There is only the one Supreme Life, manifesting in a countless assortment of ways. Behind the workings of this Supreme Life, no matter how strange, unexpected or even wonderful to our vague and purblind eyes, there exists a Divine Order. There is, without a possibility of doubt, a larger consciousness than that which we call the waking consciousness of Man, which works in our brain and nervous system. In course of the several ages past, this consciousness has been unfolding and growing under the influence of the Divine Order, by attempting to fulfill perfectly every obligation of life.

This Divine Order, which stems from an inner law that is perfect, is not a result of compulsion because in its outpouring of life everything is done gladly, willingly, and in perfect self-surrender. A Divine Sacrifice is involved and the Sacrifice finds its faint reflection in the hearts of Man.

Unlike man-made laws, the Inner Law or the Law of Nature is not a command issued by any authority. It is simply a statement of conditions that states a sequence of happenings as a result. No punishment, therefore, is involved. It is simply that if conditions change, the results will also change with them. However, the results that follow the sequence of happenings under given conditions are inevitable, unchanging and never an arbitrary infliction of punishment.

Unlike the laws of Man that can be broken, Nature knows no violations of her Laws. The Law remains ever the same. This actually gives rise to a sense of perfect security, of infinite power and of unbounded possibilities. This absolute certainty of results is in direct contrast to the laws of Man that work in a region of arbitrary whims. 

This Law of Nature is no doubt a danger when not known, but when known and understood it becomes a savior. Thus, do we see that to work in peace and security in the realm of this law, what is required is Knowledge - Absolute Knowledge.

One awesome fact that cannot be missed is that faculties of the Mind become sharper, keener, subtler, and more powerful in every way once the brain is paralyzed. The mental qualities do not lessen in any way! I am talking about the trance state, which produces an entirely unexpected set of results; and proved over and over again by researches done in the field of Hypnotism. Isn’t it true that the functions of senses are carried on more effectively through organs in this state than when in the ordinary waking state? Also, isn’t it a fact that deeper the trance, loftier is the consciousness involved. Several grades of consciousness have been discovered. It is also an amazing fact that the higher consciousness is always aware of the lower. I mean the subject in trance is able to recognize his waking self; at the same time when awake the subject has no idea what was going on in his trance state. Then do we understand that our waking consciousness is highly limited as far its awareness is concerned. Our waking consciousness is ignorant of the higher realms and yet there its ignorance is no proof of the non-existence of the higher. Thus do we need to understand that our limitations during the waking periods can never be used as arguments against the higher condition. The Yogis of the East managed to pierce through barrier and carry over their waking consciousness into such Higher Realms. They did manage to establish connection between the waking consciousness and the Higher planes and also derived imprints in the form of symbols, parables and cryptic messages. For the languages of Man were found wanting in their capacity to describe such lofty experiences. Yet, as of today, we can say that we have reached a stage in our ascent up the staircase of Evolution where such facts have started to become intelligent and coherent; enough to get us ready to master the Laws of the Inner Nature.

The Mind needs to cease vibrating. It needs to become still. Then only can it answer to vibrations coming from above. Then only can it resonate to the notes played from the Higher Realms. The Mind at present is like the slack strings of a musical instrument. The sounds it produces, if any, are coarse and unpleasant to hear. It needs to be tightened, raised to a sufficient point of tension by strain, and then only can it be made to vibrate to the refined notes of melodious music. Only when the brain is rendered sufficiently sensitive does it answer to vibrations from the subtler planes of being. This state can be reached only when the Mind is made tranquil and quiet; a state where no device can trouble its serenity, as a lake in perfect calm. Only on such a refined Mind is thrown the reflection of the Self. The Yogis of the East initially withdrew from the coarser magnetism of the outer world, temporarily isolated themselves from the lower world and were then able to refine their mind by intense concentration and fix it in rapt attention on the Higher. Thus, they were able to see in the tranquility of their mind and the silence of their senses, the majesty and the glory of the Self. Along with the brain, our body temple should also be sufficiently tuned to receive the higher vibrations. In order to make the body responsive to the sounding of the sublime notes, it also needs to be controlled and purified, and be maintained in perfect health. Otherwise, it is likely to break like an unbaked jar when the divine wine is poured into it. Only when we reach a point in our quest for the Higher, whence the passion of our thoughts is unable to upset the Mind, and neither make the body unrestrained are we ready to receive the reflections of the Self. Then only will the Higher Consciousness reveal itself in the lower world and manifest itself on Earth.

