THE RAYS OF THE SUN

PRINCIPLES OF THE RAYS OF THE SUN

When the first spring fl owers open their buds and the songs of the first migratory birds bring us a greeting from the warm places in the South, our hearts begin to
fill with joy. These early signs herald the coming of the wondrous spring. This is a great celebration of life! Then the whole of life shows all its splendor and magnifi cence and generously offers its hidden treasures to all. But is not humanity going through a similar process? There is a similar correspondence in other areas of life. Many signs confi rm that a Cosmic Spring is coming. Today a new Wave is entering the world. Regardless of the thunder of current events [World War II], the awakened souls sense with joy the first rays of the new which is coming.
The exercises described below are aptly named “The Rays of the Sun.” They herald the new day that is coming with their gentle steps which talk to us in their own language about its beauty. Is it possible to express in one word the Great which is now being born within our souls?
Love is the new which is now coming into the world! Centuries before the coming of Christ, Love’s gentle Light began to illuminate human souls. First as a small spark, it gradually ignites within the human souls and becomes the bright fl ame that will illuminate the world. The Wave of Love is already working on earth, and it is unconquerable! It is the only force in the world that melts all things, overcomes all obstacles and conquers all difficulties. It is the only power that is ever-victorious. Now that phase in human history has come, in which according to the Laws of development – Love blossoms within the human soul.
Human consciousness is awakening to a new revelation, a new insight into the depths of Creation that it may perceive the Core of Life: the Revelation of the Great Idea that all is Love! Love has created all things in life; we are immersed in it. It comes from the stars, from every ray of the sun and from every fruit.
We, too, should embrace Love voluntarily, outwardly as well as inwardly. It is the only key, the only solution to all problems: personal, familial, social, national and universal.The new understanding which is now being born within souls is: all that is done without Love is a crime; it bears no fruit.” Love is like a precious stone which has been buried deep within the earth’s womb for many years. Existing under great pressure and tension, it has withstood them, and is now emerging to lead us towards freedom and expansiveness. It is the new which will save the world from all contradictions, suffering and disappointments. Love will teach man something new. For thousands of years until now, everyone has served himself; but from now on, mankind will learn how to serve the One, the Great Sentient Beginning of the world.
It is this great idea about the emergence of a wonderful new world on earth which forms the foundation of these exercises. The music, movements and lyrics are immersed in it. In other words, the beautiful process which is happening now in the collective soul of humankind – a process of awakening, enlightenment and liberation – finds its external expression and manifestation in these exercises. This idea is like a unifying thread running through them from beginning to end.

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Movement is an expression of life. Water preserves its freshness only while it is in motion. Only then is it useful. If it stays in one place, it cannot do any useful work. Everything in Nature moves; for example, the movement of the celestial bodies, the clouds, the lightning, the blowing of the wind, the fl ow of the rivers. The only movements which are valuable are those which are taken from Nature. Movements which are not taken from Nature are not harmonious. They are the opposite: they are harmful to man. For example, sometimes man makes unnatural movements or takes unnatural postures.
Through these movements, he comes into contact with inferior currents. People are suffering because of unnatural movements. Beautiful, natural movements give meaning to life; they are useful for man and liberate him from limitations.
Each type of movement in Nature is connected with certain forces and awakens man to action and creativity. All movements are a specific language and communication. There are forms of movements for each virtue, for each psychological state. For example, when someone reaches out to another person with good will, how can that be expressed in a movement? Specific forms of expression exist for compassion, and so on. Every idea, every suffering or joy has a specific form of movement. The movements in the exercise The Rays of the Sun are taken from Nature itself. They contain within them the Rhythm of the Sun in a pure original form. This Rhythm is implanted within the music and the movements.
These exercises have been brought forth from the temple of the initiates; they have been brought down to us from the higher realms of Nature.

