Ora Et Labora
Living the monastic life in a secular world
In a secular age, the traditional monastery may seem to be in decline. Yet, the call to a monastic life—a life of focused spiritual inquiry—endures. This call no longer requires withdrawal from society into a cloistered space. Instead, it presents a more profound challenge: to be in the world, but not of it. This principle is more relevant than ever, offering a path toward what the sage Patanjali called “isolated unity.”
- Lectio Divina
“Ora Et Labora,” subtitled “Liturgy of the Hours,” is a newly released musical album inspired by the timeless Benedictine practice of dedicating seven periods each day—in prayer and reflection—while embracing the realities of modern, secular life. Available now on major streaming platforms such as Spotify, this project reimagines the ancient monastic rhythm for the “New Group of World Servers” described in the Alice A. Bailey teachings, inviting listeners to find stillness and meaning while living fully in the world. Created by José Becerra, a longtime student of Bailey’s work, the album presents seven mantras from Bailey’s literature—each set to music enhanced by AI. This blog post features the full texts of the seven mantras from the album, each accompanied by a direct link—labeled ‘Source’ below—to the author’s ebook on musicalized mantras.
I. Vigil - And Thus I Stand
I am a point of light
Within a greater Light.
I am a strand of loving energy
Within the stream of love divine.
I am a point of sacrificial Fire,
Focused within the fiery Will of God.
And thus, I stand.
I am a way
By which men may achieve.
I am a source of strength,
Enabling them to stand.
I am a beam of light,
Shining upon their way.
And thus, I stand.
And standing thus revolve
And tread this way
The ways of men,
And know the ways of God.
And thus, I stand.
-Source: Ancient Mantram of Affirmation. Extracted from the book (published by the Lucis Trust) titled “Discipleship in the New Age”, Vol. II, p. 175.
II. Lauds (Sunrise) - The Gayatri
O Thou Who givest sustenance to the universe,
From Whom all things proceed,
To Whom all things return,
Unveil to us the face of the true Spiritual Sun
Hidden by a disc of golden Light
That we may know the Truth
And do our whole duty
As we journey to Thy sacred feet.
-Source: The Gayatri, published by the Lucis Trust.
III. Terce - I Seek the Way
I seek the Way.
I yearn to know.
Visions I see,
And fleeting deep impressions.
Behind the Portal,
On the other side,
Lies that which I call home,
For the circle hath been well-nigh trod,
And the end approaches the beginning.
I seek the Way.
All ways my feet have trod.
The Way of Fire
Calls me with fierce appeal.
Naught in me seeks the way of peace;
Naught in me yearns for earth.
Let the fire rage,
The flames devour;
Let all the dross be burnt;
And let me enter through that Gate,
And tread the Way of Fire.
[Added final verse]
I seek the Way;
I yearn to know.
Let me enter through that Gate,
And tread the Way of Fire.
-Source: The Light of the Soul (p. 209) published by the Lucis Trust.
IV. Sexta (Noon) - Touch My Heart Anew with Love
I know, O Lord of Life and Love, about the need.
Touch my heart anew with love,
That I too may love and give.
I know, O Lord of Life and Love, about the need.
Touch my heart anew with love,
That I too may love and give.
I know, O Lord of Life and Love, about the need.
Touch my heart anew with love,
That I too may love and give.
-Source: The Externalisation of the Hierarchy (p. 154,) published by the Lucis Trust.
V. None - Radiance We Are and Power
[Verse 1]
Radiance we are and power.
We stand forever with our hands stretched out,
Linking the heavens and the earth,
The inner world of meaning
And the subtle world of false-worth.
[Verse 2]
We reach into the Light
And bring it down to meet the need.
[Chorus]
Radiance we are and power.
We stand forever with our hands stretched out,
Linking the heavens and the earth.
[Verse 3]
We reach into the Silent Place
And bring from thence the gift of understanding.
[Chorus]
Radiance we are and power.
We stand forever with our hands stretched out,
Linking the heavens and the earth.
[Verse 4]
Thus, with the light we work
And turn the darkness into day.
[Final Chorus (crescendo, repeat)]
Radiance we are and power.
We stand forever with our hands stretched out,
Linking the heavens and the earth,
The inner world of meaning
And the subtle world of false-worth.
[Outro (gentle, resolute)]
Radiance we are and power.
Linking the heavens and the earth.
Thus, with the light we work
And turn the darkness into day.
-Source: Adapted from the FORMULA FOR THE DISSIPATION OF WORLD GLAMOUR in the book GLAMOUR: A World Problem by Alice A. Bailey published by the Lucis Trust.
VI. Vespers (Sunset) - May I Fulfill My Part
[Verse 1]
May the Pow’r of the One Life
Pour through the group of all true servers.
May the Pow’r of the One Life
Pour through the group of all true servers.
[Verse 2]
May the Love of the One Soul
Mark the lives of all who seek
To aid the Great Ones, the Great Ones.
May I fulfill my part,
[Verse 3]
May I fulfill my part in the One Work
Through self-forgetfulness,
Harmlessness and right speech.
May I fulfill my part!
-Source: Adapted from the Mantram of the New Group of World Servers in “A Treatise on White Magic” by Alice A. Bailey, p. 261., published by the Lucis Trust.
VII. Compline - Abiding Peace
May the Holy Ones
Whose disciple I am
Show me the light I seek;
Give me the strong aid
Of Their compassion
And Their wisdom.
There is a peace
Which passeth understanding;
It abides in the hearts
Of those who live in the Eternal.
There is a power
Which maketh all things new;
It lives and moves
In those who know the Self as one.
May that peace brood over us,
That power uplift us
Till we stand
Where the One Initiator is invoked,
Till we see
His star shine forth!
-Source: An invocation for disciples by Alice A. Bailey (Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. I, p. 359, published by Lucis Trust).
Encore: The Aquarian Mantram of Synthesis
May the liberating Light of Lord Buddha,
The infinite Love of the Spirit of Peace,
And the indefinable Power of the Avatar of Synthesis
Restore the Plan of God on Earth.
May the liberating Light of Lord Buddha,
The infinite Love of the Spirit of Peace,
And the indefinable Power of the Avatar of Synthesis
Restore the Plan of God on Earth.
May the liberating Light of Lord Buddha,
The infinite Love of the Spirit of Peace,
And the indefinable Power of the Avatar of Synthesis
Restore the Plan of God on Earth.
Restore the Plan of God on Earth.
On Earth
The Plan
On Earth!
-Source: Final stanza of The Great Invocation originally transcribed in English by Alice A. Bailey, adapted in Spanish by Vicente Beltrán-Anglada (VBA) and translated to English by the VBA Foundation.