Ray IV The Ray of Harmony

Ray IV The Ray of Harmony Through Conflict
Some Strengths Characteristic of Those upon the Fourth Ray

Facility for bringing harmony out of conflict
Capacity to grow spiritually and psychologically through constant struggle and crisis
Capacity to reconcile
Facility for achieving "at-one-ment"
Facility for compromise, mediation and bridging
Capacity for creative living through skill-in-action
Love of beauty and the capacity to create or express it
Refinement of artistic and aesthetic sensibilities
Strong imagination and intuition
Love of color
Strong sense of drama
Ability to amuse, delight and entertain
Musicality
Literary abilities via creative imagination
Spontaneity and improvisation
Fighting spirit
Ability to make peace

Facility for bringing harmony out of conflict:

 The name of the fourth ray is the "Ray of Harmony Through Conflict." It is, perhaps, the most unusual name attached to any of the rays, and describes in a wonderfully clear way the psychospiritual process most characteristic of individuals upon the fourth ray.
We are not here dealing with the process of conflict alone. All members of the human kingdom are more or less constantly embroiled in conflict. Humanity, itself, is a kingdom of nature which, according to the Ageless Wisdom Teaching, suffers more conflict that any other kingdom. In addition, life on Earth is a process of constant conflict, constant pulls and counter pulls. The symbol for the Earth is an even-armed

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cross enclosed within a circle. The cross, from one point of view, is a symbol of the agony of conflict—the cross-pulls, and cross-purposes that tear at the integrity of any living being and make it suffer.
When considering the lives of most highly evolved people, and spiritual aspirants and disciples, conflict is constantly to be seen. Each of the energy fields within the human personality is inclined to assert itself and struggle against the other fields. At a certain point in evolution, the soul field itself comes into mortal combat with the combined personality fields. This struggle in unavoidable no matter what the rays of the individual involved. So conflict is ubiquitous in humanity, and is not found exclusively in the lives of those upon the fourth ray, though it is found very prominently in the lives of such people.
Conflict is an antagonism of energies, the mutual interference of two or more energies. The word "conflict" is derived from the Latin word "conflictus," which is defined as "the act of striking together." Conflict depends upon the interaction of two (at the very least), and upon the hostile, repellent, discordant relationship between the two. In a conflict, each element tries to preserve its own particular structure or integrity without any accommodation or modification. Without mutual modification of structure or energy, the two will remain discordant, mutually disruptive, destructively strikingagainst one another.
The fourth ray harmonizing process calls for mutual attuning, for a give-and-take which modifies the energy structure of each combatant (be the combatant a person or a thing) so that contact becomes less abrasive and discordant. Two entities in conflict mustchange if they are to "get along." They must each adjust in certain respects (modulating their energies) so that contact does not become a clash.
Fourth ray people are both intent upon harmony, and extraordinarily aware of conflict. At times they may seem to enjoy the exhilaration of conflict for its own sake, but the true fourth ray person is not content to stay within a conflicted situation without moving towards resolution and reconciliation. The classical fourth ray conflict is different from conflicts of those upon some of the other rays (rays one and six, most notably), in that the individual conditioned by the fourth ray does not particularly aim at the defeat or overcoming of the 'opponent,' but rather at harmonizing, "at-one-ing," or reconcili­ation with the opponent. The ray four approach sees value in all the conflicting parties and does not seek to stamp out or annihilate certain of them, as those upon the first and sixth rays might tend to do. Even if the present form or state of manifestation of certain combatants or opponents is seen to be negative, their essence and energy are seen as positive, salvageable and capable of transformation.
What is most important is that the fourth ray combatant is not willing to cut himself offfrom his opponent. Whether the battle is external or internal, the warrior upon the fourth ray considers that, by some means, allmust win, just as all must, in some respect,


