Signs of Agni Yoga



Agni Yoga



1929

 















Copyright, 1997
Agni Yoga Society, Inc.

This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced in English
or in translation to any other language
without written permission from the publisher

Sixth Edition

The only English translation
of the original work authorized by the
World Headquarters of the Agni Yoga Society
319 West 107th Street, New York, N.Y. 10025

Printed in the United States of America
 

















The Blessed Mahatma who gave the books, The Call, Illumination, and Community, has given much counsel and the Signs of Agni Yoga. These practical indications were gathered by us for the use of those who seek knowledge.
Sanskrit and Senzar lend a special flavor to the exposition and do not always find their equivalent in other languages. Nevertheless the meaning of the expressions is preserved exactly. And those who take part in contemporary life will read attentively this wise Teaching which emanates from the experience of centuries.
 












	PREFACE

Yoga—that supreme bridge to cosmic attainment—has existed through all ages. Each Teaching comprises its own Yoga, applicable to that step of evolution. The Yogas do not contradict each other. As the branches of one tree they spread their shade and refresh the traveler exhausted from heat.
His strength regained, the traveler continues on his way. He took naught that was not his, nor did he divert his striving. He embraced the manifested benevolence of space. He liberated the preordained forces. He mastered his single belonging.
Do not reject the forces of Yoga, but like light carry them into the twilight of labor unrealized.
For the future, we arise out of sleep. For the future, we renew our garments. For the future, we sustain ourselves. For the future, we strive in our thought. For the future, we gather strength.
First we shall apply the counsels of life. Then we shall pronounce the name of the Yoga of the time approaching. We shall hear the advancing footsteps of the element of fire, but we shall already be prepared to master the undulations of the flame.
Therefore, we hail the yoga of the past—the Raja Yoga. And we affirm that of the future—the Agni Yoga.
 



	SIGNS OF AGNI YOGA

1.	They will ask, "Can the time of Maitreya create a New Era?"
Answer, "If the Crusades brought a new age, then truly the Era of Maitreya is a thousandfold more significant." In such consciousness should one proceed.
2.	People do not realize the meaning of God or Bodhisattva. As though blind, they ask, "What is light?" But people even lack words to describe its properties, though daily they perceive light.
So wary are people of the unusual that they are confused about the boundaries of light and darkness. It is simpler for them to conceive of God inhabiting a palace upon the largest star. Otherwise their God would remain dwellingless. Their manifest lack of co-measurement impels them to demean what exists.
3.	Often you wonder why I do not reply to a question. You must know that the arrows of thought often graze the subject of the answer. Imagine a traveler who is crossing an abyss upon a rope. Would it be wise to begin calling him? The call may disturb his balance. Therefore, one should pronounce names less often, reserving them for urgent need. The ability to use individual names is necessary, but uttering them should be like the blow of a hammer in space.
4.	Regarding simpler words for simple people, one should remember that simple people need smaller doses of medicine. There is the identical law—as above, so below. Therefore simple people are the best disseminators.
5.	The expansion of the blood vessels is characteristic of the growth of consciousness, and this process must be protected by physical means from the effect of the sun's pressure upon the solar plexus.
Let us not forget how the priestesses of antiquity were shielded from the sun. They wore breastplates of lithium, covered with wax, the melting of which indicated the danger line of temperature.
In addition to immersing the hands in water, immersing of the feet is permitted. But cold baths may be as harmful as the sun's rays.
6.	One can visit different planets in one's mental body. Thus is indicated that future step when consciousness will not be confined to the one planet. As we now cross from one part of the world to another, the same principle will be applied in interplanetary crossings.
The Teacher bids you rejoice at each attainment of the spirit. The way to and from other planets is no more difficult than is the passage between the physical and astral bodies, no more complicated than understanding the process of thought and striving to the stars. Only in striving for the interplanetary can we be assured of the evolution of humanity.
 
7.	The manifestation of new rays prompts beautiful additions to Our plans. The densification of the astral body is inconsequential in itself when compared with the conscious work of the mental body. For one's tasks on this planet the mental body need not be released from its shielded condition. But this highest body is needed for interplanetary activity.
The affirmation of new rays will permit one to retain consciousness in diverse spheres. Formerly only certain strata of the atmosphere permitted the retention of consciousness. But interceptions by gaseous currents were still possible. However, the new rays can penetrate these interceptions, creating open channels, and thus expanding the conscious activity.
Work on the utilization of these rays is underway at Our Community. Usually, they have no significant effect on the brain, but sometimes they can be quite dangerous.
8.	One can point out why the Teachers of Knowledge experienced such suffering on departing Earth. Of course, this suffering was conscious and voluntarily chosen. Just as the host fills the guest's cup to the brim, so does the Teacher desire to impress this last sign of His Teaching.
The poisoning of Buddha spared Him from deification. The suffering and resurrection—or the transformation of matter—by Christ provided the attainment of the supreme earthly achievement. But no one knew about the disintegration of the body into the atomic state. People thought that His body had been stolen away by His disciples.
The slander of the old world is of no consequence. Each true achievement is needed for Cosmos. The creativity of podvig  is the same in every process of creation. In augmenting the profundity of the form we create an ageless crystal. The sense of perfection uplifts the spirit of creative manifestations. Christ, being a realist, desired that the phenomenon of transformation should be preceded by a podvig in complete consciousness.
One can point out two kinds of podvig, the supermundane and the earthly. As an instance of supermundane striving, one can mark a serene passing, such as that of the Great Pilgrim. Let us not attempt to judge acts of podvig, for the understanding of evolution is individual and voluntary.
9.	Anyone who is able to observe human auras may witness a vivid play of the emanations of light. Plans of rational action can be based on observation of this cosmic flux. Each sign of atrophy is connected with the products of darkness. But where there are waves of Light, where the vital sparks interplay, there is Our Ray. 
My Teaching can reveal the waves of the observed Akasha. Welcome the joy of the sparks. This is not a diversion but a deepening of the task. Only by manifesting Our Will can you approach. My wish is to preserve the beauty of spirit.
 
Each motion can be transformed into an achievement of the spirit. Commitment to the evolution of consciousness, and the onrushing whirlwind of events, will lead to a new turn of the cosmic spiral.
10.	When alone, spurning possessions, standing firm and unperturbed, not bewailing his fate—only then does the daring one exult.
Thus shall We begin the translation of Our ancient Book of Daring.
When a child plays with a newborn kitten, his mother rejoices at his courage, loathe to note that the kitten is still blind. When a youth toys with the soul of his comrade, the spectators marvel at his daring, not seeing the shackles binding the wretched soul. When a man denounces an assembly of judges, the witnesses admire his courage, not knowing that the daring of his threat has been bought with the jingle of gold. When an aged man comforts himself by deriding death, his friends delight, unmindful that fear has fashioned his mask of derision.
True daring is often unnoticed by people, because in its essence it is unusual. But the heart will tremble in response to the unusual.
Where art thou who vanquished? Where art thou who transformed the tremor into a leap toward the light? Hear, thou who darest! In the deep of night I shall draw near to bless thy sandals. I shall strew thy pillow with sparks of light, for the sleep of the daring one is as the melting away of a lute, when the seven strings are bathed in mystery. The sleep of the daring one is as the calm before the whirlwind, when even the slenderest blades of grass are unstirred.
Does the roar of the lion set the worlds atremble? No. Daring is awakened and the royal lotus of spirit unfolds. Brothers, let us gather in the hall of joy! The flower has unfolded; raised is the great wheel. Our Joy descends to the nether worlds and rises to the Brothers in the Supermundane.
We sing to daring Our best song.
11.	The chirping of birds has disturbed the moment of rest. Why in the early hours are the birds so tense in their striving? They dare—overhearing the praise to daring. But no one informed them that their usual song would not increase their daring. The darkness shrieks, deafening in its banality. Darkness cannot withstand the daring of light.
When the scales of the Lord have been prepared, we shall awaken early in order to weigh our use of the day just passed. We shall select that which was most daring, in order that these kernels of good may weigh more in the balance. We shall add the sorrows of the old world, for their burden is of use to us. And add the derision of the ignorant. Each of these adds its weight to the cup holding truth. Should we find threats and assaults, let us not forget to add those to the cup also. Why the trembling of the scale? With what wretched, murky tatters have we filled the cup of our wrongdoing? Like last winter's withered leaves are heaped the curses of the ordinary, the dross of yesterday.
Victory to you, daring deeds! For the mighty-winged deeds outweigh all wrongdoing.
Lord, grant me to cast into the flames the deceptive rags of the ordinary. I shall not err in realizing that winged daring has Thy blessing. In the sacred furnace will I forge the Wings of Alaya. I know nothing of complaints, cruelty, or aught that could weigh down my new wings. New will be my song!
 
12.	Broadly has spread the praise of daring. The least of the disciples have turned to the path of searching and have approached Us, asking that We judge their striving. Each brought his dreams: "I will destroy all earthly temples, because Truth needs no walls. I will water all deserts. I will open all prisons. I will demolish all swords. I will blaze all trails. I will wipe away all tears. I will travel through all lands. I will inscribe the book of humanity."
But the least one of them turned to the shining stars and said, "Hail to you, brothers!" And in this salutation of daring his ego vanished.
Let the path of the Universe be acknowledged in this daring greeting!
13.	The book of Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, has long been appreciated in the East not only by virtue of its content but because of the meaning of its title. In the midst of medieval idolatry of Christ, the voice of Thomas à Kempis resounded in protest. From behind the walls of a Catholic monastery rang out a voice to clarify the Image of the Great Teacher. The very word imitation comprises a vital action. The formula—Imitation of Christ—is an achievement of daring innate in the conscious spirit that accepts all responsibility of creation. Truly, the conscious pupil dares to approach the Teacher in imitation. Such an example brought light into the musty darkness and behind the monastic walls provided the impetus to strive toward creative daring.
In accordance with the groveling medieval consciousness, it would have been fitting to say, "The Worship of Christ." But the ascendant spirit dared to pronounce a call to imitation.
Each step of blessed daring must be cherished as a milestone in the progress of humanity. We do not give attention to monastic utterances. Thomas had no need to climb to the stake—his task was to proclaim not the forbidden but the inspiring formula.
There are two forms of truth. One must be nurtured by the flame of the stake. The other demands spreading without restraint. It is difficult to state which method is the more painful to pursue. Sometimes it is easier to suffer the pain of the stake than to witness the distortion of the disseminated teaching. In either event, blessed be the daring that penetrates the darkness!
14.	The world has lost its happiness, because happiness is in the spirit. Those who have turned away from the spirit must endure unhappiness, because why else would they return to the spirit? Therein lies the meaning of great events.
To seek happiness through lies and through murder! One may rejoice that degeneracy is hastening evolution. Crimes are fanning the fire of an extinct world.
15.	Imperil, which attracts danger, is the poison resulting from irritability. This poison, a quite substantial one, is deposited against the walls of the nerve channels and then spreads through the entire organism.
 
If modern science would try to examine objectively the nerve channels, giving heed to the astral currents, it would encounter a strange decomposition of the astral substance during the passage of that substance through the nerve channels—this is a reaction to imperil. Only rest can help the nervous system to overcome the dangerous enemy that can call forth the most diverse irritations and painful contractions of the organism.
He who is afflicted with imperil must repeat, "How beautiful everything is!" And he will be right; because the flow of evolution follows immutable law, it is beautiful. The more refined the nervous system, the more painful is the deposit of imperil. This same poison, by the addition of one ingredient, may contribute to the decomposition of matter.
16.	Of no great merit are those who cannot distinguish the swallow from the vulture. But of what merit are those who believe that by plucking the eagle's wing they can turn it into a helpless duck? Beware of hypocrites, especially those immersed in greed—those cunning ones who stir their "spiritual" stew. The manifestation of the inviolability of the world's laws flashes like a sword. There is no spot for the hypocrite to lay his head. The teacher who has not assimilated the Indications of the Teaching is like an ass under a too-heavy load of grain. Likewise, the fisherman who has prepared his baskets for fish he cannot catch is like a fox outside a well-locked chicken coop.
17. Great is the turmoil in the world! A blow against the Teaching acts as a boomerang, smiting the inflicter. The air is alive with arrows.
Dry away the sweat caused by the enemy's attack. At the time of assault I shall speak of matters eternal. Let us rejoice, because opportunities are multiplied. I know that in each hostile heart sprouts a useful seed.
18.	Astrochemistry makes it possible to determine the best combinations of astrochemical rays for each organism. Astrology is nothing but formulas of astrochemistry. He who enters a house permeated with nicotine will carry away with him poisonous particles. Similarly, once someone has experienced directly the action of certain astrochemical rays, he will always respond to this particular combination. Knowing this, it becomes easy to ascertain when to approach a person who is needed.
The much-discussed sunspots intensify chemical influences. People keep repeating about unrest in the world during periods of sunspots, and even those with little knowledge can draw correct conclusions. But if we call to mind the harmful chemical reactions, it is not difficult to understand the saturation of space by the most active compounds, such as oxides and metalloids. How can one lightmindedly deny the evolutionary power of matter when from the Inexhaustible Reservoir rays of immeasurable intensity pour over our heads?
 
