A Christmas Fairy

A Christmas Fairy 
by John Strange Winter

It was getting very near to Christmas time, and all the boys at Miss Ware's school were talking about going home for the holidays.

"I shall go to the Christmas festival," said Bertie Fellows," and my mother will have a party, and my Aunt will give another. Oh! I shall have a splendid time at home."

"My Uncle Bob is going to give me a pair of skates," remarked Harry Wadham.

"My father is going to give me a bicycle," put in George Alderson.

"Will you bring it back to school with you?" asked Harry.

"Oh! yes, if Miss Ware doesn't say no."

"Well, Tom," cried Bertie, "where are you going to spend your holidays?"

"I am going to stay here," answered Tom in a very forlorn voice.

"Here - at school - oh, dear! Why can't you go home?"

"I can't go home to India," answered Tom.

"Nobody said you could. But haven't you any relatives anywhere?"

Tom shook his head. "Only in India," he said sadly.

"Poor fellow! That's hard luck for you. I'll tell you what it is, boys, if I couldn't go home for the holidays, especially at Christmas--I think I would just sit down and die."

"Oh, no, you wouldn't," said Tom. "You would get ever so homesick, but you wouldn't die. You would just get through somehow, and hope something would happen before next year, or that some kind fairy would--"

"There are no fairies nowadays," said Bertie.

"See here, Tom, I'll write and ask my mother to invite you to go home with me for the holidays."

"Will you really?"

"Yes, I will. And if she says yes, we shall have such a splendid time. We live in London, you know, and have lots of parties and fun."

"Perhaps she will say no?" suggested poor little Tom.

"My mother isn't the kind that says no," Bertie declared loudly.

In a few days' time a letter arrived from Bertie's mother. The boy opened it eagerly. It said:

My own dear Bertie:

I am very sorry to tell you that little Alice is ill with scarlet fever. And so you cannot come for your holidays. I would have been glad to have you bring your little friend with you if all had been well here.

Your father and I have decided that the best thing that you can do is to stay at Miss Ware's. We shall send your Christmas present to you as well as we can.

It will not be like coming home, but I am sure you will try to be happy, and make me feel that you are helping me in this sad time.

Dear little Alice is very ill, very ill indeed. Tell Tom that I am sending you a box for both of you, with two of everything. And tell him that it makes me so much happier to know that you will not be alone.

Your own mother.

When Bertie Fellows received this letter, which ended all his Christmas hopes and joys, he hid his face upon his desk and sobbed aloud. The lonely boy from India, who sat next to him, tried to comfort his friend in every way he could think of. He patted his shoulder and whispered many kind words to him.

At last Bertie put the letter into Tom's hands. "Read it," he sobbed.

So then Tom understood the cause of Bertie's grief. "Don't fret over it," he said at last. "It might be worse. Why, your father and mother might be thousands of miles away, like mine are. When Alice is better, you will be able to go home. And it will help your mother if she thinks you are almost as happy as if you could go now."

Soon Miss Ware came to tell Bertie how sorry she was for him.

"After all," said she, smiling down on the two boys, "it is an ill wind that blows nobody good. Poor Tom has been expecting to spend his holidays alone, and now he will have a friend with him--Try to look on the bright side, Bertie, and to remember how much worse it would have been if there had been no boy to stay with you."

"I can't help being disappointed, Miss Ware," said Bertie, his eyes filling with tears.

"No; you would be a strange boy if you were not. But I want you to try to think of your poor mother, and write her as cheerfully as you can."

"Yes," answered Bertie; but his heart was too full to say more.

The last day of the term came, and one by one, or two by two, the boys went away, until only Bertie and Tom were left in the great house. It had never seemed so large to either of them before.

"It's miserable," groaned poor Bertie, as they strolled into the schoolroom. "Just think if we were on our way home now--how different."

"Just think if I had been left here by myself," said Tom.

"Yes," said Bertie, "but you know when one wants to go home he never thinks of the boys that have no home to go to."

The evening passed, and the two boys went to bed. They told stories to each other for a long time before they could go to sleep. That night they dreamed of their homes, and felt very lonely. Yet each tried to be brave, and so another day began.

This was the day before Christmas. Quite early in the morning came the great box of which Bertie's mother had spoken in her letter. Then, just as dinner had come to an end, there was a peal of the bell, and a voice was heard asking for Tom Egerton.

Tom sprang to his feet, and flew to greet a tall, handsome lady, crying, "Aunt Laura! Aunt Laura!"

And Laura explained that she and her husband had arrived in London only the day before. "I was so afraid, Tom," she said, "that we should not get here until Christmas Day was over and that you would be disappointed. So I would not let your mother write you that we were on our way home. You must get your things packed up at once, and go back with me to London. Then uncle and I will give you a splendid time."

