We assume that the reader believes in a Supreme Being, One
God, Superior Power, call it what you will. We find it more understandable
if we look upon this Infinite Intelligence as Divine Law. When
we are told that God will punish the wrongdoer, we may be inclined
to wonder why a Superior Being would be concerned about one insignificant
creature doing some insignificant wrong; or conversely, why He
should concern Himself with prayers or supplication. However,
how Divine Law established the "sowing" and the "reaping"
is easily explained. If we plant vegetables and take proper care
of them, we harvest vegetables; if we plant weeds, the same law
applies, and if we sin, we reap the consequences of that sin.
God does not bestow those consequences, they are the natural result
of the action. Every speck of existence is governed by Divine
Law,(1) just as our daily lives are ruled by statutory law. (The
police officer does not punish us for breaking the legal code;
he merely carries out the legal requirements for compensation
for such infractions of the law.)
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(1) "Divine Laws are Spiritual in their nature and incentive.
They deal with man's Spiritual being, the Divine principle WITHIN,
the Divine Spark derived from the Creator." ... THE GREAT
WORK: ITS NEOPHYTES. this publisher.
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In understanding God as The Law, or The Word, the concept of a personal God should be considered. We can no more describe a "personal" God than we can label the beauties of life. What we may find beautiful may be ugly to another. Our awareness of beauty may not be as great as another's. WE CAN, however, tell you how you may come to KNOW God.
God is within and known to each individual to the extent that the individual is AWARE of him. To the individual who looks upon God as One who answers prayers and performs miracles, the God who demands an "eye for eye" may be unreal. However, as one's AWARENESS of God increases, he comes to KNOW that God is indeed a performer of miracles, an answerer of prayers, as well as a God who demands an "eye for an eye", i.e., a fair exchange, cause and effect, action and reaction, COMPENSATION.
We may not be able to see God, but we may be aware of the
manifestation of His works. He IS visible in the lovelight in
the eyes of the father, the mother, the lovers. In the loving
affection and devotion and sacrifices of loving and loved. In
a growing Consciousness of His existence in All THAT IS, was,
and can ever be. We can come to know Him as the Source of all,
and know that nothing is denied us by Him ("Ask and ye shall
receive") as long as we have earned or are willing to pay
for that for which we ask. An awareness(2) of God is a KNOWLEDGE
of God. This is the CONSCIOUSNESS of God. When we have come to
fully know Him, we must be more like Him and can then fulfill
the statement: "Ye are sons of the living God."
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(2) Each time one is more aware of GOD it is a "GROWING IN
CONSCIOUSNESS." -----------------------------------------------------
Throughout the ages there has been a conflict of opinion
as to the exact meaning of such words and phrases as: "Karma"(3)
a much-abhorred, because much misunderstood word) ... "As
ue sow, so shall ye reap"...the scientific law of "Action
and REaction" ... the Biblical "Punishment and Reward"
...
the separation of "wheat" and "chaff" ...the
dictum, "By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou earn thy bread"
...the story of the fig tree that would bear no fruit and so on.
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(3) The cosmic principle of causality on which the moral consequences
of each one's every thought, word and act, throughout eternity,
is rewarded or punished, in one incarnation according to his actions
in a previous incarnation. The principle of causality; the consequence
of one's acts relating to one's immediate or long term future;
the continued effect of every act or deed or thought as a moral
consequence - the Sowing and Reaping.
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These are but varied references to the one inevitable and unchanging law that TO LIVE, WE MUST PRODUCE and that to fail to produce is to be destroyed (burned up). This law is variously expressed in the Biblical phrase, "As a man soweth so shall he reap"; in the scientific dictum, "Action brings a REACTION of like nature," and in the businessman's conception of COMPENSATION or EXCHANGE.
God does NOT punish! God does NOT reward! God instituted an all-inclusive law - the LAW OF EXCHANGE! As a man sows SO MUST he reap. He is reimbursed for every thought, desire and deed.
The reimbursement for evil thoughts, desires and deeds is the Biblical "chaff," which should, and must be burned up - destroyed. The COMPENSATION for good thoughts, desires and deeds is "wheat" which is LIFE; not only temporal, but eternal. COMPENSATION is a word of definite and unmistakable meaning. No HONEST man seeks to be compensated for services unperformed, nor is he willing to COMPENSATE any one for labor yet to be done.
MEN ARE GARDENERS, whether they will or no. Some are good gardeners. Some are not so good. Many are failures because of lack of desire and application or a general misconception of their part in the game of life. Man has free Will, but only to the extent that he chooses either good (constructive) or evil (destructive) work. All other "choices" result from the outworking of the LAW OF EXCHANGE, which, with its reciprocal action and REaction, opens the way for increasing happiness and success or yields the deserved measure of sorrow and suffering.
The wise gardener gathers up the weeds in his garden and plows them under to serve as FOOD for his flowers and vegetables. If his choice of location was wisely made, he will not seek to find a better one, knowing that the garden of weeds can be reclaimed and made to blossom by the transmutation of the weeds. Assuredly, if the soil will grow weeds, it will as readily produce`flowers and vegetables. It is the preparation and the sowing - the working out of the LAW OF EXCHANGE or COMPENSATION, as the result of PROPER CHOICE and ACTION - that makes the difference.
To repeat and re-emphasize: Whatever man's efforts may be, his reward or "reaping" will rightly and justly be according to his sowing. The reaping, whatever its nature, is his COMPENSATION his JUST or MERITED REWARD. He who fails or refuses to make effort, who offers nothing of worth, cannot honestly receive a benefit; nor would an honest man have it otherwise. The Law of Compensation is - must be - ABSOLUTE, or there is NO Law. Without law, there could be no God and man would be without a Spiritual self - bereft of Soul.
Give, and you shall receive accordingly in full measure and running over. Labor, and you shall be compensated. Procure, in one way or another, that which you have not earned and he whom you have thereby defrauded, shall be compensated, while you will be made to pay "to the uttermost farthing" with heavy interest.
Many there are who, when compelled to face up to obligations created in this manner, complain bitterly of their lamentable plight and blame everyone but themselves for their dire misfortune.
Possibly the greatest single cause of Mankind's problems today is the lack of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Once the individual is fully aware of the REWARDS as well as of the PENALTIES of responsibility for his or her own future and environment, his outlook and actions will have meaning and purpose.
If the young were taught and, if necessary, FORCED TO ACCEPT
the fact of THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY, they would have (many for
the first time) a purpose in life. The youth who has never known
the necessity of having to labor for reward, or had to pay the
penalty for wrongdoing, cannot know the true purpose of his existence.
The college "student" who has been sent to school without
the desire to acquire a college education, or who lacks the ambition
to WORK to achieve that education, is a prime candidate for disobedience
and disruptive behavior in that college. The youth who has robbed,
raped and committed other greater or lesser crimes and been released
WITHOUT MAKING SOME FORM OF RESTITUTION to society is a prime
candidate for continued and greater crimes against humanity. The
parent, politician or official who PERMITS(4) the perpetrator
of a crime to go unpunished is neglecting his OWN personal responsibility.
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(4)Absolutely NO ONE has the right to run rampant, destroying
life and property. Consequently those allowing this permissiveness
for fear of becoming "involved" or other reasons. are
just as guilty as the doers under THE LAW. -----------------------------------------------------
Even if no other reasoning is used, COMMON SENSE should show that if an effort, act or deed receives response in kind, then these same efforts, acts and deeds should and must be given more consideration. If youth were taught and disciplined to KNOW, that if they wanted to go to college, some effort ON THEIR PART would be required; that if they wanted favors and privileges, these favors and privileges need be earned; that if they committed wrongs, these wrongs must be corrected by THEMSELVES, meaning and purpose would be given their every act, their very lives.
If we examine ourselves and question, "When I am aware of a wrong, whether it be too high taxes or a personal fault, do I examine it from a standpoint of my own PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, or do I try to look for a reason to blame someone else and excuse myself from further action, thus allowing wrong to continue?"
This is exactly what the troublesome minority among youth of today is doing. Instead of making an effort to correct their own lack of accomplishment, they rebel against everything involved, in an attempt to receive the harvest without the planting and culture of the seed.
Man becomes master of himself when he seeks and applies knowledge he has gained through experience, when he searches out his own weaknesses and replaces them with strong traits of character. Accepting responsibilities, he thus enjoys the blessings that come with the acceptance and fulfillment of those responsibilities.
If only one fact could be given the young, it might well be: Only by individual works and worth can real change be brought about.
We assume that, along with recognition of a Supreme Being,
the reader also acknowledges the existence of a Soul. The Soul
may be better understood if we regard it as our personality.(5)
So long as this personality has even the most fractional degree
of goodness, it is the biding place of some measure of the Divine
Law, in that it knows some degree of right and wrong - good and
evil. To know good is to have a knowledge of God. To the extent
that we DO good (obey Divine Law), we are "like unto God."
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(5) The use of this terminology brings more meaning to those not
familiar with "Divine Spark" or "Soul Spark."
"The Personality, that with which we left our mother's womb,
which we were yesterday and are today, is the vehicle for the
Soul to manifest through," ...THE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL, this
publisher. -----------------------------------------------------
Were we to be so situated that we were conscious of no evil, in such a position that we could do no evil, we would be considered "good," but the goodness would be unconscious, IMPOSED upon us by reason of environment and without a freedom of choice because free choice (effort) for good was not required of us. We would neither sow nor reap but would be as a farmer who, planting neither vegetables nor weeds, loses his identity as a farmer. Thus the individual, doing neither good nor evil, would lose his personality, and with the loss of personality would be the loss of the residence of the Divine Spark - which would then return to its Source.
The personality,(6) therefore, needs to "know good
and evil" so that, since it is given free choice, it may
choose its own course and hence its own punishment and/or reward.
Note that we say "choose its own." God. or the Divine
Law, does not mete out the punishment or the reward. We CHOOSE,
by our acts, for ourselves, and to the extent that we are AWARE
of good and evil, we determine the extent of the return.
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(6) The personality is dominant in the human being up until the
point where SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS has reached a level where
the personality has merged with the Soul and BECOME an ILLUMINATED
SOUL.
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Thus, if we injure someone unintentionally, we must make some restitution for the injury - but if we injure someone INTENTIONALLY, we must not only make restitution for the injury but must also be responsible for the INTENT. This is recognized in statutory law as well as in Divine Law. The responsibilities of an unconscious Soul are not as great as those of the Conscious Soul - NOR ARE THE REWARDS.
AWARENESS of good and evil, right and wrong, carries with it a burden, in that "He that permitteth evil, committeth evil." The working of this law may be readily observed today.
For example, those with children who are afraid or unwilling to punish them for fear of their reaction or of losing their love not only lose their love but also their respect. The official who is so concerned with the opinions of the minorities that he neglects his own sworn duty in a vain attempt to appease and please, when common sense tells him, as it must, that appeasement can only result in greater and even greater demands, brings upon himself a lessening of his own effectiveness. The businessman or executive who is unwilling or afraid to uphold the ideals and principles that have made America what it is (in achievements) today is no longer in charge of that for which he has worked and sacrificed. Instead, he is swayed by the opinions of associates and powerful unions. Material values often overshadow principles.
What of the professional man who is afraid or unwilling to do what he knows is right because it might be contrary to what the pressure groups and organizations demand of him?
If a very small minority can enslave the great majority, WHO is wrong? Is it the minority and the untaught, unkempt and often ignorant who are wrong, or THOSE WHO KNOW BETTER AND ARE AFRAID TO ACT?
All things that exist, both in heaven and on earth, were
created by God. Since nothing can continue to exist except WITHIN
the Law, UNDER the Law, and in harmony WITH the Law, THIS NECESSARILY
INCLUDES BOTH HEAVENLY BEINGS AND MAN.
ALL things, with the single exception of man, DO LIVE IN HARMONY
WITH THE LAW; hence though they CHANGE, they are NOT DESTROYED.
Man (physically) having been created in the image of the Creator
and for the purpose of becoming a co-creator with God, was given
free Will.
This free Will implies the privilege and capacity to disfranchise himself by thinking, desiring and acting contrary to the Law. He thus becomes - unless he is "converted," i.e., changed from an outlaw to a law-abiding being - the Biblical "chaff," to be destroyed.
Accepting REVELATION as fact, the terms "Angel" and "Man" are more or less synonymous; the word "Angel" being changeable to the word "Man." This gives the "key" whereby we may unlock the mystery of the Soul.
Again accepting the Biblical statement as authority, and recognizing that the outer or "lower" world was in need of beings or creatures, just as the upper world or "Heaven" was populated with Angles, Archangels, Hierarchies and other Spiritual beings, God planned the creation of physical beings, capable of existing in a physical or material world. These beings would be like other creatures - at first without reason or "Souls, but under the Law and in harmony with the Law.
There were those in the heavenly or Spiritual sphere who,
having had no other than Spiritual existence, had never experienced
either love or hate. They had no knowledge of good or evil. These
beings, "Angels," - "THE MEASURE OR A MAN,"
or COUNTERPART FOR MAN - became dissatisfied with their negative(7)
state, their mere existence. Within them was born the desire to
EXPERIENCE and gain knowledge only to be had by running the full
gamut of passions and emotions belonging to the status of a human
being.
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(7) Not in the sense generally alluded to but descriptive of their
lack of DESIRE.
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The physical creatures God had created were in need of Souls that they might be different from all other animal creatures, as were their bodies. The "Angels" (Souls) had a desire to descend that they might gain experience and the knowledge of good and evil.
The Creator, therefore, gave these desiring "Angels" or Souls the privilege to descend to earth and inhabit physical bodies with the proviso that THEY WOULD ACCEPT THE INEXORABLE LAW UNDER WHICH THEY WOULD BE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE EVILS COMMITTED WHILE IN THE BODY (PERSON) FURTHERMORE, THEY WOULD NOT BE PERMITTED TO RETURN TO THEIR FIRST ESTATE (BIBLICALLY KNOWN AS "HEAVEN") UNTIL ALL OF THE EVILS COMMITTED WHILE IN THE BODY HAD BEEN COMPLETELY TRANSMUTED INTO GOOD AND ALL INDEBTEDNESS PAID AND FULL COMPENSATION MADE.
AFTER ALL EVILS WERE FINALLY TRANSMUTED OR OVERCOME, AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL OBTAINED, THE MORTAL CHANGED INTO THE IMMORTAL, THE SON OF MAN HAVING BECOME THE SON OF GOD, THE SOUL WOULD THEN HAVE THE CHOICE OF RETURNING TO ITS FORMER SPHERE AS A HIERARCH IN THE HEAVENLY ECONOMY OR RETURNING TO EARTH TO HELP OTHER MEN UNDERSTAND THE LAW AND FOLLOW IT TO THE BETTERMENT OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR FELLOWMEN.
In the beginning of time, no one can know for how many centuries, the creature that was becoming MAN lived within the Law as do other creatures who are Soul-less, and he was at peace, as are all other creatures. This was the age of the Garden of Eden. Gradually, as Man gained greater reasoning powers, he devised ways and means whereby he sought to evade or set aside the Law. At his first infraction of the Divine Edict, illustrated by the legend of the "apple" with which Eve tempted Adam, he was cast out of the garden (his earthly heaven) and the Law, "By the sweat of thy brow shalt thou earn thy bread," was pronounced upon him. When he refused to learn the first fundamental lesson through his first infraction and resulting experience, Man became an outlaw. As time went on, he committed more and more offenses, reaping ever greater penalties, until he became as he is today ... by comparison, the most cruel and vicious of all creatures - a scourge upon the face of the earth, PUNISHING BOTH HIMSELF AND HIS FELLOWMEN.
Primarily, each and every "Angel," as a Soul, descended to Earth for the express purpose to first become human by becoming the Son of Man. The next effort was to gain experience; through experience to learn good from evil; then eliminate the evil, NOT BY ANOTHER'S INTERVENTION OR SUBSTITUTION, but by overcoming all evil within himself through the feelings of LOVE, MERCY, KINDNESS, GRACIOUSNESS, ADORATION, REVERENCE and HELPFULNESS.
This, in turn, would lead to transmutation, change(8) or
conversion of all evils; the mortal self becoming Immortalized;
the Son of Man becoming a Son of God in accordance with God's
Word or Law.
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(8) Man cannot advance one iota on the PATH unless he is WILLING
TO CHANCE the undesirable to the DESIRABLE.
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Gradually, through suffering, sorrow, pain, anguish, failure and other untoward conditions experienced as a result of sensual pleasures and evils committed against fellow beings, the Incarnate Soul painfully awakened to the instability of the temporal and the certainty of something greater and more enduring. Thus awakened, he resolutely entered the pathway to inner unfoldment and, through conscious development, gained the victory over all that is temporal, evil and degrading.
At last, all so awakened and become Conscious return to their original source - not as mere Angles, but, through transmutation, transformation and REgeneration - born AGAIN of the spirit, as formerly into the flesh - the SONS OF GOD.
All of the evils rampant in the world today are traceable to two main factors: First, disobedience to the Law and refusal to follow the clearly outlined path for the Soul's redemption. Second, the erroneous, utterly false and misleading idea that by mere repudiation of evils, instead of "full repayment to the last farthing," man can be redeemed and washed free from his evils, irrespective of how many Souls he may have sent to perdition by his acts.
The Law IS. It cannot be evaded by any means whatsoever. It is positive in its Action and REaction. No HONEST Soul is willing that another should take upon himself the responsibility for its evils and pay its indebtedness.
There being so few Souls who are honest, willing and ANXIOUS to pay their indebtedness in full, is it any wonder that the world is cursed with its many evils and that Mankind suffers and groans under a heavy load, while daily the RED HORSEMAN of REVELATION rides faster and wider, as more and more "chaff" is added to the pile to be destroyed, while the "wheat" to be garnered is slowly increased!
For the salvation of the Race, Man MUST AWAKEN to his sins and accept his responsibilities. He must mobilize his forces and go forth to battle, at last defeating his own enemies WITHIN himself that he may avoid being drawn into the vortex of destruction. He, and he alone, can "save" himself by obedience to the Law so plainly given. The means and the method is that of being BORN again - through REbirth of his Spirit (Soul) into Godly Consciousness, culminating in Soul Illumination.
Oddly enough, the most universal of all misunderstandings
is the idea that, in order to succeed in things Spiritual, Man
must give up all that is pleasurable and enjoyable in life. Only
that which belongs to "chaff" and which is to the detriment
of Man physically, morally, economically and spiritually must
be eliminated(9) or destroyed. The good and pleasant things of
life, so long as they are wholesome and constructive are to be
encouraged.
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(9) Many seekers upon taking up the GREAT WORK will begin "house
cleaning" by generally directing their efforts to the physical.
Of greater importance however is the cleansing of the INNER man
freeing him of hate, jealousy, resentment and all other carnal
elements which enslave him.
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Before we can begin to understand the All-Soul, Superior Intelligence or, if you prefer, God, we must first know ourselves and our material and Spiritual worlds.
Randolph, in his book, AFTER DEATH: THE IMMORTALITY OF MAN, describes the various levels of existence in the Spiritual World. Arcanely, he was in truth describing the degrees of advancement the Neophyte must pass through in the earthly existence. One of the advanced students of the Great Work wrote:
"Between the successive embodiments of the soul there are spirit states which are states of fruition, where the experiences of the preceding life in the body are assimilated, and the lessons of that life are made a part of the soul's knowledge. Communication between those in the spirit world is possible but such communication through so-called mediumship is not to be recommended and may be harmful, degrading and destructive. There is a better way, by bringing one's self into direct contact with the spirit world through right living and moral spiritual development."
Just as a parent, having several children, may desire to have these children embark upon many careers - many experiences, so does the All-Soul desire to have His Children (new Souls) embark upon ever-expanding mortal lives. This is in keeping with Divine Law so long as they do the Father's Will. Just as the child may, in its turn, become a Father or Mother, so may the Soul become "as a God" or a "God among men, " an immortal. "And the sons of men have become the Sons of God."
A word of explanation may be in order. Man can discuss God only in terms of human understanding. For this reason, as explained above, the term "The Law" or "The Word" is preferable in discussion of qualities. The Law is asexual (without sex) but, in giving Man free Will, the choice of assuming a masculine or feminine personality is left to the individual.
To illustrate: A new Soul - the Divine Spark descending to Earth to inhabit a human body for the first time - would be drawn to a masculine or feminine body because of some influence while this new Soul was in its "Heavenly Abode." This would also be true of the choice of environment the new Soul might select. Since the new Soul would be without Karma, it would be able to select whatever environment (country or birth, parents, sex and so on) it desired, subject only to the availability of suitable conditions.
New Souls, while basically Divine Sparks, do have awareness of earthly things, and hence desire for such; this may be best explained by Biblical "Angles."
Angels are new Souls in that they have known no physical or earthly existence. They are AWARE of the earthly, material world and, should they desire to descend to that world, may do so. In so doing, they are subject to "the Fall," i.e., falling into evil ways and having to atone for any evil they commit or, failing to do so, become "chaff," losing their Divine Spark, their Soul.
One might ask whether new souls would not desire only the very best of all that is good. Everything created by God is good. It is only Man, having free choice, by misusing that good, who creates "evil." Because it is not possible to know what is in a person's mind. Man is judged by appearances and deeds. "By their deeds shall they be known." Thus a new Soul may be attracted to an undesirable environment.
To illustrate: A young couple may decide to buy a house and KNOW exactly what they have in mind. They may be attracted to a house APPEARING to be exactly what they want, and purchase it. Only after living in it may they find it has inherent faults and undesirable neighbors. Fortunately, both the new Soul and the young couple may, BY FULFILLING WHATEVER OBLIGATION WAS FIRST ASSUMED, make another choice.
Again, it would seem that the new Soul (being Angelic) would
be attracted ONLY to what is good. Not necessarily so. It is possible
that this new Soul's greatest desire(10) is to experience earthly
existence, and this would be the dominating influence. Conditions
would be secondary.
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(10) DESIRE is the MAGNET of the Soul, the strongest DESIRE predominating
in all things.
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To illustrate: An individual may travel to a foreign country. It may be for a definite purpose and, to a great extent, that purpose can be assured of completion. Another individual may only wish to visit that country and accept whatever may be in store. Each may need several visits to accomplish what they set out to do, and if they fulfill the conditions, can do so. It is possible that they may wish to change their original objective, or possibly, decide they wish to stay there to live. Again, it is only necessary to fulfill the conditions. This same is true of new Souls descending to Earth.
Souls may be likened to children of God, to be given freedom of choice, after inhabiting a human body, to do good or to do evil. To TRY. If the Soul does evil and understands that it has done evil, and then makes restitution, it will be the stronger. If it does evil and does not know that it has committed evil, it will be FORCED to make some form of restitution. If this Soul does evil and knows it has done so, but refuses to make restitution, it becomes evil.
Should the Soul-personality become completely evil,(11)
it would lose its link with God and the personality would be no
more. The Soul-Spark, being of God, could not become evil and
would return to its source; just as a child, who disobeys its
parents' wishes to the extent that it is disowned, loses its identity
with its family.
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(11) A PERSONALITY may be completely evil and thus destroy itself.
However once the personality through SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS has
merged with the SOUL, degradation or destruction would have to
be brought about by deliberate efforts of the PERSONALITY through
evil thoughts, desires and acts.
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Man is dual in nature, SPIRITUAL and physical, with tendencies for good and evil. The physical, is necessary so as to provide a dwelling in which to develop the spiritual - the "house" built without nails or sound of hammer, the Temple of the Immortal Soul. Part of the Great Work is to so perfect this "house" that it becomes a fit dwelling place for the Soul.
We are partly evil (carnal passions and base emotions) as a result of previous acts or thoughts, a result of our physical demands. Therefore, another phase of the Great Work is the transmuting and refining of these passions and emotions into Love, Faith and Understanding.
Until we have accomplished these Works, we will continue to do things we KNOW are wrong, acts that we KNOW are harmful, and put off doing what we KNOW we should do.
So long as we make the effort and have the desire to improve our material and SPIRITUAL life, we WILL reduce the power of the carnal and evil within us and strengthen the finer emotions and the SPIRITUAL. We do NOT advance automatically any more than our "wheelbarrow" goes up the hill automatically. To stop means to roll back; to reach the top takes effort. We must decide if the goal is worth the effort.
As an illustration: A man may be comfortably relaxing in his house and be told there is a small hole in the roof. But, it is a pleasant, sunny day and all is well, and, being content, he neglects to repair the hole. The next day rain falls, and he sees the damage the rain does as it comes through the hole in the roof, but he can do nothing without getting wet, possibly sick, and only then with great effort, discomfort and danger.
All who entered the Great Work are obviously dissatisfied with their "house" or at least desire a better "house." Nearly every student reports great improvement shortly after entering the Work. This usually continues until he has a satisfactory "house." Then, complacency often begins, and, he sits in his "living room," aware of many defects still to be repaired, but since the "sun is shining," he does nothing to remedy the situation. This condition may continue until the new "house" is in no better condition than was the old, and, in many instances, immediate "repairs" are needed at a time when "repairing" is most difficult.
The motto of the Royal Canadian Air Force, "Per Ardva a Astra" ("through adversity to the stars"), is true Occult Philosophy in that Man grows stronger through overcoming adversity. He CAN reach the "stars" regardless of adversity. A far better way, however, is to repair our "roof" while the sun is shining and avoid many of the adversities that befall the procrastinator. We can make excuses and put off doing what is necessary, but sooner or later, should we decide we really want to complete our "house," we must go ahead regardless of conditions.
Each of us has a purpose or, if you prefer, a goal. It is
to our advantage to attain this foal or achieve our purpose as
quickly as possible, in order to reap the harvest. In other words:
We should finish our "house" as soon as we can in order
to enjoy living in it.
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