The Impersonal Life

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
**[[the_way_to_the_kingdom|The Way to The Kingdom]]**

<WRAP centeralign>
====== As a Man Thinketh in His Heart ======
</WRAP>

<WRAP justify>
In the last three chapters we devoted much space to making plain the meaning of and the part that the soul plays in the unfolding of consciousness; and we hope that all have studied and meditated upon what was stated until it is perfectly clear.

Until you know yourself as a soul, and can distinguish yourself from your mind and its personality and know your identity with your Higher Self, you will not be able to grasp intelligently all that follows.

We will assume however that all can do this, and also that all have an intimate acquaintance with the teachings of “The Impersonal Life,” so that if you are not yet conscious on the soul plane you will be more at home when we speak of and show you how to apply some of the Impersonal truths to what has been taught about the soul and about the Kingdom.

We have led all aspirants to the entrance to the Kingdom—at least we have told what is to be met along the way that leads to the entrance, and those who accompanied us should have gotten a clear glimpse of its reality. We do know that some have truly found the Kingdom and have entered it and are able to go in and out at will. Consequently we are very happy, and great joy reigns in the hearts of all Brothers within the realms of Spirit. For They have been watching and helping all steadfast travelers every step of the way with Their love and spiritual guidance.

In order that you may better understand the realms through which we have passed, we will recapitulate a little; for it is necessary that all know just what is required before they can go further.

We started from the physical, or outer rim of consciousness, and began our journey inward toward the center of being, where lies the Kingdom.

Unconsciously we passed through the six inner planes of the physical world—the two planes of the chemical region and the four planes of the etheric region, which supply vitality to the physical organism.

Then all aspirants passed easily through the three lower planes of the Astral World or Emotional Realm, commonly known as Purgatory; for it is supposed that all have won past the enticements of their lower or animal natures, which express on these planes of consciousness.

The next plane is the Borderland, that between the three lower and the three higher planes of the Desire, Emotional or Astral World, as they are variously called.

If any are still of a highly emotional type, it has been and will be most difficult to get beyond this realm, for their feelings and their reactions thereto will hold them so that they cannot free their soul consciousness to permit them to concentrate and thereby to penetrate the Mental World with its first four concrete planes constituting the first, second, third and fourth heavens. These planes comprise the realm of mental forms, as distinguished from the three higher planes—the fifth, sixth and seventh heavens, which comprise the realm of abstract thought, also called the Causal Realm.

Similarly until one has been able to free the consciousness from its interest in the form side of things, and can concentrate and meditate easily upon abstract ideas and gain light and understanding therefrom, one is held in the concrete realms; while those who become engrossed in the beauty of tones and ideas—as is the case with many musicians, artists, poets and other writers—and who cannot penetrate through to their spiritual realities, are held here, although they have reached the entrance to the Kingdom.

We merely mention these different heavens or realms of consciousness, not giving any detailed description of them here, referring you to Theosophical or Rosicrucian teachings—whose terms we have purposely used because they are definite and explanative—for the relation each bears to the various stages of soul unfoldment.

On our journey inward we have now reached the Causal Realm, consisting of the three planes of the abstract Mental World. Beyond the Causal Realm is the first Spiritual Realm; but the last of the three Causal planes, the one next to the Spiritual, is the virtual entrance to the Kingdom. It is the plane of purified souls, the natural soul home of all disciples and of members of the Great White Brotherhood—of Just Men Made Perfect.

Here dwell the purified and perfected souls of all things, the ideal state, all Spiritual realities made manifest in their purest soul forms. Which means that here everyone is perfect in his or her soul nature—young, beautiful, wise, powerful and all-loving, all manifesting that phase of soul their Higher Selves intend to express.

From this you are recalled to the fact that even in this high and pure state you may or may not be fully conscious of your oneness with your Higher Self, your Father-in-Heaven. For remember, as a disciple you are no more nor less there than you are in the physical, for what your soul is you are, whether in the inner or the outer realm of consciousness.