Let me put it blankly - Evil is necessary. And we need to resist Evil. This helps in toning up. Take the case of physical exercise. We need to work up with weights and gravity to tone up our muscles. Here we can consider the weights and gravity to be synonymous with Evil. Thus, do our soul on its Earthly sojourns need Evil to help it in its upward ascent in the path of Evolution.

What about the Good? This is what sustains the soul. We need to meditate on Good. We do not meditate on Evil. We need to resist it with all our might. This is the Law of Life. Yet in the end we discard both. The soul proceeds all alone from a certain point onwards on its path of evolution.

Let me explain with an analogy. A thorn pierces your foot. This is Evil. You take another thorn to pluck this thorn that has embedded itself in your foot and is causing so much pain. This is Good. Once you pluck out the Evil thorn, do you throw it away and keep the Good thorn. No. Without doubt, you throw both away. Neither is of any use now. So it is with Good and Evil in the larger scheme of Life. You discard both ultimately.

Where there is Light, Darkness invariably follows. This is an inevitable fact of Light. We cannot see Light as such. We need some object that will reflect this Light. Without this object there will be no sensation of Light. Hence a shadow will always be formed. This shadow is Darkness. So Darkness and Evil cannot be willed away. And once Evil or Darkness is removed there is neither Good nor the sensation of Light. In fact what we remove is the source of Evil or Darkness. That source is within us - our Ego.

What is required is surrender - absolute surrender to the Divine. The Divine that is within us. This is the Path - to know the Divine within us and surrender. Only through absolute surrender do we come to know of the Self. This knowledge of the Self is all that there is. To know that the Self in us is the Self in all.

We reach a point, so to speak, where we begin to see the Self in all - both animate and inanimate, living and non-living. I love for the sake of the Self. I love you not for your sake but for the sake of the Self that is within me and is within you. I love my parents, my brothers, my sisters, my friends, my relatives, my neighbors, my pets, my trees  - all for the sake of the Self that is within. That Self which is the One and the All. This is the Truth - the Divine Truth.

There is only one safe path that can lead us to the Inner Light and that is to do what we believe to be the highest in us. To strive to rise to the highest in us is the only duty worth adhering to in the final analysis. By disrespecting our sense of right by taking that as right which deep within our heart we feel to be wrong, or by giving regard to another’s recommendation and authority, we actually lose the very power to distinguish between right and wrong. By showing lack of respect to our own sense of right we only manage to put out the light we have, no matter how poor that light may be; we choose to walk in darkness rather than in twilight. We need to persevere in our path through constant endeavor and in spite of repeated failure. If we practice to do the right, no matter path of anguish the right is to be found, then we shall surely see more clearly as we proceed. Therefore, let each one of us strive to be the light to this world, so that the others more safely when they come within our circle of influence. Let those who come in contact with us become better for their contact with us. So this is the highest duty – to become the light that illumines our path. And how do we become this light? Only through Compassion for our fellow-man. Compassion alone is the only true religion, the true spiritually. Compassion means the recognition of the one Self in all, and a life of compassion is never to be mistaken with the life of altruism. We are all one and there is no ‘other’ in this world. One Spirit moves and lives in all. To lead a life of self-identification with all that lives and moves is, then, our eternal duty. We will have rightly resolved if we recognize our oneness in Him, and therefore our oneness with each other. This is the Truth that will illumine our path and lead us speedily to the Divine Supreme Love.

This Universe has originated in an act of Sacrifice. All the religions of the world agree on this focal point that manifestation began by an act of Divine Sacrifice. The question is: What is the sacrifice that is involved in manifestation? The answer is: The sacrifice arises out of the veiling of the Unconditioned in conditions, the binding of the Free in bond, and in limitation of matter by the Immaterial.

