There exist two bodies of doctrine: the doctrine of the eye and the doctrine of the heart. There exists external knowledge and internal or introspective knowledge — intellectual or read knowledge and conscious or lived knowledge. Intellectual or read knowledge serves for coexistence and to obtain our sustenance. Introspective and conscious knowledge — the knowledge of our own consciousness — leads us to divine knowledge, which is most important, because the knower must know himself.
Samael Aun Weor
PREFACE
There exist two bodies of doctrine: the doctrine of the eye and the doctrine of the heart. There exists external knowledge and internal or introspective knowledge — intellectual or read knowledge and conscious or lived knowledge. Intellectual or read knowledge serves for coexistence and to obtain our sustenance. Introspective and conscious knowledge — the knowledge of our own consciousness — leads us to divine knowledge, which is most important, because the knower must know himself.
Five external senses give us the knowledge that has been called materialistic, and seven internal senses allow us to know what is called esoteric or occult. These senses are: vision, clairvoyance, polyvidence, occult hearing, intuition, telepathy, and the memory of past lives. Their organs are: the pineal gland, the pituitary gland (glands in the brain), the thyroid (the apple of the neck), the heart, and the solar plexus or epigastrium (above the navel). Through these we know the seven (7) bodies of the human being: physical, vital, astral, and mental — which constitute the four lunar protoplasmic bodies of sin — and three more: the bodies of the will, the soul, and the spirit, which enrich the consciousness-knowledge. This knowledge is alive because we make it vivid, and it constitutes what religious people and philosophers call the soul.
If we improve the senses, we improve our knowledge. The senses improve when we remove our defects. If we are liars, our senses are liars; if we are scoundrels, our senses are also scoundrels.
In this culture, it is our task to return our defects in order to improve our informers, the senses.
Know, friend, the Gnostic culture, which teaches us the Fundamental Education that spans from conception to sublime old age.
JULIO MEDINA V.
FIRST DEGREE OF INTRODUCTION TO GNOSIS
This is the introductory degree of the Gnostic Philosophical Studies, or the external degrees of Gnosis. It is natural that all students will begin with this degree and then continue successively with the first, second, third, and so on. It must be kept very much in mind that these are not the esoteric Gnostic degrees. The esoteric Gnostic degrees are received by the student when he is prepared for them. The esoteric degrees, which are the authentic Gnostic degrees, cannot be divulged by anyone who has received them; this is forbidden. Whoever says, “I have so many degrees, so many initiations,” is dishonest.
If a person wants to be an engineer, a lawyer, or a physician, he has to prepare for it. That person will go to school and study a great deal. Having acquired a good theoretical knowledge of his chosen branch, he will then begin the practice of what he has learned. Practice brings perfection. The great sages, the great professionals, the great scientists, etc., have not only achieved a sound theoretical knowledge of their respective branches of study, but they have also put this knowledge into practice. Theory by itself can bring nothing (except an intellectual enjoyment to those who understand it). Practice is necessary.
Study this course of lessons, and study it with genuine motivation, with the desire to learn, with the desire to know the superior wisdom. But remember that you must put into practice what you have learned if you want to reach the perfection of the Great Work.
Chapter One: LESSON 1
It is necessary to succeed in life. If you truly want to succeed, you must begin by being sincere with yourself: recognize your own errors. When we recognize our own errors, we are on the road to correcting them. Anyone who corrects his errors inevitably succeeds.
The businessman who daily blames others for his own failures and never recognizes his own errors will not be able to succeed. Remember that the great criminals consider themselves to be saints. If we visit a penitentiary, we will see that no thief or criminal considers himself guilty. Almost all say to themselves: “I am innocent.” Do not fall into the same error; have the courage to recognize your own errors. In this way you will also avoid worse ills.
Whoever recognizes his own errors can build a happy home. The politician, the scientist, the philosopher, the religious person, etc., who comes to recognize his own errors can correct them and succeed in life.
If you want to succeed in life, DO NOT CRITICIZE ANYONE. Whoever criticizes others is weak, while the one who is self-critical from moment to moment is a giant. Criticism is useless because it wounds another’s pride and provokes the resistance of the victim, who then seeks to justify himself. Criticism provokes an inevitable reaction against its own author. If you truly want to succeed, listen to this advice: Do not criticize anyone.
The man or woman who knows how to live without criticizing anyone does not provoke resistance or reactions from his neighbor, and consequently an atmosphere of success and progress is formed. On the other hand, the one who criticizes others fills himself with enemies. We must remember that human beings are full of pride and vanity, and this pride and vanity inherent in them produces a reaction (resentment, hatred, etc.) directed against the one who criticizes them. We conclude, then, that the one who criticizes others inevitably fails. Whoever wishes to correct others would do better to begin by correcting himself. This is better and less dangerous.
The world is full of neurasthenic beings. The neurasthenic type is fault-finding, irritable, and also intolerable. The causes of neurasthenia are many: impatience, anger, selfishness, arrogance, pride, etc.
Between the spirit and the body there exists a mediator: the nervous system. Take care of your nervous system. When your nervous system is irritated by something that tires you, it is better to flee from it. Work intensely, but with moderation. Remember that excessive work produces fatigue. If you ignore fatigue, if you continue with excessive work, then fatigue is replaced by excitement. When excitement becomes morbid, it turns into neurasthenia. It is necessary to alternate work with pleasant rest; thus we avoid the danger of falling into neurasthenia.
Every employer who wishes to succeed must guard against the danger of neurasthenia. The neurasthenic employer criticizes everything and becomes unbearable. The neurasthenic abhors patience, and as an employer he becomes the tormentor of his workers. The workers who must work under the orders of a neurasthenic and fault-finding employer end up hating both the work and the employer. No discontented worker works with pleasure. Many times businesses fail because the workers are discontented and therefore do not work efficiently.
The neurasthenic, as a worker or office employee, becomes rebellious and ends up being dismissed from his job. Every neurasthenic worker looks for the chance to criticize the employer. Every employer has pride and vanity, and it is clear that he feels offended when his employees criticize him. The worker who lives criticizing his employer ends up losing his job.
Take care of your nervous system. Work with moderation. Enjoy yourself in healthy ways. Do not criticize anyone. Try to see the best in every human being.
Exercise to Master Anger
Do you feel irritated or full of anger? Are you nervous? Reflect a little; remember that anger can cause gastric ulcers. Control anger by means of breathing: Inhale very slowly (do not inhale through the mouth; inhale through the nose, keeping the mouth tightly closed) the vital air, counting mentally 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now hold the breath, counting mentally 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now exhale the breath very slowly through the mouth, counting mentally: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Repeat the exercise until the anger passes.
Chapter Two: LESSON 2
A great author deduced that the human being needs eight important things in life:
Health and the preservation of life.
Food.
Sleep.
Money and the things that money buys.
Life in the beyond.
Sexual satisfaction.
The wellbeing of one’s children.
A sense of one’s own importance.
We synthesize these eight things into three:
Health.
Money.
Love.
If you truly wish to acquire these three things, you must study and practice everything that this course teaches you. We are going to show you the road to success.
The Force of Thought: It is necessary that you know that there exists a force immensely greater than electricity and dynamite: that is the force of thought. When you think of some friend, or of a member of the family, etc., mental waves escape from your brain. These waves are like those of radio broadcasters.
These waves travel through space and reach the mind of the person about whom we are thinking. Scientists are already beginning to experiment with the force of thought. Soon they will invent the telementometer (an instrument with which the mental force of each person may be measured). In the future, optics will advance a little more, and then the photomentometer will be invented (an instrument that will allow us to see and measure the mental force radiated by the human brain).
You must know that, just as the human being has a mind, so too the entire Universe has a mind. There exists the human mind and the cosmic mind. The earth is condensed mind. The entire Universe is condensed mind. The waves of the Universal Mind saturate infinite space. The engineer who is going to build a house, the first thing he does is the mental project. He constructs it in the mind, projects it on the blueprint, and finally crystallizes it materially. Thus every thing, every building, existed first in the mind. Nothing can exist in the physical or material world in which we live without having first existed in the world of the mind.