Those with especially sensitive organisms can testify that during the culminating period of the sunspots the rays of the luminary, because of their qualities, become unbearable for them. Also, during the passing of the great meteors, one may feel a quivering of the nervous system. Until now, people have been unable to recognize their place in this gigantic laboratory. That single recognition alone would arm the human organism, and, in place of worried observation of the tremors of the seismograph, would direct the search into the Limitless Heights—as material as tomorrow's repast, as majestic as the numberless stars.
19.	Of all creative energies, thought remains supreme. What may be the crystal of this energy? Some believe that precise knowledge is the crown of thought; but it would be more correct to say that legend is the crown of thought. In legend is expressed the essence of creative energy. In a legend's short formula are defined both hope and achievement. It is a mistake to believe that legends are fantasies of antiquity. The impartial mind will discern the legend spun through all the days of the Universe. Each great achievement of a nation, each great leader, each important discovery, each cataclysm, each podvig is veiled in winged legend. Therefore, let us not disdain the legends of truth; let us discern keenly and cherish the words of reality. In legend is expressed the will of the people, and we cannot cite one legend that was false. The spiritual striving of the powerful collective spirit imprints an image of true meaning. And the outer form of a symbol is a sign for the world, a part of a world language, which is inevitable in evolution.
Right are the seekers of a universal tongue. Right are the creators of the world's legends. Thrice right are the bearers of podvig!
20.	The new must be seen as urgent and useful. Inapplicable abstractions have no place. We are weary of air castles. Even the far-off worlds must be mastered in their physical reality. Such mastery as, for example, over a piece of ice or over the chemical heat of the sun, must enter the consciousness, as must also mastery of the minutest products of matter. The retardation of spiritual realization is caused by a lack of attention to the manifestations of nature. Losing the power of observation, man loses the ability to synthesize.
The abolishment of the use of money will free humanity from the blinders that impair its vision. There are moments of evolution when the walls we erect to contain conventional knowledge become obstacles. The time has come for the emancipation of knowledge, and the assumption of personal responsibility for its use.
A free mind has the privilege of searching out new designs based upon unusual combinations. These hitherto undetected threads will lead it to more exalted layers of matter. Beholding play that is timid and limited, the free mind is right to point out new and better combinations.
Rejoice in the Great Play of the Mother of the World!
21.	Your discussions about the examples of slander recorded in history are correct. Slander is like fuel to the flame of podvig. Slander, when it occurs, is disturbing in ordinary life, but from the point of view of history the flame of slander is multihued; without slander grateful humanity would probably have buried its brightest manifestations.
 
Tactica Adversa ensures that the clanging bells of humanity are not stilled. The music of the spheres needs accompaniment, but those slanderers maddened by envy imagine that their howls densify the atmosphere so that the symphonies of Eternity cannot penetrate through to Earth. However a good householder finds a use for any and all dross. So, let the torches of slander light the path of unswerving achievement.
By calling Our messengers charlatans, people are acknowledging their unusualness. Coarse are the caresses of the lower animals. And the coarseness of the remainder of the departing race has surpassed even that of the dark ages. It is not baseness so much as coarseness of receptivity that makes the mass of humanity unfit material. It is precisely coarseness that gives rise to light-mindedness and to its consequence—treason.
Therefore, let us define slander as the torch of the savage. But during the night-crossings each fire can be used!
22.	There is no judging more erroneous than that based on apparent actions. Looking at only the evident, people lose the thread of reality. Usually, any teaching that leads to a source of reality is called dreams by people.
Most people see life as being without any sign of new beginnings, and see only the evident decay. Thus, one can be completely immersed in the idea of decomposition and easily overlook the valuable new beginnings. New beginnings are wisely hidden; otherwise natural catastrophes would destroy the seeds of new possibility. Inertia is an essential quality of these elements, and in order to imbue them with evolutionary energy that stroke of spirit is needed which can embrace thought. Thus, thought is the communicating link with the elements.
When We speak of the need for fortifying the apparatus of thought, We are warning against the unbridled assault of the elemental forces. Certain periods of planetary existence are subject to assaults of the elements. The one resistance to them is a consistent striving of people toward a renewal of life. This saturation of thought will permit concentration on the Teaching and, like a smiting sword, will cleave the clouds of unapprehended chaos. Thought can protect against the elemental forces, otherwise the balance would be so greatly disturbed that cosmic catastrophes would ensue. Would a year of famine, of drought, of disease not be the result of mass degeneration of thought? One man's thoughts are not enough to resist the elements. A new trend in consciousness cannot yet give the needed form to conscious thought. Only complete realization and responsibility will make it possible to inject power into thought. Otherwise there will be tension without realization, like sails taut in the fury of the whirlwind.
We observe great tension in the magnetic waves as well as in the chemical rays. Human thought has become bent like an untempered blade. Chaos seethes in the depths of consciousness.
Can one endure? The idea of Our Beacon is beginning to penetrate the minds, because gradually it is becoming clear that nothing else remains in the whirls of chaos. How painful to the sensitive spirit! How We watch the waves of unprecedented darkness! The heart can contain only a limited quantity of this elemental poison.
 
23.	What has forced the poisons toward the earthly spheres? The disturbances of the elements give rise to a powerful poisonous gas. Usually this gas is easily assimilated in space, but the rays of the sun are driving the gaseous waves into the layers closest to the planet. Although a dangerous reaction results, those forewarned can overcome the poison. Irritation and its offspring, imperil, combine easily with the poison of space, which is called aeroperil. The laws are alike in all things.
The Teacher sometimes wears a mask against the gas. Of course the action of the poison is not always the same. But sensitive apparatuses are responsive. Cold considerably minimizes the action of the gases.
24.	It is possible that some will not agree to accept prophecy, and will say, "I can accept all things but prophecies." Answer, "Then let us set aside this word. More significant for you will be 'the decrees of the Invisible Government.' Your modern heart prefers modern expressions. We do not insist on terms. For Us it is more essential that you should experience the effects of these decrees, that your brain should remember that the Invisible, International Government exists. To you the word prophecy jars too unscientifically in your dictionaries; but servile habit will come to your aid in classifying the precise significance of the word decree; and your tendency to see conspiracy everywhere will help you to accept the existence of the Invisible Government. In addition, the correlation of fact and effect will prompt your respect.
"We do not quibble about terminology but bring to conclusion a useful action. It is time to replace biblical terminology with more precise expressions. An amulet in a pocket is of no great value to the Invisible Government. What is needed is devotion, tested by conscious action. You thought to vanquish Us upon the field of terminology; but you called forth a decree, the results of which We ask you to contemplate. Guard your words and thoughts. We value the valor of daring; but the cunning of mediocrity is disdained by the Our Government."
25.	In every chemical experiment there comes a favorable moment when the breaking down and transformation of the original substance begins—this is the moment of creative success. Hence, out of the downfall of Rome one should not deduce the ill fortune of Numa Pompilius. It is simply that the substance has been depleted of its electrons. And it will always be so with all evolutionary actions. People usually do not understand this moment of success. They think that structures should rise continuously, beyond all the laws of construction.
It is incorrect to think that the past experiment of My Friend was unsuccessful. One should not pay attention to those few fools who are encountered on the way. The steps of new consciousness are laid firmly. Thus also the path observed by Us now is laid out successfully. In the same way, H.P.B. was grateful to the deriding drumbeaters, for she knew the true meaning of those, who, like her, were the drums on which the crowds beat. When the crowds perceive only charlatans, approach with attention. Remember that even Buddha and Christ were honored with this title.
 
26.	You often ask how one can reconcile the indicated joy with one's joyless contacts with people. Truly, each Teacher rejoices at the limitless beauty of the far-off worlds and suffers over the stunted stupidity of so many people. How can they be given the key to those far-off worlds? Even after divesting themselves of their leaden burden of stupidity they must still pass through the venomous slime of doubt, and then the terrible state of self-conceit. Then, a great log will fall on the napes of their necks, and, tumbling down the stairs, these snails will dream of clinging at least to the lowest step. From this rocking human spirit one could fashion instructive children's toys. Truly, the snails cling more firmly to their own spots. At least snails do not engage in senseless wars.
27.	Having no home is a necessary attribute of the Teacher. The Teacher has a place to stay, but not a home. The Teacher participates in life, but is not touched by the ordinary. The Teacher beautifies a discussion, but does not prolong it. He pities, but does not bewail. The Teacher defends, but does not gesticulate. The Teacher affirms, and is never uncertain. He forewarns, and delays not. If absolutely necessary, He can smite, but will never wound. He is grateful, and does not forget. He evaluates motives, and shows no weakness. Carefully He guards, but does not impose. He fears not, yet is not reckless. And so, cherish the Teacher, who is revealed for the growth of your spirit. Consciously must the spirit be nurtured.
28.	Hatha Yoga cannot be regarded as an independent form. The growth of the spirit changes it into Raja Yoga. It is impossible to name anybody who attained through Hatha Yoga alone. Besides, in a world of darkness and prejudice, accomplishments through Hatha Yoga can even bring harm, by its strengthening of the astral body. The fakirs may adapt themselves to this world of darkness and unwittingly weaken the ascent of thought. Even a person sitting quietly and contemplating can attain further, because thought is the Raja of all that exists. Beauty is born through the lightning of thought. Truly, a flaming Bhakti can kindle new worlds with a thought. And the step of a Jnani will be but the smile of a Raja-Bhakti. Therefore Hatha and Jnana are not original and are insufficient. What sage of wisdom would not be the lord of love?
29.	Affirm Our Teaching as your own abode, as your own construction. Let the breath of renewal fill your entire being. The significance of Community is expressed in united thought about the development of the world. The distribution of basic material benefits will result from an understanding of the highest truth. Unimportant are thoughts concerning the lowest material benefits. One should reject thoughts about quantity and strive only for quality. Of the benefit of quality, and of the harm of doubt, one must speak untiringly.
30.	After one of Our co-workers had completed a lengthy chemical experiment weighted with responsibility, a child exclaimed, "How prettily he plays with the glasses!" When we see a man climbing a mountain, would we think that he hastens to the Teacher? When we watch a carpenter, do we know what step of the house he will reinforce? When we meet a woman bearing water, do we know whose thirst she will quench? When we see a closed door, can we know who will emerge first? When we hear sudden thunder, do we know where sped the dart of lightning?
 
But people almost always assume that he who bends over is picking up a stone for murder. They are sure that he who races astride his horse hastens with slander. They "know" that he who calls out pronounces a lie. They "know" that he who offers his hand is afire with treachery. They interpret every move of others according to their own way of thinking.
Poor ones! Who has bestowed on you the curse of self? Wherefrom comes the prejudice of your decisions? At what crossroad did you hear the criers of slander? Every simple greeting seems to you a condemnation. You expect that the mountains will withstand the threats of the slanderers and the oceans will not dry up from treason.
For you, the Uraeus of knowledge is not yet wrought!
31.	It is necessary to distinguish between indignation of spirit and irritation. The fire of irritation must be divided into two kinds. When irritation has an impersonal cosmic character, its poison may be washed away by a current of prana. But if harmful feelings, such as conceit or self-pity, intensify the irritation, the sediment of poison will be precipitated upon the centers. Then there is no means to remove it; one can only wear it away by developing cosmic perception.
Quality of thinking must be realized as healing. Gratitude is likewise the finest purifier of the organism. He who has found the seed and realized the care of the Sender can project gratitude into space. Great is the healing power of the emission of gratitude. One must transform everything abstract into reality.
32.	The International Government never has denied its existence. It has proclaimed itself, not in manifestoes but in actions that were recorded even in official history. One can cite cases from the French and Russian Revolutions, as well as from the history of Anglo-Russian and Anglo-Indian relations, when an independent outside Hand altered the course of events. The Government did not hide the existence of its envoys in various countries. Naturally, in accordance with the dignity of the International Government, they never hid themselves. On the contrary, they showed themselves openly, visited various governments and were known to many. Literature preserves their names and adorns them with the fancies of their contemporaries. It is not secret organizations—of which governments are in such fear—but actual persons that are sent out by decree of the Invisible International Government.
Inimical to international tasks is each perpetration of fraud. But the unity of peoples, the appreciation of creative labor, the growth of the consciousness, are affirmed by the International Government as undeferrable measures. And if one traces the measures of this Government, it will be found that it cannot be accused of inactivity.
The existence of this Government has entered the awareness of humanity repeatedly, under various names. Each nation is warned but once. Envoys are dispatched but once in a century—this is the law of the Arhats. The acts of the Invisible Government conform with the process of world evolution, hence the results are based on natural law. No personal desire is here, only the immutable laws of matter. I do not desire—I know! And therefore decisions, even amidst the turbulent currents, are firm.
 
