The part the mind must play in the Great Work is not to be ignored. Without the help of the mind no part of the work can be a success. The mind is the awakener, it is the builder and the enlightener. It is mind that reasons; reason that separates the good from the bad, the desirable from the undesirable, the constructive from the destructive, and if wisdom guides, the mind will reject all that is undesirable and temporal for that which, though it does not bring immediate results and benefits, works toward the building of the eternal structure, that "temple not made with hands." True success is of the Soul, made possible by the help of the mind.

Let the light of love grow steadily within you; seek the radiance of the Light which is from the Soul and never cease seeking to become the Christisis in a constantly greater and higher degree

Lesson Six

Will; The Love That Lifts in Any Direction

Jacob Boehme, the Mystic, wrote: "God introduces his Will into nature for the purpose of revealing his power in light and majesty to constitute a kingdom of joy."The Will of man is a lever that may be made to lift in any desired direction. The Will is the great factor in human experiences; it makes or mars character, and defeats or fulfills every promise of nature. Unguided and directed by the caprice of the senses, it is the unworthy helmsman thaqt steers the ship of self directly on the rocks. Exalted, trained and consecrated as a result of mind awakening and Soul development, it leads into the harbor of peace, power and safety.So subtle and wonderful is this grand faculty of the Will that only by the closest study and most careful analysis is revealed its true nature, its modes of action, or its possibilities. From the standpoint of ordinary human experiences, it is always successful in the accomplishment of its real desires.There are two aspects to every force and the Will is no exception; one is positive, while the other is negative. Sometimes this quality which is part of all active force is called masculine and feminine. The masculine corresponds to the positive, the feminine to the passive (receptive) or negative. In its mode of operation, it is action and the reaction that follows.The masculine is always the aggressive; pushing, active, positive force or power. The feminine is the passive; receptive, hidden, unmanifested, yet manifesting, because reproductive potency. Both activities of the Will are requisite to the operation and fulfillment of any project, but either may be in excess, thereby causing a lack of balance between the two, and a consequent defeat of the end sought.All too often only the masculine phase of the Will is recognized or brought into activity. Will, in the sense-man, is commonly known as brute force. It is the same exhibition of violent energy directed by Will as is manifested among animals; the wild beasts attacking their prey, or defending their young. This is not rally the Will, but defensive animal instinct in action.Masculine Will force is powerful, but convulsive and short lived, unless properly directed. While it may accomplish wonders with its explosive energy, it is not to be relied upon for the accomplishment of great ends, unless it is especially trained and in wedded harmony with its other half, the feminine.This perfect duality of force is seen in the male and female parents. The male acts and guides. The female receives; then silently and secretly carries that which she has received to perfect fulfillment. She is the carrying force, the "bringer to pass," and while the first exhibition of energy was active, the final and crowning result is attainable only by the patient, persistent, secretive work of the feminine.In the dual Will the positive or masculine must act, remove obstacles, build conditions, put forth energy in the initial step of any undertaking, and then subside into the background until necessity again demands active assertion. The masculine sends out, commands and demands; the feminine is receptive, quietly holds, nurtures and brings to fruition.Analyze the man of the world; one who has made a success of himself and the work in which he is engaged. Do you find him a noisy, boastful, blustering talker? No; he hesitates to say much at any time; he listens but talks little; he is a plodding, tenacious, silent worker. He may be left far in the raer by his more brilliant comrades. He may even appear to sink below mediocrity as compared with many of his associates on the social scale; but there comes the day when his silence is made manifest by his achievements; when his plodding, self-denying toil of the years reaps a rich harvest; and, strange are the ways of the Law; the results of his silence, his suffering because of non-acceptance by the mass, benefit the multitude more than himself.Mark well: Man first directs the explosive, masculine Will to set his work into motion, and then he passively, calmly holds this Will to the reception of the reaction of that which the masculine Will was sent forth.The slight agitation in a body of water will cause only a light wave that recedes quickly, causing little notice and no damage, but beware of the wave when a greater force agitates the entire body of water and the retreating waves return. This is an illustration of the dual force and action of the Will, the upper and lower, the inner and