The Creative Process in the Individual - Thomas Troward
Now it is precisely the introduction[3] of this Personal Factor that
concerns us, because to all eternity we can only recognize things from our
own center of consciousness, whether in this world or in any other;
therefore the practical question is how to specialize in our own case the
_generic_ Originating Life which, when we give it a name, we call "the
Spirit." The method of doing this is perfectly logical when we once see
that the principle involved is that of the Self-recognition of Spirit. We
have traced the _modus operandi_ of the Creative Process sufficiently far
to see that the existence of the cosmos is the result of the Spirit's
seeing itself _in_ the cosmos, and if this be the law of the whole it must
also be the law of the part. But there is this difference, that so long as
the normal average relation of particles is maintained the whole continues
to subsist, no matter what position any particular particle may go into,
just as a fountain continues to exist no matter whether any particular drop
of water is down in the basin or at the top of the jet. This is the
_generic_ action which keeps the race going as a whole. But the question
is, What is going to become of ourselves? Then because the law of the whole
is also the law of the part we may at once say that what is wanted is for
the Spirit _to see itself in us_--in other words, to find in us the
Reciprocal which, as we have seen, is necessary to its Enjoyment of a
certain Quality of Consciousness. Now, the fundamental consciousness of the
Spirit must be that of Self-sustaining Life, and for the full enjoyment of
this consciousness there must be a corresponding _individual_ consciousness
reciprocating it; and on the part of the individual such a consciousness
can only arise from the recognition that his own life is identical with
that of the Spirit--not something sent forth to wander away by itself, but
something included in and forming part of the Greater Life. Then by the
very conditions of the case, such a contemplation on the part of the
individual is nothing else than the Spirit contemplating itself from the
standpoint of the individual consciousness, and thus fulfilling the Law of
the Creative Process under such specialized conditions as must logically
result in the perpetuation of the individual life. It is the Law of the
Cosmic Creative Process transferred to the individual.
This, it seems to me, is the Divine Ideal: that of an Individuality which
recognizes its Source, and recognizes also the method by which it springs
from that Source, and which is therefore able to open up in itself a
channel by which that Source can flow in uninterruptedly; with the result
that from the moment of this recognition the individual lives directly from
the Originating Life, as being himself _a special direct creation_, and not
merely as being a member of a generic race. The individual who has reached
this stage of recognition thus finds a principle of enduring life _within
himself_; so then the next question is in what way this principle is likely
to manifest itself.
CHAPTER IV
THE MANIFESTATION OF THE LIFE PRINCIPLE
We must bear in mind that what we have now reached is a principle, or
universal potential, only we have located it in the individual. But a
principle, as such, is not manifestation. Manifestation is the growth
proceeding _from_ the principle, that is to say, some Form in which the
principle becomes active. At the same time we must recollect that, though a
form is necessary for manifestation, _the_ form is not essential, for the
same principle may manifest through various forms, just as electricity may
work either through a lamp or a tram-car without in any way changing its
inherent nature. In this way we are brought to the conclusion that the
Life-principle must always provide itself with a body in which to function,
though it does not follow that this body must always be of the same
chemical constitution as the one we now possess. We might well imagine some
distant planet where the chemical combinations with which we are familiar
on earth did not obtain; but if the essential life-principle of any
individual were transported thither, then by the Law of the Creative
Process it would proceed to clothe itself with a material body drawn from
the atmosphere and substance of that planet; and the personality thus
produced would be quite at home there, for all his surroundings would be
perfectly natural to him, however different the laws of Nature might be
there from what we know here.