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The movements in these exercises should not be sharp or jerky; they should be gentle and graceful, with beautiful lines. One should step first on the toes, and then on the heels. If one steps first on the heels, a compression of the spine is produced; and as a result, the steps are rougher, more mechanical and agitated. Stepping on the toes first activates the thought process; it connects us with the more sublime energy of the soul. While performing these exercises, the whole body should participate in each movement. All the cells need to be put into motion with each movement, and each part of the body needs to move within the energy field in which it is located.
When every thought, every idea, is able to find external expression in a specific movement, then this movement has a powerful infl uence in the world. That is why these exercises need to be performed with complete concentration, with a vigilant consciousness.When one performs them he should not think about dense matter: clothes, shoes and so on.
When singing during these exercises, the energy needs to descend from the central brain to the solar plexus, and from there, to go back up into the larynx. This means that while singing, the energy needs to pass first through the spheres of love, thereby acquiring life and the miraculous power to transform and to heal, before it then passes through the larynx. In other words: when performing these exercises, man needs to dwell within his consciousness, in the sublime world of Love.

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The participants are arranged in pairs and form two groups. One group arranges themselves in 12 rays facing the center, and the other group forms the outside circle around the rays. First, the couples in the rays move along the radii, and the outside participants move in a circle. After that, the left partner starts circling around the right, then the right around the left, and at the end, both circle around each other. Then the members of each couple hold hands and sing the words: Ti si me, Mamo, chovek krasiv rodila (“You have given birth to me, Mother, as a beautiful human being”) and so on, followed by clapping. They then make movements similar to blooming and finally to flying.
Additional explanation about each one of these movements will be given below.
The twelve rays represent twelve gates through which life enters into us. These are the twelve gates of life as expressed by the 12 signs of the zodiac. In “Revelation,” Chapter 21:12, there is a reference to the twelve gates.
There are two currents of energy, which exist within Nature: one which fl ows from the Divine Wellspring of Life outwards, and another which brings the energy back to the center. The first current is represented by the movement of the twelve rays towards the center. They go towards the center in order to receive the Divine Forces, and then return in order to infuse them into the outer circle which is set into motion. The outside circle is set into motion by the forces received through the twelve rays from the Divine Center, from the Great Sentient Origin in the world.
This process has its refl ection – its analogy – in each area of life. For example, the human body has two currents: arterial and venous. The first current moves from the center to the periphery carrying pure blood; and the second – from the periphery to the center that the venous blood may be purified and again enter into the circle of life.
This cosmic process has its refl ection in the solar system as well. The earth is orbiting the sun. In this case, the earth’s orbit represents the outside circle. Here the movements of the 12 rays signify the electromagnetic currents from the sun to the earth, and vise versa. The first current – from the sun to the earth – can be called “arterial”. It brings electromagnetic solar energies. The second can be called ”venous: it carries electromagnetic energies which, on the earth, have lost their primordial rhythm. They pass through the center of the earth and return to the sun in order to regain their original primordial rhythm.
It is obvious that the movements of the twelve rays towards the center and back express the global cosmic process which occurs within the least and the great, within the individual and within the collective, within the parts as well as the whole. It takes place within every organism, within the collective humankind, within the solar system and within the whole of Nature. This process supports the Wheel of Life – it is the great Rhythm of Life.
Clapping with the right hand over the left as the dancers first advance towards the center signifies the transmission of the positive energy of the right hand to the negative energy of the left hand. In this way, both hands are brought into attunement, and only in this way, can we step forwards. This attunement is also expressed by the movements of the hands moving to the right in the absence of clapping, similar to reaching forwards. In other words: until we balance our energies, we cannot fl y and we cannot move forwards.
The action of returning takes place through the semi-circular movements of the feet that are made in sweeping arcs. This denotes that what has been taken from the center is now being transmitted to the outside circle.
The lines that the feet circumscribe while approaching the center for the second time represent the magnetic forces: the forces of the heart.
The movements of the feet during the third advance towards the center express the balancing of the electromagnetic forces; they express the will.

