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Raja Yoga or Mental Development
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The MENTAL Planes.
In
our last lesson we told you something about the operation
of the mind outside of the field of consciousness. In
this lesson we will attempt to classify these out-of-consciousness planes, by
directing your attention to the several mental
planes above and below the plane of consciousness. As we stated in the last lesson, over 90 per cent of our mental operations
are conducted outside of the field of consciousness, so that the
consideration of the planes is seen to be an important subject.
Man
is a Centre of Consciousness in the great One Life of the Universe. His soul
has climbed a great many steps before it
reached its present position and stage
of unfoldment. And it will pass through many more steps until it is entirely
free and delivered from the necessity of its swaddling clothes.
In his mental being
man contains traces of all that has gone beforeall the experiences of himself
and the great race movement of which he is a
part. And, likewise, his mind
contains faculties and mental planes which have not as yet unfolded into
consciousness, and of the existence
of which he is but imperfectly aware. All of these mental possessions,
however, are useful and valuable to himeven the lowest. The lowest may be used to advantage, under proper mastery,
and arc only dangerous to the man who allows them to master
him instead of serving him as they should, considering
his present stage of development.
In
this consideration of the several mental planes we shall
not confine ourselves to the technical occult terms
given to these several planes, but will place them in
general groups and describe the features and characteristics
of each, rather than branch off into long explanations
of the growth and reason of the several planes, which would take us far away
from the practical consideration of the subject.
Beginning
at the lowest point of the scale we see that man
has a body. The body is composed of minute
cells of protoplasm. These cells are built up of countless molecules, atoms and particles of matter precisely the same matter that composes the rocks, trees, air, etc.,
around him. The Yogi philosophy tells us
that even the atoms of matter have life and an elementary manifestation of mind, which causes them to group together according to the law of
attraction, forming different
elements, combinations, etc. This law
of attraction is a mental operation, and is the first evidence of mental choice, action and response. Below this is Prana or Force, which, strictly
speaking, is also a manifestation
of mind, although for convenience we
designate it as a separate manifestation of the Absolute.
And therefore we find that this law of attraction between the atoms and particles of matter is a mental action, and that it belongs to man's mental kingdom, because
he has a body and this mental action is con-
THE MENTAL PLANES.
tinually
going on in his body. So therefore this is the lowest mental plane to be
considered in the make-up of the man. This plane is, of
course, far sunken beneath the plane of
consciousness, and is scarcely identified
with the personality of the man at all, but rather belongs to the life of the whole, manifest in the rock as well as in the
man.
Rut
after these atoms have been grouped by the law of
attraction and have formed molecules of matter,
they are taken possession of by a higher mental activity
and built up into cells by the mental action of the
plant. The life impulse of the plant begins by drawing to it certain particles
of inorganic matter-chemical elementsand then
building them into a single cell. Oh, mystery of the
cell! The intellect of man is unable to duplicate this wonderful process. The Mind Principle on the Vegetative Plane, however, knows exactly how
to go to work to select and draw to itself just the
elements needed to build up the single
cell. Then taking up its abode in that cell using it
as a basis of operations, it proceeds to duplicate its
previous performance, and so cell after cell is added,
by the simple reproductive process of division
and subdivisionthe primitive and elemental sex
processuntil the mighty plant is built up. From the humblest vegetable organism up to the greatest oak the process is
the same.
And
it does not stop there. The body of man is also built up
in just this way, and he has this vegetative mind also
within him, below the plane of consciousness, of
course. To many this thought of a vegetative mind may
be somewhat startling. But let us remember that
every part of our body has been built up from the
vegetable cell. The unborn child starts with the
coalition of two cells. These cells begin to build up the new body for the occupancy of the child that is, the mind principle in the cells directs the work, of coursedrawing upon the body of the mother for nourishment
and supplies. The nourishment in the mother's blood, which supplies the
material for the building up of the child's body,
is obtained by the mother eating and assimilating
the vegetable cells of plants, directly or indirectly.