In such a conception as this we find the importance of the two leading
principles to which I have drawn attention--first, the power of the Spirit
to create _ex nihilo_, and secondly, the individual's recognition of the
basic principle of Unity giving permanence and solidity to the frame of
Nature. By the former the self-recognizing life-principle could produce any
sort of body it chose; and by the latter it would be led to project one in
harmony with the natural order of the particular planet, thus making all
the facts of that order solid realities to the individual, and himself a
solid and natural being to the other inhabitants of that world. But this
would not do away with the individual's knowledge of how he got there; and
so, supposing him to have realized his identity with the Universal
Life-Principle sufficiently to consciously control the projection of his
own body, he could at will disintegrate the body which accorded with the
conditions of one planet and constitute one which accorded just as
harmoniously with those of another, and could thus function on any number
of planets as a perfectly natural being on each of them. He would in all
respects resemble the other inhabitants with one all-important exception,
that since he had attained to unity with his Creative Principle he would
not be tied by the laws of matter as they were.
Any one who should attain to such a power could only do so by his
realization of the all-embracing Unity of the Spirit as being the
Foundation of all things; and this being the basis of his own extended
powers he would be the last to controvert his own basic principle by
employing his powers in such a way as to disturb the natural course of
evolution in the world where he was. He might use them to help forward the
evolution of others in that world, but certainly never to disturb it, for
he would always act on the maxim that "Order is Heaven's First Law."
Our object, however, is not to transfer ourselves to other planets but to
get the best out of this one; but we shall not get the best out of this one
until we realize that the power which will enable us to do so is so
absolutely universal and fundamental that its application in this world is
precisely the same as in any other, and that is why I have stated it as a
general proposition applicable to all worlds.
The principle being thus universal there is no reason why we should
postpone its application till we find ourselves in another world, and the
best place and time to begin are Here and Now. The starting point is not in
time or locality, but in the mode of Thought; and if we realize that this
Point of Origination is Spirit's power to produce something out of nothing,
and that it does this in accordance with the natural order of substance of
the particular world in which it is working, then the spiritual ego in
ourselves, as proceeding direct from the Universal Spirit, should be able
first, to so harmoniously combine the working of spiritual and physical
laws in its own body as to keep it in perfect health, secondly to carry
this process further and renew the body, thus eradicating the effects of
old age, and thirdly to carry the process still further and perpetuate this
renewed body as long as the individual might desire.
If the student shows this to one of his average acquaintances who has never
given any thought to these things, his friend will undoubtedly exclaim
"Tommy rot!" even if he does not use a stronger expletive. He will at once
appeal to the past experience of all mankind, his argument being that what
has not been in the past cannot be in the future; yet he does not apply the
same argument to aeronautics and is quite oblivious of the fact that the
Sacred Volume which he reverences contains promises of these very things.
The really earnest student must never forget the maxim that "Principle is
not bound by Precedent"--if it were we should still be primitive savages.
To use the Creative Process we must Affirm the Creative Power, that is to
say, we must go back to the Beginning of the series and start with Pure
Spirit, only remembering that this starting-point is now to be found _in
ourselves_, for this is what distinguishes the individual Creative Process
from the cosmic one. This is where the importance of realizing only ONE
Originating Power instead of two interacting powers comes in, for it means
that we do not derive our power from any existing polarity, but that we are
going to establish polarities which will start secondary causation on the
lines which we thus determine. This also is where the importance comes in
of recognizing that the only possible originating movement of spirit must
be Self-contemplation, for this shows us that we do not have to contemplate
existing conditions but the Divine Ideal, and that this contemplation of
the Divine Ideal of Man is the Self-contemplation of the Spirit from the
standpoint of Human Individuality.
