The Class of Virtues

[Ani]

The Class of Virtues

The Master encouraged the disciples' every initiative for spiritual work. In the summer of 1920, five of the sisters developed the idea of engaging in a more profound study of the Pentagram. They would gather under the pines of "Boucher's Glade" and follow their programme of discussions and reading papers on the five major virtues. Each sister was to concentrate on one particular virtue: Savka Keremidchieva represented Truth, Pasha Teodorova - Justice, Maria Todorova - Love, Maria Radeva -Wisdom, and Sotirka Babadjova - Virtue. The Master often joined them and took part in the discussions. Sometimes he gave talks on the issues raised in the group. He understood the five women's purity and natural desire for development and encouraged it.

At the convention in Tarnovo the same year, this group became the foundation of the Class of Virtues, comprising ten women.

Savka Keremidchieva wrote of the day of its establishment, the 22nd of August 1920: "At the Master's initiative, ten of us young sisters, three from Varna and seven from Sofia: Sotirka, Dafinka, Viktoria, Pasha, Olga, Siika, Mariika, Nevenka, Stefka and me, Savka, gathered upstairs. The Master addressed us: "Are you ready to follow the Path of the New Teaching with courage and resolve? A disciple who is hesitant is unable to learn. Are you ready to walk in this Path with courage and resolve?" "We are!" "Without hesitation?" "No hesitation!"

This is how the Class of Virtues was established, and the Master gave it methods and a special piece of advice: "Always keep in mind purity and self-control. Together, they create equilibrium." The ten sisters in the Class of Virtues took personal vows to engage in conscious work.

Among their other activities, the Master revealed to them the meaning of some graphic images. One of them was an involved design of interlaced colours of the spectrum in an elliptical frame. It symbolized the soul's connectedness with the surrounding visible and invisible world. The ten sisters embroidered the image on silk and named it "banner of the Fellowship."

The Class of Virtues was short-lived. The Master foresaw the difficulties that a young person encounters in life, and as the virtues are forces that help one in life, he encouraged the ten sisters' desire to study them. He told Savka: "In the Class of Virtues, you learn to deal with the hardships of life. You will encounter a number of difficulties that you will need to resolve. Take the Class of Virtues as a science that you will be learning in any circumstances."

The "Banner of the Brotherhood".