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lose. There is no severing action. Even when a seeming victory of one combatant does occur, it is immediately followed by the elevation of the best attributes of the van­quished combatant, so that that combatant too may participate in the larger victory.
The achievement of harmony, thus, is never an easy, straightforward matter, because many conflicting factors have to be mutually attuned. This can be a laborious and time-consuming process which, at times, seems to produce even more conflict than original­ly existed. For instance, people working vigorously to harmonize their personal relationships may get into quite a number of fights as various personal issues are raised for discussion. But the motive is harmony and peace, and eventually, the clashes along the way are worked through and adjusted.
Fourth ray people have an extraordinary facility for finding ways to transform conflict­ed situations into harmonious ones. A considerable amount of skill and intelligence of a mediatory kind are required for success in this delicate art. Also, a fine sense of beautyis required. Unresolved conflict is, essentially, ugliness. Esoterically, conflict has a "sound" and that sound is discordant. Harmony, on the other hand, is a key ingredient in beauty. The fourth ray is also called the "Ray of Harmony, Beauty and Art." Fourth ray people not only bring harmony out of conflict, but they bring beauty out of ugliness, as well.
Capacity to grow spiritually and psychologically through constant struggle and crisis: Struggle and crisis always represent opportunity if they are properly seized. This is true regardless of an individual's ray structure. But for fourth ray people, struggles and crises seem almost a precondition of growth.
If ray four people are not in a crisis, they almost feel inclined to generate one. This is because the principle of 'the value of opposition' is so deeply ingrained in their psyches. People strongly on the fourth ray crave the completeness (the well-roundedness) that can only come from the experience of wrestling with the "pairs of opposites." One generates a crisis by bringing conflicting energies inescapably together. Conditions, then, can no longer continue as they were before the engagement of energies, and the issue is forced.
Before reaching an important decision, fourth ray people feel almost obliged to pass through a period of struggle (and even crisis). For instance, even when inclined to choose a given alternative, they will often give "equal time" to the consideration of the opposite alternative, allowing the struggle between the alternatives to proceed regard­less of stress and strain. Thus, they subject themselves fully to the tearing process generated by entertaining competing alternatives. Perhaps it is their conviction that each opposing energy in a crisis has something vital to offer, and that the pain of being torn must be undergone if the value which each energy contributes is to be experientiallyunderstood. This draws attention to the idea that ray four people are not content to confront an issue with the mind alone, but must invest themselves experientially if they
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are to come to terms with the issue. They wish to participate fully in the drama of thecrisis.
Developed fourth ray people always benefit from struggle—intelligently waged. The result of a full and agonizing investment of self in the crisis process is a conviction of the depth and value of the results. All aspects of the individual become involved in the outcome, and when decision is reached, it is a decision that involves all levels of the being, the "high" as well as the "low." Growth results because the crisis has beenthorough. There are no lurking parts of the energy system which have remained unexposed to the clash of opposites. All aspects of the person have had to experience the refining fire of friction. All parts have been tried and put to the test. Thus, authentic psychological and spiritual growth result—not the illusory progress which occurs when the eager mind and ardent aspiration move far ahead of stubbornly resistant emotions, and firmly entrenched physical habits. The fourth ray method of growth might be called progress through 'evocation of the opposites.'
The fourth ray is particularly related to the field of psychology. The resolution of psychological conflicts plays a crucial role in the preservation of what is usually called "mental health," but it is equally related to physical, emotional and spiritual health as well. There must be a harmonious fusion of conflicting forces within all aspects of the personality, or the energy of the Transpersonal Self (the Soul) cannot flow freely through.
Growth is largely the result of increasing contact with the soul, and the increasing flow of soul energy through all aspects of the personality. What we usually mean by personal growth, is that higher energies are becoming increasingly available for personal use, and that the personality uses them wisely (according to soul intent). But just as global conflicts wastefully consume vast quantities of energy which could be mobilized for human betterment, psychological conflicts do the same within the personal psyche. The fourth ray is the energy ideally suited to skillfully and intelligently resolve these conflicts so they do not absorb energy which is meant to direct the individual forward along the spiritual Path. Harmony allows for the constructive channeling of transpersonal energy with the personality; thus the process of ' intra-psychic harmonization promotes spiritual growth. Crisis is nothing more than the presentation of crucial moments calling for focused application of the harmonizing process.
Capacity to reconcile: The following injunction to those upon the fourth ray is taken from the Old Commentary, and is found in Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 37: "Rise up and reconcile the armies of the Lord." The meaning of "reconcile" is "to restore friendship and harmony." There is a profound esoteric hint here in the prefix "re." Reconciliation is not simply a matter of establishing friendship and harmony, but, rather, a matter of restoring what previously existed. This fourth ray view of reconcil­iation reveals the strong conviction that combatants (despite appearances to the contrary) are essentially and deeply related—brothers and sisters. This is the seed of a
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future possible harmony, planted even before the battle has been waged. If the deep, 'spiritually familial' relationships of the combatants can be clearly realized, the warring parties can eventually be reconciled to each other and harmony restored.
The 'members' of the human energy system (i.e., the personality fields) also war with each other, and yet they all derive from the same source, the same 'parent,' i.e., the three permanent atoms within the "causal body." Similarly, brothers and sisters within the same family are often combatants (sibling rivalry), and yet their biological, parental source is the same. Further, all human beings who struggle against one another, are, nevertheless, members of one spiritual family, the true home of which is the kingdom of souls, and even kingdoms above. It is the deeply ingrained memory (surfacing, occasionally into present experience) of identical spiritual roots upon the higher planes (a condition in which all abided in harmony, unity and oneness) which makes it possible to create (or rather, restore) the same conditions in the lower worlds.
The hint as to how this can be done is also given. That which combatants have in common must be emphasized. That within them which is identical (and not opposed) must be emphasized. Then, the outer warfare can cease because of a realized inner unity.
The Old Commentary reveals that once reconciliation has been accomplished, the thought that there are two armies is discovered to be simply an illusion. There is but one army, and there is but one victory:
There is no battle. Force the conflict to subside; send for the invocation for the peace of all; form out of two, one army of the Lord; let victory crown the efforts of the blessed one by harmonizing all. Peace lies behind the warring energies. Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 37.
This is the ultimate "win-win" situation, the victory of both. Any victory of just one side or the other would have been a defeat even for the side that won, because a part of itself would have been cut off in the defeat of its 'opponent' (i.e., its complementary opposite).
Facility for achieving at-one-ment: Fourth ray energy is, par excellence, the "at-one-ing" energy. At-one-ment is not atonement, with its connotations of guilt, supplication and penance. At-one-ment is a process of fusion fostered through the harmonious adjustment of all elements within a whole. The fourth ray is one of the rays of synthesis; the others are rays one, two, seven (and under certain conditions, ray three). The fourth ray is a whole-making energy. This is, perhaps, the main reason why a victorious combatant in a fourth ray victory never cuts himself off from that which is defeated, but rather, includes the defeated aspect within the whole. In fourth ray whole-making or 'one-making,' all opposing elements are included: the high and the low, the inside and the outside, the good and the 'bad,' spirit and matter, etc.; all the many dualities have their place. There could be no oneness or at-one-ing without them all.
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Advanced individuals upon the fourth ray are inclusive, just as those upon the second ray, but they are far more active in making the adjustments which will harmonize and blend all elements within a whole. A second ray unification comes about primarily through the energy of love; a first ray synthesis is brought about through the energy of will, and what might be called seventh ray 'synthesis-in-manifestation' is achieved through organization. A fourth ray at-one-ment results from the use of attuning and mutual adjustment in order to eliminate the fractures and fissures of dissonance. Once dissonance is eliminated throughout the whole, there is no obstacle to at-one-ment; a harmonious fusion occurs naturally.
At-one-ment involves the synthesizing of the diverse elements within any whole, without the loss of their diversity. This is quite different from the standardization (created by the abuse of first and seventh ray energy). Although standardization may pass for synthesis, unification or at-one-ment, it is not. Developed fourth ray people are adept at helping all members of any group or whole adjust to each other, and (while still preserving their individuality) make those little accommodations which eliminate the frictions which cause fragmentation and prevent at-one-ment.
