In this and many other books of our Grand Fraternity the word "power" is used frequently. However, there seem to be many different definitions of this word in the minds of our students, and, no doubt, in the minds of our nonstudent readers as well.

Many students tell us that they have no desire for power. They just want to stay in the background of the temporal world and quietly develop their personal spirituality. These individuals have a misunderstanding of the meaning of "power" as used in the literature of the Great Work. Power is simply the ability to so something, to take action. There can be no real or lasting Soul growth without developing power, any more that a light bulb can be illuminated without sending a charge of electricity through it. Power is just as vital to one as to the other.

It is difficult to deny, however, that in a world where the strong seem always ready to subjugate those weaker than themselves, the word power can take on a most sinister meaning. Yet, the most powerful force we know, God, is also the most benevolent force in Creation. Power in and of itself is neither good nor bad; it just is. Since without it nothing can be accomplished, be that good or evil, it behooves the student of all things food not only to attempt to garner more and more power, but also learn to direct this power to eternal and lasting good. The only legitimate use of power is to glorify God and His Creation and to emulate Him by using this power to benefit all mankind. All other uses of power are demonic.

Nor is temporal power always what we take it to be. In his day, Herod most certainly had the advantage of temporal power over Jesus. Yet in the final analysis the power of the man of Galilee has proven far greater than that of Herod. Jesus through the power of his philosophy changed the world, and, ironically, were it not for Herod's "run in" with this great Master-Teacher, he would be little more than a footnote in some dusty forgotten history book.

Throughout most of human history power has been concentrated in the hands of the few, either by birth or by the dint of their will. Kings and pharaohs are examples of the first and Napoleon the prime example of the latter. On the other hand, the majority of the common people were little more than slaves or vassals. This subject has been addressed by a well-known Arcane Initiate in the following manner:

"For many centuries, negativeness has been the rule among mankind. True, it is freely admitted that during this time there have been a few men (and possibly as many women) who have ruled with an iron hand. These were positive in the extreme but not necessarily for the welfare of the vast multitudes under them. These, all to often, were practically slaves and theirs was the duty to obey the slightest with of those in power. The negative mass dared not hold an opinion contrary to the thoughts of the rulers; if those in command said ‘war,' all were ready to fight; if he said ‘work,' all were ready to slave with but little recompense.

"This is negativeness in the ultimate; there is no individual responsibility attached to such a life; it is ordered by others, and, under the Divine Law, on these leaders falls the actual responsibility of the acts of those who obey their every order.

"How ignoble the life that is charted by another mind! How degrading the life that is controlled by others in all its actions, aye, even it its thoughts! The acts committed by those who are mere slaves to the behests of others bring with them a certain train of thought, even certain religious beliefs; and, eventually, the one so enslaved will lose the sense of responsibility, becoming a mere human mechanism without any thought or volition of its own.

"The spirit of these long past ages, that feeble spirit of supreme negativeness, is fast passing away. A new age has begun, of the New Renaissance is not afraid to think thoughts and perform acts not advocated by the majority of unthinking humanity, even though these meet with reprimands from them and bring suffering to the one brave enough to follow his idea of right. He knows that only such individualistic manhood leads to real power (like that of the Nazarene) and also to Health and Happiness.

"The way to manhood is the way to power. It must be understood, however, that the way to manhood and power is only by way of individual responsibility. With bravely assumed responsibility comes the strength to be responsible, the courage to shoulder still greater responsibility. This awakens individuality in man; it develops manhood and he who reaches manhood's true estate is well on the way to Power, Health and Happiness."

We are assured by this great teacher that spiritual development is power, and there can be no real lasting power without spiritual attainment, all other forms of power being but fleeting. We remember how quickly the statues of the powerful dictators of Germany and Russia were torn down after their deaths when the peoples' perceptions of their actions changed. Power based only on the perception of other men is power built on quicksand. Only power that is rooted in Soul development is permanent; all else fades away.

As we prepare for a New Renaissance of human endeavor, we must also accept the view that power is essential for all advanced men. Our Arcane Initiate calls this "The New Doctrine."

