1. A Master, in choosing the personnel of his Ashram, is himself governed by certain unavoidable factors:

1. The fact that the aspiration and the development of a disciple (usually stimulated by some senior disciple) has enabled him in thought and consciousness to reach the periphery of the Ashram; sometimes the spiritual forcing process brings him to that [91] point prematurely. The disciple is, however, there; the next move is (as you say) up to the Master; he must then give the disciple the opportunity to move closer, if the capacity for such a step lies in him.
2. The fact of karmic relationship. Many of those who have been given the opportunity to work with me have had some relationship with me over past lives and - because of certain activities - have warranted the opportunity to work in a still closer relationship. This they prove by working off karma. Such were H.S.D. and S.S.P., neither of whom has completely failed.
3. The fact of the need - existent in the world today - for workers. The Masters are perforce driven to use people to carry out certain phases of the exoteric work of service for which they may be fitted but for which they, from other angles, are not ready. Such a one was W.D.B.

2. Affiliation with an Ashram subjects the aspirant to intensified stimulation; in many cases it proved impossible for some chelas to handle it. Spiritual energy pouring into the personality, via the aspirant's own soul, fostered the emergence of that which was good but also of that which could not be taken closer into the Ashram itself. The undesirable qualities had to be eliminated. (Such were S.C.P. and L.U.T.) This stimulation cannot be avoided and is one of the tests of an accepted disciple's fitness for "ashramic sharing." [92] Perfection is not looked for or expected, but certain personality faults of pride, temper and an undisciplined nature must at least be controlled.

3. A dislike of criticism eliminated others from the group. They could not stand the exposure of their faults, either to themselves or to the group. They knew certain tendencies existed but not how serious they were; when I attempted to help them along these lines, resentment only was evoked. In many cases (as I have elsewhere told you) the position was taken that praise, commendation and interesting personal instructions were written by me, but should any criticism be involved - then A.A.B. was responsible. This was never once the case. In fact, several times I have modified my criticism (or analysis, as I prefer to call it), and once or twice eliminated it altogether at the request of A.A.B., who knows the Western mind better perhaps than I do. (Such members were I.S.G-L. and D.E.I.)

4. Several of the students did not spiritually appreciate the opportunity with which they were faced. It was in reality a case of non-recognition, of which they were practically unconscious; they remain in this condition, awaiting another incarnation. (L.D.N-C. was a striking instance of this attitude; another was J.A.C. though he would greatly like to be reinstated. This is not possible; however, had the tenure of life by A.A.B. been better, it might have been accomplished. Another of these types was B.S.D.)

5. Certain other students regarded "occult obedience" as an infringement of their free will, as did D.A.O. Quite a number of you simply suffered from inertia, and though pleased and excited over the material received from me, in the group or personal instructions, were too lazy to avail yourselves to the full of that which was given, and consistently failed to comply with my requests.

It is valuable to note a most significant point of interest: All those who passed through the gates of death passed to a [93] definitely closer relationship; they had earned this reward and have availed themselves of that which I had taught them. They are, as you know, C.D.P., K.E.S., D.P.R. Two others are today rapidly fitting themselves to follow these three disciples into the Ashram. They are: B.S.W., who was temporarily sidetracked for a few years prior to his death, and G.S.S., whose personality vehicles could not carry the stimulation which reached her via the group. This sensitivity to undue stimulation is a matter easily rectified now; it does not constitute a fault, but only a karmic liability.

I have not, as you will note, covered the whole ground. I have, however, indicated enough to show my reasons why there is so poor an exoteric showing of a truly esoteric, inner movement - an inner movement which remains intact even though the outer form does not hold together, owing to the weaknesses of its members and the pressure of daily life upon [94] the outer group. All of you - from the first admitted to the last who joined the group - are still within my aura or within the aura of the greater Ashram of the Master K.H., and will, I am confident, remain so. I would remind you also that there are many members of my Ashram of whom you know nothing and who came into my Ashram without the help of A.A.B. You are not the group of major importance. Forget not these other co-disciples. Some day, when you have established continuity of consciousness, you will know them, for you will consciously meet with them within the ring-pass-not of my Ashram. You will know also and discover the reasons for the experiment with these outer groups which is now being tried by the Hierarchy, if you will read with care the teaching upon the externalization of the Ashram of Sanat Kumara, the Hierarchy.