If she eats fruit, nuts. vegetables, etc., she obtains
the nourishment of the plant life directlyif she eats meat she obtains it indirectly,
for the animal from which the meat was taken built up the meat from
vegetables. There is no two ways about
thisall nourishment of the animal
and human kingdom is obtained from the vegetable kingdom, directly or
indirectly.
And the cell action in the child is identical with the cell action in the plant. Cells constantly reproducing themselves
and building themselves up into bodily organs,
parts, etc., under the direction and guidance of the
mind principle. The child grows in this way until the hour of birth. It is
horn, and then the process is but slightly
changed. The child begins to take
nourishment cither from the mother's milk or from the milk of the cow, or other forms of food. And as it grows larger it partakes of many
different varieties
of food. But always it obtains building material from the cell life of
the plants.
And
this great building up process is intelligent, purposeful,
to a wonderful degree. Man with his boasted
intellect cannot explain the real "thingness" of the process. A
leading scientist who placed the egg of a small lizard under microscopical examination
and then watched it slowly develop has said that
it seemed as if some hand was tracing the outlines of the tiny vertebrae, and then building up around it. Think for a moment of the development of the germ within the egg of the humming-bird, or the
ant, or the gnat, or the eagle. Every second a change may be noticed. The germ cell draws to itself
nourishment from the other part of
the egg, and then it grows and
reproduces another cell. Then both cells dividethen subdivide until there arc millions and millions and millions of cells. And all the while
the building up process continues,
and the bird or insect assumes shape
and form, until at last the work is accomplished
and the young bird emerges from the egg.
And the work thus commenced continues until the death
of the animal. For there is a constant using-up and
breaking-down of cell and tissue, which the organism must replace. And so
the vegetative mind of the plant, or insect,
or animal, or man, is constantly at
work building up new cells from the food, throwing out worn-out and used-up material from the system. Not only this, but it attends to the
circulation of the blood in order
that the materials for the building
up may be carried to all parte of the system. It
attends to the digestion and assimilation of the foodthe
wonderful work of the organs of the body. It attends to the healing of wounds,
the fight against disease, the care of the
physical body. And all this out of the plane of
consciousnessin the infant man, the
animal world, the vegetable kingdomever at work,
untiring, intelligent, wonderful. And this plane of mind is in man as well as in the plant, and it does its work without aid from the conscious part of man, although man may interfere with it by adverse conscious
thought, which seems to paralyze its efforts. Mental
Healing is merely the restoring of normal conditions,
so that this part of the body may do its work
without the hindrance of adverse conscious thought.
On this plane of the mind is found all of the vital functions and
operations. The work is done out-of-consciousness,
and the consciousness is aware of this part of
the mind only when it makes demands upon the conscious for food, etc.
On this plane also resides the elementary
instinct that tends toward reproduction
and sexual activity. The demand of this part of the mind is always
"increase and multiply," and
according to the stage of growth of the individual is the mandate carried out, as we shall see presently. The elementary impulses and desires that we
find rising into the field of consciousness
come from this plane of the mind.
Hunger, thirst and the reproductive desires are its messages to the higher parts of
the mind. And these messages are natural and free
from the abuses and prostitution often observed attached to them by the intellect
of man in connection with his unrestrained animal impulses. Gluttony
and unnatural lust arise not from the primitive
demand of this plane of the mindfor the lower animals
even are free from them to a great extent but it
is reserved for man to so prostitute these primitive
natural tendencies, in order to gratify unnatural and
artificial appetites, which serve to frustrate nature rather than to aid
her.