One may climb a mountain from the north or from the south—the result is still the same.
33.	The phenomena in which you have taken part have demanded calmness. In addition to calmness, one might have noticed the need of a certain tensity. This condition created an accumulation of energy that could be likened to that operating in a hydrant. Therefore, it would be more correct to say that for the manifestation of phenomena a saturated calmness is needed.
34.	Striving, during the growth of consciousness, is focused in the center of the solar plexus. Should striving go beyond its proper limits, then the so-called fiery death is unpreventable. An uncultivated consciousness can bear the fiery emotion of striving, but further ascent demands that the treasure be placed temporarily within a guarded casket.
Each thought deposits its sediments upon the walls of the channels of the nervous system. The more perfect the striving the more phosphorescent the sediments. The only place sufficiently protected for that fuel is the solar plexus, which gradually imbibes the sediments from the auxiliary channels. Sometimes such an absorption can be so vigorous as to cause star-shaped painful sensations. Then the Teacher must apply a cooling ray, which aids in drawing the sediments from the extremities to the center. All this is a process of the expansion of consciousness. By triennial steps one can trace the sharpening of receptivity. Each stage requires preservation of the casket for the next praiseworthy expenditure.
Let us guard the law of life that leads up the ladder of beauty and happiness.
35.	When one speaks of someone's usefulness it is not meant that he is a pillar of the Teaching. One should take things in their reality, because exaggerating is as wrong as belittling. One must not drag anyone forcibly to heaven. At the destined hour, the blind regain their sight. It is useful to point out the measure of the order of life, avoiding what is unnecessary, so that even the humblest may see the benefit of material progress. But it is wrong to force people to wash their faces. Mark the usefulness of each messenger and do not place the load of a camel upon a donkey.
36.	Each movement of consciousness must flow with the current of evolution. Each step of life must be considered as inseparable from self-improvement. A form that has congealed can be duplicated, but in the current, no wave can be duplicated.
Sleep or vigilance, labor or rest, motion or repose, all carry us equally toward the fulfillment of life's plan. "It is like fallen leaves," say the timid. "It is like seeds for the sowing," say the wise. "It is like arrows of light," say the daring.
Whosoever is set affright by the roar of the torrent is not yet born in the spirit. Who soars on the wave may think of the far-off worlds.
 
37.	Answer only when you see that your answer can be understood. Often a questioner is not able to grasp your answer. Then it is necessary to find a consonant chord before sending your thought in a new direction. It is an error to believe that a current that cuts across the thought is less dangerous than a knife severing an artery. You must not intercept the questioner's thought, but must infuse new blood of life by nourishing his nervous system. Each answering word must be given not as a nail in a coffin, but as a physician's ray. A deferred reply may be given in the form of advice.
38.	One who desires to join in cooperation must be given an opportunity to show his understanding. Thus, say to the physician, "You can show resourcefulness in applying musk, valerian, and cedar tar.” Also, one can demonstrate observation in describing the flow of life. One can show steadfastness in striving to the Teacher, without doubt and without prejudice.
The quality of one's attainments is revealed in life. And we value each mark of attainment. Each hour brings new inalienable possibilities. Clear advantage results from previously manifested achievements—thus, the accomplishments are lawfully gained.
39.	It is erroneous to believe that it is easy to lose something on Earth. It is even more difficult to find something. The word loss suggests that something was acquired. All that is acquired will drag behind him who acquired. At times it is impossible to be rid of one's possessions, both material and intangible. Therefore We advise acceptance of possessions with full responsibility for them. This permits improvement of the quality of one's possessions and thoughts. To drag along tattered survivals is burdensome.
How to cleanse away the ulcers of thought of cowardice and treason? One cannot heal the aura with cedar tar. One must burn away the ulcers with the flame of shock, and must find courage to endure the pain. But how can courage be found in a state of cowardice? Terror shakes the coward, but for Us terror is entirely inadmissible.
You who acquire possessions—think about their quality!
40.	A blind man dreams of material reward. But, if he were to gain sight, he would be astonished to see that he creates his own reward. Ascending in consciousness, a man progresses filled with joy, and the thought of reward would return him into slavery. In fact, there are many slaves, precisely those who try to conceal the servility of their spirit beneath an icy impenetrability and a seeming renunciation of that which they do not even possess. Each one wanting reward is already a slave. Only by a free consciousness, lacking both self-aggrandizement and self-disparagement, can evolution be constructed.
The hammer of spirit is the worthiest weapon of attainment.
41.	The bridges crossed between the stages of the expanding consciousness are unaffected by current events. It is a mistake to wait for the stars to be right; the work of the serpent of the solar plexus flows independently. But a special sensitivity to atmospheric conditions accompanies this inner work. The density of the surrounding atmosphere complicates the work of the nervous system. Therefore calmness is needed as a remedial condition.
 
42.	One should distinguish three groups of medicines—life-givers, preservers, and restorers. Let us leave for Our enemies the fourth group—the destroyers. Let us turn our attention to the life-givers, because they act first of all upon the nervous system. The nerve centers and secretions of the glands indicate the future development of medicine. Through these domains humanity will discover the finest energy, which for simplification we still call spirit. The discovery of the emanations of this energy will be the next step in the development of culture.
Metalization in the cultivation of plants will yield useful secretions of the roots. Therefore it is necessary once again to direct attention to the vegetable kingdom. Besides, examine the nourishing properties of vegetables and grains and you will have many surprises. The lack of discrimination in the choice of man's nourishment is astonishing. I speak of the quality.
43.	The pupil must not be obsessive, and the Teacher must not be seen as a dictator. Indeed, there is demanded of the student a realization of Hierarchy and harmony of action—the reconciling of the free will with acceptance of the Teacher. The weak mind is usually confused. Of course, the conditions and limitations imposed by the Teaching contradict the meaning of freedom in its vulgar sense. But through culture and the realization of goal-fitness the great concept of the Teacher is formed. The realization of the significance of the idea of the Teacher is a passing through the first gates of evolution. One should not bring to the concept of the Teacher expectations of anything supermundane. The Teacher is the One who gives the best advice for life. This practicality will embrace knowledge, creativity, and Infinity.
44.	Do not say, "I do not remember." Say, "I failed to observe." Do not blame the memory, but do look back to note your inability to pay attention. People would sooner fall down stairs than watch the steps.
Do not say, "I do not know." Say, "As yet I have failed to learn." Neither age, nor health, nor conditions of life vindicate the funereal "I do not know." Zeal in life teems with eagerness to learn.
Do not say, "I have decided." Say, "I believe this is fit for the goal." It is easy to increase the goal-fitness, but to change one's decision is unworthy.
Chiefly, do not invite unhappiness persistently, as is usually done.
45.	One should firmly tell people that the New World has come into being. People are not prepared to assume their places in the tasks of creation. It is an error to believe that conquest has any connection with the mission of the New World. Whether it is in the conquest of countries or of a special class of people, this belongs with departing ways of thinking. In the process of evolution one can consider only the ascent of consciousness founded upon freedom of opportunities.
 
In observing the history of humanity's development, entire periods of growth in consciousness can be seen. Let us not conceal that precisely now a book of discoveries and of the light of daring is being opened before humanity. This ripened fruit of the thorny travail of the community is ready to burst with seed. Can one split this fruit with a sword, or crush it through fright or through cringing cowardice, or usurp it through treacherous cunning? No, only unity of consciousness and the gaining of knowledge will bestow on humanity the gift of a new race. The impetus toward this will be afforded not by cosmic phenomena, but by the current of thought.
We shall not miss the ordained date when lightning-bolts of thought will provide the solution for the world. We suggest that humanity not only think about but realize the astrochemical moment of the planet when thought, like a chemical ingredient, will intensify the atmosphere.
In any case, until the significance of the emanations of thought is realized, thought will glide over the foreheads of the skeptics. But the moment does not wait!
46.	According to certain symptoms one can distinguish between those nations that are ascending and those declining. The nation that ascends dreams of heroes. But for the worn-out nation the idea of a hero seems wearisome and pointless. Though this nation may be showered with gold, though its conceit still may be impassioned, it will be unfit for podvig. The dreams and ardor of real daring have passed out of the walls of the nation that knows only reason.
Everyone remembers the stories of children who left home in quest of happiness; and in the fairy tales of all times happiness is given to these children.
47.	People are not averse to dreaming of desired changes in the basic functions of the human organism. The conception of the embryo, the decomposition of matter, the weightlessness of bodies, and deliberately produced materialization, are discussed even in ecclesiastical writings. It would seem that the horizon of possibilities should expand from early childhood and should be strengthened in the laboratories of the exact sciences. But it is precisely there that the imperfection of the race raises an obstacle. The bold seeker devoted to exact science quickly reverts to a common state and begins to imitate the customs of his grandfather.
We saw how the red flame of revolt turned into nothing more than smoke in the hearth. We saw the many banners of light resewn to cover layers of prejudice. We became aware of how lofty edifices were used for bazaars. Timid ignorance has woven its nets and feared, above all, to push away from the mossy shores covered with decayed bones.
The Teaching of evolution shows that human timidity increases before the change of race. But the date approaches, and those who have not learned to swim must swallow their fill of the brine.
Let us watch the leaps of the daring ones.
48.	There is an urgent need to prepare the pilgrims to understand the Teaching. The simplest act of improving life will help them to follow this unusual path. Usefulness will lead them to a search for beauty. Life itself will reveal the requirements of goal-fitness. A simple explanation of a task can lend confidence to its fulfillment. Thus will they find the easier, speedier, more useful ways of approach.
The daring of the unshackled man is not an abstraction. The courage of the bird that flies across the sea provides an example for humanity, although no one thinks to consider the swallow a hero.
Nevertheless, air your storerooms and your walls.
 
49.	They will ask, "Who gave you the right to dare?" Say, "We dare by the right of evolution. The right of evolution is inscribed in flame in our hearts. We cannot be deprived of the truth of the immutability of ascent. Both amidst the crowds and in solitude we know our inalienable right. We can affirm that only the blind are unable to perceive the direction of evolution. But when the door of knowledge is distinctly outlined, it is not difficult to strive out of the darkness."
Daring! Should one understand it as an unheard-of achievement? Shall not daring be one’s daily repast, and the garment of one’s every thought? Will not the prison walls become transparent? And will not the seal of the secret scroll melt away for the one who dares?
In recommending daring, We offer the simplest way. The heart knows the truth of this way. At present one cannot point out any other.
Display daring! There is much conflagration in the world, but it is only in flame that the foundation of the new world is forged. Blacksmith, hold firm thy hammer!
50.	When will people understand the significance of thought and word? People still lend greater importance to the spilling of a sack of ordinary seeds than to the spilling of destructive words. Any rodent can pick up the seeds, but even an Arhat may not be able to clear away the consequences of thought and word. When people depart for a sea voyage they take with them only carefully chosen things; but in their speech they are unwilling to pay attention to its meaning, and to the consequences of their words. We do not threaten, but We do point out the first signs of smoke curling from under your shirt.
51.	It is right to remember that work with Us has but a single direction—that of co-measurement and goal-fitness. The one who betrays his path is simply bereft of these qualities, and his fate is like that of a kitten at sea.
52.	The word repentance does not exist in the Senzar vocabulary. What does exist is an expression familiar to you—wise cooperation. Consider the essential hypocrisy in the notion of repentance. It is simplest to demonstrate this to people through an example in medicine. By distortion of thought a man wounds his brother; but no words or thoughts of repentance can heal the wound, whose torn tissues can be mended only by persistent effort. For the restoration of goal-fitness it is necessary to demonstrate wise cooperation. The consequence of action can be cured only by action. No verbal avowals, no oaths, are of importance.
He who has realized his folly must correct it with sound reasoning. Only by wise cooperation can one drain away the folly.
To absolve a repentant sinner for a fee—is it not the most heinous crime? Is not this attempted bribery of Divinity worse than the most primitive kind of fetishism? Light must be shed from all sides upon this terrifying problem, otherwise the human undergarments will never lose their grime.
 
