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l relation has been established between the Divine Spirit and the individual soul； one of absolute confidence and personal intercourse。 This does not require any departure from the general law of the universe； but is due to that specializing of the law through the presentation of special conditions personal to the individual； of which I have spoken before。 But all the time there has been no change in the Universal Spirit； the only change has been in the mental attitude of the individualhe has come into a new thought； a clearer perception of God。 He has faced the questions； What is God？ Where is God？ How does God work？ and he has found the answer in the apostolic statement that God is 〃over all； through all； and in all；〃 and he realises that 〃God〃 is the root of his （the individual's） own being； ever present IN him； ever working THROUGH him； and universally present around him。
This realization of the true relation between the Originating Spirit and the individual mind is what is esoterically spoken of as the Mystical Marriage in which the two have ceased to be separate and have become one。 As a matter of fact they always were one； but since we can apprehend things only from the stand…point of our own consciousness； it is our recognition of the fact that makes it a practical reality for ourselves。 But an intelligent recognition will never make a confusion of the two parts of which the whole consists； and will never lead the individual to suppose that he is handling a blind force or that a blind force is handling him。 He will neither dethrone God； nor lose himself by absorption in deity； but he will recognize the reciprocity of the Divine and the human as the natural and logical outcome of the essential conditions of the creative process。
And what is the Whole which is thus created？ It is our conscious PERSONALITY； and therefore whatever we draw from the Universal Spirit acquires in us the quality of personality。 It is that process of differentiation of the universal into the particular of which I have so often spoken； which； by a rude analogy； we may compare to the differentiation of the universal electric fluid into specific sorts of power by its passage through suitable apparatus。 It is for this reason that relatively to ourselves the Universal Spirit must necessarily assume a personal aspect； and that the aspect which it will assume will be in exact correspondence with our own conception of it。 This is in accordance with mental and spiritual laws inherent in our own being； and it is on this account that the Bible seeks to build up our conception of God on such lines as will set us free from all fear of evil； and thus leave us at liberty to use the creative power of our thought affirmatively from the stand…point of a calm and untroubled mind。 This stand…point can only be reached by passing beyond the range of the happenings of the moment； and this can only be done by the discovery of our immediate relation to the undifferentiated source of all good。 I lay stress on these words 〃immediate〃 and 〃undifferentiated〃 because in them is contained the secret of the whole position。 If we could not draw immediately from the Universal Spirit our receiving would be subject to the limitations of the channel through which it reached us； and if the force which we receive were not undifferentiated in itself it could not take appropriate form in our own minds and become to each of us just what we require it to be。 It is this power of the human soul to differentiate limitlessly from the Infinite that we are apt to overlook； but as we come to realize that the soul is itself a reflection and image of the Infinite Spiritand a clear recognition of the cosmic creative process shows that it cannot be anything elsewe find that it must possess this power； and that…in fact it is our possession of this power which is the whole raison d'etre of the creative process： if the human soul did not possess an unlimited power of differentiation from the Infinite； then the Infinite would not be reflected in it； and consequently the Infinite Spirit would find no outlet for its CONSCIOUS recognition of itself as the Life； Love； and Beauty which it is。 We can never too deeply ponder the old esoteric definition of Spirit as 〃the Power which knows itself〃： the secret of all things； past； present； and future is contained in these few words。 The self …recognition or self…contemplation of Spirit is the primary movement out of which all creation proceeds； and the attainment in the individual of a fresh centre for self…recognition is what the Spirit GAINS in the processthis GAIN accruing to the Spirit is what is referred to in the parables where the lord is represented as receiving increase from his servants。
When the individual perceives this relation between himself and Infinite Spirit； he finds that he has been raised from a position of slavery to one of reciprocity。 The Spirit cannot do without him any more than he can do without the Spirit： the two are as necessary to each other as the two poles of an electric battery。 The Spirit is the unlimited essence of Love； Wisdom； and Power； all three in one undifferentiated and waiting to be differentiated by APPROPRIATION； that is； by the individual CLAIMING to be the channel of their differentiation。 It only requires the claim to be made with the recognition that by the Law of Being it is bound to be answered； and the right feeling； the right seeing； and the right working for the particular matter we have in hand will flow in quite naturally。 Our old enemies； doubt and fear； may seek to bring us back under bondage to Baali； but our new stand…point for the recognition of the All…originating Spirit as being absolutely unified with ourselves must always be kept resolutely in mind； for； short of this； we are not working on the creative levelwe are creating； indeed； for we can never divest ourselves of our creative power； but we are creating in the image of the old limiting and destructive conditions； and this is merely perpetuating the cosmic Law of Averages； which is just what the individual has to rise superior to。 The creative level is where new laws begin to manifest themselves in a new order of conditions； something transcending our past experiences and thus bringing about a real advance； for it is no advance only to go on in the same old round even if we kept at it for centuries： it is the steady go…ahead nature of the Spirit that has made the world of to…day an improvement upon the world of the pterodactyl and the icthiosaurus； and we must look for the same forward movement of the Spirit from its new starting…point in ourselves。
Now it is this special； personal； and individual relation of the Spirit to ourselves which is typified by the names Ishi and Hephzibah。 From this stand…point we may say that as the individual wakes up to the oneness with the Spirit； the Spirit wakes up to the same thing。 It becomes conscious of itself through the consciousness of the individual； and thus is solved the paradox of individual self…recognition by the Universal Spirit； without which no new…creative power could be exercised and all things would continue to proceed in the old merely cosmic order。 It is of course true that in the merely generic order the Spirit must be present in every form of Life； as the Master pointed out when He said that not a sparrow falls to the ground without 〃the Father。〃 But as the sparrows He alluded to had been shot and were on sale at a price which shows that this was the fate of a good many of them； we see here precisely that stage of manifestation where the Spirit has not woke up to individual self…recognition； and remains at the lower level of self…recognition； that of the generic or race…spirit。 The Master's comment； 〃Ye are of more value than many sparrows〃 points out this difference： in us the generic creation has reached the level which affords the conditions for the waking up of the Spirit to self…recognition in the Individual。
And we must bear in mind that all this is perfectly natural。 There is no posing or straining after effect about it。 If YOU have to pump up the Life； who is going to put the Life into you to pump it？ Therefore it is spontaneous or nothing。 That is why the Bible speaks of it as the free gift of God。 It cannot be anything else。 You cannot originate the originating force； it must originate you： but what you can do is to distribute it。 Therefore immediately you experience any sense of friction be sure there is something wrong somewhere； and since God can never change； you may be sure that the friction is being caused by some error in your own thinkingyou are limiting the Spirit in some way： set to work to find out what it is。 It is always LIMITING the Spirit that does this。 You are tying it down to conditions somewhere； saying it is bound by reason of some existing forms。 The remedy is to go back to the original starting point of the Cosmic Creation and ask； Where were the pre…existing forms that dictated to the Spirit then？ Then because the Spirit never changes it is STILL THE SAME； and is just as independent of existing conditions now as it was in the beginning； and so we must pass over all existing conditions； however apparently adverse； and go straight to the Spirit as the ori