The Trials Of Life

The burden of life often presses hard upon us, destroying the harmony and peace of our minds and consciousness, bringing anxiety, worry, and sometimes despair.

These trials, although difficult to bear, are often necessary for us, since in our desire for greater things in life we cause an inner reaction to be brought into effect. The trial seems like a setback, yet it really is an opportunity to learn an important lesson and remove an obstacle to our desired attainment. It is often necessary to remove these obstacles, attitudes of mind, and ways of living in order to pave the way for greater progress, thus enabling us to attain our visualized ideals.

However, we so often blame other people for our difficulties and problems that we fail to realize that our personal Karma is teaching us a valuable lesson needed at this time. If we can see beyond the frustration, we will see the wisdom of the Cosmic working in our behalf even though we may be somewhat wounded.

We therefore provoke our own problems by our desires for improvement. Yet our negative thoughts make the lesson more difficult to bear, and if we would allow our consciousness to become attuned within, permitting the inner self to express itself, we would more clearly see the wisdom within our daily trials.

Life demands that we grow in every way: mentally, psychically, and spiritually. We must develop our full potential as human beings so as to use these gifts for the benefit of ourselves and others. There is a perfect ideal for man to reach in life, and the Cosmic directs, guides, and urges us along the path to attain this ideal. Life is a school, and we are all pupils undergoing training and a purposeful discipline in it. No experience in our lives is insignificant. Each change and experience always has a purpose in moulding our character and bringing forward various latent aspects of our personality.

Within the Divine Consciousness is held the perfect pattern of that to which we should evolve. Each experience and each change we pass through is part of the Cosmic’s plan to lead and guide us toward that perfect pattern. Like the rose in full bloom whose each and every petal must unfold, every one of our faculties and abilities must be developed.

Life, which can be so beautiful, is often a burden difficult to bear because our thoughts are turning on a spiral of self-interest. We think of our own needs, our own feelings, and our own desires. Such thoughts bring little, if any, comfort. Yet when we turn our thoughts within, and express our love to the God of our Hearts and our love for family and friends, we will find that our thoughts are suddenly uplifted and a new awareness has begun to awaken in our hearts and minds. We will no longer be so concerned about our own desires and our problems; rather we will find satisfaction in sending and thinking good thoughts about others.

The time has come for man to seek a new and better way of life, one that will bring real satisfaction and peace of mind. It has always been close at hand and readily available to all who would seek within. But only the few have chosen to travel this path to a greater realization of the meaning of life. The fascination with the pursuit of pleasure has been the tempter which has kept the masses of people from ever seeking that which is their natural birthright.

The realization of a greater and more significant meaning of life’s values is a refreshing change on the world scene. It reveals a growth of spiritual consciousness in the lives of increasing numbers of people who have come to see the fallacy and limitations of the pursuit of materialism. There is a growing realization that life’s great values must be more enduring than the empty satisfaction which the material life brings.

Once the trend becomes an accepted way of life, it will strongly influence the rest of humanity. Our interest in the mystical life can have an influence in the lives of others if we learn to radiate love, harmony, and peace of mind in our thinking. If we set a high standard for our own behaviour at all times, it will prove to be a great blessing to all those with whom we come in contact.

As we attune our thoughts each day with the divine consciousness within, we allow the spiritual forces to guide our lives and activities. A love of life grows and develops and we see our influence change the lives of others. Love, the law that makes all things possible, will allow to see our occasional trials as an aspect of the divine growth that is taking place within us. We will thus have the assurance that the Cosmic is always present, guiding and urging us to adjust to the present time.

- (extracted from the article The Trials of Life by Robert E. Daniels) 

The Scope Of Evolvement

The forces of nature continues to function regardless of what man may do. The seasons of the year, the rotation of the earth, and the various changes that take place in our immediate surroundings became the function of what we call natural laws. The effect of these forces are inevitable. Therefore we are placed in the position of working with these forces or being swept along by them.

As man accumulated knowledge and experience, man began to grow in his understanding of certain natural laws and forces that were previously unexplainable. The general growth in understanding and use of knowledge can be generally classified as evolvement.

