How The Mind Works
	With What Measure Ye Mete <  Previous Contents Next  >

He who gives much receives much. This we all know, but the question is what it means to give. When we speak of giving we usually think of charity and poverty; and believing that the latter is inevitable we conclude that the former must be an exalted virtue; but poverty is not inevitable. It is not a part of life's plan. It is simply a mistake. Therefore charity cannot be otherwise than a temporal remedy. Such remedies, however, though good and necessary, do not always constitute virtues because virtue is permanent and is a part of a continuous advancement in man.

He who gives in charity does not receive anything in return unless he also gives himself. It is therefore not the giving of things that brings reward, but the giving of life. But to give much life one must possess much life, and to possess much life one must live a large measure of life. According to the law, life is measured out to us with the same measure that we employ in the measuring of our own existence. In other words, we will receive only as much life as our own measure can hold; but it is not only life that is measured out to us in this way. Everything that pertains to life is measured in a similar way.

We conclude, therefore, that he who sets out a large measure to be filled will receive a large measure full, and that he who gives himself simply offers his own life for further enrichment. He who gives much of himself will be abundantly enriched because he places in life a large measure of himself to be filled. He who gives things may lose all that is given. But he who gives himself, the best that is in himself, loses nothing. Instead he gains a larger and a richer self. He who gives himself to the race gives life and life can supply all needs.

To have an abundance of life is to have the power to help yourself and to re-create your own world according to your highest desires. The gift of life is therefore the highest gift. It is also the largest gift because it includes all gifts. He who gives life does not give to relieve poverty, but to build strong souls, and when strong souls appear poverty disappears of itself. To give one's life is to express in thought, word or action everything of worth that one may possess in mind or soul; that is, everything that one may live for. And how much we live for depends upon how largely the life is measured in our understanding. When we measure life largely, life will give us a large measure of itself.

When we blend consciousness with the universal we will receive universal consciousness in return.

When we think only of the boundless, our thought will be limited no more. When we take a larger measure of our talents the wisdom that fills the universe will also fill that larger measure. When we take a large measure of man and have faith in the superior side of every mind, every mind will give to us as much as our measure of that mind can hold. Realizing these great facts we should dwell constantly in the world of greater possibilities.

We should expect much, work for much, live for much, have faith in much, and we shall find that as much will come to us as we have thought, lived and worked for. We should never limit anything nor anyone. The measure of all things should be as large as our conscious comprehension and we should refuse to be contented with anything except that which is constantly enlarging its measure. Accordingly we should live for great things and press on. Thus the greater and the greater will surely be measured out in return. This is the law and it cannot fail.

Very few, however, apply this law and that is the reason why the majority accomplish so little. They undertake so little and they never reach the high places because they nearly always aim at the low ones. Many minds that aim high for a while lose their lofty aspirations later on because they fail to reach the mountaintop the first week or the first year. Others again aspire to the high things though at the same time think of themselves as limited, insignificant and even worse. But if we would become, great we must blend all though with greatness and measure ourselves with that measure that is large enough to contain all the greatness we can possibly conceive of.

He who expands consciousness so as to measure things largely gains capacity, while he who takes a small view of everything remains incompetent. We do not get power, growth or ability by trying to cram a small mind, but by trying to expand the mind. And to expand the mind we must take the largest possible view of all things. We must live with the limitless and blend all thought with infinite thought. When the senses declare you cannot do this, reply by saying, it is in me to do it; therefore I can.

While the person is working with the limitations of the present, the mind should transcend those limitations and constantly take larger measures of both life and attainment. And as soon as this larger measure is taken the larger will begin to appear until even the person is called upon to enter a larger work with increased remuneration. Make yourself worthy and greater worth will come to you. Take a larger measure of your own capacity, your own ability, your own worth. Expect more of yourself. Have more faith in yourself and that something that supplies everybody will completely fill your measure.

It is the law that no matter how large your measure will be it will be filled. And your measure of things is as large as your conscious realization of those things. Therefore to take a larger and a larger measure of anything is to expand consciousness beyond the present understanding of that particular thing. Therefore all that we are conscious of is but a partial expression of something that is in itself limitless because everything in existence is limitless. Therefore by gaining a larger consciousness of those partial expressions we will become conscious of a larger expression. And a larger expression of those things will appear through us, which means that our own life has been enlarged and enriched. This is all perfectly simple and proves conclusively why the boundless measures out to each individual only as much as the measure of that individual can hold.

