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Heart (1932) - 578:
578. Those who do not know will ask, "In what then, is Armageddon expressed if all the dens of evil exist as before?" One ought then to say that all people have felt the battle, but each in his own way. The very tension in the dens indicates each increase in the essence of striving. Therefore, human qualities must be regarded very sensitively. The deaf and dumb sometimes affect strange gestures, for they cannot find any other forms of expression because of their limitations. But, are not people who do not know the heart similarly limited? One should not laugh at such poverty, but unnoticeably and patiently impel it forward toward an image worthy of expression. The same tolerance must be manifested for all ugliness. The present time demands different conditions in all of life. In the letters of the Mahatmas, which are being translated, one can see how Our Guidance, which took place in accordance with the highest plan, was farthest away from earthly actions. The law of free will does not permit approach to the immediate actions. But now the conditions of the planet have changed, the norms of the law are strained. We must look for measures of close guidance, cautiously straining the essence of free will. Thus, the task becomes very complicated. Even the slightest infringement of the free will leads to the most ramified consequences. Correlating karmic conditions with the entrusting of missions can be compared to walking a tightrope, but this rope has to be woven out of the most diverse material. How much attention is needed in order to combine the threads according to color and rhythm! For, with one unrestrained exclamation one can arrest an extended work, hence I advise special caution. There exists a saying about collecting all ropes for the journey. In an hour of tension you do not know which thread will be of use. Therefore, keep every possibility ready without judging whether it is small or great. For the Teacher it is always of value to have the definite assurance that each brief Command of his will be understood and fulfilled. Thus we advance toward the language of the heart, which is not in need of a profusion of words. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 404:
For example, one may have read much about thought-images, but when actually passing into the Subtle World one becomes confused by the profusion of images in space. Only experienced observers who truly understand art and who can make use of the loftiest images in their thinking can interpret this phantasmagoria. Nature is certainly the best source for such imagery, but one must know how to observe it. In this, the works of the great masters will be helpful. Like magnets they attract the eyes and feelings, and through them people can learn how to approach nature. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 2 (1938) - 420:
We know that striving must not be abandoned by the dwellers of the Subtle World, for it is needed for the sake of perfectment. How then should one strive toward the brighter strata? One could undertake the far from easy task of approaching the earthly strata for the purpose of doing good. But people on Earth cannot imagine how painful it is to approach their sphere. They think that these approaches are rare, because they do not notice the profusion of evidence that surrounds them. For instance, people readily believe that each sound or color can produce certain sensations. This is true, but many of the sounds and colors of the Subtle World have an even more powerful effect, although the earthly senses cannot normally perceive them. Therefore mankind must train itself to observe these subtle sensations, which training will prove useful in the Subtle World.
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