"The New Doctrine proposes that man must take of the duties of life actively and positively. He must carefully consider all calls made upon him, in their relation to his own well-being and to that of others. He must hold himself in an active, positive state; with no antagonism toward anything whatever; with neither hatred nor malice toward any person or any condition. He must be ever ready to defend the right, the true self, actively and positively, without animosity; with neither censure nor harsh judgment nor ill-will; with no grudge or bitterness or envy. This - to be free form antagonism and censure of every type and description - is a prime essential of the positive type of mind that is unreservedly advocated by the doctrine that leads to Power, Health and Happiness.

"This Doctrine teaches man to look upon all life as good; existence in the present state as desirable, as a positive and absolute good; life on this plane of existence as not only necessary, but glorious. If man accepts it as such, considers every duty a pleasure, if he does everything with the thought that it is for the best and for a useful purpose, then by this attitude of mind, he shows himself an man in the true sense of the word. By persisting in this attitude of mind and by executing all the duties of life in this constructive spirit, he not merely manifests his manhood, but he proves his right to Power, Health and Happiness.

"Life is not an evil, nor are the acts of the true life of power to be considered as such. By executing the duties of life in a wholesome and positive spirit, man manifests the possibility of conscious potency, the attainment of what religion terms Godhood.

"All that comes to us in life is either to be accepted and acted on or to be cast aside as unworthy. We must give all things careful consideration whereby to determine whether they represent the positive or the negative in life. If of the negative, we should quickly reject them; if of the positive, then just as readily should we adopt them and perform our duty.

"As an individual who has developed true power, it matters not whether someone wishes to force certain conditions upon us; we have no excuse on our part for acting on them. Whether they come before us in the guise of duty or because some one apparently stronger wants to press them upon us, the doctrine we teach impresses the mode of procedure the same insofar as we are concerned. We teach impresses the mode of procedure the same insofar as we are concerned. We must consider the matter thoroughly and carefully weigh conditions and results to determine whether the final issue will be for the good of ourselves and others. If, by so doing, we prove there is an advantage in adopting the offered conditions, then it is our duty to do so, even though our desires be to the contrary. If we pass the opportunity, merely because we would avoid a responsibility of a labor, we thereby become more negative through a loss of power, greater slaves to conditions and further encoiled by the serpent of destruction.

"If, however, investigation shows that the proffered conditions are detrimental because they many weaken us or bring disadvantages or benefits attended by injury to ourselves or others, then it is our duty to reject them. This new doctrine demands that we shall have the strength to refuse even though great power and influence are brought to bear upon us attempting to force us to do acts contrary to the dictates of our reason and manhood.

"The New commandment, ‘Be a Man that thou mayst posses Power to obtain Health and Happiness,' insists that each individual becomes a free agent, and that no one may offer the excuse of having been forced to commit any act, good or ill, by the will or force of others."

Thus, we are shown the way to develop a power that is equal to that of all the great Masters of the past. The road to this power is the same now as it was them. Admittedly, it is a rocky Path in the beginning, but as more and more effort is made and experience thereby gained the rocks diminish and eventually rose petals take their place. Those who tried to use power for evil purposes eventually will become the servants of those who understand true power and use it for the benefit of all.

Power and strength are not alone for the temporal world but are also essential for the growth of the Soul. This is made very clear in this excerpt from a work by another Initiate:

"To the Soul, life is always a kindergarten. Through existence in the present state and on the present plane, we gain experience. It is here we must learn our lessons, here we are tested as the ore is tested in the fiery furnace with this difference: The ore has no power of choice and is forced to give up its gold if the heat is great enough whereas man, being endowed with free will, may refuse to liberate the gold, preferring to live in the filth wherein it is buried. It is possible for men and women to accept conditions as helpless slaves and even though they may suffer severely under the heat of the testing, they may refuse to learn the lesson and to appropriate its blessings. With man, something more than mere acquiescence is necessary. He must accept in the right spirit, must learn through the experience and obey joyfully. He must be willing to let go of the dross and bring the gold within him into expression, through love. This is the positive attitude of mind; manifesting manhood and a responsibility toward life's conditions, thereby paving the way to Power, Health and Happiness.