53.	We must also turn our attention again to the serpentine venom of doubt. Doubt is of two kinds: one coils in its lair, in darkness, immobile and barbed. The other is ever crawling, sliding, and whirling. Usually the first is characteristic of youth; the second, of old age. The basis is not so much fear as deceitfulness in the nature of people. People distort their current judgments by these traits, influenced by their own past deceits. Though man is not inclined to self-examination, he is always ready to judge others, using himself as a standard.
Try to catch hold of the tip of doubt. Do not hinder your steps with such soiled fetters. Truly, it is easier to carry a real snake in your bosom than to be strangled by the boa constrictor of doubt.
54.	Hasten to reveal the consciousness of the New World. Leave your memories behind. Can the charioteer, driving forward, continuously look back?
55.	Truly, do not divide the world into north and south, or east and west. But everywhere distinguish between the old world and the New. The old world finds shelter in all parts of Earth. The New World also is born everywhere, but beyond boundaries and conditions.
The old world and the New World are distinguished through consciousness, not by outer evidence. Age and circumstance bear no importance. New banners are often raised by the hands of the old world, still filled with prejudices. But often in solitude beats a heart filled with the radiance of the New World. Thus, unwaveringly, before our eyes, the world divides itself. The new consciousness grows, unskilled, but full of daring. Despite its experience the old thinking loses strength. There is no power that could hold back the tide of the New World. We regret the useless waste of energy of the expiring consciousness. We welcome with a smile the daring of those who realize their right to expand new achievements. Each mistake, if committed for the cause of the New World, becomes a flower of valor. No matter how skillful the effort to embalm the old world, it remains a skeleton of horror.
The old world rejected the Mother of the World, but the New World begins to perceive Her lustrous veil.
56.	It is fitting to realize the danger of the waves imposed on the lower layers of our atmosphere. A one-sided consciousness can cause an unprecedented catastrophe. The collision of waves of sound and light can set up grave brain disturbances.
Whither may one direct one's consciousness? Truly, to the reality of Infinity. This means that it is time to pass from the coarse layers of matter to research into the subtler energies.
57.	Let us recall the Legend of the Grail. Titurel, devoted to the Teaching, received the power of Light. His successor, immersed in darkness, bled ceaselessly from an unhealing wound. In memory of worthier days, the remains of Titurel were exposed to view, and the words of the great dead one were repeated. Nevertheless the flame in the Chalice of Truth had already been extinguished. The arrival of a new hero was needed in order to retrieve from Titurel's unworthy successor the Chalice of Truth. Only then could the fire of the world be rekindled. This legend is very well known in the West, but it was originally conceived in the East. Does it not parallel a certain contemporary case?
 
58.	One can pay tribute to heroes, but each hour brings its own judgment. The natural erosion of a section of rock reveals new veins of gold.
Do not tear down the temple of another if you cannot immediately erect a new temple upon the same site. The site of the temple must never be left vacant.
To express the qualities of God, humanity has invented many terms. Each new concept lengthens the thread of knowledge. There are no gates in the East upon which the Name of the Highest Concept is not inscribed. Truly, one cannot enter the regions of the East without knowledge. Let us not forget that upon the very stones the East has carved out its precepts.
59.	The lengthiness of the Teaching is in inverse ratio to the measure of consciousness. The broader the consciousness, the shorter the formula. For those who are near, a word, or even a letter, is sufficient. The first command is like rolling thunder—the last is in silence!
60.	How great is the play of the Mother of the World! She beckons to Her children from Her distant fields: "Hasten, children! I wish to teach you. I have keen eyes and alert ears ready for you. Sit ye down upon My garment. Let us learn to soar!"
61.	You think correctly about the manifold effects of human emanations upon their surroundings. A convincing example is to be found in the effect of a human being upon animals and plants. Give someone an animal or plant, and by noting the change in its condition you can identify the man who is a destroyer of life energy. Like a vampire, the rider can exhaust his horse; or the hunter his dog; or the gardener his plants. Seek the cause of this in the emanations of the man.
Observe and record the history of the sickness of the spirit. The roots of what is physically evident are concealed in past accumulations. I advise that you treat coldly those people with unhealthy emanations. Treatment with coldness will improve them more quickly. Do not regard this as cruelty. We only remind you to open the door sensitively to all who knock.
62.	Learn that you bring into the astral plane only what you have acquired on Earth. Ignorance remains there as it is here. One can receive there only what one has learned to desire here. It is almost impossible to acquire there a new broadening of consciousness. Therefore, accumulate a store of consciousness here, that you not enter in a worn-out garment.
63.	If you notice repetitions in the Teaching, it means that new details can still be found, or that a command not yet fully applied in life must be stressed again.
One should remember that the benefits of the application of prana can be extended over an entire community. One can store prana not only for one's own use but, by means of psychic energy, can transmit a part of one’s store to others.
 
In remote times a sick body was surrounded by healthy ones in order to nurture its strength. But this is a kind of vampirism that should not even be suggested. It is quite a different matter when there is a conscious transmission, voluntary and benevolent. This can be not only to one person, but even to several at once if one understands how to apportion the transmissions judiciously. It is an important reality that material benefit can be transmitted by means of psychic energy. Weighty substance is transmitted by weightless energy. This is not just suggestion but a real phenomenon.
64.	Our Brothers may sometimes be seen by you with Their faces not clearly visible. If the face is somewhat misty, you may be assured that that Person is immersed in a lengthy experiment that requires a fixation of the gaze in one direction. If a woman's figure is seen with a veiled face, this manifestation relates to the Mother of the World.
65.	If a very simple man should ask you the purpose of the Teaching, say, "That you may live happily." He should not be overwhelmed by too complicated considerations. Let his entire being be filled with the realization that the whole Teaching is concerned with improving his life. The understanding of responsibility will come later. First—proclaim the joy and betterment of life.
66.	Can one reveal to people the truth of the evolution of worlds when they cannot even be certain of having their daily bread? One must avoid even a hint of offering abstractions.
67.	How to awaken devotion? By goal-fitness. How to improve quality? By reverence for mastery. How to awaken creativity? By the desire for beauty.
68.	Let children describe their ideas of the New Country. In this way we can observe how the unseen is made manifest. Inspire in the children the impulse to realize their dreams. This is the best task that we can offer them. Afterwards, let them describe a common piece of granite. That will be a test of their resourcefulness. Perhaps the stone will give them an idea of the strongholds of the far-off worlds. Out of the ordinary one can evoke the sparks of beauty.
69.	Many times will you hear the common formula: "I left, and then returned." To this, be able to say, "How many possibilities were lost to you during your comings and goings!" Beyond calculation is the extent of humanity's losses because of such truancy. Man departs and returns, each time for selfish reasons. This "great inner work" reminds one of the sputtering of a wick. The skill in hiding the true cause of this moving backward and forward might better be used to polish the floor. But blisters on the soles may require painful lancing.
Ask each one who departs: "Wherein lay the offense?"
70.	One should distinguish a narrow consciousness from narrowly-focused energy. Sometimes the Teacher applies a pointed energy in order to stimulate action of the spirit in a particular direction. One must not draw from this the conclusion that the consciousness of the Teacher is also narrow.
Do not show off the consciousness whenever it is necessary to dispatch a fleet arrow. Only the ignorant try to display the dry twigs of their pompousness on their window sills. He whose house is filled with knowledge does not fear to carve a slice of thought.
A sowing of one kind of grain can bring a full harvest, but even more fruitful are combinations of beneficial grains. They will yield explosions of spirit.
 
71.	Urusvati, by suffering the pain caused by the magnetic arrow, experienced the waves of the currents from a distant planet. It is correct to consider the magnetic currents as channels between the planets. The study of communication between the worlds should include research in magnetic waves, but of course the spiritual consciousness must not be forgotten.
72.	Have you finally learned to rejoice at obstacles? Can We be assured that what seems like an obstacle will multiply your resourcefulness tenfold? Can We accept you as conquering warriors? Can We send you the arrow of help, assured that you will catch it in flight? Can We pronounce the word of the New World in unison with you? Can We believe that for the sake of the beauty of creation you have burned your outworn garments? Can the Mother of the World entrust to your vigilance the texture of Light? Can the Lion hasten to your aid? Can the Light illumine your path? And finally, do you understand how to apply to yourself the given Teaching? Can We entrust to you the wearing of the given signs? Can We dispatch the ray of perfectment? Can We vouch for your vigilance? Can We construct a stronghold from your understanding of self? Can We rejoice at the steadfastness of your path? Can the Mother of the World call you just? Can the Lion become the protector of your dwelling? Can the Light bathe the new steps? Unbolt your doors! Victory is at the threshold!
73.	You know that at an altitude of eleven thousand feet the astral body acquires a special quality. Each altitude has its specific effect on each body. You may have observed that at an altitude of seven thousand feet man can decrease his intake of food. The need for food gradually decreases as one ascends until at an altitude of sixteen thousand feet the decrease is substantial. Above an altitude of nine thousand feet I do not advise the use of wine, coffee, pepper or other spices. Above seventeen thousand feet even strong tea is inadvisable. With the decreasing need for food there is a parallel decrease in the need for sleep; one can consider sleeping for no more than six hours, and at twenty thousand feet four is quite enough. Thus one can understand that at great altitudes one can remain almost without sleep, or food.
At the high altitudes, one should not take valerian—which has been recommended to you—with spices, and it is harmful to consume food in the same quantities as at lower levels. The mountains are important, since they lead one out of the lower earthly conditions. On the heights one feels that one has been freed from ordinary earthly demands. Certainly, if an altitude of eleven thousand feet has a significant effect upon the astral body, then each added thousand feet has an even greater effect upon the physical body. It would be an irreparable error to try to artificially reduce the conditions on mountains to fit our lower earthly habits. Remember and apply.
74.	Each outer form distorts reality. One can strain to be alert, so as to diminish the degree of false perception, but everything seen, every reflection, every thought, projects its illusory color.
 
75.	People are ready for every kind of spiritual incest. People are only too willing to unite elements that are incompatible. They try to unite the father element, fire, with the daughter element, water; and the earth-mother with the air-son. If their progeny is burned to ashes they will not blame themselves, and will lay the responsibility on the Heavenly Father.
It is impossible to become accustomed to the lightmindedness of human deeds. Only the spiritual consciousness can discern which are incompatible elements. People are distinguished not only by their emanations but also by the essence of elements, which always remains intact. Precisely in relation to elements are the best combinations found.
76.	Hasten, hasten to understand the Teacher! Let us encircle Him with a protective wall of devotion and thereby enclose ourselves within the stronghold. After you have wandered enough you will come to understand that with the Teacher, there is always success. Where defeat occurs, there has been betrayal of the Teacher. Where defeat is, it is we ourselves who have bent and rent and razed the goal-fitting plan. In defeat, we have turned away from the tested arrow of help. Can we assert that in the hour of danger we will proclaim the Name of the Teacher? Can we bear witness to the Teacher's Name? Can we discover the exultation of gratitude to the Teacher? Or, on the other hand, do we sometimes wonder why the Teaching does not accommodate our habits, and why our inactivity is disturbed by the Teaching? Why we are awakened from our self-justifying sleep?
Gratitude and devotion flourish joyously in Our Community. If Our conduit brings word to Us that a co-worker thinks he has sacrificed something in the name of the Teaching, this would compel Us to reject his cooperation. Our co-workers know both how to receive and to give. When you spread Our Teaching do not shout in the square, but simply offer a smile to the approaching ones. Those who come voluntarily will accept the Teacher. But he who is ensnared will gnaw at his chains. We expect joy, and accept only the wondrous flower of devotion. Let us hasten to understand the Teacher!
Affirm success; affirm joy; affirm understanding of progress. Cast away the thoughts that belong to the old world. I shall not tire of repeating this.
77.	You know that the members and co-workers of the International Government have always had to obey its Decrees. For the last time let us turn to M., to the historical event of Our Warning. This age-old tradition of forewarning humanity, with each recurring century, is effected in full benevolence; in this lies its basic nature. Otherwise the role of the envoy would not be sincere and persuasive. St. Germain spoke to L. with good intent. Similarly, M. addressed V., and A.L.M. properly conveyed Our Decree. I praise all those who have aided Our envoys with their supportive thoughts.
If Our warrior is told that a mountain is Ours, he accepts the decree. If it were not this way, the significance of the Government would be lost.
St. Germain fell ill after fulfilling his mission because of the undisciplined thought of one of his co-workers. Guard against the harm of undisciplined thought. Think only in new ways. Consider as lost that day during which you did not contemplate the New World. Set yourself problems demanding concrete solutions to life’s questions. Do not waste your breath with questions of cosmogony while attempting to scale the heights of Earth.
 
