Conditions must be right for the individual to fit into fixed patterns of shared relationship. Such a profound investment of emotional energy, time and attention, one that will inevitably influence the future of one’s self-assessment, needs great care and caution.

This is because one seeks to fulfil one’s inherent divinity within the scope of relationship with one’s fellows. Individual realization is entirely dependent upon this, so contact with others is not seen as trivial and of little consequence; it shapes one’s destiny.

A person’s gain mostly depends upon the strengthening of effort, and a boosting of such effort so often arises when the spirit of common enterprise promotes joy in the individual.

Also the power of accomplishment is significantly dependent upon enlisting the cooperative support and practical help of others, as best exemplified by the communal practice of house raising – or barn raising – the normal activity of rural American communities.

People are generally like this; they have an indomitable spirit of cooperation in everyday matters that binds them together into a strong survival unit.

One’s sense of wellbeing derives from this. There is sure dependency that family and friends will rally round in an emergency in the normal and completely trustworthy spirit of helpfulness.

Within this seemingly mundane pragmatism is hidden a truly spiritual aspect. One subsumes personal preferences and agendas to the greater good of the whole – the shared sense of unity that arises during such activities.

Living in the physical world presents constant challenges that press us to get to grips with quite compelling realities.  The naiveté of youth comes head to head with the harsh truth of having to keep the wolf from the door. Whatever we have as a visionary life strategy will fail if it is impractical.

To learn how it all works means that we have not to be self-obsessed. That is a luxury of childhood, and simply will not do for a viable independent adult life. The ability to relate to others properly is a survival requirement; it demands that we take into account the words and needs of our friends and neighbours.

Through these interactions we are tested to hold on to our essential goodness and innocence, at all costs affirming lightness of being when cynicism threatens. If we place reliance upon our own ability to do this, then in turn others will come to rely upon us that we will always hold up a candle rather than fear and blame the darkness.

Each single interaction with each and every person in each particular moment is of consequence. On some mysterious level, a pulse is energized by all aspects of our lives, a vibration which goes out and re-echoes throughout eternity. In this way we come to know something of our immortality. In essence, nothing that was ever alive can ever die, even on the level of thought and feeling.

So we raise our light to the outer world; this is done not only to proclaim but also to remember. We have to overcome fear or reluctance to show of our light, since by showing it we keep it alive and even influence others to keep their light shining. A lighted candle touches our sense of sacred, it cheers and inspires people.

The main thing in all this is to know how to raise even mundane connections with situations and people hidden beneath the dross of everyday life there can be found gold: a higher meaning that is evidence of the universal, eternal, all-pervasive, nature of spirit. It rises to the surface whenever two or more people engage with as much sensitivity to the other’s viewpoint as to their own values.

The inner experience of such interactions can awaken our awareness of another reality; it is ever-present yet rarely invoked: the sense of transcendence. This aspect of life, though entirely natural and ever accessible, is nonetheless non-ordinary.  The highest within us connects to the highest there is, and for a few moments we get a sense of the interconnectedness of all things throughout eternity.

A stable and fulfilling life requires us to develop and maintain loyalties. Without this, our need to demonstrate devotion is thwarted. And yet such loyalties are all too easily misplaced and need continual reappraisal.

From time to time it is meaningful and healthy to show where our loyalties lie. Such display is the authentic externalization of an inner truth, which could never even be known clearly were it not made obvious in public.

Our very individuality has no definition except as it is framed by the general background of what society holds as having value. It is irrelevant to a cat what you wear or say at an embassy ball, although to yourself and the other guests these things define you.

How you choose to behave eventually comes down to what has practical worth. A meaningful series of choices is arrived at by process of trial and error. To make this possible we have to discard what amounts to meaningless shows of conformity.

 Civilization evolves within the creative tension held between the haves and have-nots. Whereas high-achievers may feel the need for recognition and reward in order to be motivated to their highest efforts to raise society, should this degenerate to a smug demand for privilege, then corruption and decay will soon follow.

 The politics of exploitation are disguised with empty words, false smiles and crocodile tears. If there is to be justice and the general sense of well being that goes with it, then those of privilege must prioritize the use of their resources with good conscience.

One influences collective morality by demonstrating that one’s own life is stable. Any allegiances formed openly in the mistaken folly of youthful permissiveness are appropriately re-evaluated and corrected with the guidance of one’s own informed imagination.

It is good to notice any urge that we may feel to interfere in the private affairs of others, because this inclination speaks of our lack of appropriate self-centredness. We must develop inner control to contain ourselves and resist inappropriate concern for others’ business; otherwise confusion and diminished will results. 

Nevertheless, all affairs interconnect. It is the function of genius to expand awareness of the interconnectedness between distinct things. The outer dimension of all things forms a network, while the inner depth is beyond reach, having a transcendent quality.

It requires a significant degree of attachment to connect with what is meaningful in a thing, because everyday living is complex. To grasp meaning through the fog of this complexity is beyond mind; it requires feelings also.

What emerges is the power of realization. This fills the gaps between things with the magnetism of awareness. It is then also seen that there is a link between all phases of existence. Therefore neither time nor space can separate things in essence, although of course in appearance they do.

