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There is a seeming conflict between that which is taught in the East and that which is taught in the West. And in all conflicts, whether real or imagined, there are destructive manifestations. Yet any instruction that is valid provides the natural conferment upon man of greater spiritual grace, of a higher measure of internal peace, and of that spiritual progress which signifies the consummation of acts of measured purpose.
It is my desire to call to the attention of mankind what may be termed the drift of circumstances in their lives. Those who think that events occur by chance should pause to consider the spiritual gain that can be made by all who are interested in the evolution of the soul through the implementation of God-direction from higher levels, or at least of that direction which comes from the exercise of the highest impetus of the mind. Remember that inherent within all - though it be overlaid with the mire of sense consciousness - is the seed which God implanted within the soul. And from that seed comes the supreme ordering of man's life. The man of happenstance who permits anything to happen in his life for the sake of experience, without attempting to direct the flow of events according to the higher direction of the Christ Mind or even the discrimination of his own better judgment, may find himself standing still rather than moving forward in the will of God.
In matters of initiation only the few in each age are able to receive the best gifts conferred by The Brotherhood; only the few actually make contact with our realm. The very thought that we do not exist, as long as it is held, has a tendency to annihilate our influence in the world of the individual who holds it. As it was said of old, without faith it is impossible to please God.1 The consecration of one's personal faith to cooperation with the heavenly hosts, as an activity of communing with the saints, is an initiatic step that raises the disciple ever higher in the bestowal of the grace of God. And his life is beatified in many ways as he integrates his consciousness with the true culture of the Spirit which unfolds from the divine seed germinating within his being.
Unfortunately men often do not recognize the presence of the divine seed in their life. And only through recognition - the recognition of the germinal power of the Light - can the cultivation of spiritual qualities begin which leads, from glory unto glory, to those progressive changes that form a ladder of Light within oneself. The ladder is a symbol of man's potential, and the climbing of the ladder, the measured rising of the soul through those initiations which can come to all.
In reaching out to mankind through the veils of obscurity that they have spun with their thought and feeling processes, I continue in the name of The Brotherhood to pursue the awakening of men to the great potential that lies within them. If not within themselves, then within whom? Many are willing to consider great possibilities for others, but they deny them for themselves. They do not realize that self-depreciation is a subtle tool of darkness that prevents them from accepting from the Hand of God those magnificent concepts of self-appreciation which produce the uplifting changes after which their souls truly hunger.
It is not enough for men and women to simply ask in prayer; they must learn to act as though they had already received. Remembering the promise of the Lord "Before they call, I will answer,"2 they must learn that the alchemy of self-transformation can produce in their lives, through the childlike attitude of expectancy, the manifestation of the Spirit of cosmic unity. For to expect an answer from God is part of the ancient system of Alchemy, the practice of which would greatly benefit modern man.3
It is a mistake for a man to pray for that which he ought not. Heaven is not blind; neither is divine justice. Yet the trust of God in the man whom He created is such that in conferring upon him the gift of free will, the Lord agreed to honor his creations and his covenants. If man makes a mistake and prays for that which he ought not, he still has, in the alchemy of his own free will, the power to manifest whatsoever he will. Nevertheless, those manifestations which are not the will of God eventually show forth his wrong decisions - just as those which are the will of God show forth his right decisions.
All should therefore pray first for the guidance of Heaven that they may ask correctly and receive according to the higher plan. And what a mistake man makes, placing the souls of many in peril, when he fails to do this very thing - to ask for divine intercession in the form of divine direction preceding his prayers for the fulfillment of his desires.
Wrong prayers - the invocation of that which is undesirable for oneself or others - may take the form of witchcraft or black magic. To ask God for wisdom, so beautifully phrased in the prayer of the Master Jesus "Not my will, but Thine be done,"4 is not a fatalistic attitude; for there are more choices in the will of God than man is aware of. Out of the reservoir of God's supreme knowledge and by His guidance, man is able to select those noble ideas which fulfill the desire of both man and God and bring forth a uniform concept - a concept of you and I (u-n-i meaning you and God).
While one with God is a majority, the individual must not usurp his authority by invoking that which may grieve another part of Life. That union of spiritual consecration between God and man which always produces the answers to prayer correctly and speedily cannot fail to take into account the universal harmony of the brotherhood of man. What benefits one must ultimately benefit all, for the divine plan for one must necessarily include the divine plan for all.
In writing down for you these seemingly simple ideas, O men and women of the twentieth century, it is my desire, even as it is the desire of those who work with me, to reach those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. That they might be filled5 is our prayer. The simple, childlike faith we confer upon you now is an offering of great value, and this you can appreciate if you will review the mistakes of those who do not possess it. As it has been said, more things are wrought by prayer - the prayer of absolute faith in the goodness of the will of God - than this world dreams of.6
Now I would make known to you the operation of certain laws which may at first seem strange. Because man has free will and somewhat to say concerning the manifestation in his world, through prayer he can invoke both good and evil; for prayer is a two-edged sword. Therefore, unless it be a conscious blending with the will of God and the desire for individual fulfillment in divine destiny, it may become, through impure motivation and a subconscious willing, the means to implement the plans of men rather than the plan of God. This often comes about through the misuse of free will, when men fail to begin and end their communiqués with the Deity with the words of Jesus "Not my will, but Thine be done."
Retaining in consciousness the image of the desired object, man releases into this desire image - whether perfect or imperfect - the energy he receives from God in answer to his calls. And when his desires are thus fulfilled he says, "My prayers were answered; it must have been the will of God." This, beloved ones, is wishful thinking. The fact is that his prayers were answered because they were the will of man; and right or wrong, the Great Law honors that will. Only thus can man learn the responsibilities of being a co-creator with God.
To each one is given a divine plan. That plan is perfect and complete. To call for the fulfillment of that plan is the best and safest means of bringing all to a higher measure of grace through the manifestation of the abundant Life.
Remember, O hearts of mankind, that each message from us is a penetration through the veil and that there are many people whom we seek to contact and many whom we do. There are times when the blessing of a simple thought is to be desired; then again, a more complex statement of the Law may be required in order to convey a higher truth. Inasmuch as there are many positioned upon the ladder of life, both above and below each soul, you should understand our universal message as one that is destined sooner or later to reach all. There are different points that must be stressed in different ways that the measure of grace and sense of Reality which we would convey might bring to each one the genuine fruits of the Spirit.7
It is wise that men should be unafraid to be reborn. When the Master said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again,"8 it was a statement of universal healing. For in man's daily rebirths into the higher way, the heart and mind are illumined, and the pages of the days record, step by step, that hopeful emergence into Light which removes the sting of death and darkness.
Unto all I confer the hope of initiation as a goal worthy to be sought. For as man becomes more and more one with God through Christ and solar awareness, the Flame of the everlasting Son burns more brightly within him. He follows the threads of self in that rightful dual sense that pays homage to the perfection of God right while recognizing the imperfections of man that can and shall be overcome. Being unafraid to accept the framework of change, man welcomes the acceptance of change in his own life - a change from a minor glory unto a major one.
By your faith you shall be made whole.9
Devoted to the unfoldment of the Light of the Eternal One, in the name of the living Christ, I AM