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As a result of the eternal cosmic process, humankind moves forwards: from unstructured life towards the structured life. The next movements of The Rays of the Sun represent exactly this: the historical path of the human race moving towards enlightenment.In movements 4, 5 and 6 – the partners circling one another represent that phase in human history when it exists within a closed circle of dense matter, and there is no way out.
If we follow the history of human development, starting from the fourth race to the present, we will see how the human consciousness gradually descends into matter, loses its spiritual values and becomes a material culture – even the conscious awareness of the reality of the sublime spheres of the spirit is lost. In this phase, humankind has been predominantly working with the material forces and laws. The forces of the spirit are limited. Humankind exists within a closed circle. This is represented by the circling movements. The circling is the individual and the collective; in other words, humankind exists within a closed circle, in the individual life as well as in the collective. Yet the moment for the liberation comes from the limitation of the closed circle. The circling stops. The members of the pairs hold hands and sing the song: Ti si me, Mamo, chovek krasiv rodila.
This process through which humankind is passing is, to some extent, expressed in Bulgarian folk music. Folk music, in general, expresses the path of the nation’s soul. The path which the soul of the Bulgarian nation treads is expressed within the Bulgarian folk music. What is this special quality? It is the longing for something lost. In some songs the Bulgarian expresses his sadness about something lost; he exists within a closed circle. Sometimes he comes to moments of illumination, and a spark of hope for liberation shines within him. This can be felt within the music. But afterwards, the motif of sadness for something lost returns. This process is common to all humankind. The Rays of the Sun can also be defined as: the path of humankind from the closed circle towards freedom.
While man is troubled within, he exists within the old. He moves around and around in a circle, and when he comes to the same old place, he asks, “Is there no way out?” While man exists within the closed circle, he is like a horse that thrashes and fl ails. But when he finds a way out, he rejoices.
Leaving the closed circle is the awakening of the human soul. It is liberation. In the present epoch, this will occur for the whole of humankind as a collective process. The awakened man has come to know his essence, his purpose in life, his mission and work in the world. He leaves the world of torment, limitations and tears, enters the world of music and begins to sing with joy: Ti si me, Mamo, chovek krasiv rodila, oumen da stana, dobre da mislya, dobre da lyubya. Tuy zhivota e na raya. (“You have given birth to me, Mother, as a beautiful human being, that I may become wise, know how to think right and love well, for this is the Life of Paradise”). This is the great day for which the human soul has been longing and waiting throughout the centuries. This is the solemn tone which we sense in Beethoven’s ninth symphony in which after a long painful struggle with much suffering and disappointment, a light comes into man and understanding about his place in life.
The exercise, The Rays of the Sun – this is the great drama: the path of man and humankind. These rhythmic exercises possess the power to move this process forwards and help in the transition from the realm of the closed circle to the joy of liberation. This is the moment when man breaks away from the chains of the closed circle and enters into the unlimited world of Liberation and Freedom in which the first ray of Love emerges and shines within him. After many long struggles from within and without, the solemn song of liberation from the chains of the past begins to sound. This is expressed by the words of the song: Ti si me, Mamo, chovek krasiv rodila. The chains have fallen away forever. Man perceives life in a completely different way. Imagine a person who is set free after many years in a prison. With what joy does he appreciate the smallest blade of grass! How each ray of the sun, every puff of the wind, every glimpse of the stars are a source of great joy for him! Or imagine a seed buried in the cold wet ground, pressed into the darkness by the layers of soil. And yet, the forces inside the seed are powerful. They overcome all obstacles, and the new shoot sprouts and begins to reach upwards towards the sun, the vastness and freedom. Something similar takes place when the Ray of Love shines for the first time within the human soul. This is like the emergence from a long, dark tunnel into a meadow – smiling, sunny and full of fl owers.
The song speaks about the Mother. It refers to the great Universal Mother – Sentient Nature – from which, the human soul has emerged. After finishing school, the soul comes to its Mother with fruit collected from its study and is ready to serve. The clapping which follows is an expression of the joy of entering into the New World which is coming now to earth. This is our return to Paradise. And Life within Paradise is this – to dwell in Love! Positioning the hands one over the other represents the balancing of the two currents: the warm and the cold, the magnetic and electric. The lower part of the hand signifies the warm current – the heart; whereas the upper part – the cold current of the mind. After bringing these two currents into attunement, the hands open like a fl ower to the sides. This signifies the readiness to receive. The soul is blooming and receives the energies necessary for its upliftment, similar to the process of the opening of the fl ower bud that it may receive the rays of the sun.
After that, the hands make movements similar to fl ying. This represents the path of light and the ripening of the fruit. Man enters into the path of all opportunities for accomplishments, free of all limitations. All this is symbolized by the fl ying – leaving the life of shadows and entering into the life of the Great Reality.

