Abundance Versus Acceptance

By The Pathwork Guide

Greetings, my dearest friends. Blessings for every one of you, blessed be this new year you start. May it be crowned with success in your endeavors for spiritual growth.

Man is often confused by apparent contradictions regarding spiritual truth. We have often discussed such facets, and I always point out the common denominator which brings two apparent contradictions into a unity. This is of great importance. It eliminates confusion. It eliminates an either/or situation.

The topic of this lecture is a fundamental one in man's approach to life. Every one of you can find substantial help in this lecture if you think deeply about these words, and if you truly study this lecture. It will answer questions within yourself, whether or not you are aware of the existence of these unanswered questions.

There are two philosophies about life and spiritual reality which seem completely contradictory. The one says that the spiritually and emotionally mature person has to learn to accept the difficulties in life. It says that in order to cope with life, he has to accept what he cannot immediately change, what is beyond his direct sphere of influence. It says that the lack of acceptance breeds disharmony, anxiety, tension, and that it only increases the difficulties. It destroys peace of mind. The ability to accept the inevitable -- such as death and other acts of destiny -- is a gauge to maturity and to a well-rounded personality.

The other philosophy says that nothing negative need be accepted, that all hardship, even death, is unnecessary. It says that there is no destiny other than the one that man molds for himself. Therefore that when man decides, then he can mold a new destiny in which he no longer suffers. It postulates that true spiritual awakening is marked by the realization that suffering does not need to be accepted; that the universe is open, in immeasurable abundance, available for all human beings -- right here and right now.

These are apparent contradictions. Not seeing that there is no contradiction in these two approaches must create confusion, whether or not you are aware of it. You have undoubtedly found both these attitudes and approaches in all great spiritual teachings, as well as in my own lectures. In practically everything I have taught you, both these approaches are present.

Why are these two approaches not mutually exclusive? Where do they combine? Where is the common denominator, the key that unifies them? The answer lies in the element of fear. If you wish happiness because you fear unhappiness, then happiness remains unreachable. But if you wish happiness for the sake of being happy and not because you fear its absence, then no block toward its attainment exists. And this makes an enormous difference.

As long as you fear something, it is usually inevitable to go through that which is feared in order to lose the fear. If the fear can be shed by a realization of the truth, namely that there is no reason to fear, then it is not necessary to go through it. But man is often incapable of doing so. Hence he must familiarize himself as much as possible with the feared circumstances so that they lose their threat.

As long as you wish the positive because you fear the negative, then this fear barricades the way to the positive. This sphere of consciousness -- the planet earth, with its individuals in their overall state of development -- is distinguished by the fact that most personalities desire the positive because they fear its opposite negative. Let us examine a few of man's fundamental desires.

Let us begin with the great duality of life and death. This will give us more understanding of the lecture that I gave on this topic a few years ago. I then said that life and death are the same two facets of one and the same process. I said that man must learn the ability of dying, that he will do so by acceptance, and that by acceptance he will learn that there is nothing to be feared -- in fact that there is no death. I also said that he who fears life must fear death, and vice versa.

It is impossible to truly love life as long as one fears death. This can be corroborated when observing human reactions a bit closer. The more a person lives with gusto and with joy, the less does he fear death. The more he shrinks in fear from death, the more does he cling to life. But he only wishes life in order to avoid death and not because he enjoys life or because he is dynamically related to the process of living. This shows that he really does not live at all. His fear of death and dying prohibits him from living. And only by deeply living can it be learned that life is one unending process and therefore that dying is a temporary illusion. If man clings to life only because he fears death, then his life will not be meaningful, nor can it be pleasurable. As always, this is a question of degree. Since hardly anyone is completely free of the fear of death -- otherwise they would not be incarnated in this sphere of being -- then there is hardly anyone who truly lives. But there are some who are relatively free from this fear and who, therefore, live relatively meaningful and pleasurable lives.

Since it is almost impossible for the average soul to realize that death is not to be feared, then it has to go through cycles and cycles of embodiments -- one after the other -- thereby learning to die until either death or dying is no longer a frightening experience for the soul. When the fear of dying is overcome, then life eternal is possible. As long as dying is feared, then dying must be gone through.

