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employed to its continual increase and development。
In this way our affirmation of the 〃I am〃 ceases to be the petulant
assertion of our limited personality and becomes the affirmation that the
Great I AM affirms its own I AM…ness both in us and through us； and thus
our use of the words becomes in very truth the Great Affirmative； or that
which is the root of all being as distinguished from that which has no
being in itself but is merely externalized by being as the vehicle for its
expression。 We shall realize our true place as subordinate creative centres；
perfectly independent of existing conditions because the creative process
is that of monogenesis and requires no other factor than the Spirit for its
exercise； but at the same time subordinate to the Divine Spirit in the
greatness of its inherent forward movement because there is only ONE
Spirit and it cannot from one centre antagonize what it is doing from
another。 Thus the Great Affirmation makes us children of the Great King；
at once living in obedience to that Power which is above us； and
exercising this same power over all that world of secondary causation
which is below us。
Thus in our measure and station each one of us will receive the
mission of the I AM。
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CHRIST THE FULFILLING OF
THE LAW。
〃Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the proph。ets： I am not
come to destroy but to fulfil。〃 （Matt。 v。 17。）
〃Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that
believeth。〃 （Rom。 x。 4。）
If these words are the utterance of a mere sectarian superstition they
are worthless； but if they are the statement of a great principle； then it is
worth our while to enquire what that principle is。 The fulfilling of
anything is the bringing into complete realization of all that it potentially
contains； and so the filling of any law to its fulness means bringing out all
the possibilities which are hidden in it。 This is precisely the method which
has brought forth all the advances of material civilization。 The laws of
nature are the same now that they were in the days of our rugged Anglo…
Saxon ancestors； but they brought out only an infinitesimal fraction of the
possibilities which those laws contain： now we have brought out a good
deal more； but we have by no means exhausted them； and so we continue
to advance； not by contradicting natural laws； but by more fully realizing
their capacity。 Why should we not； then； apply the same method to
ourselves and see whether there are no potentialities hidden away in the
law of our own being which we have not as yet by any means brought to
their fulfilment？ We talk of a good time coming and of the ameliorating of
the race； but do we reflect that the race is composed of individuals and that
therefore real advance is to be made only by individual improvement； and
not by Act of Parliament？ and if so； then the individual with whom to
begin is ourself。
The complete manifestation of the Law of Individuality is the end or
purpose of the Bible teaching concerning Christ。 It is a teaching based
upon Law； spiritual and mental； fully recognizing that no effect can be
produced except by the operation of an adequate cause； and Christ is set
before us both as explaining the causes and exhibiting the full measure of
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THE DORE LECTURES ON MENTAL SCIENCE
the effects。 All this is according to Law； and the importance of its being
according to Law is that Law is universal； and the potentialities of the Law
are therefore inherent in everyone there is no special law for anybody； but
anybody can specialize the law by using it with a fuller understanding of
how much can be got out of it； and the purpose of the Scripture teaching
regarding Christ is to help us to do this。
The preceding lectures have led us step by step to see that the
Originating Spirit； which first brought the world into existence； is also the
root of our own individuality； and is therefore always ready； by its inherent
nature； to continue the creative process from this individual stand…point as
soon as the necessary conditions are provided； and these conditions are
thought…conditions。 Then by realizing the relation of Christ to the
Originating Mind； the Parent Spirit or 〃Father；〃 we receive a STANDARD
of thought which is bound to act creatively bringing out all the
potentialities of our hidden being。 Now the relation of Christ to the
〃Father〃 is that of the Architypal Idea in the All…creating Mind of which I
have previously spoken； and so we arrive at the conception of the Christ…
idea as a universal principle； and as being an idea therefore capable of
reproduction in the individual Mind； thus explaining St。 Paul's meaning
when he speaks of Christ being formed in us。 It is here that the principle of
monogenesis comes in； that principle which I have endeavoured to
describe in the earlier part of the present series as originating the whole
manifested creation by an internal action of the Spirit upon itself； and it is
the entire absence of control by any second power that renders the
realization in external actuality of a purely mental ideal possible。 For this
reason systematic spiritual study commences with the contemplation of
the existing cosmos； and we then transfer the conception of the
monogenetic power of the Spirit from the cosmos to the individual and
realize that the same Spirit is able to do the same thing in ourselves。 This
is the New Thought which in time will fulfil itself in the New Order； and
we thus provide new thought…conditions which enable the Spirit to carry
on its creative work from a new stand…point； that of our own individuality。
This attainment by the Spirit of a new starting…point is what is meant by
the esoteric doctrine of the Octave。 The Octave is the starting…point of a
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THE DORE LECTURES ON MENTAL SCIENCE
new series reduplicating the starting…point of the previous series at a
different level； just as does the octave note in music。 We find this principle
constantly referred to in Scripturethe completion of a prior series in the
number Seven； and the starting of a new series by the number Eight；
which takes the same place in the second series that the number One did in
the first。 The second series comes out of the first by natural growth and
could not come into existence without it； hence the First or Originating
number of the second series is the Eighth if we regard the second series as
the prolongation of the first。 Seven is the numerical correspondence of
complete manifestation because it is the combination of three and four；
which respectively represent the complete working of the spiritual and
material factorsinvolution and evolutionand thus together constitute the
finished whole。 Students of the Tarot will here realize the process by
which the Yod of Yod becomes the Yod of He。 It is for this reason that the
primary or cosmic creation terminates in the rest of the Seventh Day； for it
can proceed no further until a fresh starting…point is found； But when this
fresh starting…point is found in Man realizing his relation to the 〃Father；〃
we start a new series and strike the Creative Octave and therefore the
Resurrection takes place； not on the Sabbath or Seventh Day； but on the
Eighth day which then becomes the First day of the new creak five week。
The principle of the Resurrection is the realization by man of his
individualization of the Spirit and his recognition of the fact that； since the
Spirit is always the same Spirit； it becomes the Alpha of a new creation
from his own centre of being。
Now all this is necessarily an interior p