The Arcane Teachings (Complete Collection). William Walker Atkinson

in order that you may make this great Truth your own for all time. Consider this: To be remembered by the Cosmic Will in the World-Brain, is to persist in Being—for whatever is so remembered cannot perish so long as the World-Brain persists and exists.

      And now listen to the Aphorism, telling the third truth of Metempsychosis:

      APHORISM XV. Know ye this third Truth of Metempsychosis: In recognizing and knowing the "I," the individual recognizes and knows the Cosmic Will—and the Cosmic Will knows and recognizes the individual. Egohood is mutual conscious recognition—all below this phase belongs to the sub-conscious plane of the World-Brain.

      In this Aphorism is contained another remarkable Truth. It informs us that the "I Am," or "I," or "Soul" recognized by the individual, even faintly, is the conscious recognition of the Cosmic Will or One Life which is our Real Self. And, likewise, such recognition is mutual, for in it also is comprised the recognition of the individual by the One Life. When we know, recognize and realize the "One" within us; then the "One" recognizes us within itself. And thenceforth it remembers us, and our Spiritual Evolution begins. As the Aphorism says: "Egohood is mutual recognition—mutual recognition between the Individual and the All." The Aphorism also informs us that below the plane of Ego, all the life activities of the World-Brain are along sub-conscious lines—below the plane of Consciousness. In other words, the Being in whom we are, knows and is conscious of us, only when we are conscious of Being within us. The recognition is mutual in consciousness. And, correspondingly, as we advance in the great scale of Consciousness, we come into a closer recognition and consciousness of the One, and the One comes into a closer recognition and consciousness of us. Finally, at the High Noon of Cosmic Consciousness, we come to know that we are the One—and the One comes to know that it is us. And toward this is the aim and goal of Spiritual Evolution.

      But not all the Egos reach this stage—many fall by the wayside, or sink into the mire. We shall speak of this in the succeeding lesson, and we mention it here merely to prevent a misapprehension.

      The Arcane Teaching does not hold that Re-Birth is imposed arbitrarily upon the Ego, or by reason of punishment or reward for deeds "good and evil" of the physical life; but, on the contrary, that it proceeds in accordance with the operation of the Seven Laws following the general path of the Desire and Character of the Individual. In other words, the "character" of the individual, which is composed of the sum of his experience and his desires, follows the line of the general Expression of his Desires in deciding his future embodiments and life. Desire is the strong motive force of Life, as we shall explain in a future lesson, and its urge toward expression leads him into certain channels of Re-birth. An understanding of Desire and the Will enables the individual to regulate his character so that he may practically map out his future lives instead of allowing them to be determined by Blind Desire as is the case with the majority of the race.

      Nor does the Arcane Teaching hold that Metempsychosis shall always continue along unconscious lines. The advanced soul reaches the plane of Conscious Re-birth, after a certain stage is passed—and accompanying this comes the Memory of the Past Lives, so that Life becomes continuous in consciousness and memory, after a certain stage of progress is attained. At present, the average Ego is undergoing a stage of spiritual evolution akin to the mental stage of a child of a few years of age. The child remembers but little of its past—the happenings of a few months ago are forgotten—even the affairs of yesterday seem dim to-day. But as the child advances in years it has a better and still better remembrance of the past. And, in the same way the advancing soul develops a clearer and still clearer recollection of its past lives. The dim memories, and flashes of remembrance of the past, which many of us now have, will be succeeded eventually by a full remembrance of the details of our past lives.

      Moreover, the Arcane Teaching does not hold that Metempsychosis is the final stage of spiritual Evolution. On the contrary, it holds that eventually the evolving Ego will reach the stage in which Re-embodiment is no longer necessary—and thenceforth the Ego will be able to actually create its own bodily vehicle of life from the Principle of Substance in which it is immersed.

      The Arcane Teaching also hold that Re-embodiment on this one planet continues only so long as the Ego is attracted by Earth things—when it passes beyond the attractions of Earth it rises to meet the attractions of worlds higher in the plane, and so on and on. Or, likewise, it may become so gross that it may sink to a lower level of worlds beneath our own in development. Many of us now abiding on this planet, have been drawn here by reason of having fallen from the higher estate of higher worlds by reason of our material longings. This accounts for the feeling possessed by many that they are "far from home," accompanied by dim and bitter flashes of remembrance of a brighter, happier and more glorious life on some higher plane in the past. But the lesson will be heeded, and these "lost souls" who are "strangers far from home" will follow the "kindly light" which will lead them on to home once more.

      The Arcane Teaching holds that the dual-nature in individuals—the "two natures struggling for supremacy"—arise from the struggle between the "I" which is the reincarnated Ego, and the "Me" which is the Personality received along the lines of heredity, ancestral race, thought, etc. The "I" is the Real Self-the "Me" is the personality which has been inherited. The "character of the individual arises from the balance struck between the two. The weak soul allows the "Me" to bear down the balance in its own direction; while the strong soul asserts the "I," and seats itself upon the throne of Individuality.

      The very fact of the existence of such a struggle between the "Me" and the "I" of the individual, shows that there must be an "I" or Ego superior to and in a measure independent of the inherited and acquired "Me." And the fact that the individual experiences this dual-nature is his proof that he has attained at least some degree of Egohood, for those of the race who lack Egohood are like the lower animals and simply follow inherited and racial desire. The only "conflict" in the minds of those lacking Egohood is the conflict between opposing desires of this kind-there is no "I" to set aside desire, or to master it by Will. The strong Ego is able to master Desire by Will-able not only to desire to will, but to will to will. Desire and Will are the two poles of the manifestation of "Will." Desire rules the individual, unless he masters it by Will. The Ego may assert its will over the inherited desires of the "Me" or False-Self.

      Personality is connected with the physical body and its psychical inheritances, and acquired tendencies. Individuality is connected with the Ego, or Real Self, which is over and above Personality, or the things of personality. Personality is bound and tied by the relative things and persons connected with one's personal present incarnation. Individuality is free from those bonds, ties, and limitations, and soars above them in its Cosmic flight. Personality says "I am John Doe, of Akron, grocer, aged 48"; or "Mary Roe, spinster, aged 45"; as the case may be. Individuality says "I am that which I Am"—above names, and forms, and personal sheaths or vehicles.

      Each Ego has been embodied in numerous personalities during the Spiritual Evolution. Old Atlantis; Chaldea; Egypt; Greece; and other ancient lands have known us. Rome, Tyre, Carthage, Babylon, Troy, and other cities of the past have been ours. We have worshipped Jove; Isis; Thor; Wodin; Baal; Pan; and many other strange gods. We have learned many lessons— we have had many defeats and many victories. And we are now emerging into a conscious realization of what it all means. We have reached the point where we shall have "some say in the matter." We are facing the Cosmic Adventure with open eyes, and bold hearts—we are going on, and on, and on! The dawn of the Cosmic Knowing is upon us. The light is rising over the hills, bidding us awake to the tasks of the day. Let neither Time nor Space terrify us. Let nations vanish, and worlds disappear—what is that to us? The Cosmos is our Home—all parts of Space our own—all Time ours to live in and employ. All the Time there is—all the Space there is—all the Knowledge there is—is ours to have and to hold. All this is the heritage of him who can say, and feel, "I Am!"