It is necessary to learn to concentrate and project the mind with precision and great force. You must know that to concentrate the mind is to fix your attention on a single thing. When you fix your mental attention on a distant friend, when you concentrate on that friend, you may be sure that your brain emits powerful mental waves that will inevitably reach the brain of your friend. The important thing is that you concentrate truly. No other thought must be capable of distracting you. You must learn to concentrate the mind.
You are studying this course, and we believe you want to succeed in life and have health, money, and love. Reflect a little: learn to handle the force of thought. Whoever learns to handle the force of thought goes with absolute certainty to triumph, as the arrow reaches the target guided by the hand of the expert archer. Remember that the world is a product of the mind. You are what you are because of the mind. You can change yourself totally by making use of the force of thought. The poor and miserable person is so because he wants to be so; with his mind he keeps himself poor and miserable. The rich and powerful person is so because with his mind he made himself so. Each is what he wants to be by the force of the mind. Each projects into the world of the Cosmic Mind what he is and what he wants to be. The projects of the mind crystallize physically, and then we have in practice our life — rich or miserable, happy or unhappy.
Everything depends on the kind of mental projections that have crystallized. Just as the cloud condenses into water and the water condenses into ice, so too with mental force. First clouds (projects), then water (circumstances, development of the project), and finally hard ice (the project converted into concrete facts). If the project has been well made and with sufficient force, if the facts or the development of the facts and circumstances have been marvelous, the result will be victory. The perfect condensation of the project is: victory.
The basic factors for the triumph of a project are three:
Mental Force.
Favorable Circumstances.
Intelligence.
Mental Force
Without mental force it is impossible to achieve the crystallization of a project (commercial, etc.). It is necessary that our students learn to handle mental force. But first the student must learn to relax his physical body. It is indispensable to know how to relax the body in order to achieve perfect concentration of thought. We can relax the body while seated in a comfortable armchair, or lying down in the position of the dead man (with the heels touching each other, the arms alongside the body, etc.). Of the two positions, the second (the position of the dead man) is the better.
Imagine that your feet are subtle, that a group of little dwarfs is escaping from them. Imagine that your calves are full of small, playful dwarfs that are coming out one by one, and that as they come out, the muscles become flexible and elastic. Continue with the knees, doing the same exercise. Continue with the thighs, the sexual organs, the abdomen, the heart, the throat, the muscles of the face and head, in successive order, imagining that those little dwarfs escape from each of these parts of the body, leaving the muscles completely relaxed.
Concentration of Thought
When the body is perfectly relaxed, concentration of thought becomes easy and simple. Concentrate on the business you have planned. Imagine vividly the whole business and the people connected with the business. Identify yourself with those people. Speak as if you were them; mentally say what you would want those people to say. Forget yourself and exchange your human personality for the human personality of those people, acting as you would want those people to act. In this way you will produce powerful waves of thought that will cross space to reach the brain of the people connected with the business. If the concentration is perfect, success will then be inevitable.
The Law of Karma
This law is known in the East. Millions of people throughout the world know it because this law is universal. This law operates throughout the Universe. If you make bad use of the force of thought, the Law of Karma will fall upon you; then you will be horribly punished.
Mental energy is a gift from God and must be used only for good purposes and with good intentions. It is just that the poor man should improve his economic situation. But it is not just to use mental force to harm other people. Before doing a mental work to bring about the crystallization of a project, reflect and meditate: if you are going to use mental force to harm others, it is better not to do so, because the Terrible Ray of Cosmic Justice will inevitably fall upon you like a ray of vengeance.
Favorable Circumstances
Thought and action must march totally united. The crystallization of a project is only possible when the circumstances are favorable. Learn to bring about favorable circumstances for your business. Freud, the great psychologist, said that everything man does in life has two fundamental causes:
The sexual impulse.
The desire to be great.
Every human being moves under the sexual impulse. Everyone wants to be appreciated. Nobody likes to be disdained. If you want to surround yourself with good circumstances for the crystallization of your businesses, then recognize the good qualities of others. Encourage the good qualities of your neighbor; do not humiliate anyone; do not disdain anyone. It is necessary to give nourishment to each person in his work, occupation, or profession. By means of appreciation and encouragement, we can awaken enthusiasm in all those who come into contact with us. Learn to wisely praise your fellow human beings without falling into flattery. People feel comforted with the nourishment of esteem. Be courteous; do not criticize anyone. In this way you will form the favorable atmosphere for the crystallization of your businesses. The sincere appreciation of the merits of one’s neighbor is one of the great secrets of success.
It is necessary to abandon the bad habit of constantly talking about ourselves. It is urgent to use the word to strengthen and encourage all the good qualities of others.
The Gnostic student must abandon the terrible habit of constantly naming himself and telling his own life story at every moment. The man or woman who speaks only of himself becomes unbearable. Such persons fall into misery because people grow tired of them.
Never say “I.” Always say: “We.” The term “we” has more cosmic force. The term “I” is selfish and irritates all those who come into contact with us. The I is selfish. The I must be dissolved. The I is the creator of conflicts and problems. Always repeat: we, we, we…
Every morning, before getting up, say with force and energy: “We are strong. We are rich. We are full of luck and harmony. OM, OM, OM.” Pray this simple prayer and you will see that you will be successful in everything. Put great devotion into this prayer. Put faith into it.
Exercise
Hang from the ceiling of your room a silk thread. At the end of this thread there must be a needle. Concentrate on that needle and try to move it with the force of thought.
Mental waves, when they are developed, can move this needle. Work ten minutes a day at this practice. At first, the needle hanging from the silk thread will not move. With time you will be able to see that the needle oscillates and comes to move strongly. This exercise is to develop mental force. Remember that mental waves travel through space and pass from one brain to another.
If you make bad use of the force of thought, the Law of Karma will fall upon you; then you will be horribly punished.
Chapter Three: LESSON 3
The great attorney José M. Seseras said the following: “There is no luck nor misfortune, success nor failure; everything is vibration of the ether.” “By learning the handling of the Tattvas, all the matters of life can be favorably resolved.”
You need a precise and exact system to obtain money — a scientific system that never fails. You need to take advantage of the favorable circumstances to bring about the crystallization of all your projects (commercial, etc.). Remember: Tattva is vibration of the ether. In this age of radio, television, and guided missiles, it would be absurd to deny the vibration of the ether. A great sage said: “Life is born from radiation, subsists by radiation, and is destroyed by any oscillatory imbalance.”
You have the right to succeed. The Spirit must overcome matter. We cannot accept misery. Remember that misery belongs to failed spirits. When the Spirit overcomes matter, the result is Light, splendor, complete triumph — economically, socially, and spiritually.
It is necessary for you to know the Law of Universal Vibration. The study of the Tattvas is most important. Tattva (this term is from India) is vibration of the ether. Now scientists say that the ether does not exist and that the only real thing is the magnetic field. We could also say that matter does not exist and that the only real thing is energy — these are words, a matter of terms. The magnetic field is the ether. “Everything comes from the ether; everything returns to the ether.” Sir Oliver Lodge, the great British scientist, says: “It is the ether that gives rise, through the various modifications of its equilibrium, to all the phenomena of the Universe, from impalpable Light to the formidable masses of the worlds.”
Prana
Prana is cosmic energy. Prana is vibration, electrical movement, light and heat, universal magnetism, life. Prana is the life that throbs in every atom and in every sun. Prana is the life of the ether. The Great Life — that is, Prana — is transformed into a most divine, intensely blue substance. The name of that substance is Akash. Akash is a marvelous substance that fills all infinite space, and which, when modified, becomes ether. It is interesting to know that the ether, when modified, becomes in turn what we call the Tattvas.