Another great sin of man is the wish to be in control. Conversely, he fears its absence. As spiritual truth teachings postulate that death is unnecessary, so do they claim that man is master of the universe once he is truly evolved. In other words, that he, and he alone, controls his destiny. Man's soul strives toward this goal. But as long as he does so because he fears the lack of control, then he must learn the ability to let go of it, to relinquish it, to flexibly adjust to what is, if need be. He must learn the fine balance between taking the reins into his own hands -- in other words, conducting his ship through the river of life -- and the ability to let go. The more man fears to let go, the greater the imbalance of his soul movements, and the more must he lose the final control over his destiny. The tight control which he grabs at is a false control that does not achieve anything. It merely makes him tense and anxious. It prohibits peace and confidence in himself and in the life process. The only way this confidence can grow is by giving up the tense hold and entrusting himself into what seems to be the unknown. Thereby he eventually gains full mastery -- without the fear of losing it, for he now knows that there is nothing to fear.

Where man stands now, he is not yet capable of immediate control over himself and over his life in all respects. He still has to accept, at least temporarily, certain limitations within himself which create an undesirable destiny. To force these results away by sheer outer will, and due to fear, can only make the situation worse. The temporary acceptance of one's present limitations and of their momentary results does not mean resignation to tragedy and to suffering. It merely means going through a passing phase of lesser expansion, of lesser comfort, and of lesser bliss, thus accepting one's limitations and one's responsibility for this present state, thereby overcoming the dread of it. Hence the door into it will open.

The truth that in his highest evolutionary state man is in control of his destiny includes the ability to let go and to entrust himself to forces greater than himself. In fact, only by doing so can he become one with these forces. When man refuses to let go, to relinquish control, then he does so out of fear and of distrust. Thus he blocks against that which is most benign, which is his power, which is his liberation, which is his bliss.

A further fundamental aim is pleasure supreme. All these facets under discussion -- eternal life, control over one's destiny, and pleasure supreme -- are deeply inborn, spiritually instinctive aims. The psyche knows that this is its destiny and that this is its origin. Therefore, it strives to recapture it.

If man desires pleasure either because he fears pain or because he fears the absence of pleasure, then the door to pleasure remains closed. Once he has learned that the absence of pleasure is not the abyss of darkness that he has shrunk away from, then fear will no longer prohibit him from the fulfillment.

Every facet of living applies to this principle. If man desires health in a spirit of fearing sickness, then he barricades the door to health. If man fears the aging process, then he barricades the door to eternal youth. If man fears poverty, then he barricades the door to abundance. If man fears loneliness, then he barricades the door to companionship. If man fears companionship, then he barricades the door to his self-containment. So it goes on and on, all across the board.

The great enemy is fear. The best way to meet and to conquer this enemy is first to ascertain it, to admit it, to pronounce it. This will diminish it to a considerable degree and then it will open the way for further measures of ousting it completely from his system. As always, this desire must be clearly expressed in one's thinking and in one's intentions. However, if fear is worked against due to fear of the fear, then it will be difficult. Therefore, the calm admission of it, the momentary acceptance of it, will do more toward eliminating it than fighting against it.

We have discussed the fact that the three major stumbling blocks in man's soul are pride, selfwill, and fear. The more man unifies, the more does he always reach one basic point. The same applies to this triad. Pride and selfwill are easily overcome when there is no more fear. If you do not fear to have your dignity impaired, then there will be no need for false pride. And if you do not fear to be controlled by elements that you have no influence over, then you will have no need for selfwill.

Fear is the great locked door. It prohibits man from entering -- right here and now -- into all that which is immediately available the moment fear is uprooted from his heart and from his soul.

This is what this life is all about, my friends. This is what this human sphere of consciousness, with its repeated incarnations in which you go through schools of experience, is all about. And this is what our Path here is all about: the discovery that your fear is unnecessary.

When man hears the admonition that it is necessary for him to learn acceptance, then this always seems to imply that he has to accept an ultimate fate of suffering and of deprivation. When he is admonished to learn letting go of his control, then this seems to imply that he releases himself into an abyss of danger, of pain, and of hardship. This is why his fear increases -- and so does his tense reluctance and his stubbornness. He shrinks and he cringes all the more rigidly from all that which is his liberation, which is his life eternal, which is his bliss. In truth, acceptance must bring him to the realization that he is called upon to accept that which is really most desirable for him. Giving up control -- the little selfwill -- finally proves to man that this releases him into a new freedom, into something positive and desirable, rather than negative and undesirable as he fears. So there is no longer any need to fearfully hold on to control.