We do not know when man first began to try to understand his environment. We do know the process of evolvement is still taking place. Man is still attempting to explain the manifestation of certain universal laws. There still exists a vast area of the unknown.

Evolvement is an aim of life. Whether we are dealing with the physical world and the physical characteristics of man, or with the transcendental world commonly known as the world of the spirit and the psychic make up of man, evolvement is one word which we can apply toward man’s attempt to gain in the understanding and adjustment to an area previously unknown to him.

Life evolves step by step, taking on characteristics in each step of the process. We face many choices of the evolvement process through which we pass. The choices are many, and the living organism faces such a variety of choices in the process of evolution that it would be difficult to determine in advance how the evolutionary process might proceed.

Life is an evolutionary process, and life will continue to change, be modified and affected by external environment and by the process of life itself.

Evolution continues because it is a manifestation of the life force itself as expressed in matter, on the other hand, psychic evolvement is a volitional process.

The mature individual today begins to reflect upon his place in life and in the universe and tries to determine the meaning of all that he experiences and learns, thereby making his consciousness a more important factor of his existence than his physical body or any physical functions.

In developing physically, we develop the attributes to realize that the physical world, the entire universe and all of its laws and manifestations are, in the final analysis, only vehicles which we temporarily use in order to evolve our physic consciousness and gain awareness of the soul.

Life sprang from the Divine, and when it consciously realizes its divine nature it will return to the Absolute and be a part of it. Man is a god-like entity who can communicate with the Divine and reunite himself with it. Evolvement, then is man’s reaching out to become a part of the Divine about which he is entitled to know more and to experience fully. Since psychic development is a volitional process – a decision that man can make – will man evolve, or will he let the experience of life and the greed to possess the physical world overwhelm him so that the evolutionary process will have to continue until such time as life may express itself in a form capable of realizing its divine nature and divine origin?

Those mystics aware of the reality of the psychic world have reached degrees of peace and understanding expressed in their writings and which they try to pass on to their fellow men. This degree of peace, harmony, and a profound satisfaction in their relationship to divine forces is what man can look at for the moment as his aim of evolvement. It is through our understanding of mysticism that we can work to become truly at one with the Divine. 

- Author Unknown 

Timeless Transiency

Philosophers and mystics have realized for themselves that nothing is permanent or changeless except the law of change itself.

What is good? It is the opposite to what we consider to be bad. Can we describe or experience good without knowledge of its opposite condition? Try to realize any positive concept without consideration of its opposite! We cannot because of the law of duality, the manifestation of which is the operation of the law of change. It is the constant and permanent swing of the pendulum between positive and negative or the eternal opposites.

The law is timeless but its manifestation is transiency.

Once we have understood the law of change we can and should develop hope, aspiration, tolerance, and patience. Remember, nothing is, but everything is becoming. The severe tests and disappointments of today are actually the preparatory stages for our blissful and rewarding moments of tomorrow – if we realize and accept them as such today. The vast majority of us, lacking vision and perspective, resent and reject our negative cycles as being some undeserved punishment inflicted upon us. And so we prolong or intensify our unpleasant experiences unnecessarily. We, too, must change according to the law.

Admittedly, accepting the negative or ‘down’ side of life is not always easy. Probably it is intended to be thus, for the very unpleasantness of it give birth to hope and aspiration, visualization and planning to change conditions toward the positive cycle. We are never subjected to more of the negative conditions than we can withstand. Whenever physical suffering becomes more than the body and mind can tolerate, nature has provided us with blessed unconsciousness. When mental torment becomes unbearable, nature induces a psychological block to conceal the source of aggravation from our objective and reasoning mind. 

Take comfort in the fact that there can be no positive unless there is a negative; there is no good, except as compared with evil. How can we recognize happiness unless we have experienced sadness? We reach or attain success from what? The pendulum must swing. The swinging is timeless; the extremes of the swing are transient.

In striving toward self-mastery we would do well to ponder upon certain basic and fundamental principles. Time is a man-made invention or concept. Certainly it is a great convenience in regulating our lives so long as we do not permit time to control us. Time is relative to the situation in which we measure it. If we are waiting, it drags; if we are very busy, it races. Actually it does neither except as we measure it against our activity. 

