It is the divine, higher Self that is at the upper rung of the ladder of evolution and it is the shadow lower self that is at the bottom of the ladder. The lower self experiences all that there is at the bottom of the sea of life and it is the higher Self that absorbs the virtues of the constructive experiences of the shadow self. During the earlier phase of numerous lifetimes of evolution, all beings follow the pattern set down for them. However, at some point in later development, the law of compassion comes into focus and an awakening occurs. The latent mind in the humans becomes stimulated and man pursues his upward course by his own efforts. He becomes self-motivated and self-determined. Free will comes into full play and one advances, remains stationary, or even so, retards his own progress. The stimulus is always there, but the choice remains with the individual.

Some do not choose to remain on the path of light, but go astray into the path of darkness. In doing this, one breaks the connection and no virtues are forthcoming to the higher Self. In this situation, one is attempting to swim against the flow of the river of life and thereby incurs pain and suffering, which then serve to reconnect the individual back into the evolutionary flow.

It is said, “though one's sins may be black as the night, in an instant they may be made white as snow.” That means, that when one is ready to step back onto the path, and strives to overcome or master the lessons of life, then one moves into the light and into spirituality.

Even though the drop slips into the shining sea, the drop is never lost because the knowledge of individuality is always retained by each monad. All individualities are merged into the one, yet each knows itself in absolute consciousness.

One gaining eternal freedom is called a jivanmukta, or a freed monad; freed of all the lower sheaths, or vestures. Because of this, one is then able to attain union with the Supreme, or be merged in Brahman, the Absolute. Most of humanity, at its present state of mental development, cannot conceive of this, let alone evaluate a state of absoluteness and eternity.

The flame said to the spark, “This is thy present wheel. Thou are myself, my image and my shadow. I have clothed myself in thee and thou art my vehicle to the day when thou shalt again re-become myself and others, thyself and me.” The present wheel signifies the globes of the earth chain and a spoke of that wheel is a single globe. Once reaching Brahman, a state of the Divine Monad, then the perfected monad again re-emerges as a still higher being on a far higher plane to re-commence its cycle of perfected activity.

Every being lives its life in the sphere of a greater being. The greater being provides the home for the lesser beings and continues to maintain that abode regardless of the activities of the lesser ones that make it their dwelling place. The sun radiates its vitality throughout the solar system for a complete solar manvantara and sustains the system through the law of compassion; the law of laws.

It is the monad, or soul, that slowly goes around and around the wheel of birth and death, taking on lesson after lesson, body after body, and moving on only when the lessons have been learned and the virtues of the lessons have been absorbed by the higher Self.

If one fails to strive to learn the lessons of life, then one starts the fall back into pain and suffering, and if one still persists in devolution, then one may fall so far behind that one cannot possibly catch up and stay with their group. Also, due to the law of cause and effects, so much bad karma has been caused that to keep up with the class of life becomes impossible. So the decision is made to pull the soul out for the rest of the manvantara, hence the so-called lost soul.

It always behooves one to constantly bear in mind, that no matter what I do to others I have automatically done the same to myself.

As meditators and initiates it is very important for us to stay on the path that we were initiated onto and go as far as possible in this life, and also to remember that we are cleaning out the mud in our pond that has collected for so many ages. The watchword is that the body must be purified, so if we have to come back it will be in a much more highly attuned vehicle than before.