But since there is nothing to hold consciousness in bounds except our own limited view, and since we can take a larger view of anything whenever we choose, it is in our power to increase the measure of anything in our own life or in our own sphere of existence. Perpetual increase and perpetual expansion of consciousness go hand in hand in the life of man. The former is produced by the latter and the latter is produced by man himself. We conclude, therefore, that anyone can make his life as large as he wishes it to be, and can bring into his life as much of everything as he may desire.

In considering this great subject we must give due attention to the process of growth. And in this connection we must remember that the desire for growth and the effort to promote growth must be constant. This law, however, is frequently neglected as it is the tendency of nearly every person to lean back, fold arms and suspend all desire and every effort whenever a victory has been won, or an onward step taken. But we can never afford to stop or to suspend action at any time and what is more it is impossible to suspend action.

We cannot stop living, therefore we cannot stop thinking, and so long as we think, some part of our being will act. And that part should act with some definite goal in view. When you leave the field of action to rest, so to speak, you permit that part of your being that does act to act aimlessly, and aimless actions always produce perversions, false states and detrimental conditions. It is the conviction of every thorough student of life that aimless action is the fundamental cause of all the ills that appear in life. And aimless action is caused by the attempt to stop all action when we try to rest. However, the fact that action will go on perpetually in some part of our system proves that the individual Ego should be constantly at hand to guide that action.

The Ego does not need any rest, nor need it ever suspend activity, because rest simply means recuperation, and it is those organs that receive and use up energy that require recuperation. The Ego does not create and does not employ energy, but simply governs the distribution and use of energy. So that the real you should always be active in some sense, and should always desire the promotion of growth as well as carry out the promotion of growth, regardless of how many special parts of your system have suspended action for the time being.

When we understand the real purpose of rest we perceive clearly why the governing conscious Ego requires no rest whatever, and also why it does require ceaseless conscious action. To prevent aimless action the Ego should guide action on the mental or spiritual plane whenever rest demands suspension of activity on the physical plane. It has been demonstrated conclusively that the body rests most perfectly when some constructive action takes place in mind or soul, and it is for this reason that the first day of the week has been consecrated to the spiritual life. By giving this day entirely to higher thought, and the contemplation of the finer things of life, the body and the mind will recuperate so perfectly that you can do more work and far better work during the coming week than ever before; although not simply because you have properly rested mind and body, but also because you have through your higher devotions awakened new life, more life and a number of higher, stronger powers.

The principle that the body rests most perfectly when consciousness is actively at work on some higher plane is a principle that should receive the most thorough attention, and every person should adopt some system of living by which this principle could be carried out completely in every detail. Such a system of living would prolong the life of the body, increase the power of the mind and remarkably unfold the soul.

The metaphysical law under consideration is based upon this principle. Therefore to live according to this principle, this law must be constantly employed; that is, the desire for growth and effort to promote growth must be constant. In addition, the desire for growth must be constructive because no action is constructive unless it is prompted by the desire for growth. And every effort to promote growth must be constant, because efforts that do not aim at growth are destructive, while suspended efforts cause aimless action. To carry out this law transfer your desire for growth from one faculty to another, and from one plane to another, as conditions may demand, or as your work may require, but never suspend that desire.

When you feel that a certain faculty, through which you have been acting, needs recuperation withdraw action from that faculty and begin to act through another faculty, expressing through this other faculty all the desire for growth that you can possibly create. Or, when you feel that the physical plane needs recuperation act upon the mental. When both mental and physical planes require recuperation enter the spiritual and express there your desire for soul unfoldment. Then whenever you express your desire for growth do something to promote that growth-use what methods you possess and gradually you will evolve better and more effective methods.

As you apply all these ideas, consciousness will constantly expand, development will be constantly taking place in some part of your being, and you will be improving in some way every minute. In addition, you will prevent all aimless action and all retarded growth. Every part of the system will receive proper rest and recuperation whenever required, and this will mean complete emancipation because all ills come from aimless action, retarded growth and their consequences. It will also mean greater achievements and higher attainments because all the faculties will improve steadily and surely, and the entire system will be at its best under every circumstance.