For a minute or two Tom's face shone with delight. Then he caught sight of Bertie and turned to his aunt.

"Dear Aunt Laura," he said, "I am very sorry, but I can't go."

"Can't go? and why not?"

"Because I can't go and leave Bertie here all alone," he said stoutly. "When I was going to be alone he wrote and asked his mother to let me go home with him. She could not have either of us because Bertie's sister has scarlet fever. He has to stay here, and he has never been away from home at Christmas time before, and I can't go away and leave him by himself, Aunt Laura."

For a minute Aunt Laura looked at the boy as if she could not believe him. Then she caught him in her arms and kissed him.

"You dear little boy, you shall not leave him. You shall bring him along, and we shall all enjoy ourselves together. Bertie, my boy, you are not very old yet, but I am going to teach you a lesson as well as I can. It is that kindness is never wasted in this world."

And so Bertie and Tom found that there was such a thing as a fairy after all.

The Christmas Fairy

The fairy on the Christmas tree

Is looking quite forlorn.

Her wand is broken and splinted; 

Her wings, all tattered and torn.

Her dress of stiff crepe paper

Was once a bright sky blue, 

But time has bleached it all away.

It's now a much paler hue.

But through it all, each Christmas

She sits in pride of place, 

Gazing down on the proceedings, 

A serene smile on her face.

She sat there when I was growing up, 

And when my son was small, 

And, somehow, I know she'll still be there

When the grandchildren come to call.

She's become a part of my family life, 

Of memories which I hold dear, 

And to me, at least, she heralds in

A Christmas filled with cheer.

And I just can't bear to give her up, 

To heartlessly throw her away.

To me she represents Christmases Past

And she will to my dying day. 

Dawn Ferrett

Devas part 2

Devas part 2

The Devic Kingdom

All of the Deva-spirits compose the Devic kingdom of Nature, which includes even the smaller elemental brings in nature. Additionally, the term 'Devic kingdom' refers to the overall, interrelated, Natural Intelligence Web of Nature, or could also be understood as the Greater Souls of the natural world. The mineral, vegetable (including trees and flowers), and animal kingdoms are all within the greater Devic kingdom.

The Devic kingdom is the overall, encompassing, enfolding Spirit-intelligence of all that is of nature. It is an interrelational and hierarchical Web of nature spirit-beings, each with its unique consciousness and intelligence, yet without any distinctly fixed boundaries separating these. Again, to understand this, we need to think beyond our usual boxes and transcend our usual way of understanding nature as separate things. For in the Devic kingdom, the individuality of these spirit-beings is fluid, such that individualized spirit-consciousness arises (like individual particles), but can also merge together into a larger field of spirit-consciousness. Thus, there is both individuality and collectivity of spirit. By analogy, there is both particle (particularization) and energy-field (or collectivity) properties, all functioning simultaneously. And remember, there are fields within greater fields.

The Devic Kingdom is organizer of the elements that make up this manifesting world. Devas are the intelligences behind this world of life and form, the regulators and maintainers of our physical existence. The Devic Kingdom can be understood to be the 'mind of nature', which organizes and patterns the various lives and forms on the planet. This great mind of nature is actually a vast, complex system of interpenetrating mind fields, each having a semi-distinct, semi-autonomous reality and place in the overall design. These mind-fields direct and pattern the energies of nature, and they hold things together, maintaining the growth patterns of each unique form of life. Each 'field' (within a larger Field) has its own [semi-independent] consciousness and presence of being. Thus, we experience nature as alive with spirit and presence, and the overall presence of nature is made up of many presences, many beings within it.

It is important to understand that these beings are not really separate, just as the energy-fields are not absolutely separate or divided by a distinct boundary. Yet, each has its own individuality, in a partial way. Ultimately, there is just one Great Spirit, or we could say just one Mother Earth. If we forget this Wholism and inter-connectiveness of all life and mind, then we might fall into the trap of worshiping certain beings or powers separately from the whole, or falsely believe that nature is merely a conglomerate of pantheistic beings. Yet it is also important to recognize that the natural world divides itself into unique features, properties and qualities, so we need to respect the different, unique manifestations of the One Life, One Spirit, One Earth.

The idea of nature as both parts and Whole is hard to grasp, let alone explain. One helpful image is to see that the earth is like a prism with light emerging out in all the different colors, and as the prism rotates around, the colors mix and break up the one light in many ways. The distinction of mind-being-energy at any one place or through any one life-form, depends on how the One Light reveals itself to us.

