by Ernest L. Norman
In making observations in the daily conduct of human affairs throughout the world and sometimes with certain Unariun students, I am often reminded of one of those classical stories and bits of philosophy left to posterity by Aesop.
This story concerns a certain dog who, after the manner of dogs, spent much of his time foraging among the dump heaps of the neighborhood. Now it happened one day that this dog found a particularly choice morsel, a large bone with succulent bits of meat still adhering to it. Eagerly grasping his prize in his jaws, he started to trot back home where he could better enjoy his repast and, on the way, chanced to pass over a footbridge under which was a pool of water; and as he was passing over, he chanced to look over the edge and saw his reflection. As a dog, he knew nothing of the laws of optics and so, thinking this was another dog approaching him to rob him of his prize, he opened his mouth to growl and in doing so, lost his grasp on his bone, which fell into the water.
How often it is we see the emotional interplay of peoples, of communities and nations, growling at each other and, in their emotion, losing the many and obvious blessings of everyday living which could be theirs with a less emotional conduct. The arms race between this country and Russia is a typical example of growling at imaginary dogs.
However, we can, to some extent, partially philosophize the conduct of nations and people. They, like the dog, do not really know the scientific reasons behind life, what life is, proper conduct, etc., even though they may profess, in their religion, a higher and less reactionary way of life, they will, at any given opportunity, growl at the next imaginary dog.
To the Unariun student, however, there is a double indemnity if he still persists in his old imaginary reactive way. In joining such an organization as Unarius, he has, automatically, confessed and acknowledged to himself and to countless billions of advanced Personalities living in higher worlds, that he has been in effect, living a dog’s life; he has been growling at shadows from the past for his many lifetimes! And each time he opened his mouth to growl, he lost—temporarily at least—all of the goodness and virtue in his life, always followed by a period of self-recrimination, sometimes self-flagellation, new avows, new resolutions to do better, etc.
Up until the time that he became a Unariun, however, we could say he was just another earth man and didn’t know any better; nor did he have the necessary strength for reform—until he had certain definite knowledge of life—and the answers to many heretofore unanswered things. After joining Unarius, however, he was given all this pertinent and vital information. He was also given personal demonstrations that there was a higher way of life which had been achieved by others who were now in a position to help him.
Sometimes he saw these people as bright pin points of Light—others have smelled their effulgences . . . felt the power of Their presence, etc., but in whatever way it was that he received his demonstrations and inward convictions, he now had a great power in his hands—a power which could be constructively used to mold him into a better human being.
This molding process, taking place through evolution, would gradually bring him to that time when he would not open his mouth to growl at imaginary dogs. However, as time is—interdimensionally speaking—nonexistent, there is always confronting the Unariun the proposition that, if he is mentally capable, he can in a moment’s time, so to speak, grasp the entirety of this evolution and to a certain extent, eliminate much of that backbreaking ground work called karma.
In other words he will see at this particular moment that his emotional reaction to the world about him is only his old dog growling, brought up to the present; and if he has an ounce of brains, he will stop it right at that point. Unfortunately, however, these resolutions may be frequently made and just as frequently broken; it requires considerably more than spurts of self-determination and resolutions to stop growling. It requires the personal accumulation of a vast knowledge of the Infinite, plus the requirement of never-ending objective self-analysis, universal retrospection and real and genuine attempts to use this knowledge, as well as to see it in action.
Such a determined course of evolution to become a better person will definitely achieve results. The results are always proportionate to the effort; and it should be well to note to these self-determined Unariuns that the shadowy dogs of the past will appear in many forms—not just as dogs, but in practically any particular aspect or way of life—even your daily living habits are these dog images; and so long as you react to them, you are growling at them and each time you respond to their influence you are, in effect, losing temporarily at least, some of that determination, and hard fought for progress.
Therefore, do not attempt to placate yourself by saying, “I’m still in the world or a human being” or “I have to do as others do”, etc. Put this world and your life in it where it most properly belongs—in your past, even though you may live it hundreds of lifetimes in the future, you will have to constantly remember that this physical material life at any present moment is your past; and in your response to it as a primary consideration is a dog growling at reflections.
The effort then, which must be constantly made, is in this realization: these scientific laws of regeneration are constantly at work and they are inviolate; your present physical material life is made possible only from this past. Like the water under the bridge, the psychic anatomy is at all times reflecting this past into your present; and if you do like the dog on the bridge did—believe it is the real thing—you will be constantly reacting emotionally toward it. It will have primary importance in your life and you will constantly be losing your strength, your purpose and a better future.
So let us take a new and firmer resolution—not merely to quit reacting emotionally, but to always carry foremost in our minds this most important equation in life: to understand the material life in the present as merely new and readapted forms of the past and to keep it more properly where it belongs, in the past, and of secondary importance. We must always carry in our minds the supreme wisdom of Infinite Intelligence and how this Intelligence conceived the only possible way that any form of life could evolve, could readapt itself and become a better expression of life, is through evolution.
Evolution is possible only through the doorway of personal experience. To become infinitely wise means going through an infinite number of experiences and to have mastered them in a way which gives positive impetus to future evolutions. The net product of each experience can thus be maintained infinitely as part of the personal intelligence, thus making wisdom infinitely possible.
How this is done is most adequately explained in the books and lessons. May it be that you will return again and again to them; and each time you do so, you will be able to glean more from them and they will in effect, not only be your lifeline in the present circumstances of life, but they will plainly mark your course into the future.
Excerpt from Tempus Procedium