The study of the Vibrations of the Ether (Tattvas) is indispensable. Remember that business, love, health, etc., are controlled by cosmic vibrations. If you know the vibratory laws of life, if you know the Tattvas, you will be able to obtain a great deal of money. Remember that money in itself is neither good nor bad; everything depends on the use you make of it. If you use it for good, it is good; and if you use it for evil, it is evil. Obtain a great deal of money and use it for the good of humanity.
There are seven principal Tattvas that you must learn to handle in order to succeed in life. You need to be a victor. No Gnostic must live in misery. It is necessary for you to know the names of the seven Tattvas. These names are Sanskrit terms. It may cost you some work to learn these names, but remember that it is well worth studying in order to succeed in life.
Names of the Tattvas:
Akash is the principle of the ether.
Vayu is the etheric principle of air.
Tejas is the etheric principle of Fire.
Prithvi is the etheric principle of the earth element.
Apas is the etheric principle of water.
There exist two secret Tattvas called Adi and Samadhi that vibrate during the Dawn and that are excellent for inner meditation (with them Ecstasy or Samadhi is achieved). We will not expand on these Tattvas now, because they are useful only for advanced students.
Tattvic Schedule
The vibration of the Tattvas begins with the rising of the sun. Each Tattva vibrates for 24 minutes within a period of two hours. The first Tattva that vibrates is Akash; after that follow in successive order: Vayu, Tejas, Prithvi, Apas. After two hours, Akash vibrates again, and the succession of the Tattvas is repeated in the same order. The Tattvas vibrate by day and by night. It is necessary to know the time of the rising of the sun. The Bucheli Astrological Yearbook is one of the calendars that marks the time of sunrise for each place in Latin America. Some newspapers (especially in the United States) and magazines indicate the time of sunrise. The Galván Calendar is also useful for this purpose.
Properties of the Tattvas
Akash
Akash is good exclusively for meditation. At this hour we advise praying a great deal. Do not have business or love appointments at this hour, because you will inevitably fail. This Tattva makes us commit the gravest errors. If you work during this period, you must be very careful (artists should abstain from work during Akash). Everything that begins in Akash will fail. Akash is the Tattva of death.
Vayu
Everything that pertains to speed and movement corresponds to Vayu, the principle of air. The winds, the air, aerial navigation, etc., are related to Vayu. During this period people delight in speaking ill of their neighbors, deceiving, stealing, etc. Aviation accidents commonly occur during this period; suicides are stimulated by this Tattva. We advise you not to marry during this period, because your marriage would be of short duration. All kinds of simple and quick businesses turn out very well in Vayu, but complicated and long-lasting businesses turn out to be a failure. It is good to do intellectual work during this period. The great Yogis mentally handle this Tattva and use it intelligently when they want to float in the air.
Tejas
It is hot, because it is the etheric principle of fire. During the period in which this Tattva is active, we feel more heat. You can bathe in cold water in Tejas and never catch a cold. Do not argue with anyone in Tejas, because the consequences can be serious. You should use the hour of Tejas to work intensely. Do not marry in Tejas, because you will have constant quarrels with your spouse. The most terrible explosions and accidents occur during this period of the Tattva Tejas.
Prithvi
This is the Tattva of success in life. If you want to succeed in business, conduct it in Prithvi. If you want to have good health, eat and drink in Prithvi. Marriages performed in Prithvi become happy for the whole of life. Every celebration, every conference, every business, every appointment held in Prithvi will be a complete success. Prithvi is love, charity, benevolence.
Apas
It is the principle of water and the opposite of Tejas (Fire). This Tattva is marvelous for the purchase of merchandise. It is also marvelous for business, and you can obtain a great deal of money if you know how to take advantage of this Tattva. Buy lottery tickets in Apas. Journeys by water turn out well in Apas. Rains that begin in Apas tend to be very long and strong. The Tattva Apas works by concentrating and attracting.
Remember that you need to know the exact time of sunrise in order to guide yourself with the Tattvas. Always keep a good wristwatch or pocket watch, and take advantage of the Tattvas in practical life.
Practice
Sit at a table with your face toward the East, rest your elbows on the table, and proceed in the following way: Insert the thumbs of the right and left hands into the ears. With the index fingers cover your eyes, with the middle fingers cover the nostrils, and with the ring and little fingers seal your lips. Inhale slowly, counting to twenty. Hold the breath and count from one to twenty. Exhale slowly, counting from one to twenty.
It is necessary to remove the middle fingers from the nostrils in order to inhale and exhale. But during the retention of the breath, the middle fingers must close the nostrils hermetically. It is necessary that, during the retention of the breath, you try to see the Tattvas with the third eye. The third eye resides between the two eyebrows. At first you will see nothing, but after some time you will be able to see them and you will recognize them by their colors. Akash is black, and its Planet is Saturn. Vayu is greenish blue, and its Planet is Mercury. Tejas is red like Fire, and its Planet is Mars. Prithvi is golden yellow, and its Planet is the Sun. Jupiter also influences it. Apas is white, and its Planets are Venus and the Moon.
There exist two secret Tattvas called Adi and Samadhi that vibrate during the Dawn and that are excellent for inner meditation (with them Ecstasy or Samadhi is achieved).
Chapter Four: LESSON 4
To succeed in life one must become a fisher of men. Jesus chose his disciples among the poor fishermen. They had to stop fishing for fish in order to become fishers of men. Do you want to achieve success, power, glory? Listen to this advice: “Put on the hook the bait that the fish likes.”
Do not talk with others about the things that interest you. What is yours is only yours. The human being is selfish, unfortunately, and only wants to know about what interests him. If you speak to your neighbor about the things he desires and wants, you will positively influence him and you will obtain from him everything you need. One must learn to see one’s neighbor’s point of view and help him to resolve his conflicts. In this way we also resolve our own problems. Become an altruistic and kindly person. Help others with your advice; make an effort to understand the point of view of others, and you will manage to fish in abundance. When we begin to understand our neighbor, we also begin to take the first steps on the road of happiness and success.
One must study and understand the functions of the mind. The one who knows the mental mechanism is capable of controlling it. Much has been said about mental force, and there are many schools that teach how to concentrate the mind. No one can intelligently deny the force of thought. This force is composed of waves and radioactive forms that move from one brain to another. One must develop that marvelous force; but we must warn that thought and action must be combined wisely if we wish to succeed in life. The concentration of thought is miraculous when intelligently combined with action.
Mental force performs prodigies and marvels when it is based on sincerity and on the truth. Do not try to deceive your neighbor. Do not use mental concentration to deceive your neighbor, because failure for you will be inevitable. Mental force performs prodigies when it is used to help others. By helping others, we benefit ourselves. That is the law.
Do you need to succeed in some important matter? Sit in a very comfortable armchair, relax your muscles, concentrate on the business that interests you. Imagine the business in full success. Identify with your neighbor; try to understand your neighbor’s point of view; advise him mentally, showing him the advantages that the business you are going to do with him represents for him. In this way, the mental waves will penetrate very deeply into the other’s mind and will perform marvels. One hour of perfect concentration is enough to determine the triumph in a business.
Every merchant has the right to obtain money, but what you sell must be good, useful, and necessary for others. Do not try to deceive others, because you deceive yourself. Multitudes of street vendors walk the streets offering their merchandise uselessly. No one is interested in that merchandise. People even become annoyed when they meet those vendors. The error of these vendors is that they only think of what is theirs and speak of what is theirs. If they learned to see the other’s point of view, they would inevitably succeed.
It is necessary to understand that every human being has an “I” that wants to stand out, make itself felt, climb to the top of the ladder, etc. — and this is precisely the weak side of the human being. You also have that weak side. Do not fall into the same errors as others. Never say “I.” Always say “We.” Whoever masters himself can also master others.