In a similar manner we measure our happy and pleasurable moments in life as being very brief and our less happy, learning, and adjusting periods in life as being very long and tedious. They are neither except as we measure them and experience them. Our consolation is the inevitable law of change. Whatever conditions we experience – good or bad – life will change. With sufficient evolvement and accumulated wisdom we will realize that the duality of experience is all-beneficent in the long run.

If we remember that the law of change functions in both directions we shall be able to maintain equilibrium and tranquillity in our lives. Realize that the positive and negative are simply two aspects of the same thing. Monotony would be a curse. The law of change blesses us with its timeless transiency.

- Extracted from the article Times Transiency by Chris. R Warnken 

A New Way of Life

The cause of the suffering and pain pervading human life today is its total absorption in the material way of life. The soul of man is pushed into the background as if it did not exist.

This absorption with life as it is today has brought nothing but despair and disappointment. Those who have pursued the material way of life to its highest point have found it empty and wanting. They have come to realize that life has a deeper meaning, and the spirits and hearts of men have cried out for a release from the burden which they have place upon themselves.

What the world needs now is a new way of life which will lead to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of all that life is and can be. The spiritual nature of man must be released from within and allowed a free and natural expression of its being.

The burden of life which millions have to bear is one of the absence of spiritual awareness – the absence of the deeper and real meaning of what life really is.

Every individual should seek the real self within, the discovery of which would set men and women free of their addiction to the materialistic way of life.

Life, which can be so beautiful, is often a burden difficult to bear because our thoughts are turning on a spiral of self-interest. We think of our own needs, our own feelings, and our own desires. Such thoughts bring little, if any, comfort. Yet when we turn our thoughts within, and express our love to the god of our hearts and our love for family and friends, we will find that suddenly our thoughts are uplifted and a new awareness has begun to awaken in our heart and mind. We will no longer be so concerned about our own desires and our problems; rather we will find satisfaction in sending and thinking good thoughts about others.

When we look at the quality of life today, we see that the majority of people are seeking to improve their material welfare. However, this is a never-ending chain of disappointment, for only when we look at life and our daily circumstances from the point of view of man’s spiritual self, do we begin to realize man’s great possibilities and where his true happiness lies. There are so many opportunities for man when he begins to see things from the higher view of the spirit. The limitations of the materialistic ideals are soon realized when we see things in comparison with the infinite possibilities of the spiritual self.

The time has come for man to seek a new and better way of life, one that will bring real satisfaction and peace of mind. It has always been close at hand and readily available to seek all who would within. But only the few have chosen to travel this path to a greater realization of the meaning of life. The fascination of the pursuit of pleasure has been the tempter which kept the masses of people from ever seeking that which was their natural birthright. 

However, there is a new trend to be seen throughout the world today, a new rhythm and change of emphasis in the minds of many people. On the one hand, the decadence of materialism has reached a high point, bringing despair and an empty heart for many, and on the other hand, we can see a new interest on the part of many young people who are not in sympathy with the traditional search for wealth and fame. They are seeking more meaningful values and share a concern for the welfare of their fellow men and the environment in which they live. The traditional values of wealth, position, and property are no longer given first priority, as in the past.

Their realization of a greater and more significant meaning of life’s values is a refreshing change on the world scene. It reveals a growth of spiritual consciousness in the lives of increasing numbers of people who have come to see the fallacy and limitations of the pursuit of materialism. Organizations devoted to self-improvement and the search for a meaning to life are to be found everywhere, and while many only cater to the casual seeker, others help the sincere student to set his feet on the path of self-discovery.

We are now witnessing a change of values in the lives of many people and it is significant that this change is happening throughout the world. The important and interesting point to notice is that many who are changing their outlook are more mature people as well as those young in years. There is a growing realization that life’s great values must be more enduring than the empty satisfaction which the material life brings.

