“If two persons combine in harmony their force of muscle to lift a heavy weight, they will lift it easier than one. If four people so combine, they will lift it easier than two.

“The same law and result applies to mental force. Each one of us, consciously or unconsciously, sends out daily and hourly this silent mental force—this invisible element we call thought, which affects favorably or unfavorably the persons of whom we think. It is the same force which may lift a box, a bag, or a truck. Only it may be differently applied.

“”If you have in view any enterprise or business, and you can meet at regular times two, four, six, or as many persons as heartily wish you success, and they hear your plan, and talk it over with you, always in earnest sympathy and goodwill, you are having their cooperation in making for you a silent force which will aid you more than anything else. You will then the quicker find persons who are in sympathy with your purpose. If you have a new knowledge, or a new truth, … you will, through the power of cooperative demand or prayer, be the sooner brought to the people who can aid you.” –Prentice Mulford

The Law of Synergy

Synergy is a method in which individuals or organizations pool their resources and efforts to enhance value, productivity, efficacy, and performance more than they could individually. That term may not have been used in Mulford’s time over a century ago, but it is common in modern-day business and especially in Systems Analysis. In systems analysis, they also use another expression, the Laurel and Hardy effect, to describe the opposite of synergy, when each individual is doing his own thing and not working in cooperation with others. Sadly, we have more of that than of cooperation.

Like Lifting Weights

Mulford says that it is easier for two people to lift a heavy weight, and even easier for four. He might also have said that the more people you have working on it, the more total weight they can lift. Likewise, a mental or spiritual task can be more easily accomplished by a group of people working together rather than individuals making uncoordinated efforts.

Let’s take the example my college professor used to illustrate synergy. He said that two cavemen were hunting separately and not having much luck chasing cave rabbits around. But then one noticed that one particular rabbit was simply running in circles around a large boulder while the other caveman pursued it. So he met the other caveman and they decided that one would chase the rabbit while the other simply waited on one side of the rock in a hidden spot so he could jump out and club the rabbit when it came by. The trick worked and the two cavemen used the method frequently after that and rarely went hungry.

But if the cavemen arrived at the hunting area at different hours, the trick would not work, so a coordinated effort is necessary. The same is true with mental and spiritual goals.

Law of Abundance

Many talk today about a Law of Abundance that is supposed to make it possible for anyone to get almost anything they want by simply thinking about it and believing they can get it. About 99 out of a hundred people who try this fail. The gurus of this law of abundance always put the blame on the individuals when they fail and say that they simply didn’t do it correctly, or didn’t really believe, but that is an oversimplification of the problem. A large part of it is that cooperation is not being applied. Many different people are seeking individual goals and because of that, the energy (force as Mulford would put it) of their efforts conflict with each other instead of aiding each other. So they are using the Laurel and Hardy Effect rather than that of Synergy. But when many work together for the same goal, this Law of Abundance often works, though not always. That is because there is another catch to it. The laws of the physical universe say you must work and earn what you get, so if you work hard and don’t always get what you should, the Law of Abundance, coupled with the Law of Synergy, my work, but if you don’t deserve it, you probably still won’t get it.

Spiritual Goals

In Coolargy, we learn that being part of a community is important. The ability to use the Law of Synergy (or Law of Cooperation) as a community makes it more likely that those goals will be achieved. It also gives us more protection against the dark forces that seek to prevent spiritual development.

“There is within us an immense capacity for perception, for the receiving of message from outside; and a very little consciousness which deals with them. It is as if one telegraph operator were placed in charge of a mutitude of lines: all may be in action; but he can only attend to one at a time. In popular language, there is not enough consciousness to go round. Even upon the sensual plane, no one can be aware of more than a few things at once. These fill the center of our field of consciousness: as the object on which we happen to have focussed our vision dominates our field of dight. The other matters within the field retreat to the margin. We know, dimly, that they are there; but we pay them no attention and should hardly miss them if they ceased to exist.

