SOUL CONSCIOUSNESS.

The real Self is not the body or even the mind of man.  These things are but a part of his personality, the lesser self.  The real Self is the Ego, whose manifestation is in individuality.  The real Self is independent of the body, which it inhabits, and is even independent of the mechanism of the mind, which it uses as an instrument.  The real Self is a drop from the Divine Ocean, and is eternal and indestructible.  It cannot die or be annihilated, and no matter what becomes of the body, the real Self still exists.  It is the Soul.  Do not think of your Soul as a thing apart from you, for you are the Soul, and the body is the unreal and transitory part of you which is changing in material every day, and which you will some day discard.  You may develop the faculties so that they will be conscious of the reality of the Soul, and its independence of the body.  The Yogi plan for such development is by meditation upon the real Self or Soul, accompanied by rhythmic breathing.  The following exercise is the simplest form.

Exercise.—­Place your body in a relaxed, reclining position.  Breathe rhythmically, and meditate upon the real Self, thinking of yourself as an entity independent of the body, although inhabiting it and being able to leave it at will.  Think of yourself, not as the body, but as a spirit, and of your body as but a shell, useful and comfortable, but not a part of the real You.  Think of yourself as an independent being, using the body only as a convenience.  While meditating, ignore the body entirely, and you will find that you will often become almost entirely unconscious of it, and will seem to be out of the body to which you may return when you are through with the exercise.

This is the gist of the Yogi meditative breathing methods, and if persisted in will give one a wonderful sense of the reality of the Soul, and will make him seem almost independent of the body.  The sense of immortality will often come with this increased consciousness, and the person will begin to show signs of spiritual development which will be noticeable to himself and others.  But he must not allow himself to live too much in the upper regions, or to despise his body, for he is here on this plane for a purpose, and he must not neglect his opportunity to gain the experiences necessary to round him out, nor must he fail to respect his body, which is the Temple of the Spirit.

THE UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS.

The Spirit in man, which is the highest manifestation of his Soul, is a drop in the ocean of Spirit, apparently separate and distinct, but yet really in touch with the ocean itself, and with every other drop in it.  As man unfolds in spiritual consciousness he becomes more and more aware of his relation to the Universal Spirit, or Universal Mind as some term it.  He feels at times as if he were almost at-one-ment with