Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In a vague sort of way, man longs for "peace on earth". The symbol for this hope is the rainbow, depicting unity in diversity, equilibrium and cooperation between spirit and nature.
But as you look around in the world of today and back into the long history of mankind, it somehow seems impossible to reach that goal. What is wrong with the human race, that peace cannot be established on earth?
Only when man recognizes that the outer disturbances he is confronting are a mirror of his own internal conflicts can he take the first step towards healing himself and the world. The way to manifest peace in the outer world can only be found by understanding the two battling selves inside man.
"Alas, two selves are ever tearing apart my breast" laments Dr. Faustus in the literary masterwork "Faust", on which the German poet Goethe (1749 - 1832) worked for 6O years, and which depicts the development of the human soul since the Renaissance. This insight, that there are two selves within man's breast, is the beginning of an understanding of the confusion and contradiction afflicting mankind.
Our human perception of the material world is a world of duality: of good and evil, light and darkness, peace and war. We falsely believe that we have free will to make a choice between one and the other. The outcome will show whether we have chosen to seek peace of the false self or PEACE of the true SELF. We can go on living in ego-centered hypnosis with all its fierce competition and anxieties; or we cease to believe in the false self and experience true peace.
But we must first become aware of, admit to, and bravely face our own misery, fear and inner distress. Then we can discern that it is the false self, the "mask" of our personality, that is keeping us enslaved. The true SELF is always trying to call our attention, if we would just be willing to listen to the voice within. This true SELF is everything that actually exists and the false self is everything that is only imagined. It is as simple as that. The suffering and conflicts in man's soul arise from the battle between these two selves. If we would submit our whole nature to the reign of the true SELF, which is our spiritual SELF, then we would live in peace and harmony with God and man.
To be able to reach this "new" life, we must first dismiss the old false self. Our deepest fear is that if we give up the old self, we shall die, instead of recognizing that it is only when the true SELF is allowed to take over that "real" LIFE can begin. No "new" life in peace can begin before letting go of the old, false self. We cannot obey two masters at the same time.
As this seems so obvious, why are there so few men who respond to the inner call, which is the call to the real LIFE of peace and harmony? It is because of our conditioning to the rules of the false self and belief in false limitations. We have forgotten that essentially we are all the same; our apparent diversity (our different colours) are united in the same spirit (the white light). We are all children of the Cosmic, light condensed into matter.
Most of us are like children. We believe that the freedom and power of spiritual adulthood is our due, but we have little taste for adult responsibility. If you have been indoctrinated into believing that life is an eternal struggle for the survival of the strongest, then you are not much more than a domesticated animal following primitive animal instincts and desires. Only a change of consciousness will answer the call to peace.
Today, a growing number of men are awakening to an inner urge for spiritual growth. It seems as if evolution is preparing for a new leap to reach another level of man's consciousness. More and more people are discovering the true nature of the SELF and the hidden treasure within. One of these gifts is peace of mind as the true state of being, the fulfilment of love and happiness on earth.
The true inner peace, Peace Profound, is a state of grace. It can only be received and maintained when responsibility to become a peacemaker is accepted, first within your own nature and then with respect to all mankind. And with the peace within comes a realization of your freedom and power.
Letting go of the delusions of the false self is a wonderful state to achieve, like sunlight in the morning dispelling the darkness of the night and awakening humankind to a new dawn. It is an opening to the Cosmic Law of Peace, Liberty and Love that will establish peace on earth.
This universe is your stepping-stone. It has been laid down to prepare a way for your contribution to the peace of the whole world. It is you who must step on it and become a peacemaker.
Go ahead in peace, forget all else, and find the real treasure, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
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