ing. So he puts
the unpleasant subject aside altogether and when the inner desire
asserts itself again he finds himself precisely as helpless as before.

Now, his certain method of escape from this tyranny of desire is to
turn his mind resolutely to an examination of the whole question. Let
him look the facts in the face, however humiliating they may be. He
should call his imagination to his assistance. It should be used to
picture to himself his future if he does not succeed in breaking up
the unfortunate slavery of the desire nature. He should think of the
fact that as he grows older the situation grows worse. He should
picture himself as the helpless, repulsive sot, with feeble body and
weakening mind, and reflect upon the humiliation he must endure, the
poverty he must face, and the physical and mental pain he must bear in
the future if he now fails to break the desire ties that bind him.
This creates in him a feeling of repulsion toward the cause of it all;
and if he continues to think daily upon this hideous picture of what
he is slowly drifting toward--if he daily regards it all with a
feeling of slight repulsion--then even within a month or two he will
find that his desire for drink is slowly fading out.

This is as true of all other desires that enslave us. The desire for
alcoholic stimulants merely illustrates the principle involved. Any
desire from which one wishes to be free may be escaped by the same
method. But one who would free himself from the desire-nature should
not make the mistake of creating a feeling of intense hostility toward
the thing he seeks to escape; for hatred is also a tie. He should
merely reach a position of complete indifference. He should think of
it not with settled hostility, but with slight repulsion; and if he
does that daily, mentally dwelling upon the pain and humiliation it
causes, he will find the ties loosening, the desire weakening.

Desire is a force that may be beneficial or detrimental, according to
its use. As we may eradicate a desire so may we create a desire. How,
then, may one who seeks the highest self-development use desire, this
propulsive force of nature, to help himself forward? He should desire
spiritual progress most earnestly, for without such desire he cannot
succeed. Therefore if the aspirant does not have the ardent desire for
spiritual illumination he must create it. To accomplish this let him
again call imagination to his assistance. Let him picture hi