THE SEVENTH LESSON.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

The ministry of Jesus went on in about the same channels.  Wandering here and there throughout the country, preaching and teaching in this town and that village, gathering around Him new followers, Jesus continued His work.  He adapted Himself to His audience, giving to each what it needed, and not making the mistake of speaking over the heads of the people.  He gave the general public the broad general teachings that they required, but He reserved the Inner Teachings for the Inner Circle of His followers whom He knew to be fit to receive the same.  In this He showed a deep knowledge of men, and a strict accordance with the established custom of the mystics, who never make the mistake of giving the higher spiritual mathematics to the students who are learning the addition, subtraction and division rules of the occult.  He cautioned His apostles regarding this point of teaching, even going so far as warning them positively and strongly against “casting pearls before swine.”

One night He was in a boat crossing the lake of Gennesaret, in company with some of His fisherman followers.  Tired out by the strenuous work of the day, He wrapped Himself up in His robe and fell into a deep sleep, from which He was later awakened by a noise and commotion among the crew and passengers.  A terrible lake storm had sprung up, and the little vessel was tossing and pitching about among the waves in a manner which gave concern to even the experienced fishermen who manned her.  The sails had been torn off, carrying away with them a portion of the mast, and the boat refused to respond to her rudder, the steering gear being rendered useless.  The crew became panic-stricken and rushing to Jesus besought Him to save them from death in the storm.  “Master!  Master!  Help ere we perish.  The boat is foundering!  Save us, Master!”

The Master arose and, using His occult power, caused the winds to cease their tempestuous activity, and the waves to become calm.  He followed the Oriental occultists’ custom of voicing His commands in words, not that the words had any virtue in themselves, but because they served a vehicle for His concentrated thought and focused will which He was using in his manifestation of occult power.  With this knowledge of the process, occultists smile when they read the naive account of the occurrence in the Gospels, where Jesus is described as addressing and rebuking the rebellious winds and then gently and kindly soothing the waters with words of “Peace, be still!” The fishermen who witnessed the occurrence, and from whom the reports thereof spread among the people, not understanding the nature of occult manifestations, thought that He was addressing the winds as actual entities, rebuking them and bidding them cease their vicious work, and soothing the sea in the same manner.

They did not comprehend the mental processes back of the words, and in their simplicity thought that He was actually rebuking the wind and soothing the waters.  All occultists know that in “treating” material conditions the process is rendered much easier and simpler if we will but think of and “speak to” the condition as if it had intelligence and actual being, thus more easily directing the forces.