SUGGESTIONS FOR FORMING AN ASHRAM MEDITATION GROUP
"For the understanding of the Ashram as the house of Light, the dwelling place of the Guru and the chela, gives comfort to all. It is the comfort flame midst the storm. It is the light in the cabin window that is seen afar off by the traveler through the night storm. The Ashram is the haven. It is the resting place. It is the special place that, wherever you find it, is the same as every other such place. Surcease from the struggle, entering in for the recharge, brothers and sisters of one mind and heart and purpose meeting here and there along life’s way in our secluded outposts - such is the vision of the Ashram that I hold and that does exist." El Morya*
"That which is most sacred surrounds the concept of Brotherhood. That which is most joyful lives in the consciousness that there exists cooperation in Knowledge. Such thought affirms that somewhere there are living True Co-workers."
Morya Brotherhood 1937
* El Morya,“The Universal Ashram of Devotees of the Will of God,” given July 8, 1990, published in the 1990 Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 33, no. 34, p. 435
In his Pearl of Wisdom of September 2, 1990*, El Morya spoke of "The Universal Ashram of Devotees of the Will of God," and extended to us the invitation to start our own groups. "Now I make this offer to you to establish a focus of the Ashram by giving the rituals and seeking to expand the circle of your meditation, inviting those who will come and those who would enter in." If you are thinking of responding to El Morya's call, I am sure that you would want to read and re-read this Pearl in its entirety to see some of El Morya's Vision for the Ashram and what it can mean for the raising up of souls and the saving of a planet.
In 1990, El Morya and John the Beloved gave some specific recommendations on how to set up a group and how to treat the people who may come to your group.
This is a program that comes directly to you from the heart of El Morya, and you may begin it any time you wish and in any way you wish. You do not need to have any qualifications apart from a desire to answer the Master's call. Following El Morya's dictation of July 8, 1990, Elizabeth Clare Prophet** made these comments:
"It takes study and learning to be able to convey the teachings, yet I would not have you wait until you have that learning to set about inviting people to your home. You can invite people to your home to study the Ashram Notes and give the rituals without any permission from me, as long as you remember that you are doing this yourself and not as a representative of our Church. You are doing this as a representative of your own I AM Presence…."
"So to give those teachings as long as you do not claim to be authorized or sent by me or by this organization is well and good. When you come to the place when you want to represent The Summit Lighthouse in a Study Group or Church Universal and Triumphant in a Teaching Center, then you need to be chartered. And then there are certain things that you must do, such as holding services and so forth…."
"You can begin where you can begin. You can make sure you know who are the Keepers of the Flame in your area if you wish to unite with them. And I would like to see more and more of such little groups springing up and expanding around the Ashram Notes and moving from the teachings of El Morya to the Chohans and to anything else that you would like to bring to their attention."
The following are some suggestions that you may find helpful in setting up a group.
Purpose of the Ashram Notes and Rituals:
El Morya expressed the purpose of the Ashram Rituals in the book, Ashram Notes. He was creating a worldwide ashram of individuals who would practice certain meditations — some of them take three minutes, some of them are longer — at the times mentioned in the book or at a person's own preferred times.
The teaching within these rituals explains how to extend Light rays from your heart, connecting your heart with every Lightbearer on this planet, creating an antahkarana, or a web of Light. This web of Light is reinforced anytime anyone gives these meditations and it creates the tremendous oneness between those of us here in physical embodiment as well as between our hearts and the Ascended Masters.
1. How to Start an Ashram Meditation Group
"May you seek them by announcing, in your local newspapers or publications [that advertise] spiritual activities, a new meditation group forming so that they might come [to your meeting] and know what is the meaning of a worldwide Ashram that requires no signing of papers, no membership in the outer, no disaffiliation from any other organization but only the heart and only a minimum time spent each week in joining, [each in his own home,] in these rituals given by El Morya unto the glory of God in Christ in every man and woman." (John the Beloved, 7-1-90)
To start a group is very simple - decide on a time and place where you would like to hold your meeting, and invite people to come. Call to El Morya and the angels to contact the people who would be interested. Think of the places where people interested in New Age activities might see an announcement. Apart from New Age and spiritual publications, you could put up notices in health food stores, health clubs, metaphysical book stores, libraries.
