not possess that
Personal power of _individual selection_ which is necessary to bring out
the infinite possibilities hidden in it. This is what is meant by the Soul
of Nature, and it is for this reason I employ that term instead of saying
the material universe. Which term to employ all depends on the mode of
action we are contemplating. If it is construction from without, then we
are dealing with the purely material universe. If we are seeking to bring
about results by the exercise of our mental power from within, then we are
dealing with the Soul of Nature. It is that control of the lower degree of
intelligence by the higher of which I have spoken in my Edinburgh Lectures.

If we realize what I have endeavored to make clear in the earlier portion
of this book, that the whole creation is produced by the operation of the
Divine Will upon the Soul of Nature, it will be evident that we can set no
limits to the potencies hidden in the latter and capable of being brought
out by the operation of the Personal Factor upon it; therefore, granted a
sufficiently powerful concentration of will, whether by an individual or a
group of individuals, we can well imagine the production of stupendous
effects by this agency, and in this way I would explain the statements made
in Scripture regarding the marvelous powers to be exercised by the
Anti-Christ, whether personal or collective. They are psychic powers, the
power of the Soul of Man over the Soul of Nature. But the Soul of Nature is
quite impersonal and therefore the moral quality of this action depends
entirely on the human operator. This is the point of the Master's teaching
regarding the destruction of the fig tree, and it is on this account He
adds the warning as to the necessity for clearing our heart of any
injurious feeling against others whenever we attempt to make use of this
power (Mark xi: 20-26).

According to His teaching, then, this power of controlling the Soul of
Nature by the addition of our own Personal Factor, however little we may be
able to recognize it as yet, actually exists; its employment depends on our
perception of the inner principles common to both, and it is for this
reason the ancient wisdom was summed up in the aphorism "Know thyself." No
doubt it is a wonderful Knowledge, but on analysis it will be found to be
perfectly natural. It is the Knowledge of the cryptic forces of Nature. Now
it is remarkable that this ancient maxim inscribed over the portals