Man has all power now; but not knowing this, he says, “I will be perfect next year, or in so many years, or in so many lives.” The dwellers in the kingdom of god, who live only in the now, say, “I am perfect now.” and refaining from all sin now, and ceaselessly guarding the portals of the mind, not looking to the past nor to the future, nor turning to the left or right, they remain eternally holy and blessed. “Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation.”

Say to yourself, “I will live in my ideal now. I will manifest my ideal now. I will be in my ideal now. I will not listen to all that tempts me away from my ideal. I will listen only to the voice of my ideal.” Thus resolving and thus doing, you shall not depart from the highest, and shall eternally manifest the true.

 

” A foot lighthearted, I take to the open road.

Henceforth I ask not good fortune: I myself am good fortune.

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing.

Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms.

Strong and content, I take to the open road.”

 

Cease to tread every byway of dependence, every winding side-way that tempts your soul into the shadow-land of the past and the future, and manifest your native and divine strength now. Come out into “the open road”.

That which You would be, and hope to be, you may be now. Non-accomplishment resides in your perpetual postponement, and having the power to postpone, and you shall be today, and every day, the ideal man whom you dreamed. Virtue consists in fighting sin day after day, but holiness consists in leaving sin unnoticed and ignored, to die by the wayside. And this is done, can only be done in the living now. Say not to your soul, “You shall be purer tomorrow:” but rather say, “You shall be pure now.” Tomorrow is too late for anything, and he who sees his help and salvation in tomorrow shall continuously fail and fail today.

Did you fail yesterday ? Did you sin grievously ? Having realized this leave it instantly and forever, and watch that you do not sin now. While you are bewailing the past, every gate of your soul remains unguarded against the entrance of sin now.  You shall not rise by grieving over the irremediable past, but by remedying the present.

The foolish man, loving the boggy sidepath of procrastination rather tha the firm highway of present effort. says, “I will rise early tomorrow. I will get out of the debt tomorrow. I will carry out my intentions tomorrow.” But the wise man realizing the momentous import of the eternal now, rises early today; keeps out of debt today; carries out his intentions today; and so never departs from strength, peace, and ripe accomplishment.

That which is done now remains; that which is done tomorrow does not appear. It is wisdom to leave that which has not arrived, and to attend to that which is; and to attend to it with such a consecration of soul and concentration of effort as shall leave no possible loophole for regret to creep in.

When a man’s spiritual comprehension is clouded by the illusions of self, he says, “I was born on such a day, so  many years ago, and shall die at my allotted time.” But he was not born, neither will he die, for how can that which is immortal, which eternally is, be subject to birth and death? Let a man throw off his illusions, and then he will see that the birth and death of the body are the mere incidents of a journey, and not a beginning and end.

Looking back to happy beginnings, and forward to mournful endings, a man’s eyes are blinded, so that he beholds not his own immortality. His ears are closed, so that he hear not the ever-present harmonies of joy. And his heart is hardened, so that it pulsates not to the rhythmic sounds of peace.

The universe, with all that it contains, is now. Put out your hand, O seeker, and receive the fruits of wisdom ! Cease your greedy striving, your selfish sorrowing, your foolish regretting, and be content to live. Act now, and, lo ! All things are done, live now, and, behold ! You are in the midst of plenty. Be now, and know that you are perfect.