Facility for compromise, mediation and bridging: Fourth ray people are found "in the middle." From a position between the many pairs of opposites, they can work best at bringing people together. The fourth ray has sometimes been called "The Divine Intermediary." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, p. 71) A mediator or intermediary always operates from a position between opposing forces, going back and forth between parties which must be related (or reconciled) to each other. Fourth ray people, thus, are natural "go-betweens." They do not so much hold a stable or fixed position (at least not until they have learned with pain and effort to do so), but, rather, oscillate between two parties until the parties can be brought together in a stable and balanced manner. Thus, ray four people may think of themselves as being bridges or channels of communication, through the instrumentality of which separated parties can meet, adjust their differenc­es, and cooperate with each other.
The mediator sees both sides. His purpose is to produce in uncooperative people the possibility of working together. Because he contains a vision of the value of bothpoints of view, he is able to encourage two polarized parties to see at least some value in the other's point of view. The fourth ray mediator's acute sense of harmony and dissonance detects those areas in the "stance" of each party where some "give" or modification is possible, and, as well, those areas which are completely unnegotiable. In this process the fourth ray person is, uniquely, a facilitator—one who makes communication and interaction easier, more flowing, or, even, possible. He becomes the means through which people can begin "talking to each other" and continue doing so in a productive way.
One of the foremost abilities of a skillful mediator is a mastery of the art of compromise. Of the fourth ray type, the Tibetan has said: "They are those who bring about a
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'righteous compromise' and adapt the new and the old so that the true pattern is preserved." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 143) Compromise, in one respect, is the antithesis of rigid, self-righteous certainty. It reflects the willingness to concede that the part is not the whole, and no personal attitude or stance is unconditionally, unequiv­ocally 'correct.'
Compromise is also eminently practical. Fourth ray people always have to compro­mise—within themselves and with circumstances. Their individual energy system is the meeting place (or, more accurately, the battle ground) for many contesting forces, each of which has a 'right' to assert its own nature. A fourth ray mantram (phrased colloquially) might be: "I can't have it all my way." They realize from bitter experience that when one pulls too far in one specific direction at the expense of values to be found in the opposite direction, a "cleavage" results. They know, without having to be told, that "half a loaf is better than no loaf at all."
This facility for compromise helps fourth ray people preserve the integrity of any whole with which they may be affiliated. Integrity is a form of union; unity can only be maintained when each member of a whole feels that it is possible to be a part of the whole and still be oneself. However, if everyone attempts a complete assertion of the personal self, 'collisions' and conflicts inevitably arise. Fourth ray people—compromising, facilitating, mediating—help take some of the rough edges off the assertive personal selves within any group or whole by skillfully arranging for harmonizing concessions. Their theme is, "You can assert this, but you'll have to compromise on that; you can have some, but you can't have it all." It can be seen, therefore, that righteous compromise (which respects the rights of all persons within a whole) is really an instrument for the promotion of soul consciousness, for in soul consciousness the welfare of the group and all its members becomes paramount. Those who are soul conscious work for the "greatest good of the greatest number."
It can be seen, then, that developed fourth ray individuals provide (or actually become)bridges of relationship by means of which the integrity of any whole is preserved. Fourth ray people might be called 'the reconciling links between group elements of divergent quality.' A bridge is solidly anchored upon both sides of the gulf it spans.Bridging people have to have the proverbial "foot in both worlds," and are, in a sense, "members of both camps." As the classical moderates, they are in a peculiarly vulnerable position. During war, they are condemned by both warring parties. One of the well-established practices of war is the destruction of all bridges in order to disrupt communications and produce fragmentation. Moderates are frequently the first targets of extremists, because their elimination heightens polarization and intensifies hostilities. To be a bridge is to be on the cross. "Bridgers" must always live at a point of tension; a lax bridge is no bridge at all. This tension is a form of alertness, the awareness of what to say and what to do to keep communication and interchange flowing. Bridging is a dynamic activity and



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requires all the power of instantaneous, harmonious adjustment of which developed fourth ray individuals are capable.
Capacity for creative living through skill-in-action: Ray four is so often associated with creative art that it is well to remember that, according to the Tibetan, "the artist is found on all the rays." On p. 201 of Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I,we find this important quotation:
.. skill in action.. is the true significance of the subsidiary names of this ray, called frequently the Ray of Art or Beauty. It is the ray of creative living, and not creative art. Creative living produces beauty and harmony in the outer life, so that others can see the achievement.
The individual who lives creatively becomes the artist of his life. Such people recognize and evoke beauty in their environment and interpersonal relations. They consecrate their highly developed imaginations to the art of living beautifully.
In a beautiful composition (expressed through any of the arts) all aspects of the composition are mutually enhancing and completely integral to the whole. Every aspectfits, though the fit may be subtle; every aspect belongs. Life circumstances and human relationships are rarely so beautiful; ugliness, discordance, dissonance and antagonism are far more frequently found than beauty. Though the debate about whether art imitates life or life imitates art has long raged, there are few circumstances in actuality which have the beauty and artistic integrity of a deliberately created work of art.
The gift of transforming life into art belongs to developed individuals upon the fourth ray. They can mix (since ray four is called "the Mix" or "the Mixer") the many aspects of their experience together in such a way that right relationship is established between the aspects. They understand color, proportion, complementarity and contrast, and they apply these sensitivities to life situations and interpersonal relationships. The result of their handiwork is the creation of beautiful experiences.
What makes a beautiful experience? Is it not the mutually enhancing rightness of all aspects of the experience? Is it not the absence of jarring notes, of events which mar the context in which they occur? In a beautiful experience, all things happen as they should, all events blend into one another and are part of the same composition. There is a rightness and an appropriateness to anything that happens. It takes great "skill-in­action" to render experiences beautiful. Beauty is marred by discord, and the 'non-fittingness' of related events. A beautified experience occurs when all events flow naturally and harmoniously into one another.
Creating an arrangement of static beauty (such as a flower arrangement, or a table setting) is easier than what might be called 'the art of spontaneous beautification in the flow of time.' In the first instance the creator can choose the elements which will combine to create beauty; there is control. In the second instance, there is always
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uncertainty, because there is no control over what will happen from moment to moment in various interpersonal and environmental contexts. An exquisite alertness and awareness of the moment-to-moment context is required if the aura of beauty is to be preserved. Beauty is of the soul, and the soul cannot express when it is obscured by friction. Skill-in-action requires the alert neutralization of soul-obscuring frictions.
Sometimes elements of real ugliness contribute to the creation of beauty; it all depends upon how the 'ugly' element is related to a particular context. Advanced fourth ray people are not given to promoting a saccharine, superficial harmony. Life is filled with many sad and terrible things—events which are maximally discordant and disruptive. But if such events are integrated into the soul's pattern of growth; if spiritual values are extracted from moments of dissonance, darkness and despair, then an overall harmony will be perceived, and spiritual beauty created. The Divine Drama is beautiful for all its terror.
Those who are exemplars of the fourth ray kind of skill-in-action know how to confront what is terrible and turn it into a transformational accent (considering the term "accent" as it is used in the visual arts). In great music, the most unpleasant dissonances can become beautiful if they are properly resolved. Those who have skill-in-action know how to utilize dissonance, and then apply the principle of dissonance resolution to the beautification of experience, thus becoming adept in the art of creative living.
Love of beauty and the capacity to create or express it: Though there are many fourth ray people whose attention is given to the art of creative living rather than to creative art, per se, the entire concept of beauty is indispensable to those who are strongly upon the fourth ray. The fourth ray is, after all, the "Ray of Harmony, Beauty and Art."
Beauty has to do with the proper, aesthetic relationship between compositional ele­ments within any whole, whether those elements are colors, sounds, movements, things, people or events. Beauty has to do with a fittingness based upon an exactitude of adjustment, a fine-tuning of all related elements. Interestingly, the fourth ray is called the "Ray of Mathematical Exactitude. " Without the most refined kind of understanding of (or intuition for) the mathematics of interrelated vibrations, there could be no fine-tuning or harmonizing of compositional elements.
Beauty usually cannot be achieved without a certain preliminary frictional interplay. This is analogous to the psychological tension and strain experienced by the creative artist at the outset of the creative process, as well as during the stage of refining and polishing creative ideas. Pain and beauty are closely allied. Beauty is born out of pain and purchased with psychological agony. Fourth ray people are not only those who are most sensitive to beauty, but those for whom pain and suffering are constant life themes. They actually experience pain in the presence of ugly, inharmonious patterns, and are determined to transform them into something more beautiful.



