Life is concentration. It is centralization. Concentration is accumulation. By means of concentration we centralize, that is, gather together, the things we concentrated upon, and, as a result, we become a powerful magnetic center for the attraction and accumulation of the things we desire.

In the Great Work we think of the Acolyte as one who is desirous of obtaining only that which is pure and good; we think of him as capable of recognizing the truth; that in seeking for the Soul and its Illumination he can be successful only if he subdues the evils which give mastery to the flesh.

All great teachers had this one thing in mind; the Nazarene was no exception; though he voiced the Law differently when he proclaimed the positive truth:

"Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all else will be added unto you."

In seeking for the kingdom of heaven, we are likewise making every effort possible to bring the Soul into Consciousness. If we are successful, then Illumination follows and, with it, clear sightedness and intuitive power. The Illumination of the Soul is the most sublime experience possible to a man and, as a result, all things will become possible.

The building of the Soul is the process of awakening the Divine Spark into Consciousness, and as this is being accomplished, so will be brought about the regeneration so often mentioned in Sacred literature. The Acolyte will recognize that if this combined process proceeds as it should, it will eliminate both weakness and illness from the body, because it is a three-fold development of mind, body and of Soul. There have, however, been numerous instances where, due to some physical defect, Regeneration of Being and Illumination of Soul took place, even though the body was not freed of its weaknesses.

Through spiritual unfoldment or Regeneration, the Soul comes into a new Consciousness; a spiritual Consciousness. The possibilities of such a Soul is unlimited, as so clearly pointed out in all Occult literature, ad the Soul may then function upon the material plane as well as on the spiritual. The Development of these spiritual forces brings with it a keener judgment and the ability to separate the truly desirable from those things which are undesirable because they serve no good purpose. Because this is true, he who becomes possessed of an Illuminated soul with its spiritual comprehension of things as they are will be able to accomplish many things that would otherwise be impossible.

The spirit of man is Divine. By this we mean to say that the Spark of the Soul is from the Divinity, and as man progresses in bringing it into a consciousness equal to that of the body, it will be the link between himself and all things Divine. The Soul is the offering from the great invisible source of being, but is unconscious of its connection with the Divine source so long as it is not brought into Consciousness.

Mind has two distinct aspect, it is both active and passive. It can create and it is able to receive. The rational aspect is the intellect which is continually active, gathering knowledge through study and reason. Its weakness is in that it must accept by faith and belief in authorities. Intuition, the highest faculty in man, feels, and feeling, knows what is true. This faculty may be present in some who are not Soul Conscious, but it is developed in conjunction with Soul development and soul Illumination. Intuition is a receptive faculty. It is able to receive knowledge direct from its source and without the need of conscious reasoning. It knows because that which it receives is from within; from the spiritual center.

As soon as the seeker after truth begins to realize that there is a spiritual source within man far more reliable and dependable than the mind or any external source, he will make the necessary effort to bring about this inner consciousness and thus obtain the knowledge he requires.

With the building of the Soul, and the reception of the Light from the Universal, the Cosmic Soul, or the one whom we know as "father," man will begin to understand how he may make use of his mental faculties to greater advantage and in turn gain control over conditions and circumstances which former ly eluded him.

While the Acolyte lives "according to all mankind," that is, in what is termed the "natural state," he blindly follows in the footsteps of those who as blindly preceded him and there is no progress; he lives after the manner of the carnal plane. As he awakens to the undesirability of such a life, he begins to realize that it leads to nowhere, and it is then that his efforts will turn toward a spiritual awakening, the other side of the purely natural life. As he progresses in this plane and the Soul becomes even partly awakened, he will find the Christisis dwelling with in himself; he will become aware that while building a spiritual being, he is also developing an alert, strong, positive mind of great help to him in the final attainment of that which he is seeking.

In proportion as the student raises his present consciousness to the invisible spiritual center, he will progress in the awakening of the Soul toward final consciousness, and in this Consciousness he will unveil the Light to guide him in all his endeavors to attain the goal of his desire.

If he gains but a slight degree of Soul Consciousness, he is to that degree connected with the Cosmic Light. This will be his guide to further progress and finally the Greater Light, the Christisis, will be unveiled to him.

The Masters of all ages, by which we mean the Initiates who have unraveled the Mysteries of being, have taught that the few who become the children of God, i.e., Soul, or God Conscious, will be given all power in "earth and heaven" wherewith to advance themselves and help their fellow men. In the accomplishment of this work they must be willing to lay aside all that is unworthy of any one who seeks to be called a man, because it is necessary that he who seeks the Way, the Truth and the Life must first of all become a man, a free man at that, before he can proceed in attaining something higher, grander and nobler - a Godlike individuality.