As Life advanced in the scale and animal forms appeared
on the scene new planes of mind were unfolded,
in accordance to the necessity of the living forms. The animal was
compelled to hunt for his foodto prey upon
other forms, and to avoid being preyed upon by others. He was compelled to
struggle for the unfoldment of
latent powers of his mind that would
give him means to play his part in the scheme of life. He was compelled
to do certain things in order to live and
reproduce his kind. And he demanded not in vain. For there came to him
slowly an unfolding knowledge of the things
necessary for the requirements of his life. We call this Instinct. But, pray remember, by Instinct we do not mean the
still higher something that is really
rudimentary Intellect that we
notice in the higher animals. We are speaking
now of the unreasoning instinct observed in the lower animals, and to a certain degree in man. This
Instinctive plane of mentality causes the bird to build
its nest before its eggs are laid, which instructs
the animal mother how to care for its young when
born, and after birth; which teaches the bee to construct its cell and to
store up its honey. These and countless
other things in animal life, and in the higher form of plant life, arc manifestations of Instinctthat great plane of the mind. In fact, the
greater part of the life of the animal
is instinctive, although the higher
forms of animals have developed something
like rudimentary Intellect or Reason, which enables them to meet new conditions where Intellect alone fails
them.
And
man has this plane of mind within him, below consciousness. In fact the
lower forms of human life manifest but
little Intellect, and live almost altogether according to their Instinctive
impulses and desires.
Every
man has this Instinctive mental region within him and
from it are constantly arising impulses and desires
to perplex and annoy him, as well as to serve him occasionally. The whole
secret consists in whether the man has
Mastery of his lower self or not.
From this plane of the mind arise the hereditary impulses coming down
from generations of ancestors, reaching back to the
cavemen, and still further back into the animal kingdom. A queer storehouse is
this. Animal instinctspassions, appetites, desires,
feelings, sensations, emotions, etc., are there. Hate,
envy. jealousy, revenge, the lust of the animal
seeking the gratification of his sexual impulses, etc., etc., are there,
and are constantly intruding upon our attention
until we have asserted our mastery. And often the
failure to assert this mastery comes from an ignorance
of the nature of the desire, etc. We have been taught
that these thoughts were "bad" without being told why, and we
have feared them and thought them the
promptings of an impure nature, or a depraved mind, etc. This is all wrong.
These things are not "bad" of
themselvesthey came to us honestlythey are our heritage from the past. They belong to the animal part of our nature, and were necessary to
the animal in his stage of
development. We have the whole menagerie within us, but that does not mean that
we should turn the beasts loose upon
ourselves or others. It was
necessary for the animal to be fierce, full of fight, passionate, regardless of
the rights of others, etc., but we
have outgrown that stage of development, and it is ignoble for us to
return to it, or to allow it to master us.
This lesson is not intended as a discourse upon Ethics or morals. We do not intend going into a discussion of the details of "Right and Wrong," for we have
touched upon that phase of the subject in other works.
But we feel justified in calling your attention to the
fact that the human mind intuitively recognizes the
"Rightness" of the living up to that which comes to us from the highest parts of the mindthe highest product of our unfoldment. And it likewise intuitively recognizes the "Wrongness" of the falling back into that which belongs
to the lower stages of our mentalityto the animal part of us,
that is our heritage from the past and that which has
gone before.
While
we may be puzzled about many details of morals and ethics and may not be able
to "explain" why we consider certain things
right or wrong, we still intuitively feel that the
highest "Right" of which we are capable is the acting
out of that which is coming to us from the highest pole of our mental being, and that the lowest "Wrong"
consists in doing that which carries
us back to the life of the lower animals, in so far as mentality is
concerned. Not because there is anything
absolutely "Wrong" in the mental
processes and consequent of the animals in themselvesthey arc all right and perfectly natural in the animalsbut we intuitively recognize that
for us to fall back to the animal
stage is a "going backward" in the scale of evolution. We
intuitively shrink at an exhibition of
brutality and animality on the part of a man or woman. We may not know just why, but a little reflection will show us that it
is a sinking in the evolutionary
scale, against which the spiritual
part of us revolts and protests.
But
this must not be construed to mean that the advanced
soul looks upon the animal world with disgust or
horror. On the contrary, there is nowhere to be found a higher respect for
animal life and being than among the Yogi and other advanced souls. They delight in watching the animals filling
their places in lifeplaying out
their parts in the divine scheme of
life. Their animal passions and
desires are actions
viewed sympathetically and lovingly by the advanced soul, and nothing
"Wrong" or disgusting is seen
there. And even the coarseness and brutality of the
savage races are so regarded by these advanced souls. They see everything as
natural according to the grade and degree of
development of these people.