Intelligently insinuate what you want, but do not say: “I want.” Remember that others are not interested in what you want. Let others prepare your idea as if it were their own. Provide the elements for that preparation; provide them very intelligently. Let others elaborate your idea. You may be sure that others feel happy elaborating your idea. People like to feel important: that is the weakness of the I. Exploit this weakness. Never feel important, and you will be important. Try to dissolve the I, and you will be truly happy.
All success in life depends on the skill you have for dealing with other people. It is necessary to abandon selfishness and cultivate Christ-centrism. It is urgent to work for the common good. It is indispensable to dissolve the I and always think as we. The term “we” has more force than the selfish “I.”
All the great failures of life are due to the I. When it wants to make itself felt, stand out, climb to the top of the ladder, the reactions of the other people then come, and the result of such mental reactions is failure. Remember that the I is energetic. The I is desire. The I is memory. The I is fear, violence, hatred, appetites, fanaticism, jealousy, distrust, etc. You need to deeply explore all the depths of your mind, because within you, you have what is called: I, Myself, Ego, etc.
If you want to succeed in life, you must dissolve the I. If you want to dissolve the I, you must disintegrate all your defects. If you want to disintegrate all your defects, do not condemn them or justify them: Understand them. When we condemn a defect, we hide it in the deep processes of the mind. When we justify a defect, we horribly strengthen it. But when we understand a given defect, then we completely disintegrate it.
When the I is dissolved, we fill ourselves with fullness and happiness. When the I is dissolved, within us and through us are expressed the Being, the Spirit, love. Remember that God, the Spirit, the inner Being of every man and every woman and every creature, is never the I. The Being is Divine, Eternal, and perfect. The I is the Satan of biblical legend. The I is not the body. The I is energetic and diabolical. In the I lies the root of misery, poverty, failures, disappointments, unsatisfied desires, violent desires, hatred, envy, jealousy, etc. Change your life right now. It is urgent that you understand the need to put an end to all your defects in order to dissolve the I, the Satan, the cause of all failures. When the I is dissolved, there remains within us only the Being, God, Happiness. God is Peace, abundance, happiness, and perfection.
Practice
A great man, after studying himself, discovered that he had twelve defects that were harming him. This man said: “Just as it is impossible to hunt ten hares at the same time — because the hunter who wished to do so would not catch any — so too it is impossible to put an end to my twelve defects at the same time.”
This man came to the conclusion that it would be better to hunt one hare and then another; to put an end first to one defect and then to another. This man resolved to dedicate two months to each defect. When the man reached twenty-four months, he no longer had the defects. He had put an end to the twelve defects that were preventing him from reaching triumph. The result was marvelous. This man became the first citizen of the United States. His name: Benjamin Franklin. Imitate this personage. Examine yourself and see how many defects you have. Count them, enumerate them. Then dedicate two months to each defect, in successive order, until you eliminate them all.
Sit in a comfortable armchair. And pray to your Inner God in this way:
You who are my true Being,
You who are my Inner God,
Illuminate me, help me.
Make me see my own defects. AMEN.
Concentrate on this prayer until you reach deep sleep. Try to discover all your defects. We advise you to read the Bible. In the four Gospels you will find the word of the Divine Master. There you will see the virtues you need. There you will discover the virtues you lack. Where a virtue is missing, there exists a defect.
Remember that God, the Spirit, the inner Being of every man and every woman and every creature, is never the I.
Chapter Five: LESSON 5
Money
Why has money assumed such immense importance in our lives? Do we depend exclusively on it for our own psychological happiness? All human beings need bread, clothing, and shelter; this is known. But why is it that something so natural and simple — even for the birds of the sky — has assumed such tremendous and frightful importance and significance? Money has assumed such an exaggerated and disproportionate value because psychologically we depend on it for our wellbeing. Money feeds our personal vanity, gives us social prestige, offers us the means of achieving power. Money has been used by the mind for purposes and aims totally different from those it has in itself, among which is the covering of our immediate physical needs. Money is being used for psychological purposes; that is the cause for which money has assumed exaggerated and disproportionate importance.
We need money to have bread, clothing, and shelter; this is obvious. But when money becomes a psychological necessity, when we use it for purposes other than those it has in itself, when we depend on it to obtain fame, prestige, social position, etc., then money assumes before the mind an exaggerated and disproportionate importance, and from this arises the struggle and conflict to possess it.
It is logical that we have the need to obtain money to satisfy our physical needs (to have bread, clothing, and shelter), but if we depend on money exclusively for our own happiness and personal satisfaction, then we are the most miserable beings on earth. When we deeply understand that the sole purpose of money is to provide us with bread, clothing, and shelter, then we spontaneously place upon it an intelligent limitation; the result of this is that money no longer assumes before us that exaggerated importance it has when it becomes a psychological necessity.
Money in itself is neither good nor bad. Everything depends on the use we make of it. If we use it for good, it is good. If we use it for evil, it is evil.
We need to deeply understand the true nature of sensation and satisfaction; the mind that wishes to come to understand the truth must be free of these shackles.
If we truly want to free thought from the shackles of sensation and satisfaction, we must begin with those sensations that are most familiar to us, and establish there the appropriate foundation for understanding. Sensations have their proper place, and when we deeply understand them at all levels of the mind, they do not assume the stupid deformation they now have. Many people think that if every order of things were to march in accordance with the political party to which they belong, and for which they always struggle, then we would have a happy world, full of abundance, peace, and perfection. That is a false concept, because in reality none of this can exist if we have not first understood individually the true significance of things. The human being is too poor internally, and that is why he needs money and things for his sensation and personal satisfaction. When someone is internally poor, he seeks externally for money and things to complete himself and seek satisfaction. That is why money and material things have taken on a disproportionate value, and why the human being is willing to steal, to exploit, and to lie at every moment. That is the cause of the struggle between capital and labor, between employers and workers, between exploiters and exploited, etc.
All political changes are useless if we have not first understood our own inner poverty. Economic systems may be changed again and again, the social system may be altered again and again, but if we have not deeply understood the intimate nature of our inner poverty, the individual will always create new means and roads for obtaining personal satisfaction at the cost of the peace of others.
It is urgent to deeply understand the intimate nature of this MYSELF, if we really want to be internally rich. Whoever is internally rich is incapable of exploiting his neighbor, is incapable of stealing and of lying. Whoever is internally rich is free of the shackles of sensation and personal satisfaction. Whoever is internally rich has found happiness.
We need money — that is true. But it is necessary to deeply understand our just relationship with it. Neither the ascetic nor the greedy miser has ever understood what our just relationship with money is. It is not by renouncing money, nor by coveting it, that we can come to understand our just relationship with it. We need understanding in order to intelligently take account of our own material needs without disproportionately depending on money.
When we understand our just relationship with money, the pain of detachment and the frightful suffering that competition produces in us come to an end. We must learn to differentiate between our immediate physical needs and the psychological dependence on things. The psychological dependence on things creates exploitation and slavery.
We need money to cover our immediate physical needs. Unfortunately, need is transformed into greed. The Psychological I, perceiving its own emptiness and misery, tends to give money and things a value different from the one they have — an exaggerated and absurd value. Thus the I wants to enrich itself externally because internally it is poor and miserable. The I wants to make itself felt, to dazzle one’s neighbor with things and money. Nowadays our relationship with money is based on greed. We always allege necessity to justify greed. Greed is the secret cause of hatred and of the brutalities of the world. The latter often assume legal aspects. Greed is the cause of war and of all the miseries of this world. If we want to put an end to the greed of the world, we must deeply understand that that world is within ourselves. We are the world. The greed of other individuals is within ourselves. Truly all individuals live within our own consciousness. The greed of the world is within the individual. Only by putting an end to the greed we carry within will the greed of the world end. Only by understanding the complex process of greed at all levels of the mind can we come to experience the Great Reality.
Practice
Lie down in the form of a star, opening your legs and arms to the right and left.
Now concentrate on your own immediate physical needs.
Meditate and reflect on each one of those needs.
