Meet Your Divine Self

BRIDGE TO THE DIVINE SELF LaUna Huffines A Few Introductory Remarks Each one who learns to link with the energy of the divine Self becomes a force for greater wholeness, excellence, beauty, and compassion in the world. The divine Self is the hidden essence of being, the voice of the source of life. This energy has three points of light -- divine intelligence/light, divine love, and divine will. You will learn about the rewards and the dangers of the spiritual process of linking with the divine self in this book. We must find the way out of the chaos caused by the sense of being separate and the clashing of ideologies and religions. The sense of being separate from other groups and individuals sets up judgment and criticism. Each group becomes exclusive, believing that its truth is right and that other beliefs are inferior. But this attitude comes from dense energy with unpleasant colors; it blocks the light that enables us to rise above the personality vision and to perceive the greater reality within the light of the divine self. We are literally part of one human family. We are each created from divine substance. It is true that there are many levels of evolution among humanity, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. As you connect with the soul through meditating daily and use your creative imagination to visualize merging with this greater light and identifying yourself as the soul, rather than as a personality, you can rise with the soul to the divine self. The spiritual Hierarchy of our planet (the Masters of Humanity) does not care whether you are a democrat, a socialist or a communist, whether you are a Catholic, a Buddhist, Hindu, Islam, or unbeliever. They care only that humanity—as a whole—uses the spiritual opportunity in front of us right now. This opportunity to use the spiritual triangle of the divine self is urgent today, more than ever before. The effects of the violence caused by fear and separation in the world religions are forcing all intelligent people in every land to search within for solutions. We humans are waking up -- to realize how profound the needs are, for individuals and groups. We are emerging out of idealism, pacifism, all “isms”, and the mental apathy of helplessness that has held us imprisoned for centuries. For the first time in human history, virtually all humanity has a mind, rather than merely living from emotions under the authority of some “leaders”. Today, everyone, not just the 2 educated class, is pondering, questioning, and making individual conscious choices. A new civilization is on the way yet we are still unconsciously clinging to the old civilization created by humanity in the dark ages. The habit of misery, of fear, guilt, blame, judgment, superiority, inferiority, revenge, hatred, violence belongs to the past. Only our automatic thoughts and expectations hold that “unreality” in place. that we are preparing for spiritual events of major importance. The spirit of humanity is driving toward a more spiritual civilization. This will produce right human relations all over the world; it will build the habit of joy in the culture, in place of the age-long habit of misery. There is a spirit of expectancy today. You can see it by the divine discontent among all the people. More people are free today than ever before and it is becoming obvious that the basic law of this planet is freedom of the human soul. People are demanding to get an accurate picture of news and information in world affairs. The minds of men and women are developing very fast; people want to know the deeper causes of world problems. This in itself is a great spiritual event; it makes the life of the soul possible on a large scale for the first time in human history; it makes intuitive perception possible on a large scale. Even in the violent clash of ideologies, we are seeing the true and beautiful result of the universal educational system, which even with all its faults has made it possible for people to read, to write and to communicate with each other. The best worldwide internet sites are extending the education of all of us, regardless of how many graduate degrees we may have. As I write tonight, there are over six million sites about The Great Invocation, which is a world prayer being said all over the world in more than seventy languages. The Lord’s Prayer had a very small circulation until recently. There was no way to distribute it worldwide or to get it translated in earlier centuries. A check into “spiritual” yields almost 200,000,000 websites discussing what spirituality is. From spiritual evolution to spiritual transformation from a scientific research project, the fact of an awakened humanity is right there. When my first website online in 1996 on Path of Light (pathoflight.com) the other websites using light were about light bulbs and indoor decorating. None referred to spiritual light. Today, there are 117,000,000 sites on the “path of light.” This marks an explosion of spiritual awakening and it has reached and inspired people all over the world. When my book, “Healing Yourself with Light” was published, some 3 people imagines that meant using some kind of outside light. Using one’s innate light of the soul or the divine Self was not yet recognized. “the necessity for the development of a truly spiritual and psychic sensitivity, plus the unfoldment of the faculty of a scientific telepathic rapport.” Only in the past century did the idea spread that we are evolving into greater light and wholeness in stages. The idea that we continue to reappear with a new body here on earth after the last one was worn out and the soul withdrew from it to prepare a better body, was considered crazy or even worse sac-religious. Now with the greater sensitivity to the soul, this idea is universally accepted. It is only repressed in some religious groups, although members of those groups frequently realize that we evolve through a series of lifetimes here. The age of the soul is here. Even those who once submitted to the authority of others’ for their spiritual path, are recognizing the soul as their authority. They are responding to the light of the soul and finding their own spiritual path. The will to find God (or the light) out there, or to find God (or the light) within is pulling souls away from the crystallized belief structures of old. They have an independent mind and are reorienting their lives in directions that will somehow lift some of the suffering in the world. It has become obvious that an ecclesiastical title does not mean that person is spiritual. He may be, and he may not be. A wealthy businessman or woman may be as spiritual as any well-known spiritual leader. Some souls today have the etheric vision that enables them to see the colors around others’ energy fields. Dull grays, dark browns and certain shades of dark green and purple need to be eliminated. Bright and beautiful blues, yellows, golden oranges, and lilacs are the hallmarks of radiant souls whose song bring joy and hope to others. The rest of us have to use common sense and a soul sensitivity to distinguish between the unconscious and the light-focused ones. We select the best possible methods to reach the next stage of consciousness and find our spiritual group to work with. Three people make a group. Today there is less need for a large group unless one is looking for social activities as well. Each of us will choose the spiritual path that fits our stage of evolution. In our town with a population of 29,000, it might look as if there are 29,000 spiritual beliefs here, and we do have an amazing variety. My friend and neighbor, who is an avowed agnostic who never misses the Sunday 9:30 a.m. Unitarian church meeting. He has 4 reluctantly yet gracefully embraced the recent influx of all types of believers into their group. Many small groups meet to meditate, study spiritual teachings, and share inspirations and ideas on sharing their good fortune to meet the needs of others. If you are want to experience the joy of the life of the soul and the bliss of the divine Self, if you want to gain higher wisdom and intelligent understanding love, you will find the methods here to awaken to and meet the divine Self face to face. Whether you have invoked the soul through meditation and built the bridge of light to reach it, or you have invoked the soul through efforts to aid humanity, this book may be profoundly helpful in merging with the soul and extending your bridge to the splendor of the true essence of life, the divine self Constructing a bridge to the divine essence Self is possible for those who use the right methods with the heartfelt and mindful intention to succeed. The first step, and it is a major one, is to send out lines of light that connect the personality to the soul, to develop sensitivity to its voice, and later to merge with it. Once this connection is becoming steady, If meeting the divine Self calls forth a response within your heart, if it stimulates your mind, you will be able to use the steps here to meet the Divine Self face to face. The effects are inevitable. You may already have taken some of these steps through meditation or prayer without realizing it. You will recognize this as we move forward together. Most important in this process, once the intention is set to construct the bridge of light, is using the will and employing the creative imagination. This is as far as most aspirants ever go. But there are three more steps to complete your bridge. You will learn how to project these strands of light to the divine self, using your word of power. You will learn which of the seven colors is your soul color and which is your personality color so that you can use the correct color to empower your bridge. Knowledge is helpful as we put together our personal philosophy of life and how we intend to use this great opportunity. Knowledge alone is cold, hard, and separative. Love alone is soft, sweet and sentimental yet rarely has any effect in the world. Synthezied as one, they are a dynamic and powerful force for good in the world. There is no simple formula for combining heart love and head knowledge. We learn this from our own experience. When we reach a fork in the road, or the road ends in the wilderness, we have to make a new choice. This is not difficult 5 when we can see in the light of the soul. Then we need the will to follow that choice. Success means surging forward to discover new visions. Each step in building a channel of light to the divine Self, is practical and easy to grasp. Once your soul and personality begin to vibrate in synchronicity with each other, you approach the Divine Self together. This Self is also reaching toward you and a magnetic resonance begins. Once this contact is made, you see higher intuitive wisdom, free of the distortions of the astral plane. In time your aura is so purified, so filled with solar light that it becomes radiant and enables you to be effective in your life work for the world. Accomplishment comes from combining all the steps until they become an automatic process in your life. The great truths are found in every major religion, yet frequently buried under the interpretations of different cultures. Realizing the scientific basis of the bridge of light, I have gradually shifted my focus from the mystical approach I learned earlier to a mental approach. In most cases I use words that make sense to our Western minds rather than the ancient Eastern spiritual terms. For example, the bridge of light is known in the East as the “antahkarana.” With either name the approach and the effects are the same. We progress with perseverance. Dormant brain cells become active and new receptors are built into the nervous system. These receptors are on the physical plane and in your energy field called the etheric body. Until these receptors are built through correct meditation, blending spirit with matter is like trying to mix oil and water. These connectors produce a different kind of telepathy; a mind-to-mind and a soul-to-soul telepathic rapport develops as the higher connections are made. This telepathy is different than psychic experiences. True mental telepathy is just now developing, as is soul-to-soul telepathy. As you practice these methods to the divine Self, this higher telepathic rapport may happen spontaneously between you and your spiritual group. For many years my spiritual focus has been the Ageless Wisdom Teachings. These teachings are free of dogma and focus on timeless truths of the god within and the God without. Imminent and transcendent, God is everywhere. When I write, I listen to spiritual impression from my guide, from my soul, and from the intuitive plane. These impressions can take months to interpret so they can become useful for others. Since we have no language for the Divine Self, words often cannot reveal its splendor, its power, love, and illumination. 6 Another source of inspiration comes from years of facilitating groups and watching their expansions of consciousness, their rising happiness and joy, and the increased effectiveness of their lives. All the beautiful souls with whom I have worked over the years have also contributed to this book. What strength a spiritual group offers! Each adds the color of his soul to the group soul, creating a magnetic and dynamic rainbow bridge of light. Each one can pull from this growing spiritual treasure what she needs for the role that she is playing in the work for evolution. Some chapters are illustrated with metaphors, which are useful for grasping abstract ideas. Also a few examples are here to demonstrate the powerful, transforming nature of the bridge of light. As you read, use only that which rings a note of truth within you. If an idea does not make sense to you, skip it and read on. Later, you may go back and find that the meaning stands out clearly. It is your willingness to stop and think about an idea that will be of the greatest aid. Reflective thinking keeps the intellect in check so that it reads more slowly and thoughtfully. Intellects do grasp ideas quickly on the surface; just as quickly it stores them away in one of its many compartments. We need the intuitive impressions to absorb the energies that the words are pointing to. You can add these methods to those you have learned from your own religion or spiritual traditions. If you take only a few of these methods and meditate on them, you will get far more than skimming along without stopping to reflect. Many people find they absorb spiritual energies best through listening. The audio course of meditations to go with this book may also be of great help. This way we are mediating together, and with two or more, there is always greater strength. If you would like to meet with other souls who also are constructing the bridge of light, I warmly invite you to get in touch with our office. If you are using these steps, and have comments or questions, I hope to hear from you, and to meet you one day. It is always joyful to meet fellow travelers on the spiritual path. 7 DRAWING ON INNER WISDOM Here are several techniques for greater absorption of the divine Self. Any of these will help digest an idea and experiment with it for use in one’s own life. 1. Thoughtful reflection. As you read, take time to thoughtfully reflect or consider an idea with thoroughness and care. 2. Ask “What if that were true?” and imagine what might happen after you imagine yourself in touch with the divine self. By asking if something really could be true, and imagining in vivid detail how it could affect your life and the lives of those around you, insights or impressions may come to mind. 3. Start a New Intellectual Compartment. Our brains have compartments where new ideas are placed. Each person’s system is individual, yet all are created to keep knowledge organized for easy retrieval. Create a new mental compartment to store spiritual knowledge and techniques to use for progress on your life path. 4. Be willing to experiment. Explore these methods like a scientist. Check them out with your own soul and your own experience. Thoughts that come to you as a result of an earlier meditation may appear inn your mind at totally unexpected times, such as on the way to work, sitting beside a child as he goes to sleep, or simply on a walk. 5. Record spiritual impressions. The goal is to catch an idea or image before it disappears. Only a fleeting streak of that idea may be visible, yet by paying attention, you can grasp it. At first there may be only a flash of contact with the intuitive plane. An impression appears to move into and out of mind like a streak of lightning, but it is our mind that that wavers in its ability to hold itself in that much light. The most effective way to explore the divine essence reaching out to you is to write what does come to mind and add more as it comes. Once you develop the habit of recording ideas and thoughts in a journal, your mind will cooperate and hold on to them while you examine the images. 6. Last evening hour. By setting up a rhythm of the soul the last hour before bed, and meditating alone or while listening to an inspiring meditation, you will 8 not only be setting the right atmosphere for dream recall, you will be staging the correct focus for the next day. Listening to the news during that last hour is guaranteed to override what could have been a night of inspiration, and also deplete the vital life force the following day. A meditation to draw greater light for a world need is far more fulfilling than nightly news opinions. 7. First twenty minutes after awakening. These minutes count more than any other time slot. Record a significant dream if you remember one, then link with the soul and make the choice to live as the soul all day. If this sounds too ambitious, decide to live the next hour as the soul, consciously connecting with the soul and viewing the day from the soul mind rather than the personality mind. The response is immediate and the soul is very creative! New possibilities may show up as you go over the schedule for the day. The influence of the soul will also become more pronounced; unexpected situations and decisions will shift up in some way. Short cuts in the day’s labor tend to become obvious, a new route to work or school, an unexpected meeting that is rewarding for both people – these are not an accident of fate. They are the direct result of the purified energies streaming through your mind and emotions that open doors of experience that were invisible even though right in front of you. 8. Revealing Dreams. After a meditation you may have dreams that reveal a deeper significance and how it relates to you. If you keep a dream journal at the bedside and include the date and year, you can attract useful dreams and remember them more easily. Ordinary dreams are in the astral plane where humanity lives. They may contain fragments of truth, however so much emotional “noise” is mixed into these dreams that it is difficult to find if and where they reveal the voice of the soul. Many people do not realize they dream, but research shows they do not remember their dreams on awakening. Current dream studies reveal the average number of dreams each night is six; the first dream is the shortest, about ten minutes, and succeeding dreams longer, alternating with the deep sleep when the neo-cortex is active instead of the brain stem. Dreams often use unusual symbols that make sense in the dream but are not so obvious on awakening. First is the task of recording the dream. 9. The Gestalt technique of looking at dreams as projections of different parts of oneself is be very useful. After recording a dream try using the Gestalt 9 approach in which the dreamer takes the role of the important aspects of the dream and calls these “I.” Try identifying with the other person in the dream as yourself. Or identify with each important object. If you were trying to climb a steep path up a mountain, assume the role of the path itself and speak for it, “I am a way that helps people reach the top of this mountain more quickly than bushwhacking.” Or “she/he down there trying to climb up by me (the path on the mountain) needs a strong will and a steady focus to follow me to the top of this mountain.” 10. Dream recall is far more likely to happen when we respect the needs of the body and brain to restore and generate itself. There are a few people who need only three or four hours of sleep. The remaining 99.99 % of us need much more sleep, usually eight hours. The rewards are immediate and obvious when the body and mind are fully refreshed after a night of sleep. 11. Deep Sleep. Science separates dreaming sleep (REM or rapid eye movement sleep) from deep sleep in which the sleeping person seems to be “gone.” This is when the neo-cortex shows a rhythmic activity while the brain stem is inactivated. The neo-cortex is the new brain, and the brain stem is the ancient brain. The stage of deep sleep is to refuel through the energy of the vital life force. A quiet room with complete darkness promotes this stage of deep sleep. Deep sleep nourishment helps produce a calm, sensible mind that is wideawake and alert. Only a very high initiate can recall what happens during deep sleep in the spiritual planes far removed from ordinary consciousness. 12. Sound and music The Solar Logos (God) of our solar system works through sound and color. I have recorded audio meditations as an additional aid on the spiritual path with soft bells and music in the background. These are listed in the appendix. 13. Colors. Each color (and there are hundreds of colors in the subtle planes) offers another medium of illumination. You can also get mandalas with the colors to deepen your healing meditation and mandalas with the colors for integrating your personality, mind, emotions, and body. By using mandalas with the colors of your own rays especially your soul and personality rays, listening to the audio meditations, you will have a powerful combination of transformation for each level of your being. 10 CHAPTER ONE WHO IS THE DIVINE SELF? What you have been seeking is literally and exactly That which is reading this page right now. That Self cannot be found because it was never lost: you have always known you were you. That I AMness is a constant condition of all that arises; it is the space in which it all arises, has nothing outside of it and thus is complete Peace, and radiates its own beauty in all directions. You, dear reader, arise in the space of that I AMness, this vast spaciousness, this pure openness. That which is aware of you is this ever-present Self. .. There is only this I AMness in all directions. Everything arises spontaneously in the space of this great perfection that is the Self, which is reading this page right now. And you, dear reader, are that Self. You have always known that you are this Self. There was never a time that you did not know that you are you. You can never remember a time when you were not you. There is only this Self. You cannot reach out for it because it is that which is doing the reaching. You cannot see it because it is doing the seeing right now, which means, everything simply arises in its awareness: the entire world arises in your awareness right now. You are that space in which it is all spontaneously and effortlessly arising. You are that One. You have always been that One. There is only that One. Do not pretend you are finding that One. Do not pretend you have forgotten that One. The only thing you have ever known, the only thing you can ever remember, the only thing you are actually feeling right now is that One: the is-ness, now-ness, suchness of everything, just as it is, and as it is arising within your Self—the simple feeling of Being, which is all you ever feel always. “Throughout the history of humanity, the urge to grow and advance is demonstrated repeatedly by the capacity of the human spirit to emerge time and again out of 11 darkness and death into life. Something always happens to the human soul that draws it closer to the source of life. Nothing on earth can stop this progress to the ultimate source of life.” (ck source) Someone you know well is a divine being. The atoms in that body and mind have a divine essence with a splendor all their own. The beauty and power of this divine essence reveal another world. It sings a song of universal truth and universal love. This “someone” is you, not the “you” that you call “I,” rather the essence Divine Self in the center of your being. This is the Self that you felt separated from when you descended to the material plane. Hidden from your eyes, ears, and mind, yet it is the very cause of your existence. This Self is called the Spiritual Triad; it has three points of light, divine intelligence, divine love, and divine will. It is the direct reflection of the One, the Monad, spirit, the voice of God. The soul reflects these divine qualities as it capacity permits, and we as personalities reflect them too, as much as our understanding allows. As you create the lighted lines and form these lines into a connecting bridge, you can project them in full consciousness to this Self. its love awakens you, gently as the sweet fragrance of orange blossoms or, more likely quite suddenly, like a streak of lightning. This Self has always been who you are. You have always known this even as you struggled to find it. No use to search. The Self is the one doing the searching. It is the one looking from your eyes, the one who is reading this book. It is watching the clouds rise and fall, watching the mountains and seas, watching the sun and the rain. Even though this divine essence Self is covered with layers of beliefs that have kept it hidden while you developed and identified with your personality ego; yet it is vibrantly alive with the power and beauty of a god. The only question is how to awaken from the dream that you are merely a human and nothing else, from the dream that you will die in a certain number of years and your life will end. The Self cannot die because it was never born. It watches you searching everywhere it is not. Imagine a great artist standing transfixed in his vision before he begins his work. He visualizes the beauty and power of his proposed work, and how he will use his skills to portray this splendid revelation for all to enjoy. His task is to give form to his splendid vision and reveal its power and beauty to others. For a playwright the task is to make visible the intrinsic wonder of the human mind and heart. For a sculptor, it is to unveil the hidden form within the marble. Each truly great creative 12 work is an effort to give form to spirit, shining through the divine Self. Each of us has our own great creative work, to free the divine self and use our mind, our hands, feet, and voice to release its splendor and power. Our discerning mind is the sculptor’s chisel; our life experiences to develop love and wisdom, are the dramatist creativity. When our intention is deep enough, we train under the soul and spin off the denser substance in our energy field, and together with the soul, we construct a pathway to the divine self. Then, projecting this bridge or channel to the divine Self, is descending to meet the bridge. The mind, illuminated by the soul mind, becomes a master artist guiding thoughts, words, hands and feet. At first this contact is discovered only under extreme emergencies and stress. Then as the strands of light forming this bridge become stronger, it becomes as strong as steel. At this point conscious contact with this Self happens more frequently; the landing fieldis cleared for the intuitive wisdom circling overhead, to land. The personality (mind, emotions, and body) aligns more fully with the soul and is infused with a new type of highly creative love. this love creates through your three minds, the analytical mind, the soul mind, and the illuminating mind of the divine Self. The will of God (so often confused today with suffering) becomes your will and when these two wills are one, joy comes! A new kind of love motivates you; this is an intelligent love that includes all humanity. An extended intelligence with intuition enables you to give to others cooperate with the Plan of God for the evolution of humanity. This process sounds like turning the key and opening the inside lock that has hidden the Divine Self. The lock, however, is a combination lock; it takes six specific turns on the wheel to open. Since it was locked by the personality while it explored the physical world. And what was closed off is opened up through the bridge of light. The Divine Self then sweeps through your being, and illumines your mind with its powerful energy of light, love, and will. Every atom, every cell and tissue of mind and brain vibrates with the stage of consciousness each individual has reached. The connection with the soul and the unveiling of the divine Self attracts solar (soul) light to the atoms and cells. This energy then spins out the slow-moving, denser atoms that are so prone to disease and illness, to make room for more solar-lighted atoms. As these atoms stream into the mind, thoughts can be consciously created. Words are then used for the magical work of the soul. Energy streams to the heart, and a compassionate loving 13 understanding begins to develop. Consciousness grows the right use of time and energy, resources and talent. Spiritual energy not only awakens joy. It brings joy and peace. The song of the soul brings joy and peace to others. “Who am I? Why am I here?” becomes a mantra of the past by the separated personality. Yet hidden resistance from the personality to the joyful life of the soul or the bliss of the divine self, still persists. In spite of pleads or prayers for a spiritual life, this resistance takes time to melt down. The personality tends to cling to its familiar ways and activities with one hand while reaching out with the other hand to grasp the spiritual cup of joyous love and wisdom. At first this is merely a playful tug of war, as between two children pulling from opposite sides on a rope. Later, as the soul’s urging gets stronger, this tug becomes serious. The victor alternates between the personality and the soul; the victor of the day runs the show that day. Two minds, two voices, the dual life continues. The divine Self looks on watching the battle as the personality pulls spirit closer to merge as one with it, and then pushes it away still desiring its own separate life in the world. A VIRTUAL JOURNEY INTO LIGHT 1. As you begin, let your analytical mind be at rest, your emotions still and as calm as the surface of a lake at dawn. 2. Ask to open to the love and the light of the Divine Self. 3. Breathe seven breaths, slowly and deeply to fill your brain with the oxygen it needs to perceive this creative activity. 4. Imagine your heart center as a sun. In your personal universe, it is the heart of the sun. Let this sun be very bright, and radiate out from your heart center which is located outside of your body behind your physical heart. 5. Inhaling deeply, imagine the sun radiating your head center, just above the crown of your head. Your head center is the spiritual sun of your personal universe. 6. Let your spiritual sun shine with a beam of light on the heart of the sun in your heart center. 7. Using your imagination, merge the heart of the sun and the spiritual sun within you. 14 8. Pause and realize that you are connecting these two suns with their distinctive energies of light and love. Let a warm, spontaneous love flow from your heart. 9. Link with those who are bringing greater light to the world. Send the light of the merged suns within you to them. 15 Chapter Two The Bridge to the Divine Self “When humanity is assured of divinity and of immortality, and has entered into a state of knowledge as to the nature of the soul and of the kingdom in which that soul functions, its attitude to daily life and to current affairs will undergo such a transformation that we shall verily and indeed see the emergence of a new heaven and a new earth.” (Esoteric Psychology, II by A. A. Bailey, p. 94) The bridge is a channel of light to the Divine Self and when it is completed, it will connect with the One, which is the source of your divinity; this is this place of oneness or spirit from which you descended in order to gain experience in the material world. The connecting lines of light that connect the analytical, rational mind to the soul mind are the halfway point on the bridge of light. Next, you can learn to extend this bridge and make contact with the illuminating mind of the divine Self, composed of divine light or intuition, divine love, and divine will. At first, the changes in your thoughts and body are so subtle that you may not notice them, however friends whom you haven’t seen in a while, may notice the changes immediately. They will see that you are vibrant and happy, with a clear mind and a warm heart. They will enjoy your insights and the encouraging note of your soul. Linking with the soul, we reach the highest dimensions of the astral plane. The first soul contact is the soul mind, all the knowledge and wisdom the soul has gathered through its many lives on earth. The next deeper soul contact is soul love. This love does not the sentimental or possessive qualities found so frequently in human love. Soul love flows out to all life and dissolves the layers built by the little self that have separated it from the higher dimensions. Soul love is a powerful healing force. It will restore and regenerate your body just as it can aid in healing others. The third aspect of contact is soul will, and when you can perceive and respond to the will of the soul, you have a wise being at your side. This companionship based on all three levels of soul contact, endows you with the energy and the motivation to lift and aid others. It reveals you to yourself, and points out areas to upgrade and 16 infuse with greater light. An ongoing contact with the energy of the will of the soul is tremendously stimulating. The will of the personality depends on desires of the moment. These may change from day to day, yet the influence of the soul will, lights up your mind and increases your capacity to be creative. It is your partaner in building sensitivity to the Divine Self. The personality develops over many lifetimes until it learns how to get what it wants, usually material comfort and security, freedom and education. Family and friendships become important. Some people never seem to get enough --- enough money, enough security or comfort, enough love, enough recognition or appreciation, to wholeheartedly build their bridge of light. But the divine discontent merely grows stronger and cannot always be ignored. This discontent is literally coming from the divine self. Even without a tad of esoteric knowledge, at a certain point of evolution, often following a great trauma or shock, the determining choice is made to find what is missing. At a certain point, the hunger for illumination becomes more intense than things of the material world. The call of the soul is heard and evokes the will of the personality. There may still be scattered areas of resistance, but the will to build the bridge to connect with the soul and the greatest light. Through dissipating the fear of losing or having to give up everything gained through great effort, your effort at constructing this bridge is no longer sabotaged. Resistance also comes from illusions – being certain that what we think is true, is really the truth. Yet all the truths we have at any moment are only part of the truth; each one will be succeeded by a greater truth. The spiritual seeker begins to realize that these fears are to the Shining Teachers (the Masters of Humanity who have graduated from the kingdom of humanity) like a small boy clutching his shiny marbles tightly in his fist for fear that someone will get one. We clutch at our things and possessions, at our relationships, and at our pieces of knowledge, as if they were irreplaceable. Spiritual treasures are filled with real gold, not fool’s gold, and they have the greatest value once we know the difference. Nothing can take these away, neither fires nor thieves nor loss. Finally, the knowledge of the personality is transmuted into wisdom through the process of understanding, analysis, recognition and application. At that point the personality is focused upon the mental plane. The mind takes charge of the emotions. The personality is also beginning to understand the significance of love 17 and use it for the well being of the group rather than for the personal self or desire. With the soul, you realize the importance of upgrading your body as well as your mind, to create a landing place for solar energy to land. A purified body is essential for those who build a bridge of light. Even the light of the soul would be too disturbing in the life with an unprepared body or mind. You will also need to quiet your emotional body so that it is serene and placid, reflecting the light in colors. The mind must be trained to prevail in all situations that come up, rather than following the feelings of attraction or repulsion, excitement or boredom, criticism or admiration, even sympathy or compassion. Visualize basking in the love of the Divine Self, and watch what happens. Infused with this love, your world gets larger, much larger. This happens without planning. The concept of “I” expands beyond the smaller world of the personality, which has a dimmer light and can only partially reflect the light of the soul. This spiritual love is in the core of every one of our sixty trillion cells. We realize that we were never alone in this world, even though we thought we were; we were never separated from our divine inheritance; we simply did not know it was there. Even one strand of energy to the Divine Self is highly charged with an unforgettable energy. The more highly charged, the clearer the reflection in one’s everyday thoughts and activities. A glimpse of the depth of this love, and an experience of inner harmony and peace will occur. The will to find a way to express this divine quality in some way, will tend to grow stronger. Rather than a crystallized program set in stone that never changes, the bridge of light is a living fountain of light and energy that continues to sweep forward into greater light and power as we advance. Progress on this bridge requires a larger heart, a wiser mind, and a steady will that is in line with Divine Will. These energies work together to extend the bridge to the divine self (the spiritual triad) with its three points of light that are reflected by the soul. When contact is made, it is from the higher mental plane, beyond the reasoning mind, even beyond the soul mind. Understanding and knowledge stored on the higher vibrating atoms called intuition, becomes available. This knowledge is free from the distortions of illusions. The intuitive is not psychic phenomena, which can also useful in some cases when accurate. It is universal knowledge, illuminated by an intense light, an instant perception, beyond reasoning or analytical thought. When in the intuitive frequencies there is a temporary loss of individuality. The little self or ego is seen as 18 an essential instrument on earth for the divine Self to use. You are building the connection to the immortal Self, which has the wisdom, love and intelligence that enables you to travel on the path of light and to meet and work with fellow travelers on this path. I watch the joy in the faces of those who have (consciously or unconsciously through the will) built these higher connecting links and listen to the warmth in their voices; I watch their grace (including those who are closer to 90 than 80 years old, and listen to their expanded views of the world. I watch them put their deeper consciousness into action in the world and stand in wonder at their emerging creativity in the arts, music, and the healing arts. From North to South America, from Europe to Asia and Australia, many thousands are building this bridge now. SIX STEPS TO THE DIVINE SELF Here are six steps to construct your bridge of light and keep strengthening and extending it to connect with the One, via the soul and divine self. The first goal is to meet the soul and live in its rhythm, to create a dance between the personality and the soul. This soul link lifts the whole life to a finer frequency of light. If you already have been meditating and working with the soul, it is time to move on to the spiritual triad, which the soul is reflecting. The bridge is not imaginary; it begins with a channel of light created by your intention and imagination that turns into a bridge of light. The bridge has a subtle substance which cannot be seen because the frequency is too high for it to solidify into matter. You are creating connecting links with the greater selves that are also you, that are, in reality, your immortal Self which does not die because it was never born. As you build be aware that the energy of the divine self inspires, and the light of the soul directs, that shifting your identity from the little self to these Selves shifts your future from darkness to light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality. Step 1: Decision or Commitment: We accomplish only that which we have committed to from our own free will. Thus we have access to all the light within ourselves, and we develop our mind, our emotions, and our body and brain as our personality team on this spiritual journey. Step 2: Intention: Intention comes from spiritual integrity that awakens an inner, 19 dynamic, spiritual will. This will dissolves inertia and brings in a new energy. Intention aids in building the correct orientation toward the soul, and a mental understanding of the work to be done. Step 3: Visualization: Visualizing is an act of the divine faculty of creative imagination. Step 4: Projection: Projecting involves here calling in higher will through a connection to the soul. Step 5: Invocation and Evocation: Blending soul and personality enables us to invoke the power for the first three stages. Step 6: Ascension: In this stage our consciousness extends from the soul and personality limitations, and rises into the light of the Divine Self Let’s explore each step to build this bridge of light and use it as a powerful guiding force for the spiritual journey back home. It is a good idea to start here to write insights and ideas that come to you in a special notebook or file on your computer. Later, as you release the intuitive, you will have the habit of recording spiritual impressions, and expressing in words the thoughts that are coming to mind. Thus, they later can be useful for others. 20 Chapter Three Step One: Commitment Commitment attracts a mental substance that brings perseverance. It produces the cohesion that provides the interaction between each point of light in the process of building the bridge. The personality shirks from long-term commitments; it knows its proclivity to respond to new desires; it dreads responsibilities, and wants to be free without responsibility. Under the influence of the soul, the personality recognizes the need to gather its forces and formulate a plan for its life. Once the personality is responding to the energy of the divine self, even though by a very thin thread of light, it wants more! The ego self may still want to be in charge, yet the material world loses its grip on controlling that life. Just as the coins of one country have no value in a distant country, the coins of earth have no intrinsic value in the spiritual country. Money is materialized energy; its value depends on how it is used. Conversely, the wealth of the spiritual realms is of great value in both worlds, the material and the spiritual worlds. It brings a life of joy and bliss, something that the personality cannot offer. It brings the intuitive understanding to use one’s life for a higher purpose, to become a beam of light shining on the way, a way by which others may achieve. Moments of happiness, when life is going smoothly, is the best the personality can offer, and even then, unhappiness is waiting on the other side of the bed. The polarity of emotions is the way things are. We cannot turn emotions into joy or bliss. Those who can take themselves in hand and build the bridge of light recognize that a bridge is needed and building it is the most sensible, sane decision they could make. It simply becomes obvious that a bridge is needed that will span each gap in consciousness – from the analytical mind to the soul mind, and to the illuminating mind of the divine self. Once this commitment is firm, each experience offers material for the bridge. This decision has an intrinsic power that connects personal will with dynamic divine will. Nothing in the outside world needs to change. The bridge is built through an inner point of tension. Instead of being ex-tended, the energies are kept together at a point of tension. Only from the light of the soul can the appropriate commitment be created that will create a more advanced spiritual adventure with positive and permanent effects. Imagine the value of this bridge as it gets stronger and extends upwards completion. 21 Dedication to reach the highest light opens doors that were not even visible before. The light flowing to you is magnetic in nature. It acts as a magnet exerting an increasing force to attract a response from the soul and later from the divine self. At a certain point, an electric charge of positive energy from the divine self flashes out causing the soul to vibrate with sound and color and sending illumination to the mind. This experience marks the second great union on the path of light; the first union is when contact is made with the soul. A Ceremony of Decision The decision to build the bridge of light can be done quietly with only a formal statement to oneself, or you can create a ceremony to emphasize to your ego what you are doing. A ceremony can signal to the soul that you are ready to reach the next stage of illumination. If you would like to plan a simple ceremony, it may touch something very deep within and clear your mind for the task ahead. Fresh flowers, candles, colors, chimes, bells, and spiritual music attract the highest of the angelic kingdom, the gold and white angels. A crystal bowl filled with water to sip during the ceremony is also helpful. The crystals of the water absorb the energy in the ceremony and the molecular structure of the water is changed into beautiful forms. Formulate a statement of your plan and write it on a sheet of paper, signing it with the date. Speak this commitment aloud even though no one else is in the room. The ego aligns with your decision more easily through sound. Later, you can roll this sheet as a scroll, or frame it and hang it above your meditation chair. Read aloud a world mantra that is highly vitalized from being sounded over many years by the higher initiates. Then sit for fifteen minutes in silence, with soft music playing in the background, as you focus on the picture in your mind of the rainbow bridge of light, its beauty and grace, and silently invoke the cooperation of the soul. Write or record any thoughts that come to you. When you complete the ceremony, sip the water from a cup filled with the water of the crystal bowl. During this ceremony the water is infused with the spiritual energy of light, love, and will. The changes in the structure of the water crystals will hold this energy. Place the remaining water in the refrigerator and take a sip each morning as you begin to meditate. 22 Chapter Four THE SECOND STEP Intention “Many people are animated by wishful thinking, by hopes and by prayer; so few are motivated by intention. Intention here is that unbreakable, immovable determination that a situation shall be handled, that what is needed in order to release mankind assuredly must appear, for such is the mental intention of the focused minds of many.” Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 273 When intention is fixed, the ability to focus the mind clearly, will develop. Then, with persistence and patience developed, effective work becomes possible. Do not expect to have already achieved perfection. This develops step by step. Think of yourself as a work in process. Like a manuscript in process, each day the process of intention, visualization, projection, invocation and evocation, brings the bridge of your life, as it does a book, nearer to completion. Intention attracts the intuitive awareness. It helps the mind to rise above the fog line where humanity lives. This fog is created over thousands of years by the mass fears, hopes, and wishes of the human race. When you have the intention to align with the soul and the divine Self, when you realize it is possible to complete the bridge of light and find yourself at the feet of God, of spirit, of the One or Monad, you are projecting strands of light to the highest light possible. Then, through meditation, you gather the spiritual forces that help create the bridge of light. Once a commitment is clear and intention is set, events that come to your life are preparation to meet the Divine Self face-to-face. The inner meaning within events and circumstances will become obvious with reflection; each will be useful for the journey into greater light. Some essential quality develops through each experience. Whether it is the joy of the soul, intuitive understanding, or spiritual discrimination, it will play a key role for the journey. Practice using imagination to see how each of 23 these qualities adds new colors to the bridge. This does not mean you can literally see the colors on the bridge as you can see the colors of flowers. Rather, an inner sense of the beauty of these shining colors develops. The Creative Process You create this bridge of light scientifically, step by step. As you construct it, you become a creative agent, deliberately gathering spiritual energies, and using them. Just as electricity has a negative or receptive role, and a positive, distributing pole, you are establishing a relationship between receptive or negative forces of the personality and the positive energies of spirit. Intention enables you to stretch the mind on a fixed focus. This goal is empowered when you freely choose with great earnestness to set the intention. Successful mountain climbers say that reaching the peak of any mountain depends more on an unwavering intention to get to the top than strong muscles alone. It is the intention that projects energy and anchors it through the imagination at the destination point. Without a genuine intention to succeed, and a mental point of tension, the more physically fit climbers turn back while the less endowed climbers with intention will make it to the top. Spiritual intention has a distinct energy vibration that sees yet can handle interruptions and move ahead with the same steady focus. A magnetic attraction forms that brings in what is needed for the journey. Intention is more than a mental decision or mental determination; it is linked to the undaunted will to meet all obstacles and succeed in the journey. This kind of intention carries the energy that leads to greater wholeness; the lesser parts merge with something brighter and are synthesized to form a whole. When intention prevails, that life becomes useful on a larger scale. Competing goals lose interest for the spiritual worker and fade out. Intention in this case is not focused on a physical objective, rather it combines with visualization to retrieve knowledge from the higher intuitive plane that can be used in the world. When the intention prevails to construct the bridge to the divine self, connections form between the soul and the brain. Intention uses the mind to build new neuron connections. With one hundred billion neurons, each with the capacity to connect with all the other neurons, the potential of connections equals one to the 30th power. We succeed when the mind is disciplined, focused on the path ahead to prevent 24 careless steps, thoughtless words, or unnecessary delays. Intention attracts the soul to come to the aid of its shadow in the physical world. The shadow of the soul is the personality and it needs the help of the soul to accelerate the slow rhythm of evolution. Through your commitment and intention to construct the bridge, a tiny thread of light from the divine self starts traveling toward you. Note the energy center where you experience intention. Is the energy in your head or heart? You may not know for sure, but by pondering upon the intention, the inner observer will show you. Extending your bridge of light to the triple radiant light requires a focused mental concentration that was not necessary in the earlier stage of the bridge. The first half of the bridge to the soul is built with the highest astral energy. Awakening to the Divine Self takes higher mental energy plus the cooperation of the soul. Try reflecting on intention for seven minutes; note the ideas that come to you. Recall a few times when you accomplished something important through the power of intention. Rather than a mental decision or determination, intention here focuses energy upon the mental plane at the point of the greatest possible vision or attention. This brings into consciousness the energy-substance needed; it highlights the importance of manifesting and gathering spiritual forces into the highest point of the mind and holding them there. When intention is based on the highest light within the mental body, it attracts the higher will that can carve through rocks, boulders and barriers. This may sound simple, yet it requires a rigorous mental discipline. We attain this by holding a point of tension (complete one-pointed attention). Our one-pointed intention creates a stronger mental focus. If we focus on intention in a morning meditation, and hold intention in the background of the mind all day, it brings vitality to mind and body; it attracts impressions and revelations to the mind. The idea is to keep a one-pointed attention in the circle of intention as we begin each day. Intention for an adult is like learning to ride a bicycle for a child. Think back when you learned this skill. Each time you visualized riding it successfully, you brought together new connections between the neurons in your brain. Every time you got on 25 a bicycle you learned what kept you in balance and what caused you to tip over. As a beginner, if you went too slow, turned too sharply or jumped a curb, the bicycle tipped over. You had to focus on the path ahead and point the wheel in the right direction. If you had to make a correction, you did it carefully so as not to overcorrect and fall in the other direction. The same is true for any new skill from skating to speaking to an audience. Your one-pointed concentration in the right direction is the key. Intention helps create a laser beam of light to illuminating the path at every turn. When intention is empowered by tapping the greatest light, it becomes a laser beam, coherent and aligned. Since its energy does not scatter, it has the same intensity and focus at a distance as at its source. Ophthalmologists use laser beams to remove eye cataracts. It takes five minutes. A one-pointed intention dissolves spiritual blind spots in the same way. Creating coherent laser beams of spiritual energy actually become the bridge of light. Today we each are the product of intention carried out in the past. Tomorrow the face of our deepest intention today will become who we are. Imagine yourself as an archer sitting on a white horse. Take careful aim, and shoot the arrow into the distance, hitting the center of the target. If we hold your arrow of intention from astride the white horse (the soul) and aim carefully, intention will take us to this arrow. Shooting the arrow further to the next target is the next step. Finally, we meet the divine self face to face. Intention is the key to health and longevity, to enthusiasm and discovery. One student describes what happens when he suppresses intention in this way: “I lose energy, I lose interest in life, I fall into concern over my physical life. In a sense I fall from grace. I want more things, like traveling to distant places, new friends, new places to go, entertainment. In effect I begin to search on the outside for everything. Intention is my pointer star; without it I lose direction and become influenced by others, easily swayed by their desires for me. When intention prevails, it provides the building blocks for my path into freedom from the small boundaries that I have tied my life to. These squeeze my consciousness into a tight ball without room to expand.” To invoke aid from the divine self, set a one-pointed focus to meet and invoke its aid. You can become a good receptive agent, and realize that your requests are always answered. Instead of setting an expectation on just how this aid should 26 come, trust that it will come in the best possible way. It could come through a mental stimulation that clears your mind, through a surge of loving understanding toward others, even through a wave of compassion for all humanity. A friend who had been building her bridge of light for years, and was teaching at a major university, agreed to present a workshop for about 200 state forestry executives and employees. Here is her story: “After signing the contract, I asked for all the help I could get from my soul. I visualized presenting convincing picture of news ways for effective group work, of reaching their hearts and minds. On the way I realized I had brought with me a few notes written on four 3x5 cards, and felt a wave of total panic. I was scheduled for the entire day. Five minutes after beginning, I realized that my soul was right there as a personal coach. I had to do the speaking just as I had to know the material I was presenting. The soul was doing everything else, bringing to mind the best examples, adding lightness and humor, encouraging a disarmingly honest approach, effective group participation. The day became exciting for me after the first 10 minutes. The group clearly was expecting to be bored; instead they became incredibly creative working off and on in small groups. There was so much to say, to show the group how these methods work. After lunch, the last two hours flew by and the soul put it all together the last few minutes.. When I finished, the people stood up and clapped for a long time. A standing ovation and it started from the back; this I had never imagined.” Golden strands of light  Imagine intention as a circle overhead. Imagine its note, selecting one note from A through G on the musical scale.  Imagine its color. This color may flash on the screen of your mind as you concentrate on it, or it will be your favorite color when you feel tired or stressed. A color that brings peace and serenity, or one that energizes you could come to mind. This will be a color to use in evening meditations. Working with colors is effective to align with the Universal Mind. Or select a color and gaze at it with soft eyes while its energy is infused into your mind and soul.  Focus your mind on the mental plane and begin to gather all your energies to 27 the highest point of light. When your intention is focused on the highest light, you attract the higher will that carves through anything blocking your path -- rocks, boulders and barriers of all kinds. You can use this relationship to develop a rigorous discipline over your mind.  Consider the advantage of keeping a spiritual journal to describe new perceptions and concepts. During meditation note any symbols if you see them or colors that may stream into your mind. One insight alone may not seem helpful, but when more are added to it, the picture may become clear. When you later review all you have written, only then will it become evident how beautifully these ideas fit together. 28 Chapter Five THE THIRD STEP VISUALIZATION “Once the central entity within each human form is recognised and known for what it essentially is, and once its divine persistence is established, then we shall necessarily see the beginning of the reign of divine law on earth—a law imposed without friction and without rebellion” Esoteric Psychology Vol. 2, page 95 Visualizing is an intentional creative act to use the spiritual energies that are gathered in meditation and bring additional spiritual forces into the mind. Visualizing is something we do every day. We visualize arriving at our destination when we take a trip. The pictures are rapid and automatic when we are going to familiar destinations. When the destination requires finding the way through unfamiliar roads, we check the map to be sure we know where we are going. We study the turns and landmarks. Then we create a blueprint of the route before we start traveling and last, we make a picture in our mind of arriving safely. Once on the way, we stay focused and keep the map handy. In the same way the bridge-builder has up create a blueprint for the bridge. Up to this point he worked through the mind. Now, with a point of tension, he prepares for the next step. He constructs a blueprint of the work through using his imagination. Through meditation and intention the imaginative faculties have been refined and becoming responsive to the impressions of intuitive perception. The more responsive the imagination is to intuitive impression, the more accurate will be the blueprint for the bridge of light. Add color to visualizations of this bridge. Imagine it glowing with shining colors. Gradually an image forms around these visual pictures that have attracted the energies needed. One seminar participant imagined that she could swim a mile when she was about twelve years old. Forty years later, she swam her first mile. As her fingers touched the edge after the last lap, she realized that other images she had 29 ever created were still there waiting, until she accomplished them and they had their own quota of energy if the desire to accomplish them continued. The picture of swimming a mile and receiving a ribbon at summer camp had kept her swimming on and off for years. Once she swam that mile the impulse to swim was gone. She decided to be discriminating about the way she used her creative imagination after that. In visualizing the blueprint, work steadily each day, yet without a sense of rush. Rushed spiritual effort lacks foundation. It becomes top heavy and a premature awakening of the will can wreak havoc in the world. Humanity is in turmoil now from a premature and unexpected contact with spiritual will. This is a powerful energy that must be used with equally strong, illumined love or it becomes purely destructive. There is no rush in spiritual work, rather set a rhythm of daily invoking the energies needed for each stage of the bridge. These images become magnetic to the divine self. A brief overview 1. Success is inevitable when you establish a one-pointed intention, and hold your mind steady in the light two or three times a day while visualizing your intention. Visualizing your life intention penetrates the separating web between your analytical mind and illuminating mind. 2. Entrain your brain with pictures that match your intention. 3. Practice slowing your brain waves to alpha and then to the slower theta waves through deep relaxed breathing and a one-pointed focus on the greatest light. Alpha waves signify a relaxed body and alert mind; theta waves signify the fine line between sleep and awakened states. With practice, one can find this brain wave and stay alert while in the deep relaxed poised state that usually represents sleep. Your focus closes off any stray earth-bound entities who might claim to be a guides or teacher and know much less than you. 4. Invoke the soul and act “as if” you are gazing into your life through the eyes of the soul. 5. **Create thoughts that lift and aid; they can harm and hurt just as they can heal and inspire. Emotional reactions are not thought; they are emotions and can flame into anger quickly. Angry thoughts (even righteous anger) boomerang and turn back 30 to hurt the one who projects the anger. Instead, invoke light for all the groups who are attempting to heal and help. These are the people who are especially receptive, and they will use the support you send in constructive ways, not destructive ways. 6. Make yourself receptive to spiritual forces by reorienting your life in these three ways: a. Achieving right orientation toward the soul and toward the Spiritual Triad b. Mental understanding of the work to be done. c. Hold consciously gathered spiritual energies in a ring-pass-not. d. A period of clear thinking anent this process of Intention must be attempted. e. Then follows the preservation of a point of tension.) 7. Ask for spiritual help if you need it. The soul is a wise and loving counselor. Its aid is available to you at any hour of the day or night. 8. Affirm that spiritual aid is being received. You receive this aid quite literally at the moment you ask for it even if you do not feel or see anything different. Spiritual aid is an energy that empowers you. The test is to recognize the illumination you are receiving. 9 Allow illumination to flow through every cell. Each cell of your mind and body evolves into greater consciousness. Cells are conscious thrive by your will. The note of your form life becomes more beautiful and purifies the atmosphere around you to keep you free from disease and illness. If one of your sub-personalities distracts you, stop and befriend it, as you would make friends with a new neighbor. Teach this sub-self a new role by presenting a larger vision of your intention and ask for its cooperation. No need to suppress it, rather convince this aspect of your personality to cooperate with your intention. Just as the Divine Self inspires, the light of the soul directs, your analytical mind must perceive this help for you to be able to think in the light. Nothing can stop it, no outside circumstances nor inner circumstances. What happens is that once the illumination of the soul and Divine Self is gathered, new possibilities emerge? These are golden opportunities. Take advantage of them. With your mind in the light carefully consider the potential of each possibility. Use this light wisely in the consciousness of your life commitment and intention. 31 Drawing the blueprint for your Bridge of Light It is time now as you approach the second part of your bridge of light to set up a blueprint for reaching the light at the top of the mountain, the One or spirit. Take a few minutes each day for seven days, to write or draw your blueprint. This is the route you are going to take to complete your bridge of light. 1. Know what you want to do, 2. know why you have to do it, 3. know the stages of building the bridge, 4. and the hoped for effects of your activity. 5. Become familiar with the materials that you have to work with. 6. Spend a few minutes visualizing the entire process of building the bridge. 32 Solitude, Silence, and Spiritual Awareness The more one-pointed your attention to hold your mind in the light, the more rapidly you can strengthen your bridge with connecting cables of light rather than tiny threads of light. Solitude allows the energies of universal love to permeate your heart center. Separations dissolve in solitude; it is a private space for ongoing soul consultations, not a separation from others. Outer frictions disappear and inner unity prevails. Visualize spiritual expansion for yourself and humanity. Including the entire human race is the way of the highest light. No separations exist. This spirit of inclusive love or good feeds your mind and emotions with a finer substance. To speed up human evolution from darkness to light (which would ordinarily take a few hundred thousand years) to a smoother and more rapid transition, those who are spiritually awakened can seed the mental atmosphere with new visions of the light of all souls streaming into the minds of the people, and the love of the God streaming into the hearts of humanity. This is essentially the message of the Great Invocation, which is spoken daily in seventy languages by thousands of spiritual workers from virtually all religions, cultures, and countries. Resenting and fearing groups who are living in dark light, may feel perfectly natural, however fear and anger attract more of the same feelings, except the new fears and angers will be more intense. When we are angry and send out that thought, it boomerangs and turns back to destroy us. Instead, focus on the souls in the troubling countries who are working very hard to improve the situation, inspiring goodwill and cooperation wherever possible. These invocations will be fruitful. There are inspired leaders who are in the right position to help even though we do not know their names. They work quietly. Strengthen their will through soul love. These people need your help; they are invoking help, and they will profit by all the light we can send to them. Once is not enough. Spread the light throughout the world to all those who are working under such the extreme danger of mobs crazed by passion without reason. suggestions on ways to use the spiritual forces you are gathering: 33 1. Infuse your mind with the light and love of the soul to magnetize the greatest light. Next, use creative imagination to visualize beams of light touching everyone in your spiritual family, and finally see this light touching the minds of all humanity. 2. Practice holding your mind in the greatest light three times each day. Imagine connecting soul-to-soul with a fellow traveler on the path of light, or connected heart-to-heart with others. 3. Humanity needs help. You are developing an intelligent, understanding love that heals, inspires, and aids. All spiritual forces must be circulated. The field of need is vast. Think about the area where you can best contribute. This might be in your family, your community, or other groups. 4. Once you know your own soul, you can help energize the souls of others. The effort itself when linked with the soul helps clear your aura, and it always brings a wave of joy. It is a superb feeling to realize that you can lift others by seeing them as a soul rather than only as a personality. Connecting with the soul, you can send out thoughts that will strengthen them. 5. Visualize yourself with such a steady vision that even in the midst of daily activities, you are connected to the soul and you are using its energy of love and light and power. 6. Experiment with taking a moment to find a response with light instead of an automatic reaction to someone. This process when repeated often will cut a new groove in your mind and become a natural response. The habit of waiting until you can see a situation from a higher viewpoint before reacting to someone, is one that you will be profoundly grateful to have. 34 Meditation is the path to clear thinking. Setting aside the cares of the day in early morning and rising into the clarity of the soul provides an ideal atmosphere for spiritual work. Clear thinking is natural in this light. Meditating clears your mind and keeps it focused so that you do not get lost in vague, mystical feelings that take you nowhere. Neither do distractions pull you backwards when your mind is focused and aligned with greater light. Visualizing effectively requires slowing your brain waves to create a still mind. The fast beta brain waves used for daily activities preclude a still mind. Slowing to alpha waves is a great help to think clearly. With practice you can slow your brain waves even more to reach theta brain waves and still handle world affairs. Your brain waves slow down through a one-pointed focus on the Greatest Light, and align with your soul mind and higher mind. This is not a negative blank state of receptivity (which opens the door to any rascal passing through who you would avoid on earth.) Set a clear focus before moving move into the higher spiritual dimensions to be receptive to illuminating ideas. Before claiming that you cannot visualize, realize that every time you imagine going to the grocery store or the bank, you mentally see the map to get there and see yourself arriving safely. This series of scenes happens in less than one second, so rapidly that we are not aware of it. You may also realize that when you do not know the way to your destination, your mental imagery of arriving does not automatically appear. You have to get directions. I once counted on the soul to show me the way in a strange town and realized that the soul does not replace common sense. Maps for spiritual destinations are a different thing. The soul is great to guide us there. ** You become what you tell yourself, what you imagine, and what you hope to be. Pretend you are a journalist who can read minds, and you are gathering a report on the thoughts of the interesting person sitting in front of you. Begin to observe the 35 stream of thoughts that go through this mind. Is the mind mulling over something in the past? Is it looking only at the future? Is this mind thinking about its desires? Is this mind following rather than leading the emotional self? What would be the most probable future of the person with the type of thoughts that you, the journalist, are observing? If you try this observation several times, you can get a whiff of how your mind is functioning -- as your friend and ally on your spiritual journey or as an opposing adversary. Thinking about the past takes us backward. Thinking about the future lifts us into greater light. Our thoughts attract that future to us. Standing in the light of the soul which is inspired by the divine Self, imagine your future now. It is true that we become what we tell ourselves, what we imagine, and what we hope to be. We already have become what we told ourselves. The joy comes when we are inspired by the Divine Self, and living the life of the soul. This is the life that very few people would dare to dream. The dream, the vision, the hope, the visualizing, must come first. Remember to invoke this life of expressing soul love in many creative ways. A Visual Experience Mentally create a circle made from a golden cord. Next, stand in the center of this circle and stretch your arms up as high as you can reach, your palms facing inward. Imagine the energy field around you filled with beautiful colors of your bridge to the soul and to the Divine Self. Say “I am unveiling the wisdom of the soul. My soul is reflecting the intelligence, the love, and the will of the Divine Self. My essence Self is the Divine Self which never dies because it was never born.” Deeply inhale the energy that your image evokes. 36 Now stretch your arms toward each side of the circle, and imagine your aura extending to the edge of this circle. Reach outward to the world and send your light to the people in this small world. Turn slowly to the right, and say, “I offer all that I know and all that I have to the evolving souls in this world.” Imagine your groups (or all the world’s people) recognizing their own spiritual hunger and searching for the great universal truths that create a wonderful life. 37 Chapter Six THE FOURTH STEP PROJECTION Project yourself in time and space to produce what your will commands, your love desires, and your need creates. A Treatise on White Magic, pp. 278-9) The fourth step is a critical point in reaching higher spiritual dimensions. Any spiritual seeker, from the devotee and mystic to the occultist, can succeed in the first three steps. Using these steps one is sure to meet the soul. They may call it God, the higher self, the higher mind, a certain saint, or many other names. Many reach this stage and find themselves unable to proceed any further. Having developed a real capacity to visualize, and having constructed through visualization the desired form, and organized the substance, And they stop at this point because they are unable to proceed further. Projecting means calling in a higher will through your connection to the soul. Once you have made an inner commitment, set your intention, and visualized correctly, you have reached this critical point. You may already be wondering what is the matter. This is the point where it is necessary to use the higher will of the soul, and to visualize the outcome. Once you have tapped into this higher will, you can extend your bridge to the divine Self. When this is done, a line of lighted substance will be present. It is gathered from all the spiritual energies that you have brought together. Until you reach this stage, the method is the same for everyone. It is at this point that you need to know which of the seven rays of life that your soul is working on. These rays are the seven great streams of life. Each one is the embodiment of a great cosmic entity. At the point where the soul is exerting a strong influence on your life. there is a change in technique. You will need to know your Word of Power for your soul ray. A line of lighted substance has a more rapid vibration than substance on the 38 physical plane. It is propelled forward upon this Word of Power. The next chapter will guide you in finding your Word of Power. You are entering a more advanced stage of projection; here the Word of Power becomes the true builder of this higher link with spirit. The hidden power of visualizing and projecting your word of power is to reach the greatest light Let your concentration deepen to meet the divine self to form a laser beam of powerful energy. The ultimate destination is to bridge the lat gap in consciousness and reach the One or Monad through ascending to its vast consciousness. You are ready now to evoke the divine self. In this process you become an agent for divine projection. First, you have crossed the bridge to the soul and evoked its response. Now as you project the light of your bridge, you tap into the divine Self. Its response is immediate even though few people may consciously realize it until later. The delay is due to the slow filtering of this energy into the brain and the capacity of the brain to translate the response of the divine self into words or other symbols that make sense to you. Use intention and visualization now to project your bridge to the energy of the Monad, which is your original source before descending into the lower concrete world of form. The soul came into being through this anchoring, followed by the later process, when the soul in its turn, sent forth a dual thread which found an anchor in the head and the heart of the personality. In effect, you are now reversing the original process of descending into form; you are ascending from the material to the soul, to the divine self, and back home as the Monad, which is your original face. This is your original face, formed from the energy of pure light and love. which chose to send forth a thread of its life and anchored itself to the soul, and finally descended into matter. Once it reaches the personality directly, it arouses the base center, blending with and uniting in this center. This ignites its fire. Once you are working with the soul from the mental plane, you can use all the resources of your mind, emotions, and brain in combination with the soul. Aware of the need to project in two directions, you then project a line of light towards the Monad. This process establishes a connection with the Monad by way of the Divine Self. The second direction of projection is toward your spiritual group and toward humanity. 39 A point of tension Study these stages for the correct technique of projection: 1. Preparation stage – Focus on your soul ray and acknowledge the reality of this point of mental tension that you are perfecting. Realize in your mind the effect of this projection. Visualize the finished product with clarity and color. 2. Focus within divine Will and your soul Ray. Using your creative imagination, project a line of light towards the full power of the divine Self, with its three aspects, divine intelligence, divine love, and divine will. Everything depends on this clear focus as you apply this projection process with your mind. 3. Visualize your bridge with two colors, the color of your soul ray and the color of your personality ray. Let your mind take an active role as the agent of the soul. Then hold your mind in the light so that your personality becomes an active holding agent. Next, hold an alignment with the light of the Divine Self. 4. Project this lighted energy substance from the soul and its agent, the mind. Imagine you are a mental archer taking careful aim and send an arrow made of light to the target. With practice your projection technique will be well aligned with the Monad. Your aim will be so sure that the stream of spiritual energy you are projecting will penetrate the Divine Self and its living substance of light, love, and power. This first aspect of the divine self is intelligent activity. Energy flows in and stimulates the mind, bringing a clear, organized vision needed. Let this light of spirit circulate freely within your being; this energy response brings insight and understanding, bringing a new vision of possibilities. It is important to know where you stand on the path of evolution. Each of us can discover our position on the ladder of evolution. We discover it through meditation and reflection; we discover it through our interactions with others. If we think too much of our selves, abilities, and progress, we will attempt to accomplish ambitious goals that are out of the range of our ability. Others will not be draw to us. Conversely, if we think too little of our spiritual stage, we will fail to grasp the opportunities that are presented to us; the Master will be forced to sorrowfully turn away and find someone who is less experienced and capable. 40 At the moment you link with the soul, you are focused, filled with intention, and holding a visual picture of projecting to the divine self. Each smaller image you have thought was yourself will be included in the larger picture, but only as a part of the whole. Just as your past is now seen as a part, an earlier stage of spiritual understanding, your future self will later also be seen as part of a far more radiant Self. That Self is who you are, and it is by projecting your bridge to contact the Divine Self that you realize this, not as an ideal, not as a hope or aspiration, but as an indisputable fact in consciousness. Our time sense of the past, present and future is useful to mark our progress for now. Each memory or vision of the past, the present, and the future, will finally merge as one ongoing journey to spirit, even though this Self is already who we are. Just as a child grows up and repeats every stage of evolution he had earlier reached in a former life, we do this on a much grander scale when we reverse the process of descending from the Monadic plane to the soul, to the physical world, and then begin our Path of Return to the Monad again. We go through the stages earlier earned quite rapidly. Like Mozart writing excellent symphonies by the age of three, we may have equal sensitivities in other fields at an early age. The going gets harder once we reach the place where we left off in the last life. Many people do not understand this and stop all expansion once they reach that stage. The next step in successful projecting is to focus on the love of the Divine Self. All the pain experienced in the name of love is love in the personality. For a long time, our inner rebel resisted the wisdom and love of the soul. When we seek the soul and yield to it, that energy causes friction with the rebel, and may turn to an inner battle for control. At an earlier point of evolution we reacted with friction to the brighter light of the mind. Or we resisted honoring the simple needs of the body for the right food, sunlight, and exercise. We paid the price with a weak immune system until we woke up to upgrade all aspects of our personality and got it in shape to receive this higher energy. This is also true for our emotional nature. We unconsciously set up situations that will bring pain to us, now or later. We ignore our first “inkling” that things may not work out as we want and when they do not provide the happiness we want, we realize that it is time to get our emotions in alignment with our mind and the soul. Until then it is common to blame others rather than see our unrecognized traits. 41 Projecting a trait that is within oneself to keep from facing it is not a practical method. Others may have the same undesired trait, yet we also will find it in ourselves. This is why we were attracted to know that person in the first place. No matter with whom we spend time, sooner or later they will unconsciously cooperate in helping us to discover our hidden undesired traits. We bring that same trait out in him or her, and thus it is right in our face. We have two choices at that point, to blame them, or to open our eyes and observe that we too have this trait even though it might have a different shape and color. Once our attention is on it, there are simple ways to dissipate its power over us. Finally, it will disappear altogether. (See Chapter __. ) Your bridge will not only affect your life, your choices and decisions, it also has an expansive effect upon your family and friends. Finally, an exalted sense of oneness or wholeness emerges through contact with each aspect of the radiant Triple Light of the divine. That triple light is divine love, divine intelligence, and divine will. Any resistance to this exalted awareness comes from the personality. When one activity of greater value replaces an activity of lesser value, it does not feel like sacrifice. It is more like the renowned gorilla that was trained to be “altruistic.” Exchanging an activity of lesser value for an activity of greater value is somewhat like trading an apple for a banana. When the trained gorilla received an apple, he immediately handed it to the gorilla behind him. He knew he would receive a banana when he gave his apple away, and bananas were his preferred fruit. Letting go of an activity might seem a sacrifice to someone with difference values, but to the one who recognizes greater value in the second activity, it is not a sacrifice. The mind and soul see intrinsic values that others may miss. 42 Chapter Seven The Fifth Step Invocation and Evocation Through meeting the soul and blending your ego with the soul, you can invoke the power for the first three stages. We only project harmful thoughts to others when we have not realized the moment of choice for ourselves to take a different action. Even if we took no action, we may have missed making this choice too. There are choices to be made in every life. We make them every day. It is the nature of these choices and the consequences that spring from them that determine the direction and evolution of our lives. These decisions weave the evolving fabric of our existence from day to day and from life to life. As my favorite teacher for the human personality, Dr. John Enright, often pointed out in seminars, “You have a moment of choice in every situation.” Each person was holding in his hand a one-line statement describing a time in life of the greatest suffering. Virtually all the statements blamed the most suffering on someone else’s actions. Someone made them do something, for example. But John delved deeper. Were they tied up and handcuffed and forced to do that? Well, no, each answered. John would then carry this one step further and ask: “He/she led you (a long pause while everyone nods in agreement) “and you followed? Each one present reluctantly realizes the moment of making that choice, and realized if they could make that choice, they also could have made another choice, which would have completely changed the outcome. At these moments of revelation, everyone in the audience sits in stunned silence, realizing that they too “followed” instead of exercising their free will and choosing more wisely. The harder step is to acknowledge that one has ignored each warning sign on the way. John called these “inklings,” such as noticing that one’s wife was enthralled with her dance partner. Most people could remember having several inklings of 43 what was going to happen, and decided to ignore them. That decision too had to be acknowledged. Who has not followed someone else’s lead at a critical point in life, and ignored the wisdom of their own soul! Recognizing that a relationship is not working well is one thing; ignoring this is an entirely different matter. It is so tempting to lay the blame on others, whereas in truth, there is no blame. When we assign blame, we are losing the opportunity to recognize our own quiet choices that set up the outcome we did not want. Rather, each experience is to teach how very important the bridge of light is so that the soul and the Divine Self can illumine the situation, and the future stands revealed. Freely choosing to heed the soul’s early warning signals and submit to its authority will provide a different outcome the next time. Even after you have begun constructing the bridge of light to the Divine Self, and are carefully developing each stage of consecration, intention, and visualization, it is important to continue building character, weighing all motives with the right motive in mind, being responsive to the need to service, and meditation. These four requirement are the foundation that precedes advanced bridge building. Total cooperation with the soul from the personality needs to be ongoing. Frequently, there is an underlying character flaw that has not been handled, or is hidden from the bridge builder. Most people are already honest and ethical in the affairs of the day. They attempt to deal fairly in all things. They have gained control of a bad temper or other violent behavior. They have walked in the land of physical desires and finally gained control of their appetites on the physical plane. They have tried to make money without work rendered, to keep all they had without sharing more than a tiny bit with others. They have in effect, wandered around for years searching for some deeper meaning to life, and despairing to ever enjoy those elusive qualities of inner peace, pure happiness or joy for more than a day or so at a time. Yet they have evolved through lifetimes of experiences in the world. In fact, most 44 of us on the Path of Light have gone through some unexpected experiences of turmoil as great light streamed into our unprepared force centers, after we began meditating regularly. Even a minor character trait not yet integrated in the personality – such as giving authority for your life choices to others (teachers, family, ministers, or friends) that only your soul can make. They do not know the purpose of your soul. Listen to advice from others, but be wary of persuasive arguments about living your life “their” way. Pay attention to that first inkling or hunch that their ideas are not helpful for your own spiritual journey. Invoking what you need is the basis of all success of material and spiritual desires. This is true for all humanity. The response of the soul reconstructs your personality to be in alignment with the soul. On the astral plane you magnetically draw what you want to yourself, just as you draw to yourself the people who you can aid and lift through invocation, desire, and will. On the mental plane you evoke impressions from the higher intuitive plane. This response is an electrical force as known in the higher spiritual dimensions. Responses on the mental plane enable you to see clearly, to identify how to proceed and to recognize obstacles that need clearing in your group or the whole human race. A Great Liberating Force Every invocation is followed by a response, and that response is evoked through your bridge of light. The results are sure; a fresh vision comes. Once you understand this fact and apply it, it becomes a great liberating force. Through invocation and evocation you are impressed with the knowledge you need. Invoking what you want or need creates a laser like beam that penetrates that energy field. This beam has integrity and does not spread and weaken at a distance. It holds its original focus and direction. The response is not a booming voice telling you what to do. You may simply wake up one morning after deep invocation the 45 night before and realize the effect of what you have evoked. You see what to do and how to do it. You may recognize a specific quality you need to develop next to have what you need. Or the response may be the appearance of others or the circumstances needed. When you meditate you are playing with fire. Before the latent fires at the base center rise, there must be prepared channels. Then this fire becomes a vivifying factor, acting as a stimulating and awakening agent. When it is directed along the prepared channels it is a purifier and the great connector between the lower and the higher self. You are seeking when you meditate to contact the divine flame that is your Higher Self, and to put yourself in rapport with the fire of the mental plane. If you force meditation or if you pursue it too violently, before the alignment between the higher and lower bodies by way of the emotional is completed, this fire may cause the latent fire at the base of the spine to circulate too early. This produces many problems. The kundalini rising must be done in a proper geometrical spiraling and permitted to circulate under the direct instruction of the Master. Be aware that you can create congestion in the brain from meditation, this causes the blood vessels to expand and to strain the delicate brain tissue. It shows up in the initial stages as numbness and fatigue. If you persist in meditation when you sense these conditions the result can be serious. Don’t continue any meditation when you are feeling fatigued. Stop at the first indication of trouble. This is common sense. Remember the body must ever be trained gradually and be built slowly. 46 Chapter 8 The Sixth Step Ascension In this sixth stage you extend your connecting bridge beyond the personality and soul limitations, and rise into the light of the Divine Self. This Self has three divine expressions of the One, divine mind expressing itself; divine heart expressing itself, and divine will expressing itself. You have always known who you were. You are God in ecstasy, aware of all things near and far, unlimited by space and time. The personality is limited, yes, but you are not. You can watch the personality as you watch all other aspects of yourself in form. Your true identity is embedded in the airwaves – in sound, light, colors, music, rhythm, and beauty. You are universal truth, the universe unfolding itself. The experience of the Divine Self is a rare and wonderful state of consciousness. States of consciousness rise up and pass on. The higher purpose of evolution is to ascend to rise into the light of the divine self and finally hold this identity so steady that it becomes your home base and liberates you. After reaching and transcending each stage of consciousness and working your way to the next stage, one day (in this life or a later one) you will finally ascend to the Divine Self and to become that Self. First, establish yourself soundly in each stage, beginning with uniting all the parts of your personality – mind, emotions and body. Even as you connect with your soul, and become responsive to it, and as you discover yourself at times on the intuitive plane, you may still be clearing certain emotional reactions and illusions. The Divine Self is composed of divine intelligence, divine love, and divine will. Immersed by its splendor, vitality and healing energy streams through you. Divine Self. Even if you do not realize the source of this new vitality, its light reveals an extended vision of your life and its purpose. Gradually as this light penetrates the soul and personality, a brighter light replaces a dimmer light. This occurs in the 47 mind and thoughts and beliefs, and it occurs in the emotional body. When you make contact with the Divine Self, watch for these effects: the power to eliminate mental and emotional illusions, some part of the future stands revealed, an expanded vision of truth, achievement without wasted effort, recognition of group purpose. A Visual Journey Toward Ascension 1. Begin by closing your eyes, linking with the soul as a sun in your head, and imagine the energy of the divine Self. You may sense an expansive energy around and within your head or in your heart center first. Imagine that you can sense a thousand “petals” of light above your head. Hold this picture for one or two minutes and then read on. 2. Keep invoking this radiance using each of the six steps. Ask to be receptive to the love and light of this Self. On this journey, let the everyday mind be at rest, all the emotions still and calm. 3. Breathe slowly and deeply. By filling your brain with oxygen, it perceives more clearly this state of awareness. 4. Pause as you imagine invoking a response from the Divine Self as it streams into your mind, soul and brain, and into every cell and tissue of your body. 5. Let your request to meet the Divine Self face to face be known to this great entity. Let it be known that you are ready, that you are ready to know the truth of your identity. Become the breath itself as this great life force streams through you. 6. Imagine this energy as a golden shower of light and color streaming into your mind, soul, and brain. 48 7. Take another deep breath and repeat this step. Another deep breath, inhaling, inviting, allowing, give your full permission this time for the Divine Self to permeate the way you see yourself, the way you perceive others, and the way you see the world, the world around you. Using your imagination in this way assures that this gate stays open. Even though your eyes will be closed when you practice this exercise, this energy goes into your subtle body and strengthens your eyes and lungs. Liberally use imagination, intention and rhythmic breathing as you invoke the Divine Self. You may notice beauty where you did not see it before. Visualize yourself continuing to progress in purifying your mind and emotions, serving through soul love on the physical and the mental planes, and enjoying moments of contact with the Divine Self. Think on these things as you go to sleep; remember them as you awaken. You may be doing the same work, seeing the same people, yet your awareness moves to higher levels and at the same time, it deepens. Your progress is up to you. Your request has been heard and recorded in light. A response will come at the perfect time. 49 PART TWO ABOUT PART TWO Chapter 9 Your Soul Ray There are seven great streams of life or rays coming from the one source of all things. Each one is the embodiment of a great Cosmic Being. These are seven distinctive aspects of universal light, and they reach us as: will and power, love and wisdom, creative intelligence, harmony through conflict, initiation, devotion, and ceremonial magic. Everyone on the path of return works through all Seven Rays, concentrating on her soul ray and personality ray where she will be the most efficient and effective. Ray One - Will and Power - Red Ray Two – Love and Wisdom – Sapphire Blue Ray Three – Intelligent Activity - Green Ray Four – Harmony through Conflict - Yellow Ray Five -Concrete Knowledge and Science - Orange Ray Six - Abstract Idealism and Devotion – Rose or Light blue Ray Seven – Ceremonial Magic or Law - Violet Each of the Seven Rays of Life is a path to the Divine Self, a different aspect of Spirit. After reading the seven chapters on the rays, you can build a bridge to connect with each ray. You will use color and sound, infusing the radiant qualities and color of all seven bridges. You will also learn the seven rays word of power, projecting your imagination and soul energy to the Divine Self as expressed in each of the seven rays. 50 Use two colors as you extend your bridge, the color of your soul ray and that of your personality ray. If you decide your soul is on Ray Two and your personality on Ray Four, you would picture a deep electric luminous blue intertwined with a golden yellow as you project your bridge to the Divine Self and sound your word of power. If you believe that your soul is on Ray One and your personality on Ray Seven, the ray of will and power and the ray of bringing spirit into matter, you would use red for ray one and lilac or violet for ray seven. The major rays of our system are Ray One, Will and Power, Ray Two, Love and Wisdom, and Ray Three, Intelligent Activity. The remaining Rays are aspects of Ray Three, which is the major active Ray during our present world cycle. There are more personalities on Ray Three than any other ray. The majority of souls are on ray two, Love and Wisdom. When you are ready to cross in consciousness from the soul and personality to the Divine Self use the color of your soul and personality rays as you project. Use your word of power for your soul ray. Repeat it several times, holding your mind in the light with the soul, project this lighted substance to spirit. Later, build a bridge of light to the Divine Self on all seven rays, using the word of power for each ray as you project your bridge forward. For the final projection from the soul to this shining triple lighted spiritual base, visualize the color and say the word of power for the ray you are using. Our personalities can express the attributes and the weaknesses of all seven rays. Finally, the seven rays merge with the seven colors into one coherent whole. The mind may be on one ray, emotions on another ray and the physical 51 brain/physical and etheric body on another ray, The personality ray may be on a different ray. When the soul note is added, the task is to unify the personality rays and to allow the soul ray to prevail over the personality ray. These five rays rule one’s life for a long period of time. Once the disciple awakens to the soul in his or her consciousness and makes a commitment to build the link to the soul that enables her to connect with the soul you at any time, the soul begins to respond as a result of her invocation for greater light and love and power. At that point, in accordance to one’s intention and visualization, the soul gains greater access to the mind to guide life decisions and relationships. You will be in a position to handle yourself with greater wisdom, to uncover the causes of difficulty and to discover the effect you may have upon each other and those people you are with in daily life. 1. Rays governing the mental body Rays 1, 4, or 5. 2. Rays governing the astral bodyRays 2 or 6. 