The Text - Section 168
168. TWO BASIC WAYS OF LIFE: TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE CENTER
Greetings, all my dearest friends. I should like to start this lecture with a special blessing
whose deeper meaning you can feel if you are open to it. Otherwise the words will be just words.
This blessing is the simple statement: truth brings love and love brings truth. No matter from which
end of this statement you start, one end must lead to the other end, so that both become one. In
this pathwork you tentatively grope in both directions.
In the very center of the human personality exists a potent, white-glowing mass of energy. It
is a constant fire that continually bubbles and explodes within itself. Each tiny explosion multiplies
the mass expelling kernels of the same substance and energy. When this fundamental creative
process is unobstructed and harmonious, the endless continuum of energy spreads and floods over
with joy and well-being. The constant flow spreads and spreads and yet is contained within itself.
There is no chaos in this process.
Wherever this creative energy-mass appears, it brings into the organism the very essence and
nature of the creative substance. As I said, it is pure joy and well-being. But this is not all. Since it
is the divine mass, it must contain consciousness of the highest order. Each bubbling, spreading
kernel is a nucleus of consciousness with infinite potentials of wisdom, talent, creativity -- resources
of every conceivable possibility. In this consciousness, infinite modes of self-expression, bliss,
pleasure supreme, and stimulating new ventures exist in the most peaceful and secure state. No
words can remotely do it justice. Each kernel contains everything that ever was and ever can be. If
these words are truly understood in their far-reaching significance and are taken literally, as they are
meant to be, nothing can ever appear hopeless to an unhappy human being.
The combination of consciousness and energy is truly all-powerful. It is the omnipotence
correctly ascribed to God and misinterpreted by the child who has an inner knowledge of his or her
inherent omnipotence and abuses it. The abuse occurs when the omnipotence is put into the service
of the self-willed little ego. The latter must be overcome to find the human being's own divine
nucleus, where real omnipotence reigns supreme.
Human beings are vastly ignorant of the fact that they express part of this ever-exploding,
ever-increasing energy-mass of consciousness and power. They may know certain philosophies that
postulate these truths, but they are not deeply aware of being a part, an expression of, this
powerhouse of strength and wisdom. The meaning of all life is concerned with attaining the state in
which the organic process of the energy-mass takes place without obstruction. The human state of
consciousness has, however, obstructed to a considerable degree this creatively unfolding process.
An individual's development can be gauged by the extent to which he or she is conscious that this
process is taking place and makes forever more room for it.
These are facts, my friends, that you already know in principle. However, they must be
brought to your attention again and again in new terms, with a new light and a different angle, so
that finally an inroad can be made that leads to an emotional experience of these truths. First a vivid
new experience has to take place in the mind, which gives the necessary stimulation and perhaps a
new feeling of comprehension, so that the obstructing mechanism weakens and the creative
expansion process becomes stronger.
The human consciousness is a state in which the individual can take either of two basic
directions of life. One is directed toward unfoldment and the elimination of obstructions. The
other trend is away from it. The human condition can be adequately explained as a struggle to give
up the first and find a way into the other. Most human beings today are still oblivious of this choice
and still move away from the center. They strive to find a happiness that can be found only in the
opposite direction. Since they are ignorant that they contain within themselves all they could ever
need, they try to grasp whatever they need from others, from substitutes, from illusions.
As I stated, the movement toward the center is an infinite process. There is no stopping, no
end result. It is forever new -- expanding vistas and possibilities of blissful being and self-
expression. Within this multitude of creative possibilities boredom is impossible, as is fatigue, since
fatigue is merely a result of the forces set in motion by striving away from the center. The incredibly
beautiful state of being cannot possibly be conveyed in words. You must also imagine that this state
knows no fear whatsoever, since one knows absolutely that there is never an end to blissful life --
only more and better choices. This is truly no illusion, my friends. It is the stark reality of the inner
life of creative being. When the individual knows that all good can be had and need never end, as
long as it is chosen, fearlessness comes about.
The other direction, away from the center, is finite. The more the individual moves in this
direction, the more he or she despairs -- not only because it is the wrong way, the way that leads to
destructiveness and unhappiness, but also because an end is feared. The end is feared only when
one goes the wrong way. When humans go the wrong way, they believe that existence and all hope
of bliss end forever. All human beings long for the fulfillment of their inherent nature, which is this
bliss. When the fulfillment seems to move further and further away, they believe that there is no
other hope or solution in sight. In that sense the perception of an end is incorrect; but the
perception that there is a limit in the direction away from the center is correct. One must come to a
breaking point, a collapse, because this direction leads to an entrapment from which there is no way
out. Seen in this light, it is actually a blessing to arrive at the breaking point. Only when the
breaking point has been reached can the other direction be found. Only when the entity recognizes,
"I am in a state from which there is no way out; the old way is wrong," can the other way be found,
and not otherwise.