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In a beautiful pattern, composition or constellation of elements, no one element can be accentuated to the detriment of another. One element may, indeed, be more important and prominent than another, but no element will "set-off” another element disadvan-tageously, otherwise there would occur an unresolvable dissonance, a constant discord or permanent friction which would mar the harmony of the whole. Beauty is necessarily related to harmony and to the reconciliation of all compositional elements. The achievement of true beauty is extremely exacting, and even though the usual ray four individual may be rather careless or inaccurate in the presentation of objective facts, when attempting to achieve beauty, he will perform the most minute and exacting adjustments if they are required to achieve the aesthetically-rightrelationship between compositional elements. In the deepest sense, right relationship is beauty.
Capacity to create and/or express beauty: There are seven factors or "Rules for Inducing Soul Control" described in Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, pp. 231-256. The full name of the fourth rule is "the urge to creative life, through the divine faculty of imagination." The Tibetan states that "this urge is, as can easily be seen, closely connected with the fourth Ray of Harmony, producing unity and beauty, won through conflict."
Advanced fourth ray individuals are definitely creative and expressive workers. They sense the "world of meaning" and seek to intuit those forms which will promote the revelation and expression of that meaning in the lower worlds. By an act of extremely focused alignment, and exquisite tension, the fourth ray worker seeks to become inspired by the meaning which must be expressed, and aware of the form which will be optimally expressive of that meaning.
Those upon the decidedly mental rays attempt to explain the world of meaning in words. Those upon the fourth ray are not so likely to explain meaning as to embody it in some symbolic form. The entire world of forms consists of embodiments (adequate or inadequate) of a world of higher realities (a world of specifically configured energy patterns) which we call the "world of meaning."
With the most demanding kind of exactitude, creative workers on the fourth ray strive for (in the words of the Tibetan):
1. A close adaptation of the form to the significant factors which have broughtit into being on the outer plane.
2. The production of a truer beauty in the world and, therefore, a closerapproximation in the world of created forms to the inner emerging truth.
Fourth ray creativity is not so much based upon the power to create a diversity of novel combinations and approaches (as is the case with resourceful third ray creators), as upon the power to be impressed with the most beautiful way to embody divine ideas or divine energy in form. The expression will be beautiful to the extent that the embodying



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form conveys the energy quality of the divine idea which the creative artist is seeking to express.
To be sure, there are many fourth ray workers creating and expressing beauty who have little to do with the attempt to express divinity beautifully. The usual themes of human living are quite sufficient to engage their creativity, and much of beauty is, indeed, conveyed. The general key to the fourth ray process is a constant delight in beauty, and the attempt to beautify and render creative all forms of self-expression.
Refinement of artistic and aesthetic sensibilities: The word "aesthetic" derives from the Greek word "aesthetikos" which means "of sense perception." The related word "aisthanesthai" means "to perceive." It would seem that those with refined artistic and aesthetic sensibilities are gifted with a refined sense of perception. They see with a clarity and a sensitivity which is distinctly more acute than that of the average individual.
The "Beautiful" surrounds us always; it is simply not perceived by the majority. Sensitivity to gradations of color and texture, sensitivity to subtle distinctions in sound and aroma—these are variations which only a highly refined nervous system can detect. Beautifying is an exacting process; harmonizing is exacting; the most minute changes and adjustments have to be executed to bring together various constituents in a way which reveals the harmony in beauty and the beauty in harmony. Advanced people strongly influenced by the fourth ray possess the necessary refinement of sensibility to appreciate and create the beautiful. They cannot tolerate anything crude, and they will be responsive to the slightest nuance or change of 'compositional quality' in the environment.
Strong imagination and intuition: Those upon the 2-4-6 line of energy are particularly sensitive to image, and are also particularly intuitive. Image and intuition are closely related; image, frequently, is the vehicle for intuition, just as the higher kinds of dreams (which are revelatory sequences of images) are communications from the level of soul. The fourth ray, it seems, is peculiarly attuned to image, and the presence of a strong fourth ray in an individual's energy system will usually confer a strong imagination and a tendency to think in visual images.
The old adage tells us that "a picture is worth a thousand words." An intuition, too, is worth a thousand words. An image conveys an idea all at once, whereas words present ideas in a more fragmented, time-bound fashion. Similarly, one "gets the picture" all at once, but one must "hear a person out" in order to understand the completeness of what he or she is saying. The intuition, too, functions in a simultaneous, all-at-once manner. Through the intuition, an entire idea is conveyed, rather than a quantity of related thoughts which, in combination, "add up to" the expression of that idea (and inadequately at that).
It is said of those upon the fourth ray:



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They are engaged with the bridging process, for they are the true intuitives[emphasis, MDR] and have a capacity for the art of synthesis so that their work most definitely can help in bringing forward a true presentation of the divine picture. Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 143.
Note the association of intuition, synthesis and the divine picture. The wise exercise of the "picturing faculty" should especially be cultivated by those strongly upon the fourth ray, because it stimulates the relationship between the descending intuition (the pure idea) and the image appropriate to embody that intuition. Fourth ray people have an unusually expressive imagination, and are constantly running what might be called the 'intuitive shuttle' between the realm of ideas and the expression of those ideas in image. Although all people have (and certainly can cultivate) intuition and imagination, this process of interplay between idea and image (especially when it is frequent, and when much attention is given to it) is one of the key signatures of the fourth ray.
Love of color: In one of his most descriptive statements regarding the qualities of the fourth ray the Tibetan informs us:
It is pre-eminently the ray of colour, of the artist whose colour is always great, though his drawing may be defective...The fourth ray man always loves colour, and can generally produce it. If untrained as an artist, a colour sense is sure to appear in other ways, in choice of dress or decorations. Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, pp.207-208
Nothing could be clearer than this: a vital involvement with color (can we say, almost invariably?) indicates the presence of a strong fourth ray. We can accept the Tibetan's statements about color quite literally, for experience has shown them to be quite literally true. But we can also look more deeply and abstractly into the concept of colorto understand it in a more general sense.
Upon careful reflection it seems that color is actually a special case of the principle of contrast. Color exists because of contrasting qualities, contrasting frequencies of vibration. Color might be considered another name for 'the visual appearance of contrasting qualities which result from differentiated frequencies.'
Color in the frequency range of visible light is color, "pure and simple." Color in the domain of sound is musical pitch. A feeling for patterns of color and a feeling for melody are analogous. The pattern of changing musical notes which yields melody, and the pattern of changing frequencies of light which yields colorful configurations both depend upon the ordered juxtaposition of contrasting vibrational frequencies withinthe medium concerned, whether sound or light. Ray four, then, even more than the 'ray of color,' is the 'ray of contrasts'—hence its strong relation to drama (for all drama is built upon a sequence of strong psychological contrasts: the stronger the contrasts, the more "dramatic" the drama.



