THIS IS THE true sequel to spiritual dedication: the disciple is then exhaustively tested in the furnace of truth. The Holy Spirit, as the farewell discourses of Jesus state quite openly, is the Spirit of truth, who guides us into all truth. He does not speak on His own authority, but tells us only what He hears. He also makes known to us the things that are to come. (John 16:13) The will, already consecrated, must not be hindered and perverted by impulses coming from the unconscious part of the personality. It is a great gesture to give of oneself fully for God's service. But how much of this dedication is play-acting? How much of it is a spectacular ritual designed unconsciously to release one from the sordid facts of one's worldly situation? How much is it a way to attract the attention of one's fellows and become a centre of admiration? How much is it a calculated attempt to acquire psychic power with which to dominate other people? If we were aware of our inner life, we would know that these false motives are unconsciously with us even when we appear to make the decision that is morally right and spiritually inevitable.
Turning for a moment to Jesus Himself and the temptations He underwent, we have much to learn about the nature of man, even divine man. It is stated, almost without reflection, that Jesus was like us in all points of humanity except that He was without sin. The sin of which we all partake is an exaltation of our own interests above those of other people; of this I have already written. But Jesus must have been vulnerable to the inroads of sin, otherwise His victory over the demonic forces of the world would be such a foregone conclusion as to be mere play-acting. If He is true man, He must be subject to all the temptations that litter the path of Everyman. He must, in fact, be responsive to demonic elements as are other men. It is His response to these elements that is distinctive.
The devil who plays a central part in the temptation drama can be interpreted in diverse ways, and indeed all of these interpretations shed some light on the truth and can be usefully combined to produce a composite picture. The demonic is primarily within us. We know it as the subterranean force that would lead us to destructive actions against others and ultimately even against ourselves if it were given free rein. It is generally quiet when all is going well with us, for then morality pays, and the status quo is what we desire most. But as soon as our security is threatened, the demonic within us is unleashed with the greatest ferocity and it attacks the person who threatens our ease. It spits out in venomous jealousy at anyone who seems to have gifts superior to our own. It will stop at nothing to demean his abilities and diminish his reputation by subtle calumny and calculated innuendo. It saps the faith of the innocent and works for the complete destruction of all that is noble and beautiful. Its essence is nihilism. The devil is in essence the spirit who denies. No wonder Jesus is reported as teaching that whosoever is a cause of stumbling to one of these little ones who have faith in Him, it would be better for that person to have a millstone hung round his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6) We all have this in us, so much so that we cannot begin to know who we really are until we have faced this terrible reality.
But the origin of the demonic is not merely personal. It is part of the principle of divisiveness that rules the natural world. The origin of evil, which is personified as the devil, can be laid at the realisation of his isolated identity, which came to man early in his self-awareness. It is doubtful whether evil as such is a part of nature until man himself has evolved. To be sure, each animal strives for itself and its progeny, and will not shrink from using the weaker creature for its prey. Its predatory nature, however, is limited, and the strong animal shows no tendency to be wilfully destructive. In man, the free, rational will can lead either to the vision of God or else to such bestiality that a psychic residue of enormous emotional power is left after the event. An unappeased person can emanate such vicious hatred that total destruction of his fellows may follow if his actions are not curbed. The several examples of genocide in our own allegedly civilised century are only too obvious a demonstration of this tendency. It would seem therefore that the dark core present in the human psyche is one with a psychic emanation of destructive nihilism that is cosmic in scope and related in all probability to the "powers and principalities" in "high places" of which Paul speaks. These are the angelic forces known only to those of us who are psychically attuned.
One cannot, however, come to this attunement with powers that are external to one until one is in communion with similar powers within oneself. In the psychic realm the within and the without, though separate, are also in indefinable continuity, like the seamless coat that Jesus wore when He was crucified. (John 19:24) Furthermore, the destructive, cynical element that questions our faith and is our adversary is also the means of our final liberation from the thralldom of illusion. In the great parable of Job, were it not for the temptation of the devil which he successfully parried, Job would never have seen God with his own eyes. He would have remained a sincere, conventional religionist! In this story the temptation that has been withstood is despair. In the life of Jesus the temptation is self aggrandisement by the use of psychic power conferred, at least potentially, by the power of the Holy Spirit. And openness to that temptation is mediated by privations consequent on the ascetic life of withdrawal into the wilderness.
The wilderness is always the place where we have to face reality, for it is there that we are completely alone. Even those dearest to us cannot accompany us, since they would be repelled by the squalor of Job's desolation or totally bewildered by the isolation of Jesus' unique endurance. And all who tread the path of full personal development are co-heirs of Job's dereliction and Jesus' human loneliness. Although He was one with the Father, He had nowhere to lay His head in true fellowship with those around Him. They had no conception of the man whom they thought they knew.
The purifying power of silence is terrifying. In it we can no longer escape from the reality of ourselves by means of the trivial surface conversation that passes for relationships in everyday life. A silent retreat in the fellowship of like-minded companions brings one dangerously close to one's true identity, and what confronts one is seldom attractive. The silent isolation into which the Holy Spirit leads us after the dedication we have made to God is, however, terrifying in its starkness. We have no shred of vesture to conceal the grime within us - resentment, jealousy, fear, and selfishness. This is because, when we are left completely alone, these destructive attitudes and emotions, usually well hidden behind a facade of worldly interests, now emerge and reveal our inner corruption very clearly. The trend of our thoughts when we are in total isolation is a clear indication of our spiritual state of being, and this is confirmed by the searing honesty of our dream life.
