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The Shamballa Letter
VOLUME 13, Number 30 July 26, 1991
My Beloved Co-servers in the Light,
As I told you previously, the Great Teton Retreat is open to the chelas all year. There is always activity going on there. It is vast in size, and there are many classrooms in which members of the Brotherhood teach those who come for instruction. You might be surprised to know that, no matter what other Retreat of the Ascended Masters is open to our chelas in a given month, there are nearly always some nights in which you are present at the Teton Retreat for some special instruction and training. Perhaps I will have opportunity to tell you more about this in the near future. For now, we are especially interested in the Great Council Chamber, and the seven Chambers which surround the main room.
In the two weeks which precede the meetings of the Karmic Board in June and December, the activity is stepped up a great deal. The Chohans, in particular, finalize the petitions that they wish to present, and see that they are given into the care of the Angel of the Scrolls.
The position of "Angel of the Scrolls" is an honorary one, and it is filled each year by a different member of the Angelic Kingdom, whose service has qualified him, or her, for that position. It is an honor, as I have said, for that Being must be able to advise and direct all the interested members of the human kingdom who will come to examine the petitions of the Great Ones, or present their own. As you can understand, it is a position which calls for superior development, and also, merit of service, and depth of love for all concerned. Each year, it is fulfilled by a different Angel, who then serves for both sessions at which petitions will be presented.
When you arrive, you are met by this Being of Light, who receives your petition, and examines it. All this is accomplished as an activity of Light. That is to say, it is not possible to describe this procedure in terms to which you are normally accustomed. You must understand that - if you can imagine such an exalted Being of Light as the Angel who greets you, that you will not recall actually handing him your petition. Rather, you will feel his great love envelop you, and his instructions will enter your consciousness, acting as a guiding force, which will direct you to the place where you must go. Feeling yourself surrounded by the love of the Angel of the Scrolls, your next awareness will be that of standing in a beautiful, softly lit corridor, which surrounds the Great Council Chamber in the Center of the Temple.
Take a few moments, and ask to remember at least some part of that which I describe. I will project my power of remembrance into your consciousness to assist you. So many times you have stood here, in this very place, with your hearts filled with love, desiring to help your Earth in some real and tangible way. So many times you have looked upon the countenance of the Angel of the Scrolls, hardly able to bear his Light, and feeling yourself filled with the heights and depths of his profound Love, found yourself in the exact place where you needed to be.
Having prepared a petition, you need to go to the Chamber assigned to the Ray to which your petition naturally belongs. It will be one of the seven beautiful chambers surrounding the main Council Room. These chambers open off the corridor which encircles the great Council Room, starting with the one assigned to the First Ray. It is located to the left of the main entrance to this complex. If you continue walking along that corridor in a clockwise direction, you will see the chambers assigned to the other Rays, also opening off the same corridor, one after another. Finally, you will see the doorway to the chamber assigned to the Seventh Ray, having come full circle in a clockwise direction from your starting point at the main entrance.
Often, after your encounter with the Angel of the Scrolls, you will simply find yourself standing at the entrance to the chamber belonging to the Ray with which you have connected through your petition. In any case, you are free to wander through this corridor, if you so desire. There are entrances opening off the other side of it, as well, which lead into the Main Council Chamber. However, except when there is some activity taking place in that Chamber, those entrances are sealed to visitors. All business concerning the petitions is usually handled in the Chambers belonging to the individual Rays, prior to the evening of the Council Meeting.
Within the environments of the Temples and Retreats, the source of the Light is not visible. Light is just there, and whenever a particular entrance, room, or work of art, needs to become visible to a visitor, the Light is simply intensified in the area required, so that their attention is called to it. It is as though the Light draws the attention to whatever is needed by those who visit, or who need to study there. No one ever feels 'lost', or wonders where he needs to go, because the way is always made clear by the activity of the Light. Consequently, even if an entrance to the Council Chamber needs to be sealed, it may appear as a painting, or a beautiful display of some kind, rather than as a closed doorway, or a blank wall.
The Flame within the great Council Chamber is always attended by members of the Brotherhood, even when the auditorium is sealed from visitors. At such times, the Flame may be seen in a mystical way, and its radiation will still give a visitor the benefit of Its quality to assist him.
The entrances to the smaller Council Chambers are quite beautiful. The most striking feature to be seen from the corridor, are the tapestries with which the entrances are covered. When covering the entrances, they appear as twin tapestries of unusual designs and colors, but not depicting any specific scene or portrait. However, when opened from the center, each tapestry is pushed to one side of the entrance, and the folds reveal the portraits of the Archangel and the Archaii of that Ray. They seem to have a radiance and life of their own, as though those Great Beings were standing guard at the Temple entrance in person.
Each Sanctuary is circular in form, with seats placed around the perimeter in such a way, that the circular altar in the center, upon which the Sacred Flame blazes, is visible to all who may be seated within the room.
Having entered and taken a seat, a visitor may meditate upon the Flame on the Altar until his heart is satisfied. There is always a member of the Brotherhood of the Chohan of the Ray in attendance, both to sustain the Flame, and to counsel with the visitors who come. There are sessions at which the Chohan may be present, to speak to the students who assemble for a particular purpose. The petitions, of course, are one of the primary reasons for assemblies and discussions. This is where the Chohans speak to those of their chelas who have displayed a particular interest in his or her plans for the coming months. At those sessions, information is given, questions may be asked and answered, and in general, discussion may be had as to the ways and means of working out the petitions of the Chohan. Often, the ideas and inspirations that come to you regarding your personal petitions and plans are a 'reflection' of such meetings, and this is one of the reasons why so many of your personal petitions are - in reality - a connection with the plans of the Chohans, or other great Beings of Light, who may also present petitions.
Anyone may present a petition, because, as it has been explained to the student body by Master El Morya, the members of the Great White Brotherhood are both interested and respectful of the ideas and plans of their unascended brothers and sisters upon the Earth. This fact is profoundly significant to help you understand the true reverence for life that is taught to you over, and over, and over again. If you will take this very moment to realize that these exalted Beings of Light, who have demonstrated their mastery over God-energies in so many ways, with such total dedication, pay such respect to each one of you, you would truly understand true reverence, humility, love, and joy of service. I have no words which can adequately express this, but if you will ponder this information, you will not require My words to describe it. It will be revealed to you by the Holy Christ Presence within your own hearts, and will never be forgotten.
I trust that the descriptions I have shared with you will open your hearts and minds more fully to the mighty Teton Retreat, and the tremendous illumination available to you there at all times. Over many years, we have spent a great deal of time together there!
Your Brother of Love and Light,
John, the Beloved