Course VII - Teaching 5: Participation

The Son’s spiritual path aims at participating in the Great Work, whose task allows achieving the Substantial Union.
Participation means to take part in a thing or to share it.
This double concept –to take part and to share– clarifies the dual sense of participation and is vividly reflected in the aspect of renunciation as participation.
“Taking part” is its active aspect; and “sharing”, not to tell “taking” or “receiving”, is its passive aspect.
The Son takes part in a universal spiritual task through renunciation, and he receives, that is, shares spiritual goods, as fruit, that ultimately set free the soul.
So, renunciation as participation is a dynamic attitude positive and negative at a time. It involves efforts and relaxation; it is will and consciousness, giving and taking.
The ritual blessing clearly expresses this concept: through it, the Sons should take part in the Whole Great Work –positive participating aspect; in the Power of the Great Current –unitive, divine-human aspect; in order to achieve the Substantial Union with the Divine Mother –passive aspect, a fruit graciously granted.
So, participation derived from renunciation appears as a movement –the Ired– which raises the soul toward God in order to descend later to men carrying the Divine Mother’s Message.
Participation is proportional to renunciation, and inversely proportional to those efforts still applied by the Son to maintaining it. A soul that has gone through the threshold of desire and conquered a perfect renunciation, navigates on the bosom of the eternity as a star in the firmament, and fully participates, perfectly in tune with its divine and human values.
But Sons remember this: to this purpose, also you must conquer that fraction of the Great Current Power that is symbolized by human limitations.
So, you may understand that to take part completely in the Substantial Union and achieve it, we must take part in the Whole Great Work, that is, to give all and to renounce to all by taking part simultaneously in the Power of the Great Current, through which the Son turns himself into a channel of the Divine Will. Participation depends upon the intimate surrender of being.
Vows mark potentially the progress of this surrender and reflect the conscious responsibility the Son is ready to assume. He assumes this responsibility not only publicly but also intimately; therefore this responsibility is not only for God, but also for Humanity and life, which is the Great Work.
So, renunciation is a method and a transcendent divine asceticism with full participation. Renunciation comprises tangible-intangible human aspects.
Renunciation as participation in life is renunciation to senses, to personal knowledge, to personal mental likes and to certain achievement. You take part in feeling, knowledge and likes of the whole Humanity by throwing down barriers of desire, and also you take part in the achievement of the whole Humanity.
Just then the Son becomes really Man and takes part in an evolution with a cause and last purpose beyond his soul possibilities.