the dore lectures on mental science-第10节

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s　and　see　whether　there　are　no　potentialities　hidden　away　in　the　law　of　our　own　being　which　we　have　not　as　yet　by　any　means　brought　to　their　fulfilment？　We　talk　of　a　good　time　coming　and　of　the　ameliorating　of　the　race；　but　do　we　reflect　that　the　race　is　composed　of　individuals　and　that　therefore　real　advance　is　to　be　made　only　by　individual　improvement；　and　not　by　Act　of　Parliament？　and　if　so；　then　the　individual　with　whom　to　begin　is　ourself。

The　complete　manifestation　of　the　Law　of　Individuality　is　the　end　or　purpose　of　the　Bible　teaching　concerning　Christ。　It　is　a　teaching　based　upon　Law；　spiritual　and　mental；　fully　recognizing　that　no　effect　can　be　produced　except　by　the　operation　of　an　adequate　cause；　and　Christ　is　set　before　us　both　as　explaining　the　causes　and　exhibiting　the　full　measure　of　the　effects。　All　this　is　according　to　Law；　and　the　importance　of　its　being　according　to　Law　is　that　Law　is　universal；　and　the　potentialities　of　the　Law　are　therefore　inherent　in　everyone　there　is　no　special　law　for　anybody；　but　anybody　can　specialize　the　law　by　using　it　with　a　fuller　understanding　of　how　much　can　be　got　out　of　it；　and　the　purpose　of　the　Scripture　teaching　regarding　Christ　is　to　help　us　to　do　this。

The　preceding　lectures　have　led　us　step　by　step　to　see　that　the　Originating　Spirit；　which　first　brought　the　world　into　existence；　is　also　the　root　of　our　own　individuality；　and　is　therefore　always　ready；　by　its　inherent　nature；　to　continue　the　creative　process　from　this　individual　stand…point　as　soon　as　the　necessary　conditions　are　provided；　and　these　conditions　are　thought…conditions。　Then　by　realizing　the　relation　of　Christ　to　the　Originating　Mind；　the　Parent　Spirit　or　〃Father；〃　we　receive　a　STANDARD　of　thought　which　is　bound　to　act　creatively　bringing　out　all　the　potentialities　of　our　hidden　being。　Now　the　relation　of　Christ　to　the　〃Father〃　is　that　of　the　Architypal　Idea　in　the　All…creating　Mind　of　which　I　have　previously　spoken；　and　so　we　arrive　at　the　conception　of　the　Christ…idea　as　a　universal　principle；　and　as　being　an　idea　therefore　capable　of　reproduction　in　the　individual　Mind；　thus　explaining　St。　Paul's　meaning　when　he　speaks　of　Christ　being　formed　in　us。　It　is　here　that　the　principle　of　monogenesis　comes　in；　that　principle　which　I　have　endeavoured　to　describe　in　the　earlier　part　of　the　present　series　as　originating　the　whole　manifested　creation　by　an　internal　action　of　the　Spirit　upon　itself；　and　it　is　the　entire　absence　of　control　by　any　second　power　that　renders　the　realization　in　external　actuality　of　a　purely　mental　ideal　possible。　For　this　reason　systematic　spiritual　study　commences　with　the　contemplation　of　the　existing　cosmos；　and　we　then　transfer　the　conception　of　the　monogenetic　power　of　the　Spirit　from　the　cosmos　to　the　individual　and　realize　that　the　same　Spirit　is　able　to　do　the　same　thing　in　ourselves。　This　is　the　New　Thought　which　in　time　will　fulfil　itself　in　the　New　Order；　and　we　thus　provide　new　thought…conditions　which　enable　the　Spirit　to　carry　on　its　creative　work　from　a　new　stand…point；　that　of　our　own　individuality。　This　attainment　by　the　Spirit　of　a　new　starting…point　is　what　is　meant　by　the　esoteric　doctrine　of　the　Octave。　The　Octave　is　the　starting…point　of　a　new　series　reduplicating　the　starting…point　of　the　previous　series　at　a　different　level；　just　as　does　the　octave　note　in　music。　We　find　this　principle　constantly　referred　to　in　Scripturethe　completion　of　a　prior　series　in　the　number　Seven；　and　the　starting　of　a　new　series　by　the　number　Eight；　which　takes　the　same　place　in　the　second　series　that　the　number　One　did　in　the　first。　The　second　series　comes　out　of　the　first　by　natural　growth　and　could　not　come　into　existence　without　it；　hence　the　First　or　Originating　number　of　the　second　series　is　the　Eighth　if　we　regard　the　second　series　as　the　prolongation　of　the　first。　Seven　is　the　numerical　correspondence　of　complete　manifestation　because　it　is　the　combination　of　three　and　four；　which　respectively　represent　the　complete　working　of　the　spiritual　and　material　factorsinvolution　and　evolutionand　thus　together　constitute　the　finished　whole。　Students　of　the　Tarot　will　here　realize　the　process　by　which　the　Yod　of　Yod　becomes　the　Yod　of　He。　It　is　for　this　reason　that　the　primary　or　cosmic　creation　terminates　in　the　rest　of　the　Seventh　Day；　for　it　can　proceed　no　further　until　a　fresh　starting…point　is　found；　But　when　this　fresh　starting…point　is　found　in　Man　realizing　his　relation　to　the　〃Father；〃　we　start　a　new　series　and　strike　the　Creative　Octave　and　therefore　the　Resurrection　takes　place；　not　on　the　Sabbath　or　Seventh　Day；　but　on　the　Eighth　day　which　then　becomes　the　First　day　of　the　new　creak　five　week。　The　principle　of　the　Resurrection　is　the　realization　by　man　of　his　individualization　of　the　Spirit　and　his　recognition　of　the　fact　that；　since　the　Spirit　is　always　the　same　Spirit；　it　becomes　the　Alpha　of　a　new　creation　from　his　own　centre　of　being。