3. Rays governing the physical body Rays 3 or 7. *** Ray One is known for its attributes of will and power, its ability to destroy, to lead, to govern, to be independent and fearless. Another ray one trait is the ability to identify with the rhythm of the Whole. Isolation no longer prevails because the ray one has evolved into the awareness that all are part of the Whole. No one is alone even though it may seem to be so until a greater sensitivity to the subtle energies is developed. A dynamic one-pointedness when the soul is prevailing. When the personality prevails, the one-pointedness is more likely to be used for selfish purpose. Until the ray one soul or personality is highly evolved, one also experiences a lack of loving energy, a sense of isolation, and a longing for power 52 and authority. Ray One desires to dominate and tends to speak with authority even though often less experienced than others in that group. Always, there is a sense of strength and self-will that are spontaneously expressed. These traits will inevitably lead to a higher expression of this ray as the spiritual energies are absorbed into the soul and personality. An example is the use of destructive energy on outworn forms and systems to prepare the way for the builders, or a dynamic use of energy to further the Plan for humanity’s evolution. An advanced ray one soul uses power in order to cooperate with others, realizing that power is the major weapon of love. Ray One – Will and Power Word of Power "I ASSERT THE FACT." This divine affirmation holds the universe in being; it embodies all knowledge and love, and if you choose to build the bridge to the power of the ray one aspect of spirit, be prepared to see a clearer deeper truth that exists beyond forms of the material plane. First, call on the strength of the forces you have gathered through intention and visualizing in morning meditations. All that you have invoked and evoked will become available to provide the force to project your bridge to Ray One using the word of power, “I assert the fact.” Before you begin this crucial step, reflect on the meaning that you actually experience when you say these words. You will be asserting the fact of the soul and of the Divine Self, of the absolute reality of the existence and power of Ray One. A Ray One will call upon all the spiritual energies gathered since the spiritual work began. He will know through his own experience that these are facts. This assertion is the final step in meeting the powerful energies of divine will in the work he seeks to do. Divine will gives him a dynamic energy to cut through the non-essentials and recognizing the essentials of his life and his work. His intention is to evoke a response from Ray One and he get this response when his mind is holding a point of tension. This may sound easier than it is; it is much more common among disciples to stay at a point of ex-tension rather than tension. Thus, whatever they do lacks the power needed to succeed. Ray 53 One is unique in its force with a terrific power to change things, even to destroy in order to make room for the new energies. *** You are asserting that the Spiritual Triad (the Divine Self) is a fact. You are announcing the relation between your fused and blended personality and the soul is a fact, that the bridge of light is a fact, and that the duality of manifestation— personality and Spirit — is a fact. “I assert the fact,” the Ray One word of power seeks to evoke the will of the Monad or spirit, your originating point of consciousness from which the Divine Self descended. When the frequencies of light slowed enough to create a physical form, the soul became the prisoner of matter. Part of the work of ray one will is to destroy the illusions that the soul has built around itself and open a clear path for it to ascend back to the Divine Self. The last assertion of Ray One is “the work is done.” At the point of contact with the divine will of the Monad, you will be contacted. You can depend on this contact as you develop the point of focus to spin your bridge across the chasm between your soul and divine Will. It then becomes available for your use on the physical plane. Once this contact is made, a wave of energy comes to you on the beam of will. A response is inevitable once this contact is made. You perceive it the instant it comes, even if you are not fully conscious of the effect it is having, after you have succeeded in aligning the soul with your mind and brain. This alignment allows an instant recognition of being more than you realized you are, of a presence of self that is beyond your personality. Ray Two The power to build for selfish ends Capacity to sense the Whole and yet to remain apart A separative spirit The hidden light The realization of selfish desire Longing for material well-being Selfishness, and subordination of all soul powers to this end 54 Leading to: Building wisely, in relation to the Plan Inclusiveness A longing for wisdom and truth Sensitivity to the Whole Renunciation of the great heresy of separativeness The revelation of the light True illumination Right speech through generated wisdom In creating the bridge to the Divine Self on Ray Two, use the words of power for Ray Two in this case. The more powerful day of the week for Ray Two energies is Thursday. The most powerful period for connecting with the energy of Love and Wisdom that Ray Two streams forth and for distributing it to humanity is the fiveday period before and after each full moon. When a group is simultaneously holding in mind the energies of Love and Wisdom in meditation, a magnetic aura is built that creates a gateway for greater light to flow to the group and to humanity. Ray Three Ray Three Personality: Before linking with the soul and the Divine Self, a ray three type displays an intense material and mental activity. It is very hard for a ray three to be balanced. Instead they are caught up in ambition to reach many goals in the world. Most of these goals are material ones. They long for beauty and glory. There is a tendency to be lost in illusions, both mental and emotional. Their mind is so active that it twists a simple truth into a tangled web of intrigue. This explains their characteristic skill in manipulating things and people through selfish desire and to use force with the wrong motives. Ray Three Qualities in a Soul-Infused Personality: Here you find the manipulation 55 of energy is done for the express purpose of revealing beauty and truth. Forces are used intelligently only to aid in the Plan. They are still very active, yet they display in this advanced stage a sense of rhythm in their activity. They cooperate with the whole picture of revealing greater light. They stick with right action without the temptation to work for selfish ends. They can be seen working for the revelation of universal good will and glory for all. Ray Four The Ray four personality is sensitive, often too sensitive and even thin-skinned, feeling the slightest conflicts as a weighty matter to be resolved. He is frequently highly sensitive to music and color. Artists and musicians as well as other creative artists, are often found in Ray four. Those who have a mind on Ray four tend to go through a lot of challenges and crises. They learn to resolve these and create harmony. Ray Four Confused combat The realization of that which is high and that which is low The darkness, which precedes form expression The veiling of the intuition The sensing of in harmony, and cooperation with the part and not the whole Identification with humanity, the fourth Creative Hierarchy Undue recognition of that which is produced by speech Abnormal sensitivity to that which is the Not Self Constant points of crisis. Leading to: Unity and harmony The evocation of the intuition Right judgment and pure reason The wisdom that works through the Angel of the Presence 56 (The fourth ray is the ray of the intuition and of harmonizing everything that has been achieved through the physical life. Later all of this is brought together in a synthesis and absorbed by the solar angel. Eventually all that can be evoked and evolved through the power of the One Life (the Monad) is manifested as it works through into expression on the physical plane. This is the meeting point for all the energies flowing through the higher spiritual triad and the personality/soul life.) Ray Five The energy of ignorance Criticism The power to rationalize and destroy Mental separation Desire for knowledge leading to material activity Detailed analysis Intense materialism and temporarily the negation of Deity Intensification of the power to isolate The implications of wrong emphasis Distorted views of truth Mental devotion to form and form activity Theology Leading to A knowledge of reality The realization of the soul and its potentialities Power to recognize and contact the Angel of the Presence Sensitivity to Deity, to light and to wisdom Spiritual and mental devotion The power to take initiation. (Very important) Ray Six Violence. Fanaticism. Willful adherence to an ideal 57 Shortsighted blindness Militarism and a tendency to make trouble with others and with groups The power to see no point except one's own Suspicion of people's motives Rapid reaction to glamour and illusion Emotional devotion and bewildered idealism Vibratory activity between the pairs of opposites Intense capacity to be personal and emphasize personalities. Leading to Directed, inclusive idealism Steadiness of perception through the expansion of consciousness Reaction to, and sympathy with, the point of view of others Willingness to see the work of other people progress along their chosen lines The choosing of the middle way Peace and not war. The good of the Whole and not the part. Ray Seven The power to "sit upon the fence" till the selfish values emerge Disorder and chaos, through misunderstanding of the Plan The use of magical powers for selfish ends, Black Magic The wrong use of speech to bring about chosen objectives Untruth Sex magic Selfish perversion of soul powers Leading to: White magic, the use of soul powers for spiritual ends The identification of oneself with reality Right order through right magic 58 Power to cooperate with the Whole Understanding of the Plan The magical work of interpretation Manifestation of divinity The colors of each ray Ray One: Red Ray Two: Indigo Blue Ray Three: Green Ray Four: Yellow Ray Five: Orange Ray Six: Rose or Light Blue Ray Seven: Violet: Your bridge of light will shine with the color of your soul and the color of your personality. By visualizing these colors forming a channel of light across the gaps in consciousness, the bridge is in harmony with the correct energies for you. The esoteric colors in the spiritual plane are different from colors on the physical plane. These are the colors as they appear on the physical plane. A Great problem of Humanity today The negative traits of each ray often reveal more quickly the rays of the personality instrument. The emotional ray is either ray two or ray six, except in rare circumstances. The world glamour will be dissipated only by those who recognize it for what it is; they will have struggled with it in their own lives. Success will come through the work of those who have learned to use their searchlight of the soul into the dark places in their own lives and illuminate those areas of glamour that surround them individually. The task is to understand the problem of glamour and realize your ability to dissipate it in your own lives. This is a significant contribution that you can make to this, probably the most serious world problem today. Decide to solve the glamours 59 around you by holding your mind steady in the light, and learning to throw this light into the fogs of glamour on the astral plane. Deciding that you understand the problem does not solve it. It will be necessary to use the formula for dissolving individual glamours correctly and once your own glamours have virtually disappeared, then to use the formula to help dissolve world glamour. (Excellent books are available on the more common glamours of each of the seven rays and how these are influencing you. Michael Robbins’ book, Tapestry of the Gods I and II, presents excellent comparisons of the rays and their interactions between each personality and soul type Chapter 10 Your Word of Power The goal of all activity with your word of power is the complete fusion of the three aspects of the true Self -- divine intelligence, divine love and divine will. We become conscious of these divine aspects through completing the bridge from the personality to the Spiritual Triad of the radiant Triple Light, and eventually to the One Life. Understanding the true significance of these words of power comes through the ability to think clearly, and to silently send out a call to spirit. As the quality of the soul dominates the personality, you gain the ability to experience the meaning and energy of your soul ray word of power. The quality of its energy will bring the right effect, just as the sacred word of O.M. invokes more power when sounded silently than when sounded aloud. Rather than the physical sound, it is the quality of the soul ray as it prevails over the personality ray that invokes something still deeper that creates success in this work. When you use your soul Word of Power, you are not creating upon the outer plane; rather you are deepening your ability to feel within the meaning of the Word of Power as you silently say it. This brings the right effect. Just as the sacred word of A.U.M. sounded silently is more powerful than sounding it aloud, the word of power is more powerful when sounded silently than aloud. It is the thought behind the form, the registered feeling and the understanding of the significance of the 60 Word of Power that is important. The Tibetan teacher Djwhal Khul emphasizes that it is “the ability to think, to feel and silently to send out the call of quality to quality, of meaning to meaning, of nature to nature, of form to spirit which matters.” (P.513-4 R&I) It is by faithfully following this process that you can achieve some measure of soul and personality fusion. The Word of Power used in this way can extend the bridge to the Divine Self. The meaning of the Word of Power at this point of projection is summed up in the words: Ray Two Word of Power "I SEE THE GREATEST LIGHT." Ray two energy is the most vivid in this solar system. It dominates the light of form and radiates to reach the radiant triple light. This takes an absolutely intense concentration before the Word of Power of the second ray is silently sounded, "I SEE THE GREATEST LIGHT." The greatest light is the Central Spiritual Sun (not the Heart of the Sun) and the idea is to make the most intense effort possible to see in the light the relation of the whole. This is one of the most potent experiences of the bridge to the Divine Self. It is different than vision; rather it is the recognition of the whole picture. The symbol is the "Eye of God," the "All-Seeing Eye," This is the realization of the light of the divine countenance, of which the soul is a dim reflection. “It is the great obliterating light of reality itself, revealing the fact of the higher Lighted Way. The bridge of light extended to the divine is the fist stage of this conscious recognition.” Ray Three Word of Power "PURPOSE ITSELF AM I" At the point of highest tension, the disciple utters the Word of Power for the third ray. The difficulty for the workers on this way is to achieve the necessary focal point of silence. The many words and great mental activity that are typical of this ray worker are frequently under the impulse of glamour. This subtracts from the power of what he seeks to do. When he succeeds in achieving "mental silence" and becomes a point of intelligent concentration, then he can use the Word of Power with great effectiveness. 61 First, he has to overcome the tendency to use it with the idea of physical plane results. Once he intuitively comprehends and grasps the concept that spirit-matter are one reality, and once he has achieved within himself the sublimation of matter, then he can divorce himself from all that he understands in relation to form. He can then utter the Word of Power, and it will make possible his complete identification with spirit, via the bridge of light. Rays and Initiations, p 515-7 The other rays are attributes of the third ray. Consider the discussion about the third ray with Rays 4-7. Ray Four: Harmony through Conflict "TWO MERGE WITH ONE" Ray Five. Concrete Knowledge or Science "THREE MINDS UNITE" (This asserts the fact that the Universal Mind, the higher mind and your concrete mind are blended through the projected bridge of light.) Ray Six...Devotion or Idealism "THE HIGHEST LIGHT CONTROLS" Ray Seven...Ceremonial Law or Order "THE HIGHEST AND THE LOWEST MEET" D.K. has not given the actual word of power but the English equivalent in meaning. This is the meaning to have in mind as you mentally sound your Word of Power. Hold its significance firmly in your consciousness. Just as the sacred word of AUM or OM is useless when the meaning it holds is not realized, this is also true of the words of power. As you sound the words, visualize them performing the esoteric miracle of bridge building. First, the light penetrates into matter and the result is a down pouring of this energy combined with its target. Just as the clouds become laden with moisture and it rains, some type of precipitation occurs through projection and penetration of the Spiritual Triad. This projection inevitably evokes some type of illumination. This great philosophers, inventors, explorers, artists, musicians, dramatists, religious leaders, and scientists, have responded to these showers of illumination through the ages. 62 That is why their work is timeless. It is filled with living energies beyond time and space. When soul love is the underlying energy within a group, their projected thoughts will enrich the group and its members. This is why all spiritual teachings emphasize the need first to develop love and to purify self-centered emotions. The first meditation in the Path of Light program is to create a triangle of light between the energy centers that will establish a triangle of light for greater light to flow into that group of individual. With head and heart and the higher creative center united in a triangle of light, they become magnetic to raise the energy of the solar plexus. Most breathing exercises are harmful to the western body. The necessary triangles are not made and the electrical fluid rushes with increased speed and heat upward. It can burn away all of part of the brain tissue. A Visual Picture: Reaching the Divine Self 1. Imagine you are traveling from your body, emotions, and mind to your soul. Open to the sense of poised peacefulness and harmony. Let any sense of rush melt away and let the physical world affairs recede in your consciousness. 2. Taking very slow deep breaths as your brain waves slow down, make a picture of being with the Divine Self. In this rhythm your body relaxes completely, your brain becomes receptive, and your mind alert. 3. Listen for a sound, so subtle that you only sense it from deep within your head. This sound is transmitting a message. You may feel this energy within your head or see it reflected as colors or patterns on the screen of your mind. 4. Project this sound or colors toward the Self. At the same time imagine sound and light coming toward you from the Divine Self, which is reaching toward you. The Self is projecting the way, the truth, and the reality hidden in matter. You are absorbing this illumination into every cell. 63 5. This process will happen spontaneously once you are familiar with it. By reading the above paragraph again, you can anchor the energy by extending each breath deeper, pausing at the top of the breath to form the images, and then sending this vision out as you exhale. Repeat this exercise as many times as you wish to gain spiritual poise for traveling to the Divine Self. 64 Chapter 11: Intuition “Intuition results when we comprehend somewhat the principle of universality. When intuition is functioning, we temporarily experience a complete loss of the sense of separateness. At its highest point, intuition is known as that Universal Love which is not related to sentiment or affection. It is more an identification with all beings. Then we can know true compassion and any sense of criticism become impossible. The divine spark is seen as latent in all forms, people, things, and thoughts….Intuition is light itself, and when it is functioning, the world is seen as light.” The light bodies of all things are seen. This recognition enables one to contact the central point of light within all forms. The sense of superiority, inferiority, or any type of separateness leaves at this point and never again prevails over real vision. Intuition is often confused with psychic awareness, an instinctual or gut feeling about something. The intuition has no relation to psychic feelings, higher or lower, to seeing a vision, or hearing the Voice of the Silence. A reaction to teaching of any kind does not mean that the intuition is functioning nor seeing symbols, intelligent psychology, or a loving desire to help. These traits are all helpful, yet they come from a personality that is governed by a strong soul orientation and a groupconscious soul. Everyone with enough experience in the world may seem to be intuitive, however there is a big difference between the intelligent use of world experience and being intuitive. Knowing this difference saves countless trips down blind alleys. The intuition reveals the real, rather than the unreal that appears as reality only from the physical plane. When we get attached to an idea as “the truth,” we miss the emerging whole of greater consciousness that would include that idea. We can instead, welcome the appearance of thoughts with more depth by being willing to give up our attachment to a belief we have embodied. After the initial sense of sacrifice to give up what we have believed, and the new thoughts circling overhead find a place to land in our mind, we are delighted with the trade. Our mind expands to grasp the brighter awareness and we move smoothly on to the next level of understanding. No part is left behind; each is integrated into the next whole. The beauty is that each 65 part is included in the whole and adapts to the positive overview of reality that it had distorted. This is what the term “integrate” means – instead of separate parts in conflict within each individual and within each country -- the larger whole is seen and all the parts are re-formed to fit harmoniously into the whole. Until a holon (a larger whole) emerges with greater depth, all our thoughts will look and feel like the truth. It will appear to be the way the world is. We perceive according to our ability; we can grasp new and larger concepts as our perception expands. There is a human tendency to look for agreement in one’s beliefs. We tend to share our personal philosophy of life and death where we think it will be accepted. With enough agreement, we decide for sure it is true. Loaded with emotional feeling, it begins to control our life, and to drive us into a repeating circle of thoughts and feelings. Lacking the intuitive insights of the divine self, we become separated from the permanent world and become attached only to what we see and feel and touch, and to what our perceived experts feel and see and touch. Every belief, every emotion, every activity is part of a larger whole with greater depth. Realizing this enables us to observe more carefully what we think and believe, to examine closely which values we are willing to fight for, and which ones do not really matter at all. Fiery passion notwithstanding, we will be forever grateful that we have stopped to examine for ourselves what is illusion and what is intuition. Once identified the obvious paranoia from favorite illusions of political parties, will only bring a smile to our face. We can stand free of the efforts to stir up fear or anger and look at situations from the intuitive plane instead of grabbing another free-floating illusion bouncing around. Illusions The act of successfully projecting our minds and souls to the Divine Self also reveals illusions we are clinging to. These are beliefs that we thought for sure were true. Then we discover in the clearer light that they are only true as part of a larger, transcendent truth. To get a sense of this, ask yourself what you know to be true about your life and list two or three. Write them in your journal, and examine them next year. Your mind will be illumined by contact with the Divine Self. The larger picture it presents to you enable you to see the small pieces of that picture that did not reveal it. They were part of the larger picture. Each fact we have, each belief is part of something larger and finer. With intention and focus one enters a much larger sphere of awareness. It is with the aid of the soul and the divine self that all 66 distorting filters are dissolved. Why is it easier to see others’ illusions than our own illusions? This is because we are convinced that our beliefs and our groups are right. Fortunately, when we release the intuitive divine Self, we cease to create illusions. We find the underlying golden web of light that connects us with all life, and we realize that the term “brotherhood” is not an irrational religious saying; it is a simple fact. Emotional illusions (also called “glamours”) are the major cause of disease and suffering. Every one creates another layer of separation from the soul. A group of us has been experimenting with speaking only thoughts that offer some understanding for each side rather than further separate them. The first few weeks we met I noticed some moments of silence in the room. But we refused to fill in with superficial talk. Soon we could hold the rhythm of the soul in mind and discuss any situation with profound insights that were constructive instead of destructive. This is a delightful experiment to use with family and friends. It works the same way. Pretend that every word you speak is recorded, and it will be played back to each person or group you discuss. Then you can hear as an observer what you are saying. If our words separate, we are missing the influence of the soul. One can only speak about the attributes of each side when the soul mind prevails. The difference between the personality mind and the soul mind shows up immediately. The process of discovering and dissolving illusions begins with observing yourself. Pretend you are a journalist sent from Venus to observe human behavior and you are observing the person who happens to be you. Use third person for your report, such as “Friday, 6:00 a.m. The man (or woman) is lying in bed listening to an alarm, but not moving. Several minutes later he leaps out of bed, runs to the kitchen, then to the bedroom closet, then back to the kitchen. At 6:05 a.m. he appears very tense.” Imagine that you are a journalist from Venus and assigned to observe yourself in the world for an hour. Then observe yourself and record exactly what you see. This virtual report will be interesting, and it may also be useful to step freer of automatic actions. Any constructive habit that is acknowledged will become stronger through attention, however undesirable habits when observed will weaken from this recognition and the refusal to submit to them. 67 Illusions waste our time, and our time is our life! It is nearly impossible for us to realize our beliefs attract the people who fulfill our expectations. We will inevitably bring out the noble virtues of people if we believe people are noble. Our belief will be confirmed again and again. The belief that a religious title or position makes someone spiritual is an unexamined belief. Many deeply spiritual people have never thought of themselves as spiritual. Many people with religious titles are spiritual and some are not, just as many people who are not interested in religion are not spiritual and some are deeply spiritual. A scientist or philanthropist may demonstrate a higher consciousness than his religious brothers. We came to earth knowing what we wanted to learn and what we intended to accomplish. The problem is that we lose this awareness. By age five or six, we have forgotten our plan for this life; we have forgotten about the role that we wanted to play in the Divine Plan for Humanity. The shock of birth and back on the material plane causes amnesia to almost all souls, even very advanced souls, as they enter this plane. This will not always be the case. Regardless of how many times we miss the point of light in the center of the target of our life intention, we can have another chance. Our hates and our loves, our beliefs and “unbeliefs,” our ideas about who we are and who we are not -- all of these come into question. Yet nothing is wasted; every experience teaches us something vitally important. Each new experience brings one of three gifts: first, new knowledge through experience, second, an opportunity to relate to everyone and everything with understanding, and third, intelligence. The last gift teaches us to ask for spiritual guidance. It is well to remember that along the way, the body must be upgraded many times. Density from junk food is an obstacle; the body has to be fit, energized with the sun and with some type of exercise. The emotions have to be smooth and quiescent. Fifty percent of all illness and disease is the effect of negative emotions. The physical and emotional body will need tuning up to keep up with the spiritual voltage coming in. They were good enough for low spiritual voltage, but not good enough for the increasing electromagnetic energy flowing to you. It is true that in this work we focus on essence, not form, yet the form can defeat our best laid plans if it isn’t functioning well. Plan to speed up spiritual expansion by cheerfully 68 making these adjustments all along the way. Racing ahead for more light before adapting to the light received may be tempting, yet the wise way is to first make the changes that will integrate the last electromagnetic surge of energy. This way each inflow of light becomes a permanent state of consciousness. Those rare souls who have freed themselves from illusions are a joy to be with; their presence is lifting. They are a beam of light shining on the way. In this century parents will be intuitive and recognize the true purpose of the soul of their children. They will be prepared to help boost their children’s progress through love and training, to know what they are here to develop and what they are here to give in the world. Each spiritual seeker has high visions and finds it frustrating that he cannot meet his highest vision all the time. Most people are aware of the tremendous work the great long distance runners put in to be successful. They know the continuous discipline, dedication, intention, and will needed for a dancer to excel. That same discipline and will are essential for spiritual progress. Each quality and discipline can become spontaneous through regular practice. The personality builds the veil that hides the true Self. It does this by being absorbed in desires, plans and goals. The reasoning analytical mind uses spiritual forces to get what it wants in the world. This mind is immersed in planning how to get by. Its interest in the true Self lies in the hope that this Self will help it get the things it needs or wants. Illumination is needed to awaken the disciple more fully. It is behind every move forward into spiritual light. The light in the head is different; that light is incidental, and many truly intuitive people are unaware of this light. Illumination reaches your mind when you hold it steadily in the light. It is very real yet can only be discovered when you recognize your individual interior light as illumination and you recognize this by intuition. It happens as a fact through the experience of being identified with the Universal Mind, and being part of the great 69 World Life. Think of the Divine Self as a living energy-based treasure of intelligence, love, and higher will. Once you make the first contact with the Self, this energy travels via your channel of light to you. The energy travels two ways on this bridge; you are projecting up to the Self and athe Self is descending down to you in response to the landing field you have made for this illumination to land. Many souls are building a bridge to the Divine Self. A connection over the gaps in consciousness is essential to move forward and humanity is rapidly awakening to realities beyond the physical and beginning to reorient their lives in response. This human impulse towards spiritual light is already awakening a new world community of cooperation. Ken Wilber, a leading philosopher and spiritual leader, has developed four quadrants of awareness, beginning with the most primitive groups and reaching to the enlightened ones. He bases evolution on the principle of the parts and the whole (or “holons.”) Today’s wholes become tomorrow’s parts. Our totality of beliefs and attitudes, of love and compassion today become tomorrow’s parts of a greater and more illumined whole. Each person can see where he stands on this four-quadrant ladder of evolution. Ken Wilber, A Brief History of Everything, p 20 Below is a brief description of Wilber's Quadrants with four modes of general approach. Two axes are used - on one quadrant is individuality, “I” and opposite that is “you.” on the subjective interior side again is “we.” Looking objectively to the exterior is “they” The interaction of these two axes gives us four personality types. Upper Left: Subjective or Interior Individual. This person will value truthfulness and operates within a picture of sincerity, integrity and trustworthiness. 70 Upper Right: Objective or Exterior Individual. This person will value truth and operates inside terms of reference based on communication with others. Lower Left: Inter-subjective or Interior Social. This person will value functional fit and operates inside terms of reference based on more than one “I” or “we.” Lower Right: Inter-objective or Exterior-Social (Cultural) This person will value justness and operates inside terms of reference based on cultural fit, mutual understanding and rightness in the culture. We live in a universe of ongoing creativity. If we live only in the first quadrant of “I” we can benefit by exploring the other quadrants. Otherwise we remain somewhat disconnected in our own self-created universe. We can learn to operate in all four quadrants with a corresponding level of evolution. Aligning Everyday Mind and Soul Mind By aligning our everyday reasoning mind with the soul mind and with the illuminating mind of the Divine Self, we will establish a funnel through which to receive intuitive knowledge. When we create this channel of receptivity between our three minds, we develop new receptors in our brain cells that enable us to bring the intuitive all the way into our consciousness. This takes reorienting ourselves and lining up our three minds to create a funnel to the higher frequencies of light waves. Working in mental matter is the way we build the power of thought. Greater truth will come that surpasses the truth we hold now as our highest truth. It will include all that we hold sacred. Realizing this helps us recognize our attachments to an idea or belief. When someone questions a belief that we are attached to (rather than one that we have experienced fully and know to be true) we become annoyed, even angry. We try to avoid hearing an opposing viewpoint. If this happens, observe the belief in question. We have made that belief part of our identity, and it may be time to hold it in the brightest light possible and ask to see the larger whole that the belief is part of. 71 The immediate skill is to listen to the soul. It does not speak in words; your brain translates the energies into words for us after our mind receives them. We then align with the heartbeat of the soul, the rhythm of the soul and become more receptive, adjusting our values. We examine the things we thought we had to do or should be doing in the light of the soul, noting how much time they take and their relative value to our dedication and intention. The intention to yield to the soul, to focus in the head as well as the heart, is a turning point. Every success is encouraging. We begin to release the intuitive energies and our vision epands. At the most advanced stage of development, complete fusion exists between personality, soul and the One or Monad. After this, we are released from all control by matter. A new sensitivity develops during this process. At a certain point on our spiritual journey, we start hearing more than words when people talk; we become aware of the energy beyond the words, and we respond to their deeper needs, not just their words. Try listening to your own words as you speak, or record yourself speaking and listen later. Recognize the subtle tones in your voice, and identify the wordless message you are delivering at the same time. When you speak, (and you listen to your own voice) you may hear tones of love blended with understanding in your voice, or recognize knowledge delivered with a surprising note of wisdom, or realize a clear note of joy that was previously unrecognized. We think of ourselves as we once were, not as who we are now. Rarely do we acknowledge to ourselves how far we have traveled on our path of life. Old friends see us as we were when they met us, rather than as the one whom we have become. AS we learn to express the light and love of the soul in our posture, voice, and words, our spiritual group sees us as we are now; they assume we realize our identity and how we appear to them. It is with our co-workers on the path that our divine nature is revealed. They also are developing an ear for spiritual forces and are drawn to that energy. Practice listening for the note of the soul within others. Practice looking into the eyes of the people you speak to; recognize the light of the soul shining through their eyes. Give permission for the soul love and light to shine from your eyes, the magnetic energy of the soul shining through your words. Invoke any spiritual 72 quality you need to provide a safe refuge in your heart. There is nothing quite so lovely as the song of your soul sounding forth and its clear high notes bringing peace and joy to others. You will dance like a pro at times, each step in perfect grace and timing. If you miss a step or step on someone’s toes, you can get right back in the rhythm again and glide across the floor. We all miss a step here and there. Some days we may miss a major step, and feel as if we are failures in our spiritual journey. Many discussions among students have revealed the fear that everyone else is aligned with the music of the Soul and the divine Self, This feeling shows only one thing --- separation from the soul mind. The idea is to realize what has happened and slip back in step with the perfect partner, the soul, and rejoin the dance in perfect time with the music. The ego yearns for God and at the same time it fervently resists God. We move toward God and then retreat claiming to be too busy. Just as we are smoothly gliding along with God, the personality ego yells “What about me?” It has always ruled our lives and is extremely irritated to have to give up its supreme power over us. That is where all the trouble starts, in the personality. The best antidote for me has been humor. I have learned to smile, sometimes to laugh out loud at my personality in its attempts to get back in control. Like everyone else, my personality has several different sides, and as I have retrained these aspects to cooperate with me, the path is much easier. Each side needs understanding and compassion. Its resistance dissolves as compassion infuses it. The clearer light around you allows you to encourage the light within others to become more visible. Illusions and Intuition Intuition is often confused with psychic awareness, an instinctual or gut feeling about something. Psychic hits can be very helpful, however intuition is different. The Tibetan Teacher D.K. describes what intuition is and is not very clearly in Rays and Initiations. The intuition is not a feeling of love and understanding of people. Much that is called the intuition is recognition of similarities and the possession of a clear analytical mind. Intelligent people who have lived and experienced much in the 73 world and who have contacted many other people frequently can easily recognize the problems of others when they are interested. This is not intuition either. The intuition has no relation to psychic feelings, higher or lower, seeing a vision, hearing the Voice of the Silence. A reaction to teaching of any kind does not mean that the intuition is functioning. It is not seeing symbols or intelligent psychology or a loving desire to help. These come from the personality that is governed by a strong soul orientation and a group-conscious soul. Intuition is the kind of understanding that comes only from the soul and it only becomes possible when the soul is reaching in two directions: toward Spirit (the Monad) and toward the integrated and coordinated personality. Intuition demonstrates a profound subjective or inner unity. “Intuition results when we comprehend somewhat the principle of universality. When intuition is functioning, we temporarily experience a complete loss of the sense of separateness. At its highest point, intuition is known as that Universal Love that is not related to sentiment or affection. It is more an identification with all beings. Then we can know true compassion and any sense of criticism become impossible. The divine spark is seen as latent in all forms, people, things, and thoughts.. “Intuition is light itself, and when it is functioning, the world is seen as light. The light bodies of all people and things gradually are recognized. This recognition enables the disciple to contact the central point of light in all forms. The sense of superiority and separateness leaves at this point and never again prevails over the real vision. Pondering on this description (first given in the Ageless Wisdom Teachings of the Tibetan Teacher D.K.) could produce a temporary personality reaction of disappointment. Yet on a second or third reading, the tremendous value of knowing how to recognize intuition will become clear. This will save countless journeys down blind alleys. You will be focused on the true and the permanently real, rather than the temporary appearance of reality. A leading contemporary philosopher, Ken Wilber, whose major work is to help humanity develop an approach to people and the world that includes all the stages of evolutionary development, says that “all wholes are simultaneously a part of a larger whole, indefinitely, unendingly. Time goes on and today’s wholes are tomorrow’s parts.” 74 Ken Wilber, A Brief History of Everything, p 20 He refers to the parts as belonging to a larger whole or holon. Arthur Koestler first used the term “holon” to refer to an entity or idea that is itself a whole and yet at the same time a part of some other whole. Ken Wilber bases evolution on these whole/parts. We live in a universe of ongoing creativity. Each reality for us now is a part of a larger whole that is far more than the sum of the parts. It might be interesting to take a computer apart and lay all its pieces on the floor yet you still would not have any idea how to send an email. You are born to transcend ideas and beliefs. Greater and greater depth emerges and your consciousness expands. Spirit unfolds itself and awakens to itself at each new stage. It transcends and includes. Evolution always goes beyond what went before. It increases in depth and your consciousness grows greater. Just as a cell transcends and includes molecules, which transcend and include atoms, which transcend and include particles, evolution proceeds by a process of increasing orders of wholeness and inclusion. Your beliefs and feelings are part of a larger picture just as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle are part of a larger picture that remains a mystery until it is seen as a whole. Each belief is composed of smaller beliefs. It transcends and includes those beliefs and it is also part of a larger understanding with greater depth. Your present identity, that which you call “I,” is composed of many parts, some of which are now subconscious parts, yet were once the self you identified with as who you are. This is evolution. When you get attached to an idea as “the truth,” you miss the emerging whole of greater consciousness that would include that idea. We prevent the natural appearance of a larger idea with more depth if we refuse to give up the part. We are then stuck with a belief that blocks the next level of understanding. Until a holon emerges with greater depth, everything that you know for sure, will look and feel like the truth? It will appear to be the way the world is. If you believe people cannot be trusted, or you have a strong belief that they can be trusted, either belief is a part of a larger truth. When that larger recognition emerges many parts will fit into it, and your consciousness will be greater. This is the source of illusions. We see only the reflection of the reflection of the 75 reflection of something real. The reflection has a very dim light and distorts the beauty of the real. It might be an illusion that is common to your family, or your culture, state or country. This makes is seems absolutely the truth. There is a human tendency to look for agreement in one’s beliefs. Each one learns where to go to find that agreement, and then feels he has proven it is true even though that belief may be an illusion. If it is loaded with emotional feeling, it becomes what is called a glamour. Both glamours and illusions drive us into little circles of thought and feeling that go nowhere. In fact they separate us from the real and cause us to believe in the unreal. Every belief, every emotion, every activity is a whole, just as it is part of a larger whole with greater depth. Realizing this enables you to sort out some of the glamours and illusions that cause you to feel separate from others. No matter how passionately you believe in them, they are shallow and lack the depth of a larger whole with greater light. All of us have illusions that make the path to the Divine Self seem vague and misty. We have glamours that can temporarily separate us from the power of the soul. Feeling inadequate, separate, unable to succeed in the physical world or the spiritual world –- all of these are simply glamours that are attached to your solar plexus energy center. They may also be family and friends’ glamours. Each glamour in yourself will attract similar illusions with attached emotions from the atmosphere. Glamours are the underlying cause of suffering, physical and emotional. They block the healing energies. You can recognize glamour by checking to see if that feeling unites and lifts your spirit. Look for the response of the heart and head centers to reveal the next whole. Even that whole will later be seen as a part of a larger whole. The soul has a larger whole to integrate. The intuitive plane will reveal an even larger whole. No part is left behind; each is integrated into the next whole. The beauty is that each part is included in the whole and adapts to the positive overview of reality that it had distorted. This is what the term “integrate” means – instead of separate parts in conflict within each individual and within each country -- the larger whole is seen and all the parts are re-formed to fit harmoniously into the whole. Each whole brings a greater conceptual ability to understand reality beyond the 76 physical plane. Knowing this is the first step in recognizing illusions and open the channel to the illuminating mind. The process of discovering and dissolving illusions begins with observing yourself. Pretend you are a journalist sent from Venus to observe human behavior and you are observing the person who happens to be you. Use third person for your report, such as “Friday, 6:00 a.m. The man (or woman) is lying in bed listening to an alarm, but not moving. Several minutes later he leaps out of bed, runs to the kitchen, then to the bedroom closet, then back to the kitchen. At 6:05 a.m. he appears very tense.” If you will act as a journalist from Venus assigned to observe Jerry throughout one day and record exactly what Jerry does, without adding any personal comments or judgments, you will learn much that is not visible to Jerry. Writing (as the journalist) this report on “Jerry” may reveal habits that are running your life. This kind of impersonal report is very useful. We know that Jerry is not aware of his habits; many of them are automatic driven by his sub personalities. Any habit you observe will weaken the power of that habit. The next time it takes over, you will see it and you can track down the belief/illusion behind it. Some belief that is filled with emotion is the driving force. Once you recognize a feeling/belief as an obstacle to the soul mind, it can be dissipated one layer at a time with the aid of the soul. Expect to take one step forward and two steps back along the way. At least it may seem that way. It takes a point of tension to infuse so much light into your being that you build new responses to situations that were controlled by habits which are no longer appropriate, and actually harmful. By observing something you consider very important, yet never have time to do, you can uncover where an illusion is holding you hostage. Look for a belief that usurps your time, leaving no time to fulfill your deepest intention. Looking on the outside for happiness is another clue to an illusion that makes it very difficult to sense the subtle voice of the soul or the Divine Self. Notice times when hopes for happiness are focused on someone (or some thing) outside of you. Illusions waste your time, leaving little time to synchronize your life with the true Self. These individual illusions are obvious to others yet not to the one who is trapped in them. No one would sit around and say, “I am basing my life energy on an illusion that appears to be real, but is not actually real at all.” 77 An example of an illusion is the belief that people cannot be trusted. This will be the experience of those who hold this illusion. (The belief makes it so; they will attract the untrustworthy ones. It is nearly impossible for them to see is that their belief draws to them the people who fulfill their expectation. They inevitably bring out the speck of dishonesty in others while you may bring out the noble virtues of the same people if your belief is that people can be trusted. It would be confirmed again and again. Both beliefs are parts of a larger whole. Not all people are trustworthy in all situations, nor are all people untrustworthy in all situations. Another illusion would be to assume that a religious title or position makes someone spiritual. Many deeply spiritual people have never thought of themselves as spiritual. The larger whole would be that not all people with religious titles are spiritual and that some people with no church interest at all are deeply spiritual. A scientist or financier may have a more loving and wise consciousness than his or her religious brothers. You will be moving to the next fulcrum on the ladder of evolution as your bridge becomes magnetic to the Divine Self. Each new discovery of this reality will make a difference. Once we are receptive to the intuitive plane, we start learning how to interpret and use this new energy. It is the place of pure love, which seems to us humans more like “pure reason.” Our hates and our loves, our beliefs and our disbeliefs, our idea of who we are and of who we are not, all of these may come into question. We have to examine them and find where our illusions are hiding. Regardless of how many times we miss the bull’s eye in our efforts to fulfill our life intention, we learn through each one. Nothing is wasted; every experience teaches us something vitally important once we realize the importance of finding the meaning in each experience. Each new experience brings one of three gifts: First, new knowledge through experience. Second, an opportunity to relate to everyone and everything with understanding and intelligence. The third gift teaches us to look up for guidance, to the mind, to the soul, and to the Divine Self. It teaches us to let the will of the soul prevail, rather than our smaller will or the will of others. The soul sets up these tests to accelerate our spiritual progress. Whether we realize the test and learn from it or not, it tends to repeat two more times, perhaps with different characters, yet the plot of the drama will be the same. If we did learn the first time and change from that experience, that test will be barely noticeable the 78 second and third times. Following this cycle, that test will never reappear. An inflow of spiritual forces illuminates our mind, yet even though we want to see and know more, the next step is to bring these insights into some useful form such as words, and then create a way to make this insight useful for others. It is we who call a halt in our spiritual expansion to give ourselves time to adjust our thoughts and activities to include the last “light up.” This can be rapid or painfully slow, depending on our willingness to experiment with new ways of being in the world. An expansion of consciousness requires us to check out our instruments; the body, emotions and mind will need tuning up to keep up with the larger engine. They were good enough for the smaller world we lived in, however each will need tuning up so it will not drag on the higher mind and can handle the increased speed. This is when Racing ahead for more light before adapting to the light received may be tempting, yet the wise way is to first make the changes that will integrate the last electromagnetic surge of energy. This way each inflow of light becomes With each new expansion into a larger reality, adjustments are necessary to stabilize the new state of consciousness. You can expect both forward and back swings at first. It takes hard work and attention to build in new responses to life situations that were controlled by habits that are no longer appropriate, and actually harmful. In this century parents will be intuitive and recognize the true purpose of the soul of their children. They will be prepared to help boost their children’s progress through love and training, to know what they are here to develop and what they are here to give in the world. Each spiritual seeker has high visions and finds it frustrating that he cannot meet his highest vision all the time. Most people are aware of the tremendous work the great long distance runners put in to be successful. They know the continuous discipline, dedication, intention, and will needed for a dancer to excel. That same discipline and will are essential for spiritual progress. Each quality and discipline can become spontaneous through regular practice. The personality builds the veil that hides the true Self. It does this by being absorbed in desires, plans and goals. The reasoning analytical mind uses spiritual 79 forces to get what it wants in the world. This mind is immersed in planning how to get by. Its interest in the true Self lies in the hope that this Self will help it get the things it needs or wants. Illumination is needed to awaken the disciple more fully. Illumination is behind every move forward on the bridge of light. This does mean the light in the head. That is incidental and phenomenal, and many truly intuitive people are unaware of this light. Illumination illumines when your mind is held steadily in the light of the world. It is very real yet can only be discovered when you recognize your individual interior light as illumination and you recognize this by intuition. It happens as a fact through the experience of being identified with the Universal Mind, and being part of the great World Life. Think of the Divine Self as a living energy-based treasure of intelligence, love, and higher will. Once you make the first contact with the Self, this energy travels via your bridge or channel to you. You create a bridge from each end and your energy is projected up to the Self and descends from the self to you. You literally create a clear field for this illumination to land. Many souls are building a bridge to the Divine Self. A connection over the gaps in consciousness is essential to move forward. Pioneering souls are building this bridge, and humanity is rapidly awakening to realities beyond the physical and beginning to reorient their thoughts. As this number increases an overwhelming human impulse towards spiritual light will awaken a new world community of cooperation. Ken Wilber beautifully describes the non-dual reality of the Self: “You know that you are you. You know that you are not merely that person who your friends call by name. You have always known who you were. You have kept this Self a secret, until you forgot yourself who you are. You have long searched for this Self but this search is in vain. You will never find this Self out there somewhere. It is the one who is doing the searching. You may call this Divine Self God or you may call it the One or the All that is. Just look around and watch all things rise and fall, the clouds, the mountains, you the personality as Jane or John or so, and all the rest. The little self rises up and passes on within this Self. Everything rises up and passes on within this Self. This Self is the one who is reading this page right now. It looks through your eyes, 80 speaks through your voice. You see it when flowers bloom, when blossoms turn to sweet and succulent fruit. This is all in your vision. Yet you as that One persists. You had no birth and you will have no death. You were here before the birth of your parents. You are not reading this page. The Divine Self is reading it. The Self is you. You are seeking to find this Self, but it is not out there. It is looking through your eyes even now. Why seek that which is you. You do not look around and search for your eyes. You are seeing with your eyes. Everything you see is through the gaze of Self as its watches its creation everywhere. You do not feel around in the dark to find your hands. Neither is there any need to search for the Divine Self. It is you, it is delighting in its creations, its joy and ecstasy.” A virtual journey to the Light of Love Adapted from the visualization that Djwhal Khul gave to a student may be useful. Sound silently or aloud the sacred word of O.M, breathing it from the head to the heart. 