outer, when acting in unison.The first effort in the development of a positive Will should deal with one's self. All mankind has a strong dislike for the performing of some common duty, one perhaps of a menial nature. Where this is so there is procrastination in its performance; many excuses for not fulfilling these duties at the time they actually should be done. Right here is the place for the beginning of training and development of a powerful, directive, constructive will. Two things are necessary: First; direct your Will as would the proverbial slave driver, compelling yourself to do then and there, that which you have disliked or despised. Lest we fail in making the Law fully understood, no person can become an initiate or master unless he or she succeeds in doing this. Why? Because if you have a duty to perform, it should be performed immediately and willingly, proudly, gladly; and, in the consciousness of being sufficiently a real man or woman to do your duty, there should also be a heart-felt pleasure.In the progress of cultivation and directing the magnificent power of the Will, it is essential that we should choose, or select, one single, all-embracing desire, an ideal, something to be accomplished or attained, and then with single eye, and unswerving purpose, work towards its attainment.Once you have formed your aim, you must learn to focus the Will on its achievement. To concentrate, focalize, centralize the Will upon a noble purpose or a desired accomplishment is the most holy privilege permitted the Soul. Your purpose being noble, it is essential that you so live in harmony with the spirit of the effort in your mind and hear, and desire to be impregnated by this spirit that it becomes the directive force for the accomplishment of your desire.To be able to succeed you must be perfectly willing to agree, and feel it in your mind and heart, that: "Whatever be the cost of achieving my purpose, whether in effort, sacrifice or even in denial, that am I perfectly willing to give." If this is the spirit of your desire, then the positive attitude of the Will will be set into motion and if you follow it up with action, it will sweep aside all obstacles and remove every thing standing in the way of fulfillment.If you are a true seeker, a sincere Acolyte in the Great Work, you will have ling since become aware that the subjugation and dethronement of the senses, hence of the lower self, is not to be accomplished by merely wishing; that extreme effort is at times required, and that above all, a replacement is necessary, i.e., there must be a substitution of something greater and better and better for that eliminated, or subjugated.So deeply ingrained in the very fibers of your being are the erroneous views, ideas, prejudices and prejudgments inculcated by ages of perverted sense use on the part of your forefathers, fostered by false logic and education as well as by living ages in crude ignorance of the truth that even after you have intellectually and sincerely accepted the spiritual facts of life and action, your old habits and inclinations will force the issue in a battle wherein you will either be the victor or the vanquished. This will be your opportunity to prove the sincerity of y our purpose and the degree to which you have developed the Will.Will you, or will you not, be true to your highest ideal and stand fast in an emergency? "True as life itself," is the verdict of the Soul. The heart seconds it, and the Will, positive in its assurance, gathering all the forces of mind, heart and Soul, hurls them full into the face of temptation, and lo, the temptation was the darkness of the mortal and is dispelled. Encouraged by the victory, strengthened by the effort, both phases of the Will have gained in power and the accumulation of more powerful forces for other battles to come.In the meantime and between these crises in your experience, there is a steady, continuous growth in power, a constant increase in the capacity for adjustment to the new and higher standards of your life, until finally, your method of life will appear to you as the only right one and you will no longer be tempted, not misled, by what others inculcate as the right way, not by their opinions on the subject, whatever they may be. You are becoming a man, an individual; you are on your way to Christic realization; the manifestation of Christisis.Inner or spiritual development is not possible unless you first have a clear understanding of the part that the Will must play during the progress of that development. After you have come into a realization of this, you are ready to proceed in the Great Work and begin the development of the Christos within yourself as a part of yourself; a Christification of your being, inclusive medium for this accomplishment.The philosophy of Christification is a wedding of true religion and exact science, the harmonizing of the East and the West; the love nature with the creative nature. Heretofore you have thought only of the mastery of self so as to benefit yourself. You are now confronted with a far more difficult problem. The selfish self must be mastered for the benefit of yourself and others, and in addition, you must gain consciousness of the Soul by a development of the love nature, bringing the masculine and feminine selves into equilibrium, or balance. This is the