In the Hierarchy of Being (or Hierarchy of Souls) are the more advanced souls, who can be called Masters. These Masters are at the higher part of the Hierarchy, and there are different levels or stations all the way down to the beginning of human consciousness emerging from animal consciousness. The Masters are the great souls of human history, who advanced because of their special efforts and self sacrifices. They are the greatest minds and hearts of Humanity.
The Masters are those who have mastered their own self-ego and have been able to master the three aspects of every human being – the mind, emotions, and physical. Masters have become free of all three of these – through detachment, sacrifice, and consistent practice. They also learned how to develop each of these to the finest. So mastery is about freedom from the mind, emotions, and physical; yet equally about a mastery of mental, emotional, and physical development. Both freedom and development are important and need to be worked on; and neither goal should impede the other.
These higher, Holy Souls can become our Guide or Teacher, leading us with their expansive love and integral wisdom, and by other spiritual qualities they have developed. They can lead us in a better direction, or in the best direction. But their guidance is usually general, rather than telling us what exactly to do or what exact numbers to play in the lottery. As well, They can help liberate us from our own self-deceptions and illusions, desires and glamours, attachments and identifications; – because they have already freed themselves of these. So we can gain help from Those who are free by entering into a relationship with Their power of freedom and liberation.
Masters, Adepts, Initiates, and all advanced Souls constitute what can be called the Spiritual Hierarchy of our world. Some are here incarnated physically, while others at present exist just as souls without physical bodies -- though they can mentally create etheric-astral bodies for the convenience of interacting.
Each of these higher-advanced Souls are part of a Soul-Group, in which each participates and contributes. So, each Soul is both an individual and a part of some Group, which is their Group-Soul. The higher level Soul-Groups, composed of the more advanced Souls, have been called 'Ashrams', and these Groups work cooperatively to teach and guide the rest of humanity, by developing wise and practical Ideas, Visions, and Plans for the spiritual and physical evolution of humanity and the world.
The Ashrams of Hierarchy are groups of conscious souls having a similar level of consciousness, or spiritual advancement, and also sharing a similar kind of world-service, and thus cooperatively working together in a field of world-transformation as part of the greater Divine Purpose for humanity and working out general plans for fulfilling this. Those in the Ashrams (Groups) are intently focused on and working on plans and endeavors to promote their particular part of the greater Purpose. Each soul gravitates to at least one of these Hierarchy Groups, to these fields of service or interest, to offer some sort of contribution.
Many souls might contribute to an Ashram, or field of hierarchical service, even many souls now living physically; but the core of any Ashram of Hierarchy is its highest soul members who are all most sincerely dedicated to this work and most capable of fulfilling it. The core souls of an Ashram Group are the Group's very substance of being and they hold the Group together. These core souls actually develop a Group-soul, which is the Ashram in essence, and this Group-soul is energized and guided by a Master-advanced soul from a level above in the Hierarchy. This Group becomes like the radiant service-body of the Master; and each Master is, in turn, part of an even higher Group-soul – embodying, as it were, the Master above this. And so it goes, cosmically.
The Masters and all higher Souls are also responsible for the Divine Plan on Earth and for humanity in general. God does not create a detailed Divine Plan from the beginning of time. Rather, the Divine Plan is a 'plan in progress', and each world has to work out its own plan; though in any cosmic system or planet there is a larger Group and Mind encompassing it, so even this would be part of a larger Plan. But a Plan is not a done-deal. It is simply a general blueprint-plan for what is hoped and intended to be by the powers Above or Larger.
The World Plan is always a work in progress, or one might say, ideas in progress of being fulfilled. Yet no plan can ever be set in stone, nor can the future be known with absolute certainty, because there is free will and uncertainty through all life. Thus, the Plan is always in a 'creative adjustment', depending on the developing happenings of the time, and also dependent on the general receptivity of people to spiritual ideas and their willingness to make needed changes in their lives for the larger good. It is impossible to accurately predict such things, and it is impossible for anyone to be forced into a new evolution; therefore, the Plan is always needing creative adjustment.
There are different levels of consciousness and ideas in the Mind of Humanity. These are different levels of spiritual truth and vision. As not all beliefs and ideas are equal; some are just plain wrong or illusionary, yet still subsist in the mind-field of humanity. Same with emotional qualities and energies; some are very high spiritually and beneficial for the world, while other kinds of emotions are more lowly and harmful to everyone involved.
Remember that the Mind of Humanity is a composite reservoir of everything people put into it, from the past and up to the present; though any past energies, thoughts or emotions can in fact be transformed, transmuted or dissolved the conscious light of real knowing. However, humanity in general is most normally susceptible to and influenced by these various thoughts and emotions from the World Mind, and many of these are not really wise nor helpful at all. People usually just 'pick up' or 'tune into' these energies in a haphazard, unintended, subconscious way. And this is mostly how past karma continues; until each person gains more consciousness and choice in what is received and taken on.