It is
only when these advanced souls view the degeneracies of "civilized"
life that they feel sorrow and pain. For here they see
instances of devolution instead of
evolutiondegeneration instead of regeneration and
advancement. And not only do they know this to be the fact, but the
degenerate specimens of mankind themselves
feel and know it. Compare the
expression of the animal or savage going through their natural life actions and performances. See how free and natural arc their expressions, how
utterly apart are evidences of wrong doing. They have not as yet found out the fatal secret of Good and
Evil they have not as yet eaten the
forbidden fruit. But, on the
contrary, look into the faces of the degenerates and fallen souls of our civilized life. See the furtive glance and the self-consciousness of
"Wrong" evident in every face. And this consciousness of "Wrong" bears heavily upon these.
peopleit is heavier than the punishments heaped upon them. That nameless something called
"conscience" may be smothered for a while, but sooner or later
it comes to light and demands the pound of flesh from its victim.
And yet you will say that it seems hard to think that the
same thing can be Right in one person and Wrong in another. This seems
like a hard saying and a dangerous doctrine,
but it is the Truth. And man
instinctively recognizes it. He does not expect the same sense of moral
responsibility in a young child, or in a
savage, that he does in a mature, developed, civilized man. He may restrain the child and the savage, for self-protection and the welfare of
all, but he realizes the
distinction, or at least should do so.
And not only is this true, but as man advances in the scale he casts off many ideas of
"Wrong" that he once held,
having outgrown the old ideas and having grown into new conceptions. And the tendency is always upward and onward. The tendency is constantly from Force and Restraint toward Love and Freedom. The ideal condition would be one in
which there were no laws and no necessity for thema condition in which men had ceased to do wrong because
they had outgrown the desire rather
than from fear or restraint or force. And while this condition as yet seems afar off, there is constantly going on
an unfoldment of higher planes and faculties of the mind, which when once fully manifest in the race will
work a complete revolution in ethics
and laws and governmentand for the better, of course. In the meantime Mankind moves along, doing the best it can, making
a steady though slow progress.
There is another plane of the mind which is often called
the "Instinct," but which is but a part of the plane of the
Intellect, although its operations are, largely
below the field of consciousness. We allude to what
may be called the "Habit Mind," in order to distinguish
it from the Instinctive Plane. The difference is
this: The Instinctive plane of mind is made up of
the ordinary operations of the mind below the plane of
the Intellect, and yet above the plane of the Vegetative
mindand also of the acquired experiences of
the race, which have been transmitted by heredity,
etc. But the "Habit Mind" contains only that which has been placed there by the person himself
and which he has acquired by experience, habit, and
observation, repeated so often until the mind knows it
so well that it is carried below the field of consciousness
and becomes "second nature," and akin to Instinct.
The
text books upon psychology are filled with illustrations and examples of the habit phase or plane of the
mental operations, and we do not think it necessary to
repeat instances of the same kind here. Everyone is
familiar with the fact that tasks which at first are
learned only by considerable work and time soon become
fixed in some part of the mind until their repetition calls for little or no
exercise of conscious mental operation. In fact, some
writers have claimed that no one really
"learns" how to perform a task until he
can perform it almost automatically. The pupil who
in the early stages of piano playing finds it most
difficult to control and manage his fingers, after a
time is able to forget all about his fingering and devote his entire
attention to the pages of his music, and after this he is
able to apparently let his fingers
play the entire piece of music by themselves, without a thought on his
part. The best performers have told us that in the moments of their highest
efforts they are aware that the out-of-conscious portion of their mind is
doing the work for them, and they are practically standing aside and witnessing
the work being done. So true is this that in some cases it is related that if
the performer's conscious mind attempts to take up the work the quality is
impaired and the musician and the audience notice the difference.