The Devic world is an interpenetrating hierarchy of being-consciousness, divided into field-patterns having both an individual and group presence. That is, they are both individual and collective consciousnesses, so we can see them as either distinct beings or as a complex collective system. At the highest levels are the great spirits, the great morphogenetic mind-fields, which interpenetrate time and space as we normally know it. The inter penetration of space is easier to understand, if we can visualize mind and presence existing in many places at once, simultaneously. In the great musical symphony of nature, Devas are nature's chords and the various harmonics resounding through and patterning all life. The Devas are like EM (electromagnetic) fields, intense in some areas while fading in other areas, interpenetrating other vibrational patterns, blending and resonating with these.

Visualize, for instance, different musical instruments spread out about 100 yards from eachother over a 100 square mile area of land, and being played at the same time. Each instrument player at each spot would try to harmonize with whatever he could hear to cooperatively make some good music. What would happen and what would you hear as you traveled across the whole area? Obviously, each player could only hear those sounds within a limited radius of where he stands, and would play accordingly, thus also influencing those around him. Yet, eventually he would be influenced indirectly by even the farthest player from him, since there would be a kind of chain-reaction of all the players in between who keep altering their tune to be in greater harmony. Now visualize the sound waves and how the music would differ as you walk about the area. 

Wherever you stand, there would be certain instruments and tunes that are loudest, and your attention would be mostly on these, especially the one you are closest to. There will always be far off sounds unheard, but as you move in a direction, certain instruments will all of a sudden be heard faintly in the distance, becoming louder as you approach and adding to the music heard, while in the opposite direction sounds once momentous will fade away. You may hear some far away instrument to your left that a player far to your right (heard by you) cannot hear. The sounds intermix at each spot differently, creating a unique music and feeling at that place, and as you move your perceptions and feelings change.



Elementals

The energies and elements which combine together in forming the growth and maintenance of life on earth are known as the elemental energies. We use this term when describing the energies at work forming the manifesting world. Both Devas and elementals are stronger and more alive in some areas more than others.

In the elemental world we find elemental energies that carry out the work of maintenance and growth. These are beings called elementals, and they are the invisible workers within nature. In the great play of nature, the Devas are the stage designers and the elementals are the stage builders and destroyers. The Devas hold the idea and plan in mind, while the elementals do the actual work. In esoteric science, we not only recognize energies at work throughout nature as industrialized science would, but we also see the being and consciousness aspects of these energies.

Traditional folklores of many cultures have described these elementals in different ways, just as they have described Devas, Deities or Spirits in different ways. Some people see the elementals as small little elfs, fairies, gnomes, or whatever. What they actually look like, depends on the person looking. We give them form within our psyche, much as we personify feelings and self-qualities in our dreams. The perception of elementals and of Devas depends upon what energy-being is actually being focused on and how we give recognizable form to this through our creative imagination. I am not denying what anyone sees or calling it merely an illusion of the imagination. What someone experiences is real for them, and it probably is the best way for them to understand what is really happening. The elementals and Devas are real beings, but how we see and understand them can differ depending upon the psyche receiving the subtle sense of their presence.

We see in anthropological studies that different cultures perceive this manifested world of phenomena in different ways. The perception of the world is a combination of what sensory information is being received and how this is given form and understanding within our psyche. Reality is neither solely subjective nor objective. It is a combination of the two polarities. Some people and more likely children have an ability to easily sense these energy-beings and form images around them. Anyone can develop their subtle or psychic senses to a greater refinement, and learn how to use the creative imagination.

This use of the imagination is not the same as illusion or fantasy. The creative imagination is a needed faculty of intelligence and understanding. Great thinkers, scientists and artists all use the creative imagination to make analogies, representations and models for understanding and describing the world. We need to trust this innate faculty of the mind, and allow it to freely form images, colors, sounds, patterns, etc. to understand and communicate what is otherwise too subtle or obscure. The whole idea of nature being conscious, let alone believing in nature spirits and other invisible entities, is usually laughed off by "rational scientists" as primitive animism and a projection of an imaginative psyche; but it is important to look at this with an open mind and heart, otherwise it will never be real. Yet a true scientist would not deny anything he has yet to definitively disprove, nor would he make final conclusions about things as yet unseen, nor refuse to look at alternative possibilities of truth.

As already explained, there is an aspect of psyche projection and imagination involved, and this should be considered, but it does not preclude the reality of a living consciousness in all things. In fact, the projection of self-qualities and self-thoughts onto natural phenomena or sensed energies can lead to greater self-knowledge if we make the effort to learn from this interaction. The beings and spirits of nature are in fact within us, as well as outside. The lives and forms of the world are each unique manifestations of the mystery of life, and are representations of the qualities within ourselves. The gods are the archetypes of mind, and the elementals correspond to our thought-forms. The dynamic relationships and processes found in nature are also alive within our psyche. Each helps create the other, and it all comes from the same source. The psyche assimilates and represents the world, relating everything experienced into a human scale, where upon we re-create or act upon the world by way of how we believe it to be.

