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A Master Speaks by Benjamin Creme - A book review by Carmen Font The Poetics of Hierarchy It was the scientist Isaac Newton who warned in 1687 that the laws of motion and universal gravitation do not imply that the Universe is a machine, and in his Principia1 he wrote the famous statement that Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion . A similar constellation of heavenly and earthly matters is to be found in A Master Speaks, where each moves about and around in harmony and in response to a myriad of esoteric laws that affect our lives. The purveyor of this insight is not God, but a Master of the planet's spiritual Hierarchy, who gives this book its characteristic tone of perceptive revelation. A Master Speaks is a chronological compilation of the articles written by the Master through Benjamin Creme and published in Share International magazine since its inception in January 1982. This is what makes Share International such a unique publication, since it is the only one in the world to publish an article by a Master of Wisdom in each one of its issues. This sense of continuity and progression gradually builds up an 'insider look' into Hierarchy. We may ask half jokingly, who is our man in the Hierarchy ? In truth he is not an ordinary man, but a Master of Wisdom who is Benjamin Creme's Master. For many wise and necessary reasons, Benjamin Creme was requested not to reveal the identity of his Master with whom he was trained for many years during which time the telepathic contact in each direction was perfected. Hence He has come to be generally known as Benjamin Creme's Master . But more important than his name or any speculations about his identity is the long succession of impending insights which can only bear the seal of one of the Great Ones : a precise choice of words that remain with the reader, and a tone of loving urgency even in the most serious of subjects. Sometimes, the Master's sentences seem to go beyond the printed page and evoke vivid images in the mind of the reader. A Master in literature It is deceptive to assume that just as A Master Speaks is a compilation of articles arranged in chronological order (up to December 2003 in the last, third edition of the book), its contents would be random or too miscellaneous. When re-reading A Master Speaks from beginning to end, its manifold meanings become clear as well as its invisible thread and the caring manner with which the Master addresses us all. For readers have grown to recognize Benjamin Creme Master's voice, as he has also come to know us in the ways we react or fail to react to his words. This is perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of the relationship between the Master and us, humanity at large and, in particular, the readers who follow his articles every month. The Master provides in many respects an insider's look into Hierarchy. It is enlightening to learn how many articles are devoted to the plans of Maitreya and the Masters vis-a-vis humanity. In The Masters in the world (October 1984) we read that when the Masters establish Their presence in full view of the world, a great change will take place in the relationship existing between humanity and Them (p.59). One month later, in Co-workers with God the Master includes himself in the narrative: Happily for the world, man is not alone. Behind him stand, and have always stood, the Elder Brothers of the race, ready to succor Our ailing younger brethren when the call for help rises to Us (p.61). He takes especial care in underlining the many nuances of this collaboration, and these are always invigorating to look at for the promise they hold. We see this in The Knowers return (March 1985) since men will come to know the Masters of Wisdom as their friends and allies on the long path of evolution, as their guides and mentors in an expanding awareness of the Plan They serve, and as their guarantee of future, and like achievement (p.67). Thus the relationship between Hierarchy and Man is one of trust in the motives and capabilities of one another. The new man will demonstrate his allegiance says the same article to the truth that humanity is One, held together by the force of Love itself; by his tolerance and harmlessness, his correct relation to all the kingdoms (p.67-68). Judging from the present state of the world, one may doubt men's capacity for 'harmlessness', but the Masters are unambiguous in their trust in the bright future that awaits humanity. They do not offer any shallow commitments, but let us know that this promise is within our reach. When the Master explains in Initiation (May 1985) what the process of taking the first initiation in large numbers will entail for man, we are told that [Maitreya's] task will be to perform the esoteric practices and ceremonials connected with this ancient science and to reveal to the astonished eyes of the initiate the secrets hidden therein (p.72). What Maitreya performs today on the inner planes, He will do in groups who are ready to receive the 'fire of the rod' on the physical plane: Thus will be completed the task of the Christ - the outer manifestation of the Kingdom of God. Thus will He be enabled to contemplate His handiwork and be satisfied (p. 72). The beauty of these two statements lies not only in their meaning, that is, the physical plane manifestation of the Spiritual kingdom (made up of the Hierarchy and initiates), but also in their metaphorical language (His handiwork, His satisfaction at contemplating this). It is difficult for us to understand in