"Everything that exists in the universe, from stones and plants to the archangels and God himself, yes, everything that exists in the universe exists also in human beings. Even in our physical body, all the elements of creation are present. Nothing is missing, and that is why we are capable of limitless progress, and nothing can stop us.
In order for us to achieve this progress, there is one condition we must fulfil: we must work on our own matter, our psychic matter as well as our physical matter, so as to purify it and make it supple, malleable and vibrant, until it becomes capable of expressing the divine world. And in this way, we will one day manifest fully as we are on high in the divine world, in our higher Self.
How can we define human beings? The lower and higher natures are so inextricably bound in them, it is impossible to say where the one finishes and the other begins. The Divinity dwells in all beings, even the least evolved; the difference lies in their awareness. God is present in the coarsest and most amoral people in the same way and just as fully as in a spiritual Master, but because the coarse, amoral people are not aware that the Divinity is living in them, they prevent it from manifesting. And so, in certain beings and places the divine presence does not manifest, because they are closed to it and do not accept it. God exists in us, and he wants to make himself known in all his beauty, power, light and love. It is, therefore, up to us to become aware of this presence and to work at making it live more intensely each day within us."
All human beings are made of the same divine quintessence. The only difference between them is that some have learned to work on this quintessence and to develop it, while others leave it dormant. We refer to this quintessence as the image of God.
If we compare ourselves to Jesus, the distance between us is obviously immense. But if we were not of the same quintessence as he, he would not have said: ‘The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.’ To be able to do what Jesus did, we must share the same nature. Lead cannot do what gold can do, because it is not of the same nature. As for us, it can be said that we contain within us an atom of gold, but it is completely surrounded by an entire gangue of base materials. Our work is to transform these worthless materials into gold, which is the true meaning of alchemy."
The Thousand-Petalled Lotus
I speak to you only of yourselves, of realities that exist within you.
Even if you are still not aware of their existence and do not fully understand what I am referring to, I know that through my words I am contacting an entity whose only wish is to come into the light. This entity can be compared to a lotus that begins to develop underwater before blossoming on the surface. Things are born, take shape and begin to grow in the darkness of the subconscious. By the time they rise to awareness, they are no longer in their early stage but have almost reached completion, because they have already been in motion for a long time. In the same way, my words awaken in your deepest being a presence, a spiritual entity, which will one day emerge, like the lotus flower, to blossom above water.
The thousand-petalled lotus that blossoms at the top of an initiate’s head is a symbol of great beauty, and it is understandable that it would fascinate all those who aspire to spiritual fulfilment. But the path leading to illumination and bliss is a long and difficult one. In order for the petals of the sacred lotus to open, disciples must conquer everything within themselves that causes agitation. If they try to develop this lotus before neutralizing the dark elements in their mind and heart, they will experience shocks and jolts, which will tear the petals. What I mean by this image is that the functioning of their spiritual centres will be disturbed, and instead of tasting the joys of heaven they will go through hell. A disciple’s inner world starts by resembling a garden full of undergrowth, thistles, thorny plants: these are the instincts, the base and negative desires they harbour. When they have weeded this garden, nothing will hold them back on the path leading up to the light, and then they will feel the lotus’s thousand petals open one by one at the top of their head.
From the perspective of physical anatomy, humans have two eyes, two ears and one mouth. But from the perspective of spiritual anatomy, they have three eyes, three ears and two mouths, corresponding to the three planes - the physical, the psychic and the spiritual. The third eye, the mystic eye, is in the centre of the forehead. The third ear is in the throat. The second mouth is at the top of the head: this is the sahasrara chakra, the thousand-petalled lotus, and with this second mouth we can speak and eat in the spiritual regions. Prayer and communion are simply ways of speaking and nourishing oneself in the divine world. As for our planet, the earth, it too has organs like ours. High mountains are its higher mouth, for the earth uses its greatest peaks to communicate with heaven.
To become true creators, people must call on certain faculties within themselves in order to contact the world of the soul and the spirit, the sources of strength, light, and beauty. It is important to know what conditions are favorable for inspiration, because inspiration does not visit us by chance. You remark that you have experienced inspiration in rather unlikely situations, places, or postures. Yes, this can happen: you are peeling potatoes, bending down to pick something up, or tying your shoelaces, when suddenly a feeling flows through you, an image comes into your mind, and you know you have had a revelation. On the other hand, you can set up all the material conditions that are ideal for inspiration to visit, and nothing comes to you at all. Inspiration does not necessarily come because you are sitting in the lotus position with your eyes closed, surrounded by clouds of incense. Those are not the conditions I am talking about.
The first prerequisite necessary for inspiration is your way of life:
you will never find inspiration if you do not watch over the purity of your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions."
The Master