August 1936

MY BROTHER:

The press of work has led to some delay in my writing my personal instructions to you. I realize, however, that you have much real patience and hence have felt no sense of pressure. Those of us who teach from the inner side have usually to deal with two extreme positions where our disciples are concerned. We have to protect ourselves from the importunities of those who are spiritually selfish (oft unconsciously) and over-eager for development and teaching; we have also to stimulate those disciples, who are slow and cautious and doubtful to a more ready and "approaching" attitude. Those aspirants and disciples, who stand ready to be taught when opportunity offers, ought to continue steadfastly with their work even when apparently there is no inner contact. These disciples offer no strain to the inner teacher and, in the last analysis, make the most progress.

You have given your life to the craft of teaching and consequently there is now given to you a more expansive view of the underlying purpose of the planetary, educational movement. In this movement, those of you who have some inner vision and who can grasp the magnitude of the Plan to bridge the gap between the higher and lower mind can contribute much to our endeavor, for you can build on mental levels. I am pointing this out, because, for you, this inner mental work is at present essential - a mental work to be carried on in the egoic consciousness. This is neither the consciousness of the concrete levels of the intellect nor the more abstract levels of the intuition. During the next few months the need, for you, is to work at a more instantaneous and definite alignment. To this end, you will find, at the close of this instruction, that I [174] have given you a meditation which makes this alignment it major objective.

Also, in order to clarify your mind in this connection, I am going to ask you to search for all that I may have said regarding alignment in my various books. Will you write them all down and then, after due study of them, will you write a paper on the nature of true alignment. In this way, you will stabilize your own knowledge and serve your co-disciples by bringing to their recollection in unified form all that I may have said. Write out each passage, my brother, in full, gathering them out of the various books and present them in ordered sequence so that the simpler instruction comes first and the more abstruse last.

You might well ask at the start of your personal work with me, what I consider your major requirement at this time. In the equipment of all disciples there is always much that is lacking and a good deal that should be eliminated. It is, however needless and useless to attack all points at once and, therefore I say to you at this time that your major need is a speedier and steadier high vibration. Your progress on the Path has been earnest and steady and your life tendency has been directly oriented towards your goal; but your rhythm, or rather, you spiritual heart beat, is slow and this should be speeded up. You must move more quickly on the Path; this will come through more active mental attitude. The vibratory rate of the bodies differs. The astral body vibrates more quickly than does the physical, and the mental body has a higher and more rapid vibration than the astral. It is on the mental plane and in the mind consciousness that you must seek to live. This will enable you (after two or three years' work with me) to "stand in spiritual being," a thing which at this time you only do under strong mental stress and strain, for it is not yet a life habit