"Life, as we know it, is essential for the Soul as well as for the body. Without life on this plane the Soul could not become individualized, could not gain the experience necessary to become like the gods, possessing Power, Health and Happiness. The growth that results from wise experience can come only through being positive at all times, the master of self, the slave of none and choosing the things of advantage to the true self, refusing all that may be otherwise."

It is well for those who fear power, and therefore shun it, to remember that the student must develop great power to say no to the desires of the carnal or lower self and sometimes even greater power to say no to those he loves when this is necessary to fulfill the Divine Law. There is no advancement in any field of human endeavor without the development of power. Power is not a dirty word. It is the "open Sesame" to all that exist in both the temporal and the spiritual planes. This concept of power is reinforced by the following:

"Unquestionably the positive attitude of mind requires courage, but as in all else courage grows through deliberate choice on the one had and premeditated refusal on the other. With courage comes strength and with strength greater power to do and accomplish.

"The individual who accepts all things as they come, with no effort to master to to improve them, is living a negative life. Through such negativeness comes pessimism. Pessimism is like water standing in a pool without an outlet; it soon becomes a deadly poison. Pessimism in the heart of man is just such a poison. He who accepts all things as they come, thinking them to be evils that must be endured, is like the stagnant pool of water. He never uses his powers and his capabilities; he fails to be come strong; he gives no opportunity to the Divine spark within, the god in embryo, to assert itself.

"As a natural result, the individuality that might readily have been brought into manifestation remains dormant, life becomes inert and eventually all good will die.

"The time may come when demands will be made upon the student to do those things that should have no part in the true life and that cannot receive the sanction of the command to be a man and, thus, receive Poser and Happiness. These will usually come from those who are near and dear to him. As soon as he realizes that the things demanded of him do not coincide with the Higher Ideal to which he should have consecrated his life, he should summon all is courage and strength to withstand their entreaties. If he asserts his individuality and calls upon all the forces of his being, he will be able to obey the dictates of his awakened conscience and thus find the way to Power, Health and Happiness.

"His refusal to comply with the wishes of his loved ones may give rise to many conditions hard to meet, conditions unforeseen and almost unbelievable, except by those with most vivid imaginations. No matter what the result or the ultimate outcome, to him it is all the same; he will face the crisis with firmness and with courage; he will not go counter to, or compromise, his convictions of right; to do so is to reap weakness instead of strength. Nevertheless, [ and note well this point - The New Doctrine, ‘Be a Man,' demands that, in and through it all, he shall entertain no censure, no malice, no ill will, no antagonism or bitterness toward those who are instrumental in placing him in such a crisis, because these experiences are but instruments to test him and to give him added strength and power as he passes through them.

"This New Doctrine, which exacts of every individual manhood, honor and a sense of responsibility, as well as a prophetic recognition of Inner Power, is also exacting in its demands that, in and through it all, he shall be free resentment and harsh judgment toward conditions as well as personalities. Only by overcoming can man obtain Power, Health and Happiness - the promise of the New Renaissance."

The way to power is through the exercise of power - not a power over others, but a poser over one's own temporal self. The ancient saying goes, "He who would be master of all must first be servant of all," As we are able to master our lower self we gain the power to become a true servant, or in a truer sense, a server, of mankind. By such service is power developed. The purpose of such service is not to do for the weak that which they should and can do for themselves, but to teach them the way to the same power that we have developed. Strength is not given to one but comes to one by doing. It is not the duty of the strong to eternally support the weak, but rather it is their duty to instruct the weak in the ways of strength and power so that they too can go forth and teach others. This was the procedure used by the Nazarene with his disciples, and it is the example to follow for all who would be both good and powerful. This power, like God's, is both good and benevolent and it the only rational Path to Health and Happiness.
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