noramus
can instantly become wise or by which a brutal man can be at once
transformed into a saint. It may require scores of incarnations to
accomplish a work so great, but when a man reaches the point in his
evolution where he begins to comprehend the purpose of life, and to
evolve the will to put forth his energies in co-operation with nature,
his rise to wisdom and power may be swift indeed. But this
transformation from the darkness of ignorance to spiritual
illumination, from helplessness "in the fell clutch of circumstance"
to power over nature, must be brought about by his own efforts, for it
is a process of evolution--of forcing the latent to become the active.
Therefore one must resolve to take oneself in hand for definite and
systematic self-development. Nobody else can do the work for us.
Certain moral qualities must be gained before there can be spiritual
illumination and genuine wisdom and such qualities, or virtues, have
to be evolved by the laws under which all growth occurs. It is just as
impossible to acquire a moral quality by reading about its
desirability as to evolve muscular strength by watching the
performance of a group of athletes. To gain muscular strength one must
take part in the physical activities that produce it. He must live the
athletic life. To win spiritual strength and supremacy he must live
the spiritual life. There is no other way. He must first learn what
mental and moral qualities are essential, and how to gain them, and
then set earnestly about the work of acquiring them.

The first thing necessary is to get a clear understanding of the fact
that the physical body is not the self but only a vehicle or
instrument through which the self is being manifested in the visible
world. The body is as much your instrument as the hand is, or as your
pen is. It is a thing which you, the self, use and a clear conception
of this fact--a feeling that this is the fact--is the first step
toward that absolute control of the physical body that lays the
foundation for success in conscious evolution. When we feel that in
managing the physical body we are controlling something that is not
ourself we are fairly started on the right road.

Now, there are three things that a person must possess to be
successful in self-development. If he has not these three
qualifications he will make but little progress; but, fortunately, any
lacking quality can be evolved and if one does not possess these three
necess