In a white marble temple with unenclosed walls, a small group was seated in front of the only One who was standing.
The Initiate, who was of East Indian origin, posed a question to the group in reference to the Christ: “When the Christ returns, who among you will be serving Him from above, and who among you will be serving Him from a distance?”
The group gaped at the Initiate expressionless. Was this a trick question? The group sat in silence for some time contemplating.
Wondering if she heard Him correctly, a student raised her hand and asked, “Did you say serving the Christ from ‘above’?”
“Yes,” was the reply.
She ventured to continue, “When I hear serving from ‘above’ I think of those souls who have passed on from this earth plane and who are serving from the inner planes.”
“And from a distance?” the Initiate questioned the same student.
“When I hear ‘those serving from a distance’ I think of those who are in a physical body serving Him on the earth plane from various parts of the world,” she replied.
A long dead silence followed. No other student volunteered a comment.
The Initiate continued, “It is true that those who have experienced the transition of life you call death are in fact working from above, but the context of the question goes deeper.
“The question is directed to those students who are incarnated on the physical plane. The meaning ‘serving from above’ relates to one’s alignment with one’s own Soul, serving from that higher state of divine consciousness in any given life. Those treading the Spiritual Path must search for that thread of gold which will first lead them, in waking consciousness, into the treasure house of their own Soul so as to learn to work more from that higher state of mind.
“There the student must first learn the Law of Love which will accelerate his service to humanity. Then he must learn the Law of Oneness, to be at-one with all that breathes physically and spiritually, to sense the vision and to work in unison with the Divine Plan, as far as it can be revealed to them by Those of Us Who know; and to learn to utilize and wield that knowledge and wisdom so as to render the greatest service to all kingdoms on earth… mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. When the student has turned his attention solely to serving in this way, in whatever capacity he has achieved, he is ultimately serving the Christ.
“The meaning behind ‘serving from a distance’ has no bearing on physical location. This is related to those incarnated who would not be serving and working mainly from the plane of Soul, but from the angle of the personality directed by the lower mind. All is governed by the Law of Evolution, so there is no judgment. But from this stand point the student cannot be of real value to the Christ, and to his human brethren, until there is a measure of Soul integration… working from the will to love, the will to good, the will to know, and lastly, the will to create. The student must learn to serve as a Soul on both planes simultaneously, the outer physical plane of life and the inner subjective plane of the Soul. Once he has achieved this, he can then be of real usefulness to the Christ when He does return. By working from ‘above,’ the student can then serve Him in closer proximity.
“Which will you choose?”