Read the Beatitudes in the Bible, what Christ has taught. Has he not taught the development of personality? Did He not teach the building of the character? Did He not show in His life innocence that shows the angelic heritage of man? Did He say: "Become occultists" or "great psychic people," or "correct people of their errors?" What He taught was how to make your personality as it ought to be, that you may no more be the slaves of that nature which you have brought with you, nor of that character which you have made in the world; but that you may show the Divine in your life, that you may fulfill in this earth the purpose for which you have come.

But now you will say: "What experience does a mystic have? Does he see colors, does he communicate with spirits, does he wander in the higher worlds, does he read thoughts, does he psychometrize objects, does he perform wonders?" And the answer is that to a mystic all these things are elementary. And those who do these things are quarter-mystics, half-mystics. A mystic who is a thorough mystic, for him these things are children's play. These are not beyond his power; they are within his power. But the power of a mystic can be so great, and insight can be so keen, that the ordinary man cannot imagine it. And for the very reason that an ordinary man cannot imagine it, a mystic who looks not different from an ordinary man, cannot profess to see or know or feel any better. Naturally therefore, the real mystic, who has arrived to a point of understanding, makes the greatest effort to keep his power and insight covered from the eyes of all. And there comes the false mystic, who comes out and claims perfection, and prophecies, and power, and wonders that he can work.

All inspirations are revealed, the mysteries and secrets of life manifest before the view of the one whose heart is prepared by love. All manner of virtues spring from it. We hear they talk of ecstasy; some say that visionary people or perhaps those who see spirits and ghosts they have ecstasies. No, they do not know what ecstasy is. Ecstasy is a feeling that only comes when the heart is tuned to that pitch of love, which makes it melted, which makes it tender, which gives one gentleness, which makes one humble. This is a subtle subject. In speaking of it, I must say that it is better to have our connection more with the beings living upon earth than to have the craze to meet with the people on the other side of life. It is here that we are meant to evolve, and by being absorbed in those who have passed away we are taken away from the life we are meant to have, and then we live on earth as dead. People in pursuit of the spirit show on their face the dead expression.

Without enquiry, a thought comes to you which tells you of a coming event. People sometimes take this to be a "spirit-communication"; sometimes they take it to be a thought-transference from someone else. But intuition is a greater and higher thing than a spirit-communication or thought-reading, because it is pure; it is your own property; it belongs to you. In this you do not depend on a spirit or upon another person sending a thought to you. In this you are perfectly independent. You receive the knowledge from within, which is far superior, and greater and higher.

Hallucinations sometimes arise from thought and from mind. We call it "obsession" when it comes from without. Sometimes the living person can express and the spirit respond. We are not doing spirits any good by calling them when they have no body; we have a body. Why not let them forget the experience of this world of illusion rather than attract them? What good will it do them? One should only trouble others when one needs them very much. We should use ourselves as the vehicle of all experiences. We can communicate much better with another person who is clothed like us than we can with a spirit.

Is not God enough for our souls and sufficient to inspire us and to illuminate our wills? Is He not sufficient to guide our souls? Is He any less than a Friend here or in the spirit life? He is the great Well-wisher. In Him mercy is complete. He is Soul of all souls. When we devote ourselves to the thought of Him, all illumination and revelation is ours. God-communication is the best communication that true spiritualism can teach us. Some people profess to have clairvoyance and clairaudience, and very often delude others by giving false prophecies; but the one who lives the inner life does not need to prophesy; he does not need to tell others what he sees and what he hears. It is not only that he is not inclined to do so, but also he sees no necessity for it.