When the ego first entered into possession of its vehicles in the Lemurian Epoch, it possessed neither a brain nor a larynx. To supply this deficiency, one-half of the creative sex force, which formerly had been used solely for propagation, was then turned upward for the purpose of building these organs through which thought and reason might be produced and thought might be communicated to others. Thus we see that thought is creative, because it was derived through the instrumentality of the creative force. Likewise, the voice is creative; that is, the spoken word has the power to create for the same reason, namely, that it had its origin in the creative force. From this it may be deduced that if the creative sex force is conserved, we shall have a correspondingly greater amount of power available for the processes of reasoning, and our minds will become much more forceful than in the case of the person who wastes the creative force. However, this force must be used up in constructive mental or physical work or transmuted in the service of the race, otherwise it will cause trouble. If merely bottled up, it will eventually produce mental, emotional, or nervous disturbances and ailments.
Thinking is a very complicated process, which involves not only the use of the physical brain but also the etheric brain, the desire body, and the mind or mental body. The process is as follows: We as egos function in that part of the Region of Abstract Thought which we have specialized within our auras. From here we observe the impressions made by the outer world upon the vital body through our chain of vehicles and their faculties which we call our senses. These impressions, together with the feelings and emotions generated by them within the desire body, are then imaged within the mind. From these mental images we form our conclusions regarding the things observed; these conclusions are ideas. By power of will, we as egos project an idea through the mind, where it takes concrete shape as a thought-form by drawing mind stuff around itself from the Region of Concrete Thought. Thought is the power we use in making images and thought-forms, according to ideas from within. The thought-form then ordinarily clothes itself in desire stuff obtained from the desire body, which gives it added life. This composite thought form is then able to act upon the etheric brain and propel the vital force through the necessary brain centers and nerves to the voluntary muscles which produce action. Thus thought is the mainspring of human activity.
The effect of thoughts of fear and worry upon the desire body is very detrimental to the development of the soul. Worry is a condition in which the desire currents do not sweep in long curved lines as they do under normal conditions, but which causes this vehicle to be full of eddies — nothing but eddies in extreme cases. This latter condition often prevents the person from taking any action which might correct the condition which is causing him to worry and fret. It may be likened to the state of water which is about to congeal under a lowering temperature. Fear which expresses itself as skepticism, cynicism, and pessimism may be likened to that same water when it is frozen, for the desire bodies of people habitually harboring these thoughts are almost motionless, and nothing one can do or say seems to have the power to alter their condition.
Every time one of these thoughts is indulged in, it helps to congeal the material of the desire body, and to build a steel-blue shell, in which the person who habitually fosters fear and worry will some time find himself shut off from the love, sympathy, and help of all the world. Therefore it is important that we should strive to be cheerful and optimistic, even under adverse circumstances, or we may find ourselves in a serious condition here and hereafter.
The subconscious mind is a very important factor in man's development. With every breath which we take, the air we inspire carries with it an accurate detailed picture of our surroundings. The slightest thought, feeling, or emotion is transmitted to the lungs, where it is injected into the blood. The blood is the highest product of the vital body. The pictures it contains are impressed upon the negative atoms of the vital body to serve as arbiters of man's destiny in the post-mortem state. If a person creates a thought form, whether of a constructive or destructive nature, and projects it out into the world, when its work has been accomplished, or its energy expended in vain attempts to achieve its object, it gravitates back to its creator, bearing with it the indelible record of the journey. Its success or failure is imprinted on the negative atoms of the reflecting ether, and forms part of the record of the thinker's life and action which is sometimes called the subconscious mind.
Thought breaks down tissue in the dense body, and it is well known to science that negative, destructive thoughts such as those of fear, anger, sex, and sensuality break down the power of resistance of the body and thereby lay it open to disease. The person of a jovial good nature, or one who is devoutly religious and has faith and trust in divine providence, does not often create negative thoughts, and as a result he has greater vitality and better health than those who worry. Through thoughts of love, benevolence, and kindness we call out similar qualities in others, and attract people to us who have these qualities. This subtle and potent thought power may also be used in healing the sick. Moreover, it is through abstract thought that man is enabled to lift himself above the material world and come into contact with God.
If we think thoughts of optimism, of kindness, of benevolence, of helpfulness and service, then these thoughts gradually color our atmosphere in a manner which is accurately expressive of all these qualities and virtues. And as our bodies are built by the ego or spirit, they become an expression of our mental attitudes; our thoughts react upon our physical bodies, also upon our environment, bringing to us health and material well-being. This illustrates the creative power of thought. It is merely one way of proving the truth of the saying of Christ, that if we seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all other things will be added.
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1. How was the power of thought obtained by man?
2. What is the result of conserving the creative sex force, and why?
3. Describe the technical process of thinking.
4. What are the effects of fear and worry upon the desire body?
5. What are the effects of fear and anger upon the physical body?
6. How are the records of the subconscious mind made?
7. How do thoughts of optimism, benevolence and service react upon our environment?
1. The instruments used by the Ego in acquiring first-hand knowledge are: a dense body, a vital body, a desire body, and a mind.
2. The Rosicrucian method of attainment differs particularly from others in that it aims to make the pupil self-reliant in the very highest degree.
3. The Lord's Prayer may be considered as an abstract, algebraical formula for the upliftment and purification of all the vehicles of man. It gives adoration first place, in order to reach the spiritual exaltation necessary to proffer a petition representing the needs of the lower vehicles. Each aspect of the threefold Spirit raises itself in adoration to its corresponding aspect of Diety. When the three aspects of the Spirit are all arrayed before the Throne of Grace, each utters the prayer appropriate to the needs of its material counterpart, all three joining in the closing prayer for the mind.
The Human Spirit soars to its counterpart, the Holy Spirit (Jehovah) saying, "Hallowed be Thy Name." The Life Spirit bows before its counterpart, the Son (Christ), saying "Thy Kingdom Come." The Divine Spirit kneels before its counterpart, the Father, with the prayer, "Thy Will Be Done." Then the Divine Spirit petitions the Father for its counterpart, the dense body: "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread." The Life Spirit prays to the Son for its counterpart, the vital body, "Forgive us Our Trespasses, as We Forgive those Who Trespass Against Us". The Human Spirit next offers its petition to the Holy Spirit for its counterpart, the desire body: "Lead Us Not Into Temptation." Then all three aspects of the threefold Spirit in man join in the petition for the mind: "Deliver Us From Evil."
4. Positive clairvoyance is attained by living a life of purity and service, paying special attention to the eating of pure food, and to the exercising of the faculties of observation, discrimination, and devotion to high ideals.
5. The morning exercise, known as Concentration, consists of focusing the mind on one particular subject and becoming so absorbed in it that the person is unaware of disturbances. The evening exercise, known as Retrospection consists in reviewing the events of the day in reverse order, blaming oneself when blame is due and praising oneself when praise is due.
6. A true spiritual Teacher, having the consciousness which is to prevail in the Jupiter Period, is able to project pictures upon the consciousness of those whom he is addressing.
7. True Initiation is an inner experience during which one is taught to use the power he or she has stored within by living pure and helpful lives.