So do we need to understand that the Universe that emanated by an act of Supreme Sacrifice can be preserved only by the incessant renewal of sacrifice. Life is preserved by sacrifice, and in sacrifice all evolution is rooted. The revolving wheel of life cannot go on, unless each member, unless each living creature helps to turn it by the performance of acts of sacrifice.

Sacrifice begins from small acts of obligation. We are obliged to everyone and everything around us. We owe our existence to each and every creature that we meet and do not meet. I do not think this last statement requires further elucidation.

Apart from the acts of obligation there is yet one more step, and that is the renunciation of the fruit of the action. The sacrifice of the fruit of action slackens the bonds of action which bind us to this world. The world is bound by Karma, by action, save that action which is sacrifice.

However, the ultimate sacrifice is the sacrifice of Wisdom. Can I see a few eyebrows twitching?! There is a deep meaning to this. This sacrifice arises from the act of self-surrender to the Divine that is within us. By the sacrifice of Wisdom we begin to see all beings in the Self (there I go again), and thus in God. Thus, do we begin to live the life of Spirit, the life which recognizes the One in the manifold forms. All forms are nothing but the channels of the one Spirit.

By realizing this underlying Oneness in all, we can rise above the world of appearances; the transitory world would assume its true proportions, and we would begin to see the worthlessness of all that we account as cherished. The immensity of self-surrender becomes evident and thus do we realize that no limited joy is equal to the joy of self-surrender.

According to Theosophy, "The Secret Doctrine", Man's nature has seven aspects; it is composed of seven principles. Essentially, Man is a Spirit, a ray of God, a spark from the Divine Fire. He is the Son who can grow into the likeness of his Father.

Man is also an evolving being; part of his nature has already manifested, while certain elements are still hidden at present. This is so far as the majority of humankind is concerned.

There are seven planes of nature (each ‘plane' is simply a condition, a stage, a state) and Man, his nature being fully developed, can consciously exist in these seven different states. Human development is evolutionary and this evolution takes place in cycles or spirals, to put it more appropriately. At the completion of each circle of a spiral, Man finds himself one notch higher than the starting point.

In his present stage of evolution, Man can, at the most, be aware of one part of his nature at any given time. Man is limited in his consciousness by mind; what is below his mind is sub-conscious or unconscious and what is above is super-conscious. Just as he is limited to a certain scale of sounds or colors (i.e. what is above or below that scale to him is inaudible and invisible or at least indistinguishable), so at his present stage of mental consciousness, he is confined within his extremities - the upper and the lower limit. Man has neither a sufficient means of communication with the animal (his mental congener) nor with the super-conscious (which is to him a closed book which may well be filled with empty pages).

Theosophy has put these seven principles into two groups - the Triad and the Quaternary. The Triad, containing the three higher principles, is the deathless part of Man's nature. The Quaternary, containing the four lower principles, is the mortal part. The higher two principles of the Triad is, at present, entirely inaccessible to mankind and will not be reached, save in the most exceptional cases. Thus keeping the layman (even the most exceptionally brilliant among us is still a layman as far as the evolutionary process is concerned) in mind, Theosophy discusses only five principles and has left the higher two out of sight.

Right at the onset, please allow me to request you all who find time to read my articles not to ask for proofs to substantiate whatever I have written so far and whatever. I am going to write hereafter. I don't have any. It will not be imprudent to admit that the sophisticated theories of science cannot be verified to one ignorant of its first principles. It is only to be expected that such people will only be too prepared to find most of the contents to be alleged. 

However, an unprejudiced person, confronted with startling views, will not expect complete demonstration until s/he has mastered the elements of that particular branch of science he is inquiring into.

The realm of the spirit and of the higher mind is closed to all save those who have evolved the faculties for this exploration.  Time alone will unravel the mysteries that confront our everyday existence.

Having digressed enough from our topic for this article let me now directly come to it. At the lowest level we have the physical plane which constitutes the dense physical body, the etheric double, and the Prana or the vital fluid that sustains life.

On the second plane, is the Astral or Desire body also called Kama. The Mental plane, constituting of the Human Soul or Manas, is the third in the series.