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Therefore, when thinking of the relationship between color and the ray four process, we must broaden our conception, and recognize many modes of color: color in light, color in sound, color in speech (i.e., "colorful speech"), color in music (as many musicians are known as "colorists" or "tone painters") and even color in movement (which would be the dramatically contrasting movements of those who express through the dance— though, of course, the seventh ray is also usually necessary for the creation or perfor­mance of dance).
It is important to consider color in this deeper way, because there seem to be many "colorful" ray four individuals, who do not express color in a literal, visual way. Many great musicians, who are probably evolving along the line of the fourth ray on the soul level, often do not express a great sense of visual color though great color is found in their music. When thinking of the great bards and poets, whose lives were obviously suffused with fourth ray energy—they were masters of colorful, picturesque speech and writing, but did they also "dress the part" in terms of visual color? Did they care about color, per se? From what we know, very often not.
These thoughts emphasize a theme that will often be repeated throughout the first two volumes of Tapestry of the Gods: even when a person is strongly upon a particular ray, he does not necessarily exemplify all the qualities which are associated with that ray. Sometimes a ray may be very prominent within his energy system, but the presence of other ray qualities in his nature will mute some of the traits usually found in association with that prominent ray. A close examination of these conditions would lead us into the field which might be called 'the chemism of the rays,' just as, in the Agni Yoga books, the ways in which various astrological energies combine to effect life on Earth is called "astrochemism." There are 'ray elements', so to speak—rays in their elementary, uncombined states, and, there are 'ray compounds,' which are to 'ray elements' what molecules are to atoms. Certain rays in combination may yield effects which are quite different from the individual qualities of the same rays before being combined. We will discuss some of these possibilities at a later point in the book.
Even though we are advised to look beyond the obvious in the attempt to understandcolor as it manifests in different media, the association of the fourth ray with literal,visual color is inescapable. Of the fourth ray, we read on p. 72 of Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, "All flowers are thine." Through flowers, nature gives its greatest display of color and the harmonization of color.
The ray of struggle and of conflict has as its objective the production of harmony between form and life, and has brought about the synthesis and the harmony of color in nature. As we say the words, "color in nature," automat­ically we think of the vegetable kingdom and its achievement of harmony in vegetation. Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, p.242.



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One astute practitioner of ray psychology, when looking for the presence of the fourth ray in the energy make up, always asks, "What is your favorite color?" If the answer comes back, "But, I love them all!" the fourth ray is considered inescapably present.
Strong sense of drama: Drama, as we said, is based upon contrast. Drama occurs at all three levels of the personality, and, increasingly involves the soul. The contrasts (often conflicts) between these various levels is the very substance of drama. At this point in human evolution, the focus of most dramas (whether artistic or dramas in "real life") is contrasts (or rather, conflicts) within the emotional field.
There is something in human nature which rebels against monotony—which means, literally, "one tone," from the Greek "mono"(one) and "tonos" (tone). There is also what might be called 'monochromy,' which is another way of saying "drab and colorless." The strongly fourth ray individual is repelled by all that is monotonous and monochromatic (i.e., by all that lacks color and contrast), and simply loves drama.
Drama is captivating; that which is monotonous is nonmagnetic and fails to hold interest. Good drama, through its capacity to convey the entire gamut of contrasting emotional 'colors,' rarely fails to arouse our interest. Fourth ray people, too, are captivating. They have what might be called a 'dramatic presentation of self.' There is melody in their voice, arresting, unpredictable changes-of-pace in their speech pat­terns, dramatic gestures which arouse interest, and a facility for expressing a wide range of emotions and "feeling-toned thoughts."
We must remember that the fourth ray is primarily the ray of intuition. Further, ray four people feel compelled to express that which they intuit. The true intuitive is alwaysopen to impression from the intuition, but intuition cannot easily be commanded to appear. And even if the steps necessary to successfully 'invite' intuition were known and properly taken, the specific contentof the descending impression could not be predicted. In simplest terms, this means that ray four people frequently do not know what they are going to do or say next. They simply receive the next revelation (at whatever level— whether a divinely inspired intuition or a good joke), and proceed to improvise. This spontaneous approach (dependent upon an unpredictable receptivity to animating ideas and thoughts) is a major reason for the appearance of discontinuity in their behavior—a leaping from act to act without apparent logic or order.
When drama is predictable it is often uninteresting. Even when the plot is predictable, fine drama can still occur if the reactions of the characters are not completely predictable. Those upon the fourth ray thrive upon expressing the unexpected, which is another way of saying that they love what is new. That is why they so enliven situations—the new and the unexpected are enlivening. Fourth ray people are experts at keeping other people awake.
Ability to impersonate: Ray four is the ray of the actor. The two masks (one laughing and one crying) which are everywhere taken as the symbol of dramatic art, are also an
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excellent symbol for the fourth ray ability to express contrasting emotions. Fourth ray people have the ability to identify with the character of others. In this, they are not alone, of course. Second ray types can really "get inside others", and so can those upon all the rays, to a greater or lesser extent, as they advance in evolution and spiritual sensitivity. But fourth ray people not only identify with others, but can assume andexpress the character with which they identify. This is what acting is all about. Actors cannot be frozen within their own personal character structure. They must have flexibility to "try on" the gamut of thoughts and emotions, and present them to others.
Advanced fourth ray types have the ability to come en rapport with many kinds of people. They can attune themselves to a wide variety of types, and experience what it is really like to be someone else—not just spiritually, but in terms of all the rich variations of character. This fourth ray love of becoming other people, this "dressing up" and "making believe" is a product of fourth ray imagination, and the fourth ray love of colorfulness (in this case, the actor changes color or 'frequency' by identifying with and expressing "colorful characters").
The facility for impersonation is also related to mercurial tendencies bestowed by the planet Mercury, which distributes the fourth ray. Mercury bestows the gift of mimicry. But even more, drama and impersonation are part of a 'full-spectrumed,' multicolored approach to living. The love of being and expressing many colors, many frequencies, and many characters is part of the fourth ray avoidance of 'narrow-bandedness' and its inevitable results—monotony and 'monochromia.'
Ability to amuse, delight and entertain: These fourth ray qualities follow as a corollary to the sense of drama. The fourth ray bestows a good sense of humor, and the ability to hold boredom at bay. In the majority of realistic life situations, logic is utterly necessary, but it can become dull and predictable. There is something about the fourth ray approach which defies logic, because the fourth ray mentality is free-associative rather than linear. Free-association is part of unpredictability, and unpredictability is a key ingredient in amusement and entertainment. When one thinks about a good joke, or a good story, the surprise "punch line" plays a big part. The fourth ray is also master of the non-sequitur (that which does not logically follow); the non sequitur is just a fancy word for surprise.
People are amused, delighted and entertained by someone when that person is a constant source of appealing surprise (that which is both new and attractive). The fourth ray, like all rays on the 2-4-6 line (the "love line") is magnetic and, for the sake of harmony, attempts to be appealing. In addition, fourth ray people think and feel free-associatively, and hence, symbolically. Free-association, rather than logic, is a multi-leveled psychological process. With free association, a person can say one thing, and simultaneously evoke reverberations from very high or very low levels of the psyche. A great deal of humor lies in the release of tension which such connotative evocationprovides.
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Musicality: The musician appears on all the rays, but the fourth ray will usually be present on some level of the individual energy system if someone is especially musical. Of those upon the fourth ray, the Tibetan states:
Its exponents develop along the line of music, rhythm and painting.. The great painters and the superlative musicians are in many cases reaching their goal that way. Letters on Occult Meditation, p. 17.
In addition, of the many glamors or emotional distortions which appear listed under the various rays, the only one related to music is given under the fourth ray: "the glamour of musical perception." [Note: Quotations from the Tibetan's works utilize the English spelling—glamour.] And, further, the Tibetan informs us that "...the fourth ray man loves a tune."
It is well to remember that music is color and, according to the reports of sensitivities, can be clairvoyantly observed as colored patterns of sound. The Tibetan informs us that our entire planet, our solar system and the even greater cosmic systems beyond are, from one perspective, musical compositions of great cosmic Composers.
Those strongly upon the fourth ray are intent upon harmony, and the only true (and occult) way to achieve harmony is to adjust the note of a given person (or of any entity, for that matter) to the note of another. The entire process is at once mathematical and musical. (In the language of the eye, it might also be said that harmony can be achieved by adjusting the color of one person to the color of another.) Naturally, no person has simply one note or one color. Ours is a world of patterns. In the language of sound, patterns of notes are chords. Every individual is sounding a complex chord which varies over time, and is ever in the process of adjustment, refinement and attunement as evolution proceeds.
All this is by way of saying that music is the most sophisticated method of harmoniza­tion at our disposal. Interpersonal harmonization, for instance, (though occurring, for the most part, at an unconscious level) is essentially a musical process. If a clairaudient were to listen to the sound of an argument being resolved into harmonious agreement, he would hear discordant 'music' being transformed into concordant 'music.' When one person deliberately harmonizes his personality with the personality of another, notes and chords change. Consciously, the harmonizer may simply be thinking about saying agreeable words or doing agreeable things, but such doing and saying is music, and affects the music of the relationship.
Fourth ray people are remarkably sensitive to discord; for them, listening to music (and also performing or composing it) is a constant therapy which resolves intrapsychic discord into intrapsychic harmony. Music is an ongoing psychospiritual corrective in the fourth ray life; many fourth ray people are quite honest in saying that they "cannotlive without music." (The same is true with respect to many of the arts, although the
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dynamics of harmony and dissonance are, perhaps, most obvious in the musical medium.)
Music is a fluid medium, one note, chord or phrase flowing into another. For advanced fourth ray types (who are fast mastering the art of creative living through skill-in­action) life experience, too, is seen as a flow of dissonances and harmonies. They immerse themselves in this flow, and act as what might be called 'alert agents of creative reconciliation, catalyzing the resolution of dissonance into harmony.' From this point of view, the life lived creatively is a life lived musically. People know it when they (colloquially speaking) "make beautiful music together." For advanced fourth ray people, this is more a description of factual experience than of metaphor.
Literary abilities via creative imagination: Being endowed with a more active imagi­nation than most, fourth ray people appreciate and create literature which emphasizes the creative imagination. The imagination is a method of creating form from mental and emotional substance. The fourth ray, on the level of the lower mind (but no doubt upon higher levels as well) confers "the power to create forms, or the artistic impulse." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 292.) These thoughts suggest that the fourth ray is much involved in the creation and appreciation of what (for want of a better word) we term fiction (from the Latin "fictio"—"the art of fashioning"). Fiction is fashioned or "made up" by manipulating the substance of the creative imagination, which draws upon the memory banks latent within what is loosely called the "subconscious mind." Equally, the fourth ray may reach 'upwards' and seek to precipitate intuitive images from the superconscious mind. Always, the fourth ray reaches in two opposing directions, and, for the sake of balance, contrast and completeness, seeks to bring together what it finds in both.
What are some of the fourth ray qualities, which in combination, confer literary abilities?: a vivid imagination; the ability to embody ideas in images and then, embody the images in words; picturesque language (i.e., "word painting"); an ability to employ words which carry a strong "feeling tone" or mood; a general ability to convey beauty in words; sensitivity to drama; an understanding of contrast and pacing; the ability to sustain reader-interest through change of pace, etc.
There are some people who are only interested in reading or writing nonfiction. For such people, the realm of the imagination is not, strictly speaking, a reality. But advanced fourth ray people are motivated by "the urge to creative life," and the foremost tool of creativity is imagination. For them, imagination is a reality (which, in fact, on higher planes, it is).
Spontaneity and improvisation: It would be hard to imagine being a mime or a stand-up comedian without a rather strong dose of fourth ray energy. What in fourth ray people often manifests negatively as a dislike for planning, and a 'grasshopper-like' approach to experience, shows its positive side in spontaneity and improvisatory living.
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Improvisation demands confidence that one can do the "next thing" adequately without planning. To improvise one must live in the moment and be equal to the moment. Here we have the fourth ray love of immediacy, and the tendency to thrust oneself into circumstances without a "script." (If a strong seventh or third ray accom­pany the fourth, the script will probably be present, but will be presented with an aura of spontaneity, and will have an improvisatory quality.)
Where does this confidence come from?—the confidence that one will never be "at a loss," that one will always be able to "come up with something." The confidence which supports the spontaneous improvisatory approach is the exact opposite of the psycho­logically "blocked" and "frozen" state. Might it be that this confidence results from relying upon adequately built bridges which lead to open gates—gates within the psyche? The fourth ray is the bridging ray; it bridges above into the realms of supercon-scious inspiration, and below into the domain of subconscious memory. Both gates remain open. The fourth ray powers of free association will summon to the surface just the thought, feeling or action creatively needed in the moment. Again, this is part of creative living, in which a great deal of natural spontaneity is a key ingredient.
Living with an awakened fourth ray person is like living in a good play; indeed play (or playfulness) is an important part of the fourth ray life-style. When we play we are spontaneous, we improvise. We allow whatever comes to come. Play frees us, just as spontaneity is a condition in which the usual, socially appropriate (and restrictive) responses are temporarily put aside. The imagination can run wild, and we can 'make up how we wish to be.' Fourth ray people love to play—so much so, in fact, that when normal life does not provide adequate outlet for play, they create plays, participate in them or attend them. Fourth ray people simply must express, which means they must find circumstances in which they can really "be themselves" (or someone else!) and thus "act out" the contents of their imaginations.
Fighting spirit: Fourth ray people are filled with "the fighting spirit or that spirit of conflict which finally brings strength and poise.." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, pp. 291-292). Those strongly upon the fourth ray are often found "loaded with the panoply of war," but it is a war which is intended to bring peace and reconciliation.
Many who are frequently involved in conflict are not predominantly qualified by the fourth ray. Those upon the first and sixth ray are often embroiled in battles, but the motive and outcome are usually very different to fourth ray warriors. Fourth ray people fight for the sake of harmony; they wage war for the sake of peace. They may be ready to fight at the "drop of a hat," but, if the possibility of reconciliation appears, they will be just as ready to discontinue fighting. Not so with those who seek only to obliterate the enemy.
There is one often unrecognized battleground on which ray four people triumph, and it is internal. No other ray type is so willing or so inclined to internalize war. Few are so
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aware of "the enemy within," and that the enemy (more specifically the energy embodied by the 'enemy') is really a friend—another part of the self with which constructive engagement and reconciliation must eventually be made.
It is hard to realize, but often conflict is part of the harmonizing process. The testing of the opponents in struggle often must precede the gentler reconciliation process. How often have we seen, whether in life or literature, the surprising reconciliation of bitter enemies. The enemies discovered they were really a part of each other, and needed each other, whether in combat or in peace. But so often the enemies (whether in the flesh or within the psyche) must first do their worst, must totally demonstrate the scope of their antagonism, before the blending and compromising of the harmonizing process become possible. This thought gives some idea of how the Hierarchy views warring humanity (the fourth kingdom). For long ages Hierarchy has with patient spiritual agony anticipated that inevitable day of harmonization on which ancient enemies will become fast friends.
In long and short, fourth ray people, at some level of their beings are fighters. They need not be pugnacious. Their conflict may be unseen. They may be fighting to bring beauty out of ugliness, aesthetic order out of chaos, psychological health and harmony out of neurosis or psychosis, or, more externally, peace and harmony out of bitter environ­mental clashes. Whatever the arena, however, those upon the fourth ray must struggle for harmony.
Ability to make peace: Peace means different things to those upon differing rays. To those upon the first and seventh rays, peace has much to do with an understanding and respect for the free will and with the internalization of divine laws and principles. To those upon the second and sixth rays peace relates to the establishment of those conditions which will allow the free expression of the energy of love. Third and fifth ray people may see intelligent thinking and action as the way to end the stupidities of war and inaugurate an era of enlightened peace. For fourth ray individuals, the essence of peace may well be harmony and beauty.
To the artistic sense, peace is a perfect composition. From this perspective, in a peaceful world (considering only peace within the human kingdom) each person will be characterized by beauty of spirit. Each person, by learning to express his or her true nature beautifully, will enter into harmony with others who are doing the same. Humanity then becomes a great work of divine art—a work characterized by an extraordinary multiplicity of colors, tones, and movements, but one which is utterly synthesized and harmonized. It is said that, eventually, the majority of those within the human kingdom will have personalities upon the fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict. This will be in the very distant future, but the consummating harmonization of humanity may well occur then.



