The Inner Life

WE WILL try to answer your further questions about the Soul (replying to a letter from a student).

(1) Your question about how the first soul was created is a natural one. But you should not allow that question to bother you, for when you realize that in what is called a Manvantara occurs the out-breathing and in-breathing of the Absolute, covering vast eons of time, in which all things in the Cosmos are breathed forth into manifestation, and then drawn again into non-manifestation, even as when a soul comes into birth in this life and withdraws from manifestation and is no longer seen. The out-breathing of our present manifested life was so far back in the dim past that our human minds cannot conceive it, yet the cycle of souls being born into expression—given human minds and the power to create and make mistakes, and then when these souls attain to Sons of Godhood, come back and redeem these mistakes in a new world of Their creation—rolls around again and again interminably, even unto eternity.

When we look up at the heavens at night and see in the vast concourse of the Milky Way the myriads of Universes and Solar Systems, and then look off into the blackness towards the horizon with powerful telescopes and see innumerable other Milky Ways of far vaster extent, we get a glimpse of what becomes of these souls, the Sons of Gods, Gods, and the Great Beings Who are the Rulers of these mighty Universes.

Can you not see that progression is endless, and likewise that soul births have no limit? All we have to do is to look around at nature and we see evidences of this everywhere—of births and deaths, of rebirths and a continual unfoldment of consciousness, until what is manifest disappears into an inner and higher, but finer and invisible plane of being. Think on this and you will now see how unprofitable it is to try to grasp how the first soul was created.

2. About whether or not it is possible to reach the Kingdom in this life, can you not see that it would be possible only for the soul that is approaching maturity, or the Second Baptism or Christhood? There are comparatively very few souls that have reached that stage in this present life, but all who are ready or who have grown to that stage will undoubtedly reach it within the near future, because we are now at the end of an Age—or at what is called Examination Time, when every soul, no matter in what grade it happens to be, if able to meet the trials and tests now being undergone, will be advanced into the next higher grade. Only the highest grade now in manifestation, however, will reach the Kingdom or Christhood.

3. Indeed yes, not only in this life, but in all other lives since our human minds left the Garden of Eden and became separate from our souls, have we thought ourselves separated from God, forgetting that He is deep within our souls and is the Light which has lighted us from the beginning.

Try to realize that the Garden of Eden is nothing but our Soul Consciousness, in the midst of which the Lord God of us dwells, but when our minds long ages ago were tempted by the serpent of desire, that moment they became separate and self was born; and of course self or the sense of separation immediately pushed our minds out of the Soul Consciousness or out of the Garden. But as shown in the lessons on the Soul, that experience was necessary in order for them to learn all about desire, which was a dominating quality of our lower nature, so that, through the guidance of the Soul in the Garden, the mind could be taught what all the qualities in that lower nature were and their use, and what all of mind’s creations were not and how they could not bring happiness nor peace.

After long, long ages of wandering in the darkness of the mind’s “separate” creations, there has come back to us a remembrance of that wonderful Home in the Garden, and we are longing to return to it. And little by little we are winning our way toward it. Our souls and minds, however, have been always guided and taught by the Lord God of us—a Son of God, Who of course stayed deep within the Garden to teach the soul, and when the soul had learned enough of this outer world to teach the mind the meaning of Love; then He came forth and dwelt in the Garden with the soul and united its consciousness with His own. From then on They worked as One to bring the mind back into the Garden. And then began the return journey of the Prodigal Son to his Father’s Home. Think carefully on these words and try to realize the full inner meaning of them, and illumination will come.

It is quite difficult to put in words this wonderful meaning of the soul, but remember you have within the Lord God of you Who will help make it clear, if you will turn to Him there for help, and without concern about it. He is always there to teach you anything you need to know.

THERE was once a well known preacher. He was a wonderfully sympathetic speaker. He understood in a remarkable manner the frailties of human nature, and his idea was always to help rather than condemn. Therefore between this preacher and his congregation there existed a bond of understanding and love not often found in these modern days.

Then, as is usual in this world, the reptile of jealousy reared its head and a fellow preacher ferreted into the other’s past, and went off post-haste to the archbishop and held a secret conference with him.

Eagerly looking into the benign old face on finishing his recital the interfering prelate was astounded to see the archbishop smile pityingly at him and say, “It is the very remorse from which he now suffers over that past incident which fits him so admirably for the position he holds. He has been through the mill of Life and has learnt its lesson and he is passing on his knowledge to mankind. More-over, my friend, I already knew his past from his own lips, and his contrition and repentance caused me to put him where he is today. He has not failed me, has not betrayed his trust; but you, my friend….” He smiled again and shook his head as he would have done to a naughty child.

The preacher went home with the archbishop’s last words ringing in his ears, “Many a man would applaud your action in coming to me, but a man is not judged so much by his actions as by his motive for putting them into force!”

Oh, how small, how miserably small he had felt as he crawled into his bed that night.