Then the question arises, if these principles are true, why are we not
demonstrating them? Well, when our fundamental principle is obviously
correct and yet we do not get the proper results, the only inference is
that somewhere or other we have introduced something antagonistic to the
fundamental principle, something not inherent in the principle itself and
which therefore owes its presence to some action of our own. Now the error
consists in the belief that the Creative Power is limited by the material
in which it works. If this be assumed, then you have to calculate the
resistances offered by the material; and since by the terms of the Creative
Process these resistances do not really exist, you have no basis of
calculation at all--in fact you have no means of knowing where you are, and
everything is in confusion. This is why it is so important to remember that
the Creative Process is the action of a Single Power, and that the
interaction of two opposite polarities comes in at a later stage, and is
not creative, but only distributive--that is to say, it localizes the
Energy already proceeding from the Single Power. This is a fundamental
truth which should never be lost sight of. So long, however, as we fail to
see this truth we necessarily limit the Creative Power by the material it
works in, and in practise we do this by referring to past experience as the
only standard of judgment. We are measuring the Fifth Kingdom by the
standard of the Fourth, as though we should say that an intellectual man, a
being of the Fourth Kingdom, was to be limited by the conditions which
obtain in the First or Mineral Kingdom--to use Scriptural language we are
seeking the Living among the dead.
And moreover at the present time a new order of experience is beginning to
open out to us, for well authenticated instances of the cure of disease by
the invisible power of the Spirit are steadily increasing in number. The
facts are now too patent to be denied--what we want is a better knowledge
of the power which accounts for them. And if this beginning is now with us,
by what reason can we limit it? The difference between the healing of
disease and the renewal of the entire organism and the perpetuation of life
is only a difference of degree and not of kind; so that the actual
experience of increasing numbers shows the working of a principle to which
we can logically set no limits.
If we get the steps of the Creative Process clearly into our minds we shall
see why we have hitherto had such small results.
Spirit creates by Self-contemplation;
Therefore, What it contemplates itself
as being, that it becomes.
You are individualized Spirit;
Therefore, What you contemplate as
the Law of your being becomes the
Law of your being.
Hence, contemplate a Law of Death arising out of the Forces of the Material
reacting against the Power of the Spirit and overcoming it, and you impress
this mode of self-recognition upon Spirit in yourself. Of course you cannot
alter its inherent nature, but you cause it to work under negative
conditions and thus make it produce negative results so far as you yourself
are concerned.
But reverse the process, and contemplate a Law of Life as inherent in the
very Being of the Spirit, and therefore as inherent in spirit in yourself;
and contemplate the forces of the Material as practically non-existent in
the Creative Process, because they are products of it and not causes--look
at things in this way and you will impress a corresponding conception upon
the Spirit which, by the Law of Reciprocity, thus enters into
Self-contemplation on _these_ lines from the standpoint of your own
individuality; and then by the nature of the Creative Process a
corresponding externalization is bound to take place. Thus our initial
question, How did anything come into existence at all, brings us to the
recognition of a Law of Life which we may each specialize for ourselves;
and in the degree to which we specialize it we shall find the Creative
Principle at work within us building up a healthier and happier personality
in mind, body, and circumstances.
Only we must learn to distinguish the vehicles of Spirit from Spirit
itself, for the distinction has very important bearings. What distinguishes
the vehicles from the Spirit is the Law of Growth. The Spirit is the
Formless principle of Life, and the vehicle is a Form in which this
principle functions. Now the vehicle is a projection by the Spirit of
substance coordinate with the natural order of the plane on which the
vehicle functions, and therefore requires to be built up comformably to
that order. This building up is what we speak of as Growth; and since the
principle which causes the growth is the individualized Spirit, the rate at
which the growth will go on will depend on the amount of vitalizing energy
the Spirit puts into it, and the amount of vitalizing energy will depend on
the degree in which the individualized Spirit appreciates its own
livingness, and finally the degree of this appreciation will depend on the
quality of the individual's perception of the Great All-originating Spirit
as reflecting itself in him and thus making his contemplation of It nothing
else than the Creative Self-contemplation of the Spirit proceeding from an
individual and personal center. We must therefore not omit the Law of
Growth in the vehicle from our conception of the working of the Spirit. As
a matter of fact the vehicle has nothing to say in the matter for it is
simply a projection from the Spirit; but for this very reason its formation
will be slow or rapid in exact proportion to the individual spirit's
vitalizing conception. We could imagine a degree of vitalizing conception
that would produce the corresponding form instantaneously, but at present
we must allow for the weakness of our spiritual power--not as thinking it
by any means incapable of accomplishing its object, but as being far slower
in operation now than we hope to see it in the future--and so we must not
allow ourselves to be discouraged, but must hold our thought knowing that
it is doing its creative work, and that the corresponding growth is slowly
but surely taking place--thus following the Divine precept that men ought
always to pray and not to faint. Gradually as we gain experience on these
new lines our confidence in the power of the Spirit will increase, and we
shall be less inclined to argue from the negative side of things, and thus
the hindrances to the inflow of the Originating Spirit will be more and
more removed, and greater and greater results will be obtained.
