In the Light of Truth

6. Fate

Men speak of merited and unmerited fate, of reward and punishment, or retaliation and Karma. These are only different names for one of the laws which govern the universe: the law of reaction, alaw existing from the very beginning of all Creation, inseparably interwoven with the great, never ceasing process of development, and forming an integral part of Creation and development itself. As a gigantic system of the finest nerves it holds together and animates the mighty universe, in continual motion, in a never ceasing give-and-take.

The great Bringer of Truth, Jesus of Nazareth, said simply and plainly, and yet so aptly: “What a man sows, that he must reap”

These few words reflect exactly the process of development and life in Creation. What they express is inextricably interwoven in all existence; it is ineradicable, inexorable, incorruptible.

You can perceive it yourselves, if you wish. Begin by observing your own visible surroundings. What you call natural laws are Divine laws, expressing the will and purpose of the Creator. You will quickly perceive how they are constantly at work, for if you sow wheat, you will not reap rye, and if you sow rye, you will not reap rice. This is so self-evident to every man that he never reflects on the process. He is, therefore, not even conscious of the great inalterable law behind it. And yet the answer to the riddle that should indeed be no riddle at all, is here.

It is the identical law that you are hereby enabled to observe. It operates with the same certainty and energy in the most delicate things, only capable of being perceived through a magnifying glass, and goes on working still further in the invisible, transcendental part of Creation, which is by far the larger part. Every process is subject to it, even to the most intricate development of one's thoughts, for they, also, are material to a certain extent, else they would not be able to make any impression.

How can you imagine that this should be different just in such cases as you would have it so? Your doubts are in reality nothing else but unexpressed wishes.

In all life, whether it is visible or invisible to you, every kind reproduces its own kind, no matter what its nature or constituent characteristics may be. It is the same continuous and uninterrupted process as in the growth and development of a plant, and reproduction of fruit of its own kind. This process goes on uniformly in all life; it makes no difference, leaves no gaps, and does not halt before another part of Creation, but carries it through, like an unseverable thread, without intermission.

Should even the greater number of mankind isolate themselves, the Divine Law or laws of nature would not cease to regard them as belonging to Creation, nor would they desist in working on, unaffected.

The law of reaction also necessitates that man must reap what he sowed where he gave the impulse which caused the reaction. Man is only free to decide at the very outset of a matter, in which direction the omnipotent power flowing through him shall act. He must then take the consequences resulting from the direction he gave to this energy.

In spite of this, many insist that, if man is subject to fate, he has no free will.

This foolish way of thinking is meant to act as a narcotic. It is but a grudging submission to the inevitable, discontented resignation, and above all self-justification.

In each case, fate started from a beginning. The ultimate accomplishment of fate depends from the very beginning on the free use of man's will. An act of free-will has preceded the consummation of every decree of fate.

In exercising his own powerful free-will, man, in each case brings about conditions in which he must, sooner or later, himself live. It is quite uncertain at what period this will come to pass. It can happen in the same life on earth in which the act of free-will set the wheel of fate in motion; it may just as well happen in the life which follows in the transcendental world after laying aside the physical body, or again still later, in a later incarnation on earth. The changes in man's condition matter nothing, but they do not free him from his obligations. He continues bound by the connecting link till the law of reaction has been complied with and he is set free. The author is bound to his work, even if he intended the effect for another.

If, therefore, a man today determines to do another an ill turn in thought, word, or deed, he has, by so doing, set some energy at work; whether this is visible, or invisible, material, or not, it has power, therefore life, and can develop and work on further in the desired direction. How it affects the person aimed at depends entirely on that person's own spiritual qualities. The effect may indeed be quite different from what was intended; possibly there may be no effect whatever; it is the spiritual condition of the person in question, which restricts or limits the effect.

Thus no one is exposed to such influences unprotected. The case is different with the man whose will and determination set the activity in motion. His work remains inevitably bound up with himself and returns to him after a longer or shorter journey through the universe greatly increased in potency. This is owing to the operation of the law of reaction. Energy sent out into Creation attracts and is attracted by all that is of the same nature as itself. In this way a nucleous of energy is formed. From this centre, energy more potent than it was before, is returned to all those who are linked to it by their work.