It is important not to get too caught up in believing the absolute truth in everything we happen to experience. Some people get too gullible, especially when there is a kind of glamor involved, and we can fool ourselves easily. Find perspective in all experience, and question the validity of every experience, though keeping an open and compassionate mind. It is fine to go about finding invisible little beings or great spirits, and having some kind of communication with these, but it would be a shame if people were to spend all their time "channeling" nature entities. We can learn things from these beings and cooperate together.

Each specie of mineral, plant and animal life has a kind of over-soul or morphogenetic mind-field patterning its overall growth and behavior. This is the governing Deva, the guiding intelligence of that species. A whole, complex hierarchy of Deva Beings oversee and guide the natural world. Each form of life has different elementals to help build and maintain it. Yet, the elementals do not just work separately from eachother, like these for that and those for this. They are continually interacting with eachother, cooperating together to form harmonious relationships between lives and forms. 

The Devas of the area work with the Devas of different species to intelligently promote adaption and harmony for that eco-system, while choosing what is best to do, given the circumstances and potentials to unfold, then the elementals communicate with eachother about the plan given and work out the details of the operation. The overseeing Deva or guardian spirit of the area converses with the surrounding overseeing Ones, to cooperate together in fulfilling the greater plan of an even larger area, of which a higher Deva is responsible for, and so the levels of management continue on up to the planet Earth Being Herself.

I'm describing the Devas and elementals in terms of corporate and government management, and one does not need to take this terminology too literally, but this model is a useful way to describe the reality. If one can understand the principles of systems in general, whether it be ecological or human created, then one can better understand the more subtle, less tangible realities.

The elementals are not just mechanical entities. Neither are the Devas. They certainly do perform their duties with a great degree of mechanicalness, just like us humans, but they have varying degrees of freedom and creativity. They learn by experience and can make mistakes. They have some amount of free play in their creative work. Yet their potential for free choice is extremely limited compared to the human potential. In fact we have unlimited potential for freedom, which is good or dangerous, depending on how it's used. The elementals have definite jobs to do, and the Devas regulate their freedom, keeping them in bounds so to speak. But elementals do play. They celebrate their living space and enjoy themselves. 

The stories of these invisible creatures abound with silliness, humor and lots of fun. If there wasn't work to do, they would probably dance and sing all through the day and night. I heard from a few that they would love to play with us humans, but that we are much too serious and just don't know how to have a good time out and about. The few of us who do know to play freely and have a good time are always welcomed by the elementals, and they will reveal themselves only to the playful, fun loving people. No wonder so many people deny their existence, and cannot see or sense them -- they're just too serious and grumpy!

The elementals are influenced by the quality and emotions of the place they inhabit. They are influenced by the people inhabiting the area. If the people are happy, joyous and jubilant, then they will come out to play and reveal themselves, but if the people are unhappy, depressed and negative about life, then they will just mechanically do their jobs and hide away. Elementals are most seen and experienced in places of less human habitation, because they tend to shy away from our negative, destructive emotions. It is generally best to leave them alone, and we can even leave them a designated place to gather and play. Elementals will sometimes migrate to more peaceful and lovely areas, so we can set places up for them, and can attract them through our creative and good work on the land. If a place becomes too chaotic with negative emotions or harmed by our destructiveness, many of the elementals will leave the area, and it will soon die of life for lack of the invisible workers.

Our recognition of the invisible world and our cooperation with these invisible lives bring them out to play and work with us. In whatever we do on the land the Devic and elemental worlds will come to help us, if we aspire to do our best in creating love, beauty and harmony on the land and in our activities. If we think that we can do it all by ourselves without help from the natural kingdoms, then we are limiting the help available from these kingdoms. The intelligences of nature are available and wanting to help us fulfill our creative destiny. If we consciously try to cooperate with the natural worlds, then they will cooperate with us. We can communicate with these invisible lives and intelligences, and ask for their help and guidance. They will respond to our recognition and requests for help. They can teach us much about the realities and potentials of nature, and reveal ways to fulfill our needs. 

We only need to open up the communication, in a spirit of cooperation, and listen with respect to the knowledge and advice given. If we ask permission in humility to be or creatively act in an area, and come into agreement with these forces, then great things are possible and much will be fulfilled. We need to remember that that the elemental world has its own job to do, and will work diligently toward its goals, so we are smart to make friends with this world. We need to make friends with the Devic world, to cooperate together for a common purpose and plan. The Devic intelligences know what can be done for the creative evolution of the land, but they need our help, just as we need theirs. The elemental world does not know the Divine purpose or the quest of evolution. It only does what it does in the most efficient way knowable. It knows not vision nor value nor potential. It only knows cyclical time, not spiral time.

