Friday, August 3, 2007

The Soul Rules

Today's excerpt from Reality seems to say that our souls have autonomy -- can "decide" how to deal with our existence.

The whole issue of God giving us the freedom to choose within the concept that we are completely dependent on Him for our lives and all within them, can boggle the mind.

But, naturally, God can do Whatever, Whenever...

"When we speak of the soul we mean the motive power of this physical body which lives under its entire control in accordance with its dictates. If the soul identifies itself with the material world it remains dark, for in the natural world there is corruption, aggression, struggles for existence, greed, darkness, transgression and vice. If the soul remains in this station and moves along these paths it will be the recipient of this darkness; but if it becomes the recipient of the graces of the world of mind, its darkness will be transformed into light, its tyranny into justice, its ignorance into wisdom, its aggression into loving kindness; until it reach the apex. Then there will not remain any struggle for existence. Man will become free from egotism; he will be released from the material world; he will become the personification of justice and virtue, for a sanctified soul illumines humanity and is an honor to mankind, conferring life upon the children of men and suffering all nations to attain to the station of perfect unity."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy, Chapter 3: Soul,
Mind and Spirit: A Meditation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 120-121)

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