2. Then visualize a golden sun slowly rising above the horizon. See yourself standing before it and slowly absorbing its beams. Imagine yourself as a lens or transmission point through which the light of that radiant Sun which is the light of Love may pour forth upon all whom you contact. Meditate upon the light of love for six to eight weeks followed by med on the power of loving understanding for six to eight weeks. Add any service work that you care to do. Close by dedicating yourself, all that you are and have, to the light of the divine Self. Aligning your everyday reasoning mind with the soul mind and with the illuminating mind of the Divine Self, you will establish a funnel through which to receive intuitive knowledge. If you keep working at creating this channel of receptivity through the three minds, you in your brain cells that enable you to bring 81 the intuitive all the way into your consciousness. As you develop new receptors to spiritual ideas. At the same time you can use your creative faculty of building thoughts into forms (thoughtforms) and reorient your mind to a new world of reality. This takes lining up your three minds and funneling the higher frequencies of light waves to yourself. Working in mental matter is the way you train yourself in the power of thought. There is always greater truth that will surpass and include the truths you hold sacred now Realizing this, you will be able to recognize where you are holding on too tightly to a favorite belief or attitude. We see our mental attachments when someone questions a favorite belief and we feel annoyed rather than interested in hearing their viewpoint. You are The process of evolution expands our consciousness. This expansion only happens when we develop our mind and set our intention to see a larger picture of our life. Then we want to see a larger picture of life itself. , step-by-step. Evolution brings us into contact with the soul, the Triple Light of the Divine Self, and the Monad or Spirit. , conscious At the most advanced stage of development, what finally happens is complete fusion exists between our personality and soul with the Monad. It is only after this is accomplished that the light worker or light-worker is released from all control by matter. Act as if you are in the presence of the Divine Self and to ascend to this Self in meditation through the power of love and divine In the meantime, the immediate task ahead is to create the at-ornament of soul and body. Through practice, you bring into alignment the three aspects of the personality and the three aspects of the soul. This process when accomplished completes the first half of this task. In this last section of the bridge, you have been building strands of energy between your personality and soul to the Spiritual Triad with its three aspects of intelligent activity, love, and will. . The Master Djwhal Khul gives out this preparatory work for the third initiation as the human race is at the point of development that calls for a complete change in reaching the highest Light. We start listening to , really listening beyond the superficial level of the words. We 82 remember to invoke the heart and soul as well as the mind. Reorienting Your Life during this process. The only way to picture this is to imagine hearing your when you are speaking to someone as if you are standing outside of yourself. Suddenly you hear yourself as if for the first time. When this happens you realize your underlying intention often for the first time. You are really listening to yourself as you have practiced listening to others. The words you are listening to might be a guise to get sympathy, to impress the other person, to gain their favor, or to get something from them. This is usually a startling realization. Or you may realize how little your interest is in someone. You are seeing him only as a personality who is a mere shadow of the soul. What is so disturbing is that you realize that you are speaking to him from your personality, without the magnetic power of the soul shining through your words. The image of yourself with others now becomes real and only at this point do you have the clarity to see what is missing. Here is where invocation is useful for your own life; you invoke what you need to provide a safe refuge in your heart for all those you work with and meet. You are breaking up the beliefs that were blocking intuition. You are dissipating fears that were holding you back. Who has not lived with some level of emotional turmoil, feeling happy one day and sad the next, being loving one day and unloving the next? Until we have fully integrated our personality and brought it into an atornament, we are under the influence of our sub-personalities and they each have different goals, faults, and talents. Yet the clearer our rapport with the soul, the more beautiful our love is and the less influence these sub-personalities have on us. Finally, they merge with the personality and fully cooperate with the soul. As you begin constructing the bridge of light, getting out of step, wandering off the 83 path, and resisting the discipline needed, are natural slip-ups. But as we make the spiritual links and they begin to prevail over our lives, compassion begins to flow into every relationship in the present. You realize that you can change yourself through persistent study and meditation, but you cannot change anyone else. Compassion will flow into every area that you give it permission to go. Resentments and angers will dissolve as compassion grows strong. It is then that you realize a very pleasant feeling when with others instead of a somewhat bland or bitter one. Instead of caution about being hurt, you will then have a clearer light protecting around you that also allows you to sense the light within others. 84 Chapter 12: Divine Will – Influence and Power Divine will carries a superb power to influence right choice, right relationship, and right use of time, money, and energy. Merging personality will with divine Will is the next step in reaching the Greatest Light. This process increases your intention to use your life energy to meet world needs, as well as an expanded vision, wisdom, and understanding. Your one-pointed intention along with your creative imagination to use this light unselfishly opens the path to divine will. This intention shines with spiritual forces gathered in response to love expressed in the world. Underlying this love is pure will. Divine Will has the power to manifest the Divine Plan for our evolution and energize the highest future for all you and for humanity. Divine will carries a superb power to influence right choice, right relationship, and the right use of time, energy, and money. Merging personality will with divine Will is the next step in reaching the Greatest Light. This process increases your intention to use your life energy for the good of others, as well as for your spiritual expansion. Your one-pointed intention along with your creative imagination to use this light unselfishly opens the way to divine will. It shines with the spiritual forces gathered in response to your love expressed in the world. ** Divine Will The will of the personality is usually focused on oneself, family and friends. Divine will descends from the heavens and is a superb power to influence right choice, right relationship, and the right use of time, energy, and money Divine Will has the power to manifest the Divine Plan and energize the highest 85 future for all yourself and for humanity. One of the most extraordinary things about divine will is that it simplifies your life and draws you close to your Master. Selfwill is filled with non-essentials; divine will, interpreted wisely, directs the essentials of your spiritual life. Imagine this loving, lighted Will influencing your thoughts with the blueprint of the great Plan for this world If you resist, sit with yourself and ask why you are afraid of it. Once you are willing to do nothing for an hour, you can be receptive to your life your Being “”is very tempting for a disciple who has realized how much needs to be done to meet the needs of humanity. Yet no one is given more than he can accomplish in the rhythm of the soul. The nature of reality comes in through solitude. The next stage is to bring your present orientation up to date -- to your Master, to yourself, to others, and to the world. With every expansion of light, you may want to contemplate new goals that match the greater light. With right use of time you find that you can meet responsibilities on the material plane and you can also meet on the spiritual plane. Effects of Divine Will The major need today for all who will sponsor the work of the future is to deepen the will to love and work. We express this in a steadily deepening love for humanity—and for each other. This will to love demonstrates in a constant effort to invoke spiritual will in self-discipline and persistence; it shows itself in the intelligent carrying forward of the plan. This deep love of humanity must work out on all levels of activity and all life effort. If the idealists of the world would realize the situation as it is, they would relinquish all that they hold dear and come to the rescue of humanity, and thus snatch the helpless masses back from slavery and death. They would battle for the freedom of the human soul with every weapon in the armory of mankind. They would hold back the forces of aggression by force itself if need be. They would aim at clear thinking, and thus clear the channel for the inflow of spiritual force. The major prerequisites today for true world service are an overwhelming love of humanity and a sense of proportion. Invoking Divine Will 86 Let’s assume that you have already gathered an abundance of energy from the personality and the soul as you held a steady vision of evoking a response from the Divine Self. The next step is to call in the will aspect of your nature, the best you can. The method you would use depends on which of the seven rays of life your soul and personality are. At this point you are aware of three streams of energy -- the analytical reasoning mind of the personality and the magnetic energy of the soul streaming into your analytical mind and as much of the consciousness of your soul ray energy as possible. Your soul is a reflection of the three aspects of the Spiritual Triad or Divine Self. You would gradually learn to simultaneously hold three streams of active energy in your mind and never, even for one second, lose your sense of identity as both personality and soul. It is only when you have gone as far as you can that you prepare to use your ray method to take the next step and project your Word of Power. These steps require a focused concentration that was not necessary in the earlier stages of building the bridge. They are purely mental while the first half of the bridge is built with a high astral energy. Even though it may seem complex now, much of this process becomes entirely automatic when once mastered. To master the art of projection on your bridge of light, you need to know your soul words of power. Just listing these words would be of no help. It is the firs three steps that we are focusing on. The third book in the Awakening Life Series is The Path of Light: A Spiritual Journey of Love and Service, and will include the words of power and assist you to identify the rays of your soul, personality, emotional self, mental self, and physical (etheric) self. I will explain each ray, its characteristic strengthens and weaknesses. All of these are included in this book, plus suggestions on how to find your spiritual group and begin your expanded work in your field of service. A clear one-pointed focus determines your pace of evolution along the Lighted Way as you move out of darkness into light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality. These steps complete the map of the bridge of light. As you have read this section, you have been imagining the spiritual impact of this second half of the bridge when you meet your Divine Self face to face. You have been magnetizing the Divine Self in meditation and mantra, visualizations and expanded 87 visions. These are the tested and proven methods of initiation into expanding inner worlds of reality. They push you above the ground you are living in now to bask under the rays of the sun and to become a sun yourself shining upon the world. The bridge of light is the same as the Eastern description of it, the bridge of light, and the ideal method to drive forward from the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom, to penetrate into new dimensions of light, moving stage- by-stage toward liberation. Invoke aid in finding ways to spread the light. As you practice these methods through love and service, be aware that your Master may send someone for information on how to progress spiritually. Be willing to point the way. ** The will of the personality is usually focused on oneself, family and friends. Divine will descends from the heavens and is a superb power to influence right choice, right relationship, and right use of time, money, and energy. Divine Will has the power to manifest the Plan for human evolution and energize the highest future for all the world. One of the most extraordinary things about divine will is that it simplifies your life and draws you close to your Master. Selfwill is filled with non-essentials; divine will, interpreted wisely, directs the essentials of your spiritual life. As you read, imagine this loving, lighted Will influencing your thoughts with the blueprint of the great Plan for this world. In creating a one-pointed focus with the intention to reach the Greatest Light, you invoke divine will. If you create an affirmation of being receptive to divine will, and repeat it each morning with focus for as many weeks as it takes, you can dramatically increase your receptivity. If you acknowledge that all your invocations are answered even if you do not consciously recognize all that is sent to you, you will become receptive to the abundance of blessings that will flow to you. Instead of creating an expectation of how that aid should look, remember how many different ways it has come to you in the past. Ideas may come as a mental stimulation or as pictures. Working with a color helps you align with divine will. You can visualize the color or use color gels from a theater supply store. Gaze at the colors you choose with soft eyes before you meditate and imagine this energy infusing your mind and soul. 88 Let’s assume you have gathered an abundance of energy from the personality and soul and are holding a steady vision of evoking a response from the Divine Self. The next step is to call in the will aspect of your nature, the best you can. At this point you are aware of three streams of energy -- the analytical reasoning mind of the personality, the magnetic energy of the soul streaming into your analytical mind, and the illuminating mind streaming through the soul. You are learning to hold three streams of active energy in your mind and never even for one second, to lose your sense of identity as both personality and soul. At first, it seems impossible to give up our personal will and desires even when they are in conflict with the will of the soul. The personality wants so many things, shifting from one to the other so rapidly that we become exhausted trying to fill all these personality desires. From wanting security on the physical plane, we shift to wanting security on the emotional plane, and in the mental plane. Personality greed is common on all three levels. People buy books that they do not have time to read yet they hold on to them just in case they can absorb the knowledge there by osmosis. They hold on to clothes that are too large or too small just as they hold on to ideas that are too large or too small to use. They hold on to trinkets that someone has given them even though they do not like them. Soon their house is littered with stuff they neither use nor enjoy. The clutter tires them out and they feel weighted down. Spend a month in another city, and notice how seldom you even think of possessions back home. Look at the person who has passed on possessions, collections, and clothes. This is one who has more time, an ordered mind and a clear space for light to enter the spirit, mind, and body. Whatever you want, whatever your goals will be tremendously expanded, even transformed through contact with divine will. Friction between the personal will and spiritual will can be expected at first. Observe this friction between what you want to do and what you know deep within is the wisest thing to do. Recognize this friction as a long-standing habit of resisting the changes that greater light brings. Just as a mother can see the best choice for a child, she may have to allow her child 89 to learn from his own experience. If you take the role of the parent teaching the child and then take the role of the child rebelling from the parent, you realize that this pull back and forth is not who you are. It is merely a habitual way of reacting. The idea is to go a step beyond the role of parent and child and simply rise into the Divine Self that you already are, that you always have been. Visualize the purged cleansed, purified personality cooperating with the soul and finally merging with it. Much pain and suffering is then left behind. It becomes possible to accomplish far more than before this harmonious interaction was present. As a result, the note of your personality becomes willing to “hear” the voice of the soul; it becomes responsive, and enjoys the play of energies with the soul. Its will becomes stronger to play its part in aiding others. The effect is to let go of the habit of looking backward to relive the past by mulling over past experiences, good or bad ones. Looking at the past requires turning your back on the light. This act is to help others to see the light and power of their soul. Once the past is released, the present moment becomes the major focus. Changes continue to occur in response to the intention you have set to move forward into greater light. You realize the value of every experience. This is true for all those who are living with a higher purpose and who are determined to clear and transform their consciousness. The personality light is dim at best, often with unconscious pockets of anger and resentment; the light of the Divine Self is clear and bright, universal in its vision and uniting in its love. Everything in our home is an outer representation of our inner thoughts and consciousness. Imagine a dimly lighted basement in your house being illuminated by a bright searchlight. In that light you would see the clutter, dust, and cobwebs and you would probably drop everything to get that room in order. The psychic parallel to this room is also found in the unconscious mind. When the light comes in, we also see the clutter there. We can begin to clean up everything from within or we can work from the outside to the inside of our minds. Both approaches are helpful. Choose a day to get rid of 90 everything in one room that is no longer useful or needed. If you are driven from within to put that room in order and to create beauty, the job will be easier. It is hard to throw things out or give them away until you are driven from within to make that room orderly and beautiful. Rarely do we realize how many layers within our consciousness we are cleaning out as greater light streams into our mind and brain until we feel an irresistible urge to clean up an office, the closets, the kitchen or garage. A life of simplicity may require adjustments. Being accustomed to doing something all day, feeling pressured to accomplish all the work you feel certain is yours, often creates unnecessary pressure and discouragement. Try sitting in the awareness of your whole self – including your past, present, and future consciousness -- free of the pressure to do anything at all. If you resist this experience, sit quietly and ask why you are afraid of it. Once you are willing to face the hidden fears of doing nothing at all for an hour, you can free yourself from their unconscious power to control you and keep you on the run. Then you will become receptive to insights that simplify your life and work. Being “spread too thin” is very tempting for one who has realized how much needs to be done to meet the needs of humanity. Yet no one is given more than he can accomplish in the rhythm of the soul. The challenge may be discriminating between the essentials and the non-essentials of the hour, the day, and the year. This discrimination comes from understanding the nature of reality and this comes from inner silence through solitude where concerns of the day cannot enter. In the first few minutes your mind may be interrupted by emotional signals trying to gain control. Or you may get lost in thoughts. Just bring yourself back to who you are beyond emotions and mind and your vision will become clear again, easily penetrating surface concerns as you are taken to extraordinary lookout points from the top of a mountain. You can look down on your life and select the best path. 91 The next stage is to bring your present focus up to date -- to your Master, to yourself, to others, and to the world. With every shift into greater light, contemplate the goals that match this light. Old goals may or may not fit into your new vision. You will have greater power and thus greater responsibility to use this light for the world. Your true responsibilities on the material plane still have to be met; yet you will also find a way to meet responsibilities on the spiritual plane. 92 Chapter 13 Solitude “In solitude the rose of the soul flourishes; in solitude the Divine Self can speak; in solitude the faculties and the graces of the higher self can take root and blossom in the personality. In solitude also the Master can approach and impress upon the quiescent soul the knowledge that He seeks to impart, the lesson that must be learned, the method and plan for work that the disciple must grasp.” One of the primary conditions that a disciple has to cultivate is solitude in order to sense the plan and be used by the Master. Your bridge to the Divine Self builds solitude in the center of your consciousness. This circle of solitude is entirely free of tension and anxiety. It is a center of being calm, composed, cool, patient, peaceful, placid, still, tranquil, calm, dispassionate, reposed, with an inner silence that is assured, balanced, and calm. You can be aware of this golden circle of solitude even in the center of busy activities. You have that delightful state of cool headedness, dignity, equanimity, even tempered and you enjoy a sense of, harmony, imperturbability, poise, repose, and stability. Solitude is a quality that you can develop and sustain under all circumstances. You build this deep, balanced sense of presence that no thing or person can disturb. Outer pressures and circumstances do not affect this golden circle of solitude. Instead, the circle emanates with a golden light that positively affects the outer life. This center of solitude is not closed off, rather it is receptive at all times to the channel of light that is moving from spirit to your mind and brain. Solitude develops as the soul mind prevails. Your brain waves to alpha waves and may drop to theta waves, leaving an opening to sense a reality much deeper than the physical world. From the soul mind you can project your consciousness to the spirit, and this channel is filled with this higher mental energy of pure love, also called pure reason. This is how we build a steady sense of inner serenity and stabilize it as an ongoing state of consciousness. Mental alertness, relaxed muscles, and a one-pointed focus result from the circle of serenity. Other effects are a light- 93 hearted spirit and a joyous sense of humor. A sense of wholeness begins to emerge as the illumination of the Spiritual Triad streams into your mind. Being too busy day after day holds your brain in the rapid beta brain waves and prevents building the inner solitude needed. The personality always finds ways to stay busy, either in outside activities taking care of all types of details, or in overanalyzing the faults of the little self (or others’ little selves.) No time is left for nourishing the circle of serenity in the center of your consciousness. Look to see if these non-essentials are leaving precious little time for the essentials of life. Being rushed will build half formed thoughts that whirl around and prevent contact with the higher Self. The feeling of rush is not the life of a disciple; it easily becomes a lifestyle that is limited by the small boundaries of the physical world. This causes you to have an impact on others that is too forceful and makes them pull away. This prevents your ability to aid or help in any way regardless of your desire to do so. You may feel that you cannot eliminate the sense of hurry even though it causes a anxiety that and fatigue. What if you had a dear friend, one who is very much like yourself, who decided to quit rushing, sat down, figured out how to do this and succeeded! Imagine this picture first and then note how this friend is different than you who feel trapped in being rushed and pressured to get more done. The first thought that comes to mind is the right answer. And it will give you a clue about the subtle images you are holding of yourself that are holding you prisoner. There is no need to emphasize speed in your life. If hurrying and pressuring yourself has become part of your lifestyle, let your soul or higher intuition direct create a better lifestyle, mentally and emotionally. Relaxation is a state of mind; it is not about relaxation exercises. As a result you will accomplish more, not less. And you will gain discrimination between the essentials and the non-essentials of your life purpose. Try one or two of these suggestions. Experiment with weekly sessions of being available to learn from the soul, from the Divine Self or from your Master. 94 Hold a symbol of solitude – anything from nature, a five-pointed star, a golden circle, anything you choose, and hold it in the light for spiritual forces to energize. A deeper significance of this symbol will be revealed as you study the energy behind it. You may begin to look forward to it, as if you are meeting with a long lost beloved friend. Consider these being “listening” time a counseling session. Record what you sense or see. By imagining the soul communicating clearly with you, and giving it the opportunity to do this, you become more are more fully receptive. A thought, a teaching, a picture, an n image, or a new symbol may briefly appear in your mind. Meditate with the color of your soul shining upon your symbol. This color can penetrate the esoteric meaning behind your symbol even more than words and ideas. Impressions can come from your unconscious, conscious, or super-conscious mind. They may be from your soul, the plane of intuition, or your Master. It is possible that your Master may have a message or an opportunity to present to you if your reasoning mind is still enough for Him to get through. Gradually, you will develop the capacity to hold your mind in the light all day with a balance of work and play, meditation and study. Sometimes you may gain more insights from simply being than in meditation, especially if your meditation focus is intense. Without an agenda or yearning to reach higher or deeper into the mysteries of the Universe, you can sense your essence self and finally meet your true Self, face to face. In the first few minutes your mind may be interrupted by emotions trying to gain control. Or you may get lost in the intellect, which is separate from the higher mind. Gradually, you realize that your mind has gained control and is merging with the soul and higher will. It penetrates superficial viewpoints and takes you to extraordinary lookout points as if you were looking below from the top of a mountain. Refuse to take yourself so seriously that you lose the sense of delight and play. Over-seriousness creates a self-conscious somber attitude rather than a serious attitude. Somber does not signify a highly evolved spiritual being with great responsibilities. Rather it shows an unconscious pattern learned in childhood that still prevails in life. It may develop from a continual sense of struggle to reach perceived spiritual goals. . With somberness, delight goes out the window. A sense 95 of separateness develops, and a subtle sense of superiority holds others at a distance. Being somber signifies an illusion is blocking out the spontaneous joy of creatively working with spiritual forces. More experienced disciples have a merry twinkle in their eyes when they talk to you, and this twinkle is contagious. You enjoy a spontaneous transfusion of vitality and delight. Even if they suggest a better way for you to do something, the underlying love in their voice is so magnificent that you feel “larger” than before, never “smaller. The color of the soul can penetrate the inner significance of a symbol. Begin with the sacred sound of O.M. Morning meditation: Take a few minutes to achieve alignment. Then visualize a deep rose-colored lotus. Build it in detail. Focus on its heart. See it opening with a stream of rosy light pouring forth from its heart that enfolds you and your coworkers. Noon meditation: Repeat the same symbolic work, this time visualizing a yellow lotus. Sunset meditation: Repeat the process this time visualizing the lotus as a deep electric blue with a golden sun radiating from its heart. Link up with your coworkers and give them strength and light. Close with this invocation. May the Great Ones show us the light we seek. May they give us the strong aid of their compassion and their wisdom. May the peace that passes all understanding abide in the hearts of those who live in the Eternal. May the power that makes all things new live in those who know the Self as one. May that peace overshadow us and that power uplift us till we stand before the One Initiator and see His star shine forth.” Sound the O.M. once again in closing. 96 When this rhythm is established with the soul, and their lives are expressing the qualities of the soul in ordinary daily activities and thoughts, then they will teach someone else how to do it. And will magnetize the ones you seek to aid. The power of sharing what you have experienced is far greater than sharing what you have been told. When you have experienced the force of divine Will (part of the Divine Self) you absorb this power into your consciousness and the light that connects you with it becomes strong, bright, and shining. It is as strong as steel. Bear in mind that you will be tested three times in every area that could lead you astray and distract you from your intention. More will be available to you. Choices will appear that need your attention. Nothing that happens will be inconsequential once your commitment and intention are absolutely clear. It will have a parallel meaning in your spiritual life as you bring all the parts of your being together. There is something else you need to know. As you work closely with the soul and allow it to prevail in your life, you begin to see your group from a brighter light. You recognize step by step just how much this group means to you in your spiritual flights to greater light, in the Will to express this light in your life, and to activate the divine energy of “pure reason” or “love” toward humanity. This energy comes first from the soul as it reflects the light of the Divine Self. As you build the bridging connection of a dual line of light to the mind and heart of your personality, and firmly establish yourself in the center of this light, you infuse the light of the Divine Self into your brain. The brain cells are already in place, yet not yet activated until you light them up and they become active. These are cells of solar light that see and recognize or hear and feel beyond the range of brain cells of the lunar light. No matter how many connections you build horizontally between the synapses of your brain cells and nervous system, the task is to create vertical links to add the depth that enables you to be truly effective in the world. This is where the bridge of light comes in. It establishes the vertical depth that is essential for the correct organization of the thought substance of your mind. When you consider your three minds, the mind that deals with the physical world, the soul 97 mind, and the illuminating mind of the Divine Self, it becomes clear that the highest mind must eventually prevail. This is the mind that sequentially reveals higher truth as you are prepared to see and use it. This is the mind that extends your vision from the material forms that you see and touch to view the finer substance of the etheric plane that does not materialize into a form. Eventually you will be able to see or hear this too, to feel it around and within your body, especially around your head as you invoke the soul or the Divine Self. You can sense its movement, its patterns, its intrinsic beauty and order. What is so interesting is that you cannot “own” it because it is not outside of you. You cannot make this into a possession as you do a house or car. This extraordinary light is literally who you are. It is part of your divine inheritance, like your digestive, circulatory, and nervous systems. You do not have to call these in because their activity has dropped into your unconscious through vast ages of evolution. As this greater light substance becomes your repeated experience, through invocation and evocation, your lower minds become infused with it and realization comes to you. Using the plural of mind is deliberate; your soul mind has become entangled in the physical world just as your reasoning analytical mind. Both minds need the power of your intention and the direction of your visualization to become receptive to the illumination of the divine mind. Your continual focus on intention and visualization make this possible. The dual life of these three minds goes through stages of very uncomfortable conflicting purpose, and these stages may last for years even after you are steadily focused on merging the two together and living the life of “one” rather than two or three minds. Being pulled in two directions, switching from attention on material needs to attention on recognizing the subtle direction and pull of the soul or Divine Self, can be painful. Ignoring the greater mind, once you have strengthened the link between the minds, is far more serious than before. It means at times turning your back upon the life that you worked very hard to achieve, and saying goodbye to groups who you were associated with in the struggle to fit into the material groups that once seemed important. 98 Ironically, the beginning aspirant tends to leave his situation prematurely. The soul inevitably brings the same type of situation again so that the spiritual seeker can develop the qualities that will be needed later on the path. If one divorces his marriage partner or family before he has given all the love that he can invoke, developed understanding, compassion, and accepted all the responsibilities of that situation, then another situation will come to him in the future that provides the environment to develop these same qualities. Like my friend who finally divorced her husband and married her high school boy friend, she explained the difference as “six of one and half a dozen of another.” She was learning the same lessons she had resisted learning for twenty years in her first marriage. In this case, it was certain beliefs she had grown up with about “romantic love” that had trapped her to repeat the same stage again. Nothing is ever wasted, however, in the commitment is set to progress on the path of light. Each experience is presented by the soul as an opportunity to see through the outer effects to the inner cause of that situation. Ironically, the human mind loves to project “fault” out to someone else. To feel innocent, unfairly treated, exploited, or persecuted by another person or group is so common in today’s world that the masses of humanity consider this a true statement. Blaming one’s partner or child or mother or employer is an everyday happening. Unfortunately the attempt to lay the blame outside of oneself creates a blind spot in a situation that was meant to stimulate that person to bring light into that blind spot in him or herself and see the underlying cause rather than focus on the effect of the cause. Recently, groups have begun to class other groups as the perpetrators, the exploiters, and the guilty, declaring themselves to be the guiltless ones. Outer appearances do not display the inner truth. Only contact with the higher minds (of the individual or the group) will reveal the cause. Unfortunately in most cases today, opinions turn into beliefs yet their origin is the solar plexus where intense feelings of anger, rage, hurt, hatred, and cruelty inevitably overtake true inspiration or useful action. The game of blame today is worldwide and it is highly contagious. It is also destructive rather than constructive. The disciples of the world can also get caught up in blame rather than create the stillness within to act from the illumination of higher intuition of the Divine Self. We all have the ability to respond to situations from a greater light than we use at times. Once we say “they” we know we have slid back down to the common vision. Changing “they” to “we” 99 changes the viewpoint. Wherever we have not acted in wisdom and love, we have added to the toxic fallout that comes in any crisis. Every crisis is caused by change -- change in beliefs, in understanding, and in compassion for a larger group. Crises, individual ones, national and worldwide crises signify a new opportunity. If hatred is used to club someone with destructive thoughts and words, including a world leader in any field – such as religion, politics, education, or science, it will produce greater hatred with greater destructive force. Unfortunately the destruction spreads to both the accuser and the accused. Epictetus, the only Greek philosopher who came from the slave class, won his freedom and gained an education before teaching his philosophy that everyone has free choice. John Enright, who was a brilliant psychologist and philosopher, presented free choice as the basis of success and happiness. He did this with such profound intellectual wit and humor that those in his seminars could easily realize they had chosen every circumstance in their own lives. Having actually experienced the truth of this simple statement, a large number of his students accepted responsibility for decisions previously denied and projected onto others as fault, and changed their life experience. The idea of free choice begins with making simple changes in each habit of living, beginning with taking a different route to work, or eating different food. Gradually, the recognition of a choice (that has turned into a habit) expands to include feelings and beliefs. The awakening soul shifts from merely material choices to examining emotional choices, and finally to choices of the mind. Which mind you choose to use in any situation will determine the results you get. It will also determine the quality of your feelings about yourself and others. By invoking the illumination of the Divine Self before you allow a rumor or a fear to take over your sense of justice and righteousness, you will be able to work with a larger map of any situation. The task is to establish the habit of stilling the mind and listening until some illumination streams into your mind before forming an opinion about anyone or anything. Since most choices are so rapid they are unconscious choices, the first lesson is to actually experience choice before taking the action that carries it out. 100 Once a situation hits your solar plexus, you cannot make a wise choice or take wise action. Your thoughts will be distorted as your emotions whip around your mind like waves in a stormy sea that is out of control! Think back over the past few years and you can see from your own experience how easily this can happen. The reason is that emotions can have a tremendous force, and the clearly focused mind is still developing. Therefore it has a weaker force and a softer “voice.” It takes a conscious ongoing intention to develop the mind to work with the highest forces of light -- no matter what is happening! Ask for the deeper cause behind every situation. Wait for a response. When you invoke greater light and wisdom, the response is inevitable. Until your brain has greater solar light cells activated, you may not recognize the response immediately, however, if you wait and listen and refuse to form an opinion until you have the larger map in mind, I guarantee that you will evoke and finally recognize and draw to yourself what is needed to meet the need. Finally, the response you need for any situation will come more rapidly. You will have established the habit of first listening. When you have built a strong connection with the illuminating mind, you can seek and find the inner cause of a feeling or belief that is distracting you from hearing and using the wisdom you seek. In the case of a hotel fire alarm shrieking in the middle of the night, you would use common sense. The right action to take will come to you instantly. This does not mean that you will not experience a surge of fear. The panic of hotel guests would impact your solar plexus and ignite that familiar sense of fear in yourself. The task is to ignore the fear (as you would a young sister who was alarmed) and use the common sense you have gained through your experience in the world. 101 Chapter 14: Blueprint of the Divine Self For a long time we work in the dark and proceed by faith. We have no proof of the actual existence of the bridge of light that we are attempting to construct. This is because the physical brain cannot yet register this creation as an accomplished fact. Even after the bridge is built, the brain cells may not be able to register that success. We might get a flash of spiritual intuition or we may suddenly recognize and understand something, and help others to understand certain spiritual truths, but we cannot actually see our success. We may see the difference in our lives and our relationships. We may realize how our thoughts have shifted, but still we do not have actual proof. Our physical structure and cells only gradually become responsive to higher spiritual energies. The best way is to keep constructing this bridge and pick up again if other activities interfere. Persistence is one of the most important traits in this enterprise. Divine Self. From the first thread of light spun out to form your bridge, light streams through, and the opportunity to establish the interplay between your personality and soul appears. As the gaps in consciousness to the soul are crossed over via the bridge, the soul influences your personality in every area of life. You may find priorities changing. This is not due to spiritual ambition; rather it is the effect of meditation with the soul. Through regular meditation the soul steadily gains ground through its light, love, and will. These qualities upgrade the quality of light in your mind, emotions, and body. As you look to the soul for guidance and answers, you increase your brain/mind/soul alignment. Gradually, you realize you are ready to extend your bridge toward the triple light of the Divine Self and spirit, the source of all life. Take a deep breath and with a sense of spiritual adventure, prepare to extend your bridge to the highest light with this step-by-step blueprint. Each of these six qualities is discussed in later chapters. Two great Suns give life and intelligence and love to the human race. They send 102 their illumination directly to the human soul, mind, and heart. These suns are called the Spiritual Sun and the Heart of the Sun. A tremendous stimulation is sent forth and received. The first effect is to cleanse the world of ancient ways of thinking and relating – such as selfishness, greed and competition. These changes may create conflict in cultures that are firmly stuck in the old ways. Yet change is inevitable and these spiritual energies have the power to push through the resistance of crystallized minds that reluctantly open to change. These rays first reach those who have built a bridge of light. This energy requires the release of all the fear and anger stashed away in the unconscious (and conscious) mind. Fear exists only in the dim lunar light; anger exists only in the lunar light. When the rays of these suns shines out, everything of the lunar light becomes very uncomfortable. The contrast of the two forces, lunar and solar light, becomes clear and a cleansing is necessary. A later chapter describes how to purify and illuminate these centers with the bright suns. Another change to observe is an unusual stillness within and around yourself. You can sense this stillness by pausing frequently between daily chores to focus on the rays of the spiritual sun. Inner stillness allows the approach of a new reality within the mind and heart of all who are receptive to it. This reality signifies the ongoing transformation of consciousness from suspicion and fear to an active trust and cooperation with the groups who are inspired by solar light. For those who sense a growing inner stillness, and are intrigued by predictions of a great world catastrophe, this illumination would be misinterpreted. If this happens to you, find the part of your personality that believes fate means suffering and bring the light of your soul to this subpersonality. Like a morning fog, when the sun hits it, the fog burns off and a bright light shines into the valley. You will be reconstructing some parts of your personality to establish the coordination to send spiritual energies. Watch for effects such as these: You may see and understand things that were once fuzzy and vague. You see frictions arise between the spiritual and physical energies meeting in your life. You heed early warning signals about taking care of your body, and as a result, you become more resistant to disease and fatigue. 