The same thing is
true in the case of the woman learning to operate the sewing machine. It is
quite difficult at first, but gradually it
grows to "run itself." Those who have mastered the typewriter have
had the same experience. At first
each letter had to be picked out with care and effort. After a gradual
improvement the operator is enabled to
devote her entire attention to the "copy" and let the fingers
pick out the keys for themselves. Many
operators learn rapid typewriting by so training the habit mind that it
picks out the letter-keys by reason of
their position, the letters being covered over in order to force the
mind to adapt itself to the new requirements. A similar state of affairs exists wherever men or women have to
use tools of any kind. The tool soon is recognized by the mind
and used as if it were a part of the body, and
no more conscious thought is devoted to the manipulation than we devote
to the operation of walking, which, by the way, is learned by the child
only by the expenditure of time and labor.
It is astonishing how many things we
do "automatically" in this
way. Writers have called our attention
to the fact that the average man
cannot consciously inform you how he
puts on his coat in the morningwhich arm goes in first, how the coat is
held, etc. But the habit mind knowsknows very well. Let the student stand up and put on his coat in the regular way,
following the leadings of the habit mind. Then, after removing it, let
him attempt to put it on by inserting the other arm first, for
instance. He will be surprised to find out how awkward it wilt be for him,
and how completely he has been depending upon the habit mind. And tomorrow morning let him find out which shoe
the habit mind has been putting on him first and then try to reverse the order
and notice how flurried and disturbed the habit mind will become, and how
frantically it will signal to the conscious mind: "Something wrong up there!" Or try to button on your collar, reversing the order in which the tabs are placed over the buttonright before
left, or left before right, as the case may be, and notice the involuntary protest. Or, try to reverse the customary habit in walking and attempt to swing your right arm with the movement of your right leg, and so on,
and you will find it will require the exercise of great will power. Or, try to "change hands" and use
your knife and fork. But we must stop
giving examples and illustrations. Their number is countless.
Not
only does the habit mind attend to physical actions,
etc., but it also takes a hand in our mental operations. We soon acquire the
habit of ceasing to consciously consider certain
things, and the habit mind takes the matter for
granted, and thereafter we will think
automatically on those particular questions, unless we arc shaken out of the
habit by a rude jolt from the mind of
someone else, or from the presentation of some conflicting idea occasioned by
our own experience or reasoning
processes. And the habit mind hates
to be disturbed and compelled to revise its ideas. It fights against it, and rebels, and the result
is that many of us are slaves to old
outgrown ideas that we realize are
false and untrue, but which we find that we "cannot exactly get rid of." In our future lessons we will give methods to get rid of these old
outgrown ideas.
There are other planes of mind which have to do with the phenomena known as "psychic," by which is meant the
phases of psychic phenomena known as clairvoyance,
psychometry,telepathy, etc., but we shall not
consider them in this lesson, for they belong to another
part of the general subject. We have spoken of them
in a general way in our "Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy, etc."
And
now we come to the plane of mind known to us as
Intellect or the Reasoning Faculties. Webster defines
the word Intellect as follows: The part or faculty
of the human soul by which it knows, as distinguished from the power to
feel and to will; the thinking
faculty; the understanding. The same authority
defines the word Reason as follows: "The faculty
or capacity of the human mind by which it is distinguished
from the intelligence of the inferior animals."
We shall not attempt to go into a consideration of the conscious
Intellect, for to do so we would he
compelled to take up the space of the remaining lessons of the course, and besides, the student may find extended information on this subject in
any of the text books on psychology.
Instead we will consider other
faculties and planes of mind which the said
text books pass by rapidly, or perhaps deny. And one of these planes is that of Unconscious Reasoning, or Intellect. To many this term will seem
paradoxical, but students of the
unconscious will understand just what is meant.
Reasoning is not necessarily conscious in its operations, in fact, a
greater part of the reasoning processes are
performed below or above the conscious field. In our last lesson we have given a number of examples proving this fact, but a few more remarks may not be out of place, nor without interest to the student.