I would like to point out here that everyone for whom life is a fruitful and constructive
experience has reached this breaking point at a previous period of his or her spiritual history. Such a
person has also reached the "point of no return" where absolute despair reigned and there seemed
no way out. This motivated the person to move in a different direction. Thus it is often folly to
assume that it is tragic when a person obviously moves quite rapidly into the point of collapse. This
is necessary when an entity is still completely blind and entrapped in error and destruction. The
breaking point has then the healing power, the only possibility from which the good way can be
looked for, seen, and undertaken. The marvel of the universe, of Creation is that the more rapidly
destruction approaches, the nearer salvation must be. Hence, reaching the breaking point at which
there is no further way out but salvation has deep importance for the development of each entity. It
then leads directly to the bliss of finding the explosive power of the spiritual force within -- the
ongoing process of positive unfoldment, of unlimited possibilities for pleasurable and meaningful
existence, of real selfhood, of the dignity of being a creator of one's own life in the universe and
expressing God within oneself.
I venture to say that every one of you has experienced this change of direction innumerable
times. You have come to desperation, finding no way out. Then something in you changed. You
became conscious of a tense insistence in one direction. As long as the situation was not desperate,
you had hoped that going in this direction would lead to a desired result. Only when it became clear
that this would not happen did you give up your tense insistence. Something in you relaxed -- you
let go of the old direction -- and, lo and behold, the desperation vanished. Completely unexpected
solutions appeared. Only by having reached the very limits of the old direction, when you were
desperate, could you give up your stubborn insistence, old beliefs, and destructive patterns and find
the way that leads to all you could ever want. In small ways you have experienced this many times.
But there is one particularly significant point when this happens on an overall plane.
Look at the people in your environment and see how many are still on the road toward the
breaking point where the limit is reached. See how they fear this limit and yet how stubbornly they
refuse to look for another way. And then you see a few individuals unfolding on the upper way
toward their inner center, who have obviously put the major breaking point behind them. When
you evaluate human existence from this point of view, you will see that the latter are indeed a very
small minority. You who are on this path are therefore a very small minority. And even you who
are here, groping to solve your inner problems and struggles, are still often caught unconsciously in
the old automatism. In many cases you have followed this direction for centuries. Only as you
become more and more aware of yourself do you eventually see the destructive process that leads to
the limit beyond which you cannot continue in the same direction. At least now you are
meaningfully engaged in ascertaining this fact about yourself.
The human personality is an integral part of the great power and creative substance I
mentioned. When I say, "the human personality," I actually mean everything about it: the conscious
intelligence, the will, all the capacities and feelings, which may already be unfolding or slumbering as
potentials. Since destructive tendencies and evil are not verities in themselves but only distortions,
they, too, are included. So is the conscious ego, which is not a separated, different thing -- it is of
the same creative substance and contains all the elements to be found in the nucleus of being.
Therefore it would be an error to approach your self-realization as though your ego-personality were
basically and intrinsically different from the inner power you want to activate.
Nevertheless, as you know, the ego in its present development is very limited in power and
intelligence compared with the vastly larger part you wish to activate through the pathwork. It is
therefore necessary to comprehend that the conscious personality, although relatively limited,
contains everything you need to activate and become one with the explosive, ever-unfolding power
of love and truth, consciousness and strength, and creative living that is the God-consciousness.
Although the ego-consciousness is ill equipped to handle life by itself, it is nevertheless perfectly
endowed with everything you need in every situation to assume the attitude that brings you into
union with the greater power. This is tremendously important knowledge for you to have. Without
this knowledge you despair, you think you are powerless; but with this comprehension you can
grope in a hopeful and meaningful way. If at each difficulty, at each bend in the road around which
you cannot see, you could say, "Yes, I have right now at my disposal everything I need to find the
attitude compatible with the greater power," then this power could make itself known to you.
What is the attitude you have toward the present difficulty? This is what counts. This is
where you have a choice to assume a constructive or destructive attitude, a truthful or self-deceptive
attitude. You have the power to find out what you really feel and why you feel it. You have the
power to request guidance from the greatest wisdom conceivable, which is within yourself. You
have the possibility to want to be on the constructive road that leads to creating and unfolding
rather than giving up, as is done so often in a difficulty. You also have the power to let go of
stubborn insistence and rigid upholding of unconscious attitudes whose nature is as yet unexplored.
You have the power to overcome the temptation to indulge in resignation and self-pity. Therefore I
say to you: Realize that you have everything you need to assume the attitude to activate the greatest
power in the universe. Each and every living instant -- I do not care whether it is beautiful or ugly,
easy and lighthearted or difficult and heavy -- contains the potential to be in bliss, provided you
penetrate the Now to its deepest level. Each instant contains ultimate truth, if you want only to turn
in the right direction.
