How to Work with the Guiding Entity of a Group Consciousness

By Doug Marmon

I was learning how to work with the guiding entity of a group consciousness on a one-to-one basis. The group consciousness was no longer like some towering force outside of my ability to influence. In fact I could work with it just like another person or friend. It was all taking place on the Causal Plane.

This realization unfolded into a deeper understanding about people when I wrote the following in my notebooks. I had started this article during my Second Initiation, but I could not quite grasp the meaning of it. So I set it aside, half written. I picked it back up after having the above experiences. I could finally understand this new discovery, and the meaning of it:

Over-Souls of the Human Race

"People say that all the creatures of this world have predators except mankind. This shows the greatness of the human race. ItŐs a nice thought, but man's rulers are just as real. These are the Over-Souls I am talking about; the entities who rule the cultural forces that control our lives.

"These inner forces ride men and women like people ride horses, steering us this way and that by popular opinion or social pressure. We overlook the weight of these influences because they are invisible to our physical eyes.

"Ever since the industrial revolution, our war against these Over-Souls has become a fight for the survival of our individuality. The broadcast media and machines of production have turned our society into a culture of mass conformance. They have replaced man's individual inner life with unified emotions created like prefabricated houses.

"How do we come to terms with these inner forces? How do we retain our individuality in the face of their apparent omnipotence?

"It is too easy to say that the spiritual path is the answer, or that a spiritual leader can show uthe way to freedom, as some groups claim. How is this different from being swallowed up by another group, a new entity? Therefore, it is the science of individuality we seek. That must become our study.

"As individuals we can learn the art of speaking to these Over-Souls through our own heart. This is how to work with mankindŐs ruling forces and yet keep our individuality intact.

"Although the huge corporations and institutions count hundreds of thousands within their fold, apparently outnumbering us, still, they are only one entity. Therefore, we can face them as Soul, one-to-one. Once we realize this, we are no longer outnumbered or overpowered by the gods that rule mankind.

"For example, take the policeman who gains his power from the authority of the police force. When talking to him, we can speak THROUGH him to that ruling power. The police force is one entity, just like one being. The policeman must obey the will of that entity. Therefore, we can talk to this Over-Soul as one being to another.

"People these days say that organizations, corporations and institutions are too powerful and must be stopped, but a definite change comes over us once we gain the reins of our inner imagination. We do not need to accept the image put upon us. There is no reason to feel overwhelmed by the largeness of these inner giants once we, ourselves, begin operating from the "largeness of thought" as my teacher put it. Then we can see these Over Souls as individual entities, and work with them like we might with a friend.

"Coming to terms with these ruling forces is one of the main lessons of the Twentieth Century with its mass culture. As strange as it sounds, those in the next century will probably wonder how this problem even existed. They will have no idea what it means to be de-humanized by computers, how people can feel like a number in a system, or how terms like "human error" and "management efficiency" can be used to put individuals down under the thumbs of the corporate powers.

"It is sad to see how Television, Newspapers and Radio have created new cultures that do not come from the people, but are created by professionals. They have broken up our community feelings and the strength of our families because they are now pushed onto us from the outside. The change to our society has been astonishing. We lock the doors to our houses and cars to protect ourselves, when we once felt safe without deadbolts and door chains.

"Without a feeling of social responsibility, people become more selfish. Marriages become agreements for individual pleasure. Building a strong family becomes secondary. The masses no longer are co-creators of society, but are now just consumers.

"However, once we recognize that we each, individually, are inseparable from Life Itself, then our world becomes whole again.

"We need not run from one culture to another or from one belief to another. We can work with all of them like interacting with different people. We can deal directly with these influences as Soul and retain our individuality.

"The whole truth being said here must be felt to be understood. Then it is as if the secret of life has been given to us. Like a huge wave, it washes away the struggles and mysteries we have made for ourselves, and opens us up to the creative impulse of Spirit; an impulse that springs to life only through the individual.

"We are life itself. It is that simple. The ruling forces bow down to those who are the true individuals, not the other way around."

I find it interesting how this cultural problem has shifted even in the last 25 years. Today we see citizen action groups and consumer rights movements counteracting the power of large institutions. Most organizations now realize the importance of listening to popular opinion and criticism. I think this is a sign that people are learning to communicate with the Over-Souls.

At the time I wrote this piece in my journal, a change was slowly dawning on me. Up until this point I had only been living my own life. But now I was beginning to take on a perspective of greater responsibility for the universal life. I could now understand and relate to the Over-Souls of groups and organizations as if they were individual beings. Unexpectedly, I found the secret of individuality comes from this greater responsibility of the universal life.

During the time when I was a Second Initiate, I felt as if I had been stepping off the path of humanity. In a sense, I was leaving the hold that the world has over people through culture and group consciousness. During the period when I was a Third Initiate, however, I learned freedom from organizations, institutions and other giants based on hierarchy. In both cases, it was the Inner Master who made this possible. It seemed to me that he took the place of these ruling forces of humanity, and put my feet on the path that led to freedom.

The Master was leading me much like the over-souls of the animals guided them, but I was being led beyond the influence of the Over-Souls. Even more importantly, he was showing me how to take part in this universal responsibility of life. I began to feel in a small way as if I was becoming a part of this greater Truth, as if my own thoughts were touching and reaching out to stand guard and witness the universal stream of creation unfolding in the world. This was the MasterŐs gift.