EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER ONE:

THE DIVINE SPIRIT

The Whole Purpose of the Soul’s Evolution is
That It May Eventually Become Aware of its Divine Origin
- Rays of the Dawn

Inherent in every human being is the same power which governs the universe; Spirit, or, as some prefer to call it, God.

We can see that the first phase of creation, the atomic and subatomic, is all controlled by the Intelligent Power which infuses it. Order and harmony are evident everywhere on this level of creation. When the Divine Power used the electron to form the various planets, stars and galaxies, It was all accomplished with a fixed plan in view. As we observe the results of this magnificent effort, we ponder the spectacle with awe and amazement. The vastness, the immensity and complexity, challenge the intellect and stagger the imagination. The beauty, harmony, symmetry and balance capture the mind of the artist, the scientist and the thinker; and the magnitude of it all leaves him spellbound. Yes, the human mind spins and whirls as it tries to fathom the vastness of the universe. It scans the heavens, it explores outer space, and reaches for the moon. Puzzled and perplexed, man continues to probe the unknown in search for the answers.

One who cannot postulate a spirit and a soul will always be at a loss to understand life. He will have no foundation upon which to build a logical philosophy. His mind will be confused as to the meaning of life, its problems and their solution.

The Divine Power...the Creator of life...is the essence of goodness, purity, and peace. It is the ultimate of intelligence. It is power. It is life. It expresses itself through forms, at every level of expression, from the electron to the human. It is in us in that inner sanctuary of our own nature. Hidden perhaps from objective view, nestles the seed of perfection. It is like a sleeping giant waiting to be awakened, to probe through the darkness into the light of a higher spiritual awareness.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 2:

LOVE

Love is the Dynamic Principle of Life Itself and
Is the Most Powerful Spiritual Force in the World
- Rays of the Dawn

Love is of the Divine and is the highest attribute of the human soul.

Love constitutes the vital energy required for man’s spiritual advancement and, the farther the individual has advanced in the scale of evolution, the more spontaneous and far-reaching will be his expression of love.

When people will love one another, they will by their own actions gradually eliminate from the earth all the evil attributes which we now know.

If we continuously emphasize the good in a person, the positive forces will soon predominate.

Kindness of thought and action should extend to all of our fellow beings, but especially those who are needy, helpless, infirm, and to those who are in any way deprived of a normal, happy existence.

Consideration and sympathetic understanding of one’s neighbors is a paramount factor in maintaining peace and happiness in the great human family.

Strive always to see the good in others, never the bad. If Spirit should comment upon this subject, It would very likely say: “Behold, I create man with the possibility of becoming a Creator unto Me. The first lesson of creation I give unto man’s hands is that he shall create harmony and affiliation with himself and his neighbors, that the Many may become in concert even as One Person.”

As we begin to love life as an expression of the Divine, we find it easier to perform our daily tasks and to meet life’s challenges.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 3:

MEDITATION

Whatsoever one constantly meditates upon,
he will  not only come to understand,
but will grow more and more into its likeness,
for it will become incorporated into his being;
becoming in fact, his very self.

Spiritual meditation is the pathway to Divinity. It is the mystic ladder which reaches from earth to heaven, from error to truth, from pain to peace. Every saint has climbed this ladder; every sinner must sooner or later come to it; and every weary pilgrim who turns his back upon the personal self and the world and sets his face resolutely towards the Father’s Home must plant his feet upon its golden rounds. Without its aid one cannot grow into the Divine State, the Divine Likeness, the Divine Peace; and without it the eternal glories and unstained joys of truth will remain hidden from him.

Man is guided by the voice from within, if he is willing to learn and to listen. This secret place within you is your real and eternal self, the Divine within. Only when you identify yourself with this inner, Divine Consciousness, can you ever know the peace of heaven.

No person can have real spiritual knowledge or awareness of God without being established in the methods of concentration and meditation. The practice of concentration makes the mind one-directional. The power of concentration, when rightly used, is man’s greatest asset. Thought-control is a wonderful power, and meditation is the key to attainment.

One of the first rules that the aspirant of the higher path must learn is to provide for oneself moments of inward calm. In those moments learn to distinguish between the real and the Illusion before any progress can be made on this Higher Path.

The value of such calm, inward contemplation depends less upon the actual thing we contemplate, than on the power which such inward calm develops within us. For this reason students are taught to meditate, to contemplate, to concentrate and to honestly analyze themselves at the end of each day.

When a person reaches a certain stage of spiritual consciousness, there comes a time when he is able to see without eyes, to hear without ears, and so forth. He is then in constant touch with another world, one that is more real than that which we call the material world. It is the spiritual world that he is in contact with and, in the last analysis, it means the Kingdom of God. He has become conscious of his divinity and of his immortality, and that is precisely the condition that all mankind yearns for. Such an individual, while still in the flesh, is called upon to live in and adapt himself to the two states of being, the material and the spiritual.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 5:

NATURAL LAWS

Spirit has decreed and designed a purposeful life for every living organism.
We must work in harmony with, not against, the laws of nature.
- Rays of the Dawn

It is the duty of man to utilize his powers to best assist his fellows; to develop his own higher self; to meet the challenges of life. In short, to seek a knowledge and understanding of the laws governing his own being, body, mind and soul, and to obey them, thus becoming an outlet or channel for Divine Expression.

Each one who so lives that his life shall be governed by Natural Law will become a center through whom the forces and influences of restoration may operate to conquer evil.

The mind not enlightened upon the inner laws of being, and upon the nature and destiny of its own life, clings to transient appearances, things which have in themselves no enduring substantiality, and so clinging, perishes for the time being, amid the shattered wreckage of its own illusions.

Life presents the opportunity for joy and happiness in equal measure with discontent and worry. But, if we understand the Laws that govern our being, and direct our lives accordingly, we can avoid the suffering that results from the transgression of these laws, and the emotional disturbances which come as an inevitable consequence of their violation.

No greater knowledge can be attained than that which enables a person to know himself and the laws under which he lives.

Cooperation with the Divine Within will be easy when man knows the laws involved.

The law is a law of liberty, but not a law of license. It is exact and exacting and, unless we are willing to comply with its nature and work with it, along the lines of its inherent being, we shall receive no great benefit.

Each soul has its duties to perform, its lessons to learn, its battles to fight but, through a knowledge and application of the Laws of Life we gain the faith, the hope, the sympathetic understanding, the courage, and the power to meet the challenges that face us throughout life.

When a negative person throws off negative vibrations he must, under the “Law of Perpetual Transmission of Radiant Energy,” take on an amount equal to that which he throws off for, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” People who choose to think negative thoughts attract the negative. When one vibrates positive thoughts, he must receive positive things. The law works without exception.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 6:

ASPIRATION

Aspiration is the guiding power that directs
the individual to strive for loftier things.
- Rays of the Dawn

The individual soul who has purified his nature and become aware of his oneness with divinity has reached the highest possible point to which aspiration can take him.

If God governs the world and the destiny of mankind, then it is logical to conceive that He places into each individual’s innate mind an image to fit that person into the Divine Plan. The Intelligence that governs the universe operates in accordance with law and order, and provides each person with certain tendencies that prepare him for his proper place in the Divine Plan.

All are traveling the Path, each seeking his highest good according to his own understanding. Some day each in his own way will attain his goal.

To realize the God Consciousness by ceaseless diligence in the practice of the highest righteousness; to live in it, and to become fully conscious of it is to enter into immortality here and now; to become one with God, one with the central heart of all things, and to know our own Divine and Eternal Nature.

People are nourished by the beautiful visions of great souls who have lived before them. He who cherishes a beautiful vision in his heart, whose life is guided by a lofty ideal, will ultimately achieve his goal, if he lives in obedience to the laws of his being.

Only when we put our very best into our spiritual work will it satisfy us. A spiritual power is released through true thinking that is as much a law as the law of chemical affinity.

Spirit Within is ever striving to break through the barrier of ignorance and to direct the soul to a better way of life.

As the human being, dwelling on the physical plane, evolves, the spiritual faculties of the Divine Person are involved from the spiritual plane. And, when the simultaneous and coordinated development is complete, the human and the Divine are as One in the individual.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 7:

ONENESS WITH ALL LIFE

As man becomes aware of his oneness with the Infinite Power,
and lives in conscious realization of this Oneness,
he has found the path of virtue, of wisdom and of peace.

Once we become cognizant of the truth that all are ONE, and that each individual is an integral part of the whole body of mankind, then we will strive for the perfection of all people.

Most human beings, like the animals, have insufficient understanding to know that ALL LIFE IS ONE, and they are prone to look upon their life as something separate and distinct. Therefore, their expression is of a selfish nature, for they are engaged in serving themselves.

When man embodies in his personality all the higher attributes of the soul, such as love, faith, courage and forgiveness and, when he becomes conscious of his oneness with all life, then the inner light dawns.

When the individual becomes cognizant of the ONENESS of all mankind, he realizes that the excellence or accomplishment of the one, will contribute to the betterment of the whole, and hence also to his own individual development.

When one become aware that all are one he endeavors to make the life of the lower and lesser beings more pleasant.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 8

SELF - MASTERY

No circumstance justifies a disturbed attitude.
-Rays of the Dawn

One should learn to control his mind, and in that way control the power of concentration by permitting to enter into his mind only those thoughts that are positive, constructive and therefore desirable, instead of admitting thoughts of a negative, destructive nature.

To be a Temple Builder wherein the Lower Self is denied, and the Higher Self is being built up, requires much knowledge, and much will-power. When the knowledge comes, along with it comes the desire. But frequently the will is so weak that the desire cannot be consummated. Then there must be a training of the will. When it has become strong enough so that the building can go on, the individual will realize that, when the building has finally been completed, he will find that “Peace Which Passes All Understanding.” Then he is a builder of the temple wherein the Divine may manifest.

If the whole person, body, mind and soul, is master over fear, anxiety, hatred, resentment, jealousy and selfishness, he automatically brings himself into harmony with a great part of Divine Law, and consequently he becomes strengthened, physically, mentally and spiritually.

To attain a high degree of self-control, the individual must begin with the emotions but, instead of suppressing or annihilating them, rather he should endeavor to take control and give them right-expression.

First, the aspirant must gain control over his thoughts. The mind is like an unruly steed that must be curbed. Thoughts come and go, and are apt to cause serious disturbances unless they are controlled. The aspirant begins therefore, to master his thoughts, to control his mind. This is done through concentration and meditation. The great increase in thought-power which comes as a result of concentration will prove a danger to himself and others until he is able to bring his mind under control. Secondly, he must strive to gain outward self-control to match the inner self-control he has obtained. He must rule his speech and his action as rigidly as he rules his thoughts.

People of today little understand the absolute necessity of disciplining the ego. Selfishness has to be pruned. Our wishes must be sacrificed if we are to live a life that will bring us happiness. Very often we have wishes and desires that are in conflict with the will of God or society’s laws. If we do not change these inclinations we may find ourselves in much trouble by expressing them. Self-expression is right for the animal, and it is right for the human being when it is directed to the highest purpose of a being. It is wrong when it prevents that purpose, or attempts to go contrary to it.

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 13

COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS

To become one with the Infinite is the goal of mankind.
To enter into perfect harmony with the Eternal Law is wisdom, love and peace.
-Phase II, Lesson l5

Down through the ages we have had people scattered here and there whose consciousness had been raised so that they could differentiate between the illusion and the reality of things--men and women who brought their consciousness up from the lower plane to the higher. They have become the teachers of the race, and they are called The Illuminata.

There are some people who have studied God’s laws and who constantly surround themselves with positive things; who think positive thoughts; who perform positive acts, insofar as it is possible for them to do so. These individuals are God’s holy angels in human form that are responsible for all the good in the world. They are co-workers with Spirit and are rewarded in exact proportion to their deeds. Their lives are peaceful and happy, and their consciousness is advancing towards union with the Source of All.

To be illuminated must necessarily mean to be flooded with light, either in the intellectual or spiritual sense; to have superior wisdom and insight because of the fire of the illumined. Now this fire, whether it is within or without, casts a glow over things where the enlightened walk, and transforms by its gleaming, all upon whom it flashes, as does the sun.

He who has found the Unity of the Whole has obtained the key of knowledge. It is now in his power to enter intelligently upon the state of his own being and of the relations which arise out of it, and to help others as he himself advances into greater light. That is the person who is able to become a Temple Builder.

He learns that it is this Greater Self within that is the true Builder of the Temple. He realizes this Power must always be a continual building up into higher and higher states of character, for he will know that this universal Power will flow through him in the degree that he is perfected. He then becomes a Builder of the Temple.

When anyone is thus intellectually enlightened, he has reached that stage of development which is signified by the name Cosmic Consciousness. We are dealing here with the principle of evolution in higher phases. What does all this mean? It simply means that one will have found and literally entered into the Kingdom of God; the kingdom which Christ said was “here, now.” And this means being in complete harmony with God. There are different degrees of the Kingdom, and of the highest degree we cannot speak. Words are inadequate to express the inconceivable glory, but sufficient to say that, when the glad soul enters into the highest heaven and meets his maker, it shall see stretching out before it the boundless ranges of sublime life and love, the heights and depths of power and joy, limitless as the One Existence, and inexhaustible as The One That Is.

At the end of this Higher Path, there is a great Temple which is known as the Kingdom of God. Its beauty has been depicted in all of the religions and worthwhile philosophies down through the ages. To travel on the Path towards that celestial city is worthy of great soldiers, and we who have traveled part of the way can assure you that the further you go, the more beautiful and beneficial your life will become.