A Personal Message from the Chief Instructor

A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF INSTRUCTOR

Dear Aspirant,

This is a very apt appellation because you are aspiring to self-betterment, knowledge and wisdom, all worthy objectives. We appreciate your interest in this Course which you will find different from anything you have previously undertaken. The preliminary steps may follow a familiar path – basics are all much the same – but before too long there will be divergence from the well-worn, commonplace path or restrictive orthodoxy.

The Instructing Committee is pleased that you propose to join us in the great voyage of discovery towards distant horizons, beyond which must surely lie the limits of human potential. Yet all indications to date show that in whatever direction we set sail, horizon only gives place to a further horizon, so perhaps there is no limit to what can be achieved. This is just the beginning of a journey which can lead to any one of several destinations.

If you are one who seeks answers to the riddle of life, if you want to discover certain universal truths and gain knowledge of your real self, your purpose in life and ultimate destiny; if you want to develop your whole being, to unfold your latent talents and achieve your full potential; to awaken your dormant supersensory powers and to learn the secrets hitherto closely safeguarded down through the ages, then you will certainly find this Course worthwhile.

Are you thinking in circles, wondering what the next ten years hold for you? Do you sometimes ask yourself, “Where do I begin, what shall I do next?” Have you a confusion of ideas? What we want you to know is that The Mastery of Life, about which you will learn a lot, and success in any enterprise, come from the subtle ability to marshal your thoughts and call them to the fore when an emergency arises. Mentally you are an aggregate of forces, but why dissipate these because of lack of knowledge of how to use them? Learn to control them and you will have at your command a tremendous power for accomplishment. The Culdians are a group of thinking men and women who have a store of knowledge of effective methods for the development of mind power and the direction of man’s unused inner faculties. This knowledge, which is neither strange nor mysterious, can change the course of your life.

While we can supply the answers to much that has hitherto lain within the realms of metaphysics, the answers to many personal problems lie within yourself. We can only stimulate and guide you into the inner regions where you will come face to face with your true self. Of course, here your conscious mind will immediately intervene with the thought, “If the answers are within me, then why do I not know them? This statement cannot be true!” However, ponder a while on this matter. Do you really know and understand your own mind as it actually is? Are you aware of its great potential? Can you state truthfully that you know just where your thoughts come from? Do your words come spontaneously, or do you always consider what you are about to say? Are you in search of reality? Do you ask the eternal question, “I am, but why?” Do you wonder if life is just a haphazard phenomenon? Are there only blind mechanical laws, causes and effects without purpose? Can we establish a personal mission that will be in harmony with Infinite Reality? Or must we drift along, buffeted by the winds of chance?

If you are completely honest with yourself you will admit that you do not know where your mind is, you cannot pinpoint its location. It is something rather vague, an abstract taken for granted, in some way connected with the brain. Is it part of the brain, something generated by the brain? Is it sustained physically, chemically or otherwise? Are you interested in the secrets of the mind? Do you understand the two worlds we live in? Do you know that man is not an isolated entity on Earth; he is also of a greater world – the cosmos. The forces that create galaxies and island universes also flow through human beings. The human body (with its vital phenomenon – life) and the whole of creation are of the same spectrum of energy. The universe is you because you are one of the many forms of existence sharing the adventure of life. Stripping away the mystery of these cosmic forces within you increases the personal reality of the self. There is no greater adventure than the exploration of self.

Most people will spend a great deal of time and energy on caring for the physical body which is in a constant state of change. Thoughts and habits, no matter how troublesome or irritating, are taken for granted. Only rarely are mental states and conditions given appropriate care and attention. You are as you think, as your thought patterns dictate, and if thoughts and mental processes are undisciplined, then so are you. Thought alone is capable of producing a tremendous force usable for either Good or Evil.

So let us travel the metaphysical path together, learning to unravel the timeless secrets concerning the Inner Self, unearthing the great treasures buried deep inside you, which are hidden beneath the mound of preconceived and mostly erroneous ideas regarding your true nature.

While we feel confident that you will be delighted with the results achieved with this Course, there are a few points that should be clarified at the start. The instructions must be followed carefully and rigorously, the early preliminary ones being just as important as the later ones. In fact, it is doubtful if you will fully understand the later experiments, or be able to properly control what you will experience unless you become proficient in the early simple exercises.

There are, at present, certain teachings in circulation which call for mind concentration on various glands of the body. This is dangerous and potentially harmful, for the glands come under natural control, as will be explained to you in due course. If you have followed such teachings please let us know as the situation can still be remedied, and must be, before you can proceed with this Course.

Be consistent in your attempts to master the various exercises, but do not force the mind unduly. Try to capture the attitude of encroachment by the calm, incoming tide, its gentle waters rippling over the sands almost unnoticed, stealing forward a little each time it moves in, every obstacle in its path being slowly by-passed, surrounded and ultimately overcome. There is no fuss, no display of force, just an irresistible determination to move forward. Let this be you – calm, resolute and determined.

The exercises will appear a little irksome at times, but the cultivation of patience is not the least of the admirable qualities to be learned. So just persevere and like the tortoise you will get there in the end; remember, we are here to help you every step of the way. The Lessons are largely individualised instead of being mass produced, so they are constantly under review and can be amended to suit current requirements. New discoveries in the relevant fields are always being incorporated.

There is too much apathy in the world today, too few seekers after Truth, too much acceptance and not enough questioning. Obviously you have an enquiring mind, a questing spirit, and therefore you are very welcome to the Path. We are pleased indeed to have you with us.

Fraternally,

THE CHIEF INSTRUCTOR