These words may be difficult to accept, and perhaps even more difficult to feel. But if at any
given moment of your road toward light, truth, love and fulfillment you take this sentence very
seriously and contemplate its meaning, where there is darkness light will come. Each second of your
life contains the All and the Ultimate. This is not a mere phrase, it is absolute reality, forever
realizable. Even if you move, still in your error, toward the limit where the turnabout must come,
that is good if you honestly grope and pray for understanding. These words will suddenly assume a
new meaning. Where hopelessness seems a fact of life, ever-increasing possibilities of new
expansion will dawn upon you as the starkest reality you ever experienced.
To make all this a little easier to realize, let us look at a very important obstruction. We have
talked about many obstructions, such as your misconceptions and destructive attitudes, in many
ways and from many approaches. At this time, I would like to simplify matters. I would like to
discuss these obstructions in terms of the soul movements, which reflect the personality's attitudes.
If you become more finely attuned to your soul movements, you will easily perceive that each
attitude you assume results in a certain movement. If you are in an attitude of love, say, the soul
movement is very different from one that reflects an attitude of fear and hate.
The greatest obstruction is fear, especially unconscious unrecognized fear. You must clearly
understand that these words apply after repressed material has been made conscious, for not
knowing what goes on in the self is obviously the greatest obstruction there is. Ignorance is a
greater cause of fear than any other single factor. Every destructiveness is connected with fear --
either comes from it, and/or leads to it and perpetuates it. Fear is a tremendously important
element. The soul movement of fear is tension, cramp, and stopping of the flow from the inner
energy center that enlivens you. Fear blocks the opening through which self-renewing life flows into
the outer organism. As I explained in the last lecture, fear freezes, paralyzes, stops movement. It is
thus accurate to state that the soul movement of fear is no movement. Thus it is of great
importance to understand fear in terms of the dynamics of the soul movements.
We have discussed many elements of fear in this work. You have found what some of your
fears are, why you are afraid, what misconceptions exist that create fear, and so on. I do not wish to
examine fear again in these contexts. Rather, I say to those of you who are unaware of your fears
when you are unhappy that you must have fear if there is anything that burdens or frustrates you. If
you feel that your self-expression is hindered, if you feel that there is more to life than you
experience, then you must have fears you do not know about. This fear must eventually be
experienced for you to overcome it.
As I said, the dynamics of fear is tension, cramp, paralysis. Such a cramp prohibits the
creative flow. If you go deep enough and truly confront the fear dispassionately, you must always
recognize that it comes from a very strong, cramped, stubborn desire for something. Some
philosophies even advocate desirelessness because they have recognized this fact, although the
concept of desirelessness can easily be misunderstood. Desirelessness must not be confused with
indifference, resignation, escape from the conflicts that one's undeveloped desires may bring.
Healthy desires are relaxed. They are in rhythm with the unfolding, inwardly imploding life energy.
The cramped desire is the one that says, "I must or else. I will not take no for an answer." This
kind of desire breeds fear, for it comes from distrust and thus actually from fear. "I must have it, I
will not give up," denies the ever-unfolding life-possibilities. It insists on one specific thing at one
specific moment in one specific way. Therefore it reveals distrust, ignorance of the universe, fear
that one may not get one's own -- and it comes out of the darkness that does not see other ways and
possibilities but the one insisted on. Therefore it cramps up within itself.
A strong desire of this nature is always behind fear. And when you experience, acknowledge,
and examine such desire, you will always see distrustful elements behind it. So I say to you, my
friends, look at your fears from this point of view, for the greatest inner pain is the cramped soul
movement. Only as you give up the specific desires behind the fear will the fear vanish and the soul
movement relax. Thus you will make room for the endless possibilities within your inner universe
for new unfoldment.
Sometimes this may mean entirely abandoning a desire because you find that it is destructive
in itself. At other times, the desire itself is perfectly valid, but the way you insist on its fulfillment is
unrealistic and leads to pain and disappointment. At still other times, the desire may again be valid
in itself, but the motivation behind it may come from dependent, self-alienating trends. Try to
ascertain the desires behind each fear. This is my message to you tonight. If you truly pray for the
inner understanding and inner action, something will very drastically change in you.
Now, are there any questions in connection with this lecture?
QUESTION: Yes. Letting go of these desires is an act of will?
ANSWER: Yes, of the inner will. Often the desire itself may be legitimate and even healthy,
as I implied before. But the insistence that "I must have this now" or "I must not have that now" is
so harmful. What I advise is not necessarily giving up the desire per se. It is giving up the cramped
soul movement that is connected with having the desire. It is a conscious decision directed toward
the inner feeling self, in which you feel yourself letting go of something, giving up a certain attitude.
