Role of the USSR in historical development. Ideology of Russia

Russia remains a great enigma for the rest of the world today. Her potentiality for human service and her ability to impose her will on a large scale upon the entire world outstrips that of any other nation. This in itself breeds distrust. Her territory covers a large part of Europe and the whole of North Asia. She has passed through a great and cruel revolution and a subsequent period of readjustment. She is preparing for world collaboration and is evidencing a wish for this to be accomplished on her own terms — the terms of a general control of other lands, beginning with the smaller nations upon her western frontier. She is lifting the peoples of her own land from a condition of ignorance and poverty into one of knowledge and sufficiency. Russia is deeply distrusted by the rest of the world, particularly by its conservative elements, and this for two reasons: first, the cruelty with which the earliest stages of her revolution started — the period which we glibly call "Bolshevism" — and, by a subsequent period of a deliberately chosen and determined isolationism behind her closed frontiers. It was, nevertheless, a creative silence. The war then forced Russia to quit her silence for world collaboration. She was forced into participation in the World War. Russia is the home of a germinating revelation of great spiritual value and group significance — a revelation for all mankind. It is the dimly sensed and somewhat inaccurate realization of this which has led to her insidious propaganda.⁴³

In every country without exception there are the good and the bad elements; there are progressive and reactionary groups. There are cruel and ambitious men in Russia who would gladly exploit the world for the gain of Russia and who would seek to impose the will of the proletariat upon all classes and castes throughout the civilized world; there are thinking men in Russia and men of vision who are opposing them.⁴⁴

Russia has created fermentation in other countries before she herself really knows what is the revelation of which she is custodian. Her activity is therefore premature. The true secret of brotherhood (one hitherto unknown and unrealized) is hers to give the world, but as yet she knows not what it is. This fact, that Russia is the spiritual custodian of a revelation, is sensed by the other nations in the world; and the first reaction has been fear, based on certain initial mistakes and her premature activity upon the physical plane. Nevertheless, all peoples view Russia with expectation; they dimly realize that from her will come some new thing, for Russia is rapidly maturing and integrating and will demonstrate that she has much to give.⁴⁵

Humanity as a whole knows little about Russia. The true significance of Its ideology is misunderstood because of the initial mistakes of those who engineered the revolution; the license of unruly men in the early days gave onlooking humanity a wrong slant on what was happening. But those days are over. In the fires of suffering and through deepened understanding, this great and composite nation will advance towards a demonstration of brotherhood which may yet set an example to the entire world.⁴⁶

The world is witnessing the uprising and the surging forward of a nation which has accomplished in a quarter of a century what other nations have taken many generations to work out. Russia is a giant, getting into his stride — a young giant, aware of great possibility, animated by a deeply religious, though unorthodox spirit, handicapped by a combination of oriental traits and occidental purposes, and distrusted by the world, owing to earlier moves falsely taken. These moves were an attempt to infiltrate into other nations, in order to upset their stability and so weaken them that they could be easily swept into the house of humanity which Russia is attempting to build. Russia is inwardly (but as yet unconsciously) motivated by a desire to bring brotherhood into being. Can you accept this diagnosis of that great unknown quantity which is Russia? Time alone can prove the accuracy of this statement, plus wise activity and sound propaganda on the part of Russia. The psychological problem of the U.S.S.R. is, in the last analysis, to mind her own business, to stabilize and integrate a vast population, and to lead her peoples still further into the light. Russia must also learn to cooperate with other powers on an equal basis. Russia must not, with ambition and design, seek to sweep the small powers into her arena of activity against their wishes or through undue pressure and force. Russia has still much to do for the immense territories and their inhabitants which are already within her sphere of influence; the other nations must also work out their own destiny and must not be ruled perforce by Russia. Above everything else, the problem before Russia is to give to the other nations of the world such an example of wise rule, free expression of individual purpose, and the use of an inclusive and sound education, that other nations will pattern themselves upon what Russia has demonstrated, yet will at the same time, preserve their own cultural approach, their own self-chosen form of government, and their own mode of expressing brotherhood. Russia inherently stands for a new world consciousness, and through her means, a new planetary expression will gradually be wrought out in the fire of experiment and experience. That great nation (a synthesis of East and West) must learn to rule without cruelty, without infringing the free will of the individual and because she has complete confidence in the beneficence of the ideals which she is developing but which are not yet expressed.⁴⁷

