One of the things that might surprise people who are spiritual inclined is the emphasis in the Bailey material about the need to pick a side when confronted with what they call the “Forces of Light” or the “Forces of Evil” or “Forces of Materialism.” After all, spiritually we are One, we are meant to be dispassionate and therefore many spiritual people advocate that the loving thing is to remain neutral. But according to the Bhagavad-Gita and the Bailey material, that view is very misguided.

Though the Bailey material recognizes our essential Divinity and Oneness since the Divine is Imminent in us all in the unmanifest world, we live in a manifest world that has a purpose and a plan. Our Planetary Logos is a living Being that we literally “live, move and have our Being within it.” Our Planetary Logos has a destiny that as spiritual Beings we are meant to discover and align with. Those who are aligned with this plan we are told need to fight to ensure we will have a world where more wisdom, love, compassion, inclusivity, harmlessness, freedom to grow spiritually and joy will dominate. Those who oppose the plan fight for a world where selfishness, fear, hatred, a sense of individual or racial superiority reigns and the masses are made into ignorant slaves of their lords and masters who rule over them. These contrasts have been shown to us in modern times as seen in the Lord of the Rings books and the movies Star Trek, Star Wars, and even Harry Potter. And in the Bailey books these contrasts are also made clear especially in the book Externalization of the Hierarchy written as a series of letters given out mainly during World War II. In that book about that very critical time it is made very clear — we need to pick a side.

During World War II humanity was at a crossroads as the Forces of Evil or Forces of Materialism were about to take over the world. If these forces won, spiritual values globally would then be replaced by hatred, fear, decadence, lies, corruption and a view that the goal of life was only about accumulating riches, power, and exploiting people for labor and sex to satisfy only the needs of a few (essentially making serfs or slaves out of human beings). The few who ruled over the masses saw themselves as a superior race, who had every right to slaughter others who were deemed inferior to them. And in fact, millions of people were being slaughtered at that time (men, women and children) because they were thought to be little more than animals. Back then, as well as now, taking a side was deemed absolutely essential for anyone who truly cared about spiritual values surviving on our planet as well as for our fellow human beings.

To highlight this fact I will draw only a few quotes from the book Externalization of the Hierarchy.* Though there are many areas in this book that emphasize the need to pick a side, one particular section stands out found between pages 212—220 of the book. In an urgent plea along these lines a series of questions exist that we are encouraged to reflect upon and answer to help highlight the necessity of picking a side. These questions are listed below.

1. “Do you believe that the Hierarchy of Light, under the leadership of Christ, is on the side of cruelty, aggression and the slaughter of the defenseless?

2. Do you believe that the world can be saved by a refusal to think and by the shirking of individual responsibility, thus ignoring a situation which does exist?

3. Do you feel that there are no issues and principles which are worth fighting for and dying for, if need be?

4. Do you stand with the Forces of Light or with the Forces of Materialism?

5. What are you doing to aid the side which claims your allegiance, loyalty and idealism?

6. Are you governed by a sense of individual futility—that weapon which the Forces of Materialism are using now so potently to stun possible opponents into helplessness?”

Externalization of the Hierarchy, pp. 217—218.

Today we live in a time where as before during World War II, we are being asked to “wake up to materialism and greed” (Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 221). The first step then is to clearly know which side we are on in this fight. Picking a side may cause a feeling of despair, much as Arjuna felt when Krishna began speaking to him. The characters of Arjuna and Krishna come from one of the most ancient texts in human history known as the Bhagavad-Gita, that outlines this very dilemma of having to pick a side in the battle of life. The Bhagavad-Gita opens as a war known as the Kurukshetra is about to start. Before it begins Krishna (Christ-na) takes Arjuna who is one of the Pandu brothers (also known as the Pandavas) aside to discuss with him the necessity of standing up to fight the Kurus (or Kauravas).

Circumstances led up to this battle after a series of events caused the Pandavas, who are princes, to be stripped of their kingdom by their step-brothers the Kauravas. Through treachery, lying, attempted murder and worse, the moral and spiritual Pandavas were boxed into a corner by the Kauravas (or Kurus) who were about to become totally victorious allowing evil to reign throughout the world. To prevent this the Pandavas had to fight those on the opposing side who were made up of their family members, mentors, and others they loved. In crisis about fighting more friends than enemies in the battle, Arjuna begs Krishna (essentially the Christ), to allow him to run off to a secluded ashram to meditate, or to retreat from battle and become a pacifist.

The Bhagavad-Gita, like the teachings in the book Externalization of the Hierarchy, argue against this. Both books have a lot to say about what we need to do as spiritual Beings in critical times like these to enter the battle and win! The Bhagavad-Gita especially is the quintessential text for teaching us what we must do. But one thing is clear, even though like Arjuna we may want to run into a pacifist stance or head off to a spiritual center and meditate, when the stakes are this high, with the very freedom of humanity at stake, the only real answer as Krishna and the Hierarchy in the Bailey books advocates is pick your side!

Copyright © 2025 by Dr Lisa Love. All Rights Reserved.

*(Note: The spiritual hierarchy as talked about in the Bailey teachings is not some oppressive selfish know-it-all group who sit above others with a sense of superiority. That is what they would call the Forces of Evil. Rather as used in the Bailey teachings the term “hierarchy” refers to a group of wise, inclusive, compassionate human beings who have perfected their hearts, minds, emotions, etheric and physical bodies so they are fit to be of service to humanity).

ENJOY THIS ARTICLE? SUPPORT THIS WORK. BECOME A PATRON. THANKS FOR DOING SO.

www.patreon.com/soultospirit