The truth is that, whether we like it or not, we are connected, we do have bonds that bind us to beings of a higher order, but these unconscious bonds must become a conscious relationship if the living current is to flow in us. Anyone who rejects or refuses to acknowledge this relationship eventually loses all light and strength.

People can be extremely powerful, they can work miracles, but they must never forget that they are nothing more than a vehicle for energies that come from above. They must constantly remind themselves that it is divine wisdom that acts through them, that it is the divine world that manifests itself through them, otherwise they  will lose everything. Even if someone has already been an Initiate in the past, if they start to believe that the source of their actions lies within themself, that everything depends solely on their own will, they will end by losing everything.

Brotherhood must exist in the world among human beings because it already exists in nature, and humans must live according to the laws of nature. This Brotherhood that exists in the universe is what we call the Universal White Brotherhood and it is made up of all the great Prophets, Initiates and Masters of humanity. They all work together, like bees in a hive, preparing food for the Lord.

Rishis

If, today, people are unhappy and feel so isolated and cut off from each other, it is because their ties to the great Masters have been cut. And you must realize that, in these conditions, it is impossible for a person to find their Master. A Master is a link in the great hierarchical chain of life and no one who has severed their ties with this hierarchy can hope to find their Master. People may think that they have found a great many Masters in America or Europe or Asia, but they are masters only outwardly; those who follow them are not yet living in the presence of an inner Master.

How can you be sure of the inner presence of a Master? How can you tell whether the voice you hear is really his? Anybody can say that they listen to their own inner Master, but three conditions have to be fulfilled for this to be true. First, they must begin to see their way clearly and cease to stumble up against all kinds of obstacles. Second, they must begin to love all creatures and to feel their heart expanding with gratitude and brimming over with praise and thanksgiving. And, finally, their will must gradually free itself and become capable of accomplishing, unreservedly, all that is most noble and beautiful.

If someone fulfils these three conditions, it does not matter whether they find a Master on the physical plane or not, for they have already found their inner Master; it is this Master who dwells in them, who guides them and sets them free.

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Complete Works, Vol. 1, The Second Birth, Love, Wisdom, Truth
Chapter 8 (from a lecture given in 1938)