====== The Inner Life ====== == THE HERALD OF THE NEW AGE | JANUARY 1937 == ---- ==== EDITORIAL ==== === THE LAW === THIS issue celebrates the fifth birthday of THE INNER LIFE. Whether we have lived up to the promise in the first issue we leave it to our readers to say. In that issue we stated that there would be offered in these pages pure truth, and in so convincing a way that it can be accepted as such by real thinkers. We also stated that real students and thinkers would be given a magazine that will satisfy not only their intellectual craving for helpful knowledge, but will also feed their soul hunger for spiritual knowledge, especially for truths about the inner life, so difficult to obtain. We have tried faithfully to live up to that promise during the past four years, and we shall continue to do so in all future issues. The year 1937 we feel will be a most important one, ushering in as it does changes that will affect the whole of mankind. The former power of the Old Order is gone, never to return. Despite all that appears and the seeming continued control of those forces carrying over from the Old Order, it will be found that their power will gradually fade away and that an entirely new order is assuming charge of things, conditions, governments and peoples, and whether they like it or not, all men will have to acknowledge, accept and become a part of this New Order. What is this New Order, whence comes it, and what is back of and directing it? This Magazine announced itself an “Herald of the New Age” in its first issue, and we shall therefore try to answer these questions and to explain things that many are beginning to sense but cannot see anything definite or tangible to enable them to determine just what is happening and what the future will bring forth. What is this New Order? We will liken it to the condition a boy or young man finds himself in when he has graduated from High School or College, his head filled with much theoretical knowledge, and he is supposed to be equipped to go forth and cope with life dependent upon his own resources and ability. It is certainly a “new order” for him, especially if his parents tell him they have done their part and it is now up to him to support himself. Do you realize that humanity has now reached that stage when it must prove its ability to use the knowledge and apply the truth it has gained in the School of Life? Yes, that applies to everyone—to every soul on earth. Then what will happen to those who fail to support themselves and to make a living, you ask. Mankind has now grown up. Life has taught men certain knowledge and certain laws of life. They have now reached that state when they must learn to apply that knowledge. If they fail to use it and to work with the laws, if they shirk their duty to society and lay down and expect others to support them when it is intended that they do this for themselves, what must happen? What is going to happen to the millions of men on relief or to those who for months or years the government has supported with soft jobs, and who now refuse to accept real work when it is offered them? What is going to happen to the unfit, the slackers, the bootleggers, grafters, racketeers and criminals in the New Order, which has no place for any of these? What is this New Order? Can you not see it is an Order where every man, woman and child will be working for the good of the whole, where each will have his or her place and a definite part to play and special work to do; that the old order of selfishness and competition is rapidly destroying itself, and men are beginning to think and plan and work and build along co-operative lines? Can you not see that we are slowly but surely feeling our way along such lines, are preparing to go that way, and that it is the only sensible way—for it is the way of efficiency, of harmony, of enduring prosperity, peace and happiness? From where does this New Order emanate? Why, it is the natural outgrowth of life, the result of our mistakes of the past and of lessons learned. Is not humanity grown up? Should not men then be done with the follies of youth, of ignorance and waywardness? Surely they are done with them those who have attained the age of discretion. All others will just fade out of the picture in one way or another; for the New Order will have no place for those who will not fit in with its requirements. Do not be concerned about that—the Great Law that is back of and directing everything will take care of them. Is this a heartless Law? Do not its decrees please you? Then what think you of the Law, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free?” Consider for a moment what is the state of those who do not know the truth, and who therefore are not free and cannot be free. What becomes of them? They are bound and held back by the Law of their own beliefs. That is all. In reality, or in their true nature they are free, because they are not bodies and they are not their foolish human minds—they are spirit, pure consciousness. But as long as they think and believe error, they are bound by what they believe, and we have seen how the Law always in time catches up with error, arrests it, and deprives it of the power further to harm. Now let us consider this Great, All-inclusive Law. Just what is it? It must be a Law of Love, Justice and Perfect Harmony; for it is the Law that rules and governs all life and growth, all manifestation, and the operation of all things in the Universe. As is the case of all ordained Law, there must be agents to see that the Law is absolute, ever operating, and always enforced. The Agents of the Great Law must then be Divine Beings, or at least Perfected Men, who have become one with the Law, through long living with it and working under its mandates. Likewise the sole purpose of the Law must be to bring all things and all men to a conscious and willing co-operation with Its mandates. And because of Its nature It must be always doing that, although most men now seemingly are opposing and living contrary to the Law. But it is only a seeming opposition, for nothing can go contrary to a Law that operates and controls the Universe. Underneath what appears the Law is absolute, ever active, always growing, pushing forth the real, the soul of things, into expression, as fast as their stage of growth permits. Hence what appears to be so at the moment is not an indication of what is so. The Law of Growth works the same with a rose, a man, or with humanity as a whole. Take a rose-stalk that has reached its budding time, or a woman who is pregnant, or a man preparing for his spiritual rebirth—we can know just what is taking place, what is being formed within, just what the nature, quality and shape of that in which the life working therein will express itself? It is the same with humanity as a whole. Humanity’s soul is getting ready for its rebirth, for its blossoming time. Its stalk has come to its maturity; its buds are big with the life within making ready to open and express for the first time its true nature—that which it came into physical being to express. What we see now are but the outer effects of the forces working within the bud of the rose, within the womb of the woman, within the heart of humanity. Men are now feeling within them these new and finer forces, these forces that are preparing them for the blossoming time, when a new and finer expression of life will outmanifest and which will be their future order of existence. Those who are bound to the Old Order and who are trying to prevent the New Order from coming into existence, might as well try to prevent the life forces in the Springtime from putting out new shoots and bringing vegetation to its blossoming time. But what will become of the Old Order and of those who refuse to conform to the methods and principles of the New Order? As we have said, the Law will take care of all that. The Old Order will die as did last year’s leaves, because of the withdrawal of the life-forces that fed them. And we might say, so also will those die who depend upon the forces of the Old Order to feed them and their selfish desires—those forces are now withdrawn and are no more in evidence. There will be many who will not care to live if they cannot have what they desire or cannot live the old way. And when they lose the desire to live, life itself and the law will find plenty of ways of arranging their demise. It is our purpose to keep our readers advised about the outworking of the Law—those who cannot see for themselves how It works and Its visible effects. It is also our purpose to help every reader who will give it the study it deserves to learn all about the Law; for as one grows in spiritual understanding, with that understanding is given knowledge of the Law and of Its use and application in one’s own life. Is such knowledge worth striving for? Our readers will find, if they have not already learned it, that this Magazine from its inception has been devoted to the explaining of the Law, of Its operation in our human lives and affairs, and of how to work with It, that It can work with and for them. In every issue there is some such explanation and exposition of the Law. Stay with us and truly study what is given and much vital knowledge will be yours. ————o———— === THE CHRIST PICTURE === WE ARE pleased to present to our readers the new Christ picture shown in this issue. It is the work of the one who is responsible for the Message of The Impersonal Life and its companion teachings. Those who would like copies for framing or to give to friends can have them in three sizes indicated in the Book Notes on page 17 of the Advertising Section. We feel that the picture speaks for itself and that it will find its way into the hearts of many of Christ’s followers. It is fitting that it be given to the world at this time, and just before Christmas. ---- {{ :editorial:193701_577.jpg |}} ---- {{ :editorial:193701_578.jpg |}} ---- {{ :editorial:193701_579.jpg |}} ---- {{ :editorial:193701_580.jpg |}} ---- {{ :editorial:193701_581.jpg |}} ---- //← [[:the_inner_room_dec36_2|previous]] // | [[:the_inner_life_vol._5|The Inner Life 1937]] | // [[:new_year_another_leaf|next]] → //