2. Where to Hold the Meeting
"If you establish this forcefield, even if you are alone in your home, if you establish a weekly routine of daily meditations and keep it, I, Morya, Lord of the First Ray, will sustain for you the matrix of the Ashram where you are. If possible, consecrate a place where you give your rituals and keep it holy. Even a little corner of a room will do." (El Morya, 7-8-90)
You could hold the meeting in your own home, in your living room, or if you have some place set aside for your altar you could hold it there. Included on page 15 in the Ashram Notes are suggestions for a simple altar. Keep the surroundings simple so that the people who come from many different backgrounds are able to feel comfortable in the meeting room.
3. Your First Meeting
Have some copies of the Ashram Rituals booklet available for use by the group for the first meeting. You may also want to have copies of the Ashram Notes and the Ashram Rituals booklet available for sale. If several people are interested in buying them, you can make a group purchase from your local center or from SU Press.
At your first meeting welcome everyone and give a very brief explanation of the Ashram as outlined above. You could read some excerpts from Mark Prophet's introduction to the Ashram Notes. Explain that it requires no outer membership or disaffiliation from any other organization.
By reading the first two Ashram Notes, some of the purposes of the Ashram and the rituals are explained. Then follow this with one or more of the first three rituals given as a group. Explain that the rituals are given aloud in unison, and that there are some mantras in bold type that are given in multiples of nine times. Also included are periods of silent meditation and instructions for visualization. Have someone read the visualizations aloud while everyone else closes their eyes in meditation.
Since the Unison Ritual includes the serving of communion, remember to have the bread and wine (or grape juice) prepared. Brief instructions for the preparation of communion are also included on page 15 in the Ashram Notes. The members of the group can serve themselves from the table at the side of the altar.
Like any good meeting, before everyone leaves plan for the location and time of the next meeting or create a schedule for future group meditations. You might also invite them to leave their name and phone number or email address if they would like to hear from you about future meetings or special events, such as Christmas meditations.
Serving refreshments is always a nice way to break the ice and have an opportunity to talk to everyone after the meeting.
4. What to Do in your Regular Meetings
You could hold group meditations twice monthly, or more or less often depending on the desires of the group. Don't let the perfect kill the good by scheduling too many group meetings which people may not have time for. Ask the group what works best for them. You can always start more than one group! The total length of the meeting could be one to one and a half hours. It could be longer or shorter depending on what the people who come would like. Shorter meetings usually leads to more consistency in attendance.
The Unison Ritual is specified for the first and third Sundays of the month, which might be a convenient schedule for many people. It is a very beautiful ritual and includes celebration of Holy Communion. As people read further into the notes you may like to add the Sacred Ritual for Oneness. You may like to start your meetings by reading one of the Ashram Notes, followed by one or more of the rituals.
The Ritual for Transport and Holy Work can be done at occasional or regular meetings or the members can do it before bed, but agree to dedicate it to a specific purpose, such as the Persian Gulf conflict or natural calamities. For group meditations pictures of the Washington Monument and other spiritual centers mentioned with the ritual can be shown to help with visualizations.
Depending on the nature of the group (and you heart's attunement), the Rituals can be given with the recordings by Elizabeth Clare Prophet.
5. Further Activities
John the Beloved (1990 Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 33, no. 24) outlined a natural progression of further activities in addition to the Ashram Rituals. He suggested the Creation of the Cloud meditiation as a natural next step and a way to introduce Saint Germain, alchemy and visualizations. The Cloud meditation is a natural step for many people both in its focus of healing the earth and its harnessing the power of group meditation. Folowing the Creation of the Cloud, he suggests the subjects of the Lords of the Seven Rays and the Lost Years of Jesus and the Lost Teachings of Jesus as subsequent teachings that are in the natural progression of spiritual interest.
Any subsequent teachings and spiritual exercises can be added to your group meditations as the participants would like to do them. The purpose of the Ashram Notes is to enfire hearts, not fulfill a school-like agenda, so enjoy the meditations and add new material in its natural step in the group's learning sequence. When everyone is ready, the next step usually becomes apparent. On a historical note, the original members of the Ashram continued giving these simple meditations for six years before receiving the first Pearl of Wisdom.