Drift toward sleep, trying to discover for yourself where need ends and where greed begins.
If your practice of concentration and inner meditation is correct, in inner vision you will discover which are your legitimate needs and which is greed.
Remember that only by deeply understanding need and greed will you be able to establish true foundations for the correct process of thinking.
We need to deeply understand the true nature of sensation and satisfaction; the mind that wishes to come to understand the truth must be free of these shackles.
Chapter Six: LESSON 6
It is necessary for you to have three things in life: Bread, clothing, and shelter. We must not be hungry: we need to eat. We must not go badly dressed: it is necessary to dress very well. It is not just to live one’s whole life paying rent on an apartment: we need to have a good house of our own. Reflect on all this. It is urgent that you understand the need to live better without falling into the sin of greed. In our past lesson we said that it is necessary to distinguish between need and greed. It is necessary to know where need ends and where greed begins.
You need to learn to make a very good impression on other people. This is a very delicate art. Many ladies dress very well, sometimes with excessive luxury, and they wear very valuable rings on their hands; and yet, despite everything, they do not manage to make a good impression on others. Many elegant gentlemen wear very expensive suits and use the latest model cars and yet fail, many times, because they do not know how to make a good impression on people.
The president of Colombia, Dr. Olaya Herrera, dominated the people with his eternal smile; each smile of the president represented in fact millions of dollars. We men know that the smile of a woman is worth more to us than all the furs and diamonds they wear. A woman with a captivating smile makes a great impression on men. The smile of sincerity and the perfume of courtesy perform true miracles in the world of business. It is urgent to distinguish between the smile of sincerity and the mechanical smile. The smile of sincerity comes from the very depths of the soul. The mechanical smile is hypocritical and shadowy: it is a grimace of the devil.
In the human being there exist two factors in discord: the soul and the devil. The soul is divine. The devil is malignant. Every good action belongs to the soul. Every bad action belongs to the devil. When you knock at a door to be let in, the owner of the house may often ask: “Who is it?” Then you answer: “I.” This I, this Myself, is precisely the devil within us. Clairvoyants see this I as a very horrible fluidic entity that lives within the human body. This entity leaves the body during sleep and travels far away, wherever its desires and passions take it.
The soul is not the I. The soul is the Being. Distinguish between the Being and the I. The Being is the soul. The I is Satan within us.
Your body does not think, nor does it desire. The body is only a suit, a garment. You think with the Mind. The Mind is a vehicle of the soul. However, when we are evil, the mind becomes the vehicle of the devil. The diabolical Mind wants wars, forms conflicts, problems, wants vices, liquors, adulteries, fornication, greed, hypocrisy, etc.
The bee enjoys working. The ant is happy working. Learn to enjoy and delight in your work. The employee of a store, when he enjoys working, radiates mental waves of success and progress. Then sales increase and the employer feels happy with his employee and does not want him to leave. Take an interest in the success of the business where you work. It is necessary for you to win the affection of your employer. Learn to smile sincerely; learn to enjoy your work. If you want people to feel happy with you, you must feel happy with others. If you do not feel happy with the work, if you do not want to smile, we advise you to listen to good music. Remember that music performs miracles. In this way you too will be able to change your character. When we listen to good music, when we spend long periods absorbed in listening to good music, we elevate our mind to higher levels of consciousness.
The mind radiates waves that travel through space. Those waves pass from one brain to another. A proof of the reality of those waves we have in telepathy. How many times, while we are walking down the street, the memory of someone suddenly comes upon us; then we find ourselves meeting the very person we remembered: this is Telepathy. The mental waves of that person have reached us, and we in turn have captured them.
In our organism we have a true wireless system. The pineal gland, located in the posterior part of the brain, is the emitting center of thought, and the solar plexus, located in the region of the navel, is the receiving antenna. The pineal gland is the seat of the soul; the Window of Brahma. Through this Window the soul enters the body and leaves it. The pineal gland is a small reddish-gray tissue. This gland secretes a hormone that regulates the development of the sexual organs. After maturity this gland degenerates into fibrous tissue that no longer secretes. The pineal gland is the puzzle of the sages, the emitting center of thought. This gland is developed in the great geniuses of science, art, philosophy, etc. It is completely atrophied in idiots. Great merchants and individuals who tend to have great success in their businesses generally have this gland very well developed.
The pineal gland is intimately related to the sexual organs. The power of the pineal gland depends on sexual potency. The man or woman who clumsily wastes his sexual energies fails in business because his pineal gland atrophies. A weakened pineal gland cannot powerfully radiate mental waves. The result is failure.
Be prudent. Do not clumsily waste your sexual energies. The Bible says: “Thou shalt not fornicate.” Fulfill this, the Sixth Commandment; save your sexual energies. In this way you will strengthen your pineal gland and you will inevitably succeed. In this way you will be able to radiate your mental waves with force, power, and glory. Those mental waves, after reaching the receiving center (the solar plexus) of the other people who come into contact with you, will give you the success you seek. Be a victor. Always smile, full of sincerity. Live cheerfully. Work with pleasure and joy, and the world will be yours; luck will smile upon you everywhere.
Practice
Before the mirror. Standing in front of the mirror, contemplate your face attentively. Then pray as follows:
“My soul, you must triumph.
My soul, you must overcome Satan.”
“My soul, take possession of my mind,
of my feelings, of my life.”
“You must drive the Guardian of the Threshold away from me.
You must overcome him.”
“You must take complete possession of me.”
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Pray this prayer seven times and then observe in the mirror your eyes, your pupils, the center of your pupils, the apple of your eyes. Imagine these laden with light, force, and power. It is necessary that you try to penetrate with the mind into the interior of your eyes reflected in the mirror. It is necessary that you try to see, with the imagination, in the center of those reflected eyes, the beauty of your soul. It is necessary that you exclaim, saying: “My soul, I want to see you, I want to see you, I want to see you.”
Persevere intensely each day in this exercise. Do your practice every night before giving yourself over to sleep. With this exercise you will develop Clairvoyance. Practice ten minutes daily. That is all.
Clairvoyance
It is necessary for you to know that there exists a sixth sense. This is Clairvoyance. This faculty resides in the pineal gland. When you develop clairvoyance, you will be able to read another’s thought as in an open book. When you are clairvoyant you will be able to see people’s souls. When you are clairvoyant you will be able to see people’s I. Then you will understand that the soul is not the I. The I is the Satan within us. Clairvoyance allows us to see what is beyond death. With the exercises we will give you, you will fully develop Clairvoyance. You must practice these exercises. We want you to write to us communicating all your impressions.
When we listen to good music, when we spend long periods absorbed in listening to good music, we elevate our mind to higher levels of consciousness.
Chapter Seven: LESSON 7
In life, man is faced with innumerable problems. Each person needs to know how to intelligently resolve each one of these problems. We need to understand each problem. The solution of every problem lies within the problem itself.
The time has come to learn to resolve problems. There exist many problems: economic, social, moral, political, religious, family, etc., and we must learn to resolve them intelligently. The most important thing for the resolution of every problem is not to identify with it. One has a certain tendency to identify with the problem, and so great is the identification that in fact we become the problem itself. The result of such identification is that we fail in the solution, because a problem can never resolve another problem.
To resolve a problem requires a great deal of peace and mental quietude. A restless, combative, confused mind cannot resolve any problem. If you have a very serious problem, do not identify with the problem; do not become another problem yourself. Withdraw to some place of healthy recreation: a forest, or a park, or the house of a very intimate friend, etc. Distract yourself with something different, listen to good music, and then, with your mind calm and quiet, in perfect peace, try to deeply understand the problem, remembering that the solution of every problem lies within the problem itself.
Remember that without peace you cannot do anything new. You need quietude and peace to resolve the problem that comes before you in life. You need to think in a completely new way about the problem you wish to resolve, and this is only possible if you have tranquility and peace. In modern life we have many problems and, unfortunately, we do not enjoy peace. This is a true puzzle, because without peace we cannot resolve problems.
