The race longs for spiritual development; the soul desires it. You have long held ideals that you wish would come true. You have held ideals that do not relate to the daily life, that do not relate to business or politics or world affairs, -ideals that are in addition to those of your home, your family, your friends; in other words, ideals of your own spiritual consciousness -the desire to be at peace within yourself and at one with God.
Spiritual Consciousness completes life; it gives life the true balance, the balance of knowing both its actuality and its spirituality. Spiritual Consciousness is a condition -a condition of being consciously in touch not only with all other souls but with Cosmic Consciousness -with God, Divine Mind, The Infinite, Principle -anything you wish to name it. It is not recognition, nor acceptance, nor faith. It is not a thought of nor about God. It is consciousness -knowing God. Certainly, I'd not write a word on how to attain Spiritual Consciousness if I thought you were looking for a means of attaining a sort of non-active state of etherealized super-holiness.
The aim of all religion and idealistic thought is to extend the scope of life, -to get in closer touch with and be more responsive to The Infinite. This gives the keynote of the process by which we attain spiritual consciousness -making ourselves more responsive.
Responsiveness necessitates likeness, for only like qualities or conditions respond one to another. The vibration of one string of a violin produces a responsive vibration only in a string or wire or vibrating body capable of vibrating to a like note. Even seemingly contrasting people are drawn to each other by those qualities of soul that are common -although perhaps unconsciously common.
Intelligences of individuals differ much more than their love-natures. The ignorant peasant knows love as deep and pure and noble as the best-schooled man or woman of the world. Love is the great common denominator of Man and God. Hence consciousness of universal love is the first step in attainment of spiritual consciousness.
But love's spiritual nature is not personal, hence the method must idealize it -eliminate personality -use the process that has been idealized in all the past for the three great unselfish manifestations of love -love of home, love of country, and love of God. These have been most idealized before the fire: the hearth-fire, the campfire, and the altar-fire.
No matter what the bickering of the day, the annoyances and disturbances, the disagreements, and perhaps even the quarrels, -they all disappear when the family gathers about the open hearth-fire. Little by little conversation ceases -which means that thought ceases -and the vague consciousness of universal love permeates each, taking each in his reveries to the very borderland of spiritual consciousness. So also around the campfire of the army.
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No matter what the friction of the day between officers and men, or the discontent, or the horrors of the struggle, -they disappear, and the same vague consciousness of universal love quiets the men, and takes them also to the borderland.
And the same is true -perhaps to a greater extent -before the altar-fire. One cannot attain spiritual consciousness by thinking. Thinking is mind activity; the mind reaches out into all the world in search of new impressions and new ideas to be taken within itself and treasured up for its own use. Its activity is toward the self, -therefore selfish.
Love is emotion, it is a moving out, its nature is to give. Its activity is away from the self, -therefore un-self-ish. Unselfishness is not attained by selfishness, -therefore thinking, thought, or thought affirmations will not awaken a consciousness of universal love. Moreover, thinking, thought and thought affirmations prevent the attainment of spiritual knowing and establish instead thoughts about spiritual consciousness.
The first step, then, is to quiet thought; the second, to awaken universal love by the most idealized process of all the ages, -and that is idealization before the fire. You know the effects -whether before the open-fire in the home or the campfire in the woods. First, you cease to think -conversation lags, then stops -and the body relaxes. Second, daily troubles vanish, and a kindly attitude and an indefinite contentment come to you; Third, there comes not a conscious but a super-conscious condition, beginning with reverie; and then all thought ceases, and since all thought has ceased you are not even conscious that it has ceased; until -Fourth, with a start, you come back to yourself, -that is, back to mental consciousness. But you have been on the borderland of spiritual consciousness.
Continued, before the open-fire -impersonally the most idealized process of all times -the super-conscious state soon becomes illuminated and spiritual consciousness is attained. Awakened in this way, it does not unfit one for the daily work of life; it becomes the balance -the proper balance of Cosmic Realization and Practical Life.
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