the dore lectures on mental science-第13节

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l　relation　has　been　established　between　the　Divine　Spirit　and　the　individual　soul；　one　of　absolute　confidence　and　personal　intercourse。　This　does　not　require　any　departure　from　the　general　law　of　the　universe；　but　is　due　to　that　specializing　of　the　law　through　the　presentation　of　special　conditions　personal　to　the　individual；　of　which　I　have　spoken　before。　But　all　the　time　there　has　been　no　change　in　the　Universal　Spirit；　the　only　change　has　been　in　the　mental　attitude　of　the　individualhe　has　come　into　a　new　thought；　a　clearer　perception　of　God。　He　has　faced　the　questions；　What　is　God？　Where　is　God？　How　does　God　work？　and　he　has　found　the　answer　in　the　apostolic　statement　that　God　is　〃over　all；　through　all；　and　in　all；〃　and　he　realises　that　〃God〃　is　the　root　of　his　（the　individual's）　own　being；　ever　present　IN　him；　ever　working　THROUGH　him；　and　universally　present　around　him。

This　realization　of　the　true　relation　between　the　Originating　Spirit　and　the　individual　mind　is　what　is　esoterically　spoken　of　as　the　Mystical　Marriage　in　which　the　two　have　ceased　to　be　separate　and　have　become　one。　As　a　matter　of　fact　they　always　were　one；　but　since　we　can　apprehend　things　only　from　the　stand…point　of　our　own　consciousness；　it　is　our　recognition　of　the　fact　that　makes　it　a　practical　reality　for　ourselves。　But　an　intelligent　recognition　will　never　make　a　confusion　of　the　two　parts　of　which　the　whole　consists；　and　will　never　lead　the　individual　to　suppose　that　he　is　handling　a　blind　force　or　that　a　blind　force　is　handling　him。　He　will　neither　dethrone　God；　nor　lose　himself　by　absorption　in　deity；　but　he　will　recognize　the　reciprocity　of　the　Divine　and　the　human　as　the　natural　and　logical　outcome　of　the　essential　conditions　of　the　creative　process。

And　what　is　the　Whole　which　is　thus　created？　It　is　our　conscious　PERSONALITY；　and　therefore　whatever　we　draw　from　the　Universal　Spirit　acquires　in　us　the　quality　of　personality。　It　is　that　process　of　differentiation　of　the　universal　into　the　particular　of　which　I　have　so　often　spoken；　which；　by　a　rude　analogy；　we　may　compare　to　the　differentiation　of　the　universal　electric　fluid　into　specific　sorts　of　power　by　its　passage　through　suitable　apparatus。　It　is　for　this　reason　that　relatively　to　ourselves　the　Universal　Spirit　must　necessarily　assume　a　personal　aspect；　and　that　the　aspect　which　it　will　assume　will　be　in　exact　correspondence　with　our　own　conception　of　it。　This　is　in　accordance　with　mental　and　spiritual　laws　inherent　in　our　own　being；　and　it　is　on　this　account　that　the　Bible　seeks　to　build　up　our　conception　of　God　on　such　lines　as　will　set　us　free　from　all　fear　of　evil；　and　thus　leave　us　at　liberty　to　use　the　creative　power　of　our　thought　affirmatively　from　the　stand…point　of　a　calm　and　untroubled　mind。　This　stand…point　can　only　be　reached　by　passing　beyond　the　range　of　the　happenings　of　the　moment；　and　this　can　only　be　done　by　the　discovery　of　our　immediate　relation　to　the　undifferentiated　source　of　all　good。　I　lay　stress　on　these　words　〃immediate〃　and　〃undifferentiated〃　because　in　them　is　contained　the　secret　of　the　whole　position。　If　we　could　not　draw　immediately　from　the　Universal　Spirit　our　receiving　would　be　subject　to　the　limitations　of　the　channel　through　which　it　reached　us；　and　if　the　force　which　we　receive　were　not　undifferentiated　in　itself　it　could　not　take　appropriate　form　in　our　own　minds　and　become　to　each　of　us　just　what　we　require　it　to　be。　It　is　this　power　of　the　human　soul　to　differentiate　limitlessly　from　the　Infinite　that　we　are　apt　to　overlook；　but　as　we　come　to　realize　that　the　soul　is　itself　a　reflection　and　image　of　the　Infinite　Spiritand　a　clear　recognition　of　the　cosmic　creative　process　shows　that　it　cannot　be　anything　elsewe　find　that　it　must　possess　this　power；　and　that…in　fact　it　is　our　possession　of　this　power　which　is　the　whole　raison　d'etre　of　the　creative　process：　if　the　human　soul　did　not　possess　an　unlimited　power　of　differentiation　from　the　Infinite；　then　the　Infinite　would　not　be　reflected　in　it；　and　consequently　the　Infinite　Spirit　would　find　no　outlet　for　its　CONSCIOUS　recognition　of　itself　as　the　Life；　Love；　and　Beauty　which　it　is。　We　can　never　too　deeply　ponder　the　old　esoteric　definition　of　Spirit　as　〃the　Power　which　knows　itself〃：　the　secret　of　all　things；　past；　present；　and　future　is　contained　in　these　few　words。　The　self　…recognition　or　self…contemplation　of　Spirit　is　the　primary　movement　out　of　which　all　creation　proceeds；　and　the　attainment　in　the　individual　of　a　fresh　centre　for　self…recognition　is　what　the　Spirit　GAINS　in　the　processthis　GAIN　accruing　to　the　Spirit　is　what　is　referred　to　in　the　parables　where　the　lord　is　represented　as　receiving　increase　from　his　servants。