103 The goal is to increase your sensitivity and receptivity to these energies. This requires building a strong and healthy body, a sharp mind infused with the light of the soul, and quiescent emotions that are reflecting the higher light. From this foundation, you can build your bridge to the finest light. The purity of this etheric network of light determines your health and vitality or fatigue. The directors of each system from the respiratory and circulatory to the nervous system will become responsive to the greater energy. They receive this energy from your etheric body, which interlaces your physical body with millions of tiny lines of light. This body is the true source of health or illness. When your etheric body is receiving a finer quality of light, it builds a vitally healthy body. The etheric body is the framework for the physical body, brain, and nervous system. Each energy center vibrates on a specific frequency that builds “reality” from its quality. Each one interlaces with the physical body and charges the ductless glands with energy (which comprise the endocrine system. The pineal gland is the effect of energies circulating in the crown energy center; the pituitary gland is the effect of the energies circulating in the ajna center located slightly above and between the eyes. The thyroid glands from the throat center, the adrenal gland from the heart center. The head, heart, and throat centers when fully developed create health or illness in response to the energy brought in by the individual emotions and mind. They develop through meditation and experience. Through the seeker’s focus on the spiritual forces of light and love, the body develops that radiance and vitality so evident in those at any age who have lived and loved from a purer note of love. Your bridge provides the channel for divine light to stream through and strengthen your etheric body to bring solar light into the cells of your mind and body. When perfected atomic matter qualifies 20% of the etheric body, new truths are realized, when perfected atomic matter qualifies 40% of the etheric body, one awakens to a larger reality, and as this percentage rises even further, the recipient is finally liberated and works with great effectiveness, free from the material world. 104 The light drawn into and circulating through the etheric/vital body is a great protection from disease. The etheric body is the source of health when it is healthy and the source of disease when it is weak or clogged with obstacles to the light. Four streams of energy flow through this body, spiritual energies, mental energies, emotional energies, and physical energies. Obstacles blocking the light within the etheric body are frequently unrecognized factors that can be cleared up. I presented many of these healing methods in my book, Healing Yourself With Light: How to Connect with the Angelic Healers and the CDs that go with the book. These are made to assist in creating a body with a strong immune system, healthy heart and circulation systems, and a vitally balanced nervous system. The digestive system and other centers below the diaphragm become healthier when the primary centers are in balance. If a highly advanced soul contracts a disease that destroys his/her body, it is from entirely different causes than a lack of development of the higher centers. That soul has voluntarily (out of divine love) taken on the karma of others. This is a specialized process used only by adepts and higher initiates who know when this is appropriate, and who have earned the right to intercede with natural law. Along the way, a leap of faith is essential to reach the next state of awareness. Regardless of how much you read and know, a leap of faith is essential at certain points on the path. By the time the scientific community develops the tools to prove the Divine Self is an actual substance of subtle energy, a fairly large section of the population will already have created the bridge across the space that divides the material and spiritual worlds. If you decide to wait until the proof is established, humanity will go on without you. Call upon divine will, not once but again and again; listen carefully, a response is inevitable. Learn and act upon what you hear. The determination to succeed comes first. Once the personal will is steady, linking 105 with divine will is the next stage. It is the absolute determination to see a larger vision that builds receptors in the mind and brain to distinguish the unreal from the real. Each one moves from the unreal to the real, stage by stage, from darkness to light and from death to immortality. Persistence is the trademark of those who are ascending to the next stage of consciousness. Every failure inspires a new beginning. Every success means the stakes are higher and the responsibilities are greater. Persist in opening to the soul, the Self, and the spiritual sun. Persist in clearing all the parts of your personality that were left behind. Persist in integrating this light into each emotion and each thought, then sending it out to others every day – those whom you know and those whom you do not know. Divine Self, We see and understand things that were fuzzy or vague. At the same time frictions may arise when the spiritual and physical converge. The best way is to handle this conflict from the mind rather than try to fight it out on the emotional plane. If courage is missing and appeasement tried, the battle moves into the physical body. Every emotion not handled will damage an organ or gland. The type of emotion determines which organ or gland will be negatively affected. Prolonged feelings of fear or hatred create an all over sickness that is hard to diagnose. The cure is to reconstruct the emotional body. Positive feelings, such as gratitude and delight, bring new vitality and strengthen the immune system. Those who heed early warning signals of an impending illness will realize the urgency of feeding the cells a fine diet of positive loving thoughts of forgiveness for all people. When the discipline is developed to correct every negative thought, every negative word, the bacteria of an illness will die out. From the physical level, the T cells of the immune system multiply rapidly and literally eat up the invading bacteria. Lo and behold, any approaching illness disappears as suddenly as it tried to approach. They gradually become immune to disease. This body is the true source of health or illness. When your etheric body is 106 receiving a finer quality of light, it builds a vitally healthy body. All of us have obstacles to the light that we are not even conscious of. These unrecognized factors cause friction and stress through prolonged meditation each day. The self-healing methods in my book, Healing Yourself With Light: How to Connect with the Angelic Healers and the CDs that go with the book help you prepare your body and brain for this greater light. Keep invoking this radiance of the Divine Self. The experience will be unique for each one. As you begin this journey, decide to let your analytical mind be at rest, with your emotions as still and calm as the surface of a lake at dawn. Breathe three sets of seven breaths each, slowly and deeply. By filling your brain with the oxygen it needs to perceive and to sustain this state of awareness, you create a space. Pausing at the top of the breath in the awareness that you are invoking a response from the Divine Self, that it is part of your true identity. Imagine it streaming into your soul, mind, and brain, then into every cell and tissue of your body. Let your requests for wisdom be known. It does not take desire or hoping or wishing. Simply let it be known that you are ready to take the next step. Use everything you know to purify your life –including relationships with others and with yourself. 107 PART THREE ABOUT PART THREE CHAPTER 15 YOUR THREE MINDS You have not one mind or two minds, but three minds -- your everyday analytical mind, the soul mind, and the illuminating mind of the Divine Self. On the bridge of light you make contact with the soul mind; next, with the illuminating mind and you can bring these three minds together so they work with a united focus. Both the soul and the Divine Self have extraordinary mental capacities, and once you tap into these higher minds, you can bring this intelligence into your analytical reasoning mind. These two higher minds, the soul mind and the illuminating mind, reveal the plan for humanity and for each life. They allow you to keep your eyes focused on the new possibilities. This future is not a destiny; rather it will be what you create as you form an alliance with the Divine Self. The light on the bridge reveals the path, giving you the courage to see and acknowledge the wonder of life itself. As Einstein says: “He who does not stand in awe at the wonder of the Universe is as good as dead.” We stand in awe at the wonder of the universe we have created. To experience a greater aliveness than ever before, visualize your ordinary mind responsive to the soul mind and the soul mind responsive to the illumination of the Divine mind. When you complete this bridge, you can link your soul mind and the illuminating mind of the Divine Self, and merge these with your analytical reasoning mind to form a triangle of spiritual forces. Thus, you will have the capacity to be effective on the physical plane and on the spiritual plane in your desire to help set into place some way to bring back to life the faint memory of the divine within others. 108 Imagine what your life would be like if the Divine Self inspired you and the light of the soul directed you every day. Picture your reasoning mind cooperating in full consciousness and building the form on the physical plane for these inspirations. Every time you meditate, you are bringing light into the atmosphere around you. Some of this light may be circling overhead now waiting for a place to land. Once your analytical mind and brain are fully receptive, this light will circle once and land right in front of you. Often the brain is not able to receive well because it does not have the active cells for this higher reception. Fortunately, one effect of meditation is to awaken latent brain cells and this activation creates clearer receptivity. At the same time, concentrating and reflecting deeply on any subject becomes much easier. Thoughts are more clear and organized than before. Most of the time we can do two or three things at once and accomplish a great deal more in much less time. The analytical reasoning mind believes in what it can see, feel, hear, or touch. It believes that life ends with physical death and wants physical proof that life continues in full stereo after the body dies. The soul mind holds the synthesis of all the knowledge gained through many experiences in the world; it reflects the light of the divine Self, Through the soul you have access to universal love and wisdom, divine will and purpose. Your analytical reasoning mind will gradually prevail over your emotions and brain, a great advantage on any spiritual path. This mind is cool and calm when it has the cooperation of your emotions. A powerful stream of love develops as you are building your bridge of light. Through compassion and love, through service rendered in the world, your heart center becomes magnetic to the solar plexus center. As this energy is pulled up to the heart center it is purified and your stance in life reflects this energy flowing within your thoughts, your words, and your activities. This type of love unites differing factors; it acts as a cohesive force to bring two opposing forces together. 109 You still have a passionate drive, however the passion comes from the heart and becomes beautifully coordinated with the soul. It magnetically draws forth ideas for you to unfold and use in the world. It is wise to always trust soul wisdom; the soul is our sole authority and master within, bringing inspiration and revelation. Our subconscious mind holds memories of earth experiences and beliefs from the past. It can produce experiences of déjà vu or other psychic experiences. These may be interesting so long as you know their source and do not confuse the two. At first the subconscious mind may seem like soul wisdom and it could be hard to tell the difference between them. It is a good idea to practice discriminating between the soul mind and the subconscious mind. The soul mind reveals the future; it holds new visions and possibilities. Our receptivity to these is limited only by our capacity to recognize, rightly interpret, and find a way to make the ideas and inspirations visible in the world. When we begin to act upon ideas received after checking their source carefully and unfolding them the best we can, we need all three minds working together. Our analytical reasoning mind is an expert at dealing with the physical world; it is essential for true usefulness in the world. The other two minds deal with formless spiritual reality beyond the physical world, and this reality needs to be brought into this world. All three minds are tremendously powerful in their own area of expertise, vastly enriching your capacity to be effective in the world in addition to the tools you already have. I will say much more about this in the forthcoming Path of Light book. The next step is to invoke the illuminating mind through meditation. (The soul is also somewhat bound up in the world with you.) When you shift your awareness to the larger whole, you are setting a fixed point of direction. If you lock your mental compass on extending your bridge to the plane of intuition, an energizing breeze will drive you forward. Just relax and enjoy the journey with the wind behind your back. The light of the soul and the illumination of the Divine Self bring many new opportunities. These golden opportunities are first presented by the soul. They appear after facing a difficult situation and making the right choice, in spite of a personal preference to avoid any choice. The opportunity is seen once this choice is 110 made and followed through with hard work and persistence. You can emerge triumphant from every challenge that you meet and realize an expanded vision. Facing challenges and crises will require understanding. It is very helpful to know the steps to succeed rather than shrink back in fear to avoid discomfort. This century is a difficult period for spiritual seekers, so challenging that I have created a course on CD for those who are building a bridge of light and want to move forward whatever it takes. One man of many skills who had moved his family across the country was distressed in finding an appropriate job. He simply put headphones on with his CD player tucked into his shirt and walked around all day listening again and again to this course. He not only found a good job a couple of weeks later, the job was created especially for him. It did not even exist before his meditations. The bridge first unites your lower mind with the soul and you discover at-one-ment between the soul and personality. Visual Picture: A triangle with three minds of light Imagine each mind as a point of light within a triangle, the analytical reasoning mind, the soul mind, and the illuminating mind. Each point of light has a distinctive note on the musical scale. Imagine these notes separately and sound them aloud. The task is to create a beautiful chord of the three notes, to bring each one into harmony with the illuminating mind. Use visualization and imagination. If you have a keyboard handy, play the desired notes and note the energizing effect of this chord. Visualize a clear and harmonious interplay between these minds. The analytical everyday mind raises its note to harmonize with the soul and illuminating mind. When you are with the soul on your bridge of light, listen for its subtle sound. Sound this note aloud and observe any response within. From who is divine self/ Everyone wants a better life, a happier life. Most people want to make a difference, even though they may have no idea how they will do this. They want to lift others 111 into a greater experience of life, to bring new hope and joy to others. This desire means that the energy of the divine self has at one time darted out through the layers of the outer covering case. It explains the urge to actually live in this great light, not just glimpse it in an extreme emergency. Here is where the challenge lies. Living in the frequency of the soul means letting go of the past; we did not live in as much light in the past. Few people realize what is happening when an insistent urge from the soul becomes strong and persistent. They are dissatisfied, restless, unfulfilled, even when they have what most people would want. It is this response to the whispering of the soul that explains the desire to move into an expanded consciousness with greater possibilities. The material world becomes less and less satisfying in itself. Having tasted its wares, again and again, one finally awakens to realize he is living on the surface of life, what is called in spiritual circles, the unreal world of appearances, which only exists for us while we are living in a body on this planet. The will to move into and live in spiritual light becomes irresistible; this is one desire that should not be ignored. Sometimes you raise your vision to the spiritual world, and your friends and family resist the changes in you. The puzzle to them may be why you want to meet the soul and the divine Self. They may be satisfied with only the physical world, and prefer that you also would settle down and fit in with their interests. Yet the yearning to know, to expand, to grow spiritually is inevitable at a certain stage of evolution. It happens when the personality has learned so much through experience that it can make a few things happen according to its will. The mind, emotions and body are focused and cooperating as a unit. Until that point it is wise to focus on aligning the mind, emotions and brain/body and integrating them as one unit. In the early part of life, our emotions are in control, even though we call these emotional reactions to life, our thoughts. They both serve and distract us on the path. We want happiness and start searching for ways to have it all the time, little realizing that happiness is the response to the personality getting what it wants from the outside world. As sure we find happiness, we also realize that unhappiness lies on the other side of the bed waiting for its turn. Finally we become mentally 112 focused and our lives are smoother. We have a stable place from which to rise into greater light and experiment with new ideas. This is as far as many people ever go. The rational mind, the intellect itself becomes the god of life. Yet others realize that all their study has been merely preparation for the next stage of consciousness, to live in the soul and use their personality as the instrument to bring new ideas into the world. Their journey from one stage to the next stage of consciousness continues into higher frequencies of light toward the source of all life. Their awareness expands many times of self, of others, and of the world around them. The mind and soul send forth a stream that reaches this finer light and they rise together into new regions of consciousness. This steady movement forward toward greater light becomes visible, like zooming out in your imagination from the individual personality, to the soul life, to a group of souls working together, to souls merging with the divine self, souls coordinated with a higher will and empowered by that will to help make this world a better place. With every rise into the next finer level of light, the panoramic view widens. You can see or sense the connecting links between humanity. The new generation of children can sometimes sense the golden web of light that connects all humans; they are born with the ability to see the subtle substance of the golden web around each of us with lines of light that also connect us to others. Even without actually seeing these lines of light, we can use our imagination to sense this reality. One day soon these connections will be an established fact in science; the illnesses and the psychology of human problems will be much better understood. Psychology and other sciences are challenged to keep up with all that is being revealed as greater light streams into the human mind. Evolution is speeding up exponentially, many times more rapidly than the last century. It is speeding up because the minds of humanity are developing so rapidly. Brilliant discoveries are being made and published by minds of genius levels. These discoveries are frequently made by groups of minds working together. Occasionally the scientists 113 do not even know each other; they simply have an unusually clear mental telepathic rapport and exchange ideas through thought. This can happen in full consciousness or the exchange of ideas can be unconscious. Either way the effect is to speed up the discoveries that enable humanity to live a much better life. This speed of evolution is a great blessing; it provides incredible opportunities to step free of old ideas and to experiment with new possibilities, unseen yet absolutely real. The soul beckons to us, beckoning to us to move forward and to leave off the scattered pursuits that claimed our time and attention. This rapid expansion of awareness forces us to respond to the soul’s urging to investigate other planes of reality for ourselves. In a period of such rapid expansion of reality, there is a space between letting go of the piece of understanding and grasping the larger picture which that piece fits into. We are holding many pieces of the whole picture in our hands, yet it is only when we can place all the pieces into the puzzle that we realize how incredibly beautiful our vital life force really is. In the meantime, between letting go of small pieces and recognizing the larger whole they fit into, there are times of confusion, and adjustments as each larger recognition comes to mind. The way we use time, the way we think, our priorities, our focus -- all these shift up to a more revealing level. Who you are today is good as it is. Who you can be and will be as your vision expands is even better. During a period of “open doors” to the Hierarchy of Masters at each full moon cycle – when the moon is out of the way between the earth and certain other planets – you may receive waves of light through meditation. A frequent response in our group to this inflowing light from higher dimensions to the soul is a burst of energy on each level, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physically, we realize how much more order and beauty we could create in our home or office – and we do it immediately. We are charged with so much energy that nothing is too much trouble to move, rearrange, throw out or give away. The group shares tales of improvements by moving furniture, cleaning out files and 114 closets, planting flowers and vegetables. Another physical effect is acting on eating the right food, exercising, sleeping enough, and enjoying it. On the mental plane we can study the Ageless Wisdom Teachings or other spiritual teaching. With an introduction to the evolution of humanity, our minds become clear; we understand concepts that were formerly too abstract to grasp. Through the eyes of the soul, we begin to “see” people differently. You can see the beauty within each person, the beauty within objects that was invisible before. You can connect with opposite personality types whom you formerly avoided, and discover how much you have in common. A woman in a recent seminar on Joy, Happiness, and Bliss, realized how often she felt critical of people who were covered with tattoos or who refused to work, and she wanted to stop these judgments. She “believed” that we are one human family and that there is one human soul from which humanity has sprung, but that belief did not over-light all her thoughts. She focused on being a woman of deep compassion and loving understanding. One spring day, after being infused with spiritual forces through a week of deep meditation, she realized that every person she saw was in reality her spiritual brother or sister. The sense of separation had disappeared and the habit of judging. The innate connection from soul to soul became a reality for her, and it brought great joy every time she went out. Compassion had replaced criticism, and according to reports, this heart connection keeps growing stronger. This spiritual link brings her joy in seeing the many faces of God. A powerful stream of soul light creates the need for adjustments to be made. One might feel as if he has no no solid ground to stand on. Solid ground is composed of that which we think we know for sure to be true. When traditional beliefs are recognized as only part of the whole picture, there may be a period of adjustment as the larger picture comes into view. With the vision of the future that comes through divine light, you will have much to say; it will be true and wise. You will see the Plan for human evolution with a connection to divine light and divine love. You will see what must be done and where you can focus your attention to aid. Everyone has a valuable part to play in aiding the plan of love and light to work out in our civilization. 115 Early in life the soul hovers over the baby and gradually moves in around age twelve or fourteen. By age twenty-five the soul moves fully into the body, mind, and emotions. Age thirty-two is the age for full enlightenment and thus to serve the world through powerful wisdom and love. In later stages of human evolution this will happen more frequently. Millions of people have already begun to purify their energy field through meditation with the soul; they want to help bring peace and light and love to the world. Thousands are learning to reach the divine self in preparation for the next initiation. When the connecting link is built between personality and soul, its voice is heard and its wider vision sensed. The dual life is realized between the personality and soul for the soul light brings conflict to the personality. Its goals are different; its standards are different as are its vision and purpose. No one can suddenly drop all the personality desires or habits of self-centeredness. This takes persistence in meditation and study. Gradually the patterns of neurotransmitters in the brain allow better receptivity to the voice of the soul and the conflict continues between the two opposing views of life. As you build the receptors so that your brain can recognize and translate the images of the soul, and you begin to commit more areas of your life to include the soul, an opportunity may be presented to you that will at first seem like a problem. The natural tendency is to try to avoid the problem by shirking it, but the soul has tremendous experience in handling problems. By choosing to face each situation that comes up, no matter how uncomfortable it is, you will be able to make the correct choice that will propel you forward on the path. The choice has been presented to you by your own soul; it may seem as if it comes from the outside, but the soul is the sponsor of this type of inner crisis. There is no pat answer; each must find the correct response and take the correct action. In time all the desires of the personality may still be there, but they do not seem as important as before. You can freely choose to ignore most of these, especially is they will be obstacles in your chosen spiritual path. The energy of the soul will always reveal a better plan in which to spend your time and energy and money. 116 In the end everyone on the path realized that resistance to the soul is futile! We think we can have a better time without any interference from the soul and we inevitably end up asking for help even when our plans succeed and we realize that “that situation” was not what we really wanted after all. How can it take so long to flush out the ordinary thoughts and desires that see only the material world! The personality has a much louder voice than the soul; it has always been in control and is determined to hold that control; it will resist the wisdom and love of the soul as long as possible. Looking back it feels downright foolish to have held on for so long to what is dense enough to be visible, to be heart and to be touched. If you will persistently and patiently construct your bridge to the soul and learn to extend this bridge to the divine self, you will have access to the forces of light that enable you to see causes of world problems rather than only the effects. In your own life, you will find it much easier to make wise decisions based on inner knowing. At the stage of consciousness, a stronger mental focus develops as faster vibrating atoms are attracted to your mind, emotions and body. These atoms are receptive to spiritual forces. At the same time the slower denser atoms are spun out. Feelings of doubt, fear of failure, thoughts of giving up, and discouragement that circulate through the atmosphere may still attempt to attach to your energy field, yet you become capable of identifying their presence and spin them out using a spotlight of the mind. It is common to blame others for the same shortcomings that we have. Close friends are the usual target. This blind eye of blame is especially prominent when we have not acknowledged these traits in our own lives. For a long time we are not willing to see the selfishness in ourselves; no one wants to acknowledge that his life is centered around his personal life. Often these feelings are also in a friend, yet the task is to see them in ourselves and clear them from our own energy field. In spite of the temptations to avoid facing these obstacles, denying them does delay 117 progress on any spiritual path. First is the need to recognize what is most uncomfortable within oneself, then to clear that obstacle with a good technique. Hidden obstacles within ourselves are the most dangerous, like the underwater rocks in white water rafting. If the rafter does not see them, they will cause the boat to turn over and throw the rafters into the icy water. Rather than create unnecessary stress, go over the journey ahead and be alert for hidden rocks. If your boat gets hung up on one, check out the damage done, and fix it! These rocks, like our hidden weaknesses, are not fatal, yet any one of them could slow down a potentially superb journey down the river in the morning sun. Remember there are many boats running the same river you are on. This makes the journey ever more fun as you help each other glide through the water smoothly or stop to help another to turn their boat back up on the water again. If you should run into another boat, be sure to go back and fix any damage. This will make a much better life for you and assure a fine journey. 118 Chapter 16 A Your groups on the Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Planes // The Group Mind At this point we realize that several soul infused minds working together will be far more creative, effective, and useful in the world than one mind. We begin to understand the power of a group of soul conscious, soul infused people working together for the world. Working with groups is the distinguishing mark of the new age. You have groups on the physical, emotional, and mental planes, and each is important in aiding each other (and wider groups) on the journey back home. Groups on the Physical Plane: On the physical plane our group is our family, business associates, casual and close friends, and those whom we touch briefly and never see again. Often we have an obligation to pay to them, and the first step is to pay such a debt. If this debt occurred in a past life, it is waiting for our will to repay it. The most severe or traumatic situations are nearly always karmic, resulting from an unpaid debt in the past. When something happens to us that we did not create through carelessness or intention, something that simply came to us out of nowhere, we need to remember that the universe is just, and assume that we will progress more rapidly when we fulfill that debt with good will rather than grudgingly do it under a sense of being forced to do so. The second purpose of groups on the physical plane is to give us a chance to test out our powers to influence them to recognize responsibility and to help in the best way 119 they can. The Guides of the race watch and see our actions and reactions, they note our response to any surrounding need. 120 Chapter 16 Relationships All spiritual awakening is about relationship -- with yourself, with the soul, with spirit, with others, and with all humanity. The way you relate to all the groups in your lives -- from family groups to professional groups, to social and community groups -- is the way you learn about your true spiritual development. You learn by experience that only love unites and heals separations. We learn by experience that competition, selfish purpose, selfcenteredness, will separate. We learn only through experience that self-pity, guilt, anger, resentment, depression, are always the effect of being separated from the radiant light of the triple Self, the Divine Self. When we are separated from this higher Self, we are unhappy and regardless of how much we can gain for ourselves in the world, that unhappiness persists. It brings an inner loneliness that no one can heal. This inner loneliness is the result of the unquenchable thirst for spiritual energy, for the company of the soul, the light radiating from the plane of intuition where truth is revealed, free of emotional and mental distortions. As spiritually awakened people shift their consciousness, new groups form and link on the subtle planes with the others. All of these new groups of world servers are linked through love and service into an indissoluble spiritual force with a growing power to lift and to aid humanity. This is not based on how many people are using thought and meditation, intention, and projection to bring forth a happier life for humanity in a peaceful world; it is based upon the united focus through love for all life on this planet! Realities will be revealed through the channel of light created by this new group of awakened ones, and the forces of darkness will lose their hold on humanity. It will break free from its prison of material values, which create such dread, fear and greed among people! These changes will dissipate the illusions that give power to this imprisonment and the emotional fog that humanity is surrounded with now will disappear. The spiritual sun will break through and shine upon the heart of the sun until the rays of this sun prevail on earth. 121 The shining Teachers are committed to help humanity move forward through each stage of evolution until they liberate themselves. These Teachers periodically observe the groups who are focused on serving. They observe the aura of the group and its work. What counts is the will to understand the ancient wisdom and to study it. Whatever rings a bell of truth within you will stimulate your mind and soul to know more. This is where the willingness to experiment comes in. It is a major key to releasing the intuitive. Through experimenting with these truths, we learn their power and we can place them within the reach of others through meditation, intention, visualization, and projection. Your intention, visualizing, and projection of the light to others will insure progress. May we be led from darkness to light, From the unreal to the real, From death to immortality. The “real” is different than the many distorted reflections of the real. The real is timeless and exists beyond the physical world. It is universal truth that can be heard echoing through the Hall of Wisdom. The sound of the great universal wisdom is echoing in our minds right now; its note is beating in our hearts. We are this universal truth, awakening to realize who we are. We are the One, unfolding its consciousness, its light and love, within each of us. We can love this Self without any reservation. Why, because we are this Self. We have always known this. And when we enter into the pure love of this Self, we enter the heart and soul of every human being in this world. We realize that we are a part of the whole Self, inseparably linked with it. We knew now that we were never alone; it only seemed so in the dense fog that separated us. One day you will realize this Self; you will meet it face to face, no longer reaching out to it, reaching up to it, or trying to invoke it. You realize that this Self is sitting beside the god within you. Immersed in the energy of the divine, we are willingly swept into pure divine love, 122 a wondrous fireworks display of vivid color and incredible beauty. Dancing wildly in the ecstasy of bliss, no longer separated by the ancient myths we have believed about ourselves, we stand transparent to the One, completely permeable without the need for a separate body yet fully aware of life never ending, ever expanding into greater life and light. . . We are led from darkness to light, from the unreal to the real, and from death to immortality. And how did it happen? It happened, even if only for a few minutes, when all of your reservations were lifted, not just through your own efforts, but also through the grace of the divine. You no longer clutched the small self-image to your heart. You let go and allowed the Divine Self to penetrate your consciousness. Remember, it was building the bridge of light from its end as you were building it from your end. And, like two children digging a tunnel through their sand castle by the ocean, suddenly they break through in the center the their fingers touch. A magic moment of wonder is hastened by the efforts of eagerly digging through the wet sand. The victory is sweet -- the two lights meet – the light in your head and the light of the Divine Self! Now the task is to make this channel wider, and to do it carefully just as the children do so that their sand castle does not fall through. It must be strong enough to withstand the tunnel within its center. This is analogous to the importance of the personality being well developed and integrated, tested again and again for its mental development, emotional integration, physical purity, integrity, honesty, and compassion. It is tested many times to be sure it has developed the patience, the persistence, and the preservation of values before the channel of light with the Divine Self can break through from each end and meet in the middle. If the children build their castle too close to the surf, the tide will wash it away. In the same way, if your castle is too close to the water of emotions, it will all dissolve. The next wave will wash it away. Then it will have to be started all over again, this time farther away from the emotional frequencies that can wash out the structure. It has to be built in mental substance instead of emotional substance so that it is solid and can with\stand water and wind. It needs the sun to bake the sand and produce stability just as your own castle of the divine needs the light of the spiritual sun of your own universe, the sun shining from your crown center. 123 If the castle cracks in the sun, it was not well packed with thin layers of sand. This means it was built hastily, with impatience. Pack your castle well; carefully apply a new layer each morning in meditation, and it will not crack no matter how bright the sun. It is the fire of spirit that gives it life. Look at these fine granules of sand sparkling in the sun and you will be seeing symbols for all of the experiences that you have had in this world since you first came here. A grain of the sand in your castle represents each experience. Whether that experience was happy or unhappy, riches gained or lost, friends gained or lost, dreams realized or not, it produced for you another sparkling grain of sand for the ultimate castle of the divine. Since the object of living on this particular planet is to emerge victorious as a living representation of the divine, free from the fogs of illusions that engulf humanity here, you will need a great deal of experience to produce the substance needed to build a vehicle of escape. Without an appropriate vehicle of light, one cannot be liberated. He has not yet built a path of light for his flight. He must first prove himself as fit for the next higher dimension and that proof entails the use of light and love to lift and aid humanity. There is no other way. Each initiation to the next fulcrum of the ladder of evolution is self-chosen. No one holds you back. No one can. Everything is up to you. Every step is the step that only you can take. It is of great assistance to find the Ageless Wisdom Teachings. There is no use in re-inventing the way out when it has been given to us. These lessons are difficult enough when we know what we are facing; they would be terribly hard if we had no guidebooks or map to follow. Realizing our own selfcenteredness is helpful; we quit blaming others for our unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Giving up that self-centeredness can take a great deal of persistence and discipline. And even then we must count on the response of the soul to keep us motivated and moving forward. Realizing that we are living in partial truth is the first step; finding and embracing a larger reality in which our partial truth fits may take a leap of faith. 124 125 Chapter 17 Aligning Body and Mind Physical exhaustion comes from an over development of the concrete mind. When it makes too great a demand on your emotional nature, and on your physical brain/body, it will cause depression. Another challenge comes when you have too great a capacity to see all around a subject. If you have too much understanding and comprehension of the world’s need and you have too quick an understanding of the many issues involved, this will produce a violent vibration in the astral body. This leads to a type of shattering of your physical vehicle. You experience is as discouragement. You can learn to adjust your life to a balance with mental equilibrium. Time, eternity, and evolution bring all things to pass. Remember that everything does not depend on your individual effort. Get very quiet within so that you can adjust and balance your thinking. Sense the ultimate achievement of Time in all things. Balancing the pairs of opposites. When the pendulum swings—as it must and does—towards that which we call dark and undesirable, it produces a tension that causes discomfort in each of your three bodies. This is usually felt as depression in the physical body. The more sensitive your body, the stronger will be your response to this temptation. This depression slows down your vibration. It temporarily blocks your achievement and service to the world. The cure for discouragement lies in the wise use of your mind. Decide to reason logically and to see the cause of the condition. This works much better than trying to create an opposite feeling, like happiness or confidence or enthusiasm. The polar 126 opposites (happiness – unhappiness or confident – fearful) on the emotional plane bounce back and forth like a seesaw. The more you work to go up, the more certain the return of the emotion at the other end of the spectrum. Go to the plane beyond emotions to clear out the fog of discouragement. Still the concrete mind. Link with the soul, your group soul, and with the Master. Work with pure dispassion and forget about seeing the results. You will eventually attain an equilibrium that nothing can disturb. Grasp the inner meaning of events and transmute the inner lessons into practical knowledge Lowered vitality of the body. If your emotional/astral body makes too strong a demand on the physical that is beyond its capacity to do so, discouragement results. The solution is rest and relaxation. Give time for nature to make adjustments. Get sun on your bare skin (especially above the waist) whenever you can. The sun revitalizes your physical/etheric body. Adjust your work to your capacity, not to the overwhelming need. LINING UP ALL YOUR SELVES Practice aligning each morning, noon, and evening with the highest brightest light you can reach. Gradually you will reach a greater light; and in this light you will see new choices. Your mind becomes receptive and your brain translates that light into words and thoughts. Once we grasp a larger picture we start the daunting task of bringing our mind, our emotions, and our body into one finely integrated unit that can cooperate with the soul and its life intention. Reason Watch for the moment that you can stop and call upon a higher light in a conflicting situation and then shift an automatic response to one that reflects the higher light. 127 That light brings the gift of pure reason – not the kind of reasoning that we normally do when we are only consulting our mind. This gift of reason is extraordinary; it will look more like love that is forgiving and inclusive, even impersonal, yet extremely warming to the heart. This is a significant moment. As the soul prevails over the personality, a distinct change in our lives. That change may seem too slow, yet those who know us well will immediately recognize the shifts in the way we think, the way we relate to them and how we spend our time. The types of problems we once had may continue to come up, yet they seem much less important. We handle them without the emotional pain we once knew and let them go. Such a problem may still be distracting, but much less so. Finally we will feel an impact from a conflict, yet we can acknowledge it, take some appropriate action if needed, and ignore it. As we descend from the Monad – our original face -- to the physical world, we lose the awareness of our source. We even lose our memory of our past lives by age four or five. After many lives on the earth planet, we begin to pull back for a moment from our immersion in what we see, feel, or hear in the world. There is a golden web around our body, a framework that feeds our body, its organs, cells and tissues. It is called the etheric body and according to the ageless wisdom teaching the etheric body has four streams of energy circulating through it at all times, the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. The quality of this energy determines which energy center is the center of life for each person. Many children today are born with etheric vision. They can see these subtle streams of energy circulating around someone. Where the brightest light is located will be the energy center through which that person is operating. If this is the solar plexus center, that person will live in an emotional world with perhaps occasional journeys to the higher energy centers, the crown, ajna, throat, and heart centers. These journeys will feel God like. They will be the highlights of the year. Souls are at different stages of evolution. Some souls have learned very fast and some repeat the same experiences over and over until they infuse the light within 128 those experiences. Some of you may remember flashes of inspiration within that awaken you to your identity beyond time and place. This inspiration may come in dreaming sleep or in the waking state. Once you realize that something very important is missing and begin the search for the soul, you will find it. By the time we become interested in the soul (in response to its call to us) we have a well-developed and dominant personality that gets along quite well in the world. However, once we connect with the soul and this channel becomes strong and stable, we are consciously living in two worlds, the spiritual world and the physical world. Balancing these two opposites is the next task, and at times this may seem like a daunting never-ending task. When the soul can prevail over the personality, your life changes dramatically. One after another, you have probably dropped activities and friendships that carried only a small dim light to make room for the soul light in your life. We do this with some hesitation, knowing we will miss whatever has become comfortable and familiar. Yet we see the need to be available for the light of the soul to permeate our whole being, and we make the needed adjustments to let in the light. In response to this light, we spontaneously begin to work in an area for the benefit of others that expresses the color of this light as it filters into our personality. All personalities enjoy control in an effort to pursue satisfaction. The Masters of Humanity refer to humanity as “Seekers of Satisfaction.” This sounds strange, yet on closer thought, we see the truth of this identify. After 40 years of meditation, study, writing, teaching, some parts of my personality would love to seek more leisure and comfort! Yet I realize that more is never enough. Who would not love to control the weather so that it would never rain too much or too little, be too hot or too cold, too windy or too still. When our thoughts become focused and positive, we are positive and useful in the world, as soon as each new challenge on that level is surmounted successfully, the disciple finds himself facing a finer light with an entirely new set of challenges. While seeking satisfaction, assurances, and signs of progress in our spiritual life, we may miss the opportunities presented to us by the soul. These opportunities come when we stand at a crossroad, or the path we are following simply ends. Or it may 129 lose value for us and is no longer worth the effort to keep it going. By the way, this is the point where many people feel so stymied that they get sick to avoid making the decision to listen to the soul and follow its lead. No one gets sick deliberately. Our unconscious mind takes care of all the details when we are facing a crisis of change and resisting making right decisions and changing certain beliefs that are now obstacles to our progress. 