It is impossible to live an irrational, carnal life and expect to come into touch with the Godhead; it is equally impossible to give full scope to the material self and at the same time become a Temple for Christisis. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. The first step is to become a man in the true sense of the term. To accomplish this the Acolyte must free the mind of all hate, jealousy, malice, revenge, fear and other thoughts of like nature, because such thoughts and feelings are in no sense akin to anything that is part of the spiritual man. How is this to be accomplished?

Give yourself an honest, thorough examination. Turn light into all the dark hidden corners of your inner self. You will find many negative conditions whose existence you never suspected. Then ask yourself frankly: What good purpose does this evil serve? If you are sincere and honest, the answer will come to you, and, having received this, proceed to change, i.e., transmute these baser passions into the ennobling emotions. Recognize fully that the passions you husbanded so carefully and for so long served no useful purpose; that instead of giving you strength and well-being they led to weakness and all the undesirable things of which weakness is a part. Recognize with certainty that every form of good feeling towards your fellow man will react to you with love and power, and that this feeling and acting is the proper method for becoming all that you desire to be.

You must likewise come into a full understanding that you may readily "live in the world but not be of it." That is to say, if you have so cleansed your desires that evil, whatever its nature, is no longer attractive to you, you can easily move among those filled with evil and it will in no wise affect you. Realize likewise, that constructive activity or innocent pleasure, but rather enhances and intensifies the possibilities and joys of life, establishing peace of mind where turmoil and uncertainty existed before.

Through such an effort there will result a gradual change from an unnatural and undesirable phase of life to a natural one; little by little you will come to realize that there exists something within you of which you ere not previously conscious. A voice (a sense feeling, or urge) will come to life, and, as you listen and obey, it will lead you in the path of Righteousness (rightness). This is the beginning of the Soul's awakening, the goal you seek. By giving heed to this "voice," to this internal urge, you will gradually find yourself changing from the state of a weak, uncertain mortal to one with keen mental faculties, vivid imagination, and a spiritual outlook far greater than you had previously though possible.

Living as he does today, man thinks that happiness is to be found in giving free rein to the senses; permitting his physical needs, governed by carnal desire, full sway so that he may enjoy the fruits of passion. He fails to realize that all unnatural satisfaction diminishes his capacity to really enjoy life and the good things of life, and thus does he constantly weaken himself until finally he can no longer control either mind or body and falls the victim to the many practices that destroy not only the body, but the Soul as well.

The Acolyte may have been taught that to lead a pure life, one without debasing practices, brings with it sorrow and suffering; he fails to remember that the average so-called normal life is for the most part one of worry, many sorrows and frequently much suffering. There may be tests for those seeking to follow a normal and spiritual life, but it is impossible that these should be as numerous or as frequent as before. It is also a fact that the hardest battles lead to achievement, to attainment, and a consciousness that embraces all that is worth-while or desirable. The greatest test is in the beginning; in the temptations to be met; the sneers and mockery to be faced, and in husbanding the strength to refuse all that is not best for the body and Soul.

Those living the sense life may escape the sneers and the mockery, but life for them is also filled with trials of every kind, bitter sorrows and much pain, and what is the reward? Is it spiritual attainment, soul Consciousness? Nay, it is weakness and finally that death from which there is no awakening.

Compare the life of the senses with the life of the spirit so that the picture may be brought out vividly. In the sense life thate is some ral joy, but most of the pleasures lead to bitterness; there is much sorrow and suffering, followed by weakness and blindness - the death of the body, the loss of the Soul.

The spiritual life demands some self-denial, but only of those things not good for the body or Soul; there are sneers to be met; there will be the pain and sorrow which are a part of love and affection, but finally there is strength of body, a vivid mind and, in the ultimate, Consciousness of Soul, Christification. Whichever we choose, there is no possibility of avoiding our full share of pain, sorrow and loss; were it otherwise, all men would quickly become weaklings.

In seeking to become a part of the life which is not all material, which leads to higher attainment, the Acolyte gradually gains self-control and the Soul becomes sufficiently conscious to be able to bless those opposing it, recognizing that by meeting opposition greater strength to overcome is gained. The Soul will forgive those who would work it injury, knowing that this is due to ignorance. It will bless those who seek to retard its progress, because this is a challenge to strength. It recognizes that all these things are opportunities for overcoming, and, in the mastery of the opposition, strength is gained so that yet greater test may be successfully met.

Many have asked: What is the path to Mastery? The answer has always been: By war of the cross; that is to say: By means of overcoming. The effort to overcome is the carrying of the cross; and no man can come unto me - become soul conscious, illuminated, Christic - unless "He takes up his cross and follows Me."