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In the meanwhile, and on a much more practical level, the simple fourth ray ability to avert conflict is much needed in this combustible world. A number of fourth ray souls are working through the United Nations, which, in a global sense, is a great peacekeeper. Founded on October 24th under the influence of the constellation Scorpio, the United Nations is a prominent fourth ray influence in the world (since Scorpio, at this time, is the main conduit of the fourth ray to this planet).
The mobility of the fourth ray reminds us that no true peace is a static one, and that the process of preserving harmony calls for constant, moment-to-moment adjustment in the immediacy of experience. For those upon the fourth ray, aware as they are of the many external and internal wars simultaneously raging, the words of a popular prayer are particularly appropriate: "Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me." To this might be added, "May beauty shine o'er all the world."



Some Weaknesses Characteristic of Those upon the Fourth Ray
Embroiled in constant conflict and turmoil (inner and outer)
Self-absorption in suffering
Lack of confidence and composure
Worry and agitation
Excessive moodiness
Exaggeration: overly dramatic expression
Temperamentalism, impracticality and improvidence
Unstable activity patterns; spasmodic action
Unpredictability and unreliability
Confused combativeness
Ambivalence, indecisiveness and vacillation
Overeagerness for compromise
Moral cowardice
Unregulated passions
Inertia, indolence and procrastination
Embroiled in constant conflict and turmoil (inner and outer): In the noise and smoke of battle, with all passions aroused, and in constant, unpredictable danger, it is difficult to see clearly or think clearly. For many fourth ray people, life is like that. There is so
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much fighting and trouble, so much stress and strain, that there is not "a moment's peace." This state is different from simply being busy; this is life as war. The Tibetan describes the fourth ray and this condition succinctly:
This has been called the "ray of struggle" for on this ray the qualities of rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia) are so strangely equal in proportion that the nature of the fourth ray man is torn with their combat...These contrasting forces in nature make life one perpetual warfare and unrest for the fourth ray man.Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, p.206.
Of course, there is something invigorating about being caught up in the "sturm und drang" of life; it feels exciting. At least one feels alive, if only because one is experiencing pain.
For fourth ray people the conflicts are both inner and outer. On the outer level, there are many interpersonal frictions; they may have trouble getting along with others, and will "fight it out" until some accommodation is reached. Or the environment may be sensed as unconductive to self-expression, and a constant battle with conditions may ensue.
On the inner level, the conflict may be even more fierce. Thoughts battle thoughts; thoughts battle emotions and urges; emotions and urges battle contrasting emotions and urges; the personality battles the soul; and the many contrasting qualities of energy within the individual energy system all seek to assert themselves and be dominant.
The problem for most fourth ray people is not that the conflict is raging, but that they become hopelessly embroiled in it. Being embroiled saps their strength, roils their emotions, confuses their mind, blinds their "eye of vision," and obscures their soul. Everything becomes a "problem" and they are always experiencing "trouble."
In the lives of fourth ray individuals, the war will inevitably rage, but a detached and steadfast position at the center will make the difference between spiritual victory and defeat. There must prevail an attitude of one who "relinquishes the fight in order to stand.." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 366) There must eventuate "a determination to stand in the midst and, if not victorious, at least to refuse to admit defeat..." (Ibid.)
The key to victory is, in one respect, "not taking sides," or, taking both sides. Turmoil arises when the potential contribution of each of the warring factions is not realized. Clashing and a "striking together" of opponents is not really an intelligent solution. A constant pushing and pulling will only deplete forces and negate the possibility of harmonious adjustment. When fourth ray people lose balance they lose the battle. Balance is the result of a skillfully and steadfastly held position of detached centrality in the midst of every conflict. The possibility of harmonization resides at the center; from that position the warring parties will be drawn towards each other and made to cooperate.
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Self-absorption in suffering: The Tibetan informs us that "self-centeredness" is one of the prominent ray four weaknesses. This self-centeredness is not the pride of the ray one type, but it does arise (as in the case of those upon the first ray) from the feeling of being at the center. With those on the fourth ray, it is the center of conflicting forces, a crossroads of agony. In short, the suffering individual becomes preoccupied with his or her problems and sensitive reactions to turmoil, and consequently cannot look beyond the little personal self.
Suffering (with which fourth ray types are overly familiar) is one of the most engrossing and absorbing of all human activities. It is easy to justify thinking about a source of constant pain. An aching tooth commands the full attention. For fourth ray people, it is the self (or so they imagine) which is in constant pain. They tend to become overly identified with the form side of life, mistaking the suffering form for the inner identity. The Tibetan calls this: "Abnormal sensitivity to that which is the Not-Self." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 41) The "Not-Self” is "lunar"; it pertains to the Moon, and to what are called the "lunar vehicles," the lower, elemental lives which form the personality vehicles of the individual energy system. Symbolically, and even in terms of appearanc­es, the one thing that is constant about the Moon is change, fluctuation.Whoever identifies with that which is constantly changing (as the personality vehicles constantly are) will inevitably experience instability. In this regard it is interesting that the Moon (or rather the undiscovered non-sacred planet which the Moon is thought to "veil") is said to be the distributor of the fourth Ray of Harmony through Conflict. It is symbolically the Moon (but more accurately the lunar personality vehicles) which causes the conflict by opposing the Sun (which symbolizes the soul).
If fourth ray people wish to cease being overly and selfishly absorbed in suffering, they must identify with the soul and not with the fluctuating lunar forms. This is the way out of the agonies of instability which so frequently afflict them, and also the way out of selfish, self-centered preoccupation.
Lack of confidence and composure: One can trust that which is steady and reliable; one can trust the Sun, which always shines; one can trust the soul which, likewise, always shines. But one cannot trust that which fluctuates and changes unpredictably. Fourth ray people, identified as they are with the fluctuations of form, with the constant changes of state which the form undergoes, have abandoned their most reliable source of trust, and are relying upon that which has no stability.
Confidence is found within the soul, and composure is found in the "centered," soul-illumined position. That is a vantage point which no mood can disturb. Many fourth ray people do not know what will "come over them" next. Sometimes it may be a higher intuition or inspiration. Often it will simply be a decentralizing, destabilizing mood.
Their constant experience of "highs and lows" is another factor which undermines confidence. No matter how high the high, there is always the certainty that it will be
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followed by an equally low, low. Nothing remains as it is. "Nothing is constant but change itself." Of course, the opposite is also true; low lows are followed by equally high highs, and so an attitude of continuous pessimism is as unjustifiable as one of continuous optimism. As long as this "roller coaster existence" continues, however, fourth ray people find it difficult to depend upon themselves.
Fourth ray people (like all those on the 2-4-6 line) are unusually sensitive. Unlike second ray individuals, they are very easily agitated by dissonant crosscurrents of energy. Dissonance and inharmony make them lose their equilibrium, and their sense of composure. They throw themselves into action in the attempt to correct the imbalance and harmonize the dissonance.
When fourth ray people learn to ride the roller coaster with equanimity, they learn the secret of confidence and composure. The form always fluctuates; every high ends in a low, and every low changes into a high. Perhaps it is the experience of having survived so many vicissitudes that finally allows the fourth ray person to pass (confidently and serenely) through the fluctuations of form without identifying with them. Ultimately, this attitude signals the mastery of form life. After the fourth initiation the life of form can no longer touch the initiate, and there is no compulsion (except the commanding impulse of service) to incarnate within the unstable, lunar forms of the lower three worlds.
Worry, agitation and fretfulness: Worry is based upon what we might call 'negative expectancy.' Perhaps no ray experiences the incursion of negativity so much as the fourth. The now famous "Murphy's Law" states that, "If something can go wrong, it will." There is an interesting association of the fourth ray with Ireland, and the pessimistic Mr. Murphy is obviously Irish! The Tibetan tells us about the pessimistic leanings of those upon the fourth ray (one of the chief means of distinguishing it from the excessively optimistic sixth!).
Having seen the worst so often (and especially within themselves), fourth ray people come to expect it everywhere and at all times. Even when everything seems to be going smoothly they are inclined to say, "Things may be good now, but just wait." Worry however, is related to a sense of helplessness in the face of a probable worsening of conditions. Worry (with its accompanying non-productive agitation and fret) is what people do when, expecting the worst, they believe the whole matter is out of their hands.
When a piece of metal is worked back and forth it eventually weakens and tears due to metal fatigue. The stressful wear and tear of worry has the same effect upon the psychophysical nature. Wear and tear comes from pulling back and forth in opposing directions—a dynamic peculiarly descriptive of the fourth ray. Wanting the best yet expecting the worst; wishing something could be one way yet anticipating that it will be another. Worry is self-division leading to self-defeat. The worried person is embroiled in conflict, rather than being clear-sighted enough to not identify with the conflict.
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The Serenity Prayer of St. Francis is good for everyone, but especially good for those upon the fourth ray. Second and sixth ray individuals discover serenity much sooner than do those on the fourth ray. For second ray types, it is the serenity produced by loving positivity; for sixth ray types, it is the serenity of faith. For those upon the fourth ray, it is eventually the serenity of knowing that "the soul of things is sweet," and that behind all the turmoil and agitation, there subjectively exists perfected harmony and right relationship.
Eventually, too, fourth ray people realize the value of interlude, and of what has been called the "dark cycle." Fluctuation may be a cause of distress, but it has its purpose. Constant exposure to the solar rays results in scorching and aridity. The rhythmic fluctuations of the lunar form ensure that the form's limited power to assimilate is respected, and thus growth occurs. All this is to say that in a bipolar world, the work of the so-called "negative" polarity is needed as much as the positive. For instance, when the form enters a negative cycle and is affected adversely, it does not necessarily mean that the soul ceases to learn and grow. In fact, adversity may yield more rapid progress. When the place of the high and low are both understood; when positivity and negativity are both valued; when spirit and matter are equally respected, then negative anticipa­tion (worry) will give way to an understanding of how consciousness grows through all vicissitudes.
A wise acceptance of the "negative" things one cannot change (and a determination tolearn from such things) does much to overcome fret and worry, but there is another valuable approach. As harmonizing skill-in-action develops, the fourth ray person learns (again in the words of the Serenity Prayer) to "change the things [he] can." Skill-in-action can often obviate the need for serene acceptance, because, with such skill, conditions can be changed dramatically for the better. Through the application of skill-in-action, the feeling of helplessness is overcome, and with the end of helplessness, much of the cause of worry is eliminated.
Excessive moodiness: Frequent, contrasting emotional fluctuations are called moods. Perhaps etymologically there is no connection between the words "mood" and "Moon," but there is certainly a symbolic connection. Lunar tides, in the emotional field of an individual's energy system, bring on moods.
A facility for feeling a diversity of emotional states can be an advantage in many life situations and professions. It is good for the actor, the psychologist, and anyone who wishes to resonate to what his fellow human beings are feeling. But when one is moody, it usually implies that one is "subject to moods," which means that the moods dominate.
When moods are dominant, it means, symbolically, that the Moon is obscuring the Sun. The emotional nature is in the ascendancy, and the light of the soul is either not shining or is distorted by personality states. Obviously, when fourth ray people are subject to moods, their higher functions are weakened and they cannot react harmoniously to the
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moods of others. Furthermore, they earn the reputation of being "moody and unreli­able," and hence unfit for any kind of work requiring emotional stability.
Exaggeration; overly dramatic expression: To a scientist, exaggeration is anathema; to an actor or a storyteller, it is a valued tool of the trade. Fourth ray people love the impact of dramatic effect. For them, actuality is often a pale substitute for an "enhanced," alternative reality fed by the imagination. One can trust what a fourth ray person says to be entertaining, but it may not necessarily be factually informing.
Fourth ray people like to "improve on reality," embellishing it with the creative imagination. As we consider the problem of artistic or dramatic exaggeration, we are led to contemplate some important distinctions between "art" and "life." Which is reality? Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? Perhaps both are true (depending upon the rays of the artist) but when the fourth ray is strongly present, there is often a feeling that art is the truer reality, and life a pale and rather drab reflection.
When fourth ray people are exaggerating and being grossly inaccurate, they do not think they are falsifying the truth. They are adhering to a different 'truth' (often called "artistic truth")—a form of 'truth' in which the aesthetic dimension is considered more valuable than the factual. The motion picture industry (filled as it is with fourth ray individuals) constantly engages (or should we say, indulges) in "artistic truth." Even in dramas which are based upon "real-life situations," poetic license is the rule rather than the exception. When the fourth ray is dominant, effect dominates fact.
As fourth ray people achieve increasing balance, however, the fluctuations of the emotional nature do not occur so frequently, nor do these fluctuations have so large an amplitude. Exaggeration is held within bounds. There is a type of accuracy which fourth ray individuals are serious about cultivating—accuracy in the expression of emotions. Once their emotional nature is coming under control, they despise the kind of drama in which emotional contrasts are greatly exaggerated or overdone, i.e.,melodrama. Melodrama does not even have "artistic truth."
It is the detached "attitude of the observer"—the attitude of the observant one at the center—which allows the emotional nature to be seen (and expressed) for what it is. Fourth ray people will never abandon the thrill of contrast, but wild exaggerations are crude and stimulate a sense of false excitement devoid of aesthetic integrity. There is no beauty in exaggerated emotion and sheer melodrama. The accuracy which ray four people eventually must achieve (since the fourth ray is the ray of "mathematical exactitude,") is intuitional accuracy so needed for the faithful expression in form of Divine Beauty.
Temperamentalism, impracticality and improvidence: Fourth ray people, even if they are not (strictly speaking) artists, are frequently blessed with an "artistic temper­ament." This means that they are temperamental, emotionally unstable, erratic,



