| What are the Characteristics of the true Server? These
    characteristics can be easily and briefly noted. They are not exactly what one may have
    been led to believe. I am not here speaking of the qualifications required for the
    treading of the Path of Discipleship or the Probationary Path. These are well known. They
    are the platitudes of the spiritual life, and constitute the battleground, or the
    Kurukshetra of most aspirants. We are here concerned with those qualities which will
    emerge when a man is working under the impulse of the Law of Service. They will appear
    when he is a real channel for the life of the soul. His major characteristics will then be
    three in number: 
      - He will be distinguished, as might be expected, by the quality of harmlessness, and
        by an active refraining from those acts and that speech which might hurt or cause any
        misunderstanding. By no word, suggestion, implication, innuendo or voiced dissatisfaction
        will he hurt his group. You will note that I do not say "will not hurt any
        individual." Those working under the Law of Service need no reminder not to hurt any
        individual. They often need, under the exuberance of spiritual stimulation and the
        intensity of their aspiration, to be reminded to demonstrate group harmlessness.
 
      - The second characteristic is a willingness to let others serve as seems best to them,
        knowing that the life flowing through the individual server must find its own [132]
        channels and outlets, and that direction of these currents can be dangerous and prevent
        the rendering of the intended service. The server's efforts will be turned in two
        directions:
          - To the task of helping others to "stand in spiritual being", as he himself is
            learning to stand.
 
          - To aiding the individual to express his service in his chosen field as he desires to
            express it, and not as the onlooking helper deems that he should do it.
 
         
        One point might here be made clear. The task of those who are working under the Law of
        Service is not exerted primarily with that group in the world today which is working under
        the effect of that general response to which we earlier referred. These effects are easily
        shepherded into those activities which, en masse, work out as philanthropic endeavor, as
        educational experiments, or social efforts in the life of the community. The name of those
        who thus respond is legion, and the will to serve in this particular way needs no impetus.
        The remarkable response to the many recent campaigns to good will definitely evidenced
        this. But the work of the new type of server is directed towards those who are
        establishing soul contact and who can therefore work under the new incoming Aquarian Law.
        This centers around the capacity to stand, not only in spiritual being, but together
        with others, working with them subjectively, telepathically, and synthetically. This
        distinction merits attention for one can easily waste effort by entering fields already
        well handled from the point of view of the attainment of the units in that field. 
       
      - The third characteristic of the new server is joyfulness. [133] This takes the
        place of criticism (that dire creator of misery) and is the silence that sounds.
 
     
    It would be well to ponder on these last words, for their true meaning cannot be
    conveyed in words, but only through a life dedicated to the newer rhythms and to the
    service of the whole. Then that "sounding joy" and that "joyful
    sounding" can make its true meaning felt.  |