What does it mean to be “called”? The idea implies that when a person is ready, he or she will receive an inspired message, have the experience of an epiphany, or suddenly awaken to the soul’s potential. We are all familiar with the saying “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
But can it be that simple? Is it wrong to be waiting for an inspired message to tell us what to do? What does it mean to become an agent of transformation in the world?
In the Agni Yoga teaching we read:
“One must fulfill one’s obligation to Earth by promoting the foundations of evolution. In this way one achieves the highest cooperation with humanity.”
From this perspective, a “calling” amounts to more than one “aha” moment. It is more than some glorified individual achievement. For the seeker, it means ongoing tests and a spiritual journey of continual purification and refinement. It is a path of challenges, where he or she confronts illusions about cherished beliefs and personal choices. It takes courage to enter the truth of a vast and mysterious universe.
The Wisdom Teaching tells us that it is possible for all aspirants and disciples to participate in this effort to a renewed spiritual life, and to dedicate themselves to the task of service. It also says that it will not be easy.
What is the soul calling us to become? The following mantram gives a clue to the hidden potential within all of us.
The Affirmation of the Disciple
“I am a point of light within a greater Light.
I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine.
I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focussed within the fiery Will of God.
And thus I stand
I am a way by which men may achieve.
I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand.
I am a beam of light, shining upon their way.
And thus I stand.
And standing thus, revolve
And tread this way the ways of men,
And know the ways of God.
And thus I stand.”
— Alice Bailey
Wisdom Teaching School 