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Agni Yoga (1929) - 656:
The trainer of wild animals must first excite their rage before he succeeds in taming them. No motion is possible without tension; therefore, every progressive Teaching needs its enemies and its Teacher. One must keep in mind the physical law in order to understand the immutability of the law of the spirit. My Advice is that the significance of the Teacher and the need for enemies must be understood. Certainly, only the Teacher will lead the enemy to fury. The full measure of evil must be manifested before one may rise regenerated out of the flames of wrath. It is impossible to avoid the obstacles of the path, but know that no obstructive tensions will occur without being of benefit. Indeed they may be of service to entire nations! Infinity - Book 1 (1930) - 160:
160. The reconstruction of the world is not dependent upon human creativeness, but at the same time one cannot say that humanity is excluded from the expanding spatial power. The bond linking man and Cosmos is inseverable. Thus, that which exists is expressed in forms predestined by the Cosmic Magnet. But man is also an expression of the existing, and thus man is revealed either as a force moving toward the Magnet or as an obstructive symbol. Heart (1932) - 69:
69. The complaints against insufficient guidance are customary. People are accustomed to cover their idiosyncrasies with complaints. But, precisely, humanity is not bereft of Guidance; it should pay attention to all that is given! Many impulses that arise through spiritual influence are lost not only without benefit but even become injurious by remaining misconstrued in the storehouses of consciousness. It can be stated that a minimum fraction of suggestion finds fitting application; especially obstructive are the habits that impel the consciousness into conventional paths. They also deplete the abilities of the heart when it is prepared to re-echo to the Highest Guidance. It is exactly the heart which knows the highest from the lowest; but the enfeebled, obscured heart will itself be at the lowest level, where even the lowest will appear to be the highest. Purity of heart is the most essential possession. Wisdom, courage, self-sacrifice cannot be contained in an obscured heart. But Guidance will suggest deeds of heroism, and such counsel must not seem extreme or austere. Fiery World - Book 2 (1934) - 460:
460. A most ancient expression - to look through fire - has been subjected to incorrect interpretation. People have understood it in the physical sense. They began to make use of a wall of fire in order to develop clairvoyance. But for natural ascent such artificial methods are not only unnecessary but even obstructive. Indeed, one should look upon earthly things through the fire of the heart; only such inspection can foil the snares of Maya. But fiery tension requires time and patience and devotion. I cite this example as demonstrating to what an extent the ancient wisdom has been distorted, being expressed in the gross forms of magic. Brotherhood (1937) - 306:
306. There are different kinds of expectation: there is revealing expectancy, and there is also obstructive expectancy. In the first the heart awaits, but in the second the I-self awaits. A thought, even the loftiest, flies with difficulty through a wall of egoism. It droops at the sharpened stakes of egoism. Jagged is egoism, broken up with envy and savage malice. Such an encounter cannot admit a beautiful thought. Much takes place perceptibly in the process of receiving a thought. There occurs an instant of calm before the arrival of the higher Messenger. But can puffed-up egoism sense this most blissful moment? The heart alone knows how to be filled with expectation. Only the heart does not cry out, I am waiting! Very much egoism sounds in such an I . But to await with the heart, this means to already have a premonition. There is much joy in such a feeling. The ancients called it the guide. I affirm that a premonition is already the opening of the gates. The heart is a cordial hostess; it foresees how to meet the guest from afar. It is needful to exert one's best feelings in encountering thought. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 402:
Humanity proceeds by the way of scientific theory, but progress is too slow, and ignorance impedes any acceleration. It is time for outworn concepts to fall away, otherwise self-important innovators will prove in the end to be the most obstructive.
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