78.	It was impossible for you to divert your attention from the breaking down of the granite cell. When it reached the stage in which it could be compared to the cell of an invertebrate, you saw that the pulsation was almost identical.
79.	Whom shall we call the most courageous? Perhaps the tiniest butterfly exposed to the same atmospheric conditions as the lion. Observe the effects of the Teaching upon the humble. Often they bear the hurricane of enlightenment better than those who are considered great.
80.	If one can confirm the presence of thought even in a stone, then what a clear rainbow of thought fills space! One must become used to the fact that thought permeates all that exists. Certainly this reality, ponderable and not abstract, remains defined as energy but preserves the potentiality of conscious evolution.
Until recently the sensitivity of plants was considered to be just instinct, but after investigation one now can attribute this "instinct" to the domain of thought. Hence, one must observe upward and downward. The human creature shows a characteristic error in presuming to himself the exclusive ability to think. By the most simple examples, one can demonstrate how human thought is affected by age, circumstances, and nationality. It is striking to see how weak is the rudimentary thinking of the average man; yet anonymously-sent spatial thoughts will uplift his spirit. You know that a radio, with slight alteration, can receive thoughts from space. And thoughts, as living matter, can both nourish and be nourished.
Reflect on the manifestation of thought. Realize its omnipresence and rejoice at the laboratory of thought that, from the mineral cell up to the Infinite, links all kingdoms. The magnetic wave, the electric spark, and thought—these three voyagers greet those who strive into the Infinite.
81.	Can thought thunder? The phenomenon of the echo is an example. Thought, like sound, expands in magnetic waves. And the expression "the thunder of thought" is not an exaggeration. Precisely, the nature of thought must be investigated. For instance, is it possible that thoughts of a certain quality and intensity can influence plant life? How do animals react to certain thoughts? And finally, how do thoughts affect "sir man"? How does thought act as an element in chemical compounds? Would it not be advisable to test thought with litmus paper? Could thought not rival virulent poison or music in its power? In general, thought must be investigated as a living factor of existence. Thus it will be possible to build a bridge between the psychic and the material from psychotechnics to dynamics, and even to astrochemistry. Thus should be understood the working of space.
 
82.	Can one trust a blind helmsman? Is it possible to think that the rags of antiquated thought can be worn in the New World? One must understand that the gift of the New World will be brought to those gates that have been opened to it. Truly, the New World wishes to bestow a beautiful garment. But humanity must approach to receive the fabric woven by the labor of the Mother of the World!
83.	Spread the grains of the Teaching little by little. Let it imperceptibly flood the being. The time for preaching has passed, and life remains. Inspire the consciousness of your brother with an imperceptible touch, brought to him as his daily bread. Expose and understand his wrath and quench it with goal-fitness. Affirm him in the joy of realized containment. Beware of manifesting miracles to him, but reveal to him the co-measurement of that which passes into the Infinite. Abolish special holidays, and make of life a perpetual holiday.
"My holiday will be yours. My path will be your achievement. My generosity will be your inheritance. You will not notice the generosity, but you will be astonished at your own transformation. I have no need of thanks, but your gratitude will be fuel to you, because supreme above the flames of other offerings is the fire of gratitude."
"Teacher, I see and remember indelibly."
The manifested succession of Teachers glows as a string of interplanetary pearls. Add also your own pearl!
84.	I believe everyone can read Our books. I do not see any among those who approach Us who are afraid. Test people's fear. Show them frightening masks, then smile with understanding when their hearts tremble. Where is their trust in the Teacher? Where is their understanding of where power lies? One can distinguish Our people at the first call. Like deer will Our own hasten. I know no fearful mask that can turn them away.
We need not always take examples from giants or heroes. I recall a Hindu boy who had found his Teacher. We asked him, "Is it possible that the sun would seem dark to you if you saw it without the Teacher?"
The boy smiled. "The sun would remain as the sun, but in the presence of the Teacher twelve suns would shine to me."
The sun of the wisdom of India will shine, because on the shore of a river there sits a boy who knows his Teacher.
Just as there are conductors of electricity, so also are there conductors and accumulators of knowledge. If a barbarian makes an attempt against the Teacher, tell him what humanity calls those who destroy repositories of knowledge.
85.	Can Our people have their dear ones near them? Of course they can. These near ones will deepen the feeling of responsibility, solicitude, and resourcefulness.
86.	One should know that having one's centers open enables one to reduce the imperfection in one's surroundings. It brings not only the development of sensitivity but also the offering of one's own forces for the improvement of one's surroundings. One can observe that the forces emitted for this are in some way absorbed by space, and this degree of openness of the centers is called "Lamp of the Desert." After this follows the degree of "Lion of the Desert."
 
87.	One must distinguish between absolute devotion and conditional devotion. Most often people display absolute devotion when they receive, but each act of giving in return is difficult because of self-imposed conditions. Some accept what they have been given, but then raise obstacles in their own consciousness, and begin to think that the given treasure is but a piece of mold! One should remember that the measure of one's devotion determines the measure of receiving. Faith must be equal in degree to knowledge. Each limiting condition set upon one's faith sets an equally limiting condition on its fruits. Yet no one would wish to be called a conditional disciple. Such a title would provoke offense. The law acts identically under all conditions. But the law does not take offense—it co-measures. Be assured of the co-measurement of devotion.
88.	Cosmogony should evoke thoughts that exalt. While the god of an unawakened people is conceived as sitting atop an insignificant ball, the superior spirit peers into the Infinite, adorned in the joy of unbounded knowledge. Do not demean the Infinite!
89.	Harmony of auras does not require sameness of color. Thus, a violet aura can be in harmony with one that is green, and a pink aura can make a blue one more visible. In such combinations can be found currents of special intensity. It is even desirable to combine colors, as a guarantee of the future rainbow. So multihued are the vibrations of luminous colors, that it is impossible for the limited range of earthly colors to represent them, just as it is impossible for the range of earthly sounds to encompass the symphony of the spheres. Your earthly lilac and violet have nothing in common with Our heavenly purple.
90.	A simple affirmation of respect for knowledge will make possible the resolving of all contradictions. True thinking is impossible without reverence for knowledge. The Teacher advises that knowledge be set as the basis for developing the consciousness. Point out that knowledge builds the path to the One Teaching. Is it possible that humanity cannot comprehend that knowledge emanates from the One Source? Therefore, the dividing line between knowledge and ignorance is the dividing line between light and darkness. We are easily able to bring together the Torah with the hymns of the Vedas, or the precepts of Buddha with the words of Christ, for We do not discern differences between Teachings emanating from the One Source.
91.	Reconciling the idea of the finiteness of the universe with that of the principle of infinite space is one of those problems that the pupil alone must resolve. This is called Summa Summarum. To help the realization of these concepts of space, We set milestones, but the realization itself must be achieved independently. This corresponds to the degree of "Lion of the Desert." It demonstrates the freeing of oneself from Earth and earthly possessions. This achievement is required for an understanding of the spheres as separate.
Clinging to the idea of the Infinite alone will not bring concrete results. Similarly, attachment to the finite alone will be demeaning. Only the reconciling of these opposite principles will bring a correct understanding of cosmogonical matters. Thus one can make calculations of the finite without demeaning the grandeur of Cosmos.
 
Urusvati has arrived at a proper understanding that makes possible a further comprehension of the formation of the worlds. Vividly glows the manifestation of cosmic functioning!
92.	Note the times of great events. Already the Vedas are coming together with the Tripitaka and the Kabbala. The teachings of Buddha and the words of Christ and of the Teachers are dispelling ignorance. Carefully observe the growth of knowledge in diverse parts of the world. Both the affirming and the denying ones walk in one direction. The time is unrepeatable, like a gate into the preordained. Dead are those who see the determined hour as an ordinary one.
93.	Do not listen to the teacher who demands a fee for his teaching. The Teaching cannot be bought or obtained by coercion. Truly, each one gains access to the Teaching only by proving his devotion by deeds. It is actions, not words, that lead to the Community of Knowledge. If a child strives to that Community, will there not be work for him there? Likewise, will anyone who accepts with full consciousness the statutes of the Community find the doors barred? Can one cite an example when the quest of a pure consciousness was not answered?
Precisely outlined are the statutes of the Community of Knowledge. No cunning can obscure them. Traveler, pay your debt, and walk tirelessly.
94.	Some may be unable to reconcile the idea of equality with that of Hierarchy. Equality lies in the potentiality of spirit that all possess. Hierarchy is based on the uniqueness of one's accumulated experience. Therefore it is just to say that a complex of knowledge will be the gate of Hierarchy. Mark the expression "complex," because narrow specialization cannot define the breadth of a Hierarch.
Striving for knowledge, gain the realization of the Teacher. Truly, reverence for the Teacher is the panacea, even for physical ailments.
There is greater difficulty when one's centers are open, for each breath of the old world brings illness and only the breeze of true evolution can restore health. Therefore do not wrap yourself in the old world; attract the young ones to the joy of the New World. In all there is joyous, yet stern goal-fitness.
95.	To Him of the great Illumination there came a pupil who sought a miracle, saying, "After the miracle I shall have faith."
The Teacher smiled sadly, then produced for him a great miracle.
"Now," exclaimed the pupil, "I am ready to ascend the steps of the Teaching under your guidance."
But the Teacher, pointing to the door, said, "Go. I don't need you!"
96.	I am astonished at the old world; the appearance of sunspots intensifies the discord. The wings of the old world flutter their last, while the open centers revolt. For each advance of the centers a kind of epidermis is needed which grows painfully. Pure air cannot coexist with the lifeless azote of the old world.
97.	It must be indicated that all opiates are undesirable on the way to the Teaching. Clearminded vigilance will bring one nearer to Us.
 
98.	Express your prayers by devotional action. Know how to affirm the Teaching each day. Lose not one day, nor one hour. Know how to think of yourself as the creator of a whole world of action. Know how to apply all your forces to every action. Know how to bring the Teaching into every thought. Know how to array your forces as on a battlefield. Know how to feel gratitude as the union of joy and beauty.
End with honor, because the end expresses the fire of one's accumulated achievement.
It is a most heinous treason to know the Teaching and not apply it. Abuse of the Teaching is worse than death of the spirit, because by this act one exiles himself from cooperation and dooms himself to Saturn.
99.	I shall point out how to sharpen your power on the edge of My sword. The manifestation of the Teacher can enlighten people, but only if the way is paved with knowledge. The dragon is mighty, and barbed are his coils.
100.	The destiny that leads to Us must be forged every hour. The debasement of the idea of co-measurement is a kind of self-strangulation. The postponing of achievement is like drowning oneself.
101.	I am witnessing an experiment involving the transmission of human force over a distance. By this one can move any object; for example, one can move the bolt of a door by applying the energy of one's thought to the corresponding energy of the object. This experiment has been known since the distant past. But one should remember that with the establishment of general cooperation among all that exists, the energy of thought unites all spheres of being. Not by using a hammer, but by penetrating objects with our thought, shall we unite them.
"Wisdom in all," recalls the Hindu. "Cooperation in all" will be added to this in the Age of Maitreya. Not only by command, not just by harmony, but by the lightning-bolt of directed thought are the co-workers united.
Cooperation of the layers of matter is characteristic of the New World. Each era has its own call. The power of thought will be the evocative principle of the New World.
Try to observe the life of so-called inanimate objects. Observe your effect upon them. The one who converses with objects is not always a subject of ridicule. Enwrapping them in thought creates a special atmosphere. Likewise, a pillar of swarming thoughts can penetrate to the regions of the far-off worlds. Regard thought as a real force in life, then gain firm control over the flow of thought.
102.	Contemplate each approach to Us. Become irreplaceable. By night cover yourself with Our Name. By day gird yourself in the armor of devotion.
103.	In the relation between Teacher and disciple, the Teacher can instruct only within the boundaries of what is permitted. He uplifts the disciple, cleansing him of outworn habits. He warns him against all kinds of treason, superstition, and hypocrisy. He tests the disciple, openly and in secret. The Teacher unbars the gates to the next step with the words, "Rejoice, brother." He may also bar them with the words, "Farewell, passer-by."
 
The disciple chooses his own Teacher. He reveres Him as one of the Highest Beings. He trusts Him and brings Him his best thoughts. He cherishes the Name of the Teacher and inscribes It upon the sword of his word. He shows diligence in labor and flexibility in achievement. He welcomes trials as he welcomes the dawn, his hope directed to the unlocking of the next gate.
Friends, if you wish to approach Us, choose a Teacher on Earth and place your guidance in His care. He will tell you in time when the key may be turned in the gate. Each one should have a Teacher on Earth.
104.	Be fortified in the thought of My desire to show you the best path. Consider how imperative it is for you to help Me in this desire. Let nothing of the outworn obstruct your striving. Remember that one stumbling horse can impede an entire caravan. Therefore say, "Walk with certainty, otherwise your fate will be to fall upon a spear."
Your approach to Us quivers on the balance; do not try to hide it.

Let us pronounce the prayer to Shambhala:

Thou Who didst call me to the path of labor, accept
  my fitness and my desire.
Accept my labor, O Lord, because by day and by
  night Thou beholdest me.
Manifest Thy hand, O Lord, because great is the
  darkness. I follow Thee!

