The higher counterpart of fire is intense coldness, and the vibration through which some Yogis pass, known as the intelligence of fire, is a vibration of coldness. An advanced Yogi will often evoke this higher counterpart of fire, which has a physical manifestation and can be seen with the naked eye, and he will lead the student into this element. Here the good and evil of his nature are presented to the student. If the good predominates, he can enter this flame without harm, for its consciousness is that of the knower (to know a thing without thought), the world of intuition where nature’s will manifests.
When the student faces any of the lawgivers of nature they evoke in him his true characteristics, be they good or evil, and these higher evolved beings who have never incarnated in human form, always stand in the Presence and although a man may fool himself, they are not deceived.
In the initiation by fire, one of these hierarchal beings will often join the circle and pronounce his judgment of the Law. Then the pupil sees a mirror of his true character and sums up his own evil (ignorance) and his own good and, if the evil predominates, he is afraid to enter the circle. This is one of the minor initiations. What a change for good would blossom in this great land of ours, if the mirror of Truth could be held before every man and woman! These higher devas give to the initiated what may be termed their gospel of the world of mind. It is the gospel of emancipation, the gospel of freedom, and we discover that all the great religions and creeds of the world are but fragments of a still greater book of truth.
Although man knows it not, the desire of his world is to become at one with its Creator, the Lord God of Truth within. In this Presence these higher beings stand and it is becoming to give reverence to these lords of nature, who inhabit the principalities and kingdoms of these inner worlds of being. The Christ is one of them that taught through the Master Jesus, and the recognition and worship of these overlords of nature long antedate the Nativity.
In every man there exists a fragment of these forgotten truths. The devas desire us to recollect and manifest truth, and thus become the instruments through which the fullness of man’s nature may be revealed. The devas reflect into our consciousness the seven different attributes of nature.1 The greatest of these is will or power, then comes love and compassion, and then intelligence or knowledge. Do you not realize that bliss and intelligence are always about you! Seek inwardly for its true expression, that you may be able to recognize it, and whatever you draw out from the framework of nature, seek to build into a habitation in which a deva may dwell. Whatever you attempt to create with your mind, do it in devotion to the gods who have watched over the material with which you fashion for them a dwelling.
When the crude Irish peasant enters the abode of a friend, he says, “May God come and dwell in this house,” and it is delightful to hear them say it in their deep, rich brogue. If you ask Pat why he says it, he replies, “I must make a clean place into which to put my foot.”
Before the Egyptians went to their temples they cleaned and disinfected their houses with natron and bathed and put on fresh garments, in order to be clean in the presence of their deity, and it is said that among them the average age of an honest man was 120 years. The scientific studies of bacteriological conditions in our sacred edifices have proved so startling that we might greatly profit by adopting this ancient custom.
The purification of the sacred vessels and of the priest and of his vestments is but the echo of ancient pagan rites. Proper incense is a barrier to the approach of entities and elementals from the underworld, and so are the vibrations of music and chanting, for they harmonize man with God. Most of the ceremonies of the early religions were based on the scientific principles of nature. Activity of purpose and power is the stimulation which nature gives us, in order to bring out the hidden wisdom from within and thus unify man with his Creator. The objective man is the reflection of his own thoughts. Where we place our thoughts, there we are. Intelligence comes from the Lord God of Truth within and we should place our thoughts within the temple of this God when we search for knowledge and the place of understanding. Man’s search for knowledge has been misdirected and he has not made contact with that dynamic power from within, which brings realization of God’s purpose. If we review the experiences of the day just past and analyze its happenings, we discover a minute amount of wisdom gained, and from that experience we should learn what not to do tomorrow. This should make us more alert to avoid the same mistakes in the future, and it is this process of observation which will build up a stronger foundation for our character, and a finer expression will result. We must get out of the herd and become ourselves, and learn not to be destructive to our fellows.
What a wonderful change comes over the student when he begins to analyze the happenings of each day, seeking truth and right conduct towards his fellows! It is said that when this happens the lords of nature stoop down and lift one up and, in time the Yogi discovers that wherever he is placed there is a lesson to be learned and an experience to be gained.
When he learns how to assist those in his environment, no matter how irksome it may be for him, he is immediately given freedom from that environment, and that is the law.
By sacrificing ourselves and giving of our best to the work we are doing, we discover a way to assist those about us, and thus we gain release from our prison. Take a man who is in business; he may be unhappy in his environment and worked to the extreme limit of fatigue, but if he looks about him and studies his environment, giving his best to the firm and working to assist his weaker brothers he earns a sudden and quick release, and later he will thank God for the experience which he has had, for he has gained wisdom. Should he ever again be placed in a similar position, he has learned the power of pushing his way to the top and the power of command and, in this position of power, he will be better able to serve those beneath him.
A weak man is taken advantage of and mistrusted by his fellows and underlings, and is not appreciated in this world or any other. My teacher once said to me, “You must bring light to those at the top.” It is easier to bring light to the materialists in commerce and business than to those on the lower rungs of the ladder, for those at the top are seeking light and a way out. There is a doctrine of the heart and a doctrine of the head, and there is the Wisdom Teaching of the ages.
A business man once came secretly to my rooms in Paris to meet a Yogi student and he told me he had found peace for the first time in years. He came every day at 11 o’clock for two weeks, and then returned to America. I asked him if he would mind my seeing into his past and present, as I saw he was a master mind, and had thousands of men working for him. He then informed me of his executive position in a great trust. He was seeking a finer outlet of expression for his strong character and, after his return to America, he wrote me that he now controlled all the breweries around his works, and that since the breweries controlled the saloons, he also controlled them, and was cleaning them up and making them more of the nature of clubs. He was not giving them so much alcohol in their beer and he hoped to bring about better conditions by working from the top.
The wise employer is he who interests himself in the welfare of his workmen and seeks to make the surroundings attractive, and to give his employees a sense of freedom. The workman today little realizes that he should be honest and faithful to those who employ him and he should look after the interests of his employer. Unfortunately in Europe, caste conditions obtain in trade, and the workman seldom comes in contact with his employer. It is not so in America where the employee has easy access to his boss, but the caste system in Europe makes it difficult for the lower grade workman to be accepted in a higher grade environment. Each caste is suspicious of the caste above and below, and suspicion breeds contempt, therefore the lower forms of Socialism, called Communism, become powerful in this atmosphere.
Traditions and principles of honesty differ in different countries, hence it would be a good thing if different countries understood each other better. A business deal considered honest in one country is judged dishonest in another. You will quickly discover this if you travel through the countries bordering on the Mediterranean, where honesty has its varying degrees. It is the lack of understanding of the customs of other countries which brings so much disaster to the world.
I know one country intimately where two persons who are friends socially, will think it very clever if one of them can best the other in a business deal. The old New England canon of doing business by word of mouth has passed into obscurity, although there are great giants still in business whose word is their bond. Yet many who pride themselves on adhering to the highest standards of honesty in individual transactions, fail to realize that. Nature’s great overlords step in and interfere to bring dishonor to the man in business who robs humanity.
