EXPERIENCE, EXPRESSION, EXPANSION

We would do well to think of ourselves as being more than just a little human being.

Upon the earlier stages of the evolutionary path, the spirit of man is the source of the exhalation which brings the soul into being upon the physical plane. In this process of breathing out, spirit focusses itself as a centre of experience in higher mental matter. We call this point of focus the soul, or the Observer. In its turn, the soul continues in this process of exhalation initiated by spirit. The energy sent forth from the soul forms centres of experience in the three worlds through the process of appropriation of material or substance: these are the physical, emotional and mental equipment with which we are all endowed. Through these centres, experience is gained, the life process is intensified, the range of experience through contact with an ever-widening environment becomes possible, leading to successive expansions in consciousness. The field of soul influence is thus steadily enlarged.

What makes this elucidation so very difficult for present-day man to accept is the fact that the Law of rebirth is not yet recognised scientifically or among the intelligent individuals of the human race. There is a widespread failure to recognise the underlying cause responsible for the appearance of incarnated beings in the physical world. The origin of Man and his true purpose remain largely unconsidered as he is studied only from the angle of one short life. Until Man is integrated into time . . . and until the Law of Rebirth is admitted as the most likely hypothesis, there will be no real understanding of the process of evolution, of the relationship of individuals, and the nature of the unfoldment of his equipment . . . The soul is the identity which is time-conscious in the true sense of the word and views the (long) period of (repeated) manifestations as a whole, gaining thus a sense of proportion, an understanding of values and an inner sense of synthesis. Knowledge is gained in each lifetime as the soul integrates into a changing environment, and wisdom comes in time as the experiencing soul arrives at a comprehensive awareness of the entire field of knowledge.