The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-09-09
The Narrow Way Of
Conscious Enlightenment

Which, to 81 fruitful, must Be gained
at first hand, and not on the report
of others; must Be strict and accurate.
and must be firmly retained. These
fare the essential conditions for the sue
lsequent operations by which knowledge
lis appropriated. assimiIated, and Moor
Iporated with The organic life Of the
mind.
All that man contains, manifests and
| is he has derived, assimilated and
made part Of himself from Natufe. he
Cosmos, the Absolute, the Infinite, he
Constructive process Of Being, or any
other name that you prefer to denomin-
ate It or FIim-EIer with. Interrigence IS
Emanifesting everywhere in the universe
wherever man may co. and in the de-
gree that man desires and aspires to
gain and manifest intelligence he seems
to attain to it Or attract lit.
The wonderful change that is going
on everywhere in the world at the pre-
sent TIME was discussed at the mental
science class at Newllano On Sunday
night, September 3. This change is
gong on silently everywhere. and is
the most important transformation that
has come TO pass during the last 1900
years. Many Of the secrets Of nature
have been discovered and harnessed in
the service Of mankind. Enormous
possibilities are revealed that exceed
the widest dreams Of the imagination.
A new civilization is evolving, fet-
ters Of tradition are being broken, and
has entered upon its great
est period Of existence and achievement
% all ages.
In Human Traits, Professor Irwin
zdman says: While in a large portion
# our duties we. are at the beck and
all Of the instincts which are our in
neritance and the habits which we have
acquired. we may also CONTROL our
2ctiohs. Instead Of performing actions
is Immediate and automatic responses
0 accustomed stimuli, we may deter
nine our actions, single or consecu-
i've, in the LIGHT OF ABSENT AND |,
7UIURE RESULTS. TO act thus is
o act reflectively, and to act reflect
vely is the only escape from random
cts prompted BY instinct and routine
mes prompted BY habit.
To act reflectiveIy is to delay re-
ponse to an instructive or habitual sti-
nulus until the various possibilities of
ction and the results associated with
ach have been considered. An action
erformed instinctiyely or habitualIy is
it IS performed not on the
asis Of what will be the result, but
imply as an immediate response to
resent stimulus. But an act (or SER
IS Of acts) reflectively performed is h
in the light Of the results
nat are prophetically associated with
1em. In the case of instinct and ha-
it, THE INDIVIDUALITY, ALMOST
literally. DOES NOT KNOW i
WHAT HE is ABOUT. In reflective
ctivity HE DOES KNOW, and the t
lore thorough the reflective process,
le more thorough and precise his
He performs actions be-
ause they will achieve certain results. t
nd he is conscious Of that causal con- |
ection, both before the action is per- t
ormed. when he perceives the results
naginatively, and after it is, perform
4, when he sees the actualized fact. /
% think or to reflect means to post
one response ito given problematic
tuation until the possible consequence
) Of the possible responses have been '
lentally traced out. Instead Of AC- Il
UALLY making every response that t
ccurs to US, we make all Of them inn
Instead Of consuming y
me and energy in physical trial and y
rror, we make no response at all In g
ction until we have surveyed all the 4
of action and their possible Is
And when we do make t
response we make it on the basis oft
lose foreseen consequences. G
And this is the lesson that mental q
,ience would teach. 4
Tbe cov;st Co,,axnr,a,t .r P,...; Z