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Agni Yoga (1929) - 20:
20. The new must be seen as urgent and useful. Inapplicable abstractions have no place. We are weary of air castles. Even the far-off worlds must be mastered in their physical reality. Such mastery as, for example, over a piece of ice or over the chemical heat of the sun, must enter the consciousness, as must also mastery of the minutest products of matter. The retardation of spiritual realization is caused by a lack of attention to the manifestations of nature. Losing the power of observation, man loses the ability to synthesize. Hierarchy (1931) - 47:
47. One yogi won the reputation of being a practical joker, because he would unnoticeably rearrange various objects in homes, and when asked why, he answered, "I am observing whether you have become blind." Verily there are few who notice changes in their surroundings. But the first sign of an "eagle-eye" is to notice the minutest changes, since on them depends the vibration of the whole. Hierarchy (1931) - 67:
67. You can perform one of the most useful psychic experiments. If you accept all Our Counsels and it seems to you that something indicated was not fulfilled or was not transmitted in accordance with your expectations, then immediately study the Counsel itself, applying the words in accordance with the customary human understanding; then recall all the circumstances that have taken place and consider all your own thoughts, worries, irritation, and all accompanying hazards and blunders. It is very significant to observe the events that have influence over the cosmic waves. One may see that however ponderous is our human burden, it cannot be compared to the minutest thought. In this way you can observe to what degree the psychic sphere has its own laws, beyond our three dimensions. Hierarchy (1931) - 90:
90. One more useful exercise Become accustomed to not being astonished or surprised at anything. But this should not be understood as the stifling of the spirit. On the contrary, in the complete readiness that gives birth to foresight, stand vigilant in the entire tremor of realization. Many wondrous things are approaching. One can understand them in accordance with one's own desire and one's own consciousness. But it is still easier to receive them through the Image of the Teacher. If you can visualize the Image of the Teacher in your consciousness with the most complete clarity you can transfer your consciousness into His, and thus act, as it were, through His Power. But for this, one must visualize the Image of the Teacher with utmost precision, even to the minutest detail, so that the Image may not falter, or suffer distortion, or change its outline, as frequently happens. But if, following the exercise of concentration, one succeeds in invoking a constant Image of the Teacher, through this one may gain the greatest benefit for oneself, for one's nearest ones, and for the work. Heart (1932) - 460:
460. Not only vibrations but also the substance of the heart produces creativeness. The same energy should be valued in all the minutest manifestations of life. Even in its minute manifestations life represents a miracle worthy of innumerable books. Thus, directing our attention to the physical shell will inevitably intensify our attention to the action of the heart. The Teaching of the Heart is the teaching of the causes of manifestations. The ancients began the Teaching by laying their hands upon the heart. Whereupon the Teacher asked, "Dost thou hear?" "I hear," answered the pupil. "This is the beating of my heart, but it is only the first rap upon the gates of the great Heart. If thou dost not heed the beat of thy heart, then shall the beat of the Great Heart deafen thee." Heart (1932) - 497:
497. You will be confronted with the question - Why does the manifested help appear precisely upon the brink of the abyss? There are many causes for this, among them karma and the desire for self-perfectment, yet from another angle, the cause lies in the tensity of heart energy. For cooperation with the Highest Forces tensity of the heart is needed, but it usually begins only when the tension reaches its extreme limit. This means that if the heart energy were manifested as it should be, cooperation would be achieved earlier. Thus we arrive again at the education of the heart energy. Let us remember that this education should begin with the minutest sensations and the most usual actions. This circumstance complicates the situation, because people usually like to say, "Let me fight a giant, but spare me from catching fleas." Yet giants are rare, whereas fleas are innumerable. One must pass through these dark swarms. The house has to be protected from them. The venom carried by the giant is less than that of the flea. Furthermore, the appearance of the giant evokes unusual courage; yet courage is also necessary against flies and fleas, and usually people suffer from flies rather than from giants. Fiery World - Book 2 (1934) - 106:
106. Let us approach the most difficult, before which all former difficulties will appear as blissful moments. The most difficult is the blessing of the Fiery World. This entry is so difficult that it seems that not even our minutest cell can endure this World of ecstasy. It has been said that when all covering has fallen away and only the radiance of daring remains, then the resplendent Fire enters the Gates, there being no admittance for the body. But in order to kindle such daring, let us preserve ecstasy in the face of the most difficult. Therefore reflect, the way you would wish to imagine existence in the Fiery World. Indeed, thought creates in the Subtle World, but it is quick as lightning in the Fiery World, and transcends all earthly measures; there is the Seventh Light.
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