the dore lectures on mental science-第7节

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I　am　Alpha　and　Omega；　the　First　and　the　Last；〃　is　described　as　〃Like　unto　a　son　of　man〃that　is；　however　transcendent　the　appearance　in　the　vision；　it　is　essentially　human；　and　thus　suggests　to　us　the　presence　of　the　universal　principle　at　the　human　level。　But　the　figure　in　the　apocalyptic　vision　is　not　that　of　man　as　we　ordinarily　know　him。　It　is　that　of　Omega　as　it　subsists　enshrined　in　Alpha：　it　is　the　ideal　of　humanity　as　it　subsists　in　the　Divine　Mind　which　was　manifested　in　objective　form　to　the　eyes　of　the　seer；　and　therefore　presented　the　Alpha　and　Omega　of　that　idea　in　all　the　majesty　of　Divine　glory。

But　if　we　grasp　the　truth　that　the　thing　is　already　existent　in　the　thought；　do　we　not　see　that　this　transcendent　Omega　must　be　already　existent　in　the　Divine　ideal　of　every　one　of　us？　If　on　the　plane　of　the　absolute　time　is　not；　then　does　it　not　follow　that　this　glorified　humanity　is　a　present　fact　in　the　Divine　Mind？　And　if　this　is　so；　then　this　fact　is　eternally　true　regarding　every　human　being。　But　if　it　is　true　that　the　thing　exists　in　the　thought；　it　is　equally　true　that　the　thought　finds　form　in　the　thing；　and　since　things　exist　under　the　relative　conditions　of　time　and　space；　they　are　necessarily　subject　to　a　law　of　Growth；　so　that　while　the　subsistence　of　the　thing　in　the　thought　is　perfect　ab　initio；　the　expression　of　the　thought　in　the　thing　is　a　matter　of　gradual　development。　This　is　a　point　which　we　must　never　lose　sight　of　in　our　studies；　and　we　must　never　lose　sight　of　the　perfection　of　the　thing　in　the　thought　because　we　do　not　yet　see　the　perfection　of　the　thought　in　the　thing。　Therefore　we　must　remember　that　man；　as　we　know　him　now；　has　by　no　means　reached　the　ultimate　of　his　evolution。　We　are　only　yet　in　the　making；　but　we　have　now　reached　a　point　where　we　can　facilitate　the　evolutionary　process　by　conscious　co…operation　with　the　Creative　Spirit。　Our　share　in　this　work　commences　with　the　recognition　of　the　Divine　ideal　of　man；　and　thus　finding　the　pattern　by　which　we　are　to　be　guided。　For　since　the　person　to　be　created　after　this　pattern　is　ourself；　it　follows　that；　by　whatever　processes　the　Divine　ideal　transforms　itself　into　concrete　reality；　the　place　where　those　processes　are　to　work　must　be　within　ourselves；　in　other　words；　the　creative　action　of　the　Spirit　takes　place　through　the　laws　of　our　own　mentality。　If　it　is　a　true　maxim　that　the　thing　must　take　form　in　the　thought　before　the　thought　can　take　form　in　the　thing；　then　it　is　plain　that　the　Divine　Ideal　can　only　be　externalized　in　our　objective　life　in　proportion　as　it　is　first　formed　in　our　thought；　and　it　takes　form　in　our　thought　only　to　the　extent　to　which　we　apprehend　its　existence　in　the　Divine　Mind。　By　the　nature　of　the　relation　between　the　individual　mind　and　the　Universal　Mind　it　is　strictly　a　case　of　reflection；　and　in　proportion　as　the　mirror　of　our　own　mind　blurs　or　clearly　reflects　the　image　of　the　Divine　ideal；　so　will　it　give　rise　to　a　correspondingly　feeble　or　vigorous　reproduction　of　it　in　our　external　life。

This　being　the　rationale　of　the　matter；　why　should　we　limit　our　conception　of　the　Divine　ideal　of　ourselves？　Why　should　we　say；　〃I　am　too　mean　a　creature　ever　to　reflect　so　glorious　an　image〃　or　〃God　never　intended　such　a　limitless　ideal　to　be　reproduced　in　human　beings。〃　In　saying　such　things　we　expose　our　ignorance　of　the　whole　Law　of　the　Creative　Process。　We　shut　our　eyes　to　the　fact　that　the　Omega　of　completion　already　subsists　in　the　Alpha　of　conception；　and　that　the　Alpha　of　conception　would　be　nothing　but　a　lying　illusion　if　it　was　not　capable　of　expression　in　the　Omega　of　completion。　The　creative　process　in　us　is　that　we　become　the　individual　reflection　of　what　we　realize　God　to　be　relatively　to　ourselves；　and　therefore　if　we　realize　the　Divine　Spirit　as　the　INFINITE　potential　of　all　that　can　constitute　a　perfected　human　being；　this　conception　must；　by　the　Law　of　the　Creative　Process；　gradually　build　up　a　corresponding　image　in　our　mind；　which　in　turn　will　act　upon　our　external　conditions。

