the dore lectures on mental science-第5节

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　operation　is　always　for　expansion　and　fuller　expression；　and　this　means　the　production　of　something　beyond　what　has　gone　before；　something　entirely　new；　not　included　in　past　experience；　though　proceeding　out　of　it　by　an　orderly　sequence　of　growth。　Therefore；　since　the　Divine　cannot　change　its　inherent　nature；　it　must　operate　in　the　same　manner　in　me；　consequently　in　my　own　special　world；　of　which　I　am　the　centre；　it　will　move　forward　to　produce　new　conditions；　always　in　advance　of　any　that　have　gone　before。〃　This　is　a　legitimate　line　of　argument；　from　the　premises　established　in　the　recognition　of　the　relation　between　the　individual　and　the　Universal　Mind；　and　it　results　in　our　looking　to　the　Divine　Mind；　not　only　as　creative；　but　also　as　directive　that　is　as　determining　the　actual　forms　which　the　conditions　for　its　manifestation　will　take　in　our　own　particular　world；　as　well　as　supplying　the　energy　for　their　production。　We　miss　the　point　of　the　relation　between　the　individual　and　the　universal；　if　we　do　not　see　that　the　Originating　Spirit　is　a　FORMING　power。　It　is　the　forming　power　throughout　nature；　and　if　we　would　specialize　it　we　must　learn　to　trust　its　formative　quality　when　operating　from　its　new　starting　point　in　ourselves。

But　the　question　naturally　arises；　If　this　is　so；　what　part　is　taken　by　the　individual？　Our　part　is　to　provide　a　concrete　centre　round　which　the　Divine　energies　can　play。　In　the　generic　order　of　being　we　exercise　upon　it　a　force　of　attraction　in　accordance　with　the　innate　pattern　of　our　particular　individuality；　and　as　we　begin　to　realize　the　Law　of　this　relation；　we；　in　our　turn；　are　attracted　towards　the　Divine　along　the　lines　of　least　resistance；　that　is　on　those　lines　which　are　most　natural　to　our　special　bent　of　mind。　In　this　way　we　throw　out　certain　aspirations　with　the　result　that　we　intensify　our　attraction　of　the　Divine　forces　in　a　certain　specific　manner；　and　they　then　begin　to　act　both　through　us　and　around　us　in　accordance　with　our　aspirations。　This　is　the　rationale　of　the　reciprocal　action　be　tween　the　Universal　Mind　and　the　individual　mind；　and　this　shows　us　that　our　desires　should　not　be　directed　so　much　to　the　acquisition　of　particular　THINGS　as　to　the　reproduction　in　ourselves　of　particular　phases　of　the　Spirit's　activity；　and　this；　being　in　its　very　nature　creative；　is　bound　to　externalize　as　corresponding　things　and　circumstances。　Then；　when　these　external　facts　appear　in　the　circle　of　our　objective　life；　we　must　work　upon　them　from　the　objective　stand…point。　This　is　where　many　fall　short　of　completed　work。　They　realize　the　subjective　or　creative　process；　but　do　not　see　that　it　must　be　followed　by　an　objective　or　constructive　process；　and　consequently　they　are　unpractical　dreamers　and　never　reach　the　stage　of　completed　work。　The　creative　process　brings　the　materials　and　conditions　for　the　work　to　our　hands；　then　we　must　make　use　of　them　with　diligence　and　common…senseGod　will　provide　the　food；　but　He　will　not　cook　the　dinner。

This；　then；　is　the　part　taken　by　the　individual；　and　it　is　thus　that　he　becomes　a　distributing　centre　of　the　Divine　energy；　neither　on　the　one　hand　trying　to　lead　it　like　a　blind　force；　nor　on　the　other　being　himself　under　a　blind　unreasoning　impulsion　from　it。　He　receives　guidance　because　he　seeks　guidance；　and　he　both　seeks　and　receives　according　to　a　Law　which　he　is　able　to　recognize；　so　that　he　no　more　sacrifices　his　liberty　or　dwarfs　his　powers；　than　does　an　engineer　who　submits　to　the　generic　laws　of　electricity；　in　order　to　apply　them　to　some　specific　purpose。　The　more　intimate　his　knowledge　of　this　Law　of　Reciprocity　becomes；　the　more　he　finds　that　it　leads　on　to　Liberty；　on　the　same　principle　by　which　we　find　in　physical　science　that　nature　obeys　us　precisely　in　the　same　degree　to　which　we　first　obey　nature。　As　the　esoteric　maxim　has　it　〃What　is　a　truth　on　one　plane　is　a　truth　on　all。〃　But　the　key　to　this　enfranchisement　of　body；　mind；　and　circumstances　is　in　that　new　thought　which　becomes　creative　of　new　conditions；　because　it　realizes　the　true　order　of　the　creative　process。　Therefore　it　is　that；　if　we　would　bring　a　new　order　of　Life；　Light；　and　Liberty　into　our　lives　we　must　commence　by　bringing　a　new　order　into　our　thought；　and　find　in　ourselves　the　starting　point　of　a　new　creative　series；　not　by　the　force　of　personal　will；　but　by　union　with　the　Divine　Spirit；　which　in　the　expression　of　its　inherent　Love　and　Beauty；　makes　all　things　new。



