en to the desperate expedient of boldly denying the
Universe, and declaring it to be all "an illusion" or "Maya."

You will have no trouble in distinguishing the pupils of the teachers
holding this view. They will be found to exhibit the most negative mental
condition--a natural result of absorbing the constant suggestion of
"nothingness"--the gospel of negation. In marked contrast to the mental
condition of the students, however, will be observed the mental attitude
of the teachers, who are almost uniformly examples of vital, positive,
mental force, capable of hurling their teaching into the minds of the
pupils--of driving in their statements by the force of an awakened Will.
The teacher, as a rule, has awakened to a sense of the "I" consciousness,
and really develops the same by his "I Am God" attitude, because by
holding this mental attitude he is enabled to throw off the influence of
the sheaths of the lower mental principles, and the light of the Self
shows forth fiercely and strongly, sometimes to such an extent that it
fairly scorches the mentality of the less advanced pupil. But,
notwithstanding this awakened "I" consciousness, the teacher is
handicapped by his intellectual misconception and befogging metaphysics,
and is unable to impart the "I" consciousness to his pupils, and, instead
of raising them up to shine with equal splendor with himself, he really
forces them into a shadow by reason of his teachings.

Our students, of course, will understand that the above is not written in
the spirit of carping criticism or fault-finding. We hold no such mental
attitude, and indeed could not if we remain true to our conception of
Truth. We are mentioning these matters simply that the student may avoid
this "I Am God" pitfall which awaits the Candidate just as he has well
started on the Path. It would not be such a serious matter if it were
merely a question of faulty metaphysics, for that would straighten itself
out in time. But it is far more serious than this, for the teaching
inevitably leads to the accompanying teaching that all is Illusion or
_Maya_, and that Life is but a dream--a false thing--a lie--a nightmare;
that the journey along the Path is but an illusion; that everything is
"nothing"; that there is no soul; that You are God in disguise, and that
He is fooling Himself in making believe that He is You; that Life is but
a Divine masquerade or sleight-of-hand performance; that You are God, but
that You (God