The next two divisions belong to the spiritual realm. The fourth is the Spiritual Souls or Buddhi and the fifth is the Spirit itself, also known as Atman.

During the present stage of human development, evolution takes place on these five planes. Before concluding let me add that there are two successive movements of consciousness, difficult but well within our capacity, by which we can have access to the superior gradation of our conscious existence. One is the movement inwards, by which we can, by our own efforts, gradual or forceful, be able to break the wall in front of us. The other is the large dynamic descent of light, knowledge, power, or bliss into our self of silence. Both these movements are necessary for rendering the veil that separates the Known from the Unknown.

Originally and in core essence we are all, undoubtedly, light; born as a spark from the Original Source - to which we give the name God. Here, I mean a different dimension, way beyond our present warp of Time and Space. This spark of light then descended down layers of a series of involutionary stages. As it came hurtling down, it started spinning, eventually forming opposite poles - male-female, yin-yang. As it descended further it divided into two distinct spheres of light.

This pair then entered the plane of Earth - the physical plane. Some of them incarnated as two flesh bodies. The two different flesh bodies assumed their own individual positions in Time and Space. Once on Earth, the real work for each pair was to begin only after they found and recognized each other.

All throughout this tremendous involutionary transition, God, the Original Source, kept a strong vigil over each pair, so that they were never lost from each other. God's love for his children made sure that these two forces of consciousness, the masculine and feminine, would be bound together throughout eternity.

Now, allow me to stray away a little to point out a major difference between Soul Mates and Twin Souls. Soul Mates (and you will have many soul mates in a lifetime) are simply two people whose energy is vibrating at a very close rate, creating a resonance between the energy centers of their body. In other words, you would feel a very strong resonance with this person, who could be your Soul Mate. It wouldn't matter if you came from totally different circumstances, or if you may have had opposite educational studies or contrary cultural upbringings. You would still find a harmony that is very sacred and very rare.

As for Twin Flames, you only have one twin aspect of your soul in the entire universe that vibrates at the same frequency of light that you do. This is quite an awesome thought.

However, this concept of Twin Flame is ineffectually understood at our material, corporeal level, at this stage of our evolutionary progress. No doubt, we need to learn to contact our Twin Flame and this search is, of course, prompted by our Higher Selves. Yet, our search for that one special person on a physical level is what can be termed as inadequate.

Instead, our seeking should be for that Wholeness within!!

Otherwise, our search would end up as a diversion on the path to the emancipation of our soul. We need to understand and to ever remember that it is our relationship to God and our Higher Self that holds the way to finding and becoming one with our Twin Flame.

For those interested and willing to scourge for more information, (skeptics, please have a pinch of salt ready with you), I recommend that you visit these sites:

http://www.unitingtwinflames.com

http://www.uou.to/soulmates.htm

http://www.crystalinks.com/soul_mates.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/twinflames.html

http://www.tsl.org/twinflames/twinflames.asp

You can also read the very enlightening book "SOUL MATES AND TWIN FLAMES -The Spiritual Dimension of Love and Relationships" by Elizabeth Clare Prophet.

Thank you and God be with all of us.

Man was slowly built up through the past ages, stage by stage, principle by principle and has now reached a point where he requires ‘something' else that would enable him to come into conscious union with the Highest in him. The evolution in the mass has now almost reached the final stage. From here onwards, this aeonian will be hurried through in the personal evolution of each human being.

To catalyze this evolution, super-human intelligences from the other dimensions incarnated as guides and spiritual teachers of humanity and in the process became founders and divine rulers of the ancient civilizations. These beings, also, kept re-incarnating in the ages that followed. 

In this upward growth, it is the fifth principle, Manas, belonging to the third plane of the Mental, which has been predominant. Manas (or Mind, so to say, although it would not suffice) is the essence of the rays of the eternal Divine Mind. Although this is an individual entity, it assumes a two-fold attribute once it enters the realm of the physical plane. The two attributes are the Higher Manas, or the essential, heaven seeking mind and the Lower Manas or the rationalized, thinking mind. The essence now becomes dual.