In other words, if in your brain consciousness you are wholly in the consciousness of your Christ Self—can say with Jesus and know it as He knew it, “I and my Father are One” and “all that the Father hath is mine,”—then you are actually established in the Spiritual consciousness of the Kingdom, beyond the Causal realm. While if you are now looking to, waiting upon and serving faithfully the Christ within or any other Master or Teacher, then you are on the plane of consciousness of all disciples, the soul plane of the Kingdom.

We are trying to point out the fact that even if one as a disciple has awakened his soul faculties and is able to function consciously on the soul plane of the Kingdom and to see and commune with his Brothers there, he is still but a disciple and not a bit further advanced than his brother disciples who are not so psychically awakened, and he still has to turn to the Master for guidance and instruction when in need.

Indeed, one who cannot consciously see and hear on the soul plane may be farther advanced than one who sees and hears clearly; and to explain why this is we cannot do better than to quote from the Commentaries in the Light of the Soul, in the 3rd Part, on Patanjali’s Sutras, No. 37, by Alice Bailey (see Appendix):

“These powers (the higher sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell) are obstacles to the highest spiritual realization, but serve as magical powers in the objective worlds.

“One fact continuously emerges in this textbook of spiritual development, and that is that the psychic powers, higher and lower, are hindrances to the highest spiritual state, and must be left behind by the man who can function freed from the three worlds altogether. This is a hard lesson for the aspirant to grasp.

“He is apt to think that a tendency toward clairvoyance or clairaudience is indicative of progress and a sign that his practice of meditation is beginning to take effect. It might prove just the opposite and inevitably will, should the aspirant be attracted by, or attached to, any of these forms of psychic faculties.”

Soul sight and hearing naturally means the ability to see and hear consciously with the soul faculties on the soul planes. There all the beautiful, pure and perfect things present everywhere would be seen and they would naturally greatly attract and even entrance anyone newly privileged with such soul sight.

But unless such realized that they were all expressions or outpicturings of spiritual realities, and then sought to learn and know what it all meant—what were the spiritual verities thus symbolized, such soul sight would indeed prove a hindrance.

On the other hand spiritual sight is the ability to see past and through all forms the ideas that they outpicture and embody, to see the spirit within the soul of things, that which is trying to express itself to the consciousness of every awakened soul. It is the highest seeing and that which awaits every disciple. It is the seeing of a Master—the power attained by every Christed man; and those who are beginning thus to see may know that they are far along the Path.

Now hear this great and most important truth,—all true Masters and Teachers, whether on the inner or outer planes, even as Christ Jesus taught, ever seek to point their disciples to the Father within as the source of all life, all health, all supply, all wisdom, power and love, and that they should always look to Him only, whatever their need.

“The Impersonal Life” plainly teaches this and impresses it very strongly upon the soul of all disciples that they should never allow themselves to be inveigled into looking elsewhere for what can only be found deep within their own souls.

You have been shown that in disciples, the Higher or Christ Self, a Son of God—actually a conscious center of God’s Consciousness—resides in and rules the soul, and is the one Master for that soul. And while there may be many Teachers and other Masters higher than the soul in its present understanding, yet always within is The One, its Christ Self, its Father-in-Heaven, Who is its supreme Teacher and Master, and to whom it ever must turn for its final authority and guidance.

This will obtain not only on the soul planes but on all planes in the Spiritual realms until the final union of consciousness with God’s Consciousness is gained.

Therefore all who now recognize and accept this great truth will never become enamoured with the wonders and beauties of the soul realm, when they awaken to its consciousness, where life is a pure joy and where the perfection of all things is perceived and fully appreciated by every soul there; but they will press on to the goal of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the heritage of every Son of God.
</WRAP>
----

<WRAP centeralign>
==== THE GREAT SECRET ====
</WRAP>

<WRAP justify>
In the preceding chapter we promised to make clear the practical use of the Law of Service, showing how in it is hidden the secret of attaining success, prosperity, health, happiness and oneness with the Father.

In it we indicated, but not in these actual words, that our present financial condition is the result of our thinking and holding uppermost in our consciousness the things we believe are so.