what manner Maitreya, as the World Teacher and the Hierophant of the first two initiations, can register satisfaction . Our notion of satisfaction has surely little to do with that of a Master, and this is one of the many examples we encounter throughout the book of the limitations of words to convey the state of being of our Elder Brothers. Nevertheless, Benjamin Creme's Master is an adept in conjuring up the art of language to transmit a complete experience of Hierarchy: what is it to be a Master? Who is Maitreya? We know He is a Cosmic Avatar, the World Teacher, the Christ, the Lord of Love. The Master describes him too - after the Forces of Regeneration reap now the harvest of Their sowing - as a vast River of Truth is He, nurturing all who from these waters deeply drink. A Fountain of Love is He, enclosing all within His heart. An Avatar like none before is He, come to lead men into the realization that they, too, are Gods (p.139). The metaphors of 'abundant water' and the incantatory effect of these lines ( - is He) infuse a sense of vivid imagery and rhythm that capture the abundance of Maitreya's love towards humanity and His trust in our future achievements. His poetic voice is the reason why an article by the Master is never repetitive, even though he may have tackled and persisted with very similar subjects over the years. No rhetoric Readers of Share International often report that they eagerly look for the Master's Article first of all when they receive a new issue of the magazine. The news it contains, and the manner in which it is delivered, instills a sense of well-being in the reader. However, this is not mere rhetorical comfort. Every one of the Master's articles addresses a subject which is related in one way or another to a current topic: from the end of the Cold War to the effects of commercialization, the Gulf War, September 11, the stockmarket crash, tensions in the Middle East, poverty, illness, terrorism, ecology, the new millenium, or a scientific discovery. Every piece is a capsule of wisdom. Very often, an article from the Master has inspired sections in Share International or has triggered further discussion in the form of an extended article (or even a book) by Benjamin Creme, such as The Great Approach, The call to service, Co-operation, The age of miracles has no end, Unity or The voice of the people. A common feature of the Master's more recent articles is His description of the ways in which Hierarchy views the state of the world. In Welcome to the Feast (June 1996), he takes stock of the cry of humanity for freedom and dignity. Behind this cry for freedom stands Maitreya and His group. For long have They sought to stimulate this demand, awakening men to the necessity of individual freedom, without which the greatest achievements are as naught (p.293). The acts of man in favour of peace and justice, in the form of 'people power' or specific actions in the economic and social field, have not gone unnoticed by Hierarchy. In December 2001, when the world was still shaking from the events of September 11, the Master acknowledged the suffering of many as much as the spirit of reconciliation that such an experience could bring. In a very moving article entitled The entry of Maitreya, the Master focused on Maitreya's covenant with humanity beyond any entreaty: Only a being of His immeasurable wisdom could accept such a burden. Only someone of His incomparable courage could undertake such a task. Out of the anarchic conditions of the present must He construct the new and better order. Out of the agony of millions must He fashion a new world. Who is there to help Him in His work of salvage? Who would rally to His cause and aid their brothers and sisters? (p.403) Since our Elder Brothers excel in love, their empathy towards our current state is instructive for the reader: Each Master is a man but has long outgrown the human state of consciousness with its limitations and illusions. They understand well the suffering which these limitations and illusions confer on men, and seek in every way to alleviate their lot. They, too, in Their long sojourn on the Path as simple men, knew well and keenly felt that selfsame anguish (The Masters emerge, p.303). This is no easy commiserating on the part of our Elder Brothers, but a full realization of humanity's trials. Devoid of drama or sensationalism, the truth of men's miseries, struggles and grace comes often to the fore. No issue is too insignificant, or too transcendent, to escape the attention of the Masters. If it affects humanity's wellbeing and the Plan of Evolution for this planet, it becomes a subject of poetical elaboration for Benjamin Creme's Master. It is no coincidence that the first article of A Master Speaks, published in January 1982 with the title A New Age concept of time, deals with a much needed radical transformation in the way we understand time: When man approaches life from the inner, creative standpoint, Time will lose its hold over our minds and thus free us from its tyranny. All of this requires a new assessment of man's place in the Universe and the establishment of a true rapport with the Source of Being (p.1). Thus readers can have a firm grasp of the movement in all the spheres of men's endeavour, in the laws of gravity governing Hierarchy and Humanity, and in the long constellation of challenges and achievements that beckon in our celestial dome - and of which Man is its brightest star. Biographical Note: Carmen Font is a writer and academic based in Barcelona, Spain.
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