A personality is a man with a sense of destiny. Such
a man has sufficient will power to subject his lower nature to such a discipline that he
can fulfil the destiny of which he is subconsciously aware. These people fall into two
groups:
- Those with no soul contact of any kind. Those people are urged forward to their destiny
by a sense of power, by self-love, by exalted ambition, by a superiority complex, and by a
determination to reach the top of their particular tree.
- Those with a small measure of soul contact. These are people whose methods and motives
are therefore a mixture of selfishness and of spiritual vision. Their problem is a
difficult one, as their measure of soul contact does bring in an inflow of force which
stimulates the lower nature, even whilst increasing [266] soul control. It is not,
however, powerful enough to subordinate the lower nature entirely.
A personality is a completely integrated human being. In this case, we have a
man whose physical, emotional and mental natures can be fused and can subsequently
function as one, and thus produce a mechanism which is subordinated to the will of the
personality. This can take place with or without a definite soul contact, and it is at
this stage that there comes a predisposition to the right, or to the left hand path. The
coordination proceeds as follows:
- Coordination
of the emotional or astral nature with the physical body. This took place in the racial
sense in Atlantean times; it is going on today among the lower groupings in the human
family. It should be the objective of the development of children from the ages of seven
to fourteen.
- Coordination
of the physical, astral and mental natures into one blended whole. This is taking place
racially in the Aryan race today and the process will be completed (for the bulk of
humanity) when the sun enters the zodiacal sign, Sagittarius, just as now it is entering
Aquarius. This coordination is going on rapidly among the advanced members of the human
family and should be the objective of the training of all adolescents between the ages of
fourteen and twenty-one.
- Next,
coordination is commenced between the soul and the personality, with the focus of the
soul's attention upon the astral or desire nature. This is the immediate task of the world
aspirants at this time, and will be the goal of the next race succeeding to that of the
Aryan. [267]
- Coordination
between soul, mind and brain to the exclusion of the body of illusion, the astral body.
This is the peculiar goal of the world disciples.
- Coordination
then has to be established between the soul, the purified personality and the Hierarchy.
This is the goal of the initiates in the world at this time, and of all who are in
preparation for the first, the second and the third initiations. This consummation is
finally achieved at the Transfiguration initiation.
- Coordination
between the soul, the personality and the spirit. This takes place via the Hierarchy of
Souls - a phrase which only initiates can properly interpret and understand. This process
is carried on after the third initiation.
A man
can be regarded as a personality in truth when the form aspect and the soul nature are
at-one. When the soul influences the personality and pervades all the lower
manifestation, then and only then, does the personality measure up to its true
significance, which is to constitute the mask of the soul, that which is the outer
appearance of inner spiritual forces. These forces are expressions of the soul, and the
soul is the central identity or fundamental focus upon the mental plane of the life of God
Himself. Essence, consciousness and appearance are the three aspects of divinity and of
man; the personality, when fully developed, is the "appearance of God on earth."
Life, quality, and form is another way of expressing this same triplicity.
These definitions have been made of a real simplicity and also exceedingly brief.
Intricacy of definition does not necessarily ensure correctness, and the clear outlines of
a truth are oft lost in a maze of words. [268] |