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whimsical, impulsive, impractical, unreliable, and improvident of the future. Unregu­lated spontaneity leads to license; some would call it the "artist's prerogative."
What we have here is an unwillingness to come to terms with the legitimate demands of practical life. There is some justification in the stereotype (fairly branded into the collective consciousness) of the "impractical artist." Those who are most involved in artistic and emotional expression are often annoyed with the world for placing any realistic (i.e., Saturnian) demands upon them. They wish to live solely as representatives of the creative power of the imagination. They may become so thoroughly absorbed in 'imaginative' living, that they become inept at handling practical matters and unable to think with sufficient realism to provide for themselves.
But this impractical stance is eventually corrected by the very nature of the fourth ray itself, which compels those it influences to relate the opposites (in this case, the world of the imagination and the world of concrete reality). The artistically inclined person must learn to express in form; to do so requires practicality. Some sort of artisticmedium, whether paint, film, clay, stone, the physical body (as in dance), the voice, or the instruments which produce music, are required for the fruition of the artistic process. If the artistic urge is authentic (i.e., inspired from the higher aspects of the individual) there will be an inner pressure to bring the products of the creative imagination down, and to carry them through and out so that people may benefit from them. The demands of treating art as a form of service and revelation to humanitywill counter, and eventually correct, some of the immaturities associated with the self-indulgent, fourth ray "artistic temperament." In order for the creative imagination to be fully and rightly expressed, the world that is not of the imagination (the world of material practicalities) must be faced realistically.
Unpredictability and unreliability: Predictable and reliable people usually know what they are going to do next, and people who have to depend upon them usually have a pretty fair idea as well. But those who are often moved, inspired or overcome (as fourth ray people are) are subject to powerful influences which may suddenly change their course of direction. It is said that "genius is akin to madness," and that many of the great artists have been at least "half mad." When in the presence of a madman, one doesn't know what he may do next, and neither does he. His center of control is, seemingly, outside himself, or so deeply within himself that it seems foreign and inaccessible. In the presence of artists (open as they are to subtle currents of inspiration) the same is often true. The subtle and unpredictable influences to which they are responsive disrupt the possibility of a linear, predictable approach to living. On a lower turn of the spiral, it is also true of people who are simply moody.
The solution for such people is to realize that every impulse is not equally valuable, nor need every impulse be immediately translated into action. One can choose the impulses to which one intends to respond, and thus eliminate the more glaring inconsistencies of behavior. Predictability and reliability, after all, have social functions. They instill
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trust, and the faith that a person will live true to his word. We are here dealing with the old question of whether the soul or the form has primary authority in the life of the individual. When consciousness is centered in the soul, one can stand stable and unmoved no matter which way the winds blow; one is no longer the victim of lunar impulse. Cut loose from its soul-centered mooring, however, the ship of personality will be storm-tossed. It is advisable for fourth ray people, afflicted so often with inconstancy, to avoid abruptly changing direction in mid-course, and to simply discipline themselves to carry out their original intention, no matter how many contradictory impulses may arise.
Confused combativeness: Fourth ray people can be great fighters, but they don't always know what they are fighting for, or even whom they are fighting. This is called, in the words of the Tibetan, "confused combat." It occurs when the impulse to contend is stronger than the impulse to harmonize. It is an immediate, instinctual reaction to the sense of inharmony. People with a "big chip on their shoulder" are sensitive to the slightest whiff of antagonism (a very crude form of dissonance). Their combative reaction is really an instantaneous (and not very intelligent) response to sensed dissonance. However, the purpose of fourth ray combativeness (though the purpose is often unconscious) is to reduce the tension of discord; initially, of course, it produces even more.
There are those who like to go out for a drink and "get into a good fight." Some of these battles for the sheer joy of battle are called "Donnybrooks"—an old Irish word. All people (but fourth ray people especially) enjoy the release of pent up energy, and a "good fight" (on whatever level of the personality) can provide a tension-reducing catharsis.
Obviously, this kind of combat is essentially purposeless and represents a tremendous waste of energy. If there must be a fight (and for most fourth ray people, there must), it should be a fight with a purpose behind it. Purpose will take the confusion out of combat, prevent a person from swinging his fists in all directions, and reveal whether there is really anything worth fighting over. But of course, the fighter must stop fighting at least long enough to clarify his vision, otherwise a guiding purpose will not come into view.
Indecisiveness and vacillation: These are two of the most obvious and crippling fourth ray weaknesses, and are familiar to everyone strongly conditioned by the fourth ray. The individual finds himself standing in the middle, attracted in both directions, wanting whatever lies in both directions, and feeling utterly torn over not being able to have both. The result is a vacillation (sometimes violent) between the alternatives, a going back and forth in the attempt to decide which of two perceived necessities will be chosen. If the process goes on long enough with no conclusion, it is calledindecision. Fourth ray people often act out the unenviable fate of the ass who starved to death between two thistles because he couldn't decide which to eat.
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The key to the problem is to distinguish between those situations in which one alternative must definitely be chosen over the other, and those in which the only real choice is to stand fast in the center and include the best aspects of both alternatives while wholly embracing neither. There are certain times when one is forced to choose between the high and the low, times when one simply cannot "have it both ways." At such moments, the individual faces the same dilemma faced by Prince Arjuna, as related in The Bhagavad Gita. The great warrior Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra stood midway between the two warring factions of his own family, and could not decide on which side to fight, or whether to fight at all. Symbolically, one faction represented his soul, and the other, his personality tendencies and impulses. At length he was persuaded by Krishna, the voice of the soul, to choose the higher of two alternatives even though he was dearly attached to the lower (for he loved all members of his family).
The important thing to realize is that when one chooses the higher alternative, the values apparently relinquished by not choosing the lower alternative are eventually restored,and even enhanced. When, for instance, one must choose between soul and personality values, the greater includes the lesser; the soul includes the personality. The personality is only temporarily "slain." It is soon resurrected as the cooperative instrument of the soul, and new powers are bestowed upon it. Thus, appearances to the contrary, nothing is lost even in the most painful decisions, provided the higher alternative is chosen. This is something which fourth ray people must remember, for they are constantly faced with the necessity of making difficult decisions of this nature.
Sometimes, however, there is no higher or lower alternative, and a clear choice cannot (in good conscience) be made. At such moments, the wisest course of action is to cease vacillating between the alternatives, and to act as a magnetic attractive center which will cause the two opposing alternatives to fuse, at length, harmoniously. Imagine what it would be like to have to choose between two antagonistic children that one loved equally. Suppose each child wanted the parent to love only him or only her. This would not be a viable choice for a loving parent, and so the only alternative would be to stand steadfastly in the center, exerting the energy of loving, harmonizing magnetism, until the fighting children could be brought together under the influence of harmonizing love.
Life presents many choices of this nature. Some of the most important are psycholog­ical, and occur within the personality when two equally beloved abilities are clamoring for "exclusive rights" to assert themselves. In such cases only time-sharing and synthesis are truly possible, and the fourth ray harmonizer must exert all possible skill-in-action to ensure a felicitous outcome.
Ambivalence: An ambivalent person is both attracted and repelled by the same person or object. Ambivalence is the self-contradictory state of mind commonly found within the fourth ray psyche. It leads to the distressing "approach-avoidance" syndrome, to a wide variety of love-hate relationships (especially within the family), and to many
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perverse practices needing the attention of the mental health professional. Resolution of ambivalence comes at what might be called 'the point of triangulation.' Conflicting attraction and repulsion cannot be resolved at their own level (which is usually that of "kama-manas"—feeling-toned mind). But this tortured condition can be elevated in the light of the soul, and the relationships which were once ambivalent can be defined in a new and more spiritually mature manner. The soul (with its comprehensive understanding) forms the apex of the triangle, and the point through which the contradiction may be focused and resolved.
Overeagerness for compromise: Fourth ray people are "those who bring about a 'righteous compromise' and adapt the new and the old so that the true pattern is preserved." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. II, p. 143) What, however, is the difference between "righteous compromise" and "peace at any price?" When is the attitude of compromise both incorrect and destructive in spiritual terms?
The well known fourth ray inability to bear prolonged dissonance or friction can be a source of weakness, especially when principle is involved. Even when fourth ray people know their point of view represents the spiritually correct principle, they are likely to make concessions (simply because of the relief from tension which such concessions bring) to those who unjustly oppose the principle. This unsteadfast attitude makes it very difficult for fourth ray people to "take a stand on principle;" they would rather be in the middle as agents of reconciliation than wholly on the side of what is right. It is easy to see how over-reliance upon compromise can "compromise away" much that is of value.
The solution lies in cultivating the ability to withstand the pain of dissonance, tension, friction, inharmony, etc., when the reason for doing so is sufficiently important. The personal comfort and relief achieved when dissonance melts away into a shameful (and very temporary) harmonious accommodation with evil is not worth the eventual pain and even more severe dissonance which will inevitably have to be confronted because of unwise compromise.
One of history's most notorious and painful examples of compromise and appease­ment occurred in 1938 when Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of England, re­turned from a conference with Adolf Hitler declaring:
For the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time...Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.
England's promised protection of Czechoslovakia had to be sacrificed for Hitler's promise to contain German expansionism. Principle was sacrificed for the sake of what turned out to be a very temporary relief from international tension. This was a clear