We need peace, and we must study this matter in depth: We need to investigate what is the principal factor that ends peace within us and outside of us; we need to discover what is the cause of conflict. The time has come to deeply understand, at all levels of the mind, the infinite contradictions we have within, because that is the principal factor of discord and of conflict. By deeply understanding the cause of an illness, we cure the patient. By thoroughly knowing the cause of conflict, we put an end to the conflict; therefore, the result is peace.
Within us and around us there exist thousands of contradictions that form conflicts. Truly, what exists within us also exists in society, because society is, as we have said so many times, an extension of the individual. If within us there is contradiction and conflict, in society too there is. If the individual does not have peace, society will not have it either, and under these conditions all propaganda for peace turns out to be, in fact, totally useless.
If we judiciously analyze ourselves, we will discover that within us there exists a constant state of affirmation and negation. What we want to be and what we really are. We are poor and we want to be millionaires; we are soldiers and we want to be generals; we are single and we want to be married; we are employees and we want to be managers, etc.
The state of contradiction engenders conflict, pain, moral misery, absurd acts, violence, gossip, slander, etc. The state of contradiction never in life can bring us peace. A man without peace can never resolve his problems. You need to resolve your problems intelligently, and therefore it is urgent that you have constant peace. The state of contradiction prevents the resolution of problems; each problem implies thousands of contradictions. Shall I do this? That? How? When? etc. Mental contradiction creates conflicts and frustrates the resolution of problems.
We need first to resolve the causes of contradiction in order to put an end to the conflict. Only thus does peace come, and with it, the solution of problems. It is important to discover the causes of contradictions; it is necessary to analyze this cause in detail. Only thus is it possible to put an end to mental conflict. It is not correct to blame others for our internal contradictions. The causes of these contradictions are within us: there exists mental conflict between what we are and what we want to be, between what a problem is and what we want it to be. When we have a problem of any kind — whether moral, economic, religious, family, marital, etc. — our first reaction is to think about it, resist it, deny it, accept it, explain it, etc. It is necessary to understand that with mental anguish, with contradiction, with worry, with conflict, no problem can be resolved. The best way to react to a problem is silence. I refer to the silence of the mind. This silence comes from not thinking about the problem. This silence comes when we understand that with conflict and contradictions, nothing is resolved. This silence is not a special gift of anyone, nor a capacity of a certain type. No one can cultivate this silence; it comes on its own. It comes when we understand that no problem is resolved by resisting it, accepting it, denying it, affirming it, or explaining it, etc.
From mental silence is born intelligent action — the intuitive and wise action that will resolve the problem, however difficult it may be. This intelligent action is not the result of any reaction. When we perceive the fact, the problem; when we become aware of the fact without affirming it, or denying it, or explaining it; when we neither accept the fact nor reject it, then the silence of the mind comes. In silence, intuition flourishes. From silence springs the intelligent action that totally resolves the problem. Only in the quietude and in the silence of the mind is there freedom and wisdom.
Mental conflict is destructive and ruinous. Mental conflict is the result of opposing desires: we want and we do not want; we desire this and that. We are in constant contradiction, and this, in fact, is conflict. The constant contradiction that exists within us is due to the struggle of opposing desires: there is a constant negation of one desire by another desire; one effort overrides another effort. There exists no permanent desire in the human being; every desire is fleeting. He wants a job, and once he has it, he desires another job. The employee wants to be manager, and the priest wants to be bishop. No one is satisfied with what he has. Everyone is full of unsatisfied desires and wants satisfaction.
Life is an absurd succession of fleeting and vain desires. When we deeply understand that all the desires of life are fleeting and vain, when we understand that the physical body is begotten in sin and that its destiny is the rottenness of the grave, then from that deep understanding is born the true peace of the mind, and contradiction and conflict disappear. Only the mind that is at peace can resolve problems. Peace lies in the silence of the mind.
Contradiction arises from stubbornness: when the mind clings to a single desire, when it wants its desire to be carried out at all costs, no matter what, it is logical that there must be conflict. If we observe carefully two people who are discussing a problem, we can confirm that each person clings to his own desire, each person wants to see his desire satisfied, and this, as is natural, forms mental conflict. When we resolutely see the vanity of desires, when we understand that desire is the cause of our conflicts and bitterness, then true peace comes.
Practice
Seated in a comfortable armchair, or lying in your bed, close your eyes. Then concentrate inwardly, studying yourself, investigating your desires, your contradictions.
It is necessary for you to understand which are your contradictory desires, so that you may thus know the causes of your internal conflicts. With the knowledge of the causes of mental conflict, the peace of the mind comes. Practice this simple exercise daily. It is necessary for you to know yourself.
Only in the quietude and in the silence of the mind is there freedom and wisdom.
Chapter Eight: LESSON 8
Alcoholism
This vice has three perfectly defined aspects:
Initiation.
Intoxication.
Death.
Initiation
Some people begin this horrible vice in adolescence, others in youth, others in maturity, and a few in old age. There are many causes that lead people to the vice of alcohol. The adolescent who is initiated on this horrible road does so with the purpose of feeling himself a complete man; he has a false concept of manhood. He believes that to be a man means to be a drunkard, a smoker, a fornicator, an adulterer, etc., etc. The young man comes to the barbaric vice of alcohol, seduced by his friends or embittered by sufferings. Many times an amorous disappointment, or a difficult economic situation, tend to be a basic motive to begin on the fatal road of alcoholism. The mature man who enters this horrible path of alcohol does so, as always, motivated by the spring of his own bitterness: perhaps the death of a loved one, an amorous disappointment, a divorce, the loss of his work and fortune, etc.
With the first drinks, the human organism rebels. At first the organism is not yet intoxicated, and it is clear that it strongly rejects the harmful ingredient of alcohol — to which it is not accustomed. Vomiting, stomach discomforts after great bouts of drunkenness, etc., are symptoms that the organism uses to eliminate the harmful ingredient. The struggle of the organism tends to be very strong, but the malign will proposes to violate it and succeeds. There is no drunkard who does not have his moral tragedy. The drunkard who is already intoxicated knows how to keep that tragedy very secret. The drunkard who is being initiated into the vice always externalizes his tragedy, but when he understands that people do not understand him, he prefers to be silent.
Intoxication
Once the defenses of the human organism are overcome, alcoholic intoxication comes. Upon reaching this second stage, the organism can no longer feel well without alcohol. The physician intoxicated by alcohol can no longer perform a surgical operation without his favorite drink; his pulse trembles and if he does it, it comes out very badly. The merchant can no longer negotiate without alcohol; he feels timid and nervous and fails. The worker is now incapable of working without the drink; he feels without strength. Alcohol becomes a necessity for the intoxicated organism. The intoxicated person drinks and drinks, stimulated by the secret spring of his moral tragedy. Some drunkards eat and drink; these last longer. Others do not eat so as (they say) not to lose the drunkenness; these die soon. Food favors the entire digestive process, but the lack of food in fact leaves the organism totally defenseless: the result is rapid death.
Death
All alcoholic intoxication ends with death. Death may come from ulcer, or from hepatitis or hepatic cirrhosis, or in general from any bad condition of the liver, stomach, etc. Clinically it has been shown that the drunkards who live longest are those who eat while they drink, and those who live the least are those who drink and do not eat while they are drinking.
The death of the drunkard is very horrible. In clinics and hospitals, they become very nervous for lack of the drink. They cry out, they shout, they demand the bottle of alcohol; their desperation is frightful. Some die vomiting blood, others with terrible bloody diarrheas, etc.
Psychology of the Drunkard
The fully intoxicated drunkard spends everything on the vice; when the intoxicated person has nothing left to spend, then he becomes a beggar, a thief, a swindler, or in the best of cases nothing more than a simple beggar for alcohol, a mendicant of alcohol. The intoxicated person loses all concept of honor, of dignity, of responsibility, etc., and is interested in only one thing in life: drinking. Alcohol becomes for the intoxicated person a vital, fundamental necessity; that is all.
