William Atkinson - The Essential Works of William Walker Atkinson - 50+ Books in One Edition

It is hard when we grow to see the folly of all this selfishness and struggle of brother with brother, and yet find ourselves unable to escape from it. No one can escape until all escape, but each one who grows to feel and understand, forms one of a growing army, which will sooner or later form a majority. Some day the race will be astonished to find how many of its number are ready for the new dispensation, and then will rise a joyous shout of deliverance and the mutual strife will have ended. Speed the day.

In that day the teachings and philosophy of Christ will be found to be practical and practicable, and the spirit of the Master’s teachings will be lived up to. Men will no longer fear to live out these teachings which they now profess to believe but pronounce “impractical” as principles of living. Then will the Sermon on the Mount be capable of realization—then will the Golden Rule be in every man’s heart and mind. With the consciousness of the Oneness of All comes the true conception of Christ’s mission, and the belief in its ultimate fulfilment.

Table of Content

Man is, and will be—Life continues—The “I” is the Soul—Higher and lower forms of life—Life on different planes—Metempsychosis or Reincarnation—A higher view of the subject—The Soul has existed for ages—Progressing from lower to higher forms, and still progressing— Theories not fundamental when the consciousness of immortality is reached—Living in the Now—Universal Law—Man’s concepts changing as he grows—We are babes in understanding, compared with those who have reached higher planes—Angels and archangels—The Universe filled with forms of life, in different stages of development—Man but a manifestation of the Soul in one particular stage of development—Paul, the mystic, and his view.

MAN IS. He lives and always will live. He cannot die. The thing that we call Death is no more death than is the sleep into which we sink at night, and from which we emerge in the morning, refreshed, brightened, and strengthened. It is a temporary loss of consciousness—nothing more. And Life is continuous—continuous progression, unfoldment and development. There are no sudden breaks— no startling changes—no miraculous transformations. All is steady growth.

To many who believe that they will live beyond the grave, it seems as if something which they call “my soul” will arise from the ruins of their body and will live on forever. To those in whom spiritual consciousness has been awakened, a different concept presents itself. They feel the I am consciousness strong within them, and know that, no matter what may happen to the body, the Real Self will live on. They know that that which they call “I” is the soul, and are not deceived by the thought that the soul is something that is going to put in an appearance after the “I” lies down in death. Stop and think for a moment. There is every difference between the two concepts. The whole question hinges on this distinction. The Soul is not a thing apart from yourself—it is you—you are the Soul.

“Lord of a thousand worlds am I,

And I reign since time began;

And Night and Day in cyclic sway, Shall pass while their deeds I scan.

Yet time shall cease, ere I find release,

FOR I AM THE SOUL OF MAN.”

— Orr .

It is you who lives on forever, not some intangible thing that develops from you at the hour of death. This you is living in eternity as much now as it ever will be. This is Eternity—right now. Many of us, before we grow into an understanding of things, feel that this life is of no consequence—that it is a miserable thing and that true living will not begin until we get out of the body and become a Spirit. Why, you are a Spirit as much now as ever. It is true that you have a body of flesh, and that at some future time you will not be so burdened. But you may rest assured that you have a body because you need a body—because in this stage of growth a body is indispensable to your development. When you outlive the necessity of a body, you will be relieved of it. And then there are bodies and bodies. Those among men, who in all ages have kept alive the flame of esoteric knowledge, have taught that on other planes of existence—in other worlds—there were beings who had bodies far more ethereal than the ones we use. And also that on lower planes of life were to be found beings whose bodies were far more material and gross than the ones furnished us. They have taught that when we had lived out the experiences of Earth-life, and had fitted ourselves for life on a higher plane, we would pass on to the higher plane and would incarnate in bodies suited for our advanced stage of development. And they also taught that before we had incarnated on Earth, we had dwelt elsewhere, using bodies fitted for our development at that time, which bodies were far lower in the scale than those we now have. The body is always the instrument of the Soul, and the Soul is given the instrument best fitted for its stage of development.

Some schools teach the doctrine of Metempsychosis, or Reincarnation, as it is more generally termed. They believe that after death we return to occupy another earthly body, to which body we are attracted by the law of attraction or Karma. I have always felt that there was much in this idea, although I have also felt that some of its advocates have claimed too much for it. It is indisputable that in the theory of Metempsychosis there is found the only possible explanation of the inequalities and apparent injustices of life. It is the only theory that squares with Justice. But to assume that Life is merely one round of repeated earthly incarnations in bodies as we know them—here on Earth—is to take but a narrow view of the subject.

I believe that the Soul has existed for ages. I believe that it has always existed as a part of the Whole, and that manifested as a separate, or apparently separate entity, it has existed for untold ages, working its way upward through different forms of expression, from lower to higher, always progressing—always growing. And I believe that it will continue to progress and grow and unfold and develop during the ages, progressing from lower to higher forms, and then on to higher and higher and higher. The man who has unfolded sufficiently to get a glimpse of that which is hidden in his Soul, is enabled to see a little ahead of his fellows—is able to pierce the darkness for a short distance—but beyond that he cannot see. A few have been able to grasp truths apparently far beyond the understanding of the multitude, but even this is as nothing compared to the Whole Truth. God’s plan is revealed to Man only as Man is able to grasp it. As Man grows in spiritual understanding, there will be found new portions of the Truth awaiting him.

It does not make much difference whether one believes in Metempsychosis or whether he does not. At the best it is not worth while disputing about. When the consciousness of Eternal Life comes to one he does not care how many bodies he may have used as he progressed along the Path, or how many more he may have occasion to use before he passes on to a higher plane. He does not care much for these things, except as a matter of speculation. He knows that he is, and always will be. He feels that every moment is now and he lives it out. He knows that he cannot be destroyed, or annihilated. He knows that the smallest thing in the Universe is governed by the Universal Law—that God is aware of his existence and is fully cognizant of all that befalls him. He knows that he cannot be blotted out—cannot be separated from the whole—cannot be placed outside of the Universe—cannot be forgotten or ignored. And knowing these things, he does not fret about what is before him. He knows that whatever it is, it must be good. He knows that the Universe is very large, and that there is plenty of room for him somewhere in it, and that the very best place for him will be the particular place where he will be found at any time. He knows that he cannot escape his own good—that he cannot get away from God. And knowing these things, he is content—he lives on, day by day, enjoying the play of life in him and around him.