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17 DAYS OF SPIRITUAL WISDOM
The King and I – Centenary Tribute 2
“Why don’t you sit down and have a drink with me?”
“I’d love to, Master”, I replied as I poured myself a drink and sat next to him.
“Yes, but why do I have to ask?” He choked slightly. “Then I am completely alone”.
The starkness of this remark resonated within me. There was I, staying with him at his residence in Santa Barbara, and he had to invite me to join him. What he wanted from me in that instance was not polite respectfulness, with the distance that can bring, but the warmth of friendship and love.
The three-stage journey of the disciple
For me, the disciple’s journey falls into three stages.
1) First you have to find your Master and learn how to follow him.
2) As you progress to the next stage, you begin to move beyond just following and you really start to love him.
3) And then comes the most important stage of all, when you assist him in his mission – and, if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to do so, help him personally too.
An unpredictable Master
We all got it wrong sometimes and, with a Master as enigmatic as Dr King, it was a mug’s game predicting exactly how he would react at any given moment. Conversations could turn on a dime from hilarious repartee to strict admonishments and much between. The default position was to eagerly listen and occasionally interject as he spoke with his trademark authority and knowledge on a range of topics from the cosmic to the commonplace to the comical. But that could change when he would become the most attentive of listeners; or when he wished to be regaled with a choice selection of anecdotes and assorted yarns – not always for the first time!
An attentive listener
“Give me some of your great logic, boy,” he exhorted teasingly as we sat together in the dining room at Aetherius House in London after lunch one day. As instructed, I held forth for what must have been at least ten minutes about goodness knows what, until it was clearly enough. I will never know what the purpose of that conversation was, except that it was certainly not for the benefit of his education!
On another occasion at a hotel in Carlisle, he came into the bedroom which I was sharing with John Holder, after dinner one evening. He sat down on a simple wooden chair and asked me to tell him how things were going in The Aetherius Society in Nigeria, something in which he always had a very deep interest. I gave what amounted to an uninterrupted dissertation for a considerable time as he registered expressions of interest and approval. When he seemed satisfied he said ‘goodnight’ to us both and retired to his room. Once again, I never knew exactly why he picked that time to ask for such a report – especially since we were on our way to Scotland the following morning for a very important Cosmic Mission – but that was the nature of the man and Master who was a habitué of the unexpected.
An unexpected initiation
Dr King in The Aetherius Temple in Los Angeles prior to a blessing ceremony.
Such was the occasion he chose to initiate his dear wife, Monique, and myself into an ancient mantra of great power. We had not prepared ourselves with fasting and japa, nor had we contemplated silently in the Temple for several hours beforehand. We had, in fact, been watching a film on television with him in his sitting room in Los Angeles. Afterwards he turned the television off and without warning or apparent preparation proceeded to impart the sacred Sanskrit words to us. There was no grand pronouncement nor a requirement for us to kneel in his presence, but as he spoke, I could not help but notice a tear rolling down the side of his cheek.
Terrible aloneness
Dr King sits alone pensively.
The loneliness he must have experienced can only be guessed at. The Master Jesus spoke with devastating poignancy in ‘The Twelve Blessings’ about the Planetary Ones living upon Earth: “who, day by day, suffer the unspeakable hell of terrible aloneness, in order to give you their hearts.” And the Venusian Master of love would really know – from first-hand experience.
An alien psychology
Dr King delivers an address in Los Angeles.
The evolutionary chasm between Dr King and even his closest friends and disciples was unquantifiable, and yet it fell to some of us to at least try to bridge it and thereby lessen the sense of isolation he must have felt living as a god among humans. His searing words in the brilliant address ‘The Men who won Operation Karmalight for you’ delivered on February 24th, 1978, illustrate how alien his psychological make-up was and he knew it. Talking about how the Three Adepts behaved after this great victorious battle in the lower astral realms of Earth, sometimes called “the hells”, he said:
They knew when they came back home from the wars that it was finished, as far as you were concerned, but not as far as they are [sic] concerned, and they still retained this balance. I, myself, in my own little way, have said more than once… ‘when this is all over, that’s it for me you can forget The Aetherius Society, you’ll never see sight of me, I’m just going to go out and have a good time’. That was one of the biggest lies I have ever told. I didn’t do it and, ladies and gentlemen, let me be honest with you, I’ve looked at myself in the mirror and I have condemned myself for not doing it. I said, ‘what the hell is the matter with you, King? Why don’t you go and kick over the traces?’ I must be as alien as those other people [the Adepts]…
As the medium who received the Transmissions throughout the sixteen months of Operation Karmalight he was on stand-by for 24 hours a day. He had tried to think as an ordinary human being would about what he would do afterwards, but his psychology was completely different. He carried on, just as he always had done, in his mission for the world as a whole, which included running The Aetherius Society. He blamed himself for not being more like us, but the truth is that we should be more like him – it is for us to move in his direction.
