may seem undesirable and hurtful to him. And he feels within himself all the of the higher life as well as the lower and he that he is unfolding and growing into these forms, and that some day he will be like them.
He feels the great throbbing life of which he is a part—and he feels it to be his life. The sense of separateness is slipping from him. He feels the security that comes from this consciousness of his identity with the All Life, and consequently he cannot Fear, faces today and t -m w without fear, and marches forward toward the Divine Adventure with his heart. He feels at home, for is not the Universe akin to him—is he not among his own? Such a consciousness divests one of Fear, and Hate, and Condemnation. It teaches one to be kind. makes one realize the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. It substitutes a knowing for a blind belief. It makes man over, and starts him on a new stage of his journey, a changed being,
No wonder that one in this Stage III is misunderstood by Stage II people. No wonder that they often consider him to be a Stage I man because he fails to see "evil" in what seems so to them. No wonder that they marvel at his seeing "good" in things that do not appear so to them. He is like a stranger in a strange land, and must not complain if he be misjudged and misunderstood. But there are m"re and more of these people every year—they are coining in great quantities, and when they reach a sufficient number this old earth will undergo a peaceful revolution. that day man no longer will be content to enjoy luxury while his brother starves—he will not be able to oppress and exploit his own kind—l will not be able to endure much that today is passed over without thought and feeling by the majority of people And why will he not be able to do these things? may be asked by some. Simply because the man who has experienced this new consciousness has broken down the old feeling of separateness, and his brother's pain is felt by him—his brother's joy is experienced him—he is in touch with others.
From whence comes this uneasiness that causes men to erect hospitals, and other charitable institutions—from whence comes this feeling of discomfort at the sight of suffering? From the Spiritual Mind that is causing the feeling of nearness to all of life to awaken in the mind of man, and thus renders it more and more painful for them to see and be aware of the pain of others—because they begin to feel it, and it renders them uncomfortable, and they make at least some effort to relive it. The world is growing kinder by reason of this dawning consciousness, although it is still in a barbarous state as compared to its future condition when Stage III becomes more common. The race today confronts great changes—the thousand straws floating through the air show from which direction the wind is coming, and whither it is blowing. The breeze is just beginning to be felt—soon it will grow stronger, and then the gale will come which will sweep before it much that man has thought to be built for ages. And after the storm man wil1 build better things—things that will endure. Have you not noticed the signs—have you not felt the breeze ? But, mark you this—the final change will come not from Hate, Revenge, or other unworthy motives—it will come as the result of a great and growing Love—a feeling that will convince men that they are akin; that the hurt of one is the hurt of all; that the joy of one is the joy of all—that all are One. Thus with come the dawn of the Golden Age.
We may have appeared to have wandered from our text, but what we have said has a direct bearing upon the question of sowing after the reaping—of giving after the receiving—of working after the acquiring of new strength, The voice out of the silence will indeed say to all of us: Go forth and labor in my vineyard—labor not by strenuous effort, or by an attempt to force the growth of 1iving things—thy work best done by lying—you are needed as leaven to lighten the mass.
Here follows the next command from the little manual:
Thou who are now a disciple, able to stand, able able to see, able to speak; who hast conquered desire attained to self-knowledge; who hast seen bloom, and recognized it, and heard the voice of the silence—go thou to the Hall of Learning, and read what is written there for thee.
Let us also read the note following this command; it is very helpful:
NOTE.—To be able to stand, is to have confidence; to be able to hear, is to have opened the doors of the soul; to be able to see, is to have obtained perception; to be able to speak, is to have obtained the power of helping others; to have conquered desire, is to have learned how to use and control the elf; to have attained self-knowledge, is to have retreated to the inner fortress from whence the personal man can be viewed with impartiality; to have seen thy soul in its bloom, is to have obtained a momentary glimpse in thyself of the transfiguration which shall essentially make thee more than man; to recognize, is to achieve the great task of gazing upon the blazing light without dropping the eyes, and not falling back in terror as though before some ghastly phantom. This happens to some; and so, when the victory is all but won, it is lost. To hear the voice of silence, is to understand that from within comes the only true guidance; to go to the Hall of Learning, is to enter the state in which learning becomes possible. Then will many words be written then for thee, and written in fiery letters for thee easily to read. For, when the disciple is ready, the Master is ready also.
The disciple is spoken of as one able to stand; able to hear; able to see; able to speak. The consciousness of the Real Self enables one to stand firmly upon his feet—causes him to feel the Majesty of Self. It enables him to bear the truth pouring in to him from the thousand channels of life, all claiming kinship with him, and willing and anxious to impart to him knowledge and truth. It enables him to see life as it is, in all its varied forms—to see his relation to the Whole and all of its parts, and to recognize the truth when it presents itself before him—it gives him the clear vision of the Spirit. It enables him to speak so that his words will reach others, even when he is unconscious of the fact—he is possessed of that peace which passeth understanding, and his inward state finds utterance in his everyday speech, and he adds a little to the spiritual knowledge of the world.
The manual tells the student who has conquered desire—that is, who has recognized desire for what it is, who has attained to the knowledge of the Self; who has seen his soul in its bloom, and recognized it, and heard the voice of the silence; to proceed to the Hall of Learning, and read what is written there for him. The little note throws additional light on the passage which follows. Its description of the sight of "the soul in its bloom" is particularly interesting in view of what we have said in our last lesson—it refers to Illumination, or the dawn of spiritual consciousness—the flower that blooms in the silence that follows the storm. Well does the writer say that it is "to have obtained a momentary glimpse in thyself of the transfiguration which shall eventually make the more thee more than man; to recognize is to achieve the great task of gazing upon the blazing light without dropping the eyes, and not falling back in terror as though before some ghastly phantom." Well has the writer added that "this happens to some; and so when the victory is all but won, it is lost." But she might have added, that it is only temporarily lost, for the memory will remain, and the soul will never rest satisfied until it regains that which it lost. Some who catch the glimpses of their souls, drink back in fright, and treat the matter as a delusion, or some "wicked thought." It upsets one's preconceived and conventional notion to such a degree, in some instances, that those experiencing it begin to be afraid that they are losing their virtue and goodness, because they are cease to condemn and hate "evil" as of yore—they imagine that they are growing "bad," and retreat from the consciousness so far as they are able. They fail to perceive that although one may hate the "bad' things less, he loves the "good" things more than ever—that is the things which are known to be good by the Spiritual Mind, not the manufactured and artificial "good" things that pass current as the real article with the majority of people.
The little note also truthfully tells us that "To hear the voice of the silence is to understand that from within comes the only true guidance." Remember these words—they are golden: "Understand that from within comes the only true guidance." If you can grasp the meaning of these words—and have the courage to trust and believe them, you are well started on the Path. If you will always live true to that little voice within, there will be but little need of teachers and preachers for you. And if we will but trust in that little voice, its tones will become plainer and stronger, and we will hear it on many occasions. But if we turn a deaf ear to it and refuse to heed its warning and guidance, it will gradually grow fainter and fainter, until its voice is no longer distinguishable