THE MOTIVE which impels an Individual to ask for admittance to the Instruction is of vital importance. The only just and worthy motive is that of acquiring the knowledge for the good that may be accomplished by and through its right use.
While the effort is to give the accumulated knowledge to all mankind, nevertheless experience has proven that soliciting, or even inviting, men and women to apply for the Instruction, is but opening the door of failure to them.
Unless and until the applicant can say, in all sincerity, that he comes of his own free will and accord, and without solicitation or invitation from anyone, he is not yet in the right attitude to benefit from the Instruction, or to render his admission wise or advantageous.
The applicant must prove that he comes entirely of his own volition; that he is worthy of the Instruction; that his motives are right, and that he is able, willing and ready to comply with every requirement which is exacted of every applicant, without discrimination or exception.
Some are interested in and attracted by the purely phenomenal aspects of the Work.
They seem to think that the only purpose to be accomplished is the development of their spiritual senses, so that they may be able to open their spiritual eyes at will and see into the spiritual realms of life and enjoy the accomplishment.
Nothing was ever more completely out of harmony with the real Spirit and Purpose of the Work.
Herein is where many intelligent men and women fail to make a just and correct analysis of their motives and purposes.
Those who seek admittance to the Instruction because of their desire to develop their spiritual senses and powers, that they may know personally of the other life, possibly would not know what to do with that knowledge if they had it.
There is a sublime Ethical Principle in Nature which increases the burden of responsibilities with each and every item of added knowledge acquired and in exact proportion thereto.
If they but realized this great Ethical Principle, a goodly number of them at least, if not all of them, would defer rather than hasten the acquisition of such personal knowledge, until they knew beyond all question of doubt that they would be able to discharge their added burden of responsibility incident to the possession of that knowledge.
When a Student has completed the five Courses, he has arrived at a point where he definitely knows what is involved in the task of Living a Life in harmony with the Constructive Principle of Nature.
This means that he is ready to enter actively upon the applicational phase—that of intensively applying his acquired knowledge. He finds himself in a position where he can, with full knowledge, enter upon an intensive application of all he has learned to the problem of living his life, in such manner that it is possible to evolve to that status whence Constructive Spiritual Development becomes possible.
Motive