130 Chapter 18 Karmic Rewards, Karmic Debts Karma merely means the effects of our thoughts and words from this life or in a past life. On the physical plane, this effect can be a superb body, a good mind, a stable life, or it can be a weak body, a weak mind, and a life of chaos. Your Physical Body We enter this life equipped with a physical body (and etheric body) that is the product of our last incarnation. The body is reproduced exactly as you left it when you died. The task is to take that body, realize what it needs -- its defects and requirements -- and set out with a clear vision to build a new body that will be able to meet the need of the inner spirit. This is a big task. It may take a long time; traditionally this takes fourteen years to reconstruct the physical body. To be successful it will take stern discipline, self-denial and good judgment. Avoid these disciplines and the penalty in the next life is a far more seriously impaired body and brain. Genetically, we may carry a gene from our parents that would make us vulnerable to certain diseases, yet if there is nothing that we need to learn from these diseases, our physical body tends to let that gene remain dormant. We are immune to those diseases so long as we use common sense to take care of the body that we have inherited. Your Emotional Body On the emotional plane, we carry a certain tone. Others react to this tone more than to the words we speak. That is, our overall emotional tone strikes a note that is sounding constantly. This is especially true of those whose emotions strongly influence their thoughts and words. When we work with someone whose note is clear and pleasant, we are soothed, stimulated, and encouraged. We feel accepted and understood. It is natural to blame a parent on one’s negative emotions, yet your emotional body is also the same as the tone of your emotions in your last life. Again, if you want a 131 more beautiful emotional note influencing you and others, it will take disciple to reconstruct your emotional body. The reward is tremendous and the effort is worthwhile. Your friends will agree wholeheartedly. From an impatient, suspicious, jealous, irritated, or thin-skinned person whom others have to tiptoe around (or avoid altogether) you can become a stable understanding and accepting person who people truly enjoy working with. A very powerful formula is in Chapter __ to eliminate those emotions that fog up our lives so that the light of the soul can shine through into our emotional body. As your emotional note shifts into a clear ringing bell like note, your ability to aid others, to be a truly positive influence with friends, will increase. The most obvious change is your greater delight in life. You can become conscious of your own overall emotional note by paying attention to the sound of others’ emotions. You can hear it in their voice, see it in their inflections, their gait, their posture, and recognize it in their interpretations of everyday situations. When two people are facing the same situation and one passes it off as merely an inconvenience and the other considers it a personal affront and wants to get even, it is easy to see that we interpret each situation according to the quality of our emotional body. Your Mental Body The mental body that you were born with is the quality of the mental body you created in your last life. If you improve the quality of your mind, your analytical reach, your intuitive clarity, your illuminating connections streaming light from the Divine Self, you expand the vertical and horizontal reach of your mind. You will be born in the next life with a finer mind. With the bridge to the Divine Self, with your three minds linked —reasoning mind soul mind, and illuminating mind – you vastly increase your understanding of universal purpose and your part to play in that purpose. The responsibility that goes with this knowledge becomes clear. With the greater freedom to think, to know, and to understand, you also have greater responsibility. As our mind expands and our vision widens, we realize how much we do not know. 132 We recognize that every mind (no matter how wise and insightful) is only part of a larger mind. Each part will fit in perfectly, yet it is not the whole, only a part. This recognition helps us to realize that we are divine beings moving from stage to stage of expansion into the mind of God, of the Universe, and beyond. Your Soul Body expands and evolves from your experiences in life on the physical plane. This body is called the causal body (or soul body) and it is here that the Solar Angel can be contacted. This angelic being who contacts you from the soul plane is your guide throughout all your lifetimes until you attain liberation. 133 Chapter 19 Courage and Persistence Just as you stand in awe at the wonder of the Universe, you can stand in awe at the wonder of the Divine Self. You were born with the potential to stand in awe of the wonder of your unfolding Self. The effect of reaching the Divine Self is dramatic on every level. Each chapter will guide you through the steps to meet the Divine Self face to face. It is not an overnight journey; rather it is a journey of developing each state of consciousness on the way and stabilizing that state until it becomes your normal consciousness in everyday life. You already know this Self; you have always known who you were, that you were not simply your mind and emotions and body. The world has long enfolded humanity in its illusions that seem so real and solid, yet these are left behind at the moment of death. Each one born to the Earth has to pull free from the fog of these illusions by building a bridge to cross over the gaps in consciousness between the personality and the soul and the Divine Self. Rarely can you keep up with the expansions of your consciousness once you begin your bridge to the Divine Self. Every time you extend your bridge of light, you absorb solar light that vitalizes your body and brain. You may hold on to a dimmer image of yourself that is no longer accurate. You may even feel that you are less than you are. Deep inside you may fear that you are presenting a good front to others. The more likely truth is that you are covering up the soul’s beauty and grace so that you will better fit the lesser image you have of yourself. All of this depends on whom you are calling “yourself.” When you are infused with the love of the soul, you are luminous! Your thoughts expand with understanding, appreciation, gratitude, and new ideas. You are emanating with the luminous energy of the soul and at times the Divine Self. You are a healing influence for family and friends, enabling them to see themselves more clearly and to rejoice in that vision. When you are separated from the soul, and acting from personality habits, your 134 luminosity is hidden. Your thoughts easily turn to the dim world of matter, on food, home, family, friends, or work. The soul and the Divine Self will seem like a distant mirage at these times. Absorbed in matter, it looks more real than the spiritual planes. So quickly we can forget how brief one earth life is, and forget that life is one continuous stream of energy and expanding consciousness with or without a physical body. Creating the sensitivity to unfold this awareness takes courage; it takes persistence, and an inner or subjective guiding light. As a spiritual seeker, you may find yourself in the midst of many lights, blinking, flashing, and beckoning to you. Countless blind alleys may confuse and distract until discrimination is gained to recognize the quality of the light. Each light pulls on a different energy center to get your attention from the base center to the crown center. You can observe this for yourself. At one moment there may be a television program that will stimulate your solar plexus center, or a book that will stimulate your heart center. Observe choices from moment to moment for a sense of which energy center is prevailing now, not only in books; observe your choice of what to think about during the day. It takes an alert mind to realize that you always have a choice; once this becomes obvious, you can deliberately choose where you place your mind. Consider a time that you realized you needed to make certain changes yet felt these changes were too great a risk. You may have delayed or avoided taking action by ignoring insights. The reasoning mind will want a guarantee of some kind that such changes will bring a reward of security or happiness. Spiritual guidance does not offer a guarantee. Check out all higher guidance with common sense and then make a decision. Visions that drive the spiritual seeker forward. Moving into greater light, motivated by divine love, recognizing the opportunity to be truly creative – these are visions that drive the spiritual seeker forward. The hope is to see and speak with wisdom. The reality is that when the soul urges the disciple forward, the personality may dig its heels in and resist change. It has a strong streak of possessiveness about power and is loath to hand over any of its control. 135 Think of a problem as an opportunity to see past the fog of ordinary human thinking.. The little self is more comfortable blaming something or someone else for problems. This is one of the illusions of our culture, yet problems are actually opportunities to clear up the unlighted tendencies. They are in our own energy field. Other people serve as actors trained to bring them out in the open. The faults we see in others are probably there, and they are also in us. Sooner or later, we realize that the same faults are in us, even though hidden – at least from our own eyes. They are usually in plain sight of others. The light of the soul inevitably finds a way to penetrate new aspects of one’s life with light. It is also true that when a dim and messy room is illuminated with a bright light, a motivated person can clean it up easily. The same is true of the astral plane. Once the astral fog is seen, the aspirant can clean it up with the mind and soul. Self-pity is a good example of a glamour that has caused much misery, yet realizing self-pity as a profitless cause of suffering may be enough to eliminate it. If you miss this opportunity, someone else will come along and point it out. As solar light streams into the brain, it awakens dormant brain cells that are receptive to higher dimensions of light. You begin to see the deeper needs of humanity and recognize your part in contributing to the Plan for the unfolding of a finer world. Next, rare flashes of intuition may appear. These are available once we begin the bridge of light through a fine filament of connection. Once we experience this as true, we wholeheartedly focus on constructing this channel to cross the gap in consciousness from the soul to the Divine Self. Half-hearted efforts or the excuse of being too busy, lose energy, and the focus then becomes one-pointed. Intention prevails over the matters of less depth. The radiant Triple Light builds a path to you once you begin in earnest to create a channel to it. Your bridge is being constructed from both ends – the Divine Self is descending to 136 reach you as you ascend to reach it. The illumination of the Divine Self travels through a channel of light. It is composed of a substance with less density than matter, yet quite real. The channel you build will move from your mind to the soul mind and then through a series of steps until it reaches the illuminating mind of the Divine Self. As this channel becomes strong and stable, it will occasionally prevail over everyday thoughts. Each time, a larger vision is displayed. Once the soul connection is clearly established, and you know the soul as the Master within, you realize that you cannot give anyone else the authority for your life. Regardless of how wise this person may be, you realize that only your soul knows your highest potential and the direction that light and love should flow to fulfill the luminous pattern of advancement that the soul created for this earth life experience. Each room is like an area of your life. A few rooms are dark because they are closed off to the sunlight, the soul light. They are often areas that were forgotten and ignored because they were not in the circulatory flow of soul energy. So the work is to bring in the rays of the soul into each area, air it out, and bring it up to date with your expanding consciousness. When you are ready to connect with the Divine Self you will know within this is the next step. Thousands upon thousands of spiritual seekers are ready for this step. They are among the spiritual pioneers who love humanity and want to become sensitive to the highest light and pass this light to others. Everyone begins with the triangle of the personality, mind, emotions, and body. This triangle requires long world experience to develop fully. Once the mind is stabilized at the apex of this triangle, prevailing over the emotions and body, the emotions and body can form an integrated unit with the mind. The personality becomes dynamic and effective in any area it chooses. This in itself is a giant step in any human life. The next step is the recognition that we When you can submit your will to the will of the soul, you can harmonize with it. At first this happens as a result of friction between the two wills, personal and soul. Next, the agreement to follow the higher will happens at the earliest sign of the divergent directions between your personal will and the will of the soul. Later, the response becomes spontaneous. Finally, the two merge as one, and an enormous amount of pain and suffering is left behind. It then becomes possible to accomplish far more than was possible in the past. 137 As a result of this merging, the note of your personality moves into a harmonious note with that of your soul. A desire to play a part in aiding and lifting others becomes strong. Looking backward and living in the past gives way to sensing opportunities that are presented to you by the soul. The past is released rather than held close to your mind and heart. You realize that every experience, once you have made the choice to move forward into greater light and love and power, has brought something to you that is very valuable. This is not true for those who are living without a higher purpose or who are not particularly interested in transforming their consciousness to see from a finer light than the personality light. The personality light is dim at best. There is no comparison between the personality light (composed of the mind, emotions, and body) and the soul light or the light of the Divine Self. It is through meditation on the soul as you build the bridge of light so that its light can infuse your mind and emotions and body. When you can submit your will to the will of the soul, you can harmonize with it. At first this happens as a result of friction between the two wills, personal and soul. Next, the agreement to follow the higher will happens at the earliest sign of the divergent directions between your personal will and the will of the soul. Later, the response becomes spontaneous. Finally, the two merge as one, and an enormous amount of pain and suffering is left behind. It then becomes possible to accomplish far more than was possible in the past. As a result of this merging, the note of your personality moves into a harmonious note with that of your soul. A desire to play a part in aiding and lifting others becomes strong. Looking backward and living in the past gives way to sensing opportunities that are presented to you by the soul. The past is released rather than held close to your mind and heart. You realize that every experience, once you have made the choice to move forward into greater light and love and power, has brought something to you that is very valuable. This is not true for those who are living without a higher purpose or who are not particularly interested in transforming their consciousness to see from a finer light than the personality light. The personality light is dim at best. There is no comparison between the personality light (composed of the mind, emotions, and body) and the soul light or the light of the Divine Self. It is through meditation on the soul as you build the bridge of light that its light can infuse your mind and 138 emotions and body. When you can submit your personal will to the will of the soul, you can harmonize with it. At first this happens as a result of friction between the two wills, personal and soul. Next, the agreement to follow the higher will happens at the earliest sign of the divergent directions between your personal will and the will of the soul. Later, the response becomes spontaneous. Finally, the two merge as one, and of pain and suffering are dissipated and finally eliminated. It then becomes possible to accomplish far more than was possible in the past. As a result of this merging, the note of your personality moves into a harmonious note with that of your soul. A desire to play a part in aiding and lifting others becomes strong. Looking backward and living in the past gives way to sensing opportunities that are presented to you by the soul. The past is released rather than held close to your mind and heart. You realize that every experience, once you have made the choice to move forward into greater light and love and power, has brought something to you that is very valuable. 139 Chapter 21 Focused Mind: Calm Emotions Your picture making ability in response to the impressions of these spiritual energies, and evoking a response from the Divine Self and the intuitive plane, as you call upon higher will. Let Merge divine love and with divine intelligence and let them pour shine forth No greater healing force exists than divine love and divine intelligence. As you use your faculty of imagination in this way, divine love streams into your heart and soul. Divine Love has no expectations as human love has. With each inhalation, we feed upon its nourishing aroma and dance to its harmony of sound. Divine love awakens the highest within us and erases the sense of separateness. It draws us into the experience of being one with all things, seeing our own beauty and nobility reflected in the eyes of others. A clear mind aligned with these spiritual energies can freely interact with them. The angel of divine love appears. When this great angel joins your heart, the world of things and people begins to glow. An endearing experience happened on the last day of a seminar of a three-day seminar I was teaching. A woman in the group from Canada had etheric vision. She could see on the subtle planes of reality. That morning she described a bright ball of energy (apparently an angel of Divine Love we had been discussing) came floated across the stage and entered my head. She described this ball of light as an angel of Divine Love The shift in me was dramatic. Looking through this consciousness, Through her eyes an intrinsic beauty and inclusive love within everyone became visible. Through her ears I heard the harmonious melodies of the spiritual group. It was like awakening in a different universe to see everything in the physical world over- lighted from the clear filter of this angel’s eyes. A profound universal love took over my thoughts. I loved as never before, as if tapped into the Heart of the 140 Sun with an impersonal yet intensely powerful healing love that included everything and everyone around me. This love revealed the hidden radiance of every soul. The light body (etheric body) interlaced with their physical bodies was shining like silver. On the third day, I sat down to figure out how to space the seminar meditations for copying, and the angel left. She had taught me in three days more than I knew was possible. 141 Chapter 20 Obstacles – clearing with mind and soul One of the greatest obstacles to clearing the personality to be receptive to the Divine Self is the habit of holding on to something that you believe is true a belief rather than openly exploring it to find its usefulness. This might be a memory, an object, a belief, or even a hope. It might even be an unpleasant memory. The hesitation to let it go comes from the fear that if you dismiss it or let it go that you will forget that you have learned from that experience and it will happen to you all over again. Imagine a dimly lighted room in your house suddenly being illuminated by a bright searchlight. In that light you would realize what was needed and see how to clear the room of its clutter and cobwebs. You would get rid of things in it that were no longer useful. You would be driven to make that room ordered, pleasing, practical, and beautiful. The personality light is dim except in those areas where it is clearly reflecting the light of the soul. Once your bridge is firmly linked with the Divine Self, your personality begins to absorb the illumination of this Self and gradually discards its denser atoms and builds in solar lighted atoms to take their place. Whether these atoms are in the mind, the emotions or the body and brain, they create a substance that allows you to work with the angelic kingdom and other entities to bring good into the world. There is no comparison between the personality light (of mind, emotions, and body) and the light of the Divine Self. You always begin with meditation with the soul, which has a mind beyond the reach of your concrete mind. The soul prepares you to become consciously aware of the Divine Self as you extend the bridge of light. When you learn to distinguish clearly the higher will of the Self, then walking forward on the path of life becomes much easier. you begin to walk in harmony 142 with it. Instead of the friction between your personality will and divine will, you establish a harmonious note between them. when you are aligned with divine will, it is like working with the wind at your back. your response to divine will becomes spontaneous. Finally, the two merge as one, and a great deal of struggle is left behind. It then becomes possible to accomplish far more than in the past. As a result of this merging, the note of your personality moves into a harmonious note with that of your soul. A desire to play a part in aiding and lifting others becomes strong. Looking backward and living in the past gives way to sensing opportunities that are presented to you by the soul. The past is released rather than held close to your mind and heart. You realize that every experience, once you have made the choice to move forward into greater light and love and power, has brought something to you that is very valuable. In constructing a bridge to reach the “something missing” in life, one finds the soul and realizes the dual life, as soul and as personality. Each sees a different vision; the personality wants recognition; its vision is centered on itself, the desire for more things, more money, and more happiness. The soul vision is integrated with the past and the future, and includes the highest possible advancement, not just for the present incarnation but the ongoing life. It recognizes the continuity of life on stage and off stage of the physical world. Death is merely a personality illusion and that event has no influence on the soul. For a long time after we are on a spiritual path, we live in doublethink between the reasoning mind and soul mind; we alternate thinking and speaking from the personality and from the soul. We perceive some truth and mistake that truth for the larger whole that it belongs to. It is still truth, yet only a part of the truth. Each larger truth includes the smaller piece of truth that you have now. Each additional piece of universal or cosmic truth, each larger concept you can perceive, is precious too. Rest in the stillness of the mind with the soul and ask to see intuitive insights. Once you create a Divine Self a single-minded focus on linking with the Divine Self, you begin a new journey. With the soul’s magnetic energy infused into your mind, this magnetism or electrical force attracts the Divine Self. You call this Self 143 and it responds. You will evoke a response when the connecting thread from your soul to the Divine Self becomes a channel of light. From there you can receive inspiration, ideas, understanding, and the dynamic energy of love. Imagine how your life would be richer in love, intelligence, and wisdom Once you make the decision to move forward from the point of soul contact, you will bridge the open space between these, and mentally out to others as never before. It looks like love, yet this action is not based on sentiment. It is more like the sound of a chorus of angelic voices, or the subtle fragrance of a tea rose wafting through the atmosphere. Some people feel this love as inspiration or creativity. You realize that the soul is you, a doorway between you and God. You also may get a brief glimpse of the Divine Self and quit pretending that it is out there somewhere. This Self is so rich and vast and pure in spirit that it may be frightening to realize it as who you are. Think of the soul as the connecting point between spirit and the material world. Your personality is merely a covering to give an intelligent form for the Self to work through. Why not take every step to stand before the Divine Self and meet it face to face! The soul begins to shine with all the colors of the rainbow through its experiences in physical form. Never mind if you die before you complete everything you set out to do in this life. Each new birth is sponsored by a more radiant soul than before. When you return your soul will pick up again where it left off. You will awaken earlier to continue your soul's vision with each succeeding life. In each new incarnation, the personality first plays out each evolutionary stage that was reached in former lives and then begins the climb to attain the next stage of evolution. Previously we brought out these traits in them because they were also in ourselves. 144 Usually we have no idea of these characteristics in ourselves. When we see our own tendencies, we can correct them. Otherwise, we project these onto our friends, our family, or the world. Thus, it can be tempting to feel righteous and tolerant, also patient with the failings of others instead of discovering the same characteristics hidden within us, and retraining them with good sound psychological techniques. Instead of blaming family and friends, or our city or nation for all their mistakes, we look within and find the same patterns of thought or feeling that we are assigning to other groups. It takes time to recognize these old habits; actually it is an ongoing awareness and clearing. Yet as we recognize and acknowledge to ourselves the same traits (that we are projecting to others) out of hidden and unconscious parts of our personality, we stop the habit of blaming. Watch the delightful changes in your friends once the divine Self can shine through your life more clearly, and your aura is filled with light and love of this Self. 145 Chaper 22 the Critical Mind Everywhere we are critical of someone else, we will eventually realize that the same traits are in ourselves. It is easier to see them in others than in ourselves until we are observing fro the intuitive plane. Once we see that we also have a tendency to be impatient or selfish or a “know it all,” the task is to eliminate this tendency until it has no influence on us. Remarkably, it is at this point that we are no longer disturbed by others who display these traits. It is only the traits we have not recognized in ourselves that disturb us when we see them in others. You may fear that you are not living up to what you can be. This cannot be true. Every state of consciousness when you have glimpsed the higher path is merely the preview. It does not mean that you can live in that state of awareness all day. That has to be earned through regular contact with the greater self until you absorb and integrate its light into your mind and heart and body. To leave the “reality” one is living in now is like a death. It is necessary to complete all the enchantments of that state – “been there, done that” to manage the anxiety of moving to the next more inclusive stage of consciousness. All of the feelings are still available when needed; they simply are not the major place of living any longer. Seeing where you want to go next, into the wiser, more compassionate, effective world worker, recognizing how much brighter it is to where one is now, is the only pull that enables one to endure the pain of the death of the last state. We have done this many times as we grew up. As a baby, we replayed all the steps of evolution that we had learned in previous lives, first being totally identified as the body, next, focused on food and survival, and third, the belief in magic – but only for oneself. Hormones activate and sex becomes the focus, whether suppressed or expressed. Next, in replaying the stages of human evolution is an interest in God usually beginning with the belief that God will save and bring a good life to those who believe in Him – but only as they interpret this God. This God would not lift a hand to save others who do not believe as that religion teaches. He would save only those with the same beliefs. But these exclusive beliefs – the world circulates 146 around me to keep me safe, to feed me, to do magical things for me, to bring my soul mate or mates. God watches over me and knows that I believe in him. I am saved when I die and will go to heaven if I am good – although he will forgive me if I make a mistake so long as I feel very guilty and bad. More likely the mistake is projected onto a mythological figure usually called the “devil.” This choice of words is interesting because it is a backward spelling of “lived” meaning that lesson had already been lived through and “backsliding” is more accurate. At all times we have the lesser states of consciousness we have mostly transcended still available to us. Picture these in concentric circles, forming the foundation holding up the present center of gravity with a brighter light. Having conformed to the environment, learned the rules and played them well, one sees a larger world and becomes restless to explore the brightness of that reality. It does not offer the belongingness of the present one, the friends who form a solid front to other ways of being. In fact it does not promise anything, and for a period there is sure to be loneliness. The aspirant is grasping onto the edge of the higher state, yet habits of thinking and relating are pulling him back to the old familiar ways, somewhat like a popular song called “That ole black magic has me in its spell, that ole black magic that I knew so well.” Whatever activities one was drawn to in the past stage of awareness will now look dark to him, yet he has not found and become part of a brighter group. Like a yo-yo, his thoughts rise up to the light in meditation and spin down again in his habitual thinking. This is true of every stage. Even after one has experienced extraordinary states of enlightenment, they are only temporary states, not permanent ones. Unable to sustain these states of bliss or ecstasy all the time he is often disappointed in himself. More than anything he wants to find a shortcut. He wants to find a teacher who will save him the hard work of constructing the bridge of light that will take him over the streams of consciousness that separate him from the soul, from the Triple Radiant Light, and from spirit or Ultimate Reality. He yearns to freely walk across the emotional stream, the mental stream, and beyond all form to the divine Truth! When you can submit your will to the will of the soul, you can harmonize with it. At first this happens as a result of friction between the two wills, personal and soul. Next, the agreement to follow the higher will happens at the earliest sign of the 147 divergent directions between your personal will and the will of the soul. Later, the response becomes spontaneous. Finally, the two merge as one, and an enormous amount of pain and suffering is left behind. It then becomes possible to accomplish far more than was possible in the past. As a result of this merging, the note of your personality moves into a harmonious note with that of your soul. A desire to play a part in aiding and lifting others becomes strong. Looking backward and living in the past gives way to sensing opportunities that are presented to you by the soul. The past is released rather than held close to your mind and heart. You realize that every experience, once you have made the choice to move forward into greater light and love and power, has brought something to you that is very valuable. This is not true for those who are living without a higher purpose or who are not particularly interested in transforming their consciousness to see from a finer light than the personality light. The personality light is dim at best. There is no comparison between the personality light (composed of the mind, emotions, and body) and the soul light or the light of the Divine Self. It is through meditation on the soul as you build the bridge of light that its light can infuse your mind and emotions and body. Imagine a dimly lighted room in your house suddenly being illuminated by a bright searchlight. In that light you would clear the room of all clutter, dust, and cobwebs. You would get rid of things in it that were no longer useful or needed. You would be driven to make that room ordered, pleasing, practical, and beautiful in the light of the soul. Once you can sustain this scene in your mind, it is as if you are seeing an object from every direction at once, from above, from each side, and from underneath. Anything that happens once can happen again. Finally, it may be possible to see from this altered perception at will. For those of you who actually finished this epistle, a reward. Here is an adaptation from a delightful stream of thought from Ken Wilber about who we are. 148 // We are often closer to our emotional group than the family into which we were born. When members of an emotional plane family contact each other on the physical plane, instant recognition is there. It is this group that we share classes with in the Hall of Learning where we receive instruction during sleep or at other times. We learn to destroy the glamours, which hide illumination. The band of invisible Helpers with whom we may be working and the band of Servers. Groups on the mental plane The two major causes of discouragement are the ebb and flow of soul contact. When vision is obscured, the fog shuts out the stars. Remember that day inevitably follow night. The light will come. Make the teaching of the Masters your own! Everything depends on your ability to grasp the inner meaning of events and to transmute the lessons on the inner planes into practical knowledge so that they become part of your experience and are no longer theoretical. Remember, you only need as much knowledge as you can use wisely for the illumination of those whom you can influence. It is always possible to misinterpret inspiration. Take time before any action to ask in meditation for corrections, additions, or changes in your understanding. Next, find your spiritual group. You can accomplish much more with a group. The soul rays and personality rays of the group, their experience, education, skills and assets will form a synthesis of spiritual light with the instruments of the personalities to carry out the group purpose and insights on the physical or mental planes. Three disciples can compose form a group or three hundred. , And of course it can be much larger. A small group of disciples is may be more effective through their united focus and purpose. A spiritually focused group galaxy and take its place in the higher purpose of this solar system. 149 Nervous system: Meditation that is prolonged or too intense may keep you wide awake and cause sleeplessness. It can cause a strained restlessness that does not let go, or an irritability that you did not have before. It can also cause twitching in your legs or arms, fingers or eyes, or a lowering of your vitality. These are needless effects. Use common sense. Study your temperament and use the methods that seem right for you. Discipline your life. Get enough sleep. Work with cautious slowness and not from impulse for the best results. The inner fires you are stimulating will follow the line of least resistance. Direct your attention of the creative impulse to the mental plane. Bring the divine fire to the throat center and head center so that it does not sink into and over stimulate the sexual center. After millions of years of very slow evolution, human evolution has speeded up exponentially. As one group joins another group, interactive groups form. A group does not mean one big happy circle of people who agree on every decision. Friction will still come up occasionally because personalities are of different types and see different solutions. However when the motivation to serve is strong and the group has a united focus, the spiritual forces will be stronger than personality ideas. Harmony will prevail. Each group has souls with less experience and those with a great deal of experience. Seekers learn to recognize the forces driving them forward; they learn to recognize those who are more experienced. Everyone has a part to play in a spiritual group and when a group develops group consciousness, each new member is welcomed with a warm heart. A visual picture: Visualize yourself fully available to the soul and to your spiritual group. Let this become a vivid picture in your mind, not just a hazy fantasy, and it will move you forward. Create a sense of inner quiet, and place yourself at the disposition of the soul, of your spiritual group, and of humanity. 1. Say silently with dynamic intention: “At the center of all love I stand; from that center, I the soul will outward move; 150 from that center, I the one who serves will work. May the love of the Divine Self be shed abroad, in my heart, through my group and throughout the world.” Next, see the group to which you belong as a center of love and light, irradiating the world of humanity, bringing Light, love, and healing in increasing measure. 3. Reflect on the plan to be carried out and upon the service for the coming day. Do this as the soul. Let the personality be in a waiting attitude attentive to instruction. Next, say: “The joy of the Divine Self is my strength. The power of the spirit of man shall triumph.” 5. Close with a minute of dynamic stillness. If you decide to use this visualization, keep it at your bedside to use when you awaken each morning. It takes only a few minutes and has a strengthening effect. Adapted from DINA I, A.A.Bailey) 1. Concentrate on bringing the life and power and energy of the Divine Self, the inner center into your brain consciousness and on to the physical plane. 2. Learn to align your personality so that your soul can communicate directly with your physical brain, guide your personality, and work out its purposes. 3. Gain a true understanding of the essential nature of being human. 151 Chapter 21 Focused Mind, Calm Emotions Gradually, we bring all the parts of our personality into a stable alignment with the soul, occasionally recognizing the harmonious blending between the note of the soul and that of the personality. The soul puts us through many layers of cleaning up the past, which is somewhat like a crowded storeroom of habits. Rather than stacks of papers and trinkets, this storeroom is filled with forms created out of thoughts. They are thought forms that we have created by repeatedly energizing a belief or fear or hope. When the light of the soul is shining through one’s mind, these come under its bright spotlight, usually one or two at a time. Many years ago I was given a long list of “thoughtforms” by my teacher. I was asked if I would like to see the traits in myself that were crowding out the clear light and I eagerly nodded my assent. As I listened, I agreed that each one was true, yet there was absolutely no blame implied. I simply had not realized traits did not match the energy of the soul. One of these was “scheming to make other peoples’ lives work better.” This surprised me because I did help people make their lives work better. Both of us were pleased. Yet as I looked at this trait in the light of my teacher, I realized that I was taking away the opportunity for each of these people to call forth their own inner resources of wisdom and strength and tenaciously hold on until they were successful in the changes they sought. This habit did not completely disappear. The difference is that I catch myself now when I want to show someone a shortcut through a problem rather than simply encourage him to ask the soul. The more we honor the greater light of our being, whether the soul or the Divine Self, the more rapidly we can absorb this light into the cells of our body and brain. It is also true that the light prevents the appearance of all the fears that have so long controlled us or limited our effectiveness. The world we see is our personal universe just as we have created it. Whatever we 152 love or hate in the world is a reflection in the mirror of our personal universe. We have helped to create the problems of the world through our own fears and anger and hatreds, or simply through not caring enough to lift and aid those whom we could reach by thought or action. In contrast, we have lifted personal and group problems, even world problems in some infinitesimal way, through the love we express every day, through the trust that we have in the divine Self within all people. We have helped clear the atmosphere of the mass thoughts through recognizing the basic good intentions of 99% of humanity. Even the remaining one percent still has an opportunity to wake up from the nightmare and change. As you take each step, the light of the soul stimulates your higher energy centers. This can create friction in the lower centers until the solar light can prevail in them. This friction lessens as you hold your mind in the light of the soul and through love and some type of service, the dense atoms of mind and body are spun away. Finally, the contagious quality of irritation or fear or anger from the atmosphere simply passes over; there is no longer enough of the denser vibration for them to find a landing place in your mind, emotions, or body. Every thought, every word, every action taken, has its own note, its own vibration and color. Thoughts centered on desires have an unpleasant color and a flat note. The exact hue of the color and the amplitude of the note depend upon the density of the thought itself. Thoughts of revenge, of justified anger (all anger is considered justified by the angry ones), of hatred have a particularly unpleasant color. We are mere mortal as humans; as the divine Self, we are immortal. We need and use the personality to give hands, feet, and voice to the truth of life. We do have been downloading programs of human behavior for a very long time. 153 Chapter 23 Focused Mind: Calm Emotions Since the human race has lived from the emotional plane for a few thousand years, the line of least resistance is to fall into that familiar feel/think mode. regardless of how strong an emotion is when you feel it coming over you, it is not who you are. You have emotions, and you are not your emotions. You have a mind; it can be bright and clear one day or fuzzy and dull the next day, and you are not your mind. You have a brain and body, vivacious and full of energy or weak and fatigued, but you are not your body. When we are conscious of ourselves as the soul, we realize that we are a soul with a body, a mind, and emotions. We are not a mind that has a soul or a body that has a soul, we are not our feelings that have a soul. None of these is who we are. Our soul needs these parts of us for its voice, its hands and feet. They are its instruments to carry out its purpose here. “Knowing about” the bridge, knowing about being a point of light within a greater light does not change anything. Thought is humanity’s great tool for learning, and intelligent thought, reasoning thought, illuminated thought is even finer preparation for a non-rational world of reality. Learning chants in Sanskrit, studying the stoics of Greece love affair with “reason” or Kant’s picture of the human mind as an active originator of experience rather than just a passive recipient of perception, or Shakespeare’s grasp of human nature, is a superb expansion of the mind’s capacity to think, perceive, and compare. Recognizing the similarities in the foundation of major religions strengthens the mind. Nothing is wasted; knowledge gained through contemplation is as valuable as knowledge gained through experience in the world. Then one day, boom!! The impasse from knowledge to illumination will break through and alignment will shoot skyward; illumination then shines into the mind and brain shifting and expanding vision. 154 The struggle finally ends of piercing through the fog of the astral plane. Once the light penetrates; it breaks through the cocoon of the intellect; changes happen. All the knowledge gathered about life and death, about heaven and hell, about good and evil, about the world, begins to awaken something very deep within. A greater wisdom bubbles up to the surface. All the knowledge gained fits into this larger wisdom. Each piece of knowledge becomes part of a larger picture; each adds to the great puzzle of life. The history of humanity reveals the continuous evolution of humanity, yet never has the human mind evolved so rapidly as today, The sages say there is no rush. Evolution will proceed, although without the inner drive and focus to force one’s evolution, enlightenment is said to be at least 250,000 years in the future, give or take a few thousand years, without an intensity of purpose to stay on target. ***** On the other hand if we are willing to shift out of our personal near-sighted focus and create the receptors that enable us to perceive the great vision of the Divine Self, we can make enormous strides on the path of light in this lifetime. The only person who can stop us is you, which inevitably will struggle to hold the power. It may criticize us, stir up some ancient fear within us, and attack our common sense, our intelligence. It will try to convince us that nothing we do will make any difference. It will attempt to seduce us to enjoy life as it is now. The obstacles blocking our bridge of light at any point were once assets, yet now they are no longer useful. Like training wheels for a beginning bicycle rider, they prevent many falls, yet at a certain point, the rider must take the risks involved in learning to balance his shifting weight on the bicycle. Only he can learn this balance, and success comes more quickly to those who visualize themselves riding up and down the street with perfect balance, not to those who keep visualizing the last fall off the bicycle. 155 We are standing at the middle point in the evolution of our consciousness -- the superhuman and the subhuman. This is the stage where it is possible for us to realize the triple nature of life. We can become aware of individualization, aware of subhuman forces that we are learning to control, and aware of a place within the plan and purpose of a greater Being. Our role as humans is to act as an agent of mediation between the subhuman and the superhuman states. This requires us to work out ways of creating a conscious relationship and response to the animal kingdom. It means that we must learn to receive and hold vibrations from superhuman lives and transmit them consciously to the subhuman states. It is through this divine connection that we become an intelligent co-operator, responsive to forces from the outside that are in contact with us. It is through this connection that we become aware of the yet unused forces and energies that each of us has, to contribute to the good of all things. Two things must happen: the theories we read about must become practical experiences. We can make such a shift in consciousness through our experiences. We move beyond our present vision to embrace a deeper and entirely different recognition. Our former vision holds no more interest for us. New knowledge replaces the old. We are triple aspects of energy, Monad-ego-personalities, or spirit-soul-body. Humanity is in essence a Monad, with seven soul groups or rays. Whether we are in incarnation or out, we fit into one of these aspects of the Monad. Chapter 24 Two Great Unions on the Path of Return First we construct a bridge of light to the soul and make all the adjustments in our 156 own lives that the light of the soul reveals. We learn to work with the soul, to purify our minds, our emotions, and our body so that these frequencies can merge with the soul. The Bridge of Light I book lays out each step in this construction to the soul. Once we have managed enough merging with the soul that it prevails over our personality ways, we are prepared to extend this bridge from soul to the divine Self. This Self is our true Self; it is the light that the soul reflects. The three aspects of spirit – divine light, divine love, and divine will – are emanating from these higher dimensions of light. Through perseverance, love and service, you will gain the capacity to meet this Self face to face. As you become infused with the light of the soul through meditation on your bridge of light, a rhythm is set up between the personality and soul. A magnetic field builds between them and they swing into each other’s field of influence. These two magnetic units begin to consciously work in tandem. At this point you have reached the first great union upon the Path of Return. This second half of the bridge leads to the second great union upon the Path of Return. This is the union between the personality/soul the Divine Self. This union eventually leads to liberation from the material world. This second great union happens when the bridge expands the space between the soul and its source, the divine self or Spiritual Triad. Many seekers miss this opportunity because they do not realize the next stage of illumination and the steps to reach it. Yet all who work consciously with the soul and demonstrate love and service in their lives can realize this second great union. The obstacle that holds back many sincere aspiring souls is the presence of emotional illusions. They stop at the halfway point on the bridge simply because they do not know how to proceed in building perfectly the link between the triple light of the Divine Self and the personality. We reconnect with the superhuman forces of light, we can see and work from the plane of intuition with spiritual perception. Once linked with our intuitive nature, we can see from above the fogs that swirl around humanity and bring in spiritual perception. Through perseverance in meditation, we can build the receptors to the 157 illumination of this Self. Until our mind prevails over our emotional nature, we attach to these familiar feelings that give us satisfaction (or not) unaware that the illumination of the divine self is blocked from our consciousness. Even sincere seekers meditating daily can temporarily find themselves strongly influenced by the thoughts of those personalities who use emotional force to stir up a reaction in others. Quite naturally, we drop back down into the personality where true vision is lacking. The fog generated by these swirling astral energies makes it virtually impossible for the light of spirit to break through to the everyday mind. As the bridge of light is built, there are definite steps to merge the dim light of the personality (body, emotions, mind) with the three points of light from the soul. Next, the triangle light of the soul reflecting the divine Self is extended to cross the space between the soul and the highest Self. Each point of the radiant spiritual triangle corresponds with the light that the soul is reflecting -- divine intelligence, divine love and divine will. This progressive moving from one stage to the next higher stage is part of the plan. Whatever seems to be the whole picture now will later become part of a greater whole. It will fit beautifully into the larger whole; the lesser vibrating tones will shift into harmony with the greater triangle of spiritual energy. Once this new harmony is created, a beautiful chord sounds from the combined tones, and a larger whole appears. We may not immediately realize the finer note of the larger whole is impinging upon our consciousness. The changes may seem to seem from our bright mind, open heart or soul light. But any higher note disturbs our sense of satisfaction in life. We feel alternately “in the light” and out of the light as if something is out of tune and we are compelled to find the sour note and fix it. It becomes obvious that the off notes are coming from our sense of self. We have outgrown its familiar boundaries and yet we do not see a “jumping off” place into a larger Self. This is the beauty and the power of the bridge of light. Because we have identified for so long with the false self of the personality, or even with the soul, the 158 reflection of the divine Self, we are utterly afraid to place all our thoughts entirely within the circle of the larger Self. If this happens, think about how many times you have moved beyond your identity, from being a five year old child who needed the assurance of mother’s warm love, and father’s self-confidence, to the role of an adult in the world, functioning independently in mind and body. First, we learn to control the subhuman little lives in our own body, at least sixty trillion of them. Whereas their appetites once controlled us, impelling us to put a great deal of attention on food, sex, exercise, or sleep, we emerge free from that control, and create a good body, using our intelligence and common sense to free our time and attention for other things. Early in the spiral of human evolution, we gain this control through experience. Once we realize that our emotions are actually controlling part of our life, such as reacting to situations with a strong feeling that crowds out the voice of the reasoning mind and the still small guidance of the soul itself. These reactions seem like the way the world is. It takes deep reflection to realize that we are projecting our emotions out into the world. It takes the light of our mind linked to the light of our soul to recognize which emotions are controlling our lives, and to realize that they are not who we are. We realize that our emotions should be working for and supporting us, motivating us to keep going, to begin again when we slip up, assisting us to enjoy our work and play, offering lightness and humor plus an inner sense of enthusiasm. It becomes clear that emotions are like an audio DVD playing out its program and repeating the program with the touch of a button. Our emotional patterns work in the same way, playing out their program and repeating the whole scene when that button that causes us to react is pushed again. We have to identify the emotions that betray and work against us, then befriend them and retrain them. It does not work to suppress them; buried emotions can cause more trouble. 