All lives are part of the Great Whole Life, and make up the whole with presence, activity, interaction and relationship. We need to remember the Whole within the parts, and respect each part as being "wholly". Everyone and everything is equally important in essence, having an equal right to live and be true to its nature. Yet, each has unique functions to play within the whole, and life's interactions are not always equal. Some dominate over others, some eat others. Human beings are given the potential power to govern and direct the elemental world. Yet we have to accomplish this with love-wisdom and a will-towards-harmony with nature. We should not be in opposition to nature. Nor should we dominate nature from a human self-righteous arrogance.

Domination is a negative word to most people, yet there is often a need to have power of authority. Many times we have to be terribly strong in life, and take on an authority that cannot be weakened by sentimentality or passiveness. If I'm doing carpentry work, I must hold the hammer with strength and authority, otherwise there is insufficient force to accomplish my goal and a weak grip can even be dangerous. If I need to pull out something in my garden, I must use my energy to say "no" to this and destroy it, though I can do this with love and compassion. A hawk uses his dominion of the sky to search the land for prey, then swoops down to snatch his food, and if it screams he doesn't feel sorry for it and drop it to safety. I'm not trying to justify killing, but it is a necessary part of nature. Death is a part of life and destruction is a part of creation. In making any decision, we sentence something to death by saying "no" to it. And in order for us to live here on this planet, we, like all creatures, have to destroy and eat somethings, transforming them for our assimilation and use. 

Life is a process of transformation, of death and re-creation, and we are transformers, as well as being the subject of transformation. One can try to hide away from this, or one can grip this responsibility firmly in the hand and do something good with it. We need to firmly take on the authority invested upon us, or become passive victims swayed here and there by the world. This authority is not for our purely selfish purposes, but is the use of our powers and intelligence to serve the greater whole of life. We can consciously serve a greater purpose, and do whatever is necessary for this.

The illusion of separation can only be destroyed by its assimilation into the whole, finding truth and purpose in the whole, and serving the whole with submission to it. The kingdoms of nature are part of the whole. The elemental world is part of the whole. It serves the whole as best as it knows how, guided by the overseeing intelligences on the planet. Yet the mechanical nature of the elemental world performs its relative functions without a complete consciousness of the whole. It is unconscious of the whole, greater consciousness of life's purpose. As human beings we have the potential to be evermore conscious of this greater purpose, and attune ourselves into the greater consciousness of life. In doing this we come into the responsibility and obligation to serve the Greater Purpose.

So, it is our responsibility to teach and show the lower kingdoms how to live in greater harmony and manifest the greater potential beauty of the whole. We teach cooperation, harmony and beauty first through our example. In other words, we can't expect the natural world to cooperate with us in just the way we want, without having the sense of cooperation ourselves. We must first come into conscious cooperation with nature, giving her loving recognition, understanding her ways and serving her unfoldment; then, the lives and energies of nature will come to serve us in the recognition of our loving togetherness in this whole, purposeful expression of life. We can help wake up life on the planet to its wholeness and common purpose, and to a greater consciousness of love and togetherness.

The kingdoms of nature have a potential understanding of the greater purpose, of the whole, but it is unconscious of the greater purposes, until we give them our love, our understanding and our recognition. Every part of nature unconsciously wishes to help and serve us in our role as transformers and creators, but the wish needs to be made conscious, and this is only possible through our awakening to love, our recognition of life in love, and our good-will to serve and cooperate. We are usually unconscious of the life and energies around us, as we take so much for granted. We seldom wake up the realities and magnificence of this planet, and most often in our work and activities we plow and tramp all over the place without awareness of anything but ourselves and our limited, little purposes.

So, how can the elemental world awaken to love in this case or be able to cooperate? If we just use nature without love, there is no awakening and no cooperation. But if we make use of nature in love and with respect, then there is the awakening of love, gratitude and cooperation. The elemental world will love us as we love it, and will work with us as we work with it. The relationship can continue to grow and flourish in a loving, cooperative way as trust is built between us and the natural kingdoms.

There are parts of the elemental world, which resist change and will not cooperate with our intentions. They will struggle to fight our creative work and transformation, and seek to maintain their inertia and mechanical ways. They are un-convinced about our intentions, and resist out of fear. We can remedy this, by showing our love and good intentions, and communicate the greater purpose and plan of action, in order to gain their agreement and help. We should also request help from the Devic powers. But sometimes these efforts are not enough, and we do not have sufficient time to educate these resisting ones. So, we have to take strong authority over the elements at hand, using our powers to accomplish the transformative work in spite of resistance. Most often there is at least some resistance to anything new, especially in the beginning stages, whether it be in creative or healing work. These reactionaries can even become malevolent forces, which can do a lot of harm if we are not strong in our wakefulness and determination. 

