The effect of the activity of this ray, during the past two thousand years, has been to train humanity in the [144] art of recognizing ideals, which are the blue prints of ideas. The main work of the disciples on this ray is to capitalize on the developed tendency of humanity to recognize ideas, and - avoiding the rocks of fanaticism, and the dangerous shoals of superficial desire - train the world thinkers so ardently to desire the good, the true and the beautiful, that the idea which should materialize in some form on earth can shift from the plane of the mind and clothe itself in some form on earth. These disciples and servers work consciously with the desire element in man; they work scientifically with its correct evocation. Their technique is scientific because it is based upon a right understanding of the human material with which they have to work.

Some people have to be galvanized into activity by an idea. With these the first ray disciple can be effective. Others can be reached more easily by an ideal, and will then subordinate their personal lives and wishes to that ideal. With these the sixth ray disciple works with facility, and this he should endeavor to do, teaching men to recognize the truth, holding steadily before them the ideal, restraining them from a too energetic and fanatical display of interest, in the need for the long pull. The sixth ray, it should be remembered, when it constitutes the personality ray of a man or a group, can be far more destructive than the first ray, for there is not so much wisdom to be found, and, as it works through desire of some kind, it is following the line of least resistance for the masses, and can therefore the more easily produce physical plane effects. Sixth ray people need handling with care, for they are too one-pointed and too full of personal desire, and the tide of evolution has been with this type for a very long time. But the sixth ray method of evoking desire for the materializing of an ideal is indispensable, and, fortunately, there are many aspirants and disciples on this ray available today. [145]