It is unfortunate that this aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is seldom dilated upon, and is therefore woefully misunderstood. Instead there is more often the rather naive belief that dedication of the self to God automatically brings in its train peace, prosperity, and happiness. In some instances these benefits do show themselves in the short term, but it is important that they should not continue too long. Christ, though the Prince of Peace, comes, like the prophets before Him, with a sword. His first work is to cut away illusion; this takes the form of a comfortable, conventional type of religious observance and morality. On the surface this seems to be unobjectionable, indeed praiseworthy, but it has the unfortunate result of equating worldly success with spiritual growth, at the same time identifying failure and disappointment with unconventional religious or social attitudes. A dependence on the good things of life fosters a static view of reality. It does not encourage that adventuresomeness in living which is essential for the development of a fully integrated person; his gaze is averted from the truth within him to the success outside. This success may have to wane before the claims of inner authenticity can be faced with courage.
The reason why Jesus successfully withstood the temptations of the dark forces of the world around Him was not because He was indifferent to the power that was offered Him. It was because His soul was in personal relationship with His Father, so that of Him it could be said, "My Father and I are one." (John 10:30) When the love of God is the eternal radiance of one's life, the power of that love can never be deflected inwards to oneself; it is radiated outwards to one's fellow creatures. From this we can see that the inspiration of the Holy Spirit does not, in itself, guarantee that His power will be used profitably by the person on whom the Spirit descends. It can as easily be used unwisely and selfishly. This again is something that requires deep thought. The growth into spiritual maturity takes time and requires the experience of life. Our first encounter with the Spirit of God brings us to a new awareness of reality, but it requires much travail before that awareness is made substantial in our earthly life. Before this can happen we have to confront the dark, shadow side of our psyche. Having confronted it, we have to accept it, and wait patiently on God in the silence of prayer for healing to begin.
There is no short cut to the spiritual life. On the contrary, it is in accepting all the adverse qualities of our character in calmness and trust that we may come to know and accept other people also. In the spiritual life, the last to arrive are as welcome as those who seem to have been there from the beginning. Difficulties are not removed by the selfish will intent solely on communion with God. They are removed by the grace of God working silently within us when we are empty of conceit and striving, and have given ourselves over to God completely in deep prayer and service to the world. There is indeed only One who will accept the negative, destructive part of ourselves as readily as He welcomes our admirable qualities: God accepts us as we are and, through His love, teaches us to accept ourselves and our fellow men also. Only then can redemption and salvation take place.
The wilderness experience is with us throughout our whole life. There has to be a progressive transformation of the personality. As we grow into spiritual awareness, so there is a greater exposure of the depths within us. In these depths there is heroism as well as cowardice, disinterested love as well as selfishness, intuitive judgement as well as obtuse insensitivity. No part of the internal life can remain hidden; every aspect is brought out to the light of truth.
The process of healing that is such an important part of the work of the Holy Spirit is based on this acceptance of the darkness within, and this continues in even greater intensity as insight deepens. Suffice it to repeat at this stage that, when the Holy Spirit emerges from within the person as a conscious, directing element in his life, He leads him downwards into the bowels of his own personality, so that he may know his present situation. Once this initial truth is fully assimilated, healing becomes available and transfiguration possible. The Holy Spirit does not lift one outside oneself and from the place in which one lives into a realm of rarefied spirituality in which all one's problems are miraculously solved and a new life begins. On the other hand, He sets one more firmly in one's proper place than ever before, exposing all one's inner weaknesses and outer difficulties. But He gives one the power to work with God towards the redemption of those forces that are hostile, towards the spiritualisation and glorification of all that is corrupt and debased both in one's character and in the world.
Remember also that the true disciple is always in the wilderness. He has to be there in order to support the brethren as well as to be the guardian of the true doctrine. "Alas for you when all speak well of you; just so did their fathers treat the false prophets." (Luke 6:26) By this I am sure Christ did not mean that it is the duty of the spiritual disciple to antagonise his fellows gratuitously. Indeed, he should be an instrument of peace and healing. But by his witness, his very presence in a situation, he arouses the jealousy of those who seek high spiritual honours for themselves. His integrity, even if he is as silent as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, is a constant reproach to the hypocrisy and superficiality of the masses. The Spirit of God arouses the antagonism of the spiritually blind so that they would stop at nothing to quench that Spirit. Therein lies the tragedy of our world, but in facing it with courage and faith, it can be lightened and relieved.
The spiritual path leads us through darkness. At times there are triumphs and great successes, but below the surface a brooding chasm yawns. Jesus knew that He had come to set fire to the earth, and how He wished it were already kindled. He knew He had a baptism to undergo, and He suffered under the constraint of patience until the ordeal was over. (Luke I2: 49-50) This final baptism comes at the moment of crucifixion, which does not take' place until the aspirant is ready for it. Before that time he is prepared for this ultimate renunciation by the purging fire of the Holy Spirit, which ensures that no selfish impulse can separate him from God. When this has been done, the mortal ego transcends itself to attain the fullness of the spiritual self, which is of the stature of eternal life. At the same time selfish desires are transmuted into constructive attitudes of mind, concerned less about one's own benefit and more about that of one's fellows.
The work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating the unconscious mind by redeeming deeply hidden complexes is the basis of the healing process. Until we know what corruption lies deeply within us, we cannot accept it, and give it to God for the healing which He knows is appropriate for us. Authentic spiritual exercises lead us to that basic and sometimes forbidding knowledge. It is then that the agencies of healing, all directed by the Holy Spirit, can become active in our life.
Chapter 5