You are constantly drawing the Vital Force of your Life from the great universal supply of energy. Then, having used up what you need, you allow it to pass on and assume some other form. It is, next, taken in and used by someone else. It is an endless current and flow of but one force, limitless and ever-changing.

Even the principle of mind-stuff, which we are so apt to think of as our own and distinctively individual, is drawn from one universal supply. The Eternal Consciousness of the Absolute is the only true intelligence in existence. But, like an infinite jig-saw puzzle, it is divided into an uncountable number of individual pieces, fragments of human consciousness, which have a tendency to loose sight of the bigger picture.

The entire Universe of Universes is alive, vibrating and pulsing with energy, matter and intelligence. There is nothing "dead" anywhere. But, it is only the Self that is unchangeable and unaltered by it all. Everything else is merely a flow of substances from the one great source of all supply, which you draw to yourself for your needs and wants of the moment. When you are able to hold this concept in your conscious mind, not just intellectually but as a constant awareness of the Current of Life, you will be well on the road to attaining Cosmic Consciousness.

When this awareness is firmly established, the Soul is able to rise above the lower planes of consciousness and becomes free of certain laws that bind the undeveloped individual to the physical universe. The awakened consciousness of the unity of all matter, energy, mind, and Life, however, does not annihilate one’s sense of identity or individuality, as many ignorant followers of some Oriental charlatans would have us believe from their descriptions of a state known as Nirvana. No, it is not an extinction of the Self. Instead of being absorbed into the Universe, you will feel yourself spreading out to embrace the whole of Creation and become far more than yourself, not less. You will see your own reflection in all forms of Life; in every person, animal, plant, mineral and atomic particle. You will realize that the Life within you is also the Life of the Universe itself, in all its varied manifestations. There is only One Life, used and enjoyed by everyone and everything.

Realization of the True Self brings with it love for all Life. But, the dawning power of an awakening Soul, without an intimate understanding of what it all means, may be used for selfish and materialistic ends. Such misuse of the force of will, however, only brings pain and self-destruction to the perpetrator. That is why the practitioners of black magick are often driven mad and crushed by their own demons.

Before you may assert mastery over matter, energy and mind, you must awaken to the grander reality of Self. You must know your own Self as the center of this shadowy world of illusions and appearances. The self (small "s") must be expanded to embrace the greater Self (large "S"). You must come to realize that you are the Master of your self and destiny before you can claim the powers of a Master.