attainment to Sonship with the Father.Religion deals with the spiritual nature of man; science with his mental and physical being, and all that concerns it. Christification is the equal, balanced development of both, therefore the true philosophy of religion and science united or unified.The more you come into the realization of the Will's mighty potency, the greater will be your desire to direct it constructively, and the more sincere will be your efforts to harmonize the Will's action with the Divine Law, while at the same time the selfishness will shrink, and the majesty of omnipotence becomes apparent to you.To be filled with the consciousness of the highest is to forego and forget the lowest. In your progress toward the ideal, have you not already found the effect upon yourself to be much like the loving faith of a true friend? Is not your heart warmed and your mind exhilarated with an increased desire to become all that you admire and think noble? Is this not the incentive for you to press forward with unflagging zeal to the perfect unfoldment of the divine Spark god has placed within you, and is hidden from you only because you have not yet become worthy, but which it is your glorious privilege to bring forth into the glory of the Divine Light? To accomplish this is your individualization. All men are possessed of a personality; this is the little self; but few men have the strength and the incentive to develop this personality into individualization. They prefer to be of the mass because no effort on their part is necessary. They falsely believe that their faith, little though it be, will do for them as much as would their own efforts towards individualization, the bringing forth, of the sleeping Christos within themselves, into Christisis.You should realize by now that the method of transmuting the old self into the new individual, is the explosive and compensation power of new interests and affections. If you love the right, then the wrong (evil) will soon die of starvation, and starving, give life to the new. This is the Alchemical secret. By loving the ideal, you will gradually be induced by that love, to develop the ideal within yourself. Think only of the ideal, call it before your mental vision whenever an ignoble thought presents itself before the mind. Pattern your life and actions after the ideal tin action and you will become that ideal. This ideal is within the heart, and will unfold as beautifully as does the rose in the bosom the heart.The next step is in an alliance between the human and the Divine Will, or the harmonizing of the desires of the heart with the Divine Law. In this accomplishment is the secret of all powers and the development and manifestation of all possibilities. You must frankly meet the question whether you desire to continue as your old self and in the same ruthy; to live as most men have always lived; in misery, sorrow, and darkness, or to face about; accept the truth at whatever cost; suffer if and when necessary; yet safe in the knowledge that in so doing you are developing your individuality; coming into the consciousness of your divine inheritance and ultimately free yourself from all that is evil, degrading and destructive; coming forth a free man; individualized, Soul Conscious, the Christisis. If this is your choice, then hold this ideal in your mind every conscious moment. Hold your thoughts to the one purpose; form a picture in your mind representative of your desire. It is is not possible to form a picture, then let the idea be to you as would a picture.As a further means toward the end to be achieved, set aside some part of the day or evening when it will be possible for you to be alone and practice the exercise here taught much as you would some form of physical culture to develop the body. Be conscious of the fact that while it is highly desirable to develop the body to its highest form, it is of greater importance to awaken the Soul and bring it into consciousness.Sit upright in a straight-back chair, the feet squarely touching the floor, and with deep, slowly indrawn breath, hold the thought: "I seek to find the Soul."While exhaling the breath, hold the thought: "I will make effort to develop the Christos within me into Christisis." Take several such breaths, and hold these thought-desires, then sitting quietly, forget all of the world, its pleasures and sorrows, and feel that you are bringing about this development within yourself. Let your sittings be for a period of from ten to fifteen minutes.Never permit yourself to be unconscious of the fact that every effort you make to overcome undesirable conditions and the consummation of your new purpose in life is so much gained in the right direction. Every time you do this you are like a builder; in fact, you are a builder. By this means - if your efforts in daily life harmonize with this purpose - you are actually constructing "the temple not made with hands," which will ultimately become the "temple of the living God," and this living God will be the "Son of God," the Soul which has attained to Christification.Whatever you do, you must not neglect the ordinary routine and duties of life. These duties must be accepted gracefully as an obligation to yourself, your fellow men, and to God. Nevertheless, you will find many opportunities during the day to revert to the