Within the Mind of Humanity are also different 'spheres of consciousness'. In these too are different levels; some being more spiritually advanced than others, and some more love-inclusive than others. A sphere of consciousness is like a range of frequency-vibration; or it's like a station one can tune into. Even more so, each 'sphere of consciousness' is a group of like-minded ideas, intentions, and emotional qualities. So if one tunes into a particular higher sphere, or reaches that sphere, one will have access to it – that is, one will be in it, and one will be in communication with the ideas, visions, wisdoms, intentions, and higher emotions of this group. Of course, alternatively though, one could also tune into or be in a lower level sphere of consciousness, which might instead consist of misleading ideas, illusions, glamors, self-centered intentions, and chaotic emotions.
Each Ashram-Group is a spiritual-cosmic Field of Energy – an energy-field of being/consciousness, composed of three primary kinds of energies:
a) the will-to-service – to share, give, and radiate one's love and wisdom
b) inclusive love and cooperation
c) higher-wisdom Ideas for humanity and the world
These wisdom-ideas form the highest level of the 'Mind of Humanity'.
The Mind of Humanity is a total collection of all kinds of ideas and believed truths. These various ideas conjugate into like-minded groups, sort of like stars into galaxies. The best and wisest ideas, and the most profound truths, form the highest level of humanity's mental energy-field or 'World Mind'. This higher level of our World Mind is composed of the best realized ideas and visions, the highest realized truths, and the greatest spiritual inspirations and motivations.
All of this is what forms the Collective Mind of the Masters and Adepts; or in other words, this highest level of World Mind is made of the minds of Masters and higher Adepts. This highest realm of Humanity's Mind is the mental forum (or assembly) of the highest Souls of our planet. This is the highest level of greatest Ideas and Visions, as presently available and potentially inspiring to those of humanity who are receptively open-minded. And thus, the great Ashrams of Masters and Adepts form the higher level Spheres of Ideas and Inspirations, within the Mind of Humanity.
The highest advanced Souls of humanity (through all history), who are the most wise and loving hearts of all humanity's Soul, cooperatively build the higher levels of the World Mind, which are composed of our highest spiritual ideals, ideas and truths, as realized by these most advanced souls. This energy-field of highest-wisest ideas can then inspire and evolve humanity. We each can receive from these higher-wisdom ideas, but we can also contribute to this energy-field of great-wisdom ideas (ideas having goodwill, love and wisdom).
As understood in esoteric science, the Masters and all higher souls in the Hierarchy are the source our spiritual inspirations and our spiritual motivations. In other words, our spiritual inspirations and motivations come to us from the Hierarchy – from the Masters and other higher souls of the Hierarchy, or also from groups of souls connected and working together. We are inspired and spiritually motivated by Their future thinking Ideas and Visions, and also by the Qualities radiant and resonating from Their being.
So when we have higher spiritual motivations, inspirations and wisdom-ideas, we don't usually consider where these come from. They might come from our inner soul. They might come from God. But we might also consider that they come from greater Souls within the larger Mind of all Humanity --- from the Masters, Guides, and Ashrams of the Human Hierarchy. All of these sources are worthy considerations of where from our greater inspirations and motivations are received. And all of these sources are holistically related; so in a sense, the source is from all – from God, the higher souls, and also our soul. This would in itself be a great truth to reflect upon.
This mental realm of humanity's highest realized ideals, ideas and truths is also the formation of and source of The Plan – which is the best-wisest ideas (forming the Plan) for humanity at this time, given the ever-changing present circumstances. This Plan is composed of the highest realized Visions as yet realized by the Hierarchy of Masters. Yet this Plan is not guaranteed or absolutely destined. Rather, it is a Hierarchy-made Plan, which the Masters and highest souls give their energy and guidance to.
This understanding of the 'Plan' is different from the conventional religious belief that everything is already destined to be by 'God's Plan'. Rather, the 'World Plan' is developed by the Great Ones of humanity, the most advanced souls of humanity – who sometimes incarnate (or who actually try continually to incarnate but are often thwarted by unfavorable circumstances). These highest souls of humanity are most aligned with the Highest Cosmic Will and Purpose, and they are able to receive/realize more and more of the Greater Cosmic Purpose and Plan.
The highest, wisest Souls in our planetary sphere are those who are most in alignment with the Greater Cosmic Will (called the Will of God) and who have the most realization of the Divine Purpose. From this spiritual alignment and this realization of the Greater Purpose, they are able to have Visions and Ideas of what is possible for the world at this time – of what could and should be done.
These Visions and Ideas form the highest Plan for humanity and the world. In other words, the Divine Plan for our world is always in process of being developed, through the Visions, Ideas and also through the intentional guidance from these Highest Leaders of the planet. So, this Plan depends on the realizations of our highest Leaders, Guides. Yet it also depends on the current conditions of humanity and the world – because Plans have to be practical and possible to implement in the situation at hand.
Thus, the highest sphere of Visions and Ideas, within the 'World Mind' or 'Mind of Humanity', have been brought forth into our shared World Mind from the highest Masters, Leaders, Guides of Humanity. Yet anyone, including all of us, can also contribute visionary Ideas into the shared Mind of Humanity. Any of us can contribute our highest most spiritual yet also most practical Ideas for a better world. Thus, we can each be part of this 'seed work' – planting wise Idea-seeds or great Visions, into the general Mind of Humanity; even if it might take some time for many people to realize these Ideas and Visions. But we cannot worry about how long it takes – we need to keep planting the new, greater, wiser Ideas, Ideals, and Visions.