The underlying motive of the U.S.S.R. is right living conditions, opportunity for all and the general levelling of all separative classes into one thriving group of human beings. All these objectives are good and their application to the life of humanity will guarantee a happier and more peaceful world.⁴⁸

 At the time of writing these lines the war is not yet won, in spite of sporadic successes and the staying power of the Allied Nations, and in spite of a basic trend towards ultimate victory, the powers of evil have had things very much their own way. They have triumphantly moved forward, except in Russia. This was to be expected at first, because if evil is simply the dominance of matter and the negation of the spiritual values, it is obvious that on the material plane the line of least resistance is to be found for them. Their initial triumphing is, therefore, to be expected. The course of the war hitherto has demonstrated this. When the spiritually-minded people of the world, the men and women of goodwill, the idealists and the kindly, decent folk in every land can bring to bear upon the physical plane the same unified determination and the same united will-to-victory that the forces of evil have shown, then the Forces of Light will assume the upper hand and control human affairs.⁴⁹

The unity, peace and security of the nations, great and small, are not to be attained by following the guidance of the greedy capitalist or the ambitious in any nation, and yet in many situations that guidance is being accepted. They are not to be gained by the blind following of any ideology, no matter how good it may seem to those conditioned by it; yet there are those who are seeking to impose their particular ideology on the world — and not solely in Russia. They will not be reached by sitting back and leaving the changing of conditions to God or the evolutionary process; yet there are those who make no move to help, even while knowing well the conditions with which the United Nations have to deal.⁵⁰

The task of Russia, which will develop as they come to truer understanding, is the linking of the East and of the West, and also of the worlds of desire and of spiritual aspiration, of the fanaticism which produces cruelty and the understanding which produces love, of a developed materialism and a perfected holiness, of the selfishness of a materialistic regime and the unselfishness of a mystically and spiritually minded people, and all this in a most pronounced and peculiar manner.  Behind the closed borders of that mysterious and magnificent country, a great and spiritual conflict is proceeding and the rare mystical spirit and the truly religious orientation of the people is the eternal guarantee that a true and living religion and culture will finally emerge.  Out of Russia — a symbol of the world Arjuna in a very special sense — will emerge that new and magical religion about which I have so often told you.  It will be the product of the great and imminent Approach which will take place between humanity and the Hierarchy.  From these two centres of spiritual force, in which the light which ever shineth in and from the East will irradiate the West, the whole world will be flooded with the radiance of the Sun of Righteousness.  I am not here referring (in connection with Russia) to the imposition of any political ideology, but to the appearance of a great and spiritual religion which will justify the crucifixion of a great nation and which will demonstrate itself and be focussed in a great and spiritual Light which will be held aloft by a vital Russian exponent of true religion — that man for whom many Russians have been looking and who will be the justification of a most ancient prophecy.⁵¹

Russia is as yet embryonic and her part lies more in the East than in the West, provided she follows the indicated lines.  Her two ruling signs are Aquarius and Leo and her real function in the comity of nations lies far ahead when the Aquarian age is flourishing and the Leo control of the Russian personality has been offset.⁵²

The planets which primarily influence Russia are the Sun (2nd ray), Uranus (7th ray), Jupiter (2nd ray) and the Moon (4th ray).  This makes a most interesting, a most humanitarian and — in the long run — a non-destructive combination.  At present, the intensely individualistic Leo force in its worst aspects is dominating, but this will not last as history will eventually prove.  The noisy, cruel child can turn into a controlled humanitarian in adult life and the influences potent in the Russian horoscope indicate this.⁵³