though of your ideal purpose in life, and, what is also important, you will be called upon many times during the day to prove your sincerity of purpose. This will be your text of worthiness. These things are tempters. Remember that even the Nazarene, the great Master-Teacher could not escape this.Some person may willfully misrepresent you; may try to injure you. The human inclination is to punish, retaliate, get even. To you it will be a test of your purpose and your strength. Face the issue squarely, frankly, boldly but without vindictiveness. If the occurrence can be ignored, do so. If it is of a nature that must be brought into the open, then neet it. You have a right to demand a hearing, to vindicate yourself when accused of a wrong. Do not try to convict the guilty but to free yourself; by doing this, the accuser will convict himself; thus is justice wrought.If the human inclination comes to the fore and urges you to "get even," recall to your mind this simple thought: "If I am to succeed in developing the Christisis within myself, I must not give way to any base feeling; let me accept this as a test of my strength; Lord be with m; may the Law be fulfilled."If you will do this, and feel it, and truly desire it, then you will quickly come into touch with the divine Will that governs all things wisely and justly. You will establish both a harmony and a strength within yourself theretofore foreign to your nature. This is the beginning of Christic consciousness, a foretaste of Christification.In your progress toward the higher life and in the training of the Will to conform to this exalted attitude, you will find that the Law of growth in this, as in all else, is that only as the lesser is changed or transmuted , is the greater or higher gained.In the kingdom of nature we find the tiny bird, helpless and even featherless, breaking and destroying the only protection it has; the shell covering it, and "coming forth," emerges into the great unknown. It has no knowledge, no inkling of what may befall it, but it feels, unconsciously, an urge to exercise what ever force, energy and ability may be at its command. It does not doubt, hesitate, question or even fear; it obeys the laws of its creation.In like manner must you who have awakened to the possibility of a New Birth, a coming forth, break the "shell" that holds you in its grip and boldly face the issue confronting you; fear nothing, give way to no doubts, question not, but rely on the certainty of having your ideals made manifest, your desires fulfilled by the positive operation of the Divine Law.

Lesson Ten

Operation of The Law of Personal Responsibility

There is one fundamental, all-embracing Law which must be fully understood by the Acolyte seeking the highest possible attainment and entire freedom from all mundane conditions. This is the Law of action and its reaction.This Law, known in Eastern countries as Karma, and to us most generally as personal responsibility, embraces our every act, whether this be of the inner consciousness or the most trivial outer action. This is actually the secret directive force which governs our destiny throughout infinity; today down into the gloomy regions of evil; tomorrow into the realms of love and happiness.For every effect, though this is unknown at the moment or unseen, there is an adequate cause. Each cause may work an infinite variety or consequences. That which we do today may be the result of a former act. Our present immediate act wet into motion the action of the Law which will govern our life, our acts and welfare of tomorrow. In short, today is the beginning of tomorrow, just as the yesterdays were, the beginning of today.Unconsciously, unknowingly and unrecognized, this Law governs all humanity. It is the Law of Absolute Justice. The "saving grace" is in the fact that man has free Will; that he may stop short the moment he understands and accepts this Law, and by starting to work in harmony with the Law instead of contrary to it, begin right then to become the master of his fate, or destiny.The beginning of this obedience or harmonization is in commencing to think constructively and flow this by permitting the Law to govern our every act. This is not as simple as it at first appears. It will not be easy to analyze and find the hidden reason we are able to do this we will be prone to make many mistakes. However, the desire to do the correct thing will in itself be an attracting force which will not only make it easier to choose the right, but will draw us into harmony with what is best for us and the correct thing to do.Today, tight now at this very moment and every moment after, we are building our future in eternity by the present action. It cannot be too often repeated that we determine our own destiny. Others, in their action towards us, are merely instruments used by the action of the functioning of the Law in dealing out justice to us. We blame them, condemn them and damn them, and it is true they are guilty in their evils towards us; the great Lawgiver succinctly having stated this in:"Offence must come.... but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh."__Matt. 18:7We, and we alone, are accountable for every thought, every desire, and every act, whether this be for weal or woe. We have free Will, we are beholden to no one unless we are of weak Will, itself and evil. We act in obedience to our individual Will, and as we act so is our faith; whether for good or ill, it is the reaping;"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."