Through the teachings of this Course, the Sons have gradually known different modes of the affective meditation exercise.
All of them are a true arsenal where the Son can take a weapon fit for his battle against the Black Lady, according to his own mood.
We should remind that the purpose of the affective stimulating meditation exercise is to produce a true shock in the soul, like that of a drowsy man who shakes the head to clear it at once.
One should clearly bear in mind the difference between pleasure and spiritual bliss.
Pleasure is a thing of the flesh; therefore, it is fleeting and perishable like the flesh. Many men believe that pleasure is a prize of God, and that sorrow is His punishment, but they do not realize that the two are consequences of the satisfaction or deprivation of sensual appetite in his human nature.
Subject: Resurrection of Hes. Effects: Rapture.
An evening, a daybreak, the sight of a tranquil valley from the peak of a mountain, moonbeams over countless sea waves, the pure smile of a child, in short, the whole beauty of the world penetrating and permeating limited boundaries of the individual being, and liberating his soul who, although fleetingly, gets a wonderful glimpse of his identity with the whole Creation.
A man that seeks God can become, by his own freewill, a machine automatically moved by the apparent purpose of achieving this end. It is sufficient for him to replace his first love with routine –love that someday will make him realize the sacrament of his first Vow.
In the way of life of present men, all things are prepared for living externalized and wasting energies. Most men do not have or follow any rule of life; on the contrary, they act and exist in an improvised way, compulsively pressed by their need for meeting their anguishing desires.