am I alone—all alone,' he thought. 'In all India is no one else so alone as I! If I die today, who shall bring the news—and to whom? If I live and God is good, there will be a price upon my head, for l am a Son of the Charm—I, Kim.'
"A very few white people, but many Asiatics, can throw themselves into amazement, as it were, by repeating their own names over and over again to themselves, letting the mind go free upon speculation as to what is called personal identity.
"'Who is Kim—Kim—Kim?'
"He squatted in a corner of the clanging waiting room, rapt from all other thoughts; hands folded in lap, and pupils contracted to pin points. In a moment—in another half-second—he felt that he would arrive at the solution of the tremendous puzzle; but here, as always happens, his mind dropped away from those heights with the rush of a wounded bird, and passing his hand before his eyes, he shook his head.
"A long-haired Hindu bairagi (holy man) who had just bought a ticket, halted before him at that moment and stared intently.
"'I also have lost it,' he said sadly. 'It is one of the gates of the Way, but to me it has been shut many years.'
"'What is thy talk?' said Kim, abashed.
"'Thou wast wondering, there in thy spirit, what manner of thing thy soul might be. * * * know. Who should know but I?' " (Kim by Rudyard Kipling. Pages 295-96. Doubleday, Page & Co., New York.)
Tennyson, the poet, according to the testimony of intimate friends, at times produced an ecstatic mood and a mild degree of spiritual illumination by a similar process to that followed by "Kim." He would repeat his first name, over and over, meditating on his real identity, and he stated that at such times he would become perfectly aware of immortality and the reality of his existence as a living soul, independent of body.
Personally we do not favor this method of "breaking" into the Kingdom," but prefer that the unfolding Spiritual Mind should gradually throw its light into the field of consciousness. This we consider the better way although many Yogi teachers think otherwise, and instruct their students in exercises calculated to cause this consciousness to unfold. It is simply a difference of opinion as to methods, and we have no desire to urge our ideas upon our students, if they prefer the other method.
One of the most rational and reasonable of these Yogi exercises for aiding the unfoldment is given in the next several paragraphs.
Exercise.
Place your body in a relaxed, relining position. Breathe rhythmically, and meditate upon the Real Self, thinking of you self as an entity independent of the body, although inhabiting it and being able to leave it at will. Think of yourself, not as the body, but as a soul Think of your body as but a shell, useful and comfortable, but merely an instrument for the convenience of the real You. Think of yourself as an independent being, using the body freely and to the best advantage, and having full control and mastery over it. While meditating, ignore the body entirely, and you will find that you will often become almost unconscious of it. You may even experience the sensation of being out of the body, and of returning to it when through with the exercise. (Rythmic breathing is described in our little book, "Science of Breath,")
Mantram and Meditation.
In connection with the above Yogi exercise, the student may, if he desire, use the following Mantram and Meditation:
"I AM.. I assert the reality of my existence—not merely my physical existence, which is but temporal and relative—but my real existence in the Spirit, which is eternal and absolute. I assert the reality of the Ego—my Soul—Myself. The real 'I' is the Spirit principle, which is manifesting in body and mind, the highest expression of which I am conscious being Myself—my Soul. This 'I' cannot die nor become annihilated. It may change the form of its expression, or the vehicle of its manifestation, but it is always the same 'I'—a bit of the Universal Spirit—a drop from the great ocean of Spirit—a spiritual atom manifesting in my present consciousness, working toward perfect unfoldment. I am my Soul—my Soul is I—all the rest is but transitory and changeable. I Am—I Am—I Am." Repeat the words "I Am" a number of times.
The student should endeavor to give a few minutes each day to silent meditation, finding as quiet a place as possible, and then lying or sitting in an easy position, relaxing every muscle of the body and calming the mind. Then when the proper conditions are served, he will experience that peculiar sensation of calmness and quiet which indicate the condition known ¿s "entering the Silence." Then he should repeat the above Mantram, or some similar one (there is no special virtue in the mere words), and should meditate along the lines indicated. The Mantram "I AM," if clearly understood and impressed upon the mind, will give to the student an air of quiet dignity and calm manifestation of power, which will be apparent to those with whom he comes in contact. It will surround him with a thought aura of strength and power. It will enable him to cast off fear and to look the world of men and women calmly in the eyes, knowing that he is an eternal soul, and that naught can really harm him. Even the more simple stages of this consciousness will lift one above the petty cares, worries, hates, fears, and jealousies of the lower mental states, and will cause one to be a man or woman "of the Spirit," in truth. Such people have a helpful effect upon those with whom they come in contact, as there is an undefinable aura surrounding them which causes others to recognize that they are worthy of confidence and respect.
These meditations and exercises will often aid one materially in developing a consciousness of the reality of the soul. The sense of immortality will come gradually as the consciousness unfolds. But the student must not allow himself to live too much in "the upper regions,*' or to despise his body or the world and people around him. This is known as "spiritual pride," and will have its downfall. You are here in the world for a purpose, and must get the experiences necessary to fully round you out. You are in exactly the best position for the experiences you need—and you will not be kept there one moment longer than is necessary for your ultimate good. Live, grow, and unfold—living your own life—doing the best you can. **And be Kind."
This "I Am" consciousness, while a great advance over the consciousness common to the race, is still but a preliminary to the Cosmic Knowing which awaits the unfolding soul. It is but the bud which will in time open out and grow into the perfect flower. If it has been difficult to explain in simple words the experiences just touched upon, it may be imagined how we feel about approaching this higher phase. But we will try to do our best, although of necessity our words must be weak and inadequate. To those not ready for the truth what we say must seem like the veriest nonsense, but even these people will remember what we say, and when the time comes may be partially prepared for it; As good old Walt Whitman has said: "My words will itch in your ears till you understand them."
This Cosmic Knowing is the full flower which will "bloom in the silence that follows the storm," as the writer, or transcriber, of "Light o" the Path" has so beautifully expressed it. It is that which comes as the result of "Illumination."
The occult writers of all times have spoken of this thing, and it has also been partially described by people in all times—of all forms of religious belief. Many have supposed it to have come as the result of the worship of some particular conception of Deity, or as the incident of some particular form of creed. But it is really a thing above creeds or particular conceptions of the Absolute—it is a part of the Divine heritage of the race. Many of the Oriental writers have described this thing in their own words—many of t! e old Quakers experienced it, and have given it their own names—many Catholic saints describe it in their writings, and even some of the great Protestant leaders s and preachers have given bewildered accounts of the great thing that came upon them. Each, as a rule, however, attributed it to some particular thing in their faith. Great poets have felt its inhuence, and testimony along the same general lines comes to us from many different sources. Some have had it gradually dawn upon them, wax strong, and then fade away, leaving them changed beings, living afterwards in hope of again experiencing the great thing. Others have had it burst upon them suddenly, with an impression that they were submerged in a brilliant light (from whence comes the term "illumination"), which also passed away, leaving them changed beings. The experience seems to come to no two souls in exactly the same