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The posture of man in meditation is examined. Among those who would meditate upon God are men of action and diligence as well as men of sloth and carelessness. The men of action and diligence may prefer to meditate in the upright posture - alert, awake, and alive. Men of sloth or of waning strength may have little choice in the matter; and they, perhaps, will wish to meditate lying down.
Heaven is not concerned, and therefore man should be concerned only with results. Good results are achieved while sitting up. The use of a blanket or a piece of silk in the chair of meditation will, of course, act as an insulator against intruding vibrations, if the supplicant is careful to select one of the color rays indicated in my first discourse on meditation. A stick of pleasant incense or floral fragrance may help to clear the atmosphere of undesirable odors. Music may be used or dispensed with, according to the inclination of the meditator.
Prayers or decrees can be used prior to the period of meditation. The ascended masters know that for mankind, caught as they are in the snares of human feelings and thoughts, a decree session given in full voice before the meditation period will serve to insulate, to protect, and to harmonize the four lower bodies so that each lifestream can be best prepared to receive the fruits of his own meditation.
It should be understood that at inner levels, according to the teachings of the Great White Brotherhood, a period of meditation is regarded as a journey into the temple. We call this temple the Temple Most Holy; and it is, in a very real sense, the laboratory of the Spirit.
Man is dual. His Higher Self is created in the divine image and it abides in perfection. The lower self, with its personality complexes, its subconscious forcefield - cause, effect, record, and memory - is a maze of intricate and disturbing arrangements. Yet within this id, or "identity-density," must be anchored the bond upon which God depends for the climactic fulfillment of individual creation and the final raising of the individual into union with his Real Self.
This concept may be a bit difficult for some to understand. I would suggest, rather than reject it because it does not fit a specific dogma, that each chela who cannot fully accept or understand it "put it on a shelf" (as he ought to learn to do about many things he cannot accept at first) until his understanding has improved. Thus his steps on the spiritual path will not become strewn with stones of rejection which he must eventually retrace and pick up, one by one, in order to complete his journey.
Let us make clear that it is the dual nature of man that must be harmonized. Let us outline that labor in the Temple Most Holy is needed in order to prove and to improve the relationship of the individual to the Higher Self. Are men irreligious? Are they lacking in faith? Are they bored with life's experiences? Let them learn to travel the most thrilling pathway of the ascent - the ascent through meditation upon the Christ consciousness above and upon the Divine Presence above.
That which is below must enter the Temple Most Holy. It must come as it is. The outer faculties must first be cleansed and charged with the vibrations of the higher so that you may enter the temple, but the transfiguration of the whole man cannot take place all at once. And so you must come as you are, with all of your errors, mistakes, misconceptions, and negative vibrations. You must come intending to correct these outer conditions, to bring them into harmony with the Divine. You must recognize that each meditation period is intended to enfold you in the character of God, and this brings us to the most important point of all.
In order to avoid the awful sin of unrighteousness which can be the worst hindrance to the disciple on the Path, you must learn (1) to accept the character of the Most High God as your own, and (2) to do so without the overpowering sense of pride that lords it over those who have not thus learned to identify with God. You are among the fortunate few to whom is given the knowledge of the path of meditation and holy prayer. You are able to enter the temple of the Brotherhood where you can serve to surround yourselves with the nature of God; but you must not, you dare not, let a sense of loftiness, of an ivory tower, take hold of your consciousness.
Yours is the mission of the Christ, the lowly Nazarene carpenter. Yours is the role of the humble child in the crèche. You may be surrounded by adoring ministrants - the angelic hosts, cosmic beings, ascended masters, your own Holy Christ Self, the great God Presence - but your recognition among men may be so little that they may even spit upon you. You must be willing, then, to endure any suffering for Christ's sake, for God's sake, and for man's sake.
Your meditation must be for one sole purpose - in order that the beauty of the Divine may come into manifestation within you, that the Higher Image may surround you, and that you may literally become that image. This is the highest teaching which God can impart to man before opening the portal of reality and Self-awareness. Know, then, that each thought that unduly lifts up the self is your worst enemy and that meditation is best accomplished by clearly understanding its purpose. The purpose of meditation, I repeat, is that God above may manifest in man below - as above, so below.
If it is truly God who manifests below, there will be no room in your being for the sin of self-seeking, the desire for achievement, recognition, or competition with others among men. You will know that the strength of divine unity in the body of God upon earth is the requirement of the hour; and you will know by their fruits that those who claim to be great teachers, great leaders, great souls, gurus, and ministers of righteousness - who foster the sin of separation from mankind, who exalt themselves into positions of fame and fortune - are often in danger of having their works burned by the great transmuting fires of the law.
Make no unnecessary karma in your meditations, but learn the path of humility which will make you great because you already are. This is the greatness that you share with every son of God on earth and in the universe. It is the greatness of the light itself which belongs to all. It does not weaken your joint-heirship with the Christ to share it with the mass of illumined believers. It can only strengthen it; for each son of God who attains his perfect reunion with God and his manifestation of God, fulfilling the command "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," is also enriching the borders of God's kingdom upon the planet.1
How men individually need this, I say! How the world needs it, the Brotherhood reiterates! Meditation, then, can be a delight; but you must school yourself to understand that the Brotherhood is concerned not only with manifestations of high states of consciousness, but also with the consciousness of service. This has been dramatized in the ideal of the Bodhisattva.2
Not all are called or elected to the same office. Each year a certain number of individuals ascend from this planet under the auspices of beloved Serapis Bey of Luxor, Egypt; yet not all candidates for the ascension are destined for Luxor this year. Each year a certain number of individuals attain to the state of nirvana. Each year a certain number of individuals are healed of dire conditions. Each year so many are raised a step in initiation, and each year so many are given their first initiation into the spiritual hierarchy.
Preparation for progress is needed at all costs, and the suggestions we are making in this series on prayer and meditation are for the expansion of the soul's awareness of God. The Master Jesus said in his final embodiment, "They that be whole need not a physician." Those of you who already know all of these things and do them need not be reminded.3
We remind that you may live the more abundant life. We teach new things from day to day; and we clothe the old mysteries in a more palatable form in the hopes that men who on this planet seek to magnify the good in life and pray that nature and nature's God may be made visible unto all will be willing to make any necessary changes in their lives and to accept any new hint from our octave. Thus it is our prayer that the universal love of God may increasingly release men from error's bane, blight, and pain and lift them to the golden sun again.