In our last lesson you will see many instances stated in which the sub-conscious field of the Intellect worked out
problems, and then after a time handed to the conscious reason the solution
of the matter. This has occurred to many of
us, if not indeed to all of us. Who
has not endeavored to solve a problem or question of some sort and after "giving it up" has had it
suddenly unswered and flashed
into consciousness when
least expected. The experience is common to the
race. While the majority of us have noticed these things,
we have regarded them as exceptional and out of the general rule. Not so,
however, with students of the mental planes. The latter have recognized these planes of reason, and have availed
themselves of their knowledge by
setting these unconscious faculties
to work for them. In our next lesson we will give directions to our students regarding this
accomplishment, which may prove of
the greatest importance to those who
will take the trouble to practice the directions given. It is a plan
that is known to the majority of men who
have "done things" in the world, the majority of them, however, having discovered the plan for themselves as the result of a need or
demand upon the inner powers of mind.
The plane of mind immediately above that of Intellect is that known
as Intuition. Intuition is defined by
Webster as follows: "Direct apprehension or cognition; immediate knowledge, as in perception or consciousness, involving no reasoning process;
quick or ready insight or apprehension." It is difficult to explain
just what is meant by Intuition, except to those
who have experienced itand these people do not need the explanation. Intuition is just as real a mental
faculty as is Intellector, to be more exact, is
just as much a collection of mental faculties. Intuition is above the field of
consciousness, and its messages are
passed downward, though its processes are
hidden. The race is gradually unfolding
into the mental
plane of Intuition, and the race will some day pass into
full consciousness on that plane. In the meantime
it gets but flashes and glimpses from the hidden region. Many of the
best things we have come from that region.
Art, music, the love of the beautiful
and good poetry, the higher form of love, spiritual insight to a certain degree, intuitive perception of truth,
etc., etc., come from this region. These things are not reasoned out by the intellect, but seem to spring full born from some unknown region of
the mind.
In this
wonderful region dwells Genius. Many,
if not all of the great writers, poets, musicians,
artists and other examples of genius have felt that their power came to them from some higher source. Many have thought that it emanated from some being
kindly to them, who would inspire them with power and wisdom.
Some transcendent power seemed to have been called into operation, and the worker would feel that his
product or creation was not his handiwork. but that of some outside
intelligence. The Greeks recognized this something in man, and called it
man's "Daemon." Plutarch in
his discourse on the daemon that
guided Socrates speaks of the vision of Timarchus, who, in the case of
Trophonius, saw spirits which were partly
attached to human bodies, and partly over and above them, shining luminously over their heads. He was
informed by the oracle that the part of the spirit which was immersed in the
body was called the "soul," but
that the outer and unimmersed portion
was called the "daemon." The oracle also in* formed
him that every man had his daemon, whom he is bound
to obey; those who implicitly follow that guidance
are the prophetic souls, the favorites of the gods.
Goethe also spoke of the daemon as a power higher
than the will, and which inspired certain natures with miraculous energy.
We
may smile at these conceptions, but they arc really
very close to the truth. The higher regions of the
mind, while belonging to the individual, and a part of
himself, are so far above his ordinary consciousness that to all intents and
purposes messages from them are as orders from
another and higher soul. But still the voice is
that of the "I," speaking through its sheaths as best it
is able.
This
power belongs to every' one of us, although it manifests
only in the degree that we are able to respond to
it. It grows by faith and confidence, and closes
itself up, and withdraws into its recesses when we doubt
it and would question its veracity and reality. What we
call "originality" comes from this region. The Intuitive faculties pass on to the conscious mind some perception of
truth higher than the Intellect has been able to work out for
itself, and lot it is called the work of genius.
The advanced occultist knows that in the higher regions
of the mind are locked up intuitive perceptions of all truth, and that
he who can gain access to these regions
will know everything intuitively, and as a matter of clear sight,
without reasoning or explanation. The race has not as yet reached the heights of Intuitionit is
just beginning to climb the foothills.