159 If we ask what emotions are since they are so fluid and can change from moment to moment. Often we call them “thoughts” but they do not come from the mind; they come from our solar plexus center and are the cause of many of our addictions. Even the habit of being sad is a program manufactured in the solar plexus center. Fear is an especially prevalent emotion today that is exploited daily by the media. Speculation on the death of the human race if a meteor should hit the earth is an example. All the emotional spheres have been created by humanity through the ages; the atmosphere is permeated with the subjective mist that allows only the dim light. Clear reason is fogged over by the ugly colors of hatred and fear, blame and jealousy. You can free yourself from this entrapment and live in the world of reality, choosing light over darkness, and dissipating these emotional clouds. Many small groups are meeting for this purpose and having excellent results. After dissipating their own emotional illusions, they work to dissipate world illusions of this type. Footnote: The formulas for this work are public. To study the problem of glamours, read Glamour: A World Problem by A. A. Bailey in which the Tibetan Djwhal Khul gives the formulas for dissipating glamours. The next stage of consciousness is learning to control the trillions of atoms or tiny lives that make up one’s thoughts. The everyday minds of humanity are filled with mental illusions and dissipating these illusions requires the light of the soul. Identifying and dissolving illusions is the stage for those who are mentally focused rather than emotionally focused. A few people have soul and personality rays of light that attract illusions rather than glamours. The rest of us have both, glamours and illusions. We have adopted these patterns of feelings and thoughts from parents, the environment, the worlds’ cultures and religions. These are typical effects from emotions pushing you to rush from one activity to another in an effort to “escape from” something, rather than going toward a higher vision of yourself and stepping free from the smaller one as you embody the higher 160 vision. Perception: On the path of return, there is no rush. On the other hand there is not a minute to lose. Concentrate on perception in meditation. With perception you become aware of something directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing. You gain understanding of or apprehend the meaning of something. Response Ability: In the greater light of the soul, we see our true responsibilities. Through the inspiration of the divine self, we awaken to our spiritual group, to our Master and the spiritual group around the Master. We stop standing on the periphery of the circle of our spiritual group and work in toward the center “point.” How? We do all that we can to unite our local groups. We recognize our own petty thoughts that divide and destroy them. We hold our mind “steady in the light” rather than reacting to others’ opinions and methods of working. We put our major attention on our group responsibilities and how we can strengthen the group. We learn what it means to love without sentiment, to focus on the One work rather than interfere with the methods of other disciples. The one work essentially involves demonstrating the uniting effects of the Greatest Light and the healing effects of Divine Love. It includes being receptive to the Plan for the evolution of humanity and finding our role in that Plan. Many people today are profound assistants in the One Work even though they have never heard of the ageless wisdom teachings or such terms as the soul, the divine Self, the Monad or spirit. They may not even believe in God, at least the God that is presented by religious creeds. They work tirelessly and unselfishly to bring the Plan into manifestation on earth through a developed love for humanity and a clear organized intelligent mind. They have brought the two together, mind and heart, and can use power without the possibility of harmfulness. 161 We also have responsibilities in the physical world, with family, community, business and home. These cannot be ignored or rejected. Discrimination develop discrimination and realize the difference between an illumined idea and a personality idea. Until that point forces of energy from the astral plane (even the highest section of this plane) prevail and overshadow the pure mental ideas that are available in the Spiritual Triangle of Illumination. On the astral plane an idea ignites the inner fire of the personality and the resulting emotional reaction prevails as a thought forms around that emotional reaction. We try to help a friend or a group, and we discover that we have interfered. We have weakened the other rather than strengthened him. We have tried to fulfill his responsibilities for him and taken away the tests his soul has set up for his next step. We have worked with the highest of intentions to help, without the light of the soul. We acted from what we saw on the physical plane, rather than find the cause that lies within a problem. Fixing surface problems is an endless effort of temporary effects that do not last. This is where discrimination becomes vitally important. Every spiritual seeker learns quickly that she has to meet her own responsibilities in the material world, and also meet her responsibilities in the spiritual world. Procrastination Those responsibilities we put off will delay any real progress. That which we know we must do and do not do claims a portion of our life energy. We become involved with an ongoing argument with ourselves, taking one side and then the other. We give ourselves reasons that we do not have time to do that inner or outer task. We are too tired, too busy, too distracted, and too fearful that we can succeed. We may first find a reason to blame someone else, and the next day find reasons to feel guilty. Once you have looked at something you feel responsible for and decided that it 162 comes from a response to the light of your soul, rather than others’ efforts to run your life, realize that a door has been opened for you to take the next step forward in your spiritual life. This door is timed, and it will close if you ignore it. Be fleetfooted in asking for the inspiration of the divine self and allowing your soul to direct you. Take action. Get up earlier to develop the qualities needed in meditation to handle this responsibility. Ask for greater courage, knowledge, love, compassion, patience, understanding, wisdom, an organized mind, a sense of humor, or higher will. Focus on one quality every day for a week until ideas come to mind of how to meet this responsibility. Do not be surprised if opportunities pour in for you to gain experience in the quality you invoked in meditation. Joy comes from responding to the soul and to the divine self. Your ability to respond or response ability draws greater opportunities to you now than before you created the bridge to your soul. No sooner than the adjustments are made in daily life to express this whole self, another larger whole slides into view. “The purpose of evolution is to merge every separated unit into one great whole.” The Divine Self inspires, the soul directs, and the personality serves. You can merge the lesser lights of the self into one integrated unit. The worlds we live in are distinctly different. Each higher stage has a greater vision that comes from a clearer light. Each stage reveals a greater capacity for love that includes a greater variety of living beings and moves beyond sentiment. When one’s life interest turns to spiritual realities, and the will to persevere is stabilized, the wheel begins to slowly turn in the opposite direction. From our eyes focused on the material world, our eyes are later directed toward the spiritual world. Thus, the material self of the personality begins to receive signals of light from the soul and spiritual Self. The result is an inevitable conflict of 163 viewpoints, of goals, and vision. That which is terribly important to the analytical mind is often unimportant to the soul mind. That which insults the personality is ignored completely by the soul as trivia. The personality is in pain through fears and anxiety. The soul knows no pain, no fear, and no anxiety. You may check out the gain of the past months or years and also check out the effect of this gain upon your life now from day to day. You can also carefully note the effects in your physical body. The will-to-live as a spiritual being becomes foremost in thought and this creates immediate progress. The next step is to cross over the gap in consciousness between the soul and the Divine Self, and tap into the three divine aspects of this Self. this radiant Triple Light penetrates your mind, a transformation begins that allows you to experience an increasingly richer reality. Your sense of self steadily expands -- until you realize this Self as a great spiritual power, and acknowledge that this power is yours. Once you project lines of light from your bridge to this Self, you can also recognize the beautiful light of the soul in others. You create a natural receptivity to illumination that in the past may only have been available in extreme emergencies. 164 PART FOUR ABOUT PART FOUR Chapter 2 The Masters of Humanity The Shining Teachers of the human race are ceaselessly working for the evolution of humanity, assisting in every way possible to help humanity to rise into a new vision of life rather than to sink deeper into the material world of illusion. This term includes all the saints, sages, and the Masters of Humanity. The great battle is to free the human soul from its prison, to gain the knowledge, experience, and freedom needed to fulfill the purpose for which it came to this planet. The battle is between those forces that would block this great transition for humanity and those forces of light that work for the freedom of the human soul. Humanity has risen from the ashes of many civilizations in its long and agonizing journey back to its original face. It has always risen again, each time creating a better civilization. Today humanity is at a major crisis point of evolution, a challenging, difficult, and dangerous crossroad. Somehow humanity must break through out of its ancient spell. Humanity has long been hypnotized into the belief that this life is its only life. The belief that when the body dies, the soul goes with it is a superstition that comes from being separated from the soul. The hypnotic spell that humanity fell under creates an atmosphere of fear, suspicion, and greed. In this century that hypnotic spell is losing its grip. Mankind is struggling to emerge as a free and independent soul. After this freedom to think for oneself and to join the religion of one’s choice, or no religion, the next step must follow very quickly; each must cooperate with other souls who are working in the light. Finding one’s spiritual group on the physical plane is tremendous help; that group is part of a greater group of free souls working together for the good of humanity. Each of us has created our lives to this point and we are creating our future each day 165 by our thoughts and words and actions. Connected with the soul, sensitive to the souls of others, we can use spiritual forces toward a joyful civilization of good will and cooperation. The most powerful group thoughts will prevail and determine humanity’s future. Awakening and awakened souls find their part to play in bringing light, love, and power into the physical plane. These divine qualities are pouring into the world from extra-planetary sources. What is needed now are conscious souls who catch these energies and send them on to the world. Bridging the gaps to the soul mind and the illuminating mind may be the single most important task in front of us right now. At the present stage of human evolution, a break in consciousness exists between the personality and the soul and between the soul and the Divine Self. When these are crossed over and connected, the personality and soul minds become direct recipients of divine intelligence, divine love, and divine will. A vast intelligence and an inclusive love for all people will develop. The atmosphere above the swirling mists and fogs prevalent today, is dramatically different. Spiritual expansion begins when we move past the fog of emotions; it is strengthened when we bring these insights and understanding into our everyday world. Opportunities are unprecedented. Your mind is already developing at an accelerated rate with the information available today. Imagine the difference when you have the soul connection and the soul presents tests to you. These tests are actually opportunities to move to the next stage, the next level. Every crossroads is then an opportunity to use spiritual forces to make a wise choice, The soul guides the way when there is a fork in the road. Even though your brain may not consciously register it, light flashes throughout your being; you may register this as a sense of intense awareness. Each time the illumination will be all that you can use. Too much illumination is blinding. Everything fades out and you lose perspective. After invoking the soul, take time to allow your mind and heart to absorb it into your mind and heart. Weave the light into an article, lyrics or music; 166 create whatever expresses the highest light within you. Fortunately, many thousands of people are ready to extend their consciousness to the divine essence Self within. The soul reflects this light and draws its energy from it. The more frequently you travel across the bridge from your ordinary mind to the soul mind, the more clearly you can feel, see or hear on the subtle planes of reality. Once built the bridge is always there so that you can cross over the space in consciousness between the physical world and your spiritual home. Gradually, through meditation you strengthen it. . It is especially helpful to sustain a spiritual connection throughout the day, to think from this light, to let it infuse our emotions, and to act from inspiration that comes in; this process strengthens this link and assures success in realizing our presence in the higher dimensions of light. Many people are learning to extend their consciousness to the divine being within. These living streams of energy are at the core of every soul. They run underground, unrecognized until the soul is advanced. When we are living in the rhythm of the soul, we will be ready to bridge the next gap in consciousness and stand face to face with the divine Self where we can see truth, free from illusions. Whether you think of the Divine Self as within your higher unconsciousness or out there somewhere in space, you can extend your bridge of light to it. You can establish an open channel of communication with its divine knowledge, divine love, and divine will. Once you are building a bridge of light to the soul, a rare experience of the Divine Self may come to you. These are never forgotten. No matter how brief, the first contact with the Divine Self reassures you that your efforts to tap into the divine nature of your true Self are succeeding. Over time, with meditation, love, and service, you can become aware of a completely new and expanded consciousness. 167 << (Adapted from Externalization of the Hierarchy, pp. 310-311) When the New Group of World Servers all the world disciples stand united to and evoke help from divine will, a response is inevitable. It comes in response to the sincere invocations of humanity for help in creating a much better world. Its The power of divine will awakens the higher mind to see and work toward a civilization composed of light. Many light workers or disciples pronounce this invocation daily70 by those of every major religion and of those who are spiritually focused and not religious. . We created a second website, invited, which and it has attracted Spiritual workers around the world. They create or join or create a triangle and link with the other two their triangle members in their triangles to send light, and love and power to humanity. One morning a woman from Florida created a new triangle and by nightfall, a man from Pakistan and a woman from Singapore had joined her triangle. They were in instant contact exchanging ideas and visions for the world. Lighting up their triangle online after they say the Great Invocation, the Each triangle gets brighter as its members light it up online. and their members both see and feel their support. It is inspiring to see these pages of online triangles sparkling and glowing. On the subtle plane the substance of All these 500 triangles is interlace d with each other and become another powerful unit of the worldwide with the entire network of Triangles of Light worldwide. . This network grows as the triangles members spread the word. Purpose will one day guide humanity as a whole; it will eventually guide the life and activity of all life forms on our planet. As you recognize that a world of meaning exists behind the physical world, you also realize that you can investigate this world, enter into its energy and bring make it available. From the point of light within the mind of God, Let light stream forth into the human minds, Let light descend on Earth 168 From the point of love within the heart of God, Let love stream forth into human hearts, May the coming one return to earth. From the center called the human race, Let the plan of love and light work out, And may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the plan on Earth. This invocation does not belong to any religious or other group. It is intended for all men and women worldwide and is becoming a powerful spiritual force as it spreads into every village and city of the world in seventy languages.undeleted belowholding Divine Self, , , and the illuminating mind streaming through the soul. When you can submit your will to the will of the soul, you can harmonize with it. At first this happens as a result of friction between the two wills, personal and soul. Next, the agreement to follow the higher will happens at the earliest sign of the divergent directions between your personal will and the will of the soul. Later, the response becomes spontaneous. Finally, the two merge as one, and an enormous amount of pain and suffering is left behind. It then becomes possible to accomplish far more than was possible in the past. As a result of this merging, the note of your personality moves into a harmonious note with that of your soul. A desire to play a part in aiding and lifting others becomes strong. Looking backward and living in the past gives way to sensing opportunities that are presented to you by the soul. The past is released rather than held close to your mind and heart. You realize that every experience is very valuable, once you have made the choice to move forward into greater light and love and power, has brought something to you that This is not true for those who are living without a higher purpose or who are not particularly interested in transforming their consciousness to see from a finer light than the personality light. The personality light is dim at best. There is no comparison between the personality light (composed of the mind, emotions, and body) and the soul light or the light of the Divine Self. It is through meditation on the soul as you build the bridge of light 169 that its light can infuse your mind and emotions and body. Imagine a dimly lighted room in your house suddenly being illuminated by a bright searchlight. In that light you would clear the room of all clutter, dust, and cobwebs. You would get rid of things in it that were no longer useful or needed. You would be driven to make that room ordered, pleasing, practical, and beautiful in the light of the soul. The divine will on your life and intention. Who Is Your Spiritual Group Your spiritual group is your Master’s group. If you do not know who your Master is and many do not know, you still belong to a group. As your soul consciousness emerges and unfolds, and as you develop a steady capacity to hold your mind in the light and become active for the Master’s work, you will be moved into the Master’s ashram, a far smaller group of those who have taken the first, second, or third initiations and are committed to serve as the soul. Those who have made contact with the soul or Divine Self are forming groups all over the world. New groups are quietly forming through word of mouth. They have a loose organization, connecting telepathically even more than on the physical plane. If they live in the same area, they usually meet each week or each month. They have no need for a formal organization. Everyone contributes according to his or her knowledge and experience. Each one assumes responsibility for integrating his personality. The meetings are for meditation and discussion on the week’s subject that is chosen by the group. A spiritual group can have only three people and still be effective. Such groups do not automatically become more effective when they are large. The power flowing through a group depends on the harmony established by the group, the intention of the group, and the freedom from personality interference. Wherever you choose your spiritual group, you can experience the power of three or more linked together with a united focus, determined to live with ears turned toward the inner whispering of higher intuition, to speak the words that act only as a force for good, and to keep their eyes focused toward the highest light. Gradually, in any spiritual group, a group consciousness emerges that exceeds individualistic molds. It is through groups such as these, meditating regularly, learning, teaching, and offering the best 170 they know to the group, that the Masters can offer initiation. Now, the great achievements are no longer the work of one individual, rather they are the effect of a group of like minds linked as souls, inspired by the Divine Self, and merged with divine Will. Wherever you choose your spiritual group, you can experience the power of three or more linked together with a united focus, determined to live with ears turned toward the inner whispering of higher intuition, to speak the words that act only as a force for good, and to keep their eyes focused toward the highest light. Gradually, in any spiritual group, a group consciousness emerges that exceeds individualistic molds. It is through groups such as these, meditating regularly, learning, teaching, and offering the best they know to the group, that the Masters can offer initiation. Now, the great achievements are no longer the work of one individual, rather they are the effect of a group of like minds linked as souls, inspired by the Divine Self, and merged with divine Will. If you are interested in our group, we welcome your inquiries. Meeting others on a similar vibration as your soul is rewarding in many ways. We return in each life to take up work with those who we have known and loved and worked with in the past. This recognition of a beloved friend of old is subtle, yet very powerful. The opportunity to learn to work beyond personality affairs is very useful. Meditating together in a group is the true reward for everyone. There is no doubt that we can reach higher spiritual forces in simultaneous meditation, and that we can bring about a greater spiritual influence for the world. We meet once or twice a year for three days of meditation and sharing. Each member lives according to her own wisdom and soul guidance. She does not hand the authority for her life over to anyone. The soul is each one’s master and guide and each one handles his own personality affairs. Members are focused on adding light to the group to the best of their ability. The Path of Light program began in 1996 and continues to grow and deepen. They Members come describe the joy of meditating with a group of like-minded souls. Each member joins in transmitting light to his or her small group of nine and to humanity. They delight in serving as recipients of higher spiritual energies and projecting this energy out to aid others. This group meditates for all those who will 171 join them in the future. (Again subjectively through meditation) and call each other’s names aloud as the wheel begins to turn slowly. Members visualize a “wheel of illumination,” imagining each soul as a lighted spoke merging in the center of light. The group radiance spreads in many directions as a result of all the meditations to distribute light, love and power to humanity. We meet twice each year in person and/or by remote. It is stimulating to be able to meet other souls on a similar frequency who are united in focus to help lift the pain of the world with spiritual forces. put a face where you only had a name and a sense of that soul before. The inclusive warmth of the group comes from , and from the soul-infused personality. The focus is not on the personal, invincible spiritual energy, both on the subtle planes and on the physical plane. These pioneers in group work are from many fields of study and career; they come from different countries with different goals, the whole complex of rays, and varying backgrounds. From healers to teachers and parents, musicians, artists, authors, businessmen and women, they are courageous souls building go through the shifts in consciousness and love for themselves, each other, and humanity. Members come from many religious and non-religious backgrounds; they are teachers, artists, psychological therapists, authors, life coaches, physicians, mothers, fathers, students, and business people. They live all over the world, from Borneo, China, and Brazil to Europe, U.S.A. and Canada. Each of us is absorbing and unfolding ourselves as a soulinspired, soul-empowered, Divine Self inspired being. This group is presently focused on three qualities: First, through meditation and clear thinking, we recognize that the keynote of this planet is Joy, emerging from divine love and divine light. Secondly, we seek daily to clear our minds of illusions and eliminate theses and other obstacles to spirit. Thirdly, we seek to extend our sphere of light to be a station of light for other seekers. Our vision is for wheels of illumination serving as lighted spheres and stations of light throughout the world. These wheels would be receptive to the guidance of those Shining Teachers from the intuitive plane leading humanity forward. Imagine how different our world can be as many groups united in love, broadcast hope, encouragement, love and wisdom. Like a magnificent diamond necklace, the light of each group sparkles as a center of power to assist humanity in its imminent shift into the heart and soul. 172 End of insert) Each of us has three groups we belong to on the physical plane, our family, our associates, and our business, casual and close friends, including people we touch briefly and see no more. Our work with them is first to repay an obligation should such a debt have been incurred and secondly to test out our powers to influence them positively, to recognize responsibility and to help. The Guides of the race watch and see our actions and reactions, thus know our response to any surrounding need. The third group on the physical plane is the band of servers, the group under some Great Master that is definitely united for work of a spiritual nature. This can be in a church, in social work, political work, of one of the pioneer movements of the world for the New Age. We are responsible to each of these 3 groups. We must play our part and determine to play our part perfectly so that we may work out from under karmic obligation and advance toward ultimate liberation. We must also carry our group to greater heights and usefulness. If we neglect our responsibilities (which are karmic obligations) we delay the purpose of our life and will have to play it all out again in a later life. Your Group on the Emotional Plane We are closer to our emotional plane family group than the family into which we were born. 1. When members of an emotional plane family contact each other on the physical plane, instant recognition is there. 2. The class in the Hall of Learning to which we are assigned and in which we receive instruction. 3. The band of invisible Helpers with whom we may be working and the band of 173 Servers. In case of acute fears, flush the entire personality with pure white light. Your Group on the Mental Plane Groups of pupils of the Master to whom you are connected and with whom you are working. The Masters teach students to think, to have clear vision, to be capable of logical reasoning, to work out their own problems. You will share similar values and goals. The effectiveness of this group far surpasses that of any one individual working alone. Shared spiritual goals are what hold a spiritual group together. When each member is connected with the soul, a group soul begins to form that is much brighter and more radiant than any of the individual souls. The soul breathes love, and this love magnetically unites all sides of an individual just as it connects the individuals within the group. A major problem for groups on the mental plane and for the other groups as well is discouragement and the depression that can result. Let us look at some of the causes of discouragement: 1. Ebb and flow of soul contact. When vision is obscured, stars shut out by the fog: Remember, after night comes the day 2. Lowered vitality of the body. Astral body makes too strong a demand on the physical and in an effort to respond and the incapacity to do so well enough, discouragement results. Rest and relaxation is the answer. Give time for nature to adjust the trouble. Sun revitalizes also. Adjust your work to your capacity, not to the overwhelming need. 3. Over development of the concrete mind, which in turn makes too great a demand on the emotional nature, and in turn on the physical. 4. Too great a capacity to see all around a subject, too disproportionate a comprehension of the world’s need and too quick an understanding of the many issues involved will produce a violent vibration in the astral body. This leads to a shattering of the physical vehicle—and is experienced as discouragement. 5. Learn wise balancing and mental equilibrium. Realize that time, eternity, 174 evolution brings all things to pass. Everything does not depend on individual effort. The end is sure. In quietness adjust yourself and in contemplation sense the ultimate achievement of that great factor, Time. 6. Balancing of the pairs of opposites. When the pendulum swings—as it must and does—towards that which we call dark and undesirable, it produces a tension, which results in discomfort in all the bodies. This is specially sensed as depression by the physical body. The more sensitive your body, the greater your responsiveness to this temptation. It renders you negative and receptive from the form side and slows down your vibration. It prevents achievement and your service to the world. The cure for discouragement here does not lie in cultivating a violent counter vibration. It lies in the wise use of the mental body and in a capacity to reason logically and to see the cause of the condition. Four Points to Keep in Mind A. Still the concrete mind. Link with the soul, your soul group, and with the Master. B. Next, work with pure dispassion and with no desire to see the fruit of action. You will eventually attain an equilibrium that nothing can disturb. C. You only need as much knowledge as you can use wisely for the illumination of those whom you can influence. D. Make the teaching of the Masters your own! Everything depends on your ability to grasp the inner meaning of all events and to transmute the lessons on the inner planes into practical knowledge so that they become part of y our experience and are no longer theoretical. Your Master’s Group You also have a spiritual group whose members are in your Master’s group. This group meets on the higher telepathic dimensions of thought. As you become sensitive and receptive to this group’s energy, you can recognize your presence with them in meditation, especially during the full moon periods of each month when the Master is closest to humanity and the doors to the Hierarchy are wide open. The glimpses of this reality may be fleeting, later you may have an experience of 175 illumination that changes your life, one that sweeps through and lights up your world. First, the bridge is constructed to serve as a channel of light. Knowledge turns to wisdom when it is experienced in the world. The more successful this process is, the brighter the bridge to the Divine Self becomes. Everything depends upon our response to the good, the true and the beautiful. This ever-nourishing stream of energy steadily increases as we ex *** “Who is the Divine Self? The Divine Self is you, not the “you” that you call “I” but the true Self at the center of your being. This is the One that has been hidden from your eyes, from your ears, from your feelings, and from your mind except for brief flashes of time, and it is exquisite in the splendor of its existence. The Divine Self is not hiding from you; you are hiding from it. Once this Self prevails in your thoughts and in your actions, it deeply affects the lives of others. Its love emanates like the sweet fragrance of orange blossoms wafting through the warm spring air. Once linked with it, this love emanates from your life. You as a personality arise in the vast openness of the Divine Self. This present Self is ever aware of you as a personality. It watches you arise just as it watches the trees arise. It cannot be seen, only felt as a certainty. It is the I am That I am-ness. You have always known this Self. There was never a time that you did not know this. It is utter peace radiating beauty. You might say that you, the personality, are an object just like the clouds and the mountains rising and falling within this Self. There is no use to search for this Self. It can never be found because it was never lost. It is looking through your eyes right now as you read this page. This Self looks through the eyes of everyone; it hears through the ears of everyone. The Self sees itself in the eyes of the other. It hears itself in the voice of the other. It is the life behind your heartbeat and behind that of all life. The Self sees your personality 176 searching for it even while claiming the Self’s throne. You know this Self. It is much closer than your heart. It is divine love eradicating hate, light dispelling the darkness; it is life ever increasing. Do not think of this Self as out there or as part of who you are; it is who you are, exactly that, unveiling the unending present moment, without past or future. You already know that the presence has no end; there has never been a time when the presence ended. The presence is all you will ever know. Awakening to the presence of the Divine Self, you understand life and death as the illusion of the not self. You understand the real and know all else as an object within the real. Even the individual soul gets entangled in the material world and loses touch with this Self. This Self watches the whole world and all the objects in it rising and falling.” 177 Chapter 26 Additional Exercises Now that you are revealing the divine light within to yourself and to the world, you will be recognizing who you are in an entirely new light. Listening from the Whole Self – An exercise for two or more Deep within the essence of our being, we are one with all humanity. We come from the same divine essence. we can find and identify with this Self and live from its wisdom and love. Dr. Dr. John Enright, often led this exercise when we taught together. Without exception, regardless of the culture, from Japan to Australia to the U.S., it was very helpful. Invite someone to join you, a friend you know well or a friend whom you trust to hold a focus with you as you explore a deeper dimension of yourself. This exercise activates the wise self within each of us. If you decide to use this exercise, read it several times to a partner so that both of you understand and agree to the process. It is also appropriate to invite a third person to be the observer and to monitor the listener (keep her head straight, not tilted, or up or down, as she listens. Every movement would be a signal to the speaker that interferes with his wise self discovery. When the next six minutes are up, each freely shares the thoughts and insights that came up, both as listener and as speaker. There is no substitute for a witness, someone who will listen from the heart and mind without interrupting, and give your deepest thoughts the chance to come to the surface, thoughts that have never been expressed. Surprisingly, these revelations may begin with a negative approach, yet closely following that beginning is a radical loving, healing energy. Each time I lead this exercise, it inspires all of us as the group shares their insights 178 during the process. If you try this exercise, use six minutes exactly for each person to speak without interruption. If the speaker begins to cry, to laugh, or sit silently with her eyes closed, know that something of importance is happening. Main eye contact, relaxed shoulders with head straight and a non-responsive expression (no matter how funny or sad your partner is) so that you do not manipulate your partner’s wise self-discovery. One day we will realize the splendor of divine love and divine understanding that the Divine Self embodies. It will shine through thoughts, in the voice, and words. A first step is to practice listen to others with your whole self. Even if you know what they will say and you have heard it before, the experience will be new, for you and for the other person. The habit of half-listening to others while waiting to speak is a personality habit that prevents a true connection from the heart or soul. Everyone knows when the listener is not actually present. The speaker is pouring out energy in an effort to break through and reach the other person. A visual image: Practice opening to the magical possibility of the moment when you are truly present as the soul to someone else. The speaker will realize a profound sense of being heard, accepted and understood, often for the first time. To embrace another person’s inner sanctuary is to know a profound sense of peace. This experience will stimulate an acute alertness in which you hear your own words as if you were a witness to them too. You are listening to them from your deep Self and both of you will learn from this experien 179 Chapter 27 Where To Go From Here The following statements are by the Tibetan Teacher, Djwhal Khul. They express precisely where we go from here, once we have built the bridge of light (the antahkarana.) I cannot imagine a wiser spiritual consultant than this Teacher, except perhaps the Christ and the Buddha. “Only by the united effort of the people of peaceful intention and of innate freedom from hatred can the forces of destruction be offset. The human family, after the stage of personality integration is reached, reacts with increasing consciousness of the divine purpose. Once the antahkarana is constructed and the higher initiations are taken, the initiate then cooperates with that purpose in full understanding and intention. He no longer simply reacts to his own interior urges, which force him ever to invoke the higher aspect of life and of consciousness which he senses on ahead. He now knows. He sees; he participates in the Plan; he relates himself to the divine Intention through an understanding of the doctrine or Science of Tension; he makes the divine Intention his, as far as he can grasp it. This reciprocal interplay produces the mutability of form and the immutability of the divine nature, which is distinctive of those liberated Consciousnesses which have freed Themselves from the prison of form.” R&I p 519 The major need today is for those who will sponsor the work of the future to deepen the will to love and work. We can express love as a steadily deepening compassion for each other – and for humanity. The “will to love” invokes that power and we make it stick by the use of discipline and persistence. This will to love shows itself in using intelligence to help bring the divine plan into the world. This deep love for humanity can and will work out on all levels of activity and all life effort. The treasure map to the Divine Self is now in your hands. This treasure map is ancient, drawn up by the Masters and offered to all who will prepare, learn, love and serve. This map is not for everyone. Manny are satisfied with their own maps. Add these methods to your own spiritual training and get ready to take the soul in hand and invoke the divine essence Self. The Divine Plan for the evolution of humanity is in reach on the plane of Intuition. Study it and find your place of work in that Plan. Such work will bring the joy of the life of the soul. It will inspire you 180 to seek the wisdom of the Divine Self and to use its love and power to aid in the world need. You will, through love and service, one day find yourself freely moving about in the great halls of the wise ones. You have set your intention and you know where you intend to go. Your intention enables you to follow the map and keep each stage clearly in mind. This helps unfold the next stage and link with pure spiritual energies. You know how to use your divine faculty of creative imagination, you know how to project your channel of light to reach the divine Self. Your path is clear, and you have a map to take you straight to your destination, and arrive safely. You have your word of power and you know when to use it; you have a good idea of your soul and personality rays. You know the strengths and the weaknesses that come with these two rays of light, and you know the colors to strengthen your bridge. Hold on to your intention to bring the pieces of illumination together and create a greater whole. Once the mind is receptive to the higher dimensions of light, new insights will come to you. The next step is to carefully unfold these insights and check them out with common sense through your analytical mind. Correct interpretation is essential, as important as receiving the idea in the first place. It is up to each one to carefully bring to the surface the central light within the germ of an idea. The continuous effort to put these ideas into words or pictures is what makes them useful to others. This process also clears up the half formed thoughts in your head which are filling up the space, but are only useful through your concentration on them until you bring all the parts of an idea together. With your mind working closely with the soul, more will come. Gradually, an understanding of the whole picture emerges; a concept that was abstract comes into focus. Some action will be seen to make this insight available to others. This is usually the written word, an informal talk with another spiritual seeker or group. Also, it may inspire a painting, poem or other creative activity in the arts.. To mentally project a thought or an idea that will benefit others, briefly think of that person or group. This is equivalent to calling on the phone. Dial the number only once as you think of the person you are sending to. Then project from the heart or head a sense of intelligent loving understanding. If this is charged with emotion, it will go to a lower center, the solar plexus center. Your message is more likely to be received accurately from the heart center or the head center so long as your recipient is sensitive to these centers within himself. The majority of humanity 181 normally communicates from solar plexus to solar plexus except in emergencies. It is then that they may succeed in evoking a response from the soul to aid the other person. When your projection is from the energy of finer love, its higher purpose gives it spiritual force and that message has an integrity that delivers the message exactly as sent. The love underlying the message gives it lighted wings of flight. Many people use prayer and meditation to help others. A passing thought does not usually impress someone’s mind or emotions, however an intense thought directed to another can definitely encourage and aid. It is wise to establish the habit of observing the quality of thoughts you are projecting into the world or to specific people or groups. They are attached to you and by universal law all thoughts that emerge from the desire to help, to encourage, to heal will bring good fortune to those they reach and to those who sent them. Your deep intention to love and serve will magnetically attract the quality and type of spiritual substance most needed by your recipient. A word of caution, intense emotional feelings invade rather than support and encourage. Do your best not to think about others when your emotions are stormy. When waves of emotions are churning, they mix with thoughts and have a negative impact upon friends and family, and especially your spiritual group. It will be necessary at a later time to repair the damage done (even inadvertently) in a moment of anger or hurt. One might claim he cannot help sending angry thoughts when angry, yet with the realization that these thoughts are like poisonous spears, each of us accepts responsibility for our thoughts as well as our acts. Knowing how dramatically loving thoughts help and heal, it is easier to resist the temptation to project carelessly. Instead, we can consciously choose to nourish the seeds of light within others. When a projected thought is positively charged with spiritual forces, both sender and receiver are lifted and blessed. What a great opportunity to project thoughts of health, happiness, and vision for your groups and for humanity! Seed the atmosphere by projecting the thought for the new group of world servers to connect as minds and as souls. Then none of us will need to write more books; we can send inspired messages and spiritual impressions we receive telepathically. Those who receive them will pass them on. In about seven minutes with all of us 182 working together as souls, a message from the Great Ones will circulate around the world and reach every ear that is tuned to that telepathic channel of light and love. May it be so! If you should ever feel that you are not getting anywhere, and you feel stuck along the way, review the steps to the Divine Self. Seeing from a higher spectrum of light enables you to identify feelings and beliefs that are obstacles to your progress. Fear will pass over you (like the waves in the shallow surf) unless you identify with the fear and call it “I.” You are far more than a fear that might pass through you for a few moments. Saying “I am afraid” reduces your power. Saying “a fear is passing over me” gives you the clarity to hold your identity firm and not identify with the fear as yourself. The fear thus passes on, and leaves your identity as the soul intact. The Bridge to the Divine Self brings us straight knowledge; it is the source of illumination, intuition, divine love and divine will. Think about the everyday games of blame and guilt, criticism, self-righteousness, and selfish purpose. These may seem like the way the world is, yet they are merely projections by personalities. Some people would rather feel guilty than blame others; most prefer blaming someone else rather than accepting responsibility themselves. Soul love and divine love eliminates the confusion that uses blame or guilt to control. The soul presents a situation to solve through wise love, insight, and illumination, and then offers the solutions to experiment with. Sometimes this feels like a treasure hunt in the desert, yet the treasure of discovery through experimentation is always there – if your intention is to find it. To feel separated from spirit is the human condition at this point of human evolution. Our true identity is preserved through the classic fairy tales. The wise ones left the story of our divine heritage to remind us that even though we humans have become lost, that we can find our kingdom again and return, crowned with victory over all darkness, and wearing the crown of Joy. The handsome prince saves the princess through love. Other candidates trying to reach the princess cannot pass the tests. The soul (the handsome prince) finds her (the personality) and frees her from the prison she is living in. When they meet, they fall in love. They return to the palace, don royal garments, marry and live happily ever after. How delightful – the personality and the soul can merge and indeed at that point they do live happily 183 ever after. To search for Prince or Princess Charming is actually a search for the soul. The true prince/princess is the Divine Self, and this Self is hidden deep in the forests (the multi-layers of mis-thinking and mis-using energy for a very long time. Think about the qualities the prince (spiritual energy) had to have to be successful to find the princess (material energy) -- intention, visualization, projection, divine will, and intuition. He held his mind steadily in the light, loved deeply, was in complete control of his physical nature, and used every available tool to reach and claim the princess. His love drove him forward. Her love enabled her to hear his call, respond and escape with him from the dreary life she was living as a human being without the Divine Self. Naturally this couple was honored at the grand ball in the palace; everyone danced and sang and celebrated the return of the lost princess. In the same way everyone who finds her way out of the dim light of the personality and merges with the soul is welcomed home with a great celebration. The journey is the thing! Enjoy each experience of the journey. Know that you will meet the Divine Self face to face, and celebrate this awakening with pure joy to see and to be seen for who you are, a beautiful shining sphere of light, dancing endlessly in interlaced circles of color and sound. In the future the bridge of light will be taught in schools. Children will learn to connect with their higher minds and develop the sensitivity to make wise decisions. Through these higher connections with the soul and Self, they will discover their true purpose. They will be able to get the education that fits this purpose, thus gifting the world with creative ideas and work. You are building a united spirit of oneness throughout your being, and the fire of this Great Spirit is drenching and flooding your life. 184 Affirm that your bridge is connecting you with divine love and that you can see this lighted love in millions of form/symbols. Stand with your princely soul and call the forces of higher will to tear down the walls that separate you from your royal family. Everyone who is connected with the Divine Self is part of this royal family. The princess or prince is a great symbol for one searching for the Divine Self and due to recognize his divinity soon. The king and queen are symbols for those who are merged as this Self or Spirit and can rule their kingdom with wisdom and love. Act this thought out through thought and expression. As the princess transforming to the queen, the prince transforming to the king, you are wealthy beyond the riches of the entire world. Stand proudly in the center of all love, and radiate divine love. Look up toward the spiritual sun hidden behind the disk of golden light and inhale its fiery splendor as you affirm, “I will do my sacred duty as I journey to its sacred feet.” Count each success a triumph -- of right thought, right speech, right use of time, right relationship, and you will have double that number tomorrow. Hold on to your intention to let the energy of the Divine Self inspire you every day. Like a kite sweeping through the sky, it will lift you high above the fog. Be the true visionary, seeing into the realms of pure love, with the light of the soul directing you. The soul is looking out at the world through your eyes. Remove your sunglasses and dare to look at all the shining symbols. Insights, ideas, impressions, intuitions are right here in the bright sunlight. You are becoming wealthy with riches that do not weigh you down, attract robbers, rust, or dust. They displace the gravity of the world so that the smaller selves of your personality may ascend into greater light. You then voluntarily float back to earth to help others take their next step of illumination. Fill your intention with intelligent understanding love See this streaming into the world, healing and inspiring. Next, use your creative imagination to visualize beams of light touching everyone in your spiritual family. Even if you feel doubtful, act as if you can reach and help each soul. The effort 185 itself helps clear your aura and bring a quiet sense of inner peace. It is a superb feeling to realize that you are experimenting to learn, and that it is working. Gradually, you will find that you and the soul, you can send a vision of light to assist anyone and any country. See yourself with such a steady mental vision that even in the midst of daily activities, you automatically create thoughts of goodwill toward the soul of that person or group. Each success in sending goodwill extends your bridge closer to the Divine Self. With practice you can become sensitive to stimulation in your heart or head if you are backsliding. Take the time to create a light-filled response instead of going along automatically with an automatic negative reaction. You are replacing it with a new feeling or thought. Repeated success at the process of substitution cuts a new mental groove and soon it becomes a habit of response. Old reactions and habits die out for lack of attention. 