can bring them to subjection—and their appearance is useful to you in a way of instructing you as to their existence. They are an amusing lot, when you have reached the stage where you are able to practically stand aside and see them perform their tricks, and go through their antics. You then feel strongly that they are not YOU, but something apart from you—something from which you are becoming rapidly divorced. Do not worry about the beasts—for you are the master.
While the above quotation from "Light on the Path" includes all of the foregoing manifestations of the lower nature, it seems to dwell especially upon the delusion of the lower self—that dream of separateness—that exhibition of what has been called "the working fiction of the universe," which causes us to imagine ourselves things apart from the rest—something better, holier, and superior to the rest of our kind. This manifests in the emotion of pride—the peacock part of our mental menagerie. As we have said, this is one of the most dangerous of our lower qualities, because it is so subtle and persistent. You will note that the writer speaks of it as living "fruitfully in the heart of the devoted disciple, as well as in the heart of the man of desire." This may seem strange to you, but it is the experience of every advanced occultist that, long after he had thought he had left Pride behind him, he would be startled at it appearing in a new phase—the pride of power—the pride of intellect—the pride of spiritual growth. And then he would have all his work to do over again. Let us state right here that there is a kind of pride which is not a manifestation of the lower self—it may be called the absolute form of pride, if you will. We allude to that pride of that whole—that the intellect we manifest is part of that universal mind—that the spiritual growth we have attained is a bit of the great possibilities of the race, and that much more is ahead for all the race. But the danger line is reached when we begin to shut out some others from that universal pride—the moment that we leave out one other manifestation of life (no matter how lowly) from our universal pride, then we make it a selfish pride. The moment we erect a fence with anyone on the outside, then are we indulging in selfish pride. For there is no outside, at the last. We are all inside—there is no place outside of the All. When you feel a pride with all living things—with all of life—with all of being—then you are not selfish. But the moment you place yourself apart in a class—whether that class be composed of but yourself, or of yourself and all of mankind, except one individual—then you are yielding to a subtle form of selfishness. The last man must not be left out—cannot be left out. You are possessed of no quality or attainment that is not the property of the race—something that may be attained by all in time. all that you think is superiority is merely a little more age—a little more experience on this plane of existence. Your pride is the foolish infantile pride of the child who has just passed out of "the baby class" in the primary school and looks condescendingly upon the new flock of little ones who are just entering the class from which he has just passed. To the eyes of those in higher classes, the second grade scholar is a subject for a kindly, playing smile—but the little fellow does not know that—he feels "big" and gives the peacock quality full sway. Now, before we leave this illustration, let us say that the little fellow is justified in feeling proud of having accomplished his advancement—it is a worthy feeling—the peacock part comes in only when he looks down upon those below him. This is the substance of the folly of Pride—this feeling of superiority toward those still in the lower grade. A feeling of joy from work attained—heights scaled—is not unworthy, but let us beware of the attendant feeling of superiority toward those who are still climbing—there lies the sting of Pride. Extract the sting, and your wasp is harmless.
If you feel tempted toward self—glorification, sometimes, just remember that as compared to some of the intelligences, who have long since passed through your present stage of development, you are no more than is the intelligence of a black beetle as compared with your own intellect—that, to the eyes of some of the greatly developed souls, the everyday life of even the highest of our race on earth to-day is but as rare to us the antics and gambols; fights and tumbles; of a lot of Newfoundland puppies whose eyes have been opened but a few days—just remember this, we say, and you will get a better idea of just what place you fill in the scale of intelligence. But this does not mean self—debasement, either. Not at all. As low comparatively, as we may be, we are still well on the way of advancement, and great things are before us—we cannot be robbed of a single bit of life—we are going on, and on, and on, to greater and still greater heights. But, impress this upon your soul—not only are you going there, but all of mankind besides—yes, even that last man. Do not forget this. On the plane of the eternal, there cannot be such a thing as selfish pride—understanding has forever wiped it out—"this giant weed cannot flower there; this blot upon existence is wiped out by the very atmosphere of eternal thought."
We must carry over to the next lesson the remainder of our comments on the above quotation.
Lesson II.
Some More Light On The Path
Before passing to the consideration of the next precept, we must again call your attention to the quotation from "Light on the Path" which w had taken before us at the close of the last lesson, but which we were compelled to carry over to this lesson, because of lack of space. In the quotation referred to appears the sentence: "Live neither in the present nor the future, but in the eternal." This sentence has perplexed many students, in view of the fact that the teachings have impressed upon them the importance of living in the Now, and of looking forward to the future as the field for further development. And this sentence seems to run contrary to the previous teachings. But it is all a latter of absolute and relative point of view, again. Let us see if we can make it plain to you.
To live in the present, regarding it as something different from the future—or to live (in imagination) in the future, in the sense that it is considered as a separate thing from the present—is an error, springing from the relative view of life. It is the old mistake which causes us to separate time from eternity. The absolute view of the matter shows us that time and eternity are one—that we are in eternity right now, as much as we ever shall be. It does away with the error that a broad line is drawn between this time of mortal life and the "eternity" into which we enter after we have passed out of the body—it shows us that here—right here in the flesh—we are in eternity. It reveals to us that this life is but an infinitesimal part of the great life—that it is merely sunrise in the great day of consciousness—and that to live as if this petty period of life were all is the veriest folly of ignorant man. But right here, do not fall into the error of going to the other extreme and ignoring and despising the present life in your desire to "live in the future"—remember that the paradox that is to be found in all statements of the truth—the reverse side of the shield. To despise the present life is as ridiculous as to live as if it were all the life there is. To follow this course is to commit the folly of "living in the future," against which the little manual cautions us. This life (small and insignificant though it may be as compared to the great life) is most important to us—it is a stage in our development that is needed by us, and we must not shirk it or despise it. We are just where we are, because it is the very best place for us at this stage of our development, and we cannot afford to spend this life in merely dreaming of the future, for we have tasks to perform—lessons to learn—and we will never be able to advance until we master our present grade duties. This present life is not all—but it is part of all—remember this.
These difficulties of the distinction between the present and the future vanish when we regard them from the absolute view-point. The moment that we become fully conscious that the eternal is the only real thing—and that Now is all of eternity that we are able to grasp with our consciousness—that it is always Now with us, and always will be Now—when we realize this, then do the relative terms "present" and "future" lose their former meanings to us, and time and eternity; yesterday, today and tomorrow; and forever and forever; are seen to be but slightly different manifestations of the great eternal Now, in which we live