This；　by　the　laws　of　mind；　is　the　nature　of　the　process　and　it　shows　us　what　St。　Paul　means　when　he　speaks　of　Christ　being　formed　in　us　（Gal。　iv。　19）　and　what　in　another　place　he　calls　being　renewed　in　knowledge　after　the　image　of　Him　that　created　us　（Col。　iii。　10）。　It　is　a　thoroughly　logical　sequence　of　cause　and　effect；　and　what　we　require　is　to　see　more　clearly　the　Law　of　this　sequence　and　use　it　intelligentlythat　is　why　St。　Paul　says　it　is　being　〃renewed　in　knowledge〃：　it　is　a　New　Knowledge；　the　recognition　of　principles　which　we　had　not　previously　apprehended。　Now　the　fact　which；　in　our　past　experience；　we　have　not　grasped　is　that　the　human　mind　forms　a　new　point　of　departure　for　the　work　of　the　Creative　Spirit；　and　in　proportion　as　we　see　this　more　and　more　clearly；　the　more　we　shall　find　ourselves　entering　into　a　new　order　of　life　in　which　we　become　less　and　less　subject　to　the　old　limitations。　This　is　not　a　reward　arbitrarily　bestowed　upon　us　for　holding　dogmatically　to　certain　mere　verbal　statements；　but　it　is　the　natural　result　of　understanding　the　supreme　law　of　our　own　being。　On　its　own　plane　it　is　as　purely　scientific　as　the　law　of　chemical　reaction；　only　here　we　are　not　dealing　with　the　interaction　of　secondary　causes　but　with　the　Self…originating　action　of　Spirit。　Hence　a　new　force　has　to　be　taken　into　account　which　does　not　occur　in　physical　science；　the　power　of　Feeling。　Thought　creates　form；　but　it　is　feeling　that　gives　vitality　to　thought。　Thought　without　feeling　may　be　constructive　as　in　some　great　engineering　work；　but　it　can　never　be　creative　as　in　the　work　of　the　artist　or　musician；　and　that　which　originates　within　itself　a　new　order　of　causation　is；　so　far　as　all　pre…existing　forms　are　concerned；　a　creation　ex　nihilo；　and　is　therefore　Thought　expressive　of　Feeling。　It　is　this　indissoluble　union　of　Thought　and　Feeling　that　distinguishes　creative　thought　from　merely　analytical　thought　and　places　it　in　a　different　category；　and　therefore　if　we　are　to　afford　a　new　starting…point　for　carrying　on　the　work　of　creation　it　must　be　by　assimilating　the　feeling　of　the　Originating　Spirit　as　part　and　parcel　of　its　thoughtit　is　that　entering　into　the　Mind　of　the　Spirit　of　which　I　spoke　in　the　first　address。

Now　the　images　in　the　Mind　of　the　Spirit　must　necessarily　be　GENERIC。　The　reason　for　this　is　that　by　its　very　nature　the　Principle　of　Life　must　be　prolific；　that　is；　tending　to　Multiplicity；　and　therefore　the　original　Thought…image　must　be　fundamental　to　whole　races；　and　not　exclusive　to　particular　individuals。　Consequently　the　images　in　the　Mind　of　the　Spirit　must　be　absolute　types　of　the　true　essentials　of　the　perfect　development　of　the　race；　just　what　Plato　meant　by　architypal　ideas。　This　is　the　perfect　subsistence　of　the　thing　in　the　thought。　Therefore　it　is　that　our　evolution　as　centres　of　CREATIVE　activity；　the　exponents　of　new　laws；　and　through　them　of　new　conditions；　depends　on　our　realizing　in　the　Divine　Mind　the　architype　of　mental　perfection；　at　once　as　thought　and　feeling。　But　when　we　find　all　this　in　the　Divine　Mind；　do　we　not　meet　with　an　infinite　and　glorious　Personality？　There　is　nothing　lacking　of　all　that　we　can　understand　by　Personality；　excepting　outward　form；　and　since　the　very　essence　of　telepathy　is　that　it　dispenses　with　the　physical　presence；　we　find　ourselves　in　a　position　of　interior　communion　with　a　Personality　at　once　Divine　and　Human。　This　is　that　Personality　of　the　Spirit　which　St。　John　saw　in　the　apocalyptic　vision；　and　which　by　the　very　conditions　of　the　case　is　the　Alpha　and　Omega　of　Humanity。

But；　as　I　have　said；　it　is　simply　GENERIC　in　itself；　and　it　becomes　active　and　specific　only　by　a　purely　personal　relation　to　the　individual。　But　once　more　we　must　realize　that　nothing　can　take　place　except　according　to　Law；　and　therefore　this　specific　relation　is　nothing　arbitrary；　but　arises　out　of　the　generic　Law　applied　under　specific　conditions。　And　since　what　makes　a　law　generic　is　precisely　the　fact　that　it　does　not　supply　the　specific　conditions；　it　follows　that　the　conditions　for　the　specializing　of　the　Law　must　be　provided　by　the　individual。　Then　it　is　that　his　recognition　of　the　originating　creative　movement；　as　arising　from　combined　Thought　and　Feeling；　becomes　a　practical　working　asset。　He　realizes　that　there　is　a　Heart　and　Mind　of　the　Spirit　reciprocal　to　his　own　heart　and　mind；　that　he　is　not　dealing　with　a　filmy　abstraction；　nor　yet　with　a　mere　mathematical　sequence；　but　with　something　that　is　pulsating　with　a　Life　as　warm　and　vivid　and　full　of　interest　as　his　ownnay；　more　so；　for　it　is　the　Infinite　of　all　that　he　himself　is。　And　his　recognition　goes　even　further　than　this；　for　since　this　specialization　can　only　take　place　through　the　individual　himself；　it　logically　follows　that　the　Life；　which　he　thus　specializes；　become　HIS　OWN　life。　Quoad　the　individual　it　does　not　know　itself　apart　from　him。　But　this　self…recognition　through　the　individual　cannot　in　any　way　change　the　inherent　nature　of　the　Creative　Spirit；　and　therefore　to　the　extent　to　which　the　individual　perceives　its　identification　with　himself；　he　places　himself　under　its　guidance；　and　so　he　becomes　one　of　those　who