Now　all　this　is　necessarily　an　interior　process　taking　place　on　the　mental　plane；　but　if　we　realize　that　the　creative　process　is　always　primarily　one　of　involution；　or　formation　in　the　spiritual　world；　we　shall　grasp　something　of　the　meaning　of　Christ　as　〃The　Son　of　God〃the　concentration　of　the　Universal　Spirit　into　a　Personality　on　the　spiritual　plane　correlatively　to　the　individuality　of　each　one　who　affords　the　necessary　thought…conditions。　To　all　who　apprehend　it　there　is　then　discovered　in　the　Universal　Spirit　the　presence　of　a　Divine　Individuality　reciprocal　to　that　of　the　individual　man；　the　recognition　of　which　is　the　practical　solution　of　all　metaphysical　problems　regarding　the　emanation　of　the　individual　soul　from　the　Universal　Spirit　and　the　relations　arising　therefrom；　for　it　takes　these　matters　out　of　the　region　of　intellectual　speculation；　which　is　never　creative　but　only　analytical；　and　transfers　it　to　the　region　of　feeling　and　spiritual　sensation　which　is　the　abode　of　the　creative　forces。　This　personal　recognition　of　the　Divine　then　affords　us　a　new　basis　of　Affirmation；　and　we　need　no　longer　trouble　to　go　further　back　in　order　to　analyze　it；　because　we　know　experimentally　that　it　is　there；　so　now　we　find　the　starting…point　of　the　new　creation　ready…made　for　us　according　to　the　architypal　pattern　in　the　Divine　Mind　itself　and　therefore　perfectly　correctly　formed。　When　once　this　truth　is　clearly　apprehended；　whether　we　reach　it　by　an　intellectual　process　or　by　simple　intuition；　we　can　make　it　our　starting…point　and　claim　to　have　our　thought　permeated　by　the　creative　power　of　the　Spirit　on　this　basis。

But　vast　as　is　the　conception　thus　reached　we　must　remember　that　it　is　still　a　starting…point。　It；　indeed；　transcends　our　previous　range　of　ideas　and　so　presents　a　culmination　of　the　cosmic　creative　series　which　passes　beyond　that　series　and　thus　brings　us　to　number　Eight　or　the　Octave；　but　on　this　very　account　it　is　the　number　One　of　a　new　creative　series　which　is　personal　to　the　individual。

Then；　because　the　Spirit　is　always　the　same；　we　may　look　for　a　repetition　of　the　creative　process　at　a　higher　level；　and；　as　we　all　know；　that　process　consists　first　of　the　involution　of　Spirit　into　Substance；　and　consequently　of　the　subsequent　evolution　of　Substance　into　forms　continually　increasing　in　fitness　as　vehicles　for　Spirit：　so　now　we　may　look　for　a　repetition　of　this　universal　process　from　its　new　starting…point　in　the　individual　mind　and　expect　a　corresponding　externalization　in　accordance　with　our　familiar　axiom　that　thoughts　are　things。

Now　it　is　as　such　an　external　manifestation　of　the　Divine　ideal　that　the　Christ　of　the　Gospels　is　set　before　us。　I　do　not　wish　to　dogmatize；　but　I　will　only　say　that　the　more　clearly　we　realize　the　nature　of　the　creative　process　on　the　spiritual　side　the　more　the　current　objections　to　the　Gospel　narrative　lose　their　force；　and　it　appears　to　me　that　to　deny　that　narrative　as　a　point…blank　impossibility　is　to　make　a　similar　affirmation　with　regard　to　the　power　of　the　Spirit　in　ourselves。　You　cannot　affirm　a　principle　and　deny　it　in　the　same　breath；　and　if　we　affirm　the　externalizing　power　of　the　Spirit　in　our　own　case；　I　do　not　see　how　we　can　logically　lay　down　a　limit　for　its　action　and　say　that　under　highly　specialized　conditions　it　could　not　produce　highly　specialized　effects。　It　is　for　this　reason　that　St。　John　puts　the　question　of　Christ　manifest　in　the　flesh　as　the　criterion　of　the　whole　matter　（I。　John　iv。；　2）。　If　the　Spirit　can　create　at　all　then　you　cannot　logically　limit　the　extent　or　method　of　its　working；　and　since　the　basis　of　our　expectation　of　individual　expansion　is　the　limitless　creative　power　of　the　Spirit；　to　reject　the　Christ　of　the　Gospels　as　an　impossibility　is　to　cut　away　the　ground　from　under　our　own　feet。　It　is　one　thing　to　say　〃I　do　not　understand　why　the　Spirit　should　have　worked　in　that　way〃that　is　merely　an　honest　statement　of　our　present　stage　of　knowledge；　or　we　may　even　go　the　length　of　saying　that　we　do　not　feel　convinced　that　it　did　work　in　that　waythat　is　a　true　confession　of　our　intellectual　difficultybut　certainly　those　who　are　professedly　relying　on　the　power　of　the　Spirit　to　produce　external　results　cannot　say　that　it　does　not　possess　that　power；　or　poss