With a vision of self, expanded throughout eternity and connected to all forms, self-specialization is the only refuge and the only wisdom. If we try to be everything, then we are nothing, we have no substance, so we use the force of will to become something in particular – and we do that by focusing on the appearances of what occurs to us and forming our identity around that connection.

Maturity expresses itself through the practical application of the principle: that higher intelligence is responsible for lower. Therefore we serve those who have not our degree of awareness and we demonstrate this universality of involvement with compassion.

In turn, as lesser we serve higher; we take our place in the greater scheme with equal exaltation that we are participating in the Mystery. It is of no consequence whether master or slave because both depend upon the other for self-identification.
 

We may try, through modesty or caution, to veil the mystery of our being, yet the truth will out. In essence, nothing remains forever hidden, so ultimately our value and our values must bubble to the surface and be revealed.

Humans are friendly by nature; it shows in how we respond to others and to animals. So, try as we might to hold our clench, there are social forces that charm us into dramatizing our inner need for sharing.

Acquiescence is not self-betrayal when it reveals wisdom and promotes harmony: it is a giving of the heart. If wisdom is stubborn then it is not wisdom, and should not be accorded much value.

The core of oneself must be revealed in order to be examined for authenticity. Everyday life is certain to push us to dramatize inner truths, so that we come to be seen for who we are. All illusion is exposed.

What dresses-up our essential being is the veil of personality. It is magical, and has an uncanny ability to conjure up the exact circumstances of our lives. This is charm. With its powerful grace, desire is realized.

Such a power is constant temptation. We can so easily become confused and misinterpret our indiscriminate attraction towards taboo pleasures as a revelation of a deeper truth, whereas actually we have simply lost the connection to essence-self.

In the end we learn that nothing is ever truly hidden. Yet nothing can ever be truly revealed. So we employ simple things to deal with great and complex obstacles, a smile that turns enemy to friend.

Consciousness evolves through the eternal conflict between principle and practice. We have ideals, which are the sum total of our best dreams, and yet the journey from conception through birth to fruitful realization is fraught. Our dreams are challenged for authenticity; are they true? Our identity is shaped; are we sincere?

 The highest within us seeks far and wide to locate its place in the world. The quest takes us to many strange and wonderful locations, where we have to take on some of the thoughts and attitudes of strangers to discover whether it feels right to be part of their world. This journey of discovery is the external circumstances of our lives.

Inwardly we come to know that we will only be at peace when we reconcile the centre of our chosen world with the centre of self. This centre is called the heart, and is the heart. When we find a place that continually and deeply touches the heart, then we have located our world. The central axis of this world is then entirely in alignment with the heart.

When this is achieved, we find ourselves to be the central nucleus within our group. We have influence and are seen as the pulse, a constant rhythmic force of appropriate movement that inspires those who orbit around us, who are perhaps unconsciously looking for guidance. We can fulfil this role with integrity because we know how to develop charisma through being aware of the heart centre.

Virgin birth is quintessentially an image of creating our own lives out of visions rather than reactions or responses to external input. If we lead our circle with borrowed ideas, then the charismatic force is not optimized. We learn to trust that the heart knows the voice of the soul better than the mind, and strike decisively on the group’s behalf when inspiration instructs us.

The responsibility for a group is not at all comfortable for the soul, whose essence is freedom and who rebels against any constriction. Hence we see the need for the group’s visionary heart to be in alignment with our soul’s, as a further expression of our own vision rather than a compromise. It is in this way that the soul learns to refine itself and so evolve.

Any inclination that spirit may have towards escapism is evidence of a lack of responsibility. Escape into our true heart-centre is a spiritual liberation that needs no excuse, whereas escapism is rebellious against a more powerful master. Anarchy at its highest level is the enlightened behaviour of a self-realized being that needs no master. 

We demonstrate true allegiance not to causes similar to ours, but to causes that actually define us, and there is but one cause that defines us completely – it is our own life. Our own domain is the circumstances of our life, and we approach that domain as does a king expressing sovereignty.

Central to the understandings of wisdom is the key mystery – that there is nothing outside us other than a reflection of what is inside us. Life is a mirror, nothing more, nothing less. Some take on this knowledge as a burden of responsibility, and feel chastened as their awareness is drawn to their imperfections.

Others feel the gift that goes along with this, and appreciate the inherent promise that all developments in self-knowledge must necessarily be met by improvement in one’s life situation.

Full of self-confidence, one can then put aside futile concepts of good fortune or bad fortune as though the gods were dealing our hand. We get what we deserve, we get what we are ready to handle, and it is we who call it up.

The world of imagination is powerful; it is what we imagine that comes to pass. This mystery is hinted at in the fairy king imagery. Yes we do have a considerable measure of control over our future circumstance and, on the deepest level, complete control. Yet it requires that we are capable of focussing the imaginative creative mind passionately and consistently and in detail upon something that has never before existed – something we desire, and not anything else. Quite a challenge!

Such creative power has its dangers, especially in a poorly disciplined mind. Free will allows us to call up dragons as well as fairies! We must be careful who and what to offer allegiance, and neither to be fearful nor self-indulgent; both are wasteful and lead to a poverty of joy.

With practice, understanding and experience, a highly developed person will know that what they choose must come into form – when inner vision becomes clear and expectation of fulfilment becomes normal, then great achievements are realised. This person becomes hugely successful in the world.