When the soul is sufficiently experienced and is deeply impressed with the truth -- namely that there is nothing to fear -- then the human personality suddenly comes to a point of realization and discovery in which acceptance is no longer a risk, for it embraces and it includes the entire benign universe. Then there is no longer the question of going through the fear in order to rise above it. Then he is ready and prepared for all the fulfillment, for all the abundance, for all the bliss, and for all the pleasure supreme in liberated life -- as well as for the life that is eternal, with all its dynamic, joyful aspects. When man has overcome fear, then all that man's heart desires is immediately open to him. In other words, nothing stands in the way when the fear of the opposite has gone.

When you realize this truth, then it is the liberation that your spirit has been waiting for. It is coming into your own. It is as though your spirit says: "Oh, that's the way it is! Why didn't I see this wonderful simplicity before? Why did I plague myself with all this unnecessary hardship?" And then you step out from your confinement. The world becomes your own.

But where the soul is not yet ready for this realization, then it has to learn that there is nothing to fear. It does so through being involved in a world that expresses this ignorance -- for only thus can man's ignorance of the fact that there is nothing to fear be broken through. The truth must be discovered by the self: the fact that even that which hurts and deprives at the moment is never that which one fears.

You all have had this experience, my friends. When you fearfully anticipate a certain event, then how many times did you find out that after you went through it it was not half as bad as you had feared?

This leads us to the important fact that the main element of fear is not a particular undesirable factor or event, but an unknown quality about it. In other words, the most important element about fear is the unknown quality about it. It is possible to still fear something that one has already experienced -- either consciously or unconsciously. But when going through an experience while in a state of fear, then all the faculties and all the perceptions become dulled. The truth of the experience is not fully registered, is not perceived, and therefore is not assimilated. For the existing fear blurs one's view and one's capacity to evaluate with objectivity. So it is possible to have gone through an experience in a certain frame of mind and still to have come out of it with the impression that this experience was not as it really was, but as one had expected it to be.

That is why the soul often requires so many repetitions until it can rid itself of fear. This applies particularly to the experience of dying. Let me assure you, my friends, that the trauma of being born is an infinitely greater one than the trauma of dying. Yet there exists a peculiar mass image about the frightening element of dying. This mass image is deeply impressed on all those souls who come to this earth sphere again and again. When an individual goes through the essentially liberating event of shedding the material body, then this mass image produces such a fear that he is too tense and too anxious to register the event of dying in full consciousness.

In addition, there is the fact that his conscious intellect ignores the true factors of dying but he meets an unknown element about it. His fear half anaesthesizes him. Hence the truth is hazy due to a very low degree of consciousness at this moment. And the little that has registered is easily forgotten, for memory is also dependent on a free state of mind. In other words, one that is uncluttered by fear, by prejudice, and by misconceptions. The little which the soul does remember is soon blotted out by the strength of the mass image that takes effect on the individual once again.

So, it frequently happens that this is what individual registers at the time of the transition, "Oh, is this what it is? But this is wonderful!" But, as I explained before, the mass image cannot be blotted out when the truth cannot be experienced in full consciousness. And fear barricades such a full consciousness. But with each repetition then a little more of the truth penetrates until, slowly but surely, the soul rids itself of this fear and becomes relaxed regarding the transition -- just as relaxed as you are about going to sleep at night, or just as relaxed as you are when you start a new phase of your life about which you have no unknown, fear-producing qualms, but rather you look forward to. Dying is produced by the fear of it. It becomes superfluous when the fear of it vanishes. Therefore, it ceases to take place.

The same principle applies to many other facets of living. It applies to those I have used as examples and to many others I did not mention. Where fear exists, then this fear produces the circumstances that one fears. These circumstances are, at the same time, the only way to convince the self that the fear is unnecessary.

The more known an event is, then the less it is feared. A vicious circle exists in that fear prohibits the faculties to get to know. Fear dulls the senses. But every vicious circle can be broken. You may argue that actual pain can be not only feared but actually dreaded. But, my friends, think about it. Pain is feared inordinately only when one does not know where it will lead, when one suspects something dangerous in it, a serious disease and finally death. If it is known that a pain will not bring any threat to one's safety, then it can be borne in a relaxed state of mind and thus cease to be pain.

When you meet your fears and you squarely acknowledge them, then it is important first to specifically ascertain and then to understand the unknown element about them. Then you have the chance of making the unknown element a little less unknown, until completely eliminating the unknown character of it in certain instances, while in others consciously accepting the fact that some element must remain unknown for the time being and simultaneously accepting the fear.

Where there is an uncertainty regarding what the future will bring, then there is fear. Nothing that one truly knows, even the greatest difficulties, is really feared. In order to make the unknown known, the feared unknown must often be entered into -- just like the experience of dying. But this must not be construed to mean the looking for negative, painful experience.

