[Sharing Lights]

continued



Metamorphosis

It would take too long to explain the reason for this. Let’s just say that there are ways for a disciple to reach and get to know his higher self and become one with it. And once he has achieved this all weakness, darkness and suffering disappear from his life and other forces are set in motion. The phenomenon is very similar to the phenomenon of metamorphosis of a caterpillar. A caterpillar wraps itself up in a cocoon and shortly after a different being appears: a beautiful, dainty, brilliantly coloured butterfly.

Nature has placed many such signs throughout creation so that disciples may learn from them and understand the transformations that they too must undergo. Human beings have a very high opinion of themselves, but in reality they are like ugly, lumpy little caterpillars that spend their time doing all kinds of damage by devouring the leaves of plants and trees. But once a caterpillar decides to withdraw into itself to reflect, meditate and renounce some of its baser tendencies, it triggers new forces within itself and the butterfly that soon emerges no longer destroys the leaves but feeds instead on the nectar of flowers.

Resurrection

A butterfly is a symbol of a soul that has escaped from all that bound and limited it, and this is resurrection, true resurrection. You must not think that the resurrection that the Bible talks about applies to the physical body. There is no resurrection of the physical body; there is only the quickening of a spiritual element that lay dormant within that body and that is now ready to awaken and blossom.

All this means of course that a disciple must not concentrate on what he is here below, for it is not very glorious; he must concentrate on becoming what he is on high. And in order to achieve this, in order to get all those energies, all that power and strength and beauty, to descend to his level, there is something specific he must do: he must raise himself to a great height to the level of his higher self, and implore it to change him. This is something that only our higher self can do, but it will not do it unless it is asked. Don’t delude yourself; if you don’t ask your higher self to help you it will do nothing; it will leave you to suffer and be miserable.

The screen of consciousness

Since our whole being is reflected on the screen of our consciousness, the reflection of our higher self is also there, however faint, and it is this reflection that makes it possible for us to be united to our self, our true self. Man is a fragile, puny little being, but if he is enlightened, if he has someone to instruct him, he is capable of making his cry for help heard on a very high level. I have never fully explained this to you before, but you can now understand how the screen of your consciousness makes it possible for you to know yourself. It is only a reflection and yet it contains the quintessence of your being; even though it is only your reflection, it is part of you.

Even though what a disciple sees on the screen of his consciousness is no more than a reflection of his true self, if he works to make contact and get to know that self, his consciousness begins to expand until one day he feels that his being is as vast as the universe itself, that he is the cosmic being, that he dwells in eternity.

‘I am That’

The sages of India have a mystical formula that is very profound. It is ‘I am That’, and it means ‘I have no separate, independent existence. I exist simply as His reflection. In discovering myself I shall be discovering Him, That which created me. I myself am an illusion, a non-being. Only That is a reality.’

Yes, God amused himself by scattering himself among his creatures. In reality though we should say that there are no creatures, nothing exists but God, for that is the truth. All creatures and the whole of creation are simply thoughts in the mind of God. We are going to have to pass through many different stages of course before we discover this for ourselves. To find one’s Self is a tremendous task. There are times when you suddenly feel flooded with light as though you had been catapulted onto the level of superconsciousness and you are overawed and dazzled by the immensity and the beauty of what you perceive. Unfortunately though this perception does not last and you find yourself back again in the daily routine with all your old worries and weaknesses. Once again you feel cut off from the Godhead and from your higher self; like a piece of flotsam drifting in the void. And then again a new light, a new illumination comes to you, but this too does not last long. And these ups and downs go on until one day at last light fills your being and never leaves you again. You have crossed to the other side; you are safe once and for all.

We can become angels

My dear brothers and sisters, even if you have not fully understood what I have been telling you, try to accept it, for I have verified so many things for myself and I am impatient to share them with you. Trust me and persevere even if you cannot see any results. Imitate the caterpillar which enters into itself and becomes a chrysalis. The example of the caterpillar which turns into a butterfly shows that even the most inferior beings possess amazing possibilities and can become butterflies – that is to say, angels. You must die to your life as a caterpillar and live the life of a butterfly. This is why Jesus said, ‘Except you die you shall not live’. Yes, you have to die to your lower life so as to live the divine life.