While these physical and mental attributes of the human species belong to each person, they are not the individual. They are merely tools, which must be mastered. Before this can be done, however, one must distinguish the Self from the things which are "not Self." Like the child, who contains within itself the future adult, the human mind is often unaware of its own latent and potential powers. It does not know its Self.

When the human mind begins to awaken to a realization of its Self, it relinquishes and sets aside those things that it perceives are not its Self. Setting aside first this thing and then that, it discards everything that is "not Self" until the conscious mind is fully awake, free and delivered from its bondage to the confining sheaths of personality. Then, and only then, can it return to these things and make proper use of them, as their master. They are not evil, or things to be hated. They are not dirty or disgusting. Rather, they are the separate fragments of what make us human and, as such, should be embraced and bring delight. Yet, they are not the Self and should never be allowed to gain control over the Self. They are the tools of the Self and should be utilized to their fullest.

After a person has set aside the things of the physical world, for examination and not necessarily as a form of abstention, he or she enters the realm of the intellect. But, intellect alone usually breeds cynicism and pessimism. It begins to see the entire world as merely an illusion with no purpose. It becomes like a mighty elephant, which is controlled by a little man with a stick. Life has no meaning, except to obediently follow the orders of another, until such time as death frees it from its slavery. It does not realize that it has the power to break free of the chain around its ankle and toss away the little man at any time it so chooses.

You must master your lower self, break free of the chains that bind you to your limitations and unfold into a realization of your true Self, before you can ever hope to exert an influence beyond your physical being. There is no magical shortcut to such enlightenment and personal power. Each step must be taken in turn, and you must walk the path alone, by your own efforts.

Most people, today, intellectually understand and accept the concept of the Self. But, they have not awakened to a conscious realization of its existence and, so, still see themselves as little more than an eating, sleeping, living creature--an evolved animal. They do not know their own existence, independent of their bodies. This awakened consciousness is something that they see as belonging only to saints and holy men. It is not something which they can ever accomplish within the confines of their earthly life.

No matter how humble your position in life, no matter how little you may be able to touch into your real Self, do not idolize those who seem to be so spiritual and holy. You would not ever wish to change places with anyone else, even a saint. To do so, you would have to intellectually die and become that person. So, you would not be you at all. You would become someone else, and totally unaware that the original you ever existed. All that you now are, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, would be gone. All that would remain would be the new person who you had become. Of course, such a thing is not possible because no individual Self can ever be wiped out.

The first lesson, the reality of the Self, must be fully realized before you can progress any further. You must become aware of your own existence and Life, beyond that of your physical body or its functions. You must see your Self as invincible and totally impervious to harm and death. You must know yourself as the Center of the Universe. Your awareness radiates outward in all directions, beholding Infinity at every turn. Above or below, before and behind, left and right, inside and outside, never more and never less, there is always Infinity. And, any single point that is equidistant from all its boundaries is the center of the structure. But, since the universe is limitless, its structure has an infinite number of centers. This may seem like an impossible paradox of geometry. However, it is a reality. Each individual is, therefore, the absolute center of the universal sphere as he or she perceives it.

When I say that you are the "Center" of the Universe, I do not want to give you grandiose delusions or an inflated ego. Remember, everyone else is also the Center of the same Universe and entitled to the same sense of importance as you. Being the Center does not make you any more special, or less special, than anyone else. It merely gives you a point of reference from which to see the world around you. It is a concept that tends to develop a greater sense of who you are, as well as giving you a feeling of being "at home" no matter where you are because the nature of the center has not changed, even if its location within the structure of the world has.

This Center, the true Self, is a manifestation of pure perfection. It was created in the image of God and possesses the same divine attributes of omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. It possesses all knowledge, all power, and exists everywhere at once. It is not limited by the confines of time and space. Yet, it is always the Center.

You are infinite and perfect, but you do not remember this. Your physical body causes you to forget. It makes you love and hate, happy and sad, forgiving and vengeful. It makes you act like an animal when you would be a saint. But, you are an animal, and you are Spirit. You are both, simultaneously. This is the great riddle of human existence.

All truth must have two sides, if it is a whole truth. It is very much like a coin, with both a positive and a negative side, heads or tails. It only depends upon your point-of-view which side of the coin you will see.