6. Expanding the Work
In Ashram Notes 8 and 15, Mark Prophet speaks of the dispensation of expanding the work of the Ashram - each member of the group forming their own circle. The members of your group may wish at some time to take up this invitation from the Master. They do not need to be affiliated with The Summit Lighthouse or have any other outer qualification to do this. The desire to serve and answer the call of the Ashram is sufficient. In this way the Ashram will expand and in time there may be many groups in different parts of a city. Let your group know that they have the freedom to do this if they so choose.
7. Important things to Remember
A) Serve the people
"In truth, with my amanuensis Mark L. Prophet, I have opened a door to thousands and millions through the Ashramic consciousness. Now, beloved, I have passed the torch, I have given you the key. The book is in your hands. May you let it do the work, and may you be its handmaid and the handmaid delivering souls to worship their God and to be free to know Christ." (El Morya, 7-8-90) El Morya explains the part for us to play in the Ashram: to let the book do the work while we are its handmaid, and the handmaid of the souls who would come. We do not need to be teachers or spiritual authorities to those who come, but simply to serve them, to be kind to them, to offer them friendship.
"The Ashram is the haven. It is the resting place." (El Morya, 7-8-90) Don't be concerned if they would rather do the meditations in their own home, but make people feel welcome and comfortable if they decide to join with you in group meditations.
B) Don't Give People Too Much
"The Notes will draw those whom you include in your circle into a desiring to know more of the Path, more of the Chohans of the Rays, more of the Great White Brotherhood. Let them ask for more, for their cup is full as they receive those Notes and do the rituals. Never offer a seeker more than he is ready to receive. Let him be content to glory in the Word of God and in His Presence, being so suffused and so satisfied that it may take time for him to desire more.
C) Do not try to tell the people all about the teachings.
People grow at their own pace. Let them ask for more. Everyone has their personal spiritual work and exercises. You should not be disappointed if the members of the group are content with the Ashram Notes and do not ask for more.
D) Don't worry if they are still part of other activities Most likely everyone who comes is part of another organization. The Ashram is an adjunct to what they are doing.
E) Avoid Controversial Subjects
Just like keeping peace at family gatherings, avoid controversial religious, social, or political discussions. (You can't agree with all of the people all of the time.) You can make controversial items the focus of a meditations and prayers for these subjects, but keep the solution in the realm of the will of God - stay at the point of agreement (we have a problem) and don't get sidetracked into the multi-fold possible solutions. But, generally speaking, to build a strong momentum of good will, it is be best to avoid these areas completely and focus on invoking Light and strengthening the heart ties of the Ashramic consciousness.
F) Don't Claim to be Represent The Summit Lighthouse
The activity of El Morya's Ashram is open to all. You may happen to be a member of The Summit Lighthouse; they may belong to some other organization. You or any other person who purchases the book is equally able to answer Morya's call to be a part of his worldwide Ashram and participate in the rituals.
On a legal note, only chartered study groups and Teaching Centers may use the trade mark "The Summit Lighthouse" in announcing and promoting their activities. However, these groups also may wish to make the Ashram group a separate activity, not using the name. This may be more comfortable for people in your circle who belong to some other organization, or do not want to become affiliated with any outer organization.
8. Be Creative
El Morya has given us a tremendous opportunity and dispensation with the Ashram Notes, and the freedom to use it and expand the work in many ways. Be creative! There are many ways to present it and to reach people. Think of all the different people who might be interested in this activity and how you might find them and let them know about it. Think about serving and meeting the needs of the people where they are.
9. Keep in Touch
You do not need to have approval from anyone to start an Ashram meditation group or to institute any programs you may think of in association with it. We would certainly enjoy hearing your experiences working with the Ashram Notes, especially if you see God and live to tell the tale.
* El Morya,“The Universal Ashram of Devotees of the Will of God,” given July 8, 1990, published in the 1990 Pearls of Wisdom, vol. 33, no. 34, p. 435
**Verbal comments by Elizabeth Clare Prophet from King Arthur's Court and also included in Suggestions for Forming an Ashram Study Group, a six-page handout distributed in King Arthur’s Court.