Let us conclude this lesson with those inspiring words of the poet Wordsworth, whose soul rose to a perception of the Truth, in spite of the conventional restrictions placed upon him by his age and land.

     “Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting,
        The soul that rises with us, our life’s star,
      Hath elsewhere had its setting,
        And cometh from afar. 
      Not in entire forgetfulness,
      And not in utter nakedness,
      But trailing clouds of glory do we come
      From God, who is our home.”

THE TWELFTH LESSON.

THE MESSAGE OF THE MASTER.

Running throughout nearly all of the teachings and messages of Jesus, is to be found the constant Mystic Message regarding the existence of the Spirit within the soul of each individual—­that Something Within to which all can turn in time of pain and trouble—­that Guide and Monitor which stands ever ready to counsel, advise and direct if one opens himself to the Voice.

“Seek ye first the Kingdom, and all things shall be added unto you.”  And, again, as if to explain:  “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.”  This is the Mystic Message which gives one a key to the Mysteries of the Inner Teachings.

Let us take up a few of His sayings and endeavor to interpret them by the light of these teachings.  But before doing so we must call the attention of the student to the fact that, in order to understand intelligently what we are saying, he must carefully re-read the “Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy” wherein the details of the teachings are set forth—­that is the fundamental truths are explained.  In the “Advanced Course” and in “Gnani Yoga” the higher phases of the teachings are presented.  And, although in the said works there is little or no reference made to Christianity, yet the teachings are so fundamental that the Inner Teachings of all religions—­including Christianity—­may be understood by one who has acquainted himself with these fundamental truths.

There is but one real Occult Philosophy, and we find it in evidence everywhere—­once the Truth is grasped, it is found to be the Master Key with which to unlock the various doors leading to the esoteric phase of any and all religions or philosophies.  The Yogi Fathers, centuries and centuries ago, solved the Riddle of the Universe, and the highest efforts of the human mind since that time have but corroborated, proven and exemplified the original Truth as voiced by these Venerable Sages.

Let us read the words of Jesus in the light of this Ancient Wisdom.

Let us consider the Sermon on the Mount as given in Matthew (Chapters 5; 6; 7).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 5:3.)

By these words Jesus indicated the occult teachings that those who renounced the vain glory and petty ambitions of this world would be on the road to the realization of the Real Self—­the Something Within—­the Spirit.  For is it not written that “the Kingdom of Heaven is within you”?