"Don't play loose and fast with this study; don't flirt with it, because by doing so one does himself a grievous injury. Seek, inquire and read in order to measure yourself for readiness for effort, but once entering the course, be sincere and genuine...
If students and followers of the School of the Natural Order were devotees of truth, lovers of wisdom, as a man of 'the world' is a lover of money, then that truth, that wisdom would be sufficiently valued to sustain effort; for only intense love of wisdom will carry a student or disciple on toward the goal. If it were not for the fact that religious attitudes are, for the greater part, based in the emotional-psychic nature, we would think that a religious attitude born of faith, consecration, love and devotion would fortify the religious devotee and carry him on to the goal of perfected being. But a higher level and therefore truer religious attitude would have to be maintained, separate and apart from many of the organized churches, on the grounds that association with an organized church (as here indicated) would bring the individual into the group influence thereof. In the vast majority of such cases this influence would be concerned mainly with social problems, Aristotelian concepts of morality, efforts to increase membership, economic pressures and the raising of money for this and that to say nothing of the doctrines of blood atonement, objectified pictures of heaven, hell, etc. dogmas anent "resurrection of the flesh", the insistence upon "belief", the conception of 'revealed' knowledge as authoritative, showmanship, pageantry, etc., with its vulgar appeal, the hypnotic influence of hymn singing, etc.
For many, the true religious attitude could be better maintained outdoors in the open sky and air, in the presence of rocks and crags, in the woods, by running waters and with woodland creatures around and about, whereas it would be exceedingly difficult to maintain this true religious attitude in the gloomy confines of these brick and concrete structures called churches.
The object in view (union with the Master-self as an individualized field of Mother-substance activated by a Positive Power, with subsequent expansion of consciousness of Self into that state we label universalized Self of Logos) must be justly appraised, the necessity and reasons for its achievement correctly judged, and the results to be gained most earnestly desired. A student must have an intense love and/or determination before he will make that sufficiently strong effort which will give him hold upon the method of leading to control of the modifications of Mind and, subsequently, upon his entire real nature. A half-hearted attitude will not be sufficient to stabilize the effort. We believe that where an individual is fortified by intense love or desire for true knowledge, the creative forces of will are aroused and become an irresistible urge to sustained effort. When that urge is once developed or aroused, one may be able to relax from the intense love or determination required in the early stage of his development because the force of the awakened urge will carry him on. When his appreciation is true and his ability is such that he goes forward with the work of direction and control without cessation, then the times will come when he will know consciously and increasingly the real meaning of restrain respecting modifications of Mind....
"One attached to the lower three worlds through identification therewith can only free himself from them by transforming his semantic evaluations and reactions thereto, not by withdrawal from them. When one runs away from a 'thing' or 'condition' he has tied himself irrevocably to it; for he not only takes his state of consciousness with him, but he has intensified that state by giving such strong value to the 'thing', 'condition', etc which caused the running away.
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