Our Purpose As the D.K. Foundation approaches the start of its second year, it is my wish to lay out what the Foundation stands for, what it offers and to whom. The D.K. Foundation is a school of astrology, and a school of the Fourth Way which means that its concern is not only the transmission of astrological knowledge but also the application of that knowledge to bring about a change in the being of those involved. What it stands for, therefore, is transformation; what it offers are the means and methods of self-knowledge. In terms of function, this represents nothing that is new: self-knowledge and transformation are ever the concern of mature spiritual organisations; the means, astrology, is amongst the oldest of disciplines; and the methods of creating self-awareness employed by the Foundation include nothing that has not been used countless times before in schools committed to personal development. In terms of teaching, however, the Foundation is offering an approach which, for many people, will represent something new. The Foundation's approach is to find, through the application of consciousness, transformative opportunities in the life that each of us is living. This is done by means of the use of horoscopy and by imposing a conceptual framework upon the life. Like any frame, this conceptual frame is designed to give emphasis to what is contained within it. It defines the purpose of the life and identifies key opportunities to realise this purpose. Purpose is essentially an energetic expression. The lives of each of us involve the development of certain energies and we engage with this purpose as we live out our days. Yet as a muscle or limb can be exercised with or without the application of tension, so a life can be lived with or without awareness of its purpose. In both cases, applying focus consciously will achieve markedly different results. The Foundation's conceptual approach requires a person to become himself by living consciously ( with the 'application of tension' ) the life which his personality furnishes. Each personality has its own purpose and is a package of opportunities. The natal chart reveals this. It is not asking him to conform to some preconceived idea of how people must be in order to progress spiritually, but rather to find out who he is and in what his development consists. It is not asking him to deny, bypass or lose his personality, but rather to use the vehicle of personality to manifest the soul. This is the path of evolution. We all walk it, lifetime after lifetime, usually unaware of what is occurring, but it can be walked with consciousness. It takes courage to walk this path consciously. It takes courage to dispense with social and spiritual formulations, to place oneself at the centre of one's life, to recognise one's rightful direction, regardless of the contemporary view of what is involved in being a 'spiritual person' That is likely to be little more than a fashion statement, and should be treated as such. It requires a major shift in expectation to be willing to 'reinstate' the personality and let it manifest the soul. So much teaching over so many years has taught us to distrust and denigrate the personality, and see the 'small self' as the enemy of the higher self. Fulfilling the potential of our personality involves becoming. It involves striving to realise the purpose of our life, and in doing this we bring ourselves into harmony with what is happening throughout Creation. The whole of Creation is involved in the struggle to become, and every form, from the highest to the lowest, has its purpose. Man has the opportunity to fulfil his purpose consciously. Humanity as a whole has a purpose to fulfil; each of us, as a member of that group, has his own purpose. Remember that purpose is an energetic expression: a certain way of being, a certain quality of consciousness. It may recommend a specific form of expression, a specific activity or undertaking. That is an aspect of purpose, but the glamour which attaches itself to doing and to the recognition that doing brings, tends to obscure from us the fact that purpose is being, and not simply doing. If we know what our purpose is then we know the direction in which we are heading. We know what our lives need to involve and include, and therefore we have the means to prioritize and the criteria for sound decision-making. It takes courage to find this out because of the responsibilities which ensue. To know is to have a responsibility to honour this knowingness. Inevitably, we will bring conflict into our lives if we make and stand by decisions whose effect is progressive. We will create conflict with others and within ourselves because the process of becoming requires us to leave behind what we have been; to leave behind certain people, certain attitudes, and the comfort of what is familiar, on all levels. Yet there is no transformation where there is no inner conflict. New Age thinking has shown a great willingness to overlook this fact in its emphasis upon the feel-good factor. Where there is not conflict, there is not transformation and there is not, therefore, any real development. To make and to see through progressive decisions will generate transformative conflict. A progressive decision presupposes that consciousness is present; a progressive decision is rarely made by default because of this discomfort involved. And it all starts with the map, the horoscope which defines purpose and identifies the points in time when opportunity will present itself through situations which require decisions to be made consciously. These are the situations which, if we are clear enough about our purpose and determined enough, we can increase the degree of mastery we have in our own lives, but if we are to use these opportunities then we must understand the reasons why, in the past, we have repeatedly made decisions which have reduced mastery and increased limitation. This is one of the purposes of working to heighten self- awareness. What the Foundation is offering will be of interest only to certain people. Those people will be ready to come to the centre of their own lives and say: I have come from that, I am willing to make my peace with the past, and I am becoming this, regardless of what it takes, because I know that in fulfilling my purpose I am serving all things striving to fulfil their purpose. It is for people willing to think in terms of what they can give rather than what they need, willing to find fulfilment in a sense of purpose rather than in emotional or physical gratification. It is for people ready to develop spiritual will by, first, strengthening the mind. Through such people the creative power of spirit will be brought directly into our world in preparation for the decisive time which lies ahead, and not too far ahead, of us. ©1999 - The D.K. Foundation. This article, including this copyright statement, may be freely distributed but not altered, expanded or abridged in any way. We thank you for respecting this request.