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With each right thought, emotion or movement, one needs to gain something, to achieve something. Only that which brings gain is valuable. The criterion for the rightness, beauty and harmony of a movement is the joy one feels when performing it. Everyone who does these exercises feels joy, refreshment, and upliftment – physically and spiritually.
These exercises have a healing and healthful effect for two reasons:
1. They awaken the dormant forces of the human organism.
2. They connect man with the living forces of Nature. Through these movements, we come into contact and harmony with the Laws of Nature in order that She is able to give us that which we need, and that we are able to give back to Nature that which She needs.
These exercises revive and rejuvenate. They cure not only disease, but also all physical and mental imbalances. Through them, the human body as a whole vibrates musically – and there is no disease or poor health in the musical world. Therefore, through these exercises, man leaves the world of disturbance, confusion, disappointment, discontent, worry and anxiety and enters into the world of harmony. He who performs the exercises consciously for a year will be healthy; he will free himself from many diseases or will prevent them through the raising of the vital forces of his organism. People today suffer from atrophy of the small muscles of the body, due to lack of use, and this disrupts the blood circulation. These exercises have as a goal, among others, to exercise all the muscles of the body, not only through external movements, but through the vibration of the music as well. This music brings into motion the physical matter of the body, and then the electromagnetic energies are able to fl ow freely through the solar plexus and throughout the whole body. This heals and rejuvenates. In the future, a special healing music will exist for the different diseases – a specific music for each one of them.
There is a Law of receptivity in respect to waves of a specific length and frequency of vibration. If we attune our “antennae” to certain wavelengths, it will receive them; otherwise, it will be indifferent towards them. These exercises bring the organism and the consciousness into a condition of receptivity to the sublime solar energies which are necessary for the uplifment of the whole of humankind. Through these exercises, man comes into contact with the Sentience which exists in the world and receives precious gifts. The conditions created through these exercises facilitate an exchange with the Sentience of the world. Man enters into a higher attunement. Through these exercises an exchange with the Evolved Beings takes place. They unite with us, and are then a part of us, and we – a part of them.
These exercises liberate man from all chains, from all deep-rooted ideas of the past, and man enters into the world of Truth where he attains his freedom. They awaken the endowments hidden within the human soul that are awaiting development. These exercises bring peace on earth!
Nature is full of bounties which remain unused, because people do not know the right methods. And yet, with all these bounties of Nature, earth is a valley of tears! This is due to the unwise methods which people use. These exercises are a preparation of the body and the soul for a new culture.
These exercises need to be performed, starting from the 22nd of March, in every settlement, in every town and village. They will contribute to the introduction of a new element into humankind. They will be like a ray of light in the contemporary life. They will introduce a great upliftment into the material life of society. They will awaken the powerful forces of progress. It is advisable for all those who wish for the well-being of a nation to introduce these exercises into the schools as well as the adult community. All this is for the benefit of society. Introduction of the exercises into the schools and among adults will bring about great welfare and prosperity: a healthy and conscious generation which is ready to do the Work.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MOVEMENTS OF THE RAYS OF THE SUN