This change in the emphasis on more enduring values will grow stronger and become more important in the lives of many people. Once the trend becomes an accepted way of life, it will strongly influence the rest of humanity. This is what is needed today. Our interest in the mystical life can have an influence in the lives of others if we learn to radiate love, harmony, and peace of mind in our thinking. And if we set a high standard for our own behaviour at all times, it will prove to be a great blessing to all those with whom we come in contact.

Let it be our task that in the months and years to come we will make the greatest effort to set our feet firmly on the path to a new and better way of life, and that we will resolve to have harmony and peace radiate from our consciousness at all times. May we always endeavour to seek a deeper understanding of life and of our fellow human beings to the end that we may truly reflect the wisdom and love, the idealism and the practical knowledge of the Cosmic.

With this resolve our lives will become richer and more successful, and our influence for good in the lives of others will bring real satisfaction and the knowledge that we are all growing to ward a true brotherhood of man.

- Extracted from the article A New Way of Life By Robert Daniels 

When Times Are Hard

When times are difficult and hard to live in, the mystical techniques we have learned have their greatest potential for success. When life is too comfortable we realize little success in applying those principles which can bring about those circumstances we desire to establish in our lives.

When we are confronted with emergencies and difficult problems, the application of mystical principles has its greatest power and almost miraculous results can be seen. Many people’s experience points out that remarkable results can be achieved when a sincere and dedicated appeal is made to the Cosmic after all else has failed. These experiences should give us comfort and confidence that the Cosmic is willing to work on our behalf during times of great need.

These principles of Cosmic assistance have greater efficacy during times of emergency or great stress. It is a fact that when our appeal to the Cosmic is strong and persistent, results will soon be realized. This applies mainly to those who have been following the mystical path for some time and living its life.

Living in harmony with the Cosmic is more than simply meditating for a few minutes each day and reading mystical literature. It means living the mystical life and living by the conditions it requires of us. These conditions imply that we must become as tolerant as the Cosmic, as loving as the Cosmic and as broad and as universal in our thoughts and conduct.

If in our thoughts and conduct we are biased, selfish, envious, jealous, or hateful, no harmony with the Cosmic can exist, even if we entertain these inharmonious feelings only occasionally. The central rhythm of our daily living should be kind, loving and generous, full of our praise and sympathetic understanding. We must accept that there are spiritual forces within our beings and in the universe, and seek daily to attune ourselves with them. This is living the mystical life and being in harmony with the Cosmic. The Cosmic will protect us, counsel us, and care for our, and respond readily with all the necessary forces it commands.

Living such a life is not as difficult as we might believe, and our experiences in life will grant us every opportunity to gain a proper understanding of how we should react to all the circumstances with which we are confronted, as long as we desire and seek self-improvement.

The time is rapidly passing when merely reading about the mystical life will have any value for us. We must become involved and dedicate our lives to some useful purpose or the opportunities of a cycle will pass us by.

Whatever our goal in life, whatever our desires for achievement may be, the mystical life can make these possible. Living in harmony with the Cosmic reveals talents and abilities we little realized we possessed. We find that our minds and consciousness are uplifted and charged with a power and desire to succeed in all we do, and our hearts and total beings will be filled with a spiritual love all humanity. Our thinking will be broader and our sympathies and feeling of compassion will grow stronger. Life will bring greater joys and happiness and we will sense a divine purpose for our mission in life which will bring the greatest gift of all, Peace Profound.

- Author Unknown 

Too Many Girl Friends

              The Vietnamese soldier serving in Cambodia, far from home, was annoyed and upset when his girl wrote breaking off their engagement and asking for her photograph back. 

              He went out and collected from his friends all the unwanted photographs of women that he could find, bundled them all together and sent them back with a note saying: “Regret - cannot remember which one is you. Please keep your photo and return the others."

I Am What I Am

Loneliness

There are many forms of loneliness. The loneliness we feel on the physical plane can be overcome by our association with others of like mind. But an effort must be made if we are to attract others to us, and it is our character which provides the attractive force which brings about harmony among friends.

On the mental plane a sense of loneliness can be overcome through serious study of those subjects which the mind is consciously or unconsciously attracted to. Restlessness can be changed to a consuming interest once we have found that which we find intriguing and worthy of our investigation.

