Has anyone glanced up in the night sky lately to take a look at Mars? It is shining brighter than anything else you can see, except the moon. This is unusual, since, normally, Mars is only a reddish speck in the sky, visible when the moon is dark, if at all. But astronomers say that the red planet is closer to earth this month than it has been in a long time. How long is a matter of dispute, since its orbit is affected somewhat unpredictably by Jupiter, but the cycle in question may be 5000 years, or as long as 60,000 years. Whatever the truth about time cycles may be, what is definitely true is that Mars has not approached so near the earth in a very long time.
      Mars is shining with a reddish-gold brilliance, brighter than Jupiter, the planet of beneficence and goodness, truth and beauty, brighter than Venus, the planet of balance and of higher love. It rises for us over the Nipomo Mesa at about 9 pm, looking like a jet airliner, except that it doesn't move or blink. It stays in our sky all night long, setting just before dawn. Aside from its breathtaking beauty, what could be the significance of this lovely occurrence?
      In exoteric astrology, Mars is the planet of war and aggression, of passion and the lower animal forces in human nature. It rules the masculine polarity, and is traditionally called a malefic, the bringer of conflict, unrestrained aggression, unbridled lust and selfishness, and ungovernable ambition. We might assume then that the proximity of Mars to the earth at this time represents the war and hostility, apparently motivated by greed and lust for power, that seems to proliferate around the world at this time in our history.
      This interpretation of the passage of Mars in the earth sphere is undoubtedly a good one, as pertains to the exoteric reality. But the student of occultism has learned to look deeper, to investigate the opposite aspect of the exoteric qualities and actions. Gloriously inexact, as viewed from the material standpoint, esoteric significance often seems contradictory, the mirror image, as it were, of outer appearances. Mars is the planet of the Red Ray. The Master Hilarion is the Regent of the Red Ray. Our second Guardian in Chief was called Red Star. Color being one of the least understood of the basic elements of creation, it may be impossible to fully understand the meaning of a term such as "Red Ray." But we have lots of hints about the meaning of this characterization of our group identity, and the significant powers that rule our time in history.
      We can approach this understanding from a very simple vantage point. Think of war, for instance, the dominant feature of Western History as we know it. We long for peace, but we are told in no uncertain terms that war is dominant in our culture, that we have a long way to go before we will have earned the right to live in universal peace. Is there anything good about war? What can we find to emulate therein? Soldiers say that war is hell, and it doesn't take too much imagination to see how this is true. And yet, does not war offer tremendous opportunities for the expression of heroism in human nature? Stretched to the limit of their abilities and potentialities, faced with ultimate destruction, soldiers often rise to the best that is in them of self-sacrifice, service (to their country and to each other), courage under fire, nobility of spirit, and devotion to their vows to the death. Regardless of how we feel about war in general, morally or ethically, and regardless of what we think about its justifications, we have to find a place in our hearts where we admire and respect those who are willing to put their lives on the line for the welfare of others.
      An army itself is a symbol of centralization and hierarchical design. From the commanding officer at the top to the soldiers who follow his orders, each individual looks to the one above him to find out what his duty is. Perfect discipline reigns in a successful army. In fact, in the military, a failure of discipline is a breach of power, and the strength of the army determines the safety of its members and of the entity it protects. The individual soldier must have prodigious self-control, in order to obey all orders, whether he approves of them or not. We can criticize the purpose of armies, and we can decry the morality of war in general, but we may find something to respect and even emulate in the structure and functioning of the military that carries out warlike ends.
      The student of occultism has the opportunity to integrate the seemingly conflicting significances of polarities in many aspects of his daily life. He is taught to find the positive side of life and keep his consciousness there. The shadow is but a reflection, a place where the light is resisted. But the Light is the ultimate reality. However, the shadow partakes of the qualities of the light in projecting its opposite. Polarities are like two sided coins, representing two opposite facets of one entity. It is justifiable, therefore, to seek meaning and clarification of our conundrums in the very place which seems to represent the opposite of one's ideals.
      We are called "Warriors of Light." We are admonished to hold high the "Breastplate of Righteousness, the Helmet of Eternal Truth." These are images of war, on any level of interpretation. How, since we work for peace and brotherhood, are we to understand the martial imagery in this powerful charge?
      Perhaps the appearance of Mars in close proximity to earth, visible to the north American continent throughout the night during the cycle of its passage, is a symbol which helps to clarify the path of those who are called "Warriors of Light." Perhaps it is a beacon for those who hold the ideals of peace and brotherhood for all close to their hearts. Perhaps the brilliant red-gold star in our heavens is a symbol of the eye of the Master, the Regent of the Red Ray, beaming courage, nobility of spirit, honor and truth to all who see it. Perhaps the almost unprecedented proximity of the red planet at this time in our evolution can be taken as a promise from the heart of the Master, that if we hold our position, if we maintain our discipline, our devotion to Centralization, if we find in ourselves the honor and nobility that dwells therein, and apply the best that is within us steadily to our tasks, we will succeed in our highest aspirations.