Let us take a simple universal example: The fear of death contains the desire to live. There is
nothing at all wrong with this desire, for it is creation's fact that life is unending. But the fear of
death contains every false attitude I discussed in this lecture. Physical death is, on a certain level, the
final breaking point on the road away from the center. Since every human being is moving away
from the center to a greater or lesser degree, everyone must experience death. Therefore, you fear
and cramp up against this limit. But denying the result of your own action is an unreasonable inner
act. It implies a refusal to assume the responsibility and consequences for your actions and choices.
If you go east and wish to come out west, you will be in grave conflict with yourself and life.
Accepting death in the right way merely means assuming the consequences of one's past direction.
It need not mean to abandon one's desire to live. In fact, the desire to be dead is far from healthy.
It stems from morbid fears and from the desire to escape. Thus I do not say that to overcome death
and the fear of death you must abandon the desire for life.
What I do say is that the healthy attitude leading toward life would be an attitude somewhat
like this: "Here is death coming. I do not know whether I will continue in life. I would like to
continue living. My outer intellect knows only the philosophies of life as a continuum, but I do not
as yet know and feel the truth of this continuum. I would like the eternal life, if it exists. I will not
deceive myself, though, by pretending that I feel the truth of life as a continuum. I let go of the fear
that I will not live and accept what comes, in the trust that the universe is benign, even if I cannot at
this time know, see, and experience the continuum I would really like." This is the attitude that will
eventually bring one the inner experience of truth that life is unending. How soon this will come
depends on how genuine your attitude is and how deeply it is experienced. How trustingly you let
go and let yourself be carried, while being honest at the same time determines how soon experience
will prove to you that there is nothing to fear. For life, indeed, is an unending process.
QUESTION: How can you get fear out of your system?
ANSWER: You get fear out of your system by recognizing what is behind it and where you
hold on in a cramped state, and by letting go of the cramp. Meet the fear head on instead of evading
it. Fear is maintained when it is not faced. When you face fear, you can recognize, experience, and
alter it according to reality and a more constructive pattern of life. Then the hard cramp relaxes.
You will feel it. This action always implies a generous attitude of trust toward the universe. I said in
this lecture that every single instant of living contains the possibility of choosing the attitudes that
will bring you into contact with the eternal life within you. Actually, contact is not the right word:
The eternal life will completely permeate you with its reality. If you are in fear, therefore cramped,
therefore alienated from the life force within you, you must really face the fear on the deepest level -
- find the cramped desire behind your fear, and then see the meaning of the cramped desire. It
spells out, "I do not trust the universe. I want it my way. I do not give myself over to the universe."
This is ungenerous and untrusting. This attitude is incompatible with the nature of the divine
center, so that the experience of it is blocked. When this attitude is exchanged for generous trust,
you will experience the truth of the benign universe in which nothing need be feared.
QUESTION: How can I synchronize feeling and movement?
ANSWER: The inability to do this reveals a tremendous frozenness that also comes from
fear. You fear that if you express your feelings, you must move out into the world. You fear that by
doing so, certain unwelcome results will occur. Here, too, you must ask yourself precisely what you
fear if you move with your feelings. Perhaps you fear rejection, ridicule, hurt, but whatever your
fears may be, you must state them concisely. Only then can the courage and generosity come that
make you take the risk. There must be risk. Apart from all the other things I said about fear, it is a
refusal to risk anything. It is impossible to lose fear without the willingness to lose. This means
risking. Not wanting to risk is ungenerous. And anything ungenerous is incompatible with the
nature of the power you wish to activate. To be enlivened by the inner reality of being, become one
with it and express it, the outer personality must be compatible with its attitudes, its laws, its very
way of being. These are natural and logical laws. If your character and attitudes are incompatible
with the laws of the greater power deep within your center, you cannot possibly express this greater
power. Not trusting the universe, not ever wanting to risk, is a pettiness in the spirit. Wherever
human conflicts and problems reside in the soul, this pettiness also exists.
Thus, the only way is to face exactly what you fear, what you want, and where you
ungenerously withhold from trusting and risking. That is the only way out of fear. There is no
other. Fear is totally the result of duality. You see, if you want so strongly, you must fear as strongly
not getting what you want. Conversely, if you fear so strongly, you must unconsciously also want
what you do not wish to experience. This excessive wanting and not wanting creates not only a
cramp, but contains also the duality -- yes versus no, good versus bad. Duality ends in conflict,
comes out of conflict, and therefore leads to the breaking point of no return. The limit finally offers
no alternative but to turn around; then the unitive principle will reveal itself in its fearless, conflict-
free state. Then a harmonious soul movement comes about where neither the yes nor the no is
overly strong; not because one has no desire to expand in bliss, for this is the natural desire, but
because one trusts the universe and its laws.
Be blessed, be in peace.