If we would have our minds clear on this subject of Manifestation we should
remember its threefold nature:--First the General Life-Principle, secondly
the Localization of this principle in the Individual, and thirdly the
Growth of the Vehicle as it is projected by the individualized spirit with
more or less energy. It is a sequence of progressive condensation from the
Undifferentiated Universal Spirit to the ultimate and outermost vehicle--a
truth enshrined in the esoteric maxim that "Matter is Spirit at its lowest
level."
The forms thus produced are in true accord with the general order of Nature
on the particular plane where they occur, and are therefore perfectly
different from forms temporarily consolidated out of material drawn from
other living organisms. These latter phantasmal bodies are held together
only by an act of concentrated volition, and can therefore only be
maintained for a short time and with effort; while the body which the
individualized spirit, or ego, builds for itself is produced by a perfectly
natural process and does not require any effort to sustain it, since it is
kept in touch with the whole system of the planet by the continuous and
effortless action of the individual's sub-conscious mind.
This is where the action of sub-conscious mind as the builder of the body
comes in. Sub-conscious mind acts in accordance with the aggregate of
suggestion impressed upon it by the conscious mind, and if this suggestion
is that of perfect harmony with the physical laws of the planet then a
corresponding building by the sub-conscious mind will take place, a process
which, so far from implying any effort, consists rather in a restful sense
of unity with Nature.[4]
And if to this sense of union with the Soul of Nature, that Universal
Sub-conscious Mind which holds in the cosmos the same place that the
sub-conscious mind does in ourselves--if to this there be superadded a
sense of union with the All-creating Spirit from which the Soul of Nature
flows, then through the medium of the individual's sub-conscious mind such
specialized effects can be produced in his body as to transcend our past
experiences without in any way violating the order of the universe. The Old
Law was the manifestation of the Principle of Life working under
constricted conditions: the New Law is the manifestation of the same
Principle working under expanding conditions. Thus it is that though God
never changes we are said to "increase with the increase of God."
CHAPTER V
THE PERSONAL FACTOR
I have already pointed out that the presence of a single all-embracing
Cosmic Mind is an absolute necessity for the existence of any creation
whatever, for the reason that if each individual mind were an entirely
separate center of perception, not linked to all other minds by a common
ground of underlying mentality independent of all individual action, then
no two persons would see the same thing at the same time, in fact no two
individuals would be conscious of living in the same world. If this were
the case there would be no common standard to which to refer our
sensations; and, indeed, coming into existence with no consciousness of
environment except such as we could form by our own unaided thought, and
having by the hypothesis no standard by which to form our thoughts, we
could not form the conception of any environment at all, and consequently
could have no recognition of our own existence. The confusion of thought
involved even in the attempt to state such a condition shows it to be
perfectly inconceivable, for the simple reason that it is
self-contradictory and self-destructive. On this account it is clear that
our own existence and that of the world around us necessarily implies the
presence of a Universal Mind acting on certain _fixed lines of its own_
which establish the basis for the working of all individual minds. This
paramount action of the Universal Mind thus sets an unchangeable standard
by which all individual mental action must eventually be measured, and
therefore our first concern is to ascertain what this standard is and to
make it the basis of our own action.