The serious things of life have no value for the alcoholic intoxicated person; he is completely irresponsible. The intoxicated person is immoral in the most complete sense of the word. Dignity, honor, refined honesty, moral responsibility, the given word, virtue, etc., have absolutely no importance for the alcoholic intoxicated person. The hardened drunkard laughs at all those human qualities, and even feels infinitely superior to all his fellow human beings.
Campaign Against Alcohol
The true and effective campaign against alcohol is carried out by explaining in all its details the three defined aspects of this horrible vice. These three aspects of the road of alcohol — initiation, intoxication, and death — must be pointed out in the home, in the school, in the university, in the academies, in the temples, in the lodges, in the ashrams, in the sanctuaries, etc. That is the best way to carry out an effective campaign against alcoholism. Dry laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol turn out to be useless, because drunkards then cunningly invent their way of fabricating intoxicating drinks clandestinely. This does more harm than good to society. Only creative understanding can save people from falling into this horrible and frightful vice. The system of audiovisual teaching is marvelous for combating the vice of alcohol.
The Home
True education begins in the home. The parents who drink set a bad example for their children, leading their children on the fatal road to the abyss. In the home, children must be taught what this horrible vice is, the three aspects of this horrendous road, etc. This kind of teaching, accompanied by the good example, is radical for preventing the new generations from the vice of alcohol. What is well learned in the home is never forgotten.
Meditation and Drunkenness
Meditation and drunkenness are the opposite poles of one and the same force. Meditation is positive. Alcoholic drunkenness is negative.
The Rosicrucian Gnostic must drink the wine of meditation in the sacred cup of concentration. It is necessary to keep ourselves far from the negative aspect. It is necessary not to fall into the negative aspect of the mind. The vice of alcohol belongs to the negative aspect of the mind. The drunkard submerges himself in the atomic infernos of Nature and is lost in the abyss. It is better to drink of the wine of meditation in the sacred cup of the concentration of thought. Let us concentrate thought on our Inner God. Let us meditate deeply on Him for hours on end.
Thus we shall arrive at Samadhi, at the ineffable ecstasy. Then we will be able to converse with the gods and enter into the Great Mysteries of Nature. This is better than Delirium Tremens (which allows the drunkard to penetrate into the atomic infernos of Nature to coexist with the demons of the abyss). The visions of Delirium Tremens of the drunkards are truly real; what they see in their visions really exists. They see larvae, demons, and horrible monsters that really exist in the atomic infernos of Universal Nature. They penetrate into the abyss and see the beings of the abyss; perverse beings that live in the atomic infernos of Nature.
Alcoholic Larvae
Every human being carries an atomic atmosphere perceptible to clairvoyants. These larvae live in the Fourth Dimension. In passing, we must say that modern physics is now beginning to admit the four coordinates, the fourth dimension, the fourth vertical. The drunkard carries in his ultrasensitive atmosphere alcoholic larvae that stimulate him in the vice that gave them life, impelling him to drink. Such larvae are only disintegrated with the smoke of sulfur.
Osmotherapy
Perfumes combined with mental force constitute a marvelous system of healing. Drunkards can be cured by wisely combining these two elements. Direction: Do you have a loved one who is a victim of the vice of alcohol? When he is asleep, clasp his right hand with yours. Make him smell a delicious perfume — a rose extract — and then, with a very soft voice, speak to him as if he were awake. Advise him; explain to him in a very detailed way what the horrible vice of alcohol is. Remember that when the body sleeps, the Ego leaves the body and travels through the fourth dimension.
The words you say to the sleeping person reach the eardrum, then pass to the sensory center of the brain, and afterward are transmitted to the Ego even when it is very far from the physical body. Upon awakening, the Ego returns to the physical body, and if he does not remember what you said, you may be sure that everything that was said has remained in the subconscious of your loved one. Those words gradually produce their effect, and finally the day comes when the patient is cured of the horrible vice of alcohol.
Practice
Lie down and remain calmly in your bed. Open your arms and legs to the right and left to form the flaming five-pointed star. Relax your muscles well. The process of relaxation is easy when combined with the imagination. (Practice the relaxation exercise as indicated in Lesson 2.)
Mental Relaxation
After achieving the relaxation of the physical body, it is necessary to relax the mind. Mental relaxation is also achieved with the help of the imagination. Observe all the thoughts that come to your mind, all the memories that assault you, all the worries, etc. Study them to know their origin. The study of all this will reveal to you many things; it will make you know your defects, your errors, etc. In this way you will know how your I, your Ego, works. Analyze each defect. Try to understand each defect at all levels of the mind. Study each thought, memory, or emotion that assaults you. Understand each thought. Then imagine a deep abyss. Throw each studied thought, each memory, worry, etc., into that abyss. In this way your mind will remain quiet and in silence. In the quietude and the silence of the mind, you will be able to see and hear the Innermost. He is the Inner Master. He is your Inner God.
Concentration
When the mind has achieved absolute quietude and silence, it can concentrate on the Innermost. This concentration is done with the help of prayer. Pray to the Innermost. Try to converse with the Innermost. Remember that to pray is to converse with God. You can pray without formulas — that is, talk with God: tell Him with infinite love what your heart feels.
Meditation
Whoever achieves perfect concentration can meditate on his Inner God. Reflect on your Inner God, identify with Him, live in Him.
Contemplation
Whoever learns to still the mind, to concentrate the mind, and to pray, can practice perfect meditation and reach the heights of inner contemplation. Upon reaching these heights, we are in ecstasy. We can converse face to face with the ineffable gods, study the marvels of the infinite cosmos, and travel throughout the infinite in Spirit and soul. In that state of ecstasy the physical body remains asleep and abandoned. Now you will understand why it is convenient to practice these exercises at moments of being sleepy. Sleep is a power that must be taken advantage of in order to consciously achieve ecstasy.
The Rosicrucian Gnostic must drink the wine of meditation in the sacred cup of concentration.
Chapter Nine: LESSON 9
The Universal Mind
Social coexistence is necessarily based on the functionalisms of the Mind. It is necessary to deeply explore the various levels of the mind.
The sphere of thought where man lives is never enclosed within the limited circumference of the skull, as the ignorant — and even the illustrated ignorant of the world — generally suppose. If a man existed as those people believe, he would, of course, be the most miserable man in the world. The man with his thought enclosed in the skull could neither see nor perceive anything; he would be a complete idiot living in the deepest darkness. This unfortunate creature would not be able to see the Sun, nor the Moon, nor the stars, nor the earth on which we live, nor people, nor things, nor Light. Nothing of what has existence would exist in the mind of such a man; this is explained by the fact that man can perceive nothing that does not already exist in his own mentality.
Don Emmanuel Kant said in his Critique of Pure Reason: “The outer is the inner.” The entire Universe exists in the Cosmic Mind. The mental sphere of each person extends throughout the cosmos and reaches as far as the most distant stars. This is the cause for which we see, hear, and feel everything created. This is the reason why we can see the most distant stars. Our thought is not enclosed in the skull. Our thought extends throughout the cosmos. Our thought penetrates everywhere: worlds, suns, persons, and things — everything is within the thought of every man.
The mind is Universal Energy. The mind vibrates and sparkles in all that is created. The brain is not the mind. The brain is only a receiving center, a radio-telegraphic office that receives the messages of the Mind. The brain does not think. The one who thinks is the Mind, and this is not the brain.
Religions say that the human soul has a body of flesh and bone. The Theosophists maintain that the soul has, besides the body of flesh and bone, a mental body. All the schools of East and West that are dedicated to the study of Occultism teach their students to handle the mental body. The soul wrapped in the mental body can transport itself at will to other planets and see what happens there.