Walk as though ascending the mountain of joy. Great is the scope of the battle for the regeneration of humanity's consciousness. The Teacher rejoices at your decisiveness.
105.	Disciples are of four types. Some follow the Indications of the Teacher and ascend in proper order. Others, behind the Teacher's back, follow the Indications to excess and thereby often harm themselves. Others, in the Teacher's absence, take occasion to prattle and thereby destroy their path. Others, behind His back, criticize the Teacher and betray Him. Dreadful is the destiny of these last two kinds!
Let understanding of the concept of the Teacher be affirmed.
106.	Right is the one who rejects coarse, indecent, or ambiguous expressions, for their origin lies in ignorance. Speech must be beautiful, clear, and deeply meaningful.
107.	The steps of acquiring Knowledge are: alarmed, inquiring, knocking, harkening, remembering, transforming, sword-carrying, puissant, lamp of the desert, lion of the desert, co-worker of the Creative Principles, creator.
Each degree is subdivided thrice. The order must be passed gradually. The one who strives can attain swiftly, but the deserter casts himself down.
108.	Who is the traitor? The slanderer, the one who fails to speak, the one who misappropriates, the hypocrite, the denier, and the one desiring the downfall of the Teaching.
 
Dark clouds are easily dispersed by the whirlwind; the invisible whirlwind of consciousness acts in the same way.
109.	The heart knows its friends! Therefore, carefully examine your friends lest you admit into your heart a casual passer-by. The Teacher is your closest friend. Do not add to His burden.
110.	The degree of "Lion of the Desert" especially permits the fulfillment of one's thought. Therefore one must be particularly cautious. The degree of "Lion of the Desert" knows no offense. Who could offend? The great heart can contain all.
Joy is easily attained if at each moment you feel devotion to Us. Satisfaction is within reach of those disciples who value the clouds, realizing that without clouds the sun would scorch. The Teacher can act where His hand is not tied.
111.	The Teacher loves battles and knows how they fill Cosmos with energy. The Teacher stands with you. How, then, can you fear the precipice? How, then, can you fear great beasts? To search for fleas in one's bedclothes is petty. But to hold in your hands the sword of Solomon and the command of Maitreya bestows on one the morning light. The realization of the unprecedented battle rings out as a jubilant trumpet.
We must not differ in understanding. Otherwise, Our reasoning will see achievement where yours sees only downfall. Restrain the fool from trivial decisions. In flaccid, outworn judgments is hidden a deadly poison.
112.	I realize how difficult it is for the hungry one to wait for his soup to boil, but it is necessary for the dangerous microbes to perish. While preparing ourselves for space, let us gaze into the far-off worlds. Let us feel ourselves as participants with them. The link with them makes the densification of the astral, or subtle, body more achievable, and the sounds of the far-off worlds may soon be discerned. Connections of the far-off worlds with the physical body will be possible in the approaching future.
113.	Indeed, human desire forms each one's own tablet of commandments. What the slumbering spirit desires, the awakened one receives. But the tide will carry away the scum of unstable thoughts. Participation in planetary tasks is the best tempering of one's sword.
He who succumbs to counter-currents will not again find his stream. Thus can one accept the battle of the world. He who will not wash his face in the flow of the current will lie as a stone on the path.
One can impart to few the sacred Mystery. Their number is small, but space itself harkens to them, for, like a human furnace, they fuse and temper the thoughts of the world. Let people guard thought!
114.	The karma of one's actions cannot be compensated for by inaction. He who built a pyre to incinerate Truth will have to bend and remove each cinder. The command of justice neither burns nor smolders. It flares up, unexpected, and consumes the strongholds of obstruction.
 
The success of the cosmic structures differs from human expectations. The human mind is like a beginner at a lesson, trying to avoid answering, sugaring his tongue. But how then can one proceed? Only by the realization of the nearness of the cosmic structures. Who are the judges and who the judged?
Does the music of the spheres signify the victory of human presumptions? Or does it hail the purification of forgotten Truth? There is a prophecy that reminds us of the condemnation and then the purification of a sacred city.
115.	Often We are asked why We do not hasten to destroy a harmful entity. This must be explained clearly, especially since you yourself have a weapon for such destruction. I shall take the example of a physician. Often the physician is ready to cut away a knot of diseased nerves, but possible damage to a sympathetic center stays his scalpel. No being is isolated. Numberless are the layers of the karmic web that binds even the most disparate beings. In the flow of the karmic stream one can trace currents linking the most unworthy to the most worthy. Therefore the one who cuts must first anesthetize the channels that unite the streams of karma. Otherwise the individual destruction, even if justified, can cause harm to the whole. Thus the means for destruction must be resorted to with the utmost caution.
116.	The least insincerity in devotion and in one's acceptance of the foundations of renewal can affect the state of one's health. Such insincerity can nest deeply in the crevices of the consciousness. Insincerity is exceedingly contagious, affecting the emanations of others.
If people could realize the harm they bring to themselves and others by halfway decisions! They may cleave the consciousness and bring on its death. As often happens, illness begins unnoticed and a fatally dangerous operation then becomes inevitable. Thus does human downfall result from the bite of the tiniest adder of insincerity. One must warn, but one cannot change others. A steed jumping the precipice cannot be halted.
The planet can easily be exploded into innumerable stony meteorites, thus increasing the number of dead satellites in the universe. Yet, cosmic justice must be fulfilled. Some time will be needed to determine whether Community will be voluntarily accepted.
By that time, relations between the worlds will have developed sufficiently for the reality of the astral world to be recognized, and then the very existence of Earth will come into question. Either it will become a beautiful garden of achievements or it will fall into the abyss of decay, when our most worthy spirits will then be sent to populate other planets.
117.	Why can flame flare out from under one's feet? True striving is like fire, unstoppable as the whirlwind. The ardent comprehension of Our Decrees wings one with fire. Such fiery self-encompassment is like a wall; from behind it, you observe the battle unharmed, but are vigilantly ready to dispatch your arrow.
 
The New Dawn will come, relieving Me of the exhausting night watch. Humanity's burdensome thoughts are hammer-blows on the foundation of life. But it is possible to find reinforcement in the moment of decision. Therefore I can say, "Nevertheless, rejoice!" The issuing of flame from the soles of the feet can be an indication of the beginning of a new stage of great achievement. You have been told so much that by now you should not belittle yourselves by undue attention to insignificant dates.
By the sound of the trumpets, the warriors recognize the moment for advancing into the field of battle. Manifested warriors, what an untamed current, never repeatable and obscured to the eyes of the world, rages about your camp! What has impelled you to keep your swords sharpened and your shields at the ready? You will say "We know the marked dates of Earth and nothing can dim our sight. The Keeper of the dates has confided to us the combination of forces, and the decisions. Patience has turned to immutability. Yesterday we trembled with expectancy, but today we rejoice in the ardor of battle, knowing that the destined battle will lead to victory."

"Lord of the Seven Gates, lead us sunwards who
  have passed through the midnight.
Thine are our arrows, O Lord.
Without Thy Command we shall not enter the city
  of rest.
Neither an hour, nor a day, nor a year will arrest
  our way;
Because Thou, the most speedy, holdest the reins of
  our horses.
Because Thou also didst pass this way and give Thy
  patience as guarantee.
Tell us, Keeper, whence flows the stream of
  patience?"
"Out of the mine of trust."

Who knows where the messenger changes his steed?
118.	Often we hear self-satisfied exclamations, "I am already transformed! I have already attained!" Wavering "I," have you truly examined yourself? If you have attained—good be unto you! But is it not really that the surroundings have changed? And are you not appropriating another's attainment? Where is your vigilance? Are you not inviting an illness of the spirit?
It is wrong to think that Our Communications are without effect. On the contrary, each Decree bears with it, as a whirlwind, Our protection or criticism. Can it be otherwise when each manifestation of smugness carries its own harmful contagion, when each act of narrow-mindedness is at another's expense? Each Command inattentively heard is like an arrow in the heart, each sneaking away like a chain that strangles. You know that all is suspended in space. Who would be willing to drive in the nail of his own condemnation? We hasten to help you to complete your karmas in order to rid the speeding ship of unnecessary loads. At the destined date strain your ear to grasp every word of the Teacher.
 
119.	Each act of reverence for the Teacher shows an understanding of the Teaching. Each sign of reverence for the site of the Teacher's labor will show deep understanding and devotion. But these signs of attention cannot be prompted. These signs must by themselves flower in the consciousness. The Teacher will not demand, "Pay your respect to Me!"
120.	Can the so-called miracle be expected? The most important characteristic of a "miraculous" phenomenon is, of course, its unexpectedness. The very substance of human consciousness makes such phenomena elusive. The ordinary consciousness creates obstacles by presuming conflicting conditions. The Adept of knowledge can only ask, "Dear humans, do not distract yourselves with cries of expectation when the vessel  of universal essence is already producing a blessed combination. Can one expect the turning of the ship toward the right, when Our Hand directs the rudder to the left?" Only one with a clear and infallible understanding of what is immutable can be a co-worker in the world process. If a room seems empty to the eye, can we affirm that it is truly empty?
Let the phantoms of ignorance not limit the horizon.
121.	I affirm, and you should understand, that what seems impossible today may be feasible tomorrow. The Teacher uses His power to safeguard your achievements in all their beauty. The misfortune of people lies in their lack of understanding of the process of incarnation and the complexity of the circumstances surrounding achievement. For example, solitude is the best friend of achievement, but sometimes witnesses are needed, and the karmic conditions then become more complex.
The Teacher can point out the most necessary channel of action. The Teacher can protect to a certain degree, but the shadow-dance of the past will continue its round. One should concentrate one's thought on finding the right attitude toward these demons. When you see a doorkeeper you do not concern yourself greatly about his mentality. Also, when you meet a condemned criminal you do not discuss cosmogony with him. While on Earth, one must often polish one's treasures, and on this path many demons are encountered. We can recall many encounters with frightful entities during Our past lives. The elements are closely involved in one's earthly attainment. The elements stand guard on both sides. The battle of fire with earth will have its resultant phenomena, and untimely manifestations should be expected. Earth is the guardian of old ways of thinking, but fire is the rebellious outburst of evolution.
What an unprecedented battle We are conducting in the lightning bolts of the elements! The indestructibility of the primary substance provides firmness in the battle, and the knowledge of the continuity of existence provides wings of attainment.
Say, "Sisters and brothers, labor unceasingly, and your wings will grow in the rapid flow of day and night."
And to the incredulous say, "You will feel warmth, and your life will be sweet—you can find these by turning to the Teacher. But do not cast stones of disbelief on the path."
In the battle of the elements each worn-out consciousness is as a wall against light. Say, "Do not entangle the web of life."
 
Each thunderclap releases many discharges of positive and negative energies. Consider the battle for the fulfillment of Our Plan as unprecedented. Consider all the mirror-images as true. But do not confuse their dates. Each given year has its own significance.
122.	That a situation is without solution is only imagined by those who would rely on other people rather than upon the power of their own thought. Grief experienced by others flows like the ripples of a stream; but the images of Truth, which you call ideas, rule the karma of the world. It is astonishing to see how images of Truth participate in the spatial battle. While the multitudes disintegrate in a blind fury of ignorance and betrayal, the thoughts of Truth weave their heavenly nests, which for real evolution are far more vital than any worship by entire nations.
You understand both the work of reality and the work of Maya. Spatial thought is reality, while what people generally pay attention to is Maya. Bear in mind that each of Us could grieve over the low level of those on Earth; but this would have no effect on the evolutionary plan because it is thought that creates. Images of Truth provide to each body, whether it be evolving or disintegrating, new possibilities for flight to higher spheres. Each Teacher of life bases His power only upon images of Truth, and creates the future by His thought, not by the consciousness of the crowd.
The ashes of past fires may dim the vision, but the fires of new images of Truth glow in the Infinite. When we have transcended the narrow boundaries of ethnicity and nationality, is it not all the same to us which planet is nurtured by spatial thought? The only important thing is that the thought be filled with a realization of the Common Good. Then the crosscurrents of nations will not distract the eye that is directed toward the inevitable evolution.
Reverence for the dwelling place of the Teacher should not be reverence for the soil, or for temple rituals, but for the igniting of justice in space.
We often exhausted Ourselves in improving the condition of humanity, but do not regret having sent even one evolutionary thought. These thoughts take root and flourish like an enchanted garden; and as magically invisible are the workers in this garden. Know how to direct your thought to the Common Good and We will always be with you.
Let us end with a legend: "Let us look at the stars. We were told that the vessel of Wisdom poured its contents from out of Tushita, and the drops of the miraculous draft became aglow in space. But the Teacher said, 'Thus glow the tips of the arrows of thought, because thought pierces the radiant substance and creates worlds.'"
Creative thought, do not cease to adorn space with thy flowers of light!
123.	Said Solomon, "I shall set thee at the crossroad and make thee silent and motionless. Before thee will pass the signs of events. Thou shalt restrain thy human curiosity, and thus shalt thou peer into the predestined flow of the current. For beyond human thought is borne universal thought."
Thus, observe the flow of events as though you were counting sheep from the top of a tower.
 