However the loneliness of the soul calling for recognition is quite another experience and until we realize this deep inner call, which ultimately can lead to a union of the threefold nature of our being, there can be no real peace of mind for us. The experience of loneliness can be a blessing in disguise if it leads us to the true path of mystical attunement.

There comes a time when mystical students must take certain steps on the path entirely alone and cannot depend on friends or teachers for guidance and help. We need to become more attuned to our inner selves and thereby establish a divine companionship which will always prove to be a source of inspiration and comfort for the long journey ahead.

In the early stages of study, the mystic often finds that his new knowledge and experiences conflict with the orthodox views and opinions of his friends and family. He then must decide whether to proceed along this path which can only widen the differences. Should he have the inner strength and the determination to proceed, he may evoke from within himself the companionship of the divine light which is ever ready to provide greater illumination on his path.

One who has left the mystical and spiritual nature of his being undeveloped is likely to feel a sense of inadequacy, to be a little uncertain, fearful, and lacking in confidence and self-esteem. However, those whose life experiences have made them reflect upon the more serious issues of life, and have awakened their mystical awareness, will inwardly sense greater peace and harmony in their beings, more confidence and an inner assurance. Their sympathies and concern for others will be more prominent in their consciousness and they will have a love of life that comes from a deep inner response to life’s activities.

We cannot discard or negate our deep-seated feelings. Life has too much meaning that goes far beyond the intellect and the limitations of the mind. Often, we try to ignore the issues of life, but these feelings are the responses to the soul life within, and its influence is all pervading and powerful. How often have you been very deeply moved by your emotions? You know how difficult it is to control these feelings with your thinking, because the soul force within needs to express itself. We should not try to divert our minds from those experiences, but try to see what lessons we can learn from them.

The centre of our attention should be to bring about and experience those emotions of love, harmony, peace, and a sense of kindliness towards others. We need to exercise the will in order that the wisdom we have acquired through years of experiences will be reflected in a deep love for all living things, for as we build this attitude to life and have it become the central motivation of our lives, we will feel and know a love and a spiritual power and a spiritual companionship far beyond our present hopes which we must use for the good of others – and our lives will become a great blessing to all mankind.

- Author Unknown 

Change – The Path to Self-Evolution

Among the greatest of natural laws is the condition commonly known as ‘change.’ Through observation of life’s process, we note that change preceded growth – and since all things are constantly in the process of change, it follows naturally that all things must be experiencing growth or evolution.

In the case of man, we find that there is an unrelenting desire for a state of static constancy in life, as opposed to the world of change in which he lives. This tendency does not altogether detract from man’s realization of his highest aspirations, but if pursued to an extreme, it limits his creative expression and the achievement of his cherished goals and ideals.

To illustrate this point, consider the artist who perfects the technique of one aspect of his craft and is quite satisfied to constantly use only that technique because of its proven effectiveness, never trying new ideas of deviating from the original method. Obviously such an artist would know little success, if any, from his craft, and would not have the inner satisfaction of the growth experienced by those who try new ideas and methods to better enhance their creative expression. Such a limited attitude and way of living are in direct opposition to life’s natural process of evolution, and are the cause of much unnecessary anxiety and fear any time a change of importance is required for the growth of an individual.

In order to achieve a greater degree of happiness and fulfilment in life, we must strive to accept change as a necessary and useful part of our lives; as a prerequisite for our growth and mastery.

To better understand change, we must remember that man is a creative being and, as such, is the prime cause of all the conditions he experiences in life; many times the creation of our experiences of change originates from the yearnings of the inner self for fuller expression and are not a conscious effort on the part of the objective mind. The objective mind or intellect of man creates change through the thoughts, beliefs, and subsequent actions that are a part of his daily life.

Therefore, man places himself in a peculiar paradox where he, being the creator of his experiences of change, feels that he is a “victim of fate” and is anxious and fearful of those same changes of which he has been the source.