      Certainly, the establishment of a Golden Age of Peace and Brotherhood looks like an impossible goal in these days of violence and greed. But if it is true that Mars last approached such close proximity to earth 5000 years ago, it was last at extreme perigee at the beginning of Kali Yuga, (Dark Cycle) the iron age of materialism that has held humanity in its grip ever since. Kali Yuga began at the end of the cycle of wars recounted in the traditional Indian saga called "Mahabharata," from which the "Bhagavad Gita," is an extract. For Western Civilization, 5000 years pretty much circumscribes our history, at least at the exoteric level. There is very little written record, if any, of what happened before that time. But in India, a much older culture, the transition from the previous cycle to the Kali Yuga was commemorated in a pageant that is still regularly performed and is greatly revered.
      Kali Yuga began with the death of Krisha, Avatar of Vishnu. The present races of the earth know only the materialism and selfishness characterized by Kali Yuga. We struggle constantly with the lower self, evolving painfully though surely toward greater consciousness of the inherent Good, the pervasive Light, of our real inner selves. 5000 years is a long time, and if we look back over the exoteric history of Western Civilization, we can see it as a long saga of war after war after war, a man's world, where the patriarchy held the power, still holds the power, and the lower aspect of Mars predominated and still appears to dominate.
      What, then, is the real nature of this war, in which we are all warriors? Images of armed conflict proliferate with the advent of electronic media to the extent that the mere mention of the word "war" conjures up endless pictures of cruelty and suffering. In the Bhagavad Gita, a dialog on the battlefield between Arjuna, a warrior, and Krisha, his charioteer, the real nature of war is clearly delineated. The battlefield is the human heart. The conflict is between the lower nature and the higher nature, between the dictates of an age of darkness and the hope of an age of Light. Taking the Gita as our model, we could envision the wars of the ages which are upon us as taking place in the personal experience of every individual on earth, whether or not we find ourselves in a material battle zone. Heroic action is required, personal courage is demanded, and our only weapon is a pure heart.
      In occult teaching, it is stated that each individual is responsible for everything he or she is conscious of. This brings all the suffering, all the destruction, all the desolation of war very close to home. Each victim, as well as each aggressor, is none other than our brother, our sister, ourself. Humanity is a family, and each member of it is part and parcel of every other. Nothing happens in our world that does not affect each and every one of us, and the world itself.
      It is entirely possible that the appearance of Mars closer to earth than it has been in at least 5000 years is a very clear indication of a parallel between events on earth today and events on earth 5000 years ago. It is never a good idea in occult study to put too fine a point on finite numbers. But it is also foolish to ignore symbols that appear to us. Could this cycle of the planet Mars, the planet of the Red Ray, a planet very important to The Temple of the People, be a sign that the cycle of Kali Yuga is coming to a close, that the tide has turned, and the momentum toward moving beyond the inherent materialism and selfishness of the last 5000 years has begun? It is worth consideration, at the very least.
      Such a thought brings up a very important point. We are here now, today, for a purpose. Our literature is full of mention of the fact that we have important work to do, that we have incarnated at this time and location to furnish a place for the Avatar of our age to bring Love and Peace into the hearts and minds of humanity. We are also told that we don't have a lot of time to think about whether or not we want to do this work. If we decide to be a part of the problem instead of a part of the solution, we will find ourselves on the outside looking in, and we won't even know it. We are living on earth during the greatest evolutionary crisis to face humanity in ages and ages.
      We are indeed warriors. Our identity as such could not be otherwise, since our whole known history is a story of war fought and re-fought. Our collective unconscious is formed by the necessities of conflict and strife. So here is the crux of our responsibility. We have to change the nature of the war of the ages. It is up to us to redesign the battlefield, to bring to the consciousness of all the fact that everyone is on this battlefield. It isn't a matter of us fighting them. They are us and we are them. We have the responsibility of bringing into the Light of the collective mind of humanity the truth that We are one with God and all Good, and that our brother/sister is ourself. This is the message of the Avatar, Krisha, to his student Arjuna, as it is the message of all the Avatars of the ages to all their students. And it is time we got the message. It is time we started acting like we believed it. There is no time to waste.
      Events on the world stage seem out of control, but that is never the case. The Law will be served, and perfect Justice rules everywhere, no matter what. The message of the red planet could very well be that it is time for us to transmute the lower masculine force which has predominated in our civilization for 5000 years into its higher aspect, to change selfishness into selflessness, aggression into assertiveness, grasping and lust into selfless love, cowardly bullying into real courage. If Mars is the planet of war, it is a perfect symbol for us, the children of ages of war. And behind this chimera, this monster of rape and pillage, stands the Master, serene and secure, guiding us toward the transmutation of the exoteric negativity represented by the red planet, into the high and noble qualities represented by the Red Ray. We can look up into the night sky any night for weeks to come and see for ourselves the steady trusting Light that shines to encourage us in our vital quest.