At this time we wish to state that all things now manifesting in our lives—in our bodies and our circumstances—are the result of our believing and thus holding in consciousness the ideas that gave them birth.

Meditate earnestly on these words and try to get their deep significance, for in them lies the secret of all success in any line of endeavor.

First we will state the Law:

“All manifest things are the result of thinking and holding in consciousness what we believe is so.”

Then we wish that you were able to see in the inner realm of consciousness and could note how every thought is outpictured there, and that according to the clearness and vividness of its picturization in the mind of its creator and the life or feeling put into the thought, does it become concrete and maintain and attach itself to the one who gives it birth. If you could so see, you would be very, very careful what you think or say, and especially of what you hold in mind and feed with more life by your fears, worries, doubts or concerns about it, every time it claims your attention. However in lieu of such seeing, which may come later, we hope that what we have shown will make you just as careful, and will thus enable you to come more quickly into your heritage of true seeing and knowing.

There are many, even students of the higher life, who do not yet accept or admit this fully, because they are not willing to acknowledge that all of the present inharmonies in their lives are a direct result of their own beliefs—or of their past thinking crystallized into beliefs, these beliefs having thus become a part of their subconsciousness or of their soul consciousness.

Note the last,—if a part of their soul consciousness it means that on the soul planes they actually exist and manifest there. And everything established there in consciousness—for all planes are states of consciousness—tends sooner or later to outmanifest itself on the physical plane, in their creator’s body and affairs. It must do that—for it is the Law of Creation.

Now we know that every aspirant is desirous of eliminating from his subconsciousness or soul every belief or concept that is responsible for any inharmonious conditions now manifesting, and which, whether he knows it or not, is the direct cause of every fear, anxiety, or worry that steals into his consciousness to influence him.

And we know that his primary interest is how to do this; for he more or less clearly perceives that not until he has accomplished it can he bring his mind to that state where he can begin to build into his life the conditions he wants to manifest there.

We are now going to point out to you the one and only way this can be accomplished. And it is so simple that anyone can see how true it is. Then all that remains is for you to do it. Is it not so? And you can do it, if you will—if you want it badly enough.

Listen! We will repeat it again,—it is all contained in these few words:

“Whatever we think and hold in consciousness as being so will outmanifest itself.”

Then is it not so that all that is needed is to stand guard at the door of our minds, and to let in no thoughts or feelings that we do not want to manifest in our bodies or circumstances?

This means that we must scrutinize carefully every thought or feeling that approaches, and if any are negative in any way—criticisive, condemnatory, doubting, worrying, hateful, jealous, angry, self-pitying, unhappy, sick, painful, or untrue in any sense to the ideal state we wish to manifest—refuse them admittance and shut the door in their faces.

And it should not be necessary to state that voicing such thoughts definitely and speedily outmanifests them; for the spoken word is far more potent than the thought and makes it live once sent forth on the breath. Then remember that by preventing such thoughts entering the mind there will be no impulse to voice them.

And here also it may be well to state that if any such thoughts come begging for admittance—the fearful, doubting, worrying, unhappy, self-pitying, hateful, jealous ones—it is only self crying out, thinking of itself first, not concerned about others. Think on this.

For remember you are a Son of God to whom none of these negative and imperfect things can apply—and they are only creations of your human mind that thinks itself different from you—are but lies born of selfishness. Then turn your mind’s attention to what you really are, and think of and picture in your mind your real qualities, knowing that you are a creation and image of God, your Father. This would be having in you “the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.”

A good thing at such times is to sit back coolly, as it were, and study your mind, and watch all the thoughts that come claiming your attention, and learn to discriminate between them, to know their source, whether they are your own creations or some one’s else; and particularly to note how many of the negative ones are your own, and how they keep coming back to you to be fed by more of the feelings which gave them birth and have kept them alive since. This will prove a very illuminating and helpful exercise.

Then when you have demonstrated to your satisfaction that you are learning to control your mind and can keep out not only your mental abortions but all tramp thoughts that used to come in at will, you can begin to build in the new conditions that you wish to have manifest permanently in your body and affairs.

