘A nd the NGWS enable it (the Plan of Love and Light) to seal the door where evil dwells.’ What is most remarkable about these subjects in these sentences, is the manner in which they bring the NGWS, the Christ, the Plan, and the Ancient of Days all into relation. In sentence 4, both Sanat Kumara (‘May’) and the NGWS (‘may’) have a part in the return of Christ; the former has the power to permit and the latter have the power to make it a fact on the physical plane. In sentence 6, the NGWS has a special role in working out the Plan with the goal of sealing the door where evil dwells.



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Chapter 34: Causality Recall that in Table 12 the basic patterns for the seven sentences of the Invocation were shown and the subject slot for each was empty. These omissions were attributed to the fact that imperative sentences have understood subjects, where understood means understood to mean ‘you’ (singular) or ‘you’ (plural). Understood does not mean that the identity of the ‘you’ is necessarily known. In the chapters which followed, several arguments were made as to why a variety of actors could fill the empty subject role. Among these were the Solar Logos, Sanat Kumara, the New Group of World Servers, and the Let or the Letter, i.e., the One Who Lets. One implication from the analyses of potential subjects—thought not necessarily an obvious one—is that through the figure ellipsis, the words “Let”, “May”, and “may” could be the subjects of the eight sentences. This would create a situation where there would be empty verb slots instead of empty subject slots, as shown on next page:

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Table 26:  Empty Verb Slots in Sentences of the Great Invocation Noun Phrase 2 (Indirect Object)

Noun Phrase 3 (Direct Object)

Sentence

Noun Phrase 1 (Subject)

1

Let

Light

(to) stream forth into the minds of men

2

Let

Light

(to) descend on Earth

3

Let

Love

(to) stream forth into the hearts of men

4

May

Christ

(to) return to Earth

5

Let

purpose (The pur(to) guide the pose which the little wills of Masters know and men serve)

6a

Let

the Plan of Love and Light

(to) work out And

6b

may

It

(to) seal the door where evil dwells

7

Let

Light and Love and Power

(to) restore the Plan on Earth

Transitive Verb

As far as I know, there is no discussion in books of grammar concerning ‘understood verbs’. However, it can be shown that the open verb slots are indeed understood, and in addition, they can be known in a way the understood subjects could not. Because of the structure and wording of the Invocation, there is only one class of verbs that can occupy this slot—causative verbs. And as it turns out, their number is very small. Their unique feature is that they “designate the action necessary to cause another action to happen.” 102 As such, they are used describe situations where the 102 Capital Community College, Guide to Grammar and Writing, 2008. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm



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actor does not carry out an action, but rather is responsible for the action being performed.103 The verb ‘to have’ is one of the causative verbs. In regard to the sentence “Coach Roberts gets his players to play at 100% in every game”, we don’t understand ‘gets’ to indicate that the coach does the playing. Instead, we take the sentence to mean that the coach motivates the players to give their all in every game, to put forth maximum effort.104 And thus there were two actions—‘gets’ and ‘play’—and the first is the cause of the second. The listing of causal verbs varies. Among those frequently assigned to this class are let, help, allow, have, require, allow, motivate, get, make, convince, hire, assist, encourage, permit, employ, and force.105 The standard format or construction for causatives is verb + object + infinitive verb where the first verb is causative and the second is the action caused by the first. Examples include: • Elaine allows + her cat + to ride in the front seat of the car. • William hired + a plumber + to fix the leaky faucet. • The professor requires + students + to take an exam each week. • The counselor encouraged + his best students + to apply to Ivy League schools. There are a few causative verbs which have a different format; they do not need the ‘to’ before the infinitive. They are: ‘let’, ‘have’, ‘make’, and by according to some sources, ‘help.’ Note the difference in the four sentences above when their verbs are replaced by these four: • Elaine lets + her cat + ride in the front seat of the car. • William had + a plumber + fix the leaky faucet. 103 Using English, 2008. http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/causative-verb.html 104 Example and explanation adapted from Using English, http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/causative-verb.html 105 Capital Community College, Guide to Grammar and Writing, 2008. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm

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• The professor makes + students + take an exam each week. • The counselor helped + his best students + apply to Ivy League schools. As we can now see, any of these four causative verbs—but only these four—could occupy the empty verbal slots shown in Table 26. It is left for the motivated reader to determine which of them, if any, actually belongs.



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Conclusion Throughout the pages of this book there are dozens of analyses and explanations of the definitions, meanings, and senses of the three keywords of the Great Invocation—within, Let, and forth. There are many relationships identified among the three words, as well as between the three keywords and the phrases or sentences to which they belong. In a break with the practice of the four preceding volumes, I will not here summarize the results of the many analyses contained in earlier chapters. The readers who have journeyed this far have been show at many junctures the places where more indepth study would prove beneficial. I offer the following hint for those intent upon deepening their understanding of polysemy in the Great Invocation: several of the words in the Invocation can be related to one another through the figures of speech known as Tmesis and Diacope. Several additional meanings can be uncovered when five pairs of words are recognized as halves of compound words and then correctly related to the words that separate them.

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Selected References Bailey, AA. Discipleship in the New Age, Volume 1. Lucis Trust, New York. __Discipleship in the New Age, Volume 2 __Esoteric Astrology __Glamour: A World Problem __A Treatise on Cosmic Fire __Letters on Occult Meditation __Glamour: A World Problem __The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali __The Reapperance of the Christ __Initiation, Human and Solar __The Consciousness of the Atom __The Desinty of Nations __The Externalization of the Hierarchy Hunter, S. The Compass of Light, Volume 2: Etymology in the Great Invocation. http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/4770032/The-Compassof-Light-Volume-2-Etymology-in-the-Great-Invocation

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Read the first four books in this series by Starling David Hunter III The Compass of Light, Vol. I, Figures of Speech in The Great Invocation http://bit.ly/CoL_V1 The Compass of Light, Vol. II, Etymology in The Great Invocation http://bit.ly/CoL_V2 The Compass of Light, Vol. III, The Sense of Direction in The Great Invocation http://bit.ly/CoL_V3 The Compass of Light, Vol. IV, Poetics in The Great Invocation http://bit.ly/CoL_V4