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compromise with evil, and led, shortly, to even greater conflict and tension—a more unbearable dissonance.
The decisions of most fourth ray people are, naturally, far less dramatic and important, but every day in little ways they are confronted with the choice of whether to compromise on principle for the sake of an illusory and transient 'peace.' It is nowhere nearly as easy for them to adhere to principle as it is for those on the first, sixth or seventh rays, and yet it must be done, or important values will be constantly eroded.
One aid in the task (so difficult for fourth ray types) of compromising rightly, instead of compromising weakly, is their instinct for fairness and justice. Of all the rays, fourth ray people are determined that there must be balance, that everyone must get his "fair share," and that all rightful claims must be considered. Fairness is one principle which those upon the fourth ray can more easily uphold, and it can serve as a standard for preserving strength when, because of painful environing or intrapsychic tensions, they feel inclined to seek relief in unwise compromise.
Moral cowardice: Fourth ray people feel pain so acutely, that they are often unwilling to cause others any sort of pain—even when it is for their own good. Society has standards of morality which must be upheld for the sake of social cohesion. But upholding standards requires "taking a stand," and this, we have seen, is something with which many ray four people have considerable difficulty.
When the lunar vehicles of the personality (the elemental lives which are the mental, emotional and etheric-physical fields of the human being) have to conform to a moral standard (a standard dictated by the wisdom of the soul), these vehicles experience a temporary pain. Any kind of training involves pain, because that which is 'lower' temporarily rejects the guiding pattern of that which is 'higher.' The lunar vehicles rebel and do not like the restraint. A stressed and dissonant condition is set up between the rebellious vehicles (which want to go their own way), and the moral standard which is being imposed. If the consciousness of the individual is identified with these vehicles (and in the case of the fourth ray person, this is often so), there may be difficulty firmly adhering to the moral standard. In any case, a real battle will ensue.
Fourth ray people are extremely sensitive to any action which will cause friction, much less an all-out conflict. Whenever people try to discipline themselves or others accord­ing to some standard of behavior, a certain degree of psychophysical dissonance is initially and inevitably aroused. There are many fourth ray people who simply want to avoid such things. Even though they understand the right course of action, they shrink back because of the stress and discomfort it will inevitably entail.
This, then, is moral cowardice. While there are many fourth ray individuals who have a considerable "physical courage" (as the Tibetan states on p. 205 of Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I), their psychological courage (their willingness to immerse themselves in psycho­logically tense situations for the sake of upholding moral principles) is often lacking.
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One can imagine the harm of such an attitude. Physicians, for instance, are often morally obliged to be painfully direct with patients who have terminal disease or who need drastic surgery to stay alive. One can imagine the agony of a fourth ray physician faced with the necessity of informing patients of such conditions. Of course, it would be morally indefensible, to avoid telling a patient of a dire condition simply because of the emotional upset it would probably cause, but a fourth ray physician might be tempted to "soften the blow" just to spare the patient (and himself) an upsetting experience in the immediate moment. The eventual agony and upset which would be caused by such moral weakness is obvious. This is an extreme situation, but there are a large number of fourth ray people who must learn to "bite the bullet"—to confront pain in the moment in order to offset the development of even greater pain in the future.
Unregulated passions: There is another dimension to "moral cowardice." Fourth ray people often have trouble with self-control and self discipline. They are expressivepeople, and this means expressing not only the soul, but the personality, with all its passions, as well. Discipline and regulation require the application of a firm, stiffening energy; this, those upon the fourth ray conspicuously lack. Expression is seen by them as the greatest good—restraint and inhibition as unnatural and undesirable. They are often unwilling to impose lasting and consistent regulation upon themselves and others.
Fourth ray people cannot escape battle. In this case, personal passions war with the impulses of the soul, or, with soul impulses as translated into the laws of society. Essentially, the root of the problem (and, in this case, of the moral battle) is aninsufficient understanding of priorities. Understanding priorities is often difficult for fourth ray people because they are animated by the principle of fairness, the principle that all parties should receive equal prerogatives. But nature is hierarchical; some things are more important than others; some things are higher than others; some things deserve and must have greater eminence and priority. One cannot say that the head and the foot are of equal value, or that the heart and the arm are equal. Some functions arevital, and the expression of these vital functions must come first.
Again, this is the Arjuna dilemma. But since the greater includes the lesser, the welfare of the greater includes the welfare of the lesser—appearances notwithstanding. Fourth ray people simply have to achieve sufficient detachment from the host of warring impulses (within and outside of their natures) to realize which impulses are more important. The law indicates that some impulses must be regulated so that others may be expressed. Lower passions are temporarily appealing but, ultimately, Self-defeating, i.e., indulgence in their expression defeats the expression of soul impulse.
Though fourth ray types are usually unable to cut themselves off from their 'lower' impulses (nor should they), they can at least exercise their understanding of aesthetic proportion. They can arrange the 'composition' of their lives artistically, so that priorities are more prominent, and 'subsidiaries' are assigned to an appropriate place.
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Adherence to law may not be motive enough to inspire them, but the preservation of beauty will be. A life-composition reflective of Divine Beauty demands that divine priorities be respected.
Inertia, indolence, and procrastination: To understand why fourth ray people fight with constant bouts of nonaccomplishment, the principle of "tamas" must be under­stood. Within the energy systems of those upon the fourth ray "the qualities of rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia) are so strangely equal that the nature of the fourth ray man is torn with their combat..." (Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I, p. 206) Within the psychology of the fourth ray individual, there is always that which holds him back. He is always running into the 'wall' of his own lower nature. In esotericism, we are familiar with the concept of "unredeemed substance"—substance which cannot properly be built into the Divine Structure because its vibratory quality is too low. At the end of every creative enterprise, whether the enterprise relates to human or divine creativity, there is said to be a residue of such unfit substance which must be worked upon and rendered fit during the next cycle of creativity. At the end of every human life, there are many unredeemed thoughts, feelings, impulses, etc., which are residual and must be reworked in the next life cycle. Of such residues, many karmic influences are composed.
People born strongly under the fourth ray can never escape confrontation with this 'karmic residue." Every time they move forward, impelled by the rajasic (activity) aspect of their nature, they are pulled back by the tamasic (inertia) aspect. With every advance, resistance is aroused. There is no such thing as a continuous straight line of advancement, because contradictory, negative impulses impede.
As the fourth ray individual advances in spiritual status, however, the rajasic aspect of his nature will naturally become stronger, and the interludes of negativity will become less frequent, but that does not mean they will be less severe. During tamasic interludes, fourth ray people feel completely overwhelmed by inertia; they become lazy, indolent and constantly defer accomplishment (procrastination). They feel as if they cannot make themselves move, and they are liable to become very discouraged. Mentally they know their task and its importance, but emotionally and physically they feel a great weight which prevents them from mobilizing their personal resources. These tamasic states contribute to their reputation for being unreliable, and can induce a strong sense of guilt accompanied by psychological flagellation.
Often fourth ray people will be forced to find artificial means and strategies to overcome the inertia, if circumstances absolutely demand action. There is a story that Mozart (the quintessential fourth ray composer) delayed writing the wonderful overture to his opera, The Marriage of Figaro, until the night before the first performance. He worked all night at a feverish pitch, and his wife had to keep him awake by constantly providing him with cups of coffee. Coffee, of course, is a stimulant. It promotes activity; it is rajasic. (Today, people often use amphetamines for the same purpose.) When confronted with an unacceptable inertia in their own nature, many fourth ray people confront tamas
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with rajas. They artificially force themselves out of the tamasic state by directly stimulating the rajasic aspect of their nature. Skillful use of the will (with its "electric fire") or of the power of excitatory affirmations can do the same thing.
Sometimes, the right approach is not to overcome tamas by forcing rajas into activity. In nature there must be interludes for the regathering of strength and the development of understanding. If, during episodes of physical and psychological inertia, the fourth ray individual can quietly align with the soul, and detach from his 'frustrated urge to act,' then an understanding of the value of action already taken, or action yet to be taken can be achieved. Learning to 'tolerate the lower interlude' is a technique of creative living and an example of the skill-in-action which fourth ray people must eventually master. For those upon the fourth ray, progress is simply not a straight line of ascent in the full light of the Sun. They are frequently subject to moments "in the shade," and these moments can be wisely used. A well-known esoteric psychologist whose person­ality was upon the fourth ray frequently emphasized the old adage, "Make haste slowly."