I
It is magnificent to see the advent and progress of the Truth! If we could see all the obstacles that are being overcome, their nature, ramifications and subtleties, we should be astounded at the mystic power of the soul. We are at a time when great changes have occurred and may individually occur at any moment — the work of years shows its completion in hours. Rail not at the Law, the natural course of events will some day whirl you along at a pace fast enough for the swiftest. Wherever we are in the Body we can learn mighty lessons just now at every moment. Recollect that the Heart cannot be severed from the center.
II
If men allow themselves to be influenced by moods, they will never get their body out of the control of the false self. It is quite true there is a right time to act, an inspired moment, but true inspiration never will come by waiting till the mood is felt or for the moment to arrive.
Men ought to be able to achieve their highest when they want to, and not depend on the lower influences permitting them to do so. A true man should be able to command the forces of his own being and of Nature, and he will never be truly inspired until he has learned to do so. By intense effort his spiritual nature may become manifested and dominant for a moment. Once this has been achieved the true time and place can be learned for right action: but first of all he has to be himself in the highest sense before he can learn Divine Wisdom in its own language. For how is it possible to teach or to learn until one is alive in the regions where wisdom is found. Once even for a moment, the superior position as a spiritual being is known, then it is possible to learn to live up to that, and to be taught to do so at all times.
So for a man the first thing to gain is strength and this will never be done by passively allowing himself to be governed by moods; but by exercise and purity it can be obtained.
III
There is no locked door to any state of consciousness.
It is as easy to walk out of gloomy thoughts, and the bondage to personal opinions, into the spiritual light of pure ideals, noble principles, and realities, as it is to walk out of a dark, narrow, badly ventilated room, through an unlocked door into the sunshine of Nature. What is required is to mentally get up and do it with a similar confidence and conviction. It should be constantly impressed upon the mind that principles are not opinions. That there may be a vast difference between Right itself and what may be personally thought right at any time. We should go on trying to think and act perfectly and not stop by the way to discuss, or come to conclusions with anyone, asking whether we acted rightly or wrongly on any particular occasion. Let us leave all judgments and results to the Law, and go on about our business, doing ever more and more right thinking and acting. It is this continuous accumulation of energy in doing and trying to do fresh acts of Right, that eventually bursts the bonds and a glint of the real sunshine warms the heart and enlightens the mind, so that it will be in the end quite unnecessary to get the personal agreement of another to convince us of the existence of Right and our possibility of attaining thereto. Anxiety to be agreed with and thought right in our actions — the cause of all personal explanation, excuse, discussion and desire for acknowledgment — arises because we are not on a sure foundation and so have not sufficient confidence in ourselves or in others.
This being true, the right thing to do is to get this confidence and sure foundation, which can be obtained, by resolutely going on doing right or trying to do so, without excuse or expectation of any acknowledgment or reward therefor. Every act of necessity has its reaction, but by going on and continually entering into the sunshine of a new right action, seeking to follow the line of positive good, then comes no hindering reaction, it becomes instructive only.
When we go through this silent time of self effort, we shall feel grateful to every person or circumstance that has forced us to travel this royal road to wisdom. On this path everything helps, our enemies aid us at their own expense, and opposing circumstances, or difficult positions are stepping stones to our good fortune and spiritual progress.