After uncounted centuries of almost unbelievable cultural opportunities and scientific achievements that stagger the mind, man still remains primitive in his mental-Spiritual outlook. He has advanced very little in his spiritual concepts, being bound almost as completely to the idea that the physical is the only reality, as he was two thousand years ago. All that concerns reality, that which he conceives as religion and having to do with the Soul, is based on belief and some few shreds of faith therein is his limitation.

After all these many centuries, man still remains convinced that only in material possessions, and in the gratification of physical, carnal desires, can he find what he believes to be happiness. When the reactions of these gratifications strike home, he has not the slightest idea that it was he, himself, who brought them upon himself and, for it, he blames fate - at times even blaming all "misfortune" on God.

For man to limit himself, as almost all men do, to activity on the physical plane is neither natural nor normal, It is wholly one-sided, unbalanced, limited, and brings about it own undoing. The person who permits himself to be held in bondage by such limitations actually, though perhaps unconsciously, ignores practically everything on the higher plane of being on which he might function. He is incapable of recognizing these realities and cannot benefit from them. He does more; he actually prevents himself from receiving the greater benefits he might receive, the deeper pleasures and the fuller life, if he were really conscious of the counterpart of the material, with which he thinks himself so familiar, the Spiritual.

It is essential to those who aspire to anything higher than the purely material, temporal and, when analyzed, foundationless, to come into a full understanding of what it actually means to live a normal, natural life. At the same time, with equal consistency, they must be interested in it (normal life) and make an effort to balance it with the ethical, Spiritual realities on which life itself is actually based. This is not understood by even one out of every thousand of those who pride themselves on their knowledge of life.

It is altogether possible that those in search of that something which they feel is missing in life, though they have no knowledge of what it really is, may have been erroneously taught to accept as a truth, that to even make an attempt to lead a pure life, one free from degrading, debasing thoughts and desires, and the acts such desires lead to, will bring them suffering, sorrow and loss. They are as yet not conscious of the Law, absolute in its functioning, which in its Reaction can bring man only that which he has created, brought into being, or sent out by his thoughts, desires and actions.

They are unaware that thinking, desiring and living contrary to the Divine Law - the constantly operating Law - God's Law, must, forever and always, set into motion activities which will sooner or later bring to man all of the undesirable, unpleasant and unfortunate experiences universally, though not happily, accepted as part of normal life.

Unquestionably there are trials and tribulations, sorrows and losses, for even those who have been living and are trying their best now to live both a normal and Spiritual life. They must remember that countless ages have passed during which many unfavorable acts were committed, as yet unatoned for. They must realize since they are part of the whole, many of those things men know as evil, undesirable and unfortunate, are the result of what their fellow men, associates, friends and family bring upon them and, to prevent falling into the universal error, they must remember the Divine precept:

"It must be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." Matt.18:7.

Understanding this, the choice is to recognized the fact, fulfill the Law as nearly as possible, be undismayed by the experiences of the moment and make every effort to select such association as will not make it necessary for them to help pay the penalty of others, because of condoning their evil deeds.

In every day ordinary life, even those who are not possessed of any Spiritual consciousness whatever and whose outlook is wholly material, must experience bitter trials, sorrows and even extreme sufferings that compare equally, if not having greater intensity and frequency, to the trials experienced by those seeking for something greater than the mere temporal. Those not on the path meet such experiences with resentment, accusation, and defiance and, though they endure because they must and find evasion impossible, their attitude of mind brings about a repetition of such experiences of greater intensity and variety.

The Aspirant or seeker for the truth or the fundamentals of life on both the moral-material and Spiritual planes will, because of his more open mind, recognize the immense difference between the two modes of life and become conscious of the gulf separating them. On the one plane, he will see the necessity for pain, suffering and losses in repayment of debts incurred, but will realize they lead to attainment, enlightenment and power. On the other he will see far greater misfortune, sorrow, suffering - all leading to weakness and failure, instead of the strength and success so certain when on the right hand path.

The achievement of self-control is certain to lead to higher attainment and ever greater achievements. It cannot be too often repeated :

"He who becomes master of himself is greater than he who taketh a city."

To be master of self brings the strength and wisdom which makes conquest possible.

In the process of gaining self-control, the personal material self, the temporal self, is cleansed of all impeding material and this, in perfect ratio, has the same effect upon the Spiritual self , the real self. It removes by degrees the debris that hides, or under which is buried, the Christos the Soul, and brings it into consciousness. This Spiritual consciousness, then, is on par with the material self, recognizing the fact that oppositions of every nature, when met head-on, are not stumbling blocks to advancement and success, but are actually the "openers of the way" to the very things most desirable and most often denied men.

The statement that God is Love and that love is of God has been so frequently repeated that it has not only lost its meaning to all but a few, but it actually no longer makes any impression on the minds of those hearing it.

