The Christ's Festival

The Alice Bailey books have this to say on the occult meaning of the Christ’s Festival.

At Wesak, the May full moon, The Buddha returns to Earth, bringing the blessing of Shamballa, which the Christ receives and holds in custody until the full moon of June, when the Hierarchy, under the Christ’s direction, releases this energy of the will-to-good upon humanity, producing seven results:
Power is given to the disciples and initiates of humanity enabling them to become a greater force of direction in human affairs
The will-to-love stimulates all people of goodwill, gradually eroding hatred and separatism.
The will-to-action inspires intelligent people to begin activities leading to world betterment.
The will-to-cooperate is fostered, strengthening humanity’s urge to have right human relations.
The will-to-know and to think correctly and creatively is stimulated in the masses, quickening the desire for knowledge.
The will-to-persist, as a fundamental human trait, is strengthened.
The will-to-organise, to plan and to direct human affairs, particularly through the new group of world servers, is deepened."

We are told that at the time of the Christ’s Festival and on behalf of humanity, the Christ sounds out the last sermon of the Buddha. This is useful for us too as we seek to co-operate with the hierarchical effort and the Christ at this time.

The last sermon of the Buddha is very short. It goes something like this:
"Be lamps to yourselves, rely on yourselves and do not rely on external help.
Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Seek salvation alone in the truth.
Look not for assistance from anyone besides yourselves.
While in the world overcome the grief which arises from the body’s cravings.
While in the world overcome the grief which arises from the sensations.
While in the world overcome the grief which arises from the cravings due to ideas or to reasoning."

The Buddha and the Christ together are responsible for helping to dissipate glamour and dispel illusion. And with them, each of us shares in that responsibility.

The Festival period covers three days. The first day has "the keynote of love in its hierarchical sense, free from sentiment, emotion and personal emphasis. A love that sacrifices and understands, that acts with strength and decision and that works on behalf of the whole and not in the interests of any one individual or group, large or small."

The second day has the keynote "of resurrection, emphasising the new note of livingness, the livingness of the risen Christ and of that life more abundantly which will be possible by a return to the real spiritual values."

On the third day there is the keynote "of contact, of a closer relation between Christ and his people, between Hierarchy and humanity."

Beyond these three keynotes there is one theme - of invocation.
Invocation is essentially a method of transformation. To be invocative we have to be experiencing transformation ourselves. The essence of invocation is recognising need and meeting it. We are calling for the spiritual will to deepen the capacity for sacrifice and purposeful right action in the very character of the human family.

We’re asked to take part in these Festivals, "with a free play of the imagination." Perhaps by using the imagination we draw on whatever tiny seeds of spiritual understanding and reason which lie within us. What we can imagine already exists somewhere or we couldn’t imagine it. By extending, elevating and expanding our spiritual imagination - our power to visualise - we transform the substance of our bodies and gradually merge with a greater portion of the whole.

Desire is transformed into aspiration and then into intuition by the power of the imagination. There is a direct link between the intuition, which is found on the plane of buddhi, and the creative imagination, which is all that finally remains of the astral plane.
"Invocation, accompanied by the creative imagination, will produce that new creative activity which will bring the new heavens and the new earth into being", we are told. And "the massed power of goodwill ...and the potency of a trained and alive public opinion which desires the greatest good of the greatest number, are beyond belief."

All areas of human need call for a change in consciousness and for greater wisdom and love. It is said in the Agni Yoga teachings that "Trust is the greatest lever of the cosmic heart." It grows through the practice of goodwill and through co-operation. It feeds on soul-inspired thoughts, words and deeds. The static quality of inertia is the great enemy of spiritual progress. Stand still and wait, and nothing will happen. "Move, and the Way will open."

There is a special meditation which is available for use in preparation for the coming of the Christ. Many use it. At one stage we are asked to concentrate our "fixed intention to serve and spread love in our surroundings", our surroundings right here and now, and at a later stage we are asked to consider practically what we can do "in the coming week", not next year, but now. What can we do now in our surroundings, in our own environment, to help prepare effectively for the coming of the Christ?

Our main task at these festivals is, as simply and completely as we can, to bring ourselves into alignment with that channel of energy which at the time of the full moon is wide open and unimpeded. It is created in consciousness and the consciousness of the human race can become a part of it. Let us move into meditation with this thought.

As we work through the meditation we identify with each stage of the flowing energy of love until finally we bring the flow of energy to a physical plane anchorage, a focal point on earth through which the Christ can work. When we sound the Great Invocation, we direct the energies invoked through that focal point. We sound it slowly, thoughtfully, remembering that we are not repeating words, we are directing energy. Finally, we sound the sacred word three times to give permanence to the flow of energy.