Hope is the eternal light on the dark pathway through which the soul must travel for incarnations in order to reach God. Human beings hope and try for a while, but if they fail a dozen times, they cease to hope and become despondent. The divine man never ceases to hope, for he knows that he has all eternity in which to materialize his dreams. To kill hope and be despondent is to put on an animal mask of limitation and to hide your divine identity of almightiness. Instead, hope for the highest and the best, for, as a child of God, nothing is too good for you. Keep on hoping. Hope is born from the intuitive knowing of the soul that eventually we will remember the forgotten image of God within us.
The man of powerful concentration must ask God to direct his focused mind on the right path for success. Passive people want God to do all the work, and egotists ascribe all their success to themselves. Passive people do not use the power of God as intelligence. Egotists, though using God-given intelligence, forget to ask God’s guidance as to how the intelligence should be used. It hurts me to see egotists fail after making true, intelligent effort. It is necessary to avoid both passivity and egotism. In the early morning and before going to bed, every man, woman, and child must make contact with God in order to succeed. Your soul’s message cannot reach God through your mental microphone if it is broken by the hammers of restlessness. You must repair that microphone by practicing deep silence both in the morning and before sleep, until all restless thoughts disappear. Then, affirm deeply, “My Father and I are One,” until you feel the response of God as deep, increasing peace. This peace will not be felt except through practice of the right method of meditation. This increasing peace, or bliss, is the surest proof of God’s contact and response. You must broadcast your message, “My Father and I are One,” until you feel the overpowering, all-solacing bliss of God. When this happens, you have made contact. Then demand your celestial right by affirming, “Father, I am Thy child. Guide me to my right prosperity,” or, “Father, I will reason, I will will, I will act, but guide Thou my reason, will, and activity to the right thing I should do in order to acquire health, wealth, peace, and wisdom.” Do not will and act first, but contact God first and thus harness your will and activity to the right goal. As you cannot receive an answer by calling someone through a microphone and then running away, so, also, you must not pray once and run away, but continuously broadcast your prayer to God through your calm mental microphone until you hear His voice. Most people pray with restlessness; they do not pray determined to receive a response. Remember that the surest way to all-round prosperity—or to the attainment of health, wealth, peace, and wisdom—lies in first reclaiming your lost divine birthright by continuously broadcasting your message to God through your calm mental microphone until you receive His answer through the increased bliss of meditation.
Learn the path of spiritual progress and find lasting inner peace through the wisdom of Paramahansa Yogananda.
This reflection explores the nature of the self and the necessity of aligning your mind with a larger consciousness. By understanding how to move past individual limitations, you can begin to experience a sense of oneness that transcends daily concerns.
We also discuss the importance of maintaining hope on the pathway of the soul. When you put your mind on the right path, you create the necessary conditions for genuine spiritual growth, allowing you to materialize your dreams over time.