The worst feature of this and what does the greatest damage to both the individual and humanity as a whole, is in the non-recognition that love is one of the most potent of all attributes because it is desire.

Man is led to seek freedom from his manifold forms of slavery and can improve his condition and environments only as the result of the incentive of love, or its attribute, desire.

Once the love or desire for things that are noble, uplifting and constructive is born in the mind and feelings of man, it is not possible for him to either hide it from his fellow men, not to prevent them from sensing it; and, of equal importance to him in self benefit, is the attractive force of this love for the things he desires - he is actually creating the necessary vibrations to attract the desired to himself.

All the great men throughout the ages became so by a gradual process which included: forgetting, by thrusting aside, because of their undesirability and devastating effect, the annoyances caused by the littleness of men on the one hand and their own former feelings of the little, narrow, selfish-self. This permitted them to achieve a singleness of purpose, a centering of their thoughts and focusing of the rays of their desire toward the achievement of one idea. This process or procedure can readily be compared to the focusing of the rays of the sun through a glass upon a single point; this convergence quickly set the object on fire, if it is combustible.

When the flame of desire is increased by means of a rational concentration of the mind and feelings on the object to be achieved, man quickly becomes aware of forces, both material and Spiritual within himself, of which he formerly was totally unaware.

Every effort made by man has the effect of a still greater awakening of these forces, as well as the ability to direct them constructively. The effort then is to more thoroughly arouse these forces of hidden "talents," and, also to arouse the Spiritual self, so that the forces of both natures active within himself may blend toward the accomplishment of his desires.

This blending and activating of the desires of both man's material and Spiritual nature and the directing of the forces created by it, is a process of self-development and is actually a growth from on state of being into another. Time, in conjunction with effort, is a necessary factor there may be a period of seeming inertia within, while this development is taking place without any manifestation other than in outlook and broadness of vision and there may be the possibility of discouragement.

The man who has truly awakened, will compare this period with that of the seed of certain trees, such as the peach of the nut which frequently lie buried in the ground for as long as two years before putting forth their first sprouts, though they were never inert in all that period.

There are recognizable manifestations of an inner activity taking place as a result of a concentration on love or desire. Every effort consciously, deliberately made, creates vibrations of the intensity of the desire-inducing thought, just as the electric generator, revolving at proper speed, creates a vibration which, if high enough, produces light.

The recognizable effect of these raised vibrations, due to the intensity of thought and causative desire, appear frequently as a warn, glowing feeling and this heat or flame will become strong with continued effort - the vibratory forces becoming intense enough to fill the entire body with warmth. One aspect of this vibratory force, s heat, is its power to free the body from illness; it is the healer's (manifested by the Nazarene), "healing of the nations," i.e., all who open themselves to it.

These vibratory forces, always at the command of desire and effort, will become a great power, and like wireless waves, comingle with vibrations of like nature from other sources. This readily explains the means by which a man may gradually become whatever he would "love" to be; obtaining for himself and dear ones, or associates, possessions and abilities for their benefit and happiness.

The true sincere seeker will not be content until he has succeeded in finding the source of whatever he feels or know to exist, In his search, he will uncover, reveal to himself, the center from which the feeling has been given birth and, in turn, arouses thought, ideas, ideals and desires. This Center, greatest next to the Soul of Light Center, and without whose activity they must forever remain dormant, is in the Solar Plexus; the Center of Feeling as is the Soul, the Christos awakened, the center of the Divine or Ineffable Light. If these two centers are awakened and attuned by means of desire (love for) and effort, then in proper rotation, all other centers of being will be awakened and, together and in conjunction with each other, all of the "talents" inherent in man, as well as the Great Center of Light, will be developed.

There are two avenues for the manifestation of desire, love for that which is sought. The most common, one might truthfully say the universal avenue, is in the nether realm of being. It would appear almost an anomaly to say that there can be love or hate in the heart of man, but, whether we like it or not, it cannot be contradicted that in the hearts of untold millions there is actually a desire, hence love, to hate, and these so possessed (Biblically, by the devil) are never content unless they are actively planning and committing evil deeds.

If, as in these millions so engaged in their love of hate; hate in its many and various aspects is enthroned in the heart, then, because it is a destructive passion, a center, or concentration of hate, it will gradually be developed and grow stronger. This center will then, like a Dictator over a people, control all other centers and direct their forces toward destructive ends, ultimately bringing destruction even upon the person guilty of harboring the feeling of hatred.

If, on the contrary the other avenue is followed, and the desires governed by love, become the directing forces, then there will be the development of a love, a Light center. This will be a directing center toward the activities of man's greatest attributes in human relations; justice, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, humaneness and all other beatitudes of the Spiritual self. These Spiritual qualities will manifest in the individual as health, strength, success, achievement, attainment, Peace of mind, powers of the Soul, the Light Ineffable.