Make a real effort to manifest that which is in your heart; the things you love. Whether you will or not, you must ultimately do this. If your life is one of evil, you may try to hide it, but every effort, every act, every movement will advertise to those who know just what is in your innermost self. On the contrary, if you love that which is good, constructive, exalting, you may try in every way possible to hide it, but all the world will feel it, even though they may not see it. If your love be sufficiently strong, you will become that which you love and no power can prevent it. That is the Law.

All men who become great achieved their goal because they concentrated on one purpose; on the object they desired to accomplished. That is to say: They so loved the thing they sought to accomplish that this love would not permit them to think of anything else. In this is the whole secret of success. Singleness of purpose is singleness of thought and desire, and this concentration-centralization has the effect of a sun glass being held in such a manner that it centralizes the rays of the sun on an inflammable object and sets it on fire.

Love is desire. If the love be great enough, then there is an unconscious concentration of the thoughts on the subject loved. This sets u p a vibration in the nerve center, the Solar Plexus, that will be felt as a feeling of warmth. If this feeling is strong enough, it may become like a flame, so that the vibratory forces become so strong as to fill the entire body with an all-consuming heat. These intense vibrations are like wireless waves which contact other vibrations of like nature; this explains why those things which we truly seek, and make real effort to obtain, are drawn to us, and we succeed where others failed.

There is also the center in which ideas are evolved as a result of desire and this center is developed in harmony with the desire or love center. As a result of the force of this love or desire, all the helpful centers of our being will be developed and fused into one Great Center to revolve around still another Great Center as revolve the stars and planets in harmony with the sun and moon.

Understanding this, the student will comprehend that if hate be in the heart, the center of hate will be developed. This center will send out vibrations (waves) of hate to all other centers and they will be destructively affected. The same Law governs love and its influence; the center of justice, the center of genius as well as all of the other centers, and thus man becomes and manifests that which he feels the deepest.

Impersonal love and desire are one; infinite, unlimited freedom, undivided in the Soul. Love hungers for truth and all that belongs to truth. It is in love with truth; searching for it and desirous of making it one with itself. Love, i.e., desire, sends out these vibrations into all the world - into every department of itself; and it opens itself to the reception of the truth that makes me free. As a result of the desire and search, the returning vibrations are based on the law:

"As ye sow so shall ye reap."

Since the desire was for love and truth, the reaction of the Law is laden with more of truth, understanding, comprehension and enlightenment; perception is born and the radiation Light filters into the reservoir - the Soul - now ready for the harvest resulting from the previous sowing. If the center of reception is made positive, if there is a keen desire for truth, then nothing else but truth received by the awakening Soul will become more and more positive, until finally the Soul bursts into Consciousness, as a rose blooms in the sun, and Christisis is born.

What is love? Love can be known readily because, as a master said, "it seeketh not its own," but is ready to give. Love is of god. God is love radiated throughout all the world and only waiting to be received; though it cannot be received unless the instrument of reception is properly prepared. Love is a radiation, drawing, warming, attracting force that draws within its radius all that is of its own nature. And, lest we forget, love is a concentrated, centralized, universal and all-powerful energy; and like "the dove of Noah's ark," brings to the sender that which it was sent out to find.

If you are illuminated by the light of love in your heart, and, as a consequence, in your emotional nature, you will be inspired by the true spiritual feeling. This feeling will find expression in all that you attempt to do. All your actions will harmonize with the spirit of the holy emotion which we call love - the desire of the Soul - and will harmonize with the Universal or cosmic love.

Why were you placed on earth? Possibly it would be more correct to ask: Why did you come to earth? Is it not the destiny of every man to express that infinite, heavenly state in which the Soul existed before it came to earth. Is Soul not of the Father, and has come to earth to do the Father's Will, only to find itself hemmed in, surrounded, controlled and directed by the intrigues of the physical man, whose desires are so much stronger that the heavenly spirit manifesting through the flesh is unrecognized until such time as the Love in the Soul again gains the ascendancy?

In our desire to do good, and in our efforts to manifest the good from the divine within ourselves, we will be working out our own destiny and our redemption; it is the return journey to the godly being which we once were and will be again. There is but one way, one path to accomplish this; it is by way of the transmutation of all that is "evil" within ourselves into the holy emotions, and in that manner bring the sleeping Soul into Consciousness that it may manifest the Christisis of the New Cycle.

In the transmutation of the undesirable into the desirable and as a result of the accumulation of good, we fulfill God's Will, and in doing this we become like him and return to Sonship with him. This is the process of Christification.

Watch the mind, control the desires. If you do this the rest of the Great Work will be easy. But beware, take to heart the command of the Nazarene:

"Watch and pray."

The mind which is mortal is a deceiving mind. When you think it is under control, it is apt to deceive and lead you astray. Listen to the voice of the Consciousness; the dictates of the Soul; it will be your guide (angel). Seek the Light; in that Light there can be no evil. The Light is the illumination of the Soul.
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