Instinct is supposed to belong peculiarly to the animal kingdom while intuition is supposed to be restricted to humans. However, simple observation leads us to conclude that millions more human beings are ruled by instinct (reactions) than by intuition - or reason, for that matter. Contrary tto popular opinion and accepted psychological philosophy, we maintain that instinct is as natural to man as it is to the animal world. Instinct in man is the unreasoned incentive to many of his acts and is commonly known to him as desire. The desire produces in man an involuntary impulse or unreasoned prompting to an action that is then often followed by other more voluntary actions with a specific purpose, though possibly without rational thought. In short, instinct may be safely said to be the "incentive to act without previous conscious thought."

Let us not misunderstand our concept here; we are not attempting to condemn or belittle these natural instincts, for we sincerely believe that they are given man for a noble purpose. In the normal human with a fair degree of health, they are the promptings of Mother Nature, telling him, by an urge or feeling rather than by speech, what to do and how to do it. Mother Nature does all this in such a manner that man has little time to question from whence this incentive for action comes. If he thinks about it at all, he will usually assume that it comes from some dark recess of his mind.

This of course is not true. Nature, the Mother part of God, wants us to succeed, protect ourselves and perpetuate our kind, just as She wants the same for all of God's children. It is Her responsibility to program us and every other living thing with such powerful instincts what we will follow Her laws and thereby persist in our efforts to help Her and God create a more perfect world. We can readily see the results of Mother Nature's efforts in the animal and plant worlds. Here Her built-in instincts create a harmony almost unheard of in the lives of men. It was George Bernard Shaw who penned, "I never yet met a man who ran his life as well as a tree does its."

This does not mean that men and women have not been endowed by Nature with instincts designed to assist them in their lives in the same way She has done with other species, but only that we have the free will to follow these urges or not to follow them. As Hamlet says, "Ah, there's the rug." While the rest of creation obeys the instincts of Mother Nature and prospers, we, with our free will, bumble along trying to figure out why we are here and what life is all about.

As we have discussed on other parts of this work, man is different from the animals, but that does not mean he should not take advantage of each and every opportunity offered him by God and Nature. The truth is, while man does have something the animals do not - his Divine Spark (see Chapter Three) - he also has natural instincts just as they do.

In the heart and Soul of man (his inner being), there are two sets of emotions or "voices." One may be called the natural instincts and these have to do with the physical being, its welfare and happiness. The other is from the Divine Being with in the (the Divine Spark). This later "voice" is made known through the Voice of Conscience, or Intuition, and is popularly supposed to manifest only as an accuser, that is, when man has broken a moral or spiritual law. Today we know better. As the student is able to transmute more and more of his past Karmic indebtedness he will find the "voice" of his Intuition (the Divine Spark) growing stronger and stronger so that it is able to guide him in all needed areas of endeavor.

In the modern spiritually enlightened individual the physical part (instinct) is to become equal with the Soulular or Spiritual part of his nature; neither one is to dominate the other. If there is a preponderance of one over the other, the life of that person is to that extent abnormal and unbalanced and is in need of a readjustment that will restore the essential equilibrium.

The New Renaissance continually supports the cultivation of manhood ( and true womanhood) so what power and happiness may be realized and man become as one of the gods, as he is promised he may become in Genesis 3:22. As mentioned above, this new philosophy places equal stress on the importance of understanding and giving heed to the voice of the physical being, known as instinct, and intuition, that "voice" of the Divine Spark, the spiritual urge within.

Man's instincts are in many ways similar to those of the animals since they were created to serve the same, or nearly the same, purposes. Foremost of these instincts is the desire to protect our life and that of those dependent upon us. This is the same instinct placed in every living being. Man has the ability to override this instinct for both good and not-so-good reasons. For instance, a man may see a child drowning and jump into a raging river to see if he can save the child. In this effort he may give his own life. While his natural instinct would tell him that it was very dangerous to jump into the river, his humanity moved him to do otherwise. As far as the natural law is concerned he paid for his disobedience to his instincts, but as far as the spiritual law is concerned, he gained much by is unselfish desire to help another.