The entire Universe is within the human mind. All minds are within all minds. We mutually live in the sphere of another’s thought. The economic and social problems of each person live in each person: no one is alien to anyone. We are all within the mind of all. The beggar lives within the mind of the rich man, and the latter within the mind of the beggar. We are all submerged in the ocean of the Universal Mind.
Imagination and Will
The two poles of the mind are imagination and will. Imagination is feminine. Will is masculine. The key to success lies in imagination and will united in vibrant harmony.
Mental Action
The inventor conceives with his imagination: the telephone, the radio, the automobile, etc., and then with the will, he gives it form, he converts it into facts, into concrete realities. The fashion designers of Paris dictate the fashions just as they conceive them in their imagination.
Mental Epidemics
If a man thinks in both a good and a bad sense, the waves that emanate from his mind will reach the mental body of every individual. Mental waves spread everywhere. When the waves are of wisdom and love, they benefit all those who receive them. When the waves are impregnated with devotion and veneration toward God, they bring peace and consolation to all those who are in suffering. Poisonous mental waves harm the minds of others. The mental waves of hatred, envy, greed, lust, pride, sloth, gluttony, etc., produce mental epidemics. Perverse mental waves poison with their radioactivity many weak minds. The case of “the rebels without a cause” is a good example of what mental epidemics are. The “rebels without a cause” have become a bad and harmful plague.
The cause of this mental epidemic we must seek in the imagination misused. The movie theaters exhibit films of bandits and gunmen, which are then recorded in the minds of young people. Parents give their children: pistols, war carts, little cannons, tin soldiers, toy machine guns, etc. Everything is reflected strongly in the imagination of children and adolescents. Then come the magazines and stories of thieves and police, the pornographic magazines, etc. The result of all this does not have to wait, and in a short time, the child, the adolescent, in fact becomes the rebel without a cause, and later the thief, the professional bandit, the swindler, etc.
Mental Hygiene
It is necessary to practice mental hygiene. A preventive medicine is urgent. Cultivate wisdom and love. Pray a great deal each day. Select works of art: we advise you good music — classical music — good painting, the works of a Michelangelo, the Great Operas, etc. Avoid spectacles that are harmful to the mind: bloody spectacles such as boxing, wrestling, bullfights, etc. This kind of spectacle produces mental epidemics. Take care of your mind; do not allow evil thoughts to enter the temple of your mind. Be pure in thought, word, and deed. Teach your children all that is good, true, and beautiful.
Origins of the Universal Mind
The Great Divine Reality emerged from its own bosom in the Dawn of this Solar Universe in which we live, move, and have our Being. The Great Reality does not know itself, but upon contemplating itself in the living mirror of the Great Imagination of Nature, it then comes to know itself. In this way is created a mental, vibratory activity, by means of which the Great Reality knows its infinite images that shine marvelously on the cosmic stage. This activity, which going out from the periphery moves toward the Center, is what is called the Universal Mind.
All beings live submerged in the infinite ocean of the Universal Mind. Thus all live within all. No one can mentally separate himself. “The heresy of separability is the worst of heresies.”
The intellectual activity of the Universal Mind issues from a centripetal force; and as every action is followed by a reaction, the centripetal force, on finding a resistance at the center, reacts and creates a centrifugal activity called Cosmic Soul. This Cosmic Soul, vibratory, turns out to be a Mediator between the center and the periphery, between the Universal Spirit of Life and Matter, between the Great Reality and its Living Images.
A Great Master said: “The Soul is the product of the centrifugal action of Universal activity, impelled by the centripetal action of Universal Imagination.”
Terms
Centrifugal is the force that tries to move away from the center. The force that goes from the center to the periphery. Centripetal is the force that is attracted toward the center. A force that flows from the periphery to the center.
Every Individual Can Build Soul
When we know the technique of Inner Meditation, when we direct the mental power toward the interior of our own Center, the resistance we will find internally will cause its reaction, and the more vigorous the centripetal force we apply, the more vigorous also will be the centrifugal force that is formed. Thus we build soul. Thus the soul grows and expands. The strong and robust soul incarnates and transforms the physical body: it transforms it into more subtle and elevated matter until it converts it also into soul.
Practice
Learn to use your imagination and will, united in vibrant harmony. Lying in your bed or seated in a comfortable armchair, imagine a distant place well known (a house, a park, some avenue, a city, etc.). Drift toward sleep with that image in your mind. When you are already drowsy and with the image in your mind, realize that imagination, forget the place where your body is, set your willpower into play, and full of complete confidence in yourself, walk through the imagined place. Walk as if you were in flesh and bone in the imagined place. If the practice is done correctly, you will split in two, and then your soul will transport itself to that place where you will be able to see and hear all that happens there.
The sphere of thought where man lives is never enclosed within the limited circumference of the skull, as the ignorant — and even the illustrated ignorant of the world — generally suppose.
APPENDIX
The physical body is one of the marvelous instruments that the human being possesses for self-expression. Considering this body from a strictly physical point of view, it is what we could call a machine, with food being the fuel. According to the kind of fuel that is used, so will this machine work and serve as an instrument.
Many times we find people who radiate an attitude of happiness, well-being, health, optimism, friendliness, love, etc. These people win the friendship of all: they possess a force of attraction, an irresistible “magnet.” Others are weak and lack “that magnet” so marvelous: they fail when they try to receive help from other people, and when they are owners of some business, their clients gradually leave them.
Psychology has discovered that the character of a person depends on his inner state. Character is not developed in the physical body, but it is expressed through it, and if the physical body is not in good condition, then our inner state cannot be expressed efficiently.
It is indispensable that each person be sufficiently nourished. When nutrition is imperfect, the blood is weakened and impoverished, and therefore the cells are also weakened. One of the best means of obtaining complete nutrition from ordinary food consists of chewing the meals perfectly. Meals eaten halfway lose a great part of their nutritive value.
Another point of great importance is the irrigation of the body: the appropriate use of water for the benefit of the organism. The minimum quantity of water required daily is two and a half liters. If water is scarce, certain glands cannot work efficiently, the body does not eliminate the wastes of the organism well, the liver does not function well, etc.
Vegetarian Diet
The greater part of people believe that a meal without meat is incomplete. Nothing is more erroneous, because science has shown that the nutrition obtained from vegetables has a greater sustaining power.
All animals carry in themselves the poisons of putrefaction. Venous blood is full of carbonic acid and other harmful substances. These harmful and repugnant substances are found everywhere in the meat, and when we eat such food, we fill our body with those toxins.
There exists abundant evidence that shows that the carnivorous diet stimulates ferocity. Let us observe the ferocity of the beasts of prey and the cruelty of cannibals, and let us compare it with the prodigious strength and docility of the cow, the elephant, the horse.
Nevertheless, we must not jump to the conclusion that everyone must stop eating meat all at once and dedicate themselves to eating vegetables. It would be madness for a person to change his ordinary diet, which he has been using for years and which is nourishing him adequately. Eliminating meat from the ordinary diet of people accustomed to it would considerably undermine their health. The only safe way to proceed is to experiment and study things first…
You must be very careful with your nutrition. We do not ask you to give up meat all at once, but we do warn you that meat, when consumed in large quantities (e.g., every day), is like poison to the body. Dr. Arnold Krumm Heller, Professor of Medicine at the University of Berlin and a great Gnostic physician, maintained that man should consume only 20% meat among foods.
We have verified that some foods such as wheat, eggs, avocado, etc., can substitute for meat. Cereals in general are of great nutritive value. The protein of cow’s milk is marvelous. The milk of the Soybean is very nutritious and its chemical composition is similar to that of cow’s milk.
Foods must be used in a balanced manner so as to procure the best nutrition. Avoid eating white bread. White flour is harmful and has no nourishment whatsoever. Eat dark bread, plantain, cornmeal, instead of white bread and white flour. Eat many vegetables. Remember that vegetables are sources of great nourishment. Vitamins are found in vegetables.