SELF LEADERSHIP

The barrier of Self Leadership is passed when the aspirant begins to seek his own pathway to perfection. It is the stage at which the Lower Mental Body is actively assimilating the basic spiritual truths. Thus this stage can be said to be an academic one culminating in an intellectual knowing of these great truths. At this time the aspirant will generally be doing a great deal of reading and will be learning the more general details of the spiritual realms, planes and sub-planes, and about the work of the Masters and the initiates. It is a time of sorting out the important truths from all the great religions and coming to an understanding of the paths of progression open to man.
One will learn:-
• Meditation - its purpose and benefits.
• Diet and the necessity of having a purified physical body. 
• Karma and its effect on one lives.
• That the love of God and love of one's neighbour are the two most important tenets to practise when working toward Cosmic or Christ Consciousness.
• Service to others is the way of achievement and initiation.
• Faith is knowledge in action.
• Determination is the will to succeed .
Without these factors well grasped and understood and thoroughly ingrained in one's being, progress will be nil; for the greatest danger which everybody has to face is that of vanity, pride and arrogance.

• Vanity makes you seek for self-aggrandisement.
• Pride makes you feel self-important.
• Arrogance makes you self-righteous.

Too many people who reach this stage stray from the path because one or all of these traits creep in and take control of the self. When I say the self, I'm referring to the lower self, which is the personality or the doer in the body. It is the very thing one should try to forget and put aside, thus allowing the Higher Self to manifest through the lower bodies. There are many who in their cock-sure self righteousness think that they have found all that there is to find, and know all that there is to know. Those on the true path must cultivate just the opposite characteristics and must learn to develop humility, mental quiet and the ability to meditate, plus an attitude of self-analysis or enquiry.

If the aspirant has begun to cultivate these facets, the Higher Self, being perfectly aware of this, will begin to influence the lower bodies. At first the influence will be felt in a subtle way such as an urge to do, or not to do a certain thing. These feelings will increase in strength and number and will eventually culminate in a telepathic channel being opened up between the physical vehicle and the Higher Self.
In fact it is vital that this channel be opened up by the time the 750,000 barrier is passed, as a stage of karmic clearance at a mental and emotional level begins soon after.

One of the first things the Higher Self will normally try to communicate to the physical body, is the necessity for a pure diet and the need to give up all forms of poison which man usually takes without thinking twice. Thus the aspirant may begin to cleanse the body by giving up various things such as:
   • Smoking
   • Alcohol
   • Meat eating
   • Drug taking, (except in cases of serious illness).

The intake of of freshly grown fruit and vergetables will be encouraged. These must be as free as possible from all kinds of poisonous sprays, while the water used for cooking and drinking should be unfluoridated.
Thus an intellectual knowledge is gained of the path to be followed to reach the higher consciousness. Now comes the time when this intellectual approach must be added to by the gaining of soul force. This begins gradually as the aspirant acts on the knowledge gained and the influences of the Higher Self. A daily meditation period should be started and during this time thoughts or prayers should be given out stating the desire to become a better or purer person, plus the desire to achieve the higher stages of consciousness.

During these meditation periods contact with the Higher Self should be attempted if there is not already a channel opened up to the physical vehicle. Most important of all is the development of the will power and determination to succeed plus the attitude that spiritual development, and the attainment of the higher stages of consciousness are not only possible, but will be achieved. Too many people do not believe that they are attainable. If the aspirarit practises meditation regularly and carries out all the promptings and instructions of the Higher Self quickly, then he will soon find himself at the barrier of World Acceptance.