“Love is Divine when a being is able to pass through the center of another being and vice versa. This means: when a being passes through the Divine, he connects with the Great Reality which dwells within the other being; then Love is Divine. When a being does not pass through the center of another being, but through the more external parts, in that case, the love is weaker.” [28, p. 91 – 92] “The participants are arranged in couples which form – ideally – 12 rays facing a common center. There are six pairs in each radius of the rays. The distance between the two partners of a couple, and between the couples, is about one meter. A circle of couples is formed around the rays, at a distance of a few meters from them.
“The participants in the rays are turned to face the center, while those of the outer circle – with their left shoulder towards the center. While advancing, the rays move towards the center; while returning – in the opposite direction. The movements – forwards and back again – of the couples in the outer circle follow the circumference. “The movement always begins on the right foot.
“The participants in the rays are arranged according to their height, with the shorter in the first front rows and the taller at the back. If the participants are few in number, then fewer couples will dance in the rays. In such a case, the outer circle will consist of pairs corresponding to each ray only.
“When the exercises are performed with live music, the singing begins from the musical piece 7; whereas without instruments, the singing begins from the very beginning.” [27, p. 21]
“The text of the song is zora se chudna zazorjava (‘a wondrous dawn is coming’). Dawn is always svetla (‘bright’), but seldom wondrous. The Master gave the
first words after a lecture and I heard the words of The Rays of the Sun afterwards. For movement IV, Figure 1, Vessela Nestorova explains that the right foot returns to its original place during the circling. There is no forward movement with the right foot. “There is no forward movement of the couples in the rays before the meditation and the song Ti si me mamo.
“During the meditation, the hands are as follows: the outside hands are extended high above the head to form a natural arc, while the inside hands form an undercurve. “During the singing of the words Kazhi mi sladki doumi dve, the arms are forming a cupola: the hands up to the wrists are higher and the elbows stay close to the body.” “With Tuj e ray, there are no sharp movements. One makes five wave-like movements.
There is no fl uttering of the hands at the end of the movements.”

Starting position
Body straight, right foot back, arms parallel with fi ngers straight are placed by the right side slightly downwards (figure 1).

Sequence I. Advancing

Music: Musical theme 1 is played once.
Movement sequence
1st and 2nd measures: step forwards with the right foot. Parallel arms and hands swing up graciously at an angle of 45° to the left fi nishing with a light clap. At the moment of clapping the right foot steps forwards and the left foot is lifted in place (figure 2).
3rd measure: Arms and hands still parallel move down in an arc to the left side at an angle of 45°. At the moment of their lowest position, the left leg steps back on its place.

Fig 1	Fig 2

The whole body swings gently backwards. The right foot lifts and bends at the knee, toes pointing towards the ground (figure 3).
 4th and 5th measures: step with the right foot. Arms and hands are thrown forwards. In their movement forwards, at the moment when the hands pass in front of the chest, the left foot moves and steps forwards; the right foot is raised in place. Simultaneously the parallel hands move forwards and up, slightly to the right, to an angle of 45°, palms down, i.e. no clapping (figure 4).
 6th measure: in an arc-like movement the parallel hands swing down to the right side of the body as in the starting position.

Fig 3	Fig 4

These movements are repeated until the end of the music 1, i.e. three times with a clap and two times without. At the last beat, the right foot remains forwards.

Fig 5

Sequence I. Returning

Music: Musical theme 1 is played once.

Movement sequence

1. Hands are gently placed on the hips and remain there until the end of the musical theme. The right foot traces out a semi-circle and is positioned behind the left (figure 5).
2. Then the left foot makes semi-circle and is positioned behind the right foot.
These movements continue until the end of the music,
At each step the body makes a slight bouncing like springing. Each semi-circle is performed in one
measure, altogether 15 arc-like steps backwards.

MOVEMENT II

Starting position
Hands continue to be placed gently on the hips.
The weight of the body is on the left foot.

Fig 6

Sequence I. Advancing
Music: Musical theme 2 is played once (33 measures).

Movement sequence
 

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th measures: the right foot which was left behind in the last sequence, moves in a semi-circle in front of the left foot and slightly to its left side, touches the ground with the toes (figure 6) and returns again in a semi-circular movement behind the left foot. The weight of the body remains on the left foot throughout the movement. This movement of the right foot is repeated twice.
 

5th measure: the right foot steps forwards while the left foot is lifted from the ground.
This movement is repeated four times with the right foot and three times with the left. The last, the
fourth movement of the right foot is incomplete: it makes one semi-circle forwards, one backwards, one forwards and then immediately starts Sequence

II. Returning.

Sequence II. Returning
Music: Musical theme 3 is played once (20 measures).
Movement sequence
The returning is as described in Sequence II of movement I. One makes 20 steps altogether backwards. At the last measure the left foot remains behind.

MOVEMENT III

Starting position
Hands continue to be placed on the hips.

Sequence I. Advancing

Music: Musical theme 4 is played twice with all the repetitions
Movement sequence
1st, 2nd and 3rd measures: the weight of the body is on the left foot. The right leg, slightly bent at the knee, is brought forwards while the left leg springs lightly and rhythmically (figure 7). During this springing motion the right foot touches the ground with its toes twice and the third time steps forwards and receives the weight of the body.
 4th, 5th, 6th measures: the left foot makes the same movements. This is repeated 6 times with the right foot and 6 times with the left foot.