When　the　individual　perceives　this　relation　between　himself　and　Infinite　Spirit；　he　finds　that　he　has　been　raised　from　a　position　of　slavery　to　one　of　reciprocity。　The　Spirit　cannot　do　without　him　any　more　than　he　can　do　without　the　Spirit：　the　two　are　as　necessary　to　each　other　as　the　two　poles　of　an　electric　battery。　The　Spirit　is　the　unlimited　essence　of　Love；　Wisdom；　and　Power；　all　three　in　one　undifferentiated　and　waiting　to　be　differentiated　by　APPROPRIATION；　that　is；　by　the　individual　CLAIMING　to　be　the　channel　of　their　differentiation。　It　only　requires　the　claim　to　be　made　with　the　recognition　that　by　the　Law　of　Being　it　is　bound　to　be　answered；　and　the　right　feeling；　the　right　seeing；　and　the　right　working　for　the　particular　matter　we　have　in　hand　will　flow　in　quite　naturally。　Our　old　enemies；　doubt　and　fear；　may　seek　to　bring　us　back　under　bondage　to　Baali；　but　our　new　stand…point　for　the　recognition　of　the　All…originating　Spirit　as　being　absolutely　unified　with　ourselves　must　always　be　kept　resolutely　in　mind；　for；　short　of　this；　we　are　not　working　on　the　creative　levelwe　are　creating；　indeed；　for　we　can　never　divest　ourselves　of　our　creative　power；　but　we　are　creating　in　the　image　of　the　old　limiting　and　destructive　conditions；　and　this　is　merely　perpetuating　the　cosmic　Law　of　Averages；　which　is　just　what　the　individual　has　to　rise　superior　to。　The　creative　level　is　where　new　laws　begin　to　manifest　themselves　in　a　new　order　of　conditions；　something　transcending　our　past　experiences　and　thus　bringing　about　a　real　advance；　for　it　is　no　advance　only　to　go　on　in　the　same　old　round　even　if　we　kept　at　it　for　centuries：　it　is　the　steady　go…ahead　nature　of　the　Spirit　that　has　made　the　world　of　to…day　an　improvement　upon　the　world　of　the　pterodactyl　and　the　icthiosaurus；　and　we　must　look　for　the　same　forward　movement　of　the　Spirit　from　its　new　starting…point　in　ourselves。

Now　it　is　this　special；　personal；　and　individual　relation　of　the　Spirit　to　ourselves　which　is　typified　by　the　names　Ishi　and　Hephzibah。　From　this　stand…point　we　may　say　that　as　the　individual　wakes　up　to　the　oneness　with　the　Spirit；　the　Spirit　wakes　up　to　the　same　thing。　It　becomes　conscious　of　itself　through　the　consciousness　of　the　individual；　and　thus　is　solved　the　paradox　of　individual　self…recognition　by　the　Universal　Spirit；　without　which　no　new…creative　power　could　be　exercised　and　all　things　would　continue　to　proceed　in　the　old　merely　cosmic　order。　It　is　of　course　true　that　in　the　merely　generic　order　the　Spirit　must　be　present　in　every　form　of　Life；　as　the　Master　pointed　out　when　He　said　that　not　a　sparrow　falls　to　the　ground　without　〃the　Father。〃　But　as　the　sparrows　He　alluded　to　had　been　shot　and　were　on　sale　at　a　price　which　shows　that　this　was　the　fate　of　a　good　many　of　them；　we　see　here　precisely　that　stage　of　manifestation　where　the　Spirit　has　not　woke　up　to　individual　self…recognition；　and　remains　at　the　lower　level　of　self…recognition；　that　of　the　generic　or　race…spirit。　The　Master's　comment；　〃Ye　are　of　more　value　than　many　sparrows〃　points　out　this　difference：　in　us　the　generic　creation　has　reached　the　level　which　affords　the　conditions　for　the　waking　up　of　the　Spirit　to　self…recognition　in　the　Individual。

And　we　must　bear　in　mind　that　all　this　is　perfectly　natural。　There　is　no　posing　or　straining　after　effect　about　it。　If　YOU　have　to　pump　up　the　Life；　who　is　going　to　put　the　Life　into　you　to　pump　it？　Therefore　it　is　spontaneous　or　nothing。　That　is　why　the　Bible　speaks　of　it　as　the　free　gift　of　God。　It　cannot　be　anything　else。　You　cannot　originate　the　originating　force；　it　must　originate　you：　but　what　you　can　do　is　to　distribute　it。　Therefore　immediately　you　experience　any　sense　of　friction　be　sure　there　is　something　wrong　somewhere；　and　since　God　can　never　change；　you　may　be　sure　that　the　friction　is　being　caused　by　some　error　in　your　own　thinkingyou　are　limiting　the　Spirit　in　some　way：　set　to　work　to　find　out　what　it　is。　It　is　always　LIMITING　the　Spirit　that　does　this。　You　are　tying　it　down　to　conditions　somewhere；　saying　it　is　bound　by　reason　of　some　existing　forms。　The　remedy　is　to　go　back　to　the　original　starting　point　of　the　Cosmic　Creation　and　ask；　Where　were　the　pre…existing　forms　that　dictated　to　the　Spirit　then？　Then　because　the　Spirit　never　changes　it　is　STILL　THE　SAME；　and　is　just　as　independent　of　existing　conditions　now　as　it　was　in　the　beginning；　and　so　we　must　pass　over　all　existing　conditions；　however　apparently　adverse；　and　go　straight　to　the　Spirit　as　the　ori