By progressively taking his fate into his own hands, man at the same time takes responsibility for all the partners in his film. It has already been said that he must restore the original meaning of his film, then push the development of the latter in such a way that the "play" be properly played out to its intended denouement. The hero, while working on himself, must apply himself to create new circumstances around him, which will enhance the unfolding of the action toward its originally intended conclusion. His exterior efforts must above all be directed towards the creation of the circumstances, not towards seeking direct influence over people: this kind of influence often seems opportune, but in the great majority of cases it is an error. Instead of unraveling the situation, the influence creates karmic debts which complicate things all the more. One must be very prudent and circumspect. Yet new circumstances must be created in a way that effectively helps those interested to act in the direction desired. Once again, man should seek to serve, not to impose himself. Patience, perseverance and faith are qualities of great practical value in this work.
For man to recognize his polar being, he must be fully attentive on all planes accessible to his consciousness. In fact, as a result of the distortion of the film, the meeting always occurs in circumstances and in a manner least expected, generally at a moment and in a form which resemble nothing he could have ever imagined.
The rule enforced is precise: to recognize his polar being, man must know himself.This is obviously logical: to recognize his alter ego, man must first recognize his own ego. We are confronted once more again with the search for the Way.
It is true that the I of the body, like the I of the personality, aspires to find the perfect response from another being. Nevertheless, it is only by identifying himself more and more with his real I that man magnetizes the union with the polar being.
It is with a heart full of faith, sharpening within himself his highest faculties of intuition and attention, his sense of critical analysis taken to the highest point of alertness, that man will go in search of the being without whom he is not real. As it was for the troubadour long ago, it is in courtly love that he can hope to find and recognize "la Dame de ses Pensees."
The difficulty we find in discovering our polar being lies in the fact that we are deformed, and constantly distort our film by free movements. These are the first two points that need to be corrected: we must rectify our own distortion and renounce our impulsive movements. This explains the prescription not to act under the influence of only one center. It is the necessity to correct for our distortions, which, logically, imposes on us the need, both in reception and transmission, for the conscious effort to make our emotional and intellectual centers work together to face the problems which confront us.
The complexity of a human being can be compared in principle to that of an orchestra, and that of his life to a symphony where each instrument follows its part in a harmonious ensemble. In working on himself he must act as the orchestra leader acts during the rehearsals of a new musical performance.
All this is preparatory work. But when polar beings meet, by what immediately perceptible signs can humans who are still imperfect, still deformed by karmic debts, be certain in all objectivity that they are not making a mistake?
Here are some indispensable criteria that can have objective value in mutual recognition. From the first meeting, in the presence of the polar being, both the I of the personality and the I of the body vibrate in a manner which resembles nothing felt before. The reason for this is that these Is find themselves in the presence of their "first love" which continues through the centuries. Without clearly being conscious of it, the polar beings know each other; and this knowledge, as ancient as they are themselves, is expressed by the voice of their subconsciousness. This creates an atmosphere of absolute confidence and sincerity from the moment they meet.
There is a touchstone here: polar beings do not lie to each other. They do not need to lie, for inwardly they both are one single being, from the depths of which the real I issues his call and gives assent. After this, that absolute, spontaneous sincerity constitutes the basis of their relations and this in turn will give these two beings the otherwise inconceivable feeling of freedom in unity, which ends the impression of servitude and isolation under which we ordinarily live. Soon afterwards, vague reminiscences of past experiences will start to come to the surface in their waking consciousness.
The reader will now understand the deepest reason why lying to oneself is forbidden: he who lies to himself will also lie to his alter ego. That will be the end of the miracle. The wonderful side of the meeting will disappear behind a curtain of trivial lies, which will rapidly take the aspect of an impassable wall. Behind this wall, relations with the polar being will no longer be distinguished from those that a man can have with other women: wives, mistresses, and adventures. Once more, the experience will be spoiled.
This is how and why exterior man passes by his polar being without recognizing her. This is why practical work on the esoteric Way starts and necessarily continues with a struggle against lying to oneself. Success in this field is indispensable. To reach this aim, no price whatsoever is too high to pay.
If they are open to the truth, and if their meeting makes chords-silent until now-vibrate in harmony with them both, the way is then marked out, for polar beings, by their conscious efforts to recreate the Microcosmos which had formerly been dissociated and broken. They will traverse the staircase like an arrow and will suddenly find themselves in front of the Second Threshold.
The catechumen crosses the first threshold under the impetus of a negative feeling: the horror of life in the wilderness, and the ardent desire to escape from it. To reach the Second Threshold, the two polar beings who present themselves in front of it must be holders of a positive password, which will be required from them at that precise moment.
The way opens to those who know what they want, know what they aspire to, on the Way and outside the Way, in an exterior life which after this can never again be detached from esoteric work. Happy are those who can be useful in it. The door which leads to Life will open before them, and they will read on the pediment of the wall the sacramental inscription: "The laborer is worthy of hire."