Fig 7

At the last measure the right foot remains behind but quickly makes a semi-circle forwards, ready to assume the returning.

Sequence II. Returning

Music: Musical theme 5 is played once.

Movement sequence

Returning is performed as described in Sequence II of movement I. Thirteen steps are taken backwards. Then the right foot is placed by the left, ready to start the next sequence.

MOVEMENT IV

Starting position
Hands continue to be placed on the hips, feet together.





Sequence I. Single circling
Music: The first part of the musical theme 6.

Movement sequence

 1. With the fi rst measure, the left partner from each couple makes a clockwise circle around the right partner in 10 rhythmic springing movements. The steps are graceful, with a slightly bent knee. One steps gently on toes with a slight springing of the body. The circle is traced out in such a way that the left partner turns to the right, passes in front of the other partner, then turns behind him and after that returns to his starting
position (figure 8).
 2. Meanwhile the right partner remains in place, the weight of his body is on the left foot. The right leg is extended forwards with a knee slightly bent and taps the ground 4 times with its toes, stepping back to its place at the fifth time*. Then the left leg is brought forwards, taps 4 times and returns back to its place on the fifth measure.

Sequence II. Performance in place

Music: The second part of musical theme 6 is played.

Movement sequence
Both partners extend forwards the right leg and tap 3 times, touching slightly the ground with its toes. Then on the fourth measure, the right foot steps back on the ground**. Then the left leg is extended and taps 3 times the ground and at the fourth measure steps back in its starting position.

Fig 8

Fig 9

MOVEMENT VI

Starting position
Hands on the hips, feet together.

Sequence I. Double circling

Music: The first part of musical theme 6 is played.

Movement sequence
In ten measures with ten steps, the right and the left partners of each couple graciously make circles around each other. Each one of them moves the same way as in his single circling but with the following rule: when both partners are moving in the front part of the circle, the right one traces out the external semi-circle and, while at the back – the left one traces out the external semi-circle (figure 10).

Sequence II. Performance in place

Music: The second part of musical theme 6 is played.
Movement sequence

All make the same rhythmical tapping as in Sequence II of movement IV.
Note: After completing movements IV, V and VI, they are repeated once more.

Fig 10

MOVEMENT VII

Music: Musical theme 7.

Fig 11

Movement sequence
The participants come close to each other and take hands, slightly turning the upper part of the body towards the center. The inner hands are raised up high above the heads and the outside hands are held low down, so that they form a lovely wreath with
the right palms on top (figure 11).
In this position all sing musical theme 7.

MOVEMENT VIII

Music: Musical theme 8 is played.

Movement sequence
The partners release their hands. The couples in the radial rays turn with the whole body towards the center while those in the outside circle are with the left shoulder towards the center. The hands with elbows bent are placed in front of the chest. At the beginning of each measure, the hands lightly clap with the right hand more active than the left. After each clap the hands open slightly and are raised a little higher. In this movement the principle of liberation is expressed. At the same time everyone sings musical theme 8: Ray, ray, ray (“Paradise, paradise, paradise”) and so on (figure 12).

Fig 12

MOVEMENT IX

Fig 13	Fig 14

Sequence II

Music: The second part of musical theme 9 is played.

Movement sequence

All sing the words: Tvoyte doumi dve, sladki doumi dve (“Your two words, sweet two words”) twice.
Both hands are placed one over the other with palms turned down with the right palm on top. In this position one sings: Tvoyte doumi dve. Then the hands open and the words sladki doumi dve are sung. All this is repeated twice. At the repetition the left hand is over the right hand.

MOVEMENT X

Music: Musical theme 10 is played.

Movement sequence

All sing the words: Tuy e ray (“This is paradise”) three times and once the words Tuy e ray, ray. At the same time the hands, placed horizontally to the sides at shoulder height and with palms down make 5 wave like movements imitating fl ying (figure 15).

Fig 15

The song and the fi ve wave-like movements are repeated once more.

Fig 15