Just for a moment
Dr King at his desk in Santa Barbara where he sometimes received mental transmissions.
On another occasion in Santa Barbara, he had just performed the unimaginable feat of receiving a Mental Transmission from the greatest Masters resident in our world, the Protectors of the Ineffable Flame of the Logos of Terra. He walked slowly down the corridor from his office and sat in his armchair, fatigued and seemingly deflated at having to “return” from such elevated company. This time I did not leave him alone but sat down next to him. There was silence as I wondered whether or not I should “break the ice”.
After about a minute, I made a statement that can only be described as preposterous – not in terms of its validity but because it came from so unqualified a source as myself. “It is rare”, I proffered, “in the annals of occult history for such intelligences as these to use this method of communication with anyone in a terrestrial body”. I knew how ridiculous it was for me to opine on such a matter to a master as advanced as he – it was not as if he needed my untutored speculation. But he looked up and glanced in my direction. And then he nodded in agreement and started to talk about it. It was as though he felt just for a moment that he was not alone – and that, for me, was all that mattered.
[Note: The masthead photo features Dr King (left) with Richard Lawrence in England.]
About the author
Richard Lawrence is a Senior Bishop and Executive Secretary for Europe and Africa of The Aetherius Society. He is an international bestselling author of 11 books and has co-authored a biography of Dr George King to be published later this year.
All the blogposts written for aetherius.org are written by experienced Aetherius Society personnel and approach themes relating to the teachings, practices and ideals of the Society. However, they also contain personal opinions, insights and interpretations that are not necessarily representative of the Society as a whole, or all of its Members as individuals.
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Brilliant Richard certainly disturbed my heart.
A great posting, thankyou Richard.
I am curious about the ‘Thrice Blessed’ ,a phrase which is repeated in The Twelve Blessings.
What is the precise meaning, significance and supposed feeling?
Peter
My heart breaks at the bleakness of this reality, the reality of his aloneness. It makes me shudder at my daily bleating of matters of such insignificance in comparison. Thank you for sharing such intimate experiences with us Richard, your openness is greatly valued. Your experiences have now become our lessons
Much love
Thanks Diane. Our Master was the most positive of people with a wonderful sense of humour, but he was also a living embodiment of the Fourth Blessing as we can now reveal.
Your question is most interesting Peter, especially since you are on of the very few who actually attended The Twelve Blessings as they were delivered. Our Master answered this question during a series of lectures on the Twelve Blessings – I believe in the Q&A after the Ninth Blessing – saying what he would mean by it, but not being dogmatic about exactly what the Master Jesus meant. To him it would have meant that he would bless three aspects of a thing as opposed to, say, one. The Master Jesus uses a lot of numbers in the Blessings and they do have symbolic meaning and power. With three, I would think immediately of the triangle as a symbol of wisdom, and the deep revelation made later in the Seventh Freedom, which may have something to do with it.
Thank you Deborah. I can assure you that the lessons of our Master’s life and persona are still dawning on my slow consciousness. As the Master Jesus said in the Fourth Blessing, “they pass onwards before the takers of that Light do realise what has happened to them”, which applies to the world as a whole, but also to those who were privileged to know him personally,
Thank you Rev. Richard for sharing these moments with us. Perhaps we all have some experiences along these lines and can better relate to the person we may know only through books or tapes. Nevertheless, like Jesus, who is ever with us, we are his people and we can hear his voice as Dr. King call to us and watches over us. The picture of him sitting so lonely reminds me to speak with him daily as we know this spiritual path pushes and pulls hard – to separate us from our worldly ways. This path is such a blessing. Thanks be…
Yes Marian, Dr King was very clear that his mission would continue long after his demise and his presence has been felt by many since. He has now rejoined the company of those akin to himself, but he will undoubtedly be ever mindful of our world and especially those dedicated to the path he gave us.which, as you say, is such a blessing.