124.	When the Teacher severs His ties with a disciple, the ring received from the Teacher must be returned by the disciple. This should not be seen as a rare occurrence. The karma of obsession or weakness of spirit can easily set a barrier between the disciple and his Teacher. Self-correction by the one expelled can bring him back to the point at which the path was interrupted. The disciple must understand the need for haste and apply himself to this task.
It is difficult to see as a qualified disciple one who has no questions to put to his Teacher. Of course, questions and answers will come in due time, and the living tissue of trust will saturate space.
125.	Thus does the disciple approach the Teacher: open, ready to shed the old-world tatters, striving toward the new consciousness, eager for knowledge, fearless, truthful, devoted, keenly vigilant, industrious, knowing goal-fitness, and sensitive. He will find the path of trust. Maya will no longer tempt him. Mara will not terrify him. On the bosom of Earth will he find the Stone from the far-off worlds. For him, life will be adorned, ability strengthened, and superfluous words erased.
"Teacher, I have succeeded in withstanding the stabs of heat and the horror of cold. My bodily strength has left me, but my ear remains open. And my body of light is ready to tremble at Your call. And my arms are ready to carry the heaviest stones for the Temple. Three Names are known to me. Known to me is the Name of the One Who Veiled Her Face. My power grows."
Thus shall the disciple address the Teacher.
126.	The misfortunes of humanity result from an inability to distinguish between the signs of good and the signs of evil. People first apply the signs to their own future, because thinking primarily through themselves, they see no world beyond themselves. With a measure such as this, how can one have true perceptions? The chief and most heinous consequence of such limitation is that much of what is good and useful is not separated from the harmful. Numberless are the instances when an indication given for the future is applied to the immediate moment and thus loses its intended usefulness.
Sometimes the destiny of entire nations can be expressed in a simple formula. But people want to appropriate for themselves what is meant for the larger group. And the given formula is then crumbled like a piece of sculpture under a crude hand. This crudeness of individual limitation is a most harmful contributor to the dissolution of valuable opportunities.
The very rare threads of light from the far-off worlds are generally applied to routine, instead of being used for the solution of world problems. Therefore, with trembling heart, embracing all, approach world tasks. Through the crevices of catastrophe sense the tremors of Earth, and by the rocks of upheaval ascend the sphere of world understanding.
Woe to him who has scattered the seeds of the world only in his own garden. But joy to him who has contributed every seed of his understanding to the Common Good. Such is Our instruction to those who approach world tasks.
 
127.	Energy and will are the true rulers of karma. He who renounces self, who strives for the Common Good, who is devoted in battle and joyous in labor, acquires, at least for a moment, an Arhat's enlightenment, which makes him lord of his own karma. The realization of enlightenment may be defined as straight-knowledge. True, this straight-knowledge may be lost, or may never be realized. These meteors of spirit race by in space, bearing away the happy opportunities of unconscious humanity.
The consciousness of an Arhat bestows advantages, but exacts full responsibility. But how many can sense the joy of responsibility? At the time when one must assume responsibility, one must also have the courage to see oneself as an Arhat who leads the battle unaided, able to withstand the assault of the elements with his wisdom and his will.
For the ignorant, an encounter with the elements is a fantasy. But you already know how often the elements are involved in the actual life of people. The Teaching has often pointed out the effect of physical manifestations upon the human organism. Energy creates a correlation between the elements and the tension of the human organism. Will is born from experience and an attention to the phenomena of existence. Thus, "insurmountable" karma can be subject to human influence.
128.	It is not enough to establish facts; their inner meaning must be understood. We have discussions about the future during which it is permitted to offer the broadest range of ideas, but We must support them with facts and analogies. Such games of forecasting are the best relaxation. They awaken dormant centers and give birth to new thoughts. Our Teaching results from experience and prognosis. Therefore, advise your friends to ponder upon the future. It is futile to consider whether the current moment is successful or unsuccessful. Only by projecting fact into the future do we ascertain its value. Thus is molded the reality of the future.
We are opposed to baseless fantasies, but We welcome each goal-fitting prognosis. If the best building-blocks for construction can be found, and if the will can join them, then one can be certain that one's plan is valid and will be accepted. The cause of unfitness or frailty of any structure lies within ourselves. The horror of destruction is caused by discord between consciousness and reason. The narrowness of human logic and reason can undermine the foundations, when the consciousness is already celebrating victory. If the logic of evidence finds its true role in the understanding of reality, then one's decisions are made firm. Think thus about the future, and in the midst of the desert erect walls of knowledge. You know that every stone put into these walls must be vital and needed. Their strength will resist all assaults of the enemies of knowledge. Treasure each hour devoted to constructing the future. The major forces of humanity are made possible by man's foresight. Whence comes courage? Whence striving? Whence the ability to overcome? From foresight.
129.	Treason must be foreseen. Every sign of treason must be uncovered. If fear is multicolored, then how much more so is treason. Let us be vigilant.
 
130.	You will say to him, "It behooves us, even in the midst of great turmoil and revolt, to preserve our calmness of spirit."
He will reply, "Your truth is not new. But why should I strain for calmness of spirit when my body trembles with tension?"
Answer him, "This is the law of self-perfectment."
He will reply, "This too is not new. Where are the advantages of self-perfectment?"
You will answer, "The exercise of calmness leads to mastery of moving through the various bodily states."
At the change of body, the spirit that has not sought to advance enters a condition of torpor and wanders about depressed by its vague memories. Indeed, memories of the low physical state plunge it into complete darkness.
It is essential to avoid indifference while changing the body. Refinement of striving will provide calmness during the transition from one state of existence to another. Thus is achieved the quality of an Arhat, who never interrupts the flow of consciousness and constantly strives toward the future.
Tell your listener that one can prepare the eternal Amrita of spiritual perfection only through vigilant experience. Could one who is conducting an important experiment fall asleep? So also, We, ever alert in consciousness, will unite Our lives into an unbreakable necklace. To some, this advice will seem like an abstraction; but We know all the practical realities of the process of perfectment.
Also, one must understand another ability of the Arhat. One must know how to pass through certain periods of life unnoticeable to the eyes of others. Arrows of excessive attention destroy the purple protecting net. This phenomenon may soon become visible. We do not hesitate to offer the concept of the Arhat, until recently unknown to science, as something that can be proved by experiment. Thus can a bridge to the far-off worlds be built, and life will be discovered where only death had been anticipated.
131.	The addition of other subtle energies to the physical and chemical manifestations of life will increase their influence upon humanity. If the chemical properties of rays from the more distant planets can affect the human organism, then certainly the very close emanations of Earth, influenced by those innumerable cosmic formations, provide a lever for the strivings of humanity. Patterns of change in human activity cannot be perceived by subjecting apparent fragments of evidence to human logic.
How, then, without a study of all the surrounding processes, can one unravel the knots of the apparatus of thought? Somewhere pink rays flashed out, and a prepared uprising of an entire nation died down. Somewhere the currents of the oceans changed, and altered the patterns of world trade. These are crude, obvious examples, but how many more subtle causes and effects fill space and furrow the strata of humanity!
 
You, who determine the destinies of nations! Enter the laboratories, climb into the observatories, and, though you may not at once discover an analogy with social problems, your searching intellect will grasp the complexity of the structure of reality. You will realize the inseparability of the fate of human evolution from the cosmic processes. Therefore, real unprejudiced knowledge will be the sure guide to the future. He who separates the science of human sociology from the cosmic processes will thereby cut off his own legs and doom himself to a crippled life.
132.	Conceit and suspicion are horrible diseases. The first gives rise to stupidity and ignorance. From the second issue lies and treachery. One must keenly discern the true motives of one's co-workers. The shield protects those who, through sincere striving to enlightenment, can make straight the convolutions of darkness.
Not the happy fool of popular tales, but the warrior, vigilant, with foresight—such is the image for the present time.
133.	You may ask, "How many fields of knowledge must one conquer to avoid stagnation?" Of course it would not burden one's thinking to master three—the ethics of the fundamentals of existence, the subject of past lives, and observation of the visible aspects of nature. This not too burdensome triad could purify one's consciousness.
134.	How does Our Community so easily avoid irritation? Do not overestimate the role of the quality of consciousness, for it is the fullness of labor that is at its foundation. In labor and in the utilization of prana lies the mystery of group harmony. Such cooperation is possible, and Our followers must not be confused by the diverse characters of their co-workers. Hard work and the proper use of nature will provide the correct attitude for the laboring community.
135.	One may rejoice when the dates of great events flow by. No destruction can impede understanding of the growth of new cosmic opportunities. Such opportunities fill one with joy. If one realizes them, it means one partakes in them. And even a partially conscious participation in the cosmic process is already a great victory of the spirit. Striving toward the far-off worlds is the natural tendency of the human spirit, which remembers its interplanetary experiences. It is essential to direct humanity toward the path to the far-off worlds. This direction can take us through the mockery of ignorance to true reality. The manifestation of the far-off worlds will transform life upon the planet's crust. Predestined realities will drive away the stagnation of petty thinking.
 
136.	Often people entrust themselves to a fiery steed, not realizing that even a mere gnat can throw the animal into a rage. Often people try to navigate in a frail canoe when every stone is a peril. Often people sit beneath the beams of a house which the slightest tremor of earth can cause to collapse. All this is of course known; nevertheless people think they can evade danger as though danger were not a constant companion to existence on Earth. People traverse life, blindly happy, unaware of the adjacent precipice. But if the inner sight is sufficiently developed, the voyager of life will see each cosmic irregularity. He will be painfully tormented by the seeming impenetrability of the path. But how will he gain the courage and strength to cross all chasms of what he now sees as a crumbling stronghold? Certainly, only by realizing the relation of the present transitory hour to an inevitable future.
137.	People do not want to understand group work, which multiplies the forces. The dodecahedron is one of the most perfect structures, with a dynamic power that can resist many assaults. A group of twelve, systematically united, truly can master even cosmic events. It must be understood that the enlarging of such a group can weaken it, undermining the dynamic force of its structure. Therefore you notice Our formations of small groups. Of course, various karmic conditions can attract more and diverse karmic elements to the group. One cannot expel them forcibly, but one can quickly live through their effect. The duty of each developed participant of the group is to realize who the uninvited guests are, and to exert all will power to settle the old accounts of life.
Sometimes even decent motives can draw unworthy individuals to a worthy person—a sort of overloading of a ship with unfit cargo. But the helmsman must guard the quality of the cargo and cut away the unfit. Especially avoid empty promises; these promises cling to the ship like barnacles. Recognize the merits of the worthy one, but do not burden him with promises. A united group must avoid mutual promises. A realization of the future structure should be the sole basis for unity. I speak not of magic circles but of the influence of real groups.
138.	You rebel justly against any sowing of filth in life. Indeed, animals act more cleanly, because their imagination is unstained. Without fear one must eradicate the base habit of implanting filth in the eyes of youth.
139.	The fire of Brahmavidya can be perceived only through the eyes. Words cannot express it, writings cannot express it, for its flame is within the thought that is not expressed in the physical shell. Only the lens of the eye can transmit the sparks of highest thought. Certain eyes can discern the sparks of the cosmic rays that the crude sight will think is simply the light of the sun. In order for the naked eye to perceive the cosmic ray as the sparks of Fohat, the fire of Brahmavidya is needed.
The human word is ineffectual in expressing the nature of Brahmavidya. One may partially penetrate it with the spiritual sight by facing the outburst of rays with closed eyes. The growth of the fire of Brahmavidya will later permit perception with open eyes of those components of the rays that are imperceptible to any physical apparatus. This possibility is already akin to the domain of communion with the far-off worlds. It flashes up as unexpectedly as each illumination of consciousness. It does not respond to forced development, but comes when sufficient sensitivity of the organism has been developed. The Teacher does not force this possibility, but He rejoices when the sight is carried from darkness to light.
The same is true of perception of the sounds of the far-off worlds. At first they appear undeniably in the depths of the consciousness and then, unexpectedly, they fly into the open, exultant ear. Those who do not understand enlightenment will not understand whereof I speak.
 