      It's always a bit strange to consider the crisis that faces humanity from the secure tranquillity of our little village. The dreadful events of a world convulsed seem far away indeed. But this distance, like all separation, is only a mirage. Someplace on earth an innocent victim is suffering untold horrors at the hands of a vicious enemy. What has that to do with us? Everything. Did we allow anger, a desire for revenge, jealousy, envy, hatred, or even irritation, to manifest in our consciousness today? Then we are one with the perpetrator of atrocity, wherever he is. Did we allow panic, fear, denial, terror, dejection, or betrayal to manifest in our consciousness today? Then we are one with the victim, no matter how remote from us he may seem to be. How do we know if we are working for the Light or for the darkness? Self-examination, constant and honest. It doesn't matter a bit if we find some evidence of backsliding. What matters is that we admit to ourselves that we have slipped, and that we vow to ourselves to try again. That is all it takes. It is amazing how powerful this vow can be. It sets up a sort of signal pattern, and each time we slide in that particular direction, we see it a bit sooner, can transmute it a bit more easily.
      Warriors of Light, Warriors of Truth. That's who we are. But by some wonderful stroke of occult mirror image magic, we are really privileged to live safely in lovely surroundings, with our people, other sons and daughters of the Master, enjoying one of Nature's most congenial locations in an environment both supporting and loving, and salubrious. Compared with lots of our human brothers and sisters, we just don't have many problems at all. Maybe we're just using up a lot of good Karma, but it is also possible that there is a good reason for this. We are charged to prepare a place of peace and tranquillity where the Avatar can live and do His work, through all of us. Halcyon is not a monastery, but it definitely does provide as much of an environment conducive to spiritual work as is probably possible here and now.
      Assuming we are all working on our own individual lower natures to the best of our ability, becoming truer warriors every day, what else is there for us to do in the battle of the ages? We can take a clue from the red planet again. One very helpful quality of the masculine principle is assertiveness, that power which allows us to state the truth as we see it with grace and diplomacy, to stand up for what we believe in, while allowing the other to maintain dignity and honor. It is no accident that the Order of the 21 has had a renaissance this summer. The Order of the 21 is an exoteric order of the Temple, open to all, for the expression of the truths taught by the Masters through the Temple of the People in the fields of art, science, and philosophy. The purpose of the Order of the 21, founded by Dr. Dower in 1924, is to make the teachings available to the world. This is always a problem for anyone who has found something that helps him, how to offer it to others who may be helped too. The Order of the 21 serves that purpose. The Temple of the People is the Temple of Humanity, the Temple of the Universe. Our teachings belong to all humanity. Currently we have an art exhibition in the University Center to celebrate the re-activation of the Order of the 21. But this beginning can be extended further. We could have music, dance, theater performances. We could have a lecture series in any aspect of philosophy or science. Whatever brings us joy personally can be shared with others. Our strength is in our joy, even in the face of insurmountable difficulties. There is no limit to what we can do, if we decide to work together for a common cause. We have the facilities. We certainly have the talent and ability. And we have the devotion, the dedication, the vow to do whatever we can do, to express the Truth, to bring that Truth to the rest of humanity. We don't proselytize, but we can offer.
      Our first duty as a Warrior of Light is to be pure in heart. Our next duty is to be an example of the Light of truth and beauty in our daily lives. And our third duty is to express that truth in any way we can to our fellow human beings. The transit of the planet Mars in our heavens, so close to earth at this exact juncture in the history of the Temple, in the history of our world, has significance vaster than any of us could express. At the very least, we can see it as a beacon of hope, a ray of Love, a promise of success, if we will read its message aright and sincerely devote ourselves to making its promise a reality for ourselves and for our world. We may not remember the far distant past of 5000 years ago, but we can easily believe that it was a pivotal point in our history, the beginning of the cycle we have lived in ever since. Nothing lasts forever, and this cycle too must change into the next. It is at least reasonable to consider if the reappearance of Mars in such proximity to earth signifies some aspect of that transformation, the opening of the doors for a higher vibration in the hearts of humanity. Children of long ages of institutionalized hostility and aggression that we are, we are now called upon to behave like true heroes, to transmute the negative into the positive higher vibration, the qualities of which reflect the higher nature of humanity that we traditionally respect and revere. The way lies before us, no different from yesterday, but ever changing. Every moment counts, but there is no hurry. Take a moment tonight, if the sky is clear, to bask in the brilliant golden beams from the red planet, Mars, and feel the love of the Master surround and fill you with joy and aspiration.