__Gal.6:7.Once we fully comprehend this Law and how it functions under the Divine Will, it will be much easier to overlook the faults of our friends and the actions of our enemies. We will understand that those trying to injure us, defraud us, or degrade us, though evil in themselves are nevertheless at the same time the instrument of destiny, or The Law, working out our fate for us; the while sowing their own Karma which they must real or meet; possibly at the hands of those more evil than they themselves.As Acolytes or seekers after truth, we must willingly, aye, gladly face the indisputable, undeniable reality of an infinite, all-embracing force, a Law equally as absolute, and that Nature is the pulsating body wherein the operation of the Law functions.This is an eternal reality shaping the shadowy appearance of time. It is the operation of forces variously known to us as fate, evil, injustice, sorrow and suffering, and the reverse; love, justice, righteousness, compassion, graciousness - God. The essential feature, so far as we are concerned, is that we must recognize this Law as an all-embracing, eternal reality.Opposite, yet in harmony with this reality, is that other fact; that our spiritual self is also embraced in these realities; the personality which should be, and can be, an individuality. We must also realize that the evils of the present moment may be made to become the blessings of tomorrow if we desire it so, will it so, and act accordingly.The one all-embracing, fundamental idea we must associate with this operating principle or force is our individual responsibility, and we must learn to not at any time blame others for things that befall us, recognizing, instead, that these in truth are our own, our very own, "chickens come home to roost"; that it is the reaping of our former sowing.An evitable outcome of grouping two actualities - God and our personal responsibility - is a consciousness that the Universal Sustainer is constantly active in giving to, bringing about, or forcing upon every creature that which is actually best for it, irrespective of its appearance, and that though perhaps wholly unaware of it, each Soul is in some manner accountable for its every experience, having previously actually requested, aye, demanded, the experience by its own thoughts, desires and acts.Sufferings, sorrows and losses are often beneficial because as a result of them we seek, and gain, a knowledge of the Law; they bring us to an awakening, and, whether we will or not, the experiences will persist, though it may require ages and numerous incarnations, until we have learned the lesson of the Law and become willing to live in harmony with it.The Universal Sustainer, the Cosmic Father, is a good Father. He gives to each of us, with utmost impartiality, that which is best for us, yet each individual is held responsible for these gifts, because by our acts we have requested them; for that reason we are responsible for extracting good from every such experience.Everything we have experienced in the past and up to the present moment makes it possible for us to be where we are today. In our opinion, our position or environment may be neither pleasant nor desirable; nevertheless, it is best for us, and if we are wise we will so think and act today that our tomorrow will be vastly different and that the future will be as we would want it to be.Let the Acolyte at once recognize that today, the immediate now, is the day of salvation, i.e., the beginning of freedom; freedom and salvation being synonymous, and that each kind, sympathetic thought of love; each sympathetic feeling in the heart; each act of wise kindliness and graciousness will go forth as a messenger of the Soul upward, even perhaps bringing it to a realization of the reality.By such actions we become willing channels through which the Infinite does its works, and we in turn and in good time will reap the rich harvest of such sowing and at the same time pay in part for past Karma. This activity may continue until all our Karma is paid and our destiny is fulfilled.As a result of individualization, the transmutation of the personal entity we know as man into a conscious self, i.e., Christification, something of good must come forth, because the resistless power of absolute good is its incentive. This we say is our faith; it is our destiny; it is a fulfilling of Karmic activity. Our final freedom, i.e., salvation - salvation being nothing less than saving ourselves from the self, the lower man - is found in our being progressive and active in "good works."For this reason, and that we may choose wisely, it is real economy to seek for and recognize the true course of events as soon as we possibly can, knowing as we do that the Law of action and reaction is eternally active.To seek after wisdom and the attainment of Illumination of mind and Consciousness of Soul is our highest privilege; it is a duty which ultimately cannot be evaded, and we should gladly welcome it. The key that will unlock to us the storehouse of future heaven-given treasures, poetically speaking is the love in the heart which induces right thought. The life wherein