When you open your whole psyche for positive experience, without a trace of fear of the negative, then the unknown must become more and more known. Then life becomes more and more a fulfillment on all levels.

Now, are there any questions regarding this?

QUESTION: Is this the only sphere in which one goes through this experience of death as we know it?

ANSWER: This is so. In other spheres there are other experiences, which are equally important for the evolution of the soul.

QUESTION: Are only those who fear death incarnated in this sphere?

ANSWER: That is one reason for drawing these souls into this particular sphere of consciousness. But a lot of other facts are connected with it. If a person is afraid of dying, then that fundamental fear leads to a lot of other soul conditions and is connected with a great number of other erroneous concepts. They are all interconnected. As I have said before, afraid of dying is also afraid of living. That is, afraid of the unknown elements of both. When such fears exist, then there must be misconceptions. In other words, erroneous imprints on the soul.

When fear constricts the soul, then man is incapable of entering into and becoming a part of the cosmic life force, which gently guides him to fruition and which wants to envelop him. He stems against it as though it were his enemy. In reality the enemy sits within himself, a product of false fears, of misconceptions, and of unnecessary limitations. It is due to them that man turns against himself and, in spite of a part of his spirit continuously striving for his birthright of fulfillment, another part of himself actually strives for non-fulfillment, for pain, and for deprivation. The great danger that he falsely believes is unavoidable seems less threatening when he quickly brings it about himself. At least it is then no longer unknown. But avoidable negative experience has a bitter taste. Negative experience courted out of fear and error is much harder to bear than negative experience that is a result of still lingering limitations which one does not rush into voluntarily, as it were. And this is very often the case with man. It requires deep insight into the mechanics of one's inner life processes to even discover this. Only then is it possible to stop this destructive process.

When man learns the rhythm of his life -- when he no longer stems against, rushes into, forges ahead, thereby disturbing the natural rhythm -- then he will become part of the great cosmic powers with which he can play and build, and thus he truly becomes master of the universe.

QUESTION: What do you mean by spheres?

ANSWER: Spheres of consciousness, spheres of being. Where entities with a more or less similar state of consciousness flock together -- and they do so according to immutable law -- then that overall consciousness can be refererd to as a sphere. From the point of view of space, the geographical area may be indicated as such. From a spiritual viewpoint, space and movement are all expressions of particular states of consciousness. This is why it is difficult for an entity geared to three-dimensional thinking to comprehend utterings of a consciousness that comprises not only more dimensions, but that unifies these dimensions into plain consciousness -- its state, its caliber, and its degree.

Hence, when spiritual spheres are discussed, then the danger exists that man begins to think of them in oversimplified terms of geographical areas, located somewhere in outer space. Although it cannot be regarded as untrue that the entire universe is habited, all space, all time, all planets, all stellar systems, the real universe, with all its myriad of spheres, is within man. However, this does not make the existence of many more spiritual worlds abstract ideas. They are reality, just as each planet is a reality that exists both within and without.

When I speak of entities with a more or less compatible overall development, then this must not be taken literally. There is a margin. It cannot be denied that there is considerable difference in development among human beings -- and so among entities of other spheres of consciousness. Yet they all have certain points in common, in spite of great differences in perception and comprehension on the part of the older, more developed spirits and the younger ones, those who are relatively new in this state or phase. But there is a definite limit in both directions. They can all fulfill themselves just by flocking together and by the various differences that arise from them. This is why they are drawn together and make up a so-called sphere.

QUESTION: I cannot visualize a sphere. Could you give us an example of another sphere?

ANSWER: In a different lecture I explained that conditions on this earth sphere are an exact expression of the sum total of the consciousness of all human beings inhabiting this sphere. This also comprises those individuals who do not reside in a body at this moment but who congenitally belong to this sphere by their overall development, and who therefore will re-incarnate again here. I explained that all the beauty on this earth, both in nature and that which is created by man, is a direct expression of those inner qualities which are in harmony with the universe. Conversely, all strife, such as war, poverty, quarrel, difficulties of all sorts, sickness and dying are the expressions of man's confusion, of his state of consciousness in which he clings to destructive emotions. In other words, this earth -- with all its conditions, favorable and unfavorable, the greatness and the pettiness -- is a direct result of all the consciousnesses which inhabit it. All that can be called a sphere of consciousness. Other spheres express the consciousness, the sum total of all consciousness, too. If the overall consciousness is higher than this one, then the conditions are accordingly more harmonious and therefore less difficult. Where the general level of perception of truth is higher, then it is inevitable that less limiting circumstances arise in such a sphere.