186 Chapter 28 Triangles of Light When all the world disciples stand united and evoke help from divine will, a response is inevitable. It comes in response to the sincere invocations of humanity for help in creating a much better world. The power of divine will awakens the higher mind to see and work toward a civilization composed of light. Many awakened souls pronounce this world invocation daily in 70 languages by those of every major religion and of those who are spiritually focused and not religious. You are invited to join a Triangle and add your light to this group. Spiritual workers around the world are creating triangles and linking with each other to distribute light, love and power to humanity. One morning a woman from Florida created a new triangle and by nightfall, a man from Pakistan and a woman from Singapore had joined her triangle. They were in instant contact exchanging ideas and visions for the world. Each triangle gets brighter as its members light it up online and the triangles interlace with each other to become a powerful unit of the worldwide network of Triangles. This network grows as Triangles members spread the word to others. The Great Invocation (Alternative version) From the point of light within the mind of God, Let light stream forth into human minds, Let light descend on Earth From the point of love within the heart of God, Let love stream forth into human hearts, May the Christ (consciousness) return to earth. 187 From the center where the Will of God is known, Let Purpose guide the little human wills, The Purpose which the Master/s know and serve.” From the center called the human race, Let the plan of love and light work out, And may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the plan on Earth. The Great Invocation (Original version) From the point of light within the mind of God, Let light stream forth into the minds of men Let light descend on Earth From the point of love within the heart of God, Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to earth. From the center where the will of God is known Let Purpose guide the little wills of men, The Purpose which the Masters know and serve.” From the center which is called the race of men Let the plan of love and light work out, And may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the plan on Earth. 188 This invocation does not belong to any religious or other group. It is intended for all men and women worldwide and is becoming a powerful spiritual force as it spreads into every village and city of the world in seventy languages. A Visual Picture: Visualize divine light streaming into the minds of humanity. Visualize divine love streaming into their hearts. Visualize divine will prevailing over humanity. Include yourself in these pictures. Visualize the golden circle of divine love, see yourself standing the center of this circle. Sound the sacred word of AUM or OM and repeat it softly nine times -- to the God of our Solar system, to the Seven Cosmic Beings, to the God of our Earth, to your Great Master, to the Coming One, the Great World Teacher, and to your group brothers and sisters who are working for divine light to prevail on earth My guide warns of the dangers of being an idealist; he emphasizes the importance of realizing a situation as it is, of relinquishing much that we hold dear, and coming to the rescue of humanity. This means to help free the helpless masses from slavery and death. It means to battle for the freedom of the human soul with every weapon in the armory of mankind. It also means to hold back the forces of aggression by force itself if need be. Aim for clear thinking and a clear channel for inflowing spiritual forces. The major prerequisites today for world service are an overwhelming love of humanity and a sense of proportion. There is a great battle going on between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. The next great war is not on the battlefield; this battle will be won through the minds of humanity. Many groups will fight for the freedom of all the people rather than let human minds and souls be enslaved by those who work against the light. It is popular today to say that everyone is equally right, and ignore the battle of propaganda going on between those who work in the light for the good of all mankind and those who work to hold the soul of humanity in bondage and slavery. 189 This is not a war between nations; it is between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. It is becoming increasingly ludicrous to try to be neutral and sit on the fence. Study world situations for yourself, then invoke the illumination of the divine Self to inspire you. It is in the higher intuitive dimension that you can choose a group to support with positive intelligent action. Even better, unite with your spiritual group, link with all the spiritual groups in the world who are working for the freedom of the human soul. Ignore personality frictions; these are inevitable and they occur among advanced spiritual workers as well as beginning ones. Focus onepointedly on the work to be done using spiritual forces to influence the affairs of the world. Humanity must be free to choose its future, to be educated in the universal truths of life, to think, not just feel, and to dream of what can be! Take pen in hand and write from the heart and mind together; speak to small and large groups, honoring their divinity and their intelligence, and innate will to make this world a better place. People are today aware of the profound dangers humanity has created for itself. But people often do not yet belong to a spiritual group with whom to invoke greater light and love for humanity. They hesitate to take any action for fear of criticism or ridicule. Yet when people are speaking up and expressing the will of the awakened souls, there will be a response from the divine essence of humanity. We can evoke that response through a massed urgent appeal. Divine will joined with the will of the soul forces backed by our minds, is a powerful, dynamic spiritual force for change. There will be a tipping point where fear takes a back seat and the will of the people comes from love for humanity, not fear of one’s own death or the death of one’s country. This is an indomitable power that will prevail. It will prevail when humanity in mass invokes aid and at the same time does all that they can possibly do to awaken and inspire, to give hope and encouragement to others in the midst of the world turmoil. I have learned not to waste one minute on thoughts that someone else has caused this war of passion, in which mobs are ruled by one or two twisted minds. It is very easy to rule a mob through fear and terror, through the goal of revenge to appease some highly distorted perception of a god. But the forces of light are more powerful than the forces of darkness. The problem is that the forces of light must have hands 190 and feet, minds of reason, hearts of love, and a voice. And we who realize that we are a soul walking on earth, that we represent the One, are not out front, offering all that we know, all that we have in support of the forces of light. We can turn this world into a place of peace and joy. Hope is not enough, prayer is not enough, anger simply adds to the lower fires. We must provide that voice for the forces of light. We must speak, write, teach, and lead wherever we can. Three people make a group. We can find two others with the same realization and work together. We have spiritual power, and we must use it. Where we are afraid, we can smile at that fear and step around it. We did this when we learned to walk, to skate, to ski, to sing, and to dance. We stepped over that fear the first time we spoke to a group even if our mouth was terribly dry. Look at the quality of spiritual courage and infuse this energy and color into your being. The lack of courage is the most common cause of the failure of spiritual groups to go into the world and broadcast the great truths of life, of happiness and joy. Do not expect fear to disappear by bringing in courage; fear is not simply the opposite of love. Fear was brought to this planet at a very early stage to prevent the spiritual awakening of humanity. And it still rules those who are living in the mass consciousness of the lower astral planes, for fear is highly contagious and travels faster than light from country to country, from one religion to the next, from one government to the next. Look at the popularity of the doom and gloom predictions, and you can see the wild spreading of fear even in the most developed countries. Only one force is more powerful than fear, and that is spiritual forces. But we must use these forces of salvation for humanity. Our love must reach to all the people and we must help humanity to awaken. The dream is turning into a nightmare, and only spiritual forces can awaken the sleepers. Ask for the mind of reason, pure reason. Speak from that mind, even if you stand in front of the mirror and speak only to your reflection. Look at the soul shining from your eyes and keep speaking. An opportunity will come to speak to others when you can express, in some simple way, divine light, love and power. The energy of the divine Self inspires, and the light of the soul directs you. Don’t worry about standing in front of a sea of faces. We need only speak to one or two at a time to 191 have a lifting effect. Write to the editor of the local newspaper or magazines with clear thoughts; these will evoke a response from the soul of all who read it. The divine self will inspire them further. Ignite the flame of the soul in others, and the Masters, those shining Teachers of light, will always respond. THE END--maybe 192 Questions and Answers This chapter is in dialogue format with questions and answers. Many of these are from my seminars. Others are written for this book to answer questions I am asked most frequently. Q. Why is it not possible to set our intention and remember who we are? LH: it is our lack of courage. We resist the idea of allowing this inner knowing to take over our everyday mind and thoughts. We are deeply attached to our personal illusions, immersed in the world around us, absorbed in our personal “I” identity that transcending this small “I” and accepting our greater “I” takes divine courage. Q: My mind sometimes wanders from one thought to another. Say more about holding your mind in the light. LH: Minds tend to go where they want to go until we train them. Like a pet puppy, it runs everywhere, yet we can train it to be still and obey our command. The length of this training is up to us. It can take lifetimes or you can do it far more rapidly. Yet all work and no play will make a dullard that is withdrawn. It is ever so easy to love humanity when you have virtually no contact with others. Aim for a balance between your inner work and outer activity, with time to walk outdoors, perhaps on a new hiking trail, to enjoy a good movie, meet a friend for tea, or soak up the sun on your bare skin. All work and a little play will bring welcome relief from too much light. You will know this point when your subpersonalities start interrupting your focus and make you restless. Sub-personalities are aspects of your personality and they have their separate agendas; each will insist on grabbing the wheel and turning it toward their own direction. None of these are bad aspects; they are simply unaware of your higher vision and purpose. Once you connect with each one individually, you can get acquainted and find out what it needs from you, make an agreement that you will honor, and then introduce this sub self to your wider vision. When you do this, you will get full cooperation from these lesser parts of your personality. For greater detail, check the 193 procedure in Chapter 9, Directing Your Orchestra of Selves in Bridge of Light I. Q: I am going through a period of feeling stuck on spiritually advancing. LH: Add cross training! When you are in the process of constructing your bridge to the soul or the Divine Self, add weight lifting, swimming, skiing, or pottery making. Studies show that adding a second training will improve the meditation focus. This cross training will work with all sorts of combinations, such as meditation and psychotherapy to get your personality into alignment with the soul. Work with a therapist or meditation and the study of nutrition to revitalize your physical body. Professionals are trained to keep you on the subject whereas friends let you wander all over the place, while offering sympathy that unintentionally weakens your inner strength, and encourages that dread sense of helplessness to overcome a challenge. Friends rarely spot the sub personality that is the true obstacle to your Self-awareness. They are not trained to bring out the innate wisdom that you have as the soul or as the Divine Self. Before you begin this type of cross training, find the stage of consciousness of the therapist. Has s/he crossed the gap in consciousness between the personality and the soul? If so, this therapist may be able to help you dissipate the obstacles that are slowing you down on the path. Q: Life seemed easier before I began meditating. Why is this? LH: Your challenges were different. When you decide that you are going to live from the wisdom of the soul and the Self, a lever seems to open that allows your karma to be activated from ancient and recent past. You grow rapidly as you handle whatever comes up with the spirit of an open heart and wise mind. You may not feel that you deserve what is happening to you, but somewhere in your distant past, you set up this experience so that you could learn when you were spiritually stronger how to meet it face to face and handle it. Every successful engagement with an event or circumstance in your life literally lifts you into a clearer atmosphere. In most spiritual circles, an easy life where there are virtually no challenges means a life that is unfortunate. Challenges are essential for real spiritual advancement in consciousness. They draw a degree of wisdom, strength, 194 understanding, and love from us that we had no idea were there. They enable us to see a truer picture of ourselves. Q. Why would the soul withdraw before we are ready? LH The soul will stay so long as the individual personality is either learning or teaching. If this is not possible under the circumstances, the soul withdraws and the body becomes lifeless without its energy. The soul returns each time with a finer physical, emotional and mental body. It brings into form on the physical plane the precise qualities on every level that were developed in the past life. Nothing is lost. Every successful effort toward purifying the heart and mind and body accrues and is added to the next life. Q. When I try to help others with problems, I get overwhelmed! I want to fix their problems and I cannot fix them. LH: First, realize that each person is an expert in the type of challenges that he gets into just as you are expert at the most common challenges you face. Their problems sound much worse than yours because they are not the type that you attract. You might suggest a way to handle things that you would use, this way may be wrong for your friend. He or she may have a different type of personality with certain skills and concepts of what is needed. If you feel overwhelmed by others’ actions toward you, imagine that they are hired actors to point out a yet dimly lighted area of your own personality. It also will be true that the other person needs light in a similar area, however the benefit of the situation comes from your recognition of the same trait within yourself. It will be that which is literally blocking your way, blindsiding you from the illumination you seek. Q: I have a strong will but it does not always work out as I intended. LH: A will strong enough to enable you to let the soul become the authority of your life is very helpful. Our personal will can be self-centered and shortsighted. The goal in all spiritual work is to make a connection with divine Will and let it prevail over the personal will. Divine will does not send you out on the streets to live a 195 pauper’s life. Divine will actually points out your best way to keep evolution moving forward, your individual evolution and the evolution of all souls. Until the higher will replaces our personal will, we makes choices to benefit the little self. We use our personal will to get what will make us happy, safe and secure, however as the mind is infused with a larger percentage of divine will, these choices to benefit the self are merely preferences, rather than demands. We use our personal will to influence others to agree with us; we use divine will as an alliance with spirit; this becomes a way of being. Our personal will tends to keep us imprisoned in the material world. Divine will frees us to from the so-called Hall of Learning to the Hall of Wisdom. The highest connection with the Divine Self is divine will. It is this will that enables us to say “I will find a way to make this life work, whatever it takes,” or “we will find a way to make this world work,” and mean it. With the higher will we persevere when the going gets rough, or a fog of confusion rolls in and blocks the light of the sun. Ironically we usually see no reward for ourselves, but the drive to move deeper to the center of one’s being propels us forward again and again. Q: Where does love come in? LH: Divine will and love are highly creative. In this union you create with purpose, intelligence, and compassion. You become a force for good, a truly effective presence in the world. Through surrender to divine love, your heart intelligence rises. In time the awakening process creates a larger circle that encircles the original circle of your mind. Then as your reality transcends to encircle a greater reality, a new circle is formed and these concentric circles reveal an ongoing journey from the unreal to the real. The lesser stands within the greater. The love that underlies this will gives it a tremendous magnetic force. The combination of love and will weaves a fabric of many colors. There is an intrinsic beauty about the colors of soul love and soul will. They create a moving energy that goes wherever we go. Gradually we absorb this energy into our everyday mind until it prevails over our thinking. As the soul will prevails in our thinking and it is balanced by love, we become responsive to the deeper needs have others and we reach out. This contact does not feel like a burden, rather an honor that is energized by the soul. Being motivated by 196 divine will, we find old ambitions and desires shifting and changing. Creating a form for spirit becomes much more interesting. Q. I do not understand the difference between divine will and my will? Is this important? LH Each aspect of divine will is needed for wholeness. The divine will of Ray One destroys the old and opens the way for the new. Ray Two will builds through directed compassion. Ray Three will organizes intelligent activity. Ray Four will brings conflict into harmony, Ray Five will organizes the plan; Ray Six sill holds the vision, see the ideal, and Ray Seven sill brings spiritual substance into physical form. One or more of these aspects will be your strong points, yet you will also experience some areas of all these qualities. Who has not lived with some level of emotional turmoil, feeling happy one day and sad the next, feeling loving one day and unloving the next? Do we have multiple personalities? Only in the fact that until a certain point in evolution, our personalities are strongly influenced by intervening sub-personalities that have been squelched because of their demanding or bad behavior. The closer we are to the atmosphere of the soul, the more we love. When our personality takes over and someone crosses over our expectation line, the less we love. Indeed, we may hear many self-created voices in our ears each day until we develop a very strong personality with all these lesser selves well integrated into the whole.>> Q. I can’t see this bridge. How do I know when it is built? LH. You are projecting yourself into higher worlds with your intention and and visualization. The bridge is there, even though its threads of light may need more strength. We build this bridge with faith and we have no proof that we have been successful until the effects of our soul contact become obvious. Q. How do I get help from the soul in getting my life in order? I don’t know what to ask for. LH. Ask to hold your mind in the light of the soul. Ask for the soul to reach to you with its finer mind each day. The inspiration and the will to hold your mind steady 197 in the light comes from the soul. You learn this by using your creative imagination. At first, holding your mind in the light is a big effort, yet it will become more natural until it becomes a spontaneous habit. When you are attempting to aid others, this process enables you to sense their true needs and stream light to them. You are learning to work in mental matter and training yourself in the power of thought. You are achieving mind control. As you practice turning the searchlight of your mind into the world of human affairs and into the world of soul activity, this energy goes through your mind and thoughts. Gradually, you will tap into true true intuition as the light from the Divine Self becomes a stream of light. At the same time you can use your creative faculty of building thoughts into forms and reorient your mind to a new world of reality. Q. My mind is busy all day, thinking of many things. What are the steps to still my mind so that I can perceive impressions from my soul? LH. Slowing your brain waves as you begin to meditate with your breath is a good method. Use a mantra you know by heart that facilitates your mind moving into the rhythm of the soul. The fast beta brainwaves used for daily activities can definitely be slowed this way. Give five minutes of sitting in silence to visualize this stillness, and breathing as the soul might breathe. Recite a favorite mantra slowly to yourself. The brain will slow down to meet the rhythm of your thoughts. You can slow your brainwaves to the slower alpha rhythm before beginning to meditate. With practice you can slow these waves down to the theta waves which are very slow, yet still alert. Focus on the love of the soul and your breathing will change more. By setting a focus before you move into deeper states of awareness, the brain will “entrain” with universal love and absorb photons of light that lead to wholeness. Q. Why am I still afraid of dying? LH. Confusion begins when you forget these three instruments are vehicles for the Self, not who you are. Our culture refers to the body as “I,” an emotional feeling as “I,” and a thought as “I.” For example, the statement “I am tired” is identifying as the body) “I want this now” is identifying as an emotion of desire. “I know this or that is true” is identifying the self as the mind. None of these are actually who you 198 are; they are instruments through which you, the true Self, is working on the physical plane. Each one has a very brief span of existence, like all life forms on earth. The soul continues its evolution through many lifetimes on stage and off the stage of physical form. It does not die; death is merely an illusion of the times, just as the flat earth belief was an illusion of the past. Life is one and nothing can harm or take that life. As Wordsworth, the mystical English poet, proclaimed in a poem to be careful when you are dancing on your grandfather’s grave; it may be your own. When your mind becomes infused with the light of the soul and the Divine Self, you can maintain your consciousness throughout your journey to the other side after you are free from the body. Q. Why does the soul withdraw before we are ready to die? LH. The soul will stay so long as the individual personality is either learning or teaching. If this is not possible under the circumstances, the soul withdraws and the body becomes lifeless without its energy. The soul returns each time with a finer physical, emotional and mental body. It brings into form on the physical plane the precise qualities on every level that were developed in the past life. Nothing is lost. Every successful effort toward purifying the heart and mind and body accrues and is added to the next life. Q. Why do we need to work so hard, think so hard, and struggle so intensely to realize who she or he is? LH We do this because of deep grooves of repeated thoughts that we are a personality rather than a soul that has an instrument for its work called the body, mind, and emotions. After we experience the unrelenting beauty and power of the Divine Self, we cannot hold this light and live from its illumination until the fourth initiation. Until then we live a dual life, even though the personality loses its influence that conflicts with the soul. The soul gradually prevails. After that the spiritual triad gradually prevails over the soul. You will then experience frequent moments of pure love or illumination. You will no longer go through periods of thinking that you are separated from it. 199 Q. Why is it not possible to set our intention and remember who we are? LH. It is our lack of courage. We are terrorized by the idea of allowing this knowing to take over our everyday mind and thoughts. We are deeply attached to the personality. We are so immersed in the world, so absorbed in thinking of our personality as who we are that to transcend this smaller identity takes divine courage. Q: My mind sometimes wanders from one thought to another. Say more about holding your mind in the light. LH: Minds tend to go where they want to go until we train them. Like a pet puppy, it runs everywhere, yet we can train it to be still and obey our command. The length of this training is up to us. It can take lifetimes or you can do it far more rapidly. Yet all work and no play will make a dullard that is withdrawn. It is ever so easy to love humanity when you have virtually no contact with others. To be useful today, aim for a balance between your inner work and outer activity, with time to walk outdoors, perhaps on a new hiking trail, to enjoy a good movie, meet a friend for tea, or soak up the sun on your bare skin. All work and a little play will bring welcome relief from too much light. You will know this point when your sub-personalities start interrupting your focus and make you restless. Subpersonalities are aspects of your personality and they have their separate agendas; each will insist on grabbing the wheel and turning it toward their own direction. None of these are bad aspects; they are simply unaware of your higher vision and purpose. Once you connect with each one individually, you can get acquainted and find out what it needs from you, make an agreement that you will honor, and then introduce this sub self to your wider vision. When you do this, you will get full cooperation from these lesser parts of your personality. For greater detail, check the procedure in Chapter 9, Directing Your Orchestra of Selves in Bridge of Light I. Q: I am going through a period of feeling stuck on spiritually advancing. 200 LH: Add cross training! When you are in the process of constructing your bridge to the soul or the Divine Self, add weight lifting, swimming, skiing, or pottery making. Studies show that adding a second training will improve the meditation focus. This cross training will work with all sorts of combinations, such as meditation and psychotherapy to get your personality into alignment with the soul. Work with a therapist or meditation and the study of nutrition to revitalize your physical body. Professionals are trained to keep you on the subject whereas friends let you wander all over the place, while offering sympathy that unintentionally weakens your inner strength, and encourages that dread sense of helplessness to overcome a challenge. Friends rarely spot the sub personality that is the true obstacle to your Self-awareness. They are not trained to bring out the innate wisdom that you have as the soul or as the Divine Self. Before you begin this type of cross training, find the stage of consciousness of the therapist. Has s/he crossed the gap in consciousness between the personality and the soul? If so, this therapist may be able to help you dissipate the obstacles that are slowing you down on the path. Q: Life seemed easier before I began meditating. Why is this? LH: Your challenges were different. When you decide that you are going to live from the wisdom of the soul and the Self, a lever seems to open that allows your karma to be activated from ancient and recent past. You grow rapidly as you handle whatever comes up with the spirit of an open heart and wise mind. You may not feel that you deserve what is happening to you, but somewhere in your distant past, you set up this experience so that you could learn when you were spiritually stronger how to meet it face to face and handle it. Every successful engagement with an event or circumstance in your life literally lifts you into a clearer atmosphere. In most spiritual circles, an easy life where there are virtually no challenges means a life that is unfortunate. Challenges are essential for real spiritual advancement in consciousness. They draw a degree of wisdom, strength, understanding, and love from us that we had no idea were there. They enable us to see a truer picture of ourselves. 201 Q. Why would the soul withdraw before we are ready to die? LH: The soul will stay so long as the individual personality is either learning or teaching. If this is not possible under the circumstances, the soul withdraws and the body becomes lifeless without its energy. The soul returns each time with a finer physical, emotional and mental body. It brings into form on the physical plane the precise qualities on every level that were developed in the past life. Nothing is lost. Every successful effort toward purifying the heart and mind and body accrues and is added to the next life. Q. When I try to help others with problems, I get overwhelmed! I want to fix their problems and I cannot fix them. LH: First, realize that each person is an expert in the type of challenges that he gets into just as you are expert at the most common challenges you face. Their problems sound much worse than yours because they are not the type that you attract. You might suggest a way to handle things that you would use, this way may be wrong for your friend. He or she may have a different type of personality with certain skills and concepts of what is needed. If you feel overwhelmed by others’ actions toward you, imagine that they are hired actors to point out a yet dimly lighted area of your own personality. It also will be true that the other person needs light in a similar area, however the benefit of the situation comes from your recognition of the same trait within yourself. It will be that which is literally blocking your way, blindsiding you from the illumination you seek. Q: I have a strong will but it does not always work out as I intended. LH: A will strong enough to enable you to let the soul become the authority of your life is very helpful. Our personal will can be self-centered and shortsighted. The goal in all spiritual work is to make a connection with divine Will and let it prevail over the personal will. Divine will does not send you out on the streets to live a pauper’s life. Divine will actually points out your best way to keep evolution moving forward, your individual evolution and the evolution of all souls. 202 Until the higher will replaces our personal will, we makes choices to benefit the little self. We use our personal will to get what will make us happy, safe and secure, however as the mind is infused with a larger percentage of divine will, these choices to benefit the self are merely preferences, rather than demands. We use our personal will to influence others to agree with us; we use divine will as an alliance with spirit; this becomes a way of being. Our personal will tends to keep us imprisoned in the material world. Divine will frees us to drive forward from the so-called Hall of Learning to the Hall of Wisdom. The highest connection with the Divine Self is divine will. It is this will that enables us to say “I will find a way to make this life work, whatever it takes,” or “we will find a way to make this world work,” and mean it. With the higher will we persevere when the going gets rough, or a fog of confusion rolls in and blocks the light of the sun. Ironically we usually see no reward for ourselves, but the drive to move deeper to the center of one’s being propels us forward again and again. Q: How does love change things? LH: Divine love is highly creative. You can create with purpose, intelligence, and compassion. You become a force for good, a truly effective presence in the world. Through surrender to divine love, your heart intelligence rises. In time the awakening process creates a larger circle that encircles the original circle of your mind. Then as your reality transcends to encircle a greater reality, a new circle is formed and these concentric circles reveal an ongoing journey from the unreal to the real. The lesser stands within the greater. The love that underlies this will gives it a tremendous magnetic force. The combination of love and will weaves a fabric of many colors. There is an intrinsic beauty about the colors of soul love and soul will. They create a moving energy that goes wherever we go. Gradually we absorb this energy into our everyday mind until it prevails over our thinking. As the soul will prevails in our thinking and it is balanced by love, we become responsive to the deeper needs of others and we reach out. This contact does not feel like a burden, rather an honor that is energized by the soul. Being motivated by divine will, we find old ambitions and desires shifting and changing. Creating a form for spirit becomes much more interesting. 203 Each aspect of divine will is needed for wholeness. The divine will of Ray One destroys the old and opens the way for the new. Ray Two will builds through directed compassion. Ray Three will organizes intelligent activity. Ray Four will brings conflict into harmony, Ray Five will organizes the plan; Ray Six sill holds the vision, see the ideal, and Ray Seven sill brings spiritual substance into physical form. One or more of these aspects will be your strong points, yet you will also experience some areas of all these qualities. Who has not lived with some level of emotional turmoil, feeling happy one day and sad the next, feeling loving one day and unloving the next? Do we have multiple personalities? Only in the fact that until a certain point in evolution, our personalities are strongly influenced by intervening sub-personalities that have been squelched because of their demanding or bad behavior. The closer we are to the atmosphere of the soul, the more we love. When our personality takes over and someone crosses over our expectation line, the less we love. Indeed, we may hear many self-created voices in our ears each day until we develop a very strong personality with all these lesser selves well integrated into the whole. Q. I am frankly afraid to die, no matter what I tell myself. Why is this? LH: Confusion begins when we forget that the three instruments of the personality are vehicles or instruments for the Self, not who we are. As a beautiful silver flask may hold a great wine, it is not the wine itself. It is only the carrier for it. In our culture “I” means my body, my feelings, or my thoughts. For example, the statement “I am tired” is identifying oneself as the body) “I want this now” is identifying oneself as an emotion of desire. “I know this or that is true” is identifying the self as the mind. None of these are actually who you are; they are instruments through which you, the true Self, is working on the physical plane. Each one has a relatively brief span of existence, like all life forms on earth. The soul continues its evolution through many lifetimes on stage and off the stage of physical form. It does not die; death is merely an illusion of the times, just as the flat earth belief was an illusion of the past. Life is one and nothing can harm or take that life. As Wordsworth, the mystical English poet, proclaimed in a poem to be careful when you are dancing on 204 your grandfather’s grave; it may be your own. When your mind becomes infused with the light of the soul and the Divine Self, you can maintain your consciousness throughout your journey to the other side after you are free from the body. Q. Why would the soul withdraw before we are ready? LH: The soul will stay so long as the individual personality is either learning or teaching. If this is not possible under the circumstances, the soul withdraws and the body becomes lifeless without its energy. The soul returns each time with a finer physical, emotional and mental body. It brings into form on the physical plane the precise qualities on every level that were developed in the past life. Nothing is lost. Every successful effort toward purifying the heart and mind and body is accrued and added to the next life. Back cover Upcoming: The Path of Light: A Spiritual Journey of Light, Love and Will This book gives the reader: The six steps to construct the bridge of light from the soul to the Divine Self, Introduces the Seven Rays of Life, their strengths and weaknesses, Assists to identify the rays of the soul, personality, emotional self, mental self, and physical self, The process of finding and using your word of power to project your bridge to the highest light. This book is for you if: You feel ready to use spiritual energies that exist in the higher mental and intuitive planes so that you can get on with your real work in the world. You have been asking for additional tools to reach the Divine Self and gain access to the plane of intuition. You have learned about love in the physical world, and now you are ready to 205 experience divine love in the spiritual world. You have a strong personal will, and you want to link with the power and direction of divine will. 74, 511 word count References: Ken Wilber, A Brief History of Everything, p 20 imagine the soul’s blueprint for your life; you compare this blueprint to the blueprint of your life as you have actually lived it up till now. Where do the two blueprints meet and touch. At what points are the lines of your life blueprint divergent from the blueprint of the soul. Whether this was from ignorance, self-will, or an honest intention to help someone else, does not matter as much as your increased motivation to trace and match the soul blueprint. I bgan to pay close attention to my relationship with the soul, with my own family, friends, and especially my spiritual group. I visualized being aligned with the finer blueprint from that moment on. imagine the soul’s blueprint for your life; you compare this blueprint to the blueprint of your life as you have actually lived it up till now. Where do the two blueprints meet and touch. At what points are the lines of your life blueprint divergent from the blueprint of the soul. Whether this was from ignorance, self-will, or an honest intention to help someone else, does not matter as much as your increased motivation to trace and match the soul blueprint. I bgan to pay close attention to my relationship with the soul, with my own family, friends, and especially my spiritual group. I visualized being aligned with the finer blueprint from that moment on. As you take each step, the light of the soul stimulates all of your energy centers. This can create friction in the lower centers until the solar light can prevail in them. This friction lessens as you hold your mind in the light of the soul and through love and some type of service, the dense atoms of mind and body are spun away. Finally, 206 the contagious quality of irritation or fear or anger from the atmosphere simply passes over; there is no longer enough of the denser vibration for them to find a landing place in your mind, emotions, or body. One seminar participant described an image of swimming a mile that she created when she was very young. Forty years after that, she swam her first mile. As her fingers touched the edge after the last lap, she realized that every image she had created was using some of her energy until she fulfilled it. Even though long ago, that desire had enough energy to give her an impulse to accomplish it. She decided to be very discriminating in creating images after that. An Evening Review that is Useful not Critical What you see, what you think, what you believe and hope, is who you are now. Your visual pictures will set up the thoughts and actions for tomorrow. To see the reality of these statements, go back to when you first decided to find the spiritual meaning of your life and to merge with these higher spiritual energies. Notice how you have steadily become more focused with a greater will since then, how you have expanded your consciousness of life and transformed your relationships. Begin to observe normal thoughts during the day. Thinking about your past takes you into darker energy. Thinking about the future on the spiritual path lifts you into greater light. Your thoughts change as you substitute inspired thoughts of all possibilities. Whatever you carefully visualize is accepted by your sub-conscious mind as an actual event. This is of great advantage, saving years of struggle. Then at the end of the day, you can review the day’s prevailing thoughts and activities, ways that you reacted or responded to situations that came up, and how you related to others. The events themselves are merely the instrument through which we gain higher awareness. Skip the event descriptions. It is the insights and understanding gained that are useful.  Practice observing the traits you want to change without criticism, such as impatience, skipping meditation, self-absorption, day-dreaming in fantasy land, irritability or anger?  How did you use your time and your energy? 207  Did intention stay in the foreground of your mind. How did you use the creative faculty of imagination today?  Recall spontaneous moments of re-connecting with the soul that day, of remembering that you are the soul, not just a personality.  Identify a time that day of experiencing someone you were with as the soul rather than seeing her only as a personality.  Review the visualizations you created that morning to strengthen your bridge of light? Note insights or spiritual impressions that have come to you during the day.  Describe the joy that came to you from life with the soul today. The more vivid the description, the greater will be your sensitivity to joy and your capacity to distribute this joy.  Where did the will of the soul present itself to you today, and you responded?  Let your mind do the reviewing without interruption by criticism and a sense of guilt. Certain sub-personalities are likely to disrupt this review process. Instead, use it as an opportunity to catch them in the act and teach them how to support your life. By taking time to show these subpersonalities a better role to play, you will get their cooperation. They only need education and coaching to be part of your team of supporters.  Are your thoughts during the day on the past or the future? Thinking about the past takes us into darker energy. We live in more light today than we did in the past. Thinking about the future we are now creating lifts us into greater light. Finally, the future stands revealed! We realize that what we are thinking, what we invoke and evoke right now is going to be our future. In the darker light, thoughts produce hopelessness and are so negative that they are destructive. Hating groups who are living in the dark light, filled with revenge and the will to destroy others, may feel justified, but all hatred is a dark force that boomerangs, no matter how justified that hatred or anger is. It turns back to destroy the life and body of the one who projects it. Anger energizes what we most hope will disappear. If we send anger to those who are destructive to others, their power is strengthened through the anger projected toward them. Nothing can be created from righteous anger that is better than the present situation. All creative activity must come from love. Using the mind illumined by the intuitive of the triple light of 208 the divine self, and linked with our spiritual group mind, we can distribute aid to hundreds of thousands of awakening souls. To speed up human evolution everyone who is spiritually awakening realizes the need to seed the atmosphere with new visions for the future. Humanity needs help in getting out of the quagmire of repeating the same mistakes through the ages of recorded history. In the highest light, an intelligent understanding love becomes a laser beam that heals, inspires, and aids others. ** Each expansion of consciousness, from the material plane to the divine self, to the Monad which is the source of our life, frees the whole self to function more effectively and to respond with greater ability. At some point it becomes obvious that this love, this intuition, and joy are the way life is meant to be. We realize the limitations we live in now only after we transcend them and move to the next stage where we discover richer and deeper wisdom. We gain a new level of discrimination as we become soul-infused. This shows up in everyday life, such as the capacity to “stand under” the surface friendship and, in a conflict, to realize his struggle in life, his valiant efforts to accept personality differences. At this stage we realize that others are expressing their stage of consciousness in their actions and reactions. Those who have begun to shift their consciousness to the heart center will be delightful companions. Head knowledge alone is virtually always cold and separative; heart knowledge alone tends to be sentimental and ineffective. It is the combination of the head and the heart that creates a rich base for spiritual awareness. Those who have brought the heart and head centers into a coordinated unit will be stimulating companions, and more effective in the world. The throat center is our higher creative center beyond the sexual center and those who have combined the three higher centers, head, heart, and throat, will be making a significant difference with the group they work with to aid humanity. Once on a spiritual path, every experience, every thought and belief is there to teach you how to move forward. We continue to purify some of our emotional reactions while we are working to identify and clear illusions. As all conscious souls, we have a vision and we work within that vision and level of understanding. We call 209 our vision of life (and of God) “the truth.” And it is for us until we recognize it as only part of a larger picture and a greater reality. Our sense of the “real” expands as we develop sensitivity to a greater whole. ** We came to earth because each of us (as the soul) wanted to gain the experience. We came knowing what we wanted to learn and what we intended to accomplish. The problem is that the culture does not encourage this awareness, and at age five or six, we forgot our intention and lost touch with the wholeness of our Self. The shock of being confined to a human body at birth causes amnesia to most souls as they enter this plane. This will not always be the case. Another source of inspiration comes from many years of facilitating groups and watching their expansions of consciousness, their rising happiness and joy, their increased effectiveness in their lives. The beautiful souls with whom I have worked over many years have contributed in many ways to this book. Their responses, their expansions, their emerging joy, keep me focused to keep up with them. What strength a spiritual group offers. Their bridge of light has all the colors; each one deposits his light, his knowledge, his love into the group soul. Each one can pull from this growing spiritual treasure what she needs in the work she is doing. The soul has access to all love, all wisdom; it reveals your higher purpose and supplies the energy and vitality to carry it out. When communication with the soul is clear, and cooperation between the personality and the soul is established, its joy, its love, and its wisdom, touches all whom it can reach. The life of the soul is a great life, awakening, expanding, and inspiring the mind and heart. If you who can imagine the difference between now, and when you are living the life of the soul, filled with intelligent loving understanding and the will to keep pressing forward, these methods can be quite useful. Add them to the practices that you have already learned in your religion or other spiritual traditions.