Let us say that another man is on a cliff above the same river. He is despondent about his life and has decided to take the "easy way" out. He jumps into the river to commit suicide. The physical end result is the same in both instances, but under the Divine Law, the Karmic consequences are diametrically opposed. In the first instance was a man who may be freed from much past Karma in his next incarnation because of his sacrificial act, while in the latter, was a man who will incur much new Karma (for his own murder) and his previous suffering will only be intensified, since it will continue in a "middle world"(1). while he awaits his normal time to pass on to the Soul World. We cannot say more on this subject here, but every student of the Great Work should realize that suicide does not relieve the perpetrator of the pain and anguish he wants to escape. Such would be against the Law of Sowing and Reaping; it only places the person in a position where he has no way of alleviating his distress.
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(1) See the book, The Circle of Lives, for a fuller explanation of this phenomenon. Philosophical Publishing Company, P.O. Box 220, Quakertown, PA 18951
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Thus we see that there is a reason for natural instincts, but man with his spiritual insight and reason can override these when he feels that will create the greatest good. Unfortunately, most of man's attempts to override his natural instincts are not that productive. Nowhere is this so evident as in his approach to his sexuality.

It is said that the strongest human instinct next to life preservation (both animal and human examples show that in some instances it even takes precedence over life itself) is the desire to copulate. This conclusion is most certainly in harmony with the needs of Mother Nature. She wants us to live and to procreate, so the two strongest instincts She places within us are designed to accomplish these ends.

She so arranges things that the urge to copulate is the strongest when both men and women are at the most desirable age to create a new being and to raise it. As humans we keep changing our concepts of what is the best time for both of these functions, but Nature remains adamant in Her instincts. If we were wise as a society we would not give so much credence to our own whims but look more to our God-given and Nature-mediated instincts and shape our society to them rather than attempting to shape them to our society. There would be far less pain, suffering and anguish if we did.

Since I've never been one afraid to stick my neck out, I am willing to state that if we as a society would listen to our natural instincts in regard to our procreative function and marry young, bear children naturally, use nonobstructive contraceptives when for the best, breast-feed children, shun all forms of sexual perversions and do all other things in harmony with the natural Law of Sex and procreation, the so-called woman's complaints, hysterectomies, homosexuality, venereal disease and, yes, even breast cancer would soon be only memories of a barbaric past.(2)
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(2) This subject is discussed in great detail in the book, One Flesh, Philosophical Publishing Company, P.O. Box 220, Quakertown, PA 19851
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If the refusal of men to follow their natural instincts leads to such misery for all concerned, why would any reasonable person do such a thing? The answer is simple: because they feel they will gain from that deviation from natural Law. Why do certain individuals follow a religious mode of life that is counter to all natural desires? Because they hope to gain a benefit in the next life. Why did man originally pervert the natural act of sexual copulation? Because by so doing he was able to avoid pregnancy. Why do we take natural foods and remove from them almost all the life-giving qualities? Because they last longer, and therefore the manufacturer can make more money from them. Why do we wait to marry until our eggs and sperm are older and less able to create the healthiest children? Because we "want it all," that is, we want to live the decadent life before we "settle down." These questions and answers could go on and on, but the final answer is always the same: We attempt to pervert our natural instincts because we believe that we will in some way obtain an advantage by so doing. While this may seem to be true in a few instances, experience tells us that in the vast majority of cases this is not the end result. Long experience has also shown that even in the few instances where an individual seems to "get away" with something, the Divine Law will catch up with him eventually, and for each of the offender's uncompensated days will extract a high rate of interest.