But it is moving in the right direction. It will be well for us if we will open ourselves to the higher inner guidance, and be willing to be
"led by the Spirit." This
is a far different thing from being led
by outside intelligence, which may, or may not, be qualified to
lead. But the Spirit within each of us
has our interests at heart and is desirous of our best good, and is not only ready but willing to take us by the
hand and lead us on. The Higher Self is doing the best it can for our development and
welfare, but is hampered by the confining sheaths. And, many of us glory
in these sheaths and consider them the highest part of ourselves. Do not be afraid to let the light of the
Spirit pierce through these confining
sheaths and dissolve them. The Intuition, however, is not the Spirit,
but is one of its channels of communication
to us. There are other and still higher
planes of mind, but the Intuition is the one next in the line of
unfoldment, and we should open ourselves to
its influence and welcome its unfoldment.
Above
the plane of Intuition is that of the Cosmic Knowing,
upon which we will find the consciousness of the
Oneness of All. We have spoken of this plane in our
lesson on the Unfoldment of Consciousness. When one
is able to "conscious" on this planethis exalted plane of mindhe is able to see fully, plainly and completely
that there is One Great Life underlying all
the countless forms and shapes of manifestation.
He is able to sec that separateness is only "the working
fiction of the Universe." He is able to see that
each Ego is but a Centre of Consciousness in the great
Ocean of Lifeall in pursuance of the Divine Plan, and
that he is moving forward toward higher and
higher planes of manifestation, power and individuality,
in order to take a greater and grander part in the Universal work and.
plans.
The Cosmic Knowing in its fulness has come to but few
of the race, but many have had glimpses, more or less
clear, of its transcendent wonder, and others are on
the borderland of this plane. The race is unfolding
gradually, slowly but surely, and those who have had
this wonderful experience are preparing others
for a like experience. The seed is being sown, and the
harvest will come later. This and other phases of the
higher forms of consciousness are before the race. The individuals who read
this lesson are perhaps nearer to it than they
think; their interest in the lessons is an indication
of that hunger of the soul which is a prophecy of
the satisfaction of the cry for spiritual bread. The Law of
Life heeds these cries for aid and
nourishment and responds accordingly. but
along the lines of the highest wisdom and according to the real requirements of the individual.
Let
us close this lesson with a quotation from "Light on the Path," which bears directly upon the concluding thought Read it carefully and let it sink down deep into your inner consciousness, and you will feel the thrill of joy that comes to
bun who is nearing the goal.
"Look
for the flower to bloom in the silence that follows the storm; not till
then.
"It
shall grow, it will shoot up, it will make branches and leaves, and form buds while the storm lasts. But not
until the entire personality of the man is dissolved and meltednot until it is held by the divine fragment which has created it, as a mere subject for grave experiment
and experiencenot until the whole nature has
yielded and become subject unto its higher self, can
the bloom open. Then will come a calm such as comes in
a tropical country after the heavy rain, when nature
works so swiftly that one may see her action. Such a calm will come to the
harassed spirit And in the deep silence the
mysterious event will occur which
will prove that the way has been found. Call it by whatever name you
will. It is a voice that speaks where there
is none to speak, it is a messenger that
comesa messenger without form or substance or it is the flower of the
soul that has opened. It cannot be described
by any metaphor. But it can be felt after, looked for, and desired, even among
the raging of the storm. The silence
may last a moment of time, or it may
last a thousand years. But it will end. Yet you will carry its strength
with you. Again and again the battle must be
fought and won. It is only for an
interval that nature can be still."
The concluding three lessons of this series will be devoted
to a practical course of instruction in the development
of the hidden planes of the mind, or rather,
in the development of the power of the individual
to master the same and make use of them in his
life. He will be taught to master the lower principles,
not only in the surmounting of them, but in the
transmitting of the elemental forces toward his higher
ends. Power may be obtained from this part of the mind, under the
direction of the Will. And the student will
be told how to set the unconscious Intellect to work for him. And he
will be told how to develop and train the
Will. We have now passed the line
between the theoretical and the practical phases of the subject, and from now on it will be a case of train, develop, cultivate and apply.
Knowing what ties back of it all,
the student is now prepared to
receive the instructions which he might have misused before. Peace be with thee all.
MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION).
I AM THE MASTER OF MY SOUL.
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