The feeling as a result of desired effort of love and goodness, or of love and kindness because of the meaningless of the term "goodness," (due to its frequent misapplication) are one and the same thing, though often different in expression. The sphere of activity of the force behind the feeling is infinite and, in its culmination, offers an absolute, unlimited freedom.

One of the aspects of Love or its attribute Desire, is an unquenchable longing for Wisdom, to know; knowing, to become. Wisdom urges on - giving no rest, continually searching for the fulfillment of the desire; yet giving peace, even though the end is not attained; peace being found in doing, more than in the end sought. This actually is the secret of finding peace and the happiness men seek in other directions, but never succeed in finding.

The seeking Soul, in its awakening, perhaps unconsciously, sends messages into space, with the hope, again perhaps unconsciously, that it may receive a reply, a direction. The Soul, to receive the desired guidance, opens, again perhaps unconsciously, but as a result of desire, a receiving station; a center or womb into which the answer comes and in which is then born a new idea or ideal for further action. In this center, as it is developed by desire (love for) and effort, will be received, the messages - feeling and urges - from the Infinite, and intellect (reasoning mind) and perception (knowledge by feeling) will be harmonized in the radiating Light from the Infinite. This Infinite, in time becomes the risen Christos so long inert and silent within.

When man opens, by conscious efforts, a positive center, seeking only for the truth and all that is by its nature "good" then he will be certain to receive wisdom to guide him in his constant activities. These will become stronger and more positive as he progresses until the Soul Center will come into conscious touch, through the medium of intuition, with all that is reality and to his material and Spiritual well-being.

Both of these centers are governed by desire - this desire having its inception and activity in two wholly opposite directions or centers - yet, unbelievably, the source or soil in which they live is the same.

Of these two opposite centers, one operates in the direction of what we know as "good," the other in the direction of evil or "sin" personified. Love, a radiant flame, a warming, blessing, cheering, healing, attracting power; radiating a Light that draws toward the Infinite; the other dwarfing, degrading, debasing, destroying, brutalizing toward Hades.

When the desire, based in love, reaches the heart and mind, even though love is not recognized as the incentive, but merely as "something wanted," it will gradually manifest according to its nature and in the Light that is the Soul. When this Light whose nature is love, is the incentive for the emotional nature - and it is either this or hate - man is inspired by the Infinite inaction, though he may be conscious only of a change in himself - that the things he considered essential to himself, he no longer wants. As he becomes conscious of the reasons for the change, he will become aware that it is the Spirit in action, and then he will be able to trace it to the love-nature, resident in the Soul self.

All of this may at first appear complicated philosophical reasoning, difficult to understand and all but impossible to put into action. After a bit of clear thinking, it will become apparent, however, that every man has a desire for something. That something can be catalogued as either good or evil. If it is good, and the desire is strong enough to command effort, he can obtain or attain it and he will benefit, and so will all other who come into contact with him. If evil, and the desire is strong enough to deaden the conscience and induce him to act, he may obtain the fulfillment of his desire, but it will React upon himself, bringing him possible temporary benefit or pleasure, but inevitably turning to destructive force, both as it concerns himself or others.

Man inhabits the earth. That is certain. He has the power to think and to execute. That is certain also. He is conscious that there is evil and that it destroys, though he has his personal ideas of what evil is. He has free choice of action, if he has the manhood to take the initiative. All of these things should be taken for granted and as a matter of course.

Man on earth has a destiny to fulfill, though usually only those who have awakened to their possibilities and have chosen the path to Initiateship accept this as a fact. Others believe they are pawns in the hands of a diabolical player, whom they have named "fate," unaware that this "player of the game of life" is themselves in activity, and that at most, they are playing the game against themselves.

Those, who have awakened and have sought and entered the path leading to Soul Consciousness or Initiation, have wholeheartedly accepted it as truth that their destiny is to awaken the Christos, the Divine Spark within themselves and by this means to express that which is from the Divinity through the medium of themselves - the earthly vehicle given them for that purpose.

Because of the gravity and importance of the task placed before man, important first of all to himself and then to the Divine plan, it is essential that he obtain all the knowledge on the subject possible and for this reason Master-Teachers come to earth time and again that they might help others into Initiateship, so that these in turn might become teachers and guides.

Those, who accept, soon learn that as a result of self purification they become the vehicle through who the Divinity operates. By obedience they attain the highest, the Soul through which men are born. Being reborn in the Spirit, the Sons of God, now, in this New Order of the Ages, the "elect," the "chosen" ones of the Land overshadowed by wings, are selected by the Divine Law as a result of obedience to co-work with God and the creating forces. They are no longer slaves to their fellow men, conditions and environments, but Masters of Destiny, Captains of their Ship and their Souls.
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