Old and Modern Philosophies

Even in this "enlightened" age several popular philosophies teach that Nature Herself is the antagonist of God; that to follow Her is to reap spiritual condemnation. Some of these philosophies also teach that man's natural instincts are evil and will lead to destruction of the Soul and the forfeiture of a place in the Heaven of Peace. This, of course, is to be expected; the latter judgment is that logical conclusion of the former principle. If it is true that Nature is antagonistic to goodness, then it follows as an inevitable result that man's involuntary impulses are misleading, that both God and His Handmaiden, Nature, have played a rather unfunny joke on mankind. We of the New Renaissance, however, with our emphasis upon honor, integrity, virility and activity, take spirited exception to this premise and enthusiastically teach that Nature, the Handmaiden of God, is good and that Man's aspirations and natural instincts are also inherently good. It is certainly true that man's desires and impulses may become perverted, as indeed any good may be turned into wrong channels and thus become destructive. This is nowhere more evident than in the sexual activities of men and women. We have in these natural instincts of sexuality Nature at Her best. By following these natural instincts, not only can man fulfill his covenant with God to people the Earth, but by also living the One Flesh existence can transform himself into a god(3). The mere fact that the vast majority of men and women pervert these marvelous sexual instincts is not the fault of Nature or of God, but of the individual.
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(3) Again see the book, One Flesh, available from the Philosophical Publishing Company, P.O. Box 220, Quakertown, PA 18951
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The doctrine that the Creative Energy known as Mother Nature is antagonistic to God and to all goodness is part and parcel of an unnatural, negative and destructive philosophy. Such doctrines can have no place in the religious thought and philosophy of the modern individual who is mentally normal and well-balanced. Such a philosophy is by its very nature destructive to all teachings leading to health and happiness.

Today, most of mankind holds a very different view of these natural instincts. All too many have been seduced by the philosophy that says, "If it feels good, do it. Nature would not have given you the desire if it were not good." Were this philosophy limited to the truly natural instincts of man they might have a point, but in most instances the philosophy refers to the most depraved perversions of those natural instincts the mind of man can conceive.

In many ways this is a variation on the philosophy of the Marquis de Sade, who rationalized his unthinkable perversions with the thought that since god made him, God must have placed the ability to think his destructive thoughts within him, and so he was only following the will of God by his actions.

Thus we see the pendulum swing from one extreme to the other, from the denigration of all human instincts to the exaltation of those human instincts that have been perverted and degraded by man's imagination and lusts. Even in our present hedonistic society we can see the pendulum beginning to swing back to the condemning of these natural instincts once again. Why? Because the abuses of them are so rampant and obvious. It takes no great philosophic mind to see that modern man is reaching (or exceeding) the degeneracy of Sodom, Gomorrah, ancient Rome and Greece. These fell, never to rise again as before. Will this befall us as well? One of the greatest follies of man is the assumption that he can do what others did and not set into action the same Divine Laws that brought about their punishment. This generation will be taught the consequences of this folly before long.

How Are We to Know the Natural Instincts?

The natural instincts of the normal man represent the voice of our Mother, Nature, and if honored and obeyed become the means of leading man to his Divine inheritance. They are the first stepping-stones to Soul Consciousness. However, like all else in life, they may be misunderstood, misapplied, misdirected and readily perverted; but if correctly understood and normally (in harmony with the Divine Law) satisfied, they are an interpreter of truth, promoter of the highest good and a messenger of the Divine.

The principle of interpretation to be applied to the instincts that urge action is simple: Will gratification of an impulse injure either myself or another? If it will bring harm, then it is forbidden; if not, it is to be permitted. If indulgence of the desire will hurt or in any way weaken the self or bring sorrow, loss , or disadvantage to another, it is to be avoided, no matter how the longing comes, whether from within the self or as the politically correct dogma of the day.

We have all heard stories of the mother-to-be who wakes in the night with a desire for some strange exotic food. Is this a true need of her body or only a whim to test the love of her husband? Using our rule above, if no harm is anticipated from her request it is wise to fulfill it. It well could be that her body craves an element to properly build her child that is best found in the food she desires. If not, where is the harm (except of course to the father's-to-be sleep?) This is an example of this rule in function. If one cannot determine harm then it is well to follow the instinct.

Often we may find that we are full of rationalization when we attempt to judge what is good for us and what is not. The only way that we can learn the truth in many instances it through the route of hard experience. If we try to do something we really like, but find again and again that we seem to have problems afterward, maybe, just maybe, we might eventually rethink our actions and come to the conclusion that while we might like a thing, it might not like us. Such logic, derived from experience, is called wisdom and is the one most valued jewels to be found on this Earth.

Nature is the Mother of Creation. She is the avenue through with God manifests forth His handiwork in every sphere of action. Just as it is essential for the Soul to possess a body through which to reveal its activities and to work out its destiny, so is Nature the channel by which God constantly discloses His creative functioning. Similarly, the desires and aspirations in man are the normal promptings of this Creation, leading him to develop and to make the most of his Divine inheritance and thus to exhibit his own Godlikeness in the manifestation of his Health and Happiness.
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