We can see this same effect within our own psyche and in human relationships, where there is much fighting and argument, and powerful resistance to change. The higher intelligence and will-to-good must take on authority. In some ways the elemental world is like children. It is great when understanding and agreement can come about easily and peacefully, but sometimes we have to discipline and demand obedience from our children, not as cruel dictators, but for their own good and the harmony of the whole family. We can not let children run all over us and behave just as they want, if it is harmful to the overall living environment. Sometimes the elemental world needs our firm discipline, and we can do this in the most gentle and loving way possible.

We can make good use of the elemental world, realizing that this world is here for us to use, enjoy and learn from, as we are here to take good care of the world. We can take on our Divine role as creator within The Creator, and lead the world to its finest perfection of love, harmony and beauty. Human beings have potential power over the elements, but not until we come into this power through sacrifice and service. True power is developed out of self-purification and the will-to-serve with loving wisdom. The power is available to all of us with work, yet some people seem to be born with a natural ability and predisposition of shamanism. The shaman is a kind of magician, because he can do things that the ordinary person is mystified by. But magic is really an inherent fact of man's potential. It is not evil, nor the work of power hungry people. The world itself is magical. Life is magic. Magic is really just power manifesting. Of course, power and magic can be wrongly used and cause a lot of harm, even when performed with good intentions. One also needs wisdom and an attunement with the greater purpose and Divine Will. Science in action, ie. technology, is magic and sorcery, and this can be used for good or not so good. An aspect of geomancy is the directing of and transformation of elements. It is possible to direct the winds and the rains, to direct the growth of the plant kingdom, to evolve the animal kingdom, and to transform energies and elements. We can not do these things alone. We need the help of the Devic world and higher powers. We must aspire toward greater knowledge and love.

Our ultimate goal is to come into the Power of God, Great Spirit, by surrendering to the Power of God; hence becoming a pure instrument of The Divine Purpose and Will of Life. Man has the potential to stand in the Pure Light, and be a Light-house of radiating force and influence throughout the world. The ultimate power is Love and the ultimate means is Wisdom. All powers and forces will eventually bow down to this ultimate Love and Wisdom through the instrument of perfected man. Ignorance and wrong use of power cannot dominate the Light of Love, which is the greatest power and eventually will purify and harmonize all powers on the planet. But this great work needs us, it needs our participation, it needs our self-transformation and it needs our agreement and creative powers.

The elemental world is continually influenced by powers. It is influenced by mind and intention. The Devic or Angelic kingdom intentional directs the elemental world through mind. And human beings influence the elemental world, as well, through mind and thought. Humans are continually interjecting new influences through thought and of course action. Thus, the influencing mind-fields are complex mixtures of different patterns and directions, often with much conflict and chaos. And so we have the world as it now is. There is great stability and inertia in all of this, because changes in mind are very slow, but it is always possible to interject new energies and influences, which will effect new change depending on the power of the new impulse. Those who can concentrate their powers of mind in a definite direction can evoke some transformation in the patterns that be. So, there is great potential for good in all of this, on many levels, especially if one combines the effort with others in a group agreement. Remember that we are working for the good of the whole planet, for ourselves and for the overall environment. 

The ideal of serving the planet is vast and often too ambiguous to understand in practical efforts, so we have to begin with ourselves and our local environment, gaining knowledge of what we truly need and want out of life. Having vague concepts of what is good for the planet is fine for a start, but the practical work begins at home with ourselves and our community. When we begin to study the realities and ideals in front of us, and practice service wherever we are, then real transformation can be effected, and this will have an influence throughout the greater whole. We can only do what we are capable of at this particular place and time, and here there is always great potential for beneficial transformation. When we come into study and service, love and knowledge, and accept the responsibility as transformers of energy, then we cease to fear power, and trust the love and wisdom of all life, including ourselves.

As human beings, we are not something separate from this work. We are not separate from the Devic or Angelic world. In a sense, we are it. The higher aspect of our mind and creative will is exactly the same. Yet we separate the worlds to more easily understand the whole system of life and how it works. We, as human beings are the pivot point in the work. Our true function and purpose is to be instruments for the Divine, creative work on this planet. We are to be conscious workers and participate in conscious evolution. The Devic kingdom is the maintainer of all life, and within it are all the potentials for further creativity to unfold. So, we need to seek the help of the Devic kingdom for understanding and right creative impulse, and we need to consciously cooperate with the work already going on. We are not alone, and we have the responsibility to live in cooperation and harmony with the whole of nature.