QUESTION: Do we re-incarnate into the same sphere?

ANSWER: Yes, until man has learned to overcome whatever the present state of consciousness in disharmony and error. From all I have said -- in the past as well as in this lecture -- it is obvious that as long as consciousness is not raised to a higher degree of perception of truth, then a new sphere cannot be created for this particular entity. For his environment and his inner state of consciousness are one and the same.

Man is not re-incarnated into the same sphere because any deity sends him or commands him to do so. Rather, this is a process of attraction and repulsion, according to law. It is like the laws of chemical formulae. You must not imagine that first exists the sphere and then man is put into it, or is incarnated into it. It is the other way around. The sphere is the result of man's thinking, of man's feeling, of his attitudes, of his general state. In other words, of the sum total of his entire personality. The sphere expresses him. If he expresses other qualities than this sphere, then he is no longer drawn to it, but is attracted to a sphere which is the expression of the majority of beings, including himself.

QUESTION: Are other spheres physical, as ours?

ANSWER: Man makes too arbitrary a distinction between physical and non-physical. He consists of many layers, and each is matter of a special density. The higher the degree of consciousness, then the finer is the consistence of the matter. But this does not make him formless or his existence less real.

According to the sum total of his beliefs, he will be drawn either into spheres of more physical -- that is, dense -- matter, or into spheres of finer vibrations. If his entire thinking is still geared to a very superficial and materialistic plane, then the matter that he produces for the vehicle of his spirit will be according to his consciousness. The denser the matter, then the more ignorance, the more error, the more misconceptions, the more prejudice, the more limitations, the more darkness, and hence the more suffering.

* * *

When man realizes that his real self is not just in the body, then his perception will widen and the matter of his entire soul substance will become much finer, more sensitive to truth. The result will be a greater sense of reality.

It is extremely important for all of you who work on this Path to find, particularly as it applies to you, where you fear the negative and therefore grab for the positive alternative. When you find these areas of fear and of wanting the positive for negative motivations, then it will be much easier for you to rid yourself of this condition. Then you will be able to go into the rich abundance of life with a lifted head, as a free person. It is this soul movement that makes all the difference.

It is this soul condition of fearlessness of the negative that produces the conviction that nothing negative is ever necessary and that man's fate is bliss, unfoldment, and dynamic life. And where the conviction exists, then outer facts must follow suit. Shrinking away from a feared alternative -- and, because of that, wishing for the positive, desirable alternative -- makes the latter an unreachable illusion. This may explain to many of my friends why a number of doors have remained closed, in spite of much progress and insight. However, it does require just such an extended awareness, through the insights gained, to even notice the existence of such a fear: to be aware of the fine differentiation between wanting happiness for the sake of happiness and wanting it in order to avoid unhappiness.

I have discussed some major general aims. There are many specific desires -- with the fear of their opposites -- which have to be ascertained in your personal work. There is nothing big or little, important or unimportant, when it comes to the human psyche. For anything that may appear like an insignificant aspect in the last analysis is connected with the great questions of life. When you find these elements, then this will open new doors for you. Even before you can shed the fear itself, first ascertaining it and then knowing what it means must make a great difference in your attitude to yourself, to life, and to the particular desire that has remained unfulfilled due to the hitherto overlooked shift in motivation. This is an all-important key.

It must not be overlooked either that the presence of a fear of the negative does not necessarily eliminate the existence of a healthy wish for the positive, for the sake of the positive. It is absolutely possible -- in fact it is a frequent occurrence -- that a healthy wish does exist but that it is simultaneously accompanied by the distorted motivation, namely the fear of the undesirable alternative.

Once you can put your finger on the fear, then you can directly treat it in your meditations. This will make a great deal of difference on your Path. It can be a real solution to many problems that have stubbornly remained unresolved until now. The mere realization of "I cannot step out into freedom because I want freedom due to my fear of imprisonment" will bring liberation a step nearer. If you realize that you cannot be free because you fear unfreedom, then in that realization greater freedom is yours. This may sound very complicated and quite paradoxical. But if you deeply think about it, then you will understand how true it is. You will know this truth.

Blessings for every one of you, my friends. May these words lift your spirit and bring you nearer to the light of truth, to the reality of love, to the unending bliss of spiritual existence. Be in peace, be in God.

January 8, 1965