love, the eternal feeling, not the passion, is the end aimed at is the basis or foundation of true development and by it alone does Immortalization become possible.Whenever we hold a feeling of hate, malice, revenge or any of their fellow passions, we are that hate, we express that hate and love knows us not. Under such conditions we draw to us the things represented by hate, malice, revenge, jealousy and their ilk. We are building Karma toward damnation; not salvation.In the performance of the Great Work we must constantly make an effort to change, i.e., transmute these detestable imps of evil that possess us - an posses us they do, for otherwise we would not express them, into thoughts and desires of a finer and higher nature.We must become conscious of the fact that we, like the majority of men, are not doing what we really would like to do, but rather what we are impelled to do by the conditions we have created in the past. We should further recognize that what we would like to do must become the will to do, and then set about doing it, despite all inner and outer opposition.Salvation begins with the self and must be obtained by the self. No power in heaven or on earth can save us; we alone have been given that privilege by a kindly, but just, Law. We know the Law; we have had the opportunity to learn it, and we must obey it. We have no excuse to offer, nowhere else to place the blame for failure, because all men are under a like obligation and must sooner or later give an accounting of their actions to the Law.The truly successful life, the life which is building not only Immortality, but likewise success in earthly affairs, is based on the truthful answer to the question, a question that must precede every act: "Is it the right, the correct thing, for me to do thus and so?" the question usually asked is "What would another do in my place?" or "What will be the benefit to me if I do thus and so?" These questions are based on selfishness and not on right or what is best.There is but one way, one right way, even though the benefits or results will not be as immediate. Right has but one reaction; the reaction will be for the benefit of the entire Trinity of the person: for body, mind and Soul, and the benefits of body and mind are of all earthly things, while those of the Soul are of all spiritual things.We ultimately become what we think. The thoughts reach the heart and desire is given birth. All thoughts and desires reach the Soul and impress the Soul with their spirit, i.e., the nature of themselves. Action results from these desires which were at first only thoughts, and as is the action, as is "the seed sown," so will be the reaction, "the harvest, or the reaping." Let no one think otherwise lest he betray the Christos within himself.No man can build true success, no one is able to bring the Soul into consciousness, or attain Christification and thereby become a part of, or "At-one" with the Infinite, unless he thinks the thoughts which are a part of the Infinite. The only manner in which this is possible is in eliminating that which is evil and undesirable. This is accomplished by a transmutation of such negative thoughts into noble and exalting - constructing and elevation -thoughts and desires.The tendency to evil and destructive thinking cannot be eliminated or overcome by trying to force such thoughts from the mind; that will only intensify and make them more positive. The right way is by means of substitution; by recalling to mid success-bringing, Soul-building thoughts ; by thinking of beautiful creations and desirable experiences.In this way the undesirable and evil thoughts are transmuted ; evil is not destroyed; it is made use of; it is overcome by good; it is using evil as the fuel for the fire which will bring health to the body, success to the person, and Light to the Soul. This is the process of Christification.In these Lessons you have been taught the Laws making Christification possible; bow to become Christisis. These Laws are absolute; they are infallible. Success depends upon obedience; failure is impossible because the Laws are fixed and infinite. If they fail to function in a single instance, then infinity would fail likewise.Admittedly time and patience are requisites to bring results, but it is well to remember that if we sought to build a mansion upon the site of an old building we must first rear down the old structure, clear and grade the site and when all this is done, the foundation must be laid, after which construction can begin. It is so with this rebuilding of the self; the old self is most difficult to change; the old outlook, old thoughts and habits will persist in coming to the fore and retard full acceptance of the new, and until this is brought about the Great Work cannot be fully accomplished.A deep, all-out search of body, mind and Soul must be under taken and all that is undesirable must be brought into the light of truth and understanding. The desires latent in the heart must be analyzed so that no evils remain hidden. When all this is accomplished, the new tenant, the new builder, must take possession and construct after the pattern of that "temple not made with hands and without the sound of hammer," so that the "Lord [Manisis, the Conscious Soul] may dwell within ‘evermore'."This, and this only, is the way to Christification.