It is to be noted that the higher Manas can but rarely manifest itself at the present stage of human evolution. As of now it occurs only as a flash from the loftier regions. Such flashes are what give rise to true genius. Yet, genius is nothing but an accumulation of individual experiences and aspirations in the preceding life and lives. The blooming of the genius is nothing but the culmination of a long series of past incarnations.

The lower Manas, on the other hand, can neither anticipate nor remember, and consists of passion forged of ambition, desire for fame, power and supreme intellectual achievement. The lower Manas is bound fast to earth; it is tainted with Karma.

Thus lower Manas, at the most, can manifest as the artificial genius, the outcome of culture and pure intellectual acuteness; whereas the higher Manas is the real genius belonging to the realm of the yet untouched unknown, and free of any karmic influence.

Metamorphosis can be considered as the consequence of a development that occurs in three parts: Evolution, Transformation, and Metamorphosis. Evolution is the continuing process intrinsic to the universe that is ever manifesting in nature. There are two main kinds of evolution: Measured and Interrupted. Measured evolution is the ongoing process by which things are slowly enhanced through an ongoing communication with the environment. Interrupted evolution is the process by which things become accustomed to sudden change. As far as the present opinion is concerned, human evolution has essentially shifted from the physical realm to the realm of consciousness. It has also been safely deduced that human consciousness has been subjected to both aspects of evolution. This is evident from the fact that as we accumulate knowledge of ourselves and our surroundings, our consciousness follows the path of measured evolution. As we make quantum leaps in understanding, such as the discovery of electrical energy, for instance, we are subjected to the forces of interrupted evolution. As far as the second step of Transformation is concerned, the focus, once again, is on consciousness. The most significant transformation that would be required of the human species would be the ability to control our attention, thereby causing a stilling of the mind itself. This is, by far, the most important step for the present generation of the human species. Without the stilling of the mind, the higher recesses of our consciousness will never be accessible. Every enlightened human unfailingly stresses on this aspect. Metamorphosis literally means changing into a higher form. We cannot continue as we are, in our present form; the change has to take place in the form of elevating our consciousness. We must evolve into higher consciousness as our normal state. The importance of this fact is very evident in this famous statement of Albert Einstein, “We cannot solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.”

Mind consciousness on the physical plane is started by the action of the Lower Mind on the molecules of the nervous cells and thereby setting them to vibrations. It needs to be added here that molecular motion is the lowest and most material form of the One Eternal Life.

Our Personality or Ego sum is but an illumination by a ray from the Higher Mind, and this ray is the Lower Mind. This ray, also called the psychic breath, sweeps through the physical instrument of the brain and the internal organs, producing music according to the molecular constitution of the nerves.  The action of the Lower Mind in conjunction with the karmic influence of past lives shapes the personality in the present life.

Coming to karma and its influence on successive molding of personalities in subsequent lives, it would be worthwhile to mention that re-incarnation into various personalities belongs ultimately to the domain of the Higher Mind. It is the Higher Mind that sends out rays to give rise to successive personalities. Thus, as long as our consciousness is that of the Lower Mind no memory of one personality can reach over to another. Higher Mind is the Master and Lower mind the slave. The slave works upon instructions from the master.

Only those who can raise their consciousness to the plane of the Higher Mind can travel up and down the ray, which then acts as a bridge between the personal man that perishes and the immortal man that endures.

It is in the realms of this Higher Mind, in the memory of the eternal ego that we find stored the whole records of our past lives on Earth. It is by way of this ray that we can bring back records to our brain-memory of our successive personalities. This is the whole idea behind re-incarnation. The immortal individuality re-incarnates as the various earthly personalities.

The source of separateness springs from the fact that no memory can bridge over the gulf between the various personalities. There is no link between the brains of successive personalities.

It is this Higher Mind that is the "Father in Heaven", uncontaminated with earthly elements, unsoiled and pure. The various rays of the Lower Mind are the "Sons" of the "Father in Heaven". Imperatively, one of the following three fates can befall on the Lower Mind:

1. It may rise towards its source and become one with the Father in Heaven

2. It may partially aspire and partially tend downwards.

3. It may break away from its source, thus giving rise to the satanic or demonic qualities in Man. The final outcome of such a fate is disintegration!!