There are certain things that need doing if one is to enter into the final room of the castle.
I ask you to recall that I have made no claims to know what lies beyond the door of this final room, yet, I am certain that it is for our good and benefit and offers no threat or harm to anyone who is able to go beyond the Forth Room.
You have had to equip yourself with certain tools - certain thoughts and attitudes - that will not only allow you to open the door to this chamber in your innermost being, but will also allow you to remain there if you choose to do so.
If you recall the earlier chapters of this book, you will remember that you must be invited into this place of contemplation, and if you have equipped yourself with these tools, the invitation is automatic.
You must know certain things. You may not merely believe certain things. You must have made them real, in other words, you must have realized these things. Understanding is not enough, you must come to realization.
Let us review those certain things once more:
First, you must realize that you are neither your body nor your mind. You use both but they are not you.
Second, you must realize that you are a spiritual being and that your spiritual being manifest itself through you Will.
Third, you must realize that you are the center of the universe, and that center is a center of Love that is nourished by God's Love.
Fourth, you must know something of the "outer world," as it is created by God, and of the "inner world," as well. This is done by study and a willingness to learn.
Fifth, you must realize that your inner development and your ultimate achievements if Spiritual growth depend upon no one but yourself.
Sixth, you must realized the importance of acquiring knowledge and insight from the "inner process."
Seventh, you must assume that with the effort above, you will be allowed into that place.
Eighth, you are the final answer to it all. It is no one else's fault if you do not succeed.
Ninth, you must know the Name.
With that knowledge behind you, as your equipment, the steps that follow will give you the results your preparation merits:
Place yourself in a comfortable chair, but one in which you will not easily fall asleep.
Say to yourself, "Lord, I call upon you because I know your Name." as you breathe in, say to yourself the Name, "I am Here," breathing out, say to yourself the Name, "Here am I."
Continue for a few moments repeating the breathing and words written above. There is no set amount of time, no maximum nor minimum. You alone will know when it is enough when you find yourself in a deep peaceful and assured place within your psyche.
Continue to be aware of your breath, and now recall one of the Quatrains from your journal. For our example, we will use the one composed in Chapter 10 that deals with food. "Men and women in our time tend to overeat. The reason they eat more than they need is that they are hungry for something substantial, not found in food but rather in their Spiritual lives."
Please remember that the Quatrain that I have used for an example is one that is meaningful only to me. I have composed it and so, if you try to contemplate the meaning of it, it will mean nothing to you. You must use your own. There is only one direct path to this goal, there are thousands of indirect paths. Using someone else's quatrains will generally let you down.
Allow this thought to linger around you for a few moments, and then ask, "Lord teach me your wisdom concerning this gift that you have given me. Enlighten me, I will listen.
Then ask any question about the Quatrain that comes to your mind. Try to reserve the time for just that Quatrain. You may give your attention to the idea of food, or spirit, or overeating, or any idea that is brought out of the Quatrain. It is here that your ability to give your attention to something for a few minutes will be needed.
In a while, shorter at first and longer as you grow used to these practices, you will either hear the word "Finish," or you will sense that it is enough for now. Do not push it.
Finally, give thanks for the moments you were in contemplation. Sometimes you will be amazed at how much time you've spent, when you return your thoughts to the world around you.
It is a good idea to write any important ideas that may have come to you. In fact, if over the long run you fail to recall the things that you were given in those moments of deepest calm and loving assurance, you may find that you will be offered less and less instead of more and more.
You have gone through the door of the Fourth Room with this experience. How long you are allowed to remain there before you are "finished" depends upon the preparations you have made; those things explained in the previous Chapters. "As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
Yet, the loving God of our lives has not time limit. You may return to any of those nine "certain things" needed and work to strengthen one or another of them.