140.	Worst of all are those people who cannot trust, and know not the power of trust—they are passing shadows!
141.	We do not abandon Our brothers-in-labor on Earth. We measure their true opportunities for success against the earthly evidence. A sower can always change fields without forfeiting his usefulness. So also can Our brothers change their field of labor when they know that Near Ones vigilantly watch their creative work and striving of spirit.
We are often asked about the death of Upâsikâ. Was it really impossible for Us to postpone her departure until the completion of the books? Thus ask the nearsighted ones, who cannot embrace the supermundane conditions. It would have been cruel of Us to bind Upâsikâ by exacting a vow that she remain in her unhappy circumstances. On the contrary, We searched for the right combination of conditions, so as not to impede the progress of that spirit. It should be known that if that best combination had been missed, Upâsikâ would have once again been subject to attacks. Also, the opportunity for the right incarnation for her—in time and in place—would have been lost.
With true cooperation, each brother must know that the best possibilities have been chosen for him. This knowledge will be his sustenance through all difficulties. It is the pledge of the Community.
Can the individual himself know when he has begun or completed something? In the physical body it is impossible to know all about oneself. Many lives forge one chain of consciousness, and one should leave it to the faithful Brothers to pronounce the hour when the Lotus will open. They can decide on the needed goal-fitness, and in this decision and in the depth of trust lies a mastery over karma.
142.	Let us take an example from the animal world. When organisms sharing one kind of blood separate, the process always evokes a feeling of being incomplete. The litter of tiny, blind newborn creatures so unconsciously turns to the forces of nature that only compassion takes notice of them. But time passes, and they become a powerful pack. It is true that they fight with each other, but they unite to attack the enemy. A new force has been developed despite an insignificant beginning.
And let us take the example of a structure. For the construction of a new house the old building is demolished. Each stone, each beam removed from the old nest cries out against the injustice of such an act. But the demolition is completed, and a new energy is ignited. Kali the Destroyer has become Mother the Creator. Out of the fragments of the old, a new structure is built. New energy floods the space. With such simple examples one is reminded of the need for the regeneration of energy.
If We are told about a form that will exist unchanged for a millennium, We will first of all regret the unprogressing nature of the spiral of energy around such a structure. Great action will ever be Our joy. We call destruction creation if it contains a striving to the future. Conscious creation of a new current of energy leads to an understanding of cosmic currents. Therefore, ponder the need to manifest motion in thought as well as in action.
 
All have heard about the coming of the New Era. Can the new arrive in inaction? It is better to welcome a new blind puppy than an aged parrot that repeats old things. Examine the stream of the Teachings of life that have been given to humanity. Each, without affecting the preceding, opens new gates to knowledge. The enduring realities of life are fundamental to each given Teaching. Therefore they should be studied not for learning, but for application to life. Only in this way can you create the current of energy.
143.	We know of entire empires that were built successfully because flexibility was maintained in their planning. For example, those who besieged a stronghold retreated temporarily for reinforcement. And afterward their multitudes became an intimidating army, the very sight of which terrified the seemingly unassailable stronghold. By an irrational, single-minded application of energy, their entire army would have been destroyed, but the introduction of a new current of action provided new power.
The creation of the stronghold of knowledge is victory.
144.	Vessels brimming with spirit! Thus do We call those people who, on the basis of the experience of past lives and their decision to attain, expand their consciousness and thereby enter into an understanding of the foundations of evolution. If this definition seems unscientific to some, say, "Can't one compare a great toiler in the spiritual realm to a Leyden jar?" Of course, for thus is the outer energy accumulated, and in due time a discharge follows. Hard is the strain when the potential is ready but the time has not yet arrived, because the sensitive apparatus has already absorbed especially dangerous particles related to Primary Matter.
As is known, Primary Matter itself—Materia Matrix—does not penetrate to the earthly sphere because of the whirling of the infected lower layers. But the so-called Fohat, which is the granulation of Primary Matter, can reach the earthly surface in the form of sparks and can even be discerned by some eyes when a ray of sunlight crosses the planetary ray, coloring the sparks according to the chemical composition of the ray.
In addition to Fohat, the earthly surface is reached by the outflow of radiant matter, Materia Lucida. To a certain eyesight it will be perceptible as radiant currents and spots of light in space. These manifestations may be taken for a peculiarity of sight, or even for defective sight. But knowledge will reveal the deep significance they have for the organism.
 
On the one hand, when they are recognized, the sparks of Fohat and the streams of Materia Lucida have a benevolent effect, for they imbue the spirit with an understanding of the necessity of evolution. On the other hand, being parts of the fiery element, they burn and can cause inflammation of the centers. The manifestations of the fiery element can be compared to the most intense colors of electrical discharges; but the electrical light-scale is limited, whereas the variegations of the light-sparks of Fohat are beyond imagination. The light of Fohat is comparable to that emanating from precious crystals. Nurturing the psychic energy, Fohat paves the way to the far-off worlds, whereas Materia Lucida weaves the strengthening of the consciousness. One strengthens, the other leads into the limitless ocean of perfectment. These are the wonderful gifts of Great Aum!
145.	At first you were both shown how the basic laws of matter work. You participated in levitation and in experiments with the materialization and teleportation of objects. These were performed not for amusement, but for the purpose of seeking serious knowledge. After that you were shown the astral world, but not for immersion in it. Expanding the consciousness, you received the ability to see auras and images of earlier incarnations. Having finished with the semi-material world, we then approached cosmic clairvoyance and clairaudience. Using the opened centers of Sister Urusvati, rays of different kinds and the structure of the most subtle substances could be shown. Thus we approached the realization of far-off worlds, which is close to the element of fire and therefore dangerous. That is why a period of treatment with cold was needed. The results were brilliant—because of having achieved the so-called prismatic sight, it became possible to perceive the granulation of Fohat without undue shock to the organism.
Why is it important to experience the manifestation of Fohat? The granulation of this finest energy is at the basis of cosmic condensations. This means that it is precisely Fohat that is the father providing the impetus for the formation of new spatial bodies. He who attains knowledge of the far-off worlds will feel the strength and beauty of the crystals of Fohat. This is a difficult experience, and We rejoice for Urusvati, because the physical body is rarely capable of assimilating the finest energies.	
146.	Every false accusation, suspicion, or statement immediately burdens the sender. It is foolish to hope that the consequences of a lie can be averted or hidden. Precisely these consequences root themselves, just as promises do, in a karma that must inevitably be outlived.
147.	One should firmly understand the difference between expectation and striving. In expectation there will always be a time of inactivity, whereas in striving there is always a flight into the future. Such a difference can be understood only by one who is not satisfied with the flow of present life and thinks of the continuous flow of existences on other planets.
148.	Let us consider the contrast between the wisdom of Earth and that of the far-off worlds. Certainly, if the spirit has for long been striving toward the perfection of the far-off worlds, life on Earth will be but a gathering of fragments.
All experiments in the fields of subtlest energies best occur in those hours when you are easily separated from Earth, and are filled with an unrestrainable striving to the wisdom of the far-off worlds. Any earthly sensation appears as nought compared with this flight into the Infinite. Yet there are times when we must strengthen the pillars of earthly wisdom. We rejoice at the wisdom of the far-off worlds, but should not forget the earthly wisdom.
 
149.	Today Urusvati heard the music of the spheres, the rhythm that strengthens the realization of evolution. It is not the theme precisely, but the rhythm that is the essence of the music of the spheres. And it is the degree of purity of the sounds that determines the quality of the interplanetary conduit. These sounds are heard on many far-off worlds, but on Earth they can be heard only at high altitudes, and only by those who have a musical ear. However, the ear that listens for the music of the spheres must be protected from the wind.
150.	Everyone who even once has regretted his work for Our missions creates an impassable barrier between himself and Us.
151.	I vouch for health wherever prana is consciously safeguarded. Evolution is inseparably linked with the improvement of the life of the people.
For example, in Asia the question of the use of fuels must be approached in a new way. Mineral fuels must be utilized properly, and nurseries must be established for the planting of trees.
But even on the heights there have always been ample deposits of combustible materials available, and therefore people of Asia have long been afflicted by hydrocyanic acid fumes. This has been a serious threat to the progress of life in Asia, and to life itself. There will always be health where there are conscious efforts to preserve prana. The improvement of conditions of life must be an inseparable part of evolution.
The snarling of dogs can lead to the rhythm of a symphony, but the stillness of a cemetery can be more frightful than the whistling of the wind.
152.	The more perfect the spirit, the more infallibly it understands the deep suffering of earthly life. And yet I myself speak again and again about joy, the joy that lies in the realization of the far-off worlds. Let us take a simple example. Through the darkness of night your carriage rushes homeward. The pouring rain should depress you, but instead your spirit is jubilant. Why? You know that your home is near and that the darkness and rain do not keep you from discerning those close to your heart.
What does the misery of earthly life amount to when the far-off worlds have become real to us? Make haste to realize the path to the far-off worlds. Only this broadening of the understanding of life will provide your spirit with the foundation of the path of joy. Otherwise, about what can one rejoice? About the 
inevitability of reincarnation? When one lacks vision of the future, however, incarnations are only fragmentary pages from the book of life. Animal reasoning does not need perception of the future, but man’s will to knowledge impels him to understand the change of lives. Only by such thinking does man receive the right to joy, and by striving he can approach cooperation with the far-off worlds. Not by gazing at the sky, but through daily life will man multiply life's riches and discover the meaning and relative value of many daily events.
153.	Everyone who has understood the fundamentals of evolution has the responsibility to transmit his knowledge to some others. In this, the one who transmits the knowledge, whether he is great or not, is subject to the same law: he must pass his knowledge on without violating the freedom of others. The fundamentals of evolution can be realized only voluntarily, and can be applied in life only through the striving of the awakening spirit.
 
One must rebuild one's entire life for the new step in evolution. This is impossible for one who is not ready to offer himself in spirit to earthly service. In fact, this offering is of the greatest importance for the completion of one's earthly path. From the most ancient precepts of Vedanta We know of this principle of liberation. Facing this new step of evolution, it is Our duty to repeat again and again about this propelling force.
154.	You have often asked about those spirits who have departed from Earth for the far-off worlds. But, having seen the sallow coloring of our planet, you understand the goal-fitness of crossing over to where the beautiful reality exists. One must fulfill one's obligation to Earth by promoting the foundations of evolution. In this way one achieves the highest cooperation with humanity. But no glass dome can hold back the branches of the growing oak.
Let all ascend who can, striving to the heights!
155.	One must give attention to the middle brain, for in its development lies the attainment of yoga in life. This development, as experienced in one's life, proves to what extent the Yoga of everyday life is superior to any artificial ascent achieved in isolation from reality.
156.	The rhythm of truth is an invincible stronghold. It is not a pile of words, but a rhythmic sound, that carries decisive significance. Why try to conquer with words when the lightning bolts of rhythm can drive away the most harmful beings? Of what use is it to compose lengthy letters when thought pierces the consciousness instantly? Indeed, the Teaching about thought and the action of will has already been distorted by people. They have endeavored to compensate for their own weakness of will and thought by mechanical means. All the artificial hypnotic devices for lulling one into a trance, including glittering playthings, are ridiculous. And the crossing of the eyes is unnecessary! The one who realizes the true Yoga of Life knows that the lightning of truth can strike down, but can also resurrect.
When We speak of the need for honesty, We do not have in mind unworthy people. We point out the direct path of perfect truth, devoid of any personal element. This opportunity can be perceived through straight-knowledge. The experience accumulated in the center of the Chalice gives invincible knowledge. The center of the Chalice is close to the blood reservoir, for blood is the wherewithal for our passage on Earth.
Thus, the truth is not an abstraction; it is the realization of cosmic laws based upon direct experience. Therefore, though an honest accountant can make an error in his figures without becoming dishonest, an accurate but hypocritical person will not gain the power of spiritual effectiveness.
It is right to consider initiations, meditation, and concentration superfluous practices; these concepts must be expressed in one's actions. All artificial magic must be left behind. 
157.	The moral darkness of the nations increases. The fiery flower is obscured throughout the entire expanse of the planet.
 
158.	People believe they can attain perfection by many methods. This multiplicity of mirages lulls the mediocre mind. But one really has only two ways to live: either wisely and ardently to seek the realization of Aum, or to lie in a coffin like a log—self-centered and impoverished in spirit—assuming that one's destiny will be taken care of by something or someone else.
It would seem, then, that a true striving toward realization of supreme possibilities should fill the greater part of human life as a most essential and engrossing occupation. But in reality the light of knowledge has been replaced by the conventional dogma of religion; and man, meant to be a thinker, worships his dark corner of idols, hanging amulets upon himself without even understanding the meaning of their symbols. Repeat this to all those who sleep in the darkness of the ordinary.
There exist no half-measures; there is either striving or the paralyzing cold of death. Moreover, striving is replete with the joy of cosmic realization, whereas the stiffening of death is filled with terror.
The governments that try to conceal their poverty of thought behind a mask of conventional su