This can plainly be seen in those who have a pessimistic outlook and tend to dwell on the negative, worldly aspects of life; they seem to manifest more of those same negative conditions and circumstances in their lives than would someone who thinks constructively and positively. Thus, if we want to be happy and have a sense of greater fulfilment, we must create those conditions in our lives that will foster such happiness and fulfilment.

Changes present opportunities for growth which are often mislabelled as “problems” or “obstacles” and are things which we often think of negatively, rather than as positive conditions in which we can evolve certain qualities and characteristics to a greater degree. We will find through personal experience that by greeting those opportunities with a positive and constructive attitude, we quicken our evolvement and attain a greater degree of mastery in our lives.

The opportunity to accept our self-impelled changes and to take control of our lives can begin right now – if we so choose. If we choose not to act, we may delay our evolvement, but only for a time. In the meantime, life will continually present us with more opportunities to evolve ourselves, and we will eventually realize the need of our accepting and taking full advantage of these opportunities if we are to further our growth and mystical development. 

- Mark Ruffing 

Dreams

It is a common but mistaken idea that all dreams are mystically significant or prophetic. The oldest mystical writings indicate that primitive man was often horrified by dreams of any kind; and because he knew so little about mind and its actions and the brain and its peculiarities, he felt sure that the experiences through which he passed in his dreams were either satanic or divine. He was impressed with the possibility that during sleep he was a different character than when awake. 

Many of the ancients believed that revelations from the various gods came to them through the agency of dreams and during the Middle Ages belief in dreams as divine revelations of some kind became part of the Christian doctrines. 

The general belief in such prophetic symbols in dreams later led to the preparation of dream books and dictionaries of dreams. It is regrettable that so much that is worthless is so easily accessible to the seeker for simple reading matter about mysticism. 

Man should realize, first of all, that the mere fact that dreams occur is proof of his ability to extract from the storehouse of memory certain associated and disassociated facts. 

One is in a lighter state of sleep when dreaming than perhaps at any other time. Just what constitutes the dream state we do not knew; however, it is a borderline condition much like that during which many forms of psychic functioning are made manifest. It is unquestionably a state during which the recorded things and registered impressions of the storehouse of memory pass easily into the objective consciousness, across the veil between the chambers of consciousness. 

We know, of course, that all registered impressions remain a permanent record in the subconscious memory, and we also know that all impressions made upon the eyes and ears and other sentient faculties of the body do not really registered themselves upon us. Only those things which hold our attention sufficiently long for us to have a concentrated consciousness of them are registered, and this registration automatically passes through the indelible records of memory. 

During the dream state, however, it would appear that withdrawing these registered impressions is simple; so easy, in fact, that often the impressions seem to rise up out of their entombed and forgotten place and parade before our psychic consciousness without control or direction. 

As stated above, the registered impressions that are stored away in the permanent memory of the psychic self are so classified and indexed by subject and related subject that, in order to extract any of them from their well protected place, one mush have the proper key to recall them. 

If someone asks us what we did on the first Monday of July last year, we may be unable to answer until we look at a calendar and discover that the first Monday in July was the Fourth of July. Instantly, that date becomes a key to the recorded impressions in our memory, and with it we can perhaps instantly bring back from the recesses of the memory the registered impressions of things that occurred on that day. 

The process of Recall 

The whole process of recalling from the memory facts that are stored there is based upon this principle of association of ideas. Whenever one tries to recall the address of someone, a telephone number, or some other incident in connection with a person or place, he generally concentrates for a few moments and excludes all other impressions while he proceeds to correlate and associate certain things in order to bring fore the key to the fact that he desires to recall. 

The same thing often occurs in dreams. Here it is not necessary to concentrate in order to blot out all other objective impressions, for the borderline state of sleep has already blotted them out, leaving one free to manipulate the subconscious actions relating to recollection. 

Two things can occur in such a state that are responsible for dreams. Conditions of our own body and physical consciousness may suddenly present us with a key to some locked-up impression in the memory; or some external psychic or mental impression coming to us may furnish a key. 

