To find the immortal self, the divinity in man, is to open up for oneself a new existence, a new vision, a grand and superb symphony of life. For within is the rising, surging, pulsating power of the soul, which tells the story of the eternity of man and his vast possibilities.
Believing in his own essential divinity, man finds himself on a new line of investigation and research, he goes beyond the limitations of the external man, to visualize for himself a picture of the possibilities of the human soul. Then he reaches a point where real self-analysis is possible. For the man who accepts the idea that he is essentially divine, must also accept the idea of evolution, the eternal progress of the soul, ever approaching the great goal of perfection.
No matter what knowledge man may acquire necessary to balance and adjust his own life and bring it into harmony with his aspirations, he must impart to others the peace and happiness which this knowledge gives him. There must be something more than merely gaining knowledge for himself, attaining wealth, winning a position, writing learned books and being considered important or 'advanced.' There must be burning in his heart that spirit of mercy and compassion which will lessen man's inhumanity to man.
Potential divine qualities are within every man, but they are still sleeping, because we turn away from them. The sun is shining, but if we turn away from it and go into the shadows, we lose its warmth.
No real self-analysis is possible to the man satisfied in acquiring merely intellectual knowledge. With all his worldly attainments, the one thing that man most hungers for is knowledge of himself — the power to analyse and understand his own life. This is essential for his soul's advancement. When man finds this knowledge, then he can declare that human life is essentially beautiful. Every man makes or mars his own life, according to his own inner knowledge and the choice that he daily makes of the path he will walk.
We must acquire a new idea of compassion, a new sense of justice.
Then our consciences will grow; and as we climb the hills of progress and reach the heights and learn of the glory of the Divine, the love and mercy in the human heart, then we shall, in the spiritual sense, embrace the whole of humanity. For brotherhood is a fact in nature: we are all united by the same natural laws and must follow the same divine guidance.
The world needs a change. We need the sweetness and nobility which every living man and woman has potentially within himself or herself. This is the way to bring humanity up to a higher state of morality and dignity. The weakness of our present civilization is in man himself. The reason for it is that he allows the lower nature in him to rule instead of the higher, divine self, which is immortal. The lower nature is the undeveloped side of him, which can be transmuted and brought up to a quality that leads ultimately to happiness and perfection. Let each one fulfill his smallest duty to the fullest, and live hopefully and trustingly, uplifting the world by the purity of his individual life.
If we could move out of the glamour of the world, out of the psychology of the age, away from the insanity of its unrest, we would find a new kingdom within ourselves. Each one of us has the key to the situation, which appeals to all that is noblest and best in our hearts.
If a man does not know his own essential divinity, he cannot know his own inner God nor begin even to think towards Universal Deity intelligently. He does not know himself; he is the greatest of all mysteries; for the last thing in the world he would ever do, would be to come to himself for knowledge. He refuses to challenge his heart, his soul, his principles, and his conscience. No! he will go anywhere and everywhere but to the right place, and still despair!
The supreme courage of the soul can be manifest only in one who knows himself, at least to a degree. One who has such knowledge is as sure of it as he is that the sun shines; he is so sure of it that it revivifies him, puts new blood in his veins, gives him a new conscience, and a steadfast courage.
Any man can make the effort to reach that knowledge. It requires no great strain, no remarkable process of the mind or anything of that sort. It is just a calm, quiet confidence in oneself that one can reach the goal.
(From Sunrise magazine, September 1954; copyright © 1954 Theosophical University Press)