Angels distinguished from Devas

Within the greater cosmic dimension, above or beyond the earth, yet inclusive of earth as well, there is a hierarchy of Divine Spirits, who act as guides for the Devic kingdom of earth. These are the Angels of Divine Presence. In some eastern teachings these are translated as 'devas', but for clarification sake there is a distinction between earth devas (earth spirits of intelligence) and cosmic-universal Spirits-Powers-Intelligences which in western teachings have been called Angels, or Higher Powers. These are Universal Intelligences, which are also the essential Qualities-Powers of the One Divine Being, or the various Colors of the One Light. These are also guides and patterning powers active on earth, who are especially significant to the human kingdom. We can understand them as the spiritual archetypes of our essential Self. --link-to Angels

Within the human psyche, in the unconscious realm of potential, are the spiritual divine essences, archetypes, or intelligences. These are the Qualities and Powers of Divine Being. Yet they remain as potentials until realized and brought into living expression. They need to be personally realized and personally expressed, and eventually they will be collectively realized and expressed. Yet any realization and expression will be somewhat limited and relatively imperfect from a higher cosmic view; so the Divine expression, as found on earth and in humanity, is in a continuing process of possible evolution. Part of the Divine purpose of life is for the human psyche to realize these Qualities of Being in oneself and to synthesize, integrate and harmonize these in life's expression, leading us towards an ever-greater realization and expression of Divine Qualities.

Through our human experience and consciousness, the Divine Being realizes in living existence Its own Qualities of Being and various creative integrations of these. For, whereas the lower kingdoms can exhibit various qualities and patterns of Divine potential, and also express potentials of extraordinary beauty, the human being can consciously realize and become all divine qualities in creative ways of integration. This is the great potential for all human beings, who have evolved from and through the three lower kingdoms.

All intelligences and qualities of nature are actualized potentials of the One Cosmic Being. Thus, reflected throughout nature we can find the spiritual Essences or Qualities of God -- in diversified ways and in certain degrees of potential perfection. God, or the One Divine Being, can be found immanent in nature and pervading throughout all life, though this life expression of the Divine is continually evolving toward greater perfection, more perfect radiance, and harmony.

A Christma Fairy Wish

 

** Christmas Fairy Wish - A Poem ** 

-Author unknown 

There was once a little fairy 

That danced to and fro, 

She loved the cold winter nights 

and making toe prints on the snow. 

She loved the dark night sky 

And seeing her breath turn to mist, 

The moon shining down on her golden hair 

But there was something that she missed. 

She wanted so much to be a star 

A golden glowing light, 

To sit up high on an evergreen tree 

For someone's Christmas night. 

She flitted though the sky 

Going from window and door, 

Watching all the people inside 

Decorating from ceiling to floor. 

Then she came upon one house 

And it made her stay awhile, 

And what she saw inside that house 

Eventually made her smile. 

There was no holly and tinsel, 

There were no gifts to behold, 

But there was a tiny little tree 

They just brought in from the cold. 

They decorated it with popcorn 

and a colorful paper chain, 

and handmade silver angels 

and snow from the window pane. 

But after their tree was finished 

and the children were fast asleep, 

The one thing fairy noticed 

And it made her gently weep. 

There was no golden star on top 

There wasn't one for this tree, 

And it made the fairy very sad 

And she lost all of her glee. 

And just then Santa bent over 

And saw the little fairy's tear, 

He looked into the window 

And knew what would bring her cheer. 

He picked her up and granted her wish 

And set her on top of that tree, 

And in an instant she was glowing 

It was the perfect place to be. 

The tots came down to peek 

in the wee hours of the night, 

And there upon that tree of green 

Was a star shining ever so bright. 

From his sleigh up in the sky 

Santa watched this joyful sight, 

Sleep well little tots, and fairy, too, 

On this wonderful Christmas night

Yeah, My Best Friend Is A Dragon, So What?

"Gunther, you biscuit weevil! Have you never heard of fighting fair?"

"Perhaps. I think I have heard the term before, mayhap I read it in a book… what does it mean?"

"Do not smirk at me like that! You know exactly what I am talking about!"

It was sparring time in the practice yard. This meant that, as usual, Gunther and I were hurling insults at each other, the sound of wood hitting wood punctuating every word.

And, as usual, Gunther was cheating.

And, because of this cheating, he was winning.

…Once again, as usual.

"Ha! Beat you again!" Gunter exclaimed as he knocked me to the ground.

I brushed the dust off my leggings and stood, ignoring the slight pain in the leg I had landed on. "Because you cheated!" I said hotly. "Perhaps if you were following the rules, then I could actually beat you –"

"Jane, do not be ridiculous. Do you think, in a battle, that anyone would care who is playing fair?" Gunther snorted, leaning on his practice sword.

"Fine! I will cheat too, and we will see who wins!" I exclaimed, knowing just what Sir Theodore would have to say to this idea, but so irritated after spending the entire day with Gunther that I no longer cared.