This reinforced energy concentrates and consolidates till it forms a sediment of physical matter. This is the evil corresponding to the will and intention (the work and activity) of its author and he himself must now live and suffer in this condition till he is able to set himself free. This is the way man's dreaded and misunderstood fate originates and develops. Down to the minutest details it is strictly just. As only what is of similar species or nature is attracted, nothing else can be reflected on man than what his will originally devised. It makes no difference whether it was intended for a particular individual or intended generally, and the process is the same when the intention is not directed to a fellow-man, nor towards a whole society of men, it suffices if this wish or will has formed the principle of his life.

The fruits that must finally be reaped, depend on what the man's will has decided on. Thus, numberless, invisible threads cling to man and he to them, by means of which all that he once seriously willed, reacts on himself. These currents constitute a complexity of influences which have an important part in forming character.

There are many things in the mighty machinery of Creation which cooperate in the fate of man, but there is nothing to which man did not himself give the first impulse.

He furnishes the threads out of which the ever-working loom of time weaves the cloak he has to wear.

Christ expresses the same plainly and distinctly when he says: “What a man sows, that he will reap.” He does not say can reap, but will reap. That is the same as “He must reap what he sows.”

How often one hears, otherwise very reasonable, people say:

“It is incomprehensible to me, how God should allow such a thing.”

It is incomprehensible that man should speak thus. How small they imagine God to be. They prove by their words that they think he acts arbitrarily.

But God does not interfere directly in all these small and great woes of man, such as war, misery, and other terrestrial matters.

From the very beginning He has woven his perfect laws into His creation. They do their work automatically and incorruptibly, so that all may be fulfilled and work on uniformly without ceasing, without prejudice in favour of or detriment to anyone. It is not necessary for the Creator to interfere in special cases, this work goes on without intermission and has no deficiencies.

One of the principal mistakes so many make, is that men only judge from the material point of view, regarding themselves to be in the centre and counting on but one incarnation, whereas they have had many lives behind them. These incarnations, together with the intervals of time in the ethereal world, constitute one single existence through which unbroken threads are tightly stretched and of which only quite small sections are apparent in the separate lives. Thus it is a great mistake to believe that with birth, a new life begins or that a child is innocent*(Lecture No. 15: The Mystery of Birth) and that all happenings can be accounted for in one short life. Were this the case, then justice would naturally require that causes, effects and reactions should work out in the span of the one life.

Discard this erroneous conclusion. You will then discover the logical connection and perfect justice you have hitherto missed seeing in all occurrences.

Many are alarmed at this and fear that which they have to expect from reactions of the past under the workings of these laws.

But this is unnecessary anxiety for him who is serious in willing good, for, in the automatic action of the law, lies also the promise of forgiveness. Besides this, when the firm will for good comes into action, setting a limit to Karma and breaking the chain of consequences, another process of immense importance commences. By the continuous practice of goodwill in thought and deed, a steady reinforcement of power flows down from the same source, so that the good in man becomes more and more firmly established. Emanating from him, it then determines his spiritual surroundings and these cling to him like a protecting shield, just as the atmosphere provides a protecting veil round the earth.

When the evil consequences of former deeds set in for this man, they are staved off by the purity of his surroundings and are diverted.

Should, however, rays of this counteraction penetrate through this veil, they would either immediately decompose or at least be so considerably weakened, that no harm would be done him, or, if any, very little.

Besides this a transformation of the inner man, to whom the rays were directed, has taken place. Through the constant exercise of his will for good, he has been refined and has become lighter, so that he no longer responds to the coarser and denser vibrations, as in wireless telegraphy, when the receiving apparatus does not correspond with the vibrations sent out.

The natural consequence is, that the denser vibrations cannot take hold of anything and therefore pass by him without making any impression.

Therefore set to work without delay. Make use of your time. Every moment may bring failure or success, may mean loss or gain for you.

[Grail Message by Abdrushin]  [Resonances to the Grail Message]