ngly
white," we are told in the gospels, and there are many persons in the world
to-day possessing the power of the inner or clairvoyant vision (not
identical with cosmic consciousness), who have witnessed similar phenomena.

In the "Sermon on the Mount," we find that Jesus spoke with such certainty
and such authority, as one who had experienced the very essence of the
cosmic conscious state, and was already freed from the illusions of the
senses. His words, like those of all who have sought to give directions and
instructions for the attainment of freedom from externality, are capable
of interpretation in various ways, according to the degree of consciousness
of the age in which the interpretations have been made.

For example, we find these words of Jesus given different meanings, and in
fact, there have been many and diverse discussions and conclusions as to
exactly what the Master did mean by them:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Let us examine the phrase, and see if it accords with our ideas of cosmic
consciousness. To be "poor in spirit," is not consistent with our
understanding of the requirements for the expansion of the soul.

Those who take this phrase literally, and who are opposed to religious
concepts, as a factor in human betterment, are fond of using this phrase as
an evidence of the fanaticism of Jesus, and his concurrence in the worldly
habit of exploiting the poor, and "riding the backs of the wage slaves," as
our Socialist brothers put it.

Now let us, for a moment, consider the phrase _as a person who possessed
cosmic consciousness would have said it_.

One possessing the cosmic sense, viewing the external more as a trap of the
senses, than as realities, would readily perceive that to amass wealth
(external possessions), the mind must be in harmony with the methods and
the ideals of the world, rather than that it should be concentrated upon
the "things of the spirit."

This idea is expressed in the phrase, "no man can serve two masters,"
and while we are not prepared to say that the possession of worldly
goods is absolutely _impossible_ to the attainment of cosmic
consciousness--observation, reflection, and intuition will unite in the
conclusion that they are more or less _improbable_.

If then, we will interpret these sayings of Jesus in the light of a broader
outlook than was possible to the understanding of his chroniclers, we will
find that what h