We raised our wooden swords once more and began circling, little puffs of dust rising each time our feet hit the ground.

"I bet the first real fight you are in, your opponent will knock you down on the first blow," he taunted.

I gritted my teeth. "Please do not talk."

"Why? Does it distract you? Is it challenging for you to spar and talk at the –"

"No, it is your breath – I can smell it from over here," I snarled. It was a lie, but nevertheless it made Gunther swipe at me in exactly the way I wanted him to. Swinging my sword forward, I smacked his out of his hands and then placed the wooden tip against his throat, feeling supremely satisfied with myself.

"Dead," I said triumphantly, lowering my sword.

"Congratulations," Gunther spat. "Unfortunate, however, that in a real battle you would have died eight times before managing to kill me."

"Do not be a sore loser, Gunther," I said absently, wiping the sticky mixture of sweat and dust off my forehead. "I was not."

We both lifted our swords and headed to store them in the weapons shed, passing Dragon where he lounged on the castle wall.

"How was practice?" he called, opening one fiery orange eye to look down at us.

"Decent," I said, ignoring Gunther's snicker from in front of me. "How was your nap?"

"Was? Who says it is over yet?" He closed his eye and resumed snoring.

I grinned and shook my head, sticking my practice sword in the shed next to Gunther's.

"Maybe you should practice more, Jane," Gunther said, gesturing to the dummy. "We would not want you to die eight times in real battle, would we? "

I scowled at him, but removed my sword again and started to the dummy anyway.

"Maybe you should be less of a beef-brain, Gunther, and people would actually like you," I grumbled, smashing my sword into the dummy with a bit more force than a cloth figure really warranted.

"I heard that!" Gunther yelled.

"Good!" I shouted back, striking the dummy as hard as I could, again and again, until I was drenched with sweat and bits of fluff were coming out of the holes I had made.

...

"Oh, good. Supper. I am starving," I said, pulling the platter of fish towards me and scooping some onto my plate.

"We heard you at the dummy, today, Jane," Jester said, his mouth full of herring.

"Jester, would you please swallow your food before opening your mouth?" Pepper reproved lightly, shivering a little in the autumn breeze as she poured water for everyone.

"Yes, please," I smiled.

Jester swallowed very exaggeratedly before beginning to speak again. "Anyway, Jane, we heard you attacking that poor dummy. What were you so angry about?"

"Gunther was being aggravating, as always."

"Ah, Gunther," Jester said, as if that in itself were answer enough.

"What did he do?" Smithy asked, picking a tiny bone out of his fish and placing it on his napkin.

I shrugged. "He was cheating. He always wins."

"Hmm."

We returned to our food, and only when the plates were empty did the conversation resume.

"You should have unleashed the legendary redhead temper on him," Jester said, his hat jingling as he turned to look at me, his eyebrows waggling comically.

"And what exactly is this 'legendary redhead…' thing?" I asked dubiously as Pepper stacked the plates expertly and whisked them away.

"Do you not know what your red hair means?" he asked, his head tilted to the side, a smile quirking his lips.

I pinched a red lock between my thumb and forefinger, glancing from it to Jester. "No…"

"Well…" Jester leapt off the bench and gestured to me with an overdone flourish. "It means your head is on fire, of course."

I snorted, as did Rake and Smithy.

"It is true, fair lady! And, one day," Jester said, glancing at Rake, Smithy and I, leaning forward, and saying in an elaborate whisper, "It will get so hot it will explode."

"My head is going to explode?" I asked skeptically.

"Absolutely. And when it does, you get so mad about your head being exploded that you go out and kill whomever you are most angry with at that moment – so, bam, problem solved. No more Gunther," Jester said with a grin, crossing his arms.

"Huh."

"I swear it is true, Jane."

I snorted again. "Oh yes."

Jester shook his head, plopping down on the bench once more as Pepper brought out pastries for dessert. "You just do not have enough faith, Jane. Perhaps if you were more willing to believe…"

"Perhaps if I were more gullible…" I interrupted, finishing my pastry in three bites and licking the syrupy sugar off my fingers.

"Gullible could work as well," Jester grinned.

I shook my head at him, amused, before rising from the table with a yawn. "I think I will head up to bed. Fighting Gunther is such an ordeal."

Trudging up the stairs to my tower, I felt as if someone had placed lead weights in my shoes when my attention was elsewhere – how else could my feet possibly move so slowly? When I reached my door, I barely had the strength to push the heavy slab of wood open. I fell into bed without changing out of my clothes, my eyes instantly closing.

Despite my exhaustion, I had trouble falling asleep – I was thinking about how it was simply not fair that Gunther was stronger than me just because he was a boy and I was not.

Auther Unknown