But if the independent existence of a common standard of reference is
necessary for our self-recognition simply as inhabitants of the world we
live in, then _a fortiori_ a common standard of reference is necessary for
our recognition of the unique place we hold in the Creative Order, which is
that of introducing the Personal Factor without which the possibilities
contained in the great Cosmic Laws would remain undeveloped, and the
Self-contemplation of Spirit could never reach those infinite unfoldments
of which it is logically capable.
The evolution of the Personal Factor is therefore the point with which we
are most concerned. As a matter of fact, whatever theories we may hold to
the contrary, we do all realize the same cosmic environment in the same
way; that is to say, our minds all act according to certain generic laws
which underlie all our individual diversities of thought and feeling. This
is so because we are made that way and cannot help it. But with the
Personal Factor the case is different. A standard is no less necessary, but
we are not so made as to conform to it automatically. The very conception
of automatic conformity to a _personal_ standard is self-contradictory, for
it does away with the very thing that constitutes personality, namely
freedom of volition, the use of the powers of Initiative and Selection. For
this reason conformity to the Standard of Personality must be a matter of
choice, which amounts to the same thing as saying that it rests with each
individual to form his own conception of a standard of Personality; but
which liberty, however, carries with it the inevitable result that we shall
bring into manifestation the _conditions_ corresponding to the sort of
personality we accept as our normal standard.
I would draw attention to the words "Normal Standard." What we shall
eventually attain is, not what we merely wish, but what we regard as
normal. The reason is that since we sub-consciously know ourselves to be
based upon the inherent Law of the Universal Mind we feel, whether we can
reason it out or not, that we cannot force the All-producing Mind to work
contrary to its own inherent qualities, and therefore we intuitively
recognize that we cannot transcend the sort of personality which is normal
according to the Law of Universal Mind. This thought is always at the back
of our mind and we cannot get away from it for the simple reason that it is
inherent in our mental constitution, because our mind is itself a product
of the Creative Process; and to suppose ourselves transcending the
possibilities contained in the Originating Mind would involve the absurdity
of supposing that we can get the greater out of the less.
Nevertheless there are some who try to do so, and their position is as
follows. They say in effect, I want to transcend the standard of humanity
as I see it around me. But this is the normal standard according to the Law
of the Universe, therefore I have to get above the Law of the Universe.
Consequently I cannot draw the necessary power from that Law, and so there
is nowhere else to get it except from myself. Thus the aspirant is thrown
back upon his own individual will as the ultimate power, with the result
that the onus lies on him of concentrating a force sufficient to overcome
the Law of the Universe. There is thus continually present to him a
suggestion of struggle against a tremendous opposing force, and as a
consequence he is continually subjecting himself to a strain which grows
more and more intense as he realizes the magnitude of the force against
which he is contending. Then as he begins to realize the inequality of the
struggle he seeks for extraneous aid, and so he falls back on various
expedients, all of which have this in common that they ultimately amount to
invoking the assistance of other individualities, not seeing that this
involves the same fallacy which has brought him to his present straits, the
fallacy, namely, of supposing that any individuality can develop a power
greater than that of the source from which itself proceeds. The fallacy is
a radical one; and therefore all efforts based upon it are fore-doomed to
ultimate failure, whether they take the form of reliance on personal force
of will, or magical rites, or austerity practised against the body, or
attempts by abnormal concentration to absorb the individual in the
universal, or the invocation of spirits, or any other method--the same
fallacy is involved in them all, that the less is larger than the greater.
Now the point to be noted is that the idea of transcending the present
conditions of humanity does not necessarily imply the idea of transcending
the normal law of humanity. The mistake we have hitherto made has been in
fixing the Standard of Personality too low and in taking our past
experiences as measuring the ultimate possibilities of the race. Our
liberty consists in our ability to form our own conception of the Normal
Standard of Personality, only subject to the conditions arising out of the
inherent Law of the underlying Universal Mind; and so the whole thing
resolves itself into the question, What are those fundamental conditions?
The Law is that we cannot transcend the Normal; therefore comes the
question, What is the Normal?