THE　LIFE　OF　THE　SPIRIT。

The　three　preceding　lectures　have　touched　upon　certain　fundamental　truths　in　a　definite　orderfirst　the　nature　of　the　Originating　Spirit　itself；　next　the　generic　relation　of　the　individual　to　this　All…embracing　Spirit；　and　lastly　the　way　to　specialize　this　relation　so　as　to　obtain　greater　results　from　it　than　spontaneously　arise　by　its　merely　generic　action；　and　we　have　found　that　this　can　only　be　done　through　a　new　order　of　thought。　This　sequence　is　logical　because　it　implies　a　Power；　an　Individual　who　understands　the　Power；　and　a　Method　of　applying　the　power　deduced　from　understanding　its　nature。　These　are　general　principles　without　realizing　which　it　is　impossible　to　proceed　further；　but　assuming　that　the　reader　has　grasped　their　significance；　we　may　now　go　on　to　consider　their　application　in　greater　detail。

Now　this　application　must　be　a　personal　one；　for　it　is　only　through　the　individual　that　the　higher　specialization　of　the　power　can　take　place；　but　at　the　same　time　this　must　not　lead　us　to　suppose　that　the　individual；　himself；　brings　the　creative　force　into　being。　To　suppose　this　is　inversion；　and　we　cannot　impress　upon　ourselves　too　deeply　that　the　relation　of　the　individual　to　the　Divine　Spirit　is　that　of　a　distributor；　and　not　that　of　the　original　creator。　If　this　is　steadily　borne　in　mind　the　way　will　become　clear；　otherwise　we　shall　be　led　into　confusion。

What；　then；　is　the　Power　which　we　are　to　distribute？　It　is　the　Originating　Spirit　itself。　We　are　sure　that　it　is　this　because　the　new　order　of　thought　always　begins　at　the　beginning　of　any　series　which　it　contemplates　bringing　into　manifestation；　and　it　is　based　upon　the　fact　that　the　origin　of　everything　is　Spirit。　It　is　in　this　that　its　creative　power　resides；　hence　the　person　who　is　in　the　true　new　order　of　thought　assumes　as　an　axiomatic　fact　that　what　he　has　to　distribute；　or　differentiate　into　manifestation　is　nothing　else　than　the　Originating　Spirit。　This　being　the　case；　it　is　evident　that　the　PURPOSE　of　the　distribution　must　be　the　more　perfect　expression　of　the　Originating　Spirit　as　that　which　it　is　in　itself；　and　what　it　is　in　itself　is　emphatically　Life。　What　is　seeking　for　expression；　then；　is　the　perfect　Livingness　of　the　Spirit；　and　this　expression　is　to　be　found；　through　ourselves；　by　means　of　our　renewed　mode　of　thought。　Let　us　see；　then；　how　our　new　order　of　thought；　with　regard　to　the　Principle　of　Life；　is　likely　to　operate　In　our　old　order　of　thought　we　have　always　associated　Life　with　the　physical　bodylife　has　been　for　us　the　supreme　physical　fact。　Now；　however；　we　know　that　Life　is　much　more　than　this；　but；　as　the　greater　includes　the　less；　it　includes　physical　life　as　one　mode　of　its　manifestation。　The　true　order　does　not　require　us　to　deny　the　reality　of　physical　life　or　to　call　it　an　illusion；　on　the　contrary　it　sees　in　physical　life　the　completion　of　a　great　creative　series；　but　it　assigns　it　the　proper　place　in　that　series；　which　is　what　the　old　mode　of　thought　did　not。

When　we　realize　the　truth　about　the　Creative　Process；　we　see　that　the　originating　life　is　not　physical：　its　livingness　consists　in　thought　and　feeling。　By　this　inner　movement　it　throws　out　vehicles　through　which　to　function；　and　these　become　living　forms　because　of　the　inner…principle　which　is　sustaining　them；　so　that　the　Life　with　which　we　are　primarily　concerned　in　the　new　order　is　the　life　of　thought　and　feeling　in　ourselves　as　the　vehicle；　or　distributing　medium；　of　the　Life　of　the　Spirit。

Then；　if　we　have　grasped　the　idea　of　the　Spirit　as　the　great　FORMING　Power；　as　stated　in　the　last　lecture；　we　shall　seek　in　it　the　fountain…head　of　Form　as　well　as　of　Power：　and　as　a　logical　deduction　from　this　we　shall　look　to　it　to　give　form　to　our　thoughts　and　feelings。　If　the　principle　is　once　recognised　the　sequence　is　obvious。　The　form　taken　by　our　outward　conditions；　whether　of　body　or　circumstance；　depends　on　the　form　taken　by　our　thoughts　and　feelings；　and　our　thoughts　and　feelings　will　take　form　from　that　source　from　which　we　allow　them　to　receive　suggestion。　Accordingly　if　we　allow　them　to　accept　their　fundamental　suggestions　from　the　relative　and　limited；　they　will　assume　a　corresponding　form　and　transmit　them　to　our　external　environment；　thus　repeating　the　old　order　of　limitation　in　a　ceaselessly　recurring　round。　Now　our　object　is　to　get　out　of　this　circle　of　limitation；　and　the　only　way　to　do　so　is　to　get　our　thoughts　and　feelings　moulded　into　new　forms　continually　advancing　to　greater　and　greater　perfection。　To　meet　this　requirement；　therefore；　there　must　be　a　forming　power　greater　than　that　of　our　own　unaided　conceptions；　and　this　is　to　be　found　in　our　realization　of　the　Spirit　as　the　Supreme　Beauty；　or　Wisdom；　mould