Let me take the first method and explain it. Dreams usually occur in a peculiar borderline state, midway between complete and partial objectivity. In this state, the sudden blowing on our face or hands of a cold breeze from an open window may give us an objective impression of extreme coldness. In the borderline state, this is interpreted as a chilly, icy impression and may be taken as a key to subjects pertaining to the North Pole, winter with its ice and snow, a sudden plunge into an ice-covered lake, or many other things connect with extreme cold. 

With such a key, the memory storehouse of impressions connected with such subjects is unlocked, and out into the subjective consciousness come parading all the impressions which have ever been registered in our memory from books, moving pictures, and actual experiences pertaining to the North, to frozen areas, to winter, and to coldness an dice generally. 

In the morning, we recall having a dream about skating and falling into a frozen lake, of being high up in the air in an airplane where it is very cold, or of being on an expedition to the North Pole. 

Perhaps, while we were in the borderline state, something or someone touched us on the hand or face, giving an impression of a sudden jolt or shock, and this may be interpreted as a pistol wound or a blow with evil intent. Immediately, impressions relating to such things are unlocked from the memory, and we have another peculiar dream. 

We might go on and cite thousands of things such as sounds, flashes of coloured lights, the changes of temperature in a room, little pains from an improperly digested meal, the unusual touch of the blankets on some part of the face, and so forth, which could cause the unlocking of impressions from the memory. 

In the other instance of impressions received from external sources, we have that of thoughts received from the minds of other persons. Perhaps someone somewhere is thinking of us so concentratedly that there is a transmission of the thought, which acts as a key and unlocks impressions regarding the person whose thought reached us while we were in the borderline state. If the impressions do not relate to the person who sent the thought, they may relate to things connected with his life and activities. 

There is a possible third process whereby we may receive an impression from the Cosmic in regard to some event transpiring at some distant place or about to occur, for all things are registered in the Cosmic before they manifest on the material plane. Receiving such an impression may also cause us to dream by supplying a key to the memory storehouse. 

So we see that dreams may be caused in many ways. It may be there are dreams caused by a book falling from the open shelves of the memory library, opening itself to some page of past impressions, which rise and pass in review before subjective consciousness. 

Fundamental Ideas 

It seems to be a fact that nothing we dream ever pertains to something we have not registered in its fundamental idea. Of course, we may take the impressions from the memory of a giraffe and hippopotamus and combine them into a unique animal, seeing it in all its grotesqueness as part of our dream. Later, we are certain that it could not have come from the memory because we could never have seen and registered such an animal. Likewise, we may take several impressions from the memory pertaining to occurrences in our lives and unite them so as to make a new impression or a new picture, much to our surprise and inability to explain. 

Not all dreams are recalled. Many do not pass over into the objective consciousness at all. That peculiar borderline state in which dreams occur is a rapidly fluctuating state with most sleepers. The turning in bed from one side to the other partially awakens every sleeper and for a moment brings him to a borderline state which may last but a few seconds; but during that short space of time, a dream may be started. 

However, before it is underway, the sleeper is again more than ninety percent unconscious and the dream never reaches the objective mind. On the other hand, in those periods when deep sleep seems to be impossible and a borderline state lasts for many minutes or an hour or more at a time, there may be many dreams or one long one which will pass over to the objective consciousness and remain there and be vivid in the mind in the morning. 

All in all, dreams are intensely interesting and certainly prove that man has a dual consciousness and a dual state of mind, that he can live at times in either state or on the borderline of both. 

One thing should be kept in mind: it is quite impossible for another to interpret your dreams. The oracles or wise men of the past who interpreted dreams, like those of today who pretend to interpret them, could do nothing more than guess at the significance of any dream. 

If there is in the dream a real communication or impression of prophecy or advice being transmitted to you from some other person’s mind, no one but you and the person who sent the unconscious or conscious thought as a key can fathom the mystery of the dream or tell its significance. 

Therefore, dream books and dream dictionaries are useless. If your dream means anything at all, it must be interpreted by you: and if it seems unusually significant, the thing to do is to analyse it as best you can and make a note of the date and day, recording your brief analysis of it. Then see if some future dream or experience will check with it in some way. By this process, you can discover after a year or so whether your dreams have any significance to you or not. 

- Extracted from the article Dreams by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis