Chapter 5: Secret of Regeneration

1Reflect on life as divine impetus of love. 2Reflect on love as universal power, as energy that creates millions of solar systems—each of unique constitution and distinct individuality.

3Man is only one end result of the irresistible power of divine fecundity. 4Man is embodied power, composed of atoms strung in a specific order and permeated with ethereal substance.

5Owing to his dual nature, man can wield control over his life-cells: he can revitalize or destroy them. 6Normally, he destroys the cells through selfishness and stubbornness.

7The secret of revitalization is to align the body’s atoms through thought with the sublime essence of the soul. 8In this manner, one can control one’s inner solar system and revitalize oneself continuously. N.B. 9Practice the presence of God. 10This is all-encompassing.

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ECHOES & NOTES

Chapter 5: Secret of Regeneration

5.1: Reflect on life as divine impetus of love.

Love is the power that moves the universe, the day of life, the night of death, and the new day after death. The radiance of this universe sends us a message of love and says that all creation came from love, that love impels evolution and that at the end of their time love returns all things to Eternity. Even as the rational mind can see that all matter is energy, the spirit can see that all energy is love, and everything in creation can be a mathematical equation for the mind and a song of love for the soul. (Mascaró [1962] 1980: 30-1)

Creation is the sum of all God’s Thoughts, in number infinite, and everywhere without limit. Only love creates, and only like itself. (ACIM What is creation? (11) [1975] 1996: W461)

5.2: Reflect on love as universal power, as energy that creates millions of solar systems—each of unique constitution and distinct individuality.

There are over one hundred billion stars in the Milky Way alone. Throughout the universe, innumerable galaxies form island groups in vast black space, where they slowly drift in cosmic darkness. The earth is only one planet populated with embodied spiritual existence. (Kesting 2010).

5.3: Man is only one end result of the irresistible power of divine fecundity.

He wanted every form, for He wanted to show himself; as a magician. He appears in many forms, He masters hundreds and thousands of powers. He is those powers; those millions of powers, those innumerable powers. He is Spirit; without antecedent, without precedent, without inside, without outside; omnipresent, omniscient. Self is Spirit. That is revelation. (Brihadarānyaka Upanishad 5 c800 B.C. in The ten principal Upanishads 1937: 136)

5.4: Man is embodied power, composed of atoms strung in a specific order and permeated with ethereal substance.

These ‘life-atoms’ [in man] are the energy centres within the physical atoms. The life-atoms ensoul the physical atoms, making them what they actually are, and holding them in coherence as the individual units of physical matter. The physical atoms are the concretions of substance around the energy out-flow from these life-atoms. The life-atom is virtually the same as the ensouling vital force of the electron of modern chemical physics, with the important proviso, however, that the life-atom is in itself ensouled by an elemental soul. (Purucker 1935: 8.2-3)

5.5: Owing to his dual nature, man can wield control over his life-cells: he can revitalize or destroy them.

An important change in one’s sense of self and reality results from this simple healing of the split between the mind and body, the voluntary and the involuntary, the willed and the spontaneous. To the extent you can feel your involuntary body processes as you, you can begin to accept as perfectly natural all manner of things which you cannot control. You may more readily accept the uncontrollable and rest easily in the spontaneous, with faith in a deeper self which goes beyond the superficial will and ego rumblings. … Your deeper self, your constant, lies beyond your control. (Wilbur 2004: 119)

5.6: Normally, he destroys the cells through selfishness and stubbornness.

If you examine old cells, such as the ones that form liver spots on the skin, through a high-powered microscope, the scene is as devastating as a war zone. Fibrous streaks run here and there; deposits of fat and undiscarded metabolic wastes form unsightly clumps; dark, yellowish pigments called lipofuscin have accumulated to the point where they litter 10 to 30 percent of the cell’s interior. … But if you look through less materialistic lenses, you will see that old cells are like maps of a person’s experience. Things that made you suffer are imprinted there, along with things that brought you joy. Stresses you long ago forgot on the conscious level are still sending out signals, like buried microchips, making you anxious, tense, fatigued, apprehensive, resentful, doubtful, disappointed—these reactions cross the mind-body barrier to become part of you. (Chopra [1993] 1998: 12-3)

5.7: The secret of revitalization is to align the body’s atoms through thought with the sublime essence of the soul.

Now it is fitting that the soul regenerates herself and become again as she formerly was. The soul then moves of her own accord. And she received the divine nature from the Father for her rejuvenation, so that she might be restored to the place where originally she had been. This is the resurrection that is from the dead. This is the ransom from captivity. This is the upward journey of ascent to heaven. (The Exegesis on the Soul [c200] in NHLiE [1977] 1990: 196)

5.8: In this manner, one can control one’s inner solar system and revitalize oneself continuously.

And the Life of Heaven wishes to renew all, that he may cast out that which is weak and every black form, so that everyone may shine forth with great brilliance in heavenly garments, in order to make manifest the command of the Father, and that he may crown those wishing to contend well. And all were made new through the Holy Spirit and the Mind. (The Teachings of Silvanus [2nd/3rd century] in NHLiE: [1977] 1990: 392-3)5.9:

5.9: Practice the presence of God.

The first benefit which the soul receives from the Presence of God is that faith becomes more alive and active on every side of life, particularly in times of need, since it obtains for us grace in temptation and in our dealing with one another. For the soul, accustomed by this practice to rely on faith, seeing and feeling God present, is able to call upon Him freely and with confidence, and to obtain that of which she is in need. One may say that faith enables the soul to approach the state of the Blessed; the more she advances the more living does faith become, and at last it becomes so quickened that the soul can almost say: ‘I no longer believe, for I can see and experience.’ (Brother Lawrence [c1690/1926] 1997: 78-80)

5.10: This is all-encompassing.

This is the basis on which human nature and spirit are wholly good, and from which our human actions receive their worth: a mind completely devoted to God. Direct your study to this end, that God shall be great in you, so that in all your comings and goings, your zeal and fervour are towards him. Hold fast to God and he will add every good thing. Seek God and you shall find him and all good with him. (Eckhart, The talks of instruction 5 [c1260-1327/8] 1941: 7)