This will entail calling to your assistance the Loving One within—if you have not called on Him before. For now you want to begin thinking only His thoughts, and to let His Love motivate and vitalize every one of them, so that they may be worthy and acceptable in the Father’s sight.

Here the real joy of your efforts will begin to be felt, for the Master will give definite evidence of His co-operation by inspiring you with thoughts and ideas that you will know are from Him, and you will happily follow the suggestions they contain.

After considerable experience in such following, and perhaps with many failures, due to your unwittingly permitting other thoughts than His to get in—some doubts or fears or anxieties, the old bugaboos of former days, you will have trained your mind to trust Him, to make that trust the doorkeeper, so that no other thoughts or feelings can get in, and you will gladly give your whole mind over to Him to use.

From then on it makes no difference what you do, so long as it is what He wills you to do, and you do that gladly; for He every day now proves that He knows best, that He can enable you to do all things, and can supply all things necessary.

Now let us get down to basic facts, and remind you again of what the human mind needs to be told without ceasing, until it finally accepts and knows.

Who are you? You are a soul, a center of the Father’s Consciousness that now knows its oneness with His Consciousness. And you are now trying to teach your human mind that it is a center of your consciousness and one with you, who are one with the Father’s Consciousness.

Being thus a center of His Consciousness, which always thinks and knows only beauty, goodness and perfection, the way to let His beauty, goodness and perfection outmanifest is to yield your consciousness over wholly to Him, so that no thoughts ever enter your mind that are not all beautiful, all good and all perfect. Then there will naturally be nothing to hinder your seeing with His eyes—being in His Consciousness—and knowing with His understanding what He has had in store for you from the beginning. That is, there is nothing whatever then to prevent your own good from coming through speedily into manifestation.

Hence there can be no greater success in life than such letting go of all your own personal ideas and opinions and abiding in your Father’s Consciousness, so that your highest good, which He has planned for all of His children who are able to give up self and the lie of separation, can come forth and be in the outer even as it already is in the Kingdom. And that good naturally includes real prosperity, the most perfect health, and the purest happiness.

Can you not see that this must be so—when your mind becomes a center in which nothing out of harmony with Divine Mind can enter? Then such a mind is a center into which must pour continuously the rich, healthy, loving consciousness of God Himself. Likewise you can then see how, when such consciousness enters, Love and its law of service automatically rule, and how success and happiness must naturally follow; for harmony then outmanifests, and that means harmony in every department of life. And then you will think no more about getting, but only how you may give to make someone happy. And you will be no longer concerned about prosperity, health, or happiness for self, for you know that as you give yourself—your mind and heart—fully to the Father for His use, He will provide everything necessary to enable you to do the Work He gives you to do.

Tithing it will be no more—for you gladly give all to Him, all that you have, all that you are, and all that you hope to be.

Think this all over carefully, a sentence at a time, until you get fixed in your consciousness the wonderful truths here shown.

It is all definitely confirmed in these words, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Also in these: “If ye abide in Me (in His Consciousness), and let My Words abide in you (think only His thoughts and hold them unwaveringly in consciousness—that is, believe them), ye shall ask what ye will and it will be done unto you” (you need not even ask—they will automatically outmanifest for you whenever there is a need).

Therefore, dear ones, watch carefully your thinking, especially the thoughts that you carry around in your heart about those closest to you, about your business, your job, your health, or any condition in which you find yourself.

These thoughts should be always and only positive, optimistic, self-confident, happy, kindly, fearless, seeing only the good in everything, and absolutely trusting in your Father to bring to you your highest good. For such are His thoughts for you and what He purposes for you, and anything less in quality or quantity you may know are of self, are separative, and have no part in His Consciousness.🔅
</WRAP>


----
//<= back to top: [[the_way_to_the_kingdom|The Way to The Kingdom]]// | //next chapter => [[whom_the_lord_loveth_he_chasteneth|Whom the Lord Loveth He Chasteneth]]//