Thank you, Richard, for sharing some of your treasured experiences with the Master…
Thank you Richard for sharing these precious experiences with us. I was often taken aback while being in his presence myself as to the incredibly shy person that he could be at times. It was something that you had to see with your own eyes. His incredible humanness. I think it is a very good thing for people to be aware of his very gentle, loving, and at times very real human emotional sensitivity. I remember seeing tears in his eyes as he spoke to us. His caring compassion and concern for all of us was an unforgettable thing to behold. It carries me forward.
God Bless our Master!
Dearest Rev. Richard, what a gift you are to the Master and all of us reading your words. i cannot imagine how one would relate to an Adept who also showed their humanness and as a human being having to respond thru this maze knowing you were in the presence of a Planetary One. God Bless you for your sharing and your bare honesty God Bless into eternity our dear Master, George King….
It is my privilege to do so, and thank you Oscar for all you do for our Master’s legacy.
Very good to hear from you Michelle. I agree with your recollections of our Master. He could be a strict disciplinarian, but there was always a boundless compassion. He had a very unusual combination of being shy at times while exuding total self confidence and inner knowledge, perhaps an other-worldly combination……
Thank you Margaret. There were several of us who were in that fortunate position and though it could be difficult we each had to find our best way of helping him. Speaking for myself, I definitely got it wrong at times but when it worked for him nothing could be more rewarding.
Thank you for sharing so generously such personal and intimate moments with our Master. Your telling of these is extraordinarily powerful and very, very moving – and humbling. His aloneness is heart-breaking. Bless you for being there for him and with him, and assuaging his loneliness.
Thank you Elizabeth. Those of us who were close to our Master in a variety of ways were indeed fortunate. To spend moments in his company was an honour, but to do so over a period of decades was a privilege indeed. Having said that those such as yourself who are actively dedicated to working for and upholding his legacy now, though you never physically met him, have my admiration.
Dear Richard, How oh so very moving, deeply touching and humbling. He was so right when he told us we do not appreciate the great ones until they are gone. But slowly and surely the light dawns ever brighter and beautiful in our hearts, minds and souls. So I thank you for sharing these precious moments with us. This helps the inner growth which too is so very precious.
Thank you so much for these comments Mary. I must agree that as each day goes by, the greatness of our master, in all its many facets, dawns more and more upon me.
Regarding Peter Daley’s question regarding the significance of ‘Thrice’ in the Twelve Blessings. I believe this refers to the ‘Everlasting Three Principles’ mentioned by the Master Aetherius in Cosmic Voice July-August 1962 Issue No. 26, p.9.
The Three Everlasting Principles were, I believe, spoken about by Mars Sector 6 in The Nine Freedoms. These are the Initial Creative Force, the Second Degree Creative Force and the Third Degree Creative Force. We’re told that there is really but One Energy in the entire Macrocosm but this Energy nevertheless manifests in Three main poles – as neuter, masculine and feminine Divine Principle. These correspond to the Power, Wisdom, and Love aspects of Divinity. Although these three express themselves throughout all creation, they are essentially ‘Above’ Creation as we know it. As far as spiritual evolution is concerned they are the very basis of The Three Forms of Magic. Everything we do is really working towards this key to successful co-existence with the universe. Because when we go deeper into the Freedoms we must become more like the very God’s themselves capable of creating, preserving and transmuting, that which the Lord has already provided. To ‘Thrice Bless’ someone is to acknowledge this realisation and reinstate a certain Divine Law which we can use in the Twelve Blessings and Meditate upon.
Reading this again, I thank you Paul for the explanation and references.
A great read and gives a rare insight into what it must have been like to have worked so close to a Master of his calibre.
It certainly was a privilege Jack – thank you for your comment, Richard