“Trancendental matters are, for most of us, always beyond the margin; because most of us have given up our whole consciousness to the occupation of the senses, and permitted them to construct there a universe in which we are contented to remain. Only in certain states—recollection, contemplation, ecstasy and their allied conditions—does the self contrive to turn out the usual tenants, shut the ‘gateays of the flesh,’ and let those submerged powers which are capable of picking up messages from another plane of being have their turn. Then it is the sense world which retreats beyond the margin, and another landscape that ruches in. At last, then, we began to see something of what contemplation does for its initiates.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Capacity for Perception

It is true that we have a great capacity for perception. It is also true that there are many things that exist beyond our physical perception and are completely invisible to them. But Ms. Underhill makes a mistake that was common for the time: she confuses consciousness with the conscious mind. The conscious mind is part of the physical mind, and is limited, as Underhill says. Consciousness, on the other hand, is not limited at all.

Focussed Vision

One reason our capacity for perception is limited is that we focus only on one thing or a small number of things. This makes sense to a large degree in a purely physical world, because we want to experience mostly the things that most interest us, endanger us, or are simply in our way and we need to go around them. Unfortunately, once we have learned to focus our vision and other senses in that way, we do it constantly. In so doing, we miss out on a lot of things that are, as Underhill puts it, pushed to the margins and ignored. That is one reason why Gene Savoy, Sr. taught us to practice unfocusing our eyes so we see more, not only on the physical level but to help us start seeing beyond the physical with our spiritual faculties.

Filters

In addition to focussing, we have beliefs, concepts, and ideas of what is real and what isn’t. This causes us to see things differently than others who may have different filters. One example of this is the way members of certain Churches will see the face of Jesus in every water stain, or blob of rust that vaguely resembles a human face. None of them have ever seen the actual face of Jesus, yet every time they see these vague shapes, they just know it is him.

Trancendental Matters

Underhill refers to everything spiritual when she uses the expression, “transcendental matters”. She says these matters are always being pushed “beyond the margin” of our conscious mind, and that is true. She adds that we perceive these things only when we are in “certain states,” and gives some examples. But here, we are really talking about something different than the focusing of the conscious mind. Spiritual things can only be perceived by our spiritual senses, and to do so, we must awaken and develop those senses. That is what we are doing when we practice the techniques taught in Cosolargy. Another part of it is that there are many levels of consciousness, and we are only aware of things happening at our current level, and below. We need to develop higher levels of consciousness to see more of the reality that is largely hidden from us. The Cosolargy techniques do that as well.

“Though I have said that we are one with God and this is taught us by Holy Writ, yet now I say that we must eternally remain other than God, distinct from Him. …

“And therefore I say further: that from the face of God, or from our highest feeling, a brightness shines upon the face of our inward being, which teaches us the truth of love and of all virtue: and especially are we taught in this brightness to feel God and ourselves in four ways. First, we feel God in his Grace; and when we apprehend this, we cannot remain idol. For like the sun, by its splendor and its heat, enlightens and gladdens and makes fruitful the whole world, So God does to us through His Grace. He enlightens and gladdens and makes fruitful all who desire to obey Him. If, however, we would feel God within us, and desire to have the fire of His love ever more burning within us, we must, of our own free will, help to kindle it in four ways: we must abide within ourselves, united with the fire. And we must go forth from ourselves toward all good people with loyalty and love. And we must bo beneath ourselves, betaking ourselves in all good works. And we must ascend above ourselves with the flame of this fire, through devotion, and praise, and fervent prayer, and must ever cleave to God with an upright intention and with love.” ~John of Ruysbroeck

One With God, Yet Individuals

When they are told that the goal of spiritual development is to unite with God, many people think this means that their individuality will be lost in doing do. In fact, there are some spiritual schools that teach that we lose our identity as we become one with God, comparing it to a drop of water that flows into the ocean where it mixes in and can never be separated again. But others teach that it is more like a brick being added to a brick wall. The brick is part of the wall but still retains its individuality.

A Brightness Shines

A brightness does shine on us from God, but not directly. God’s Light illuminates the Spiritual Sun and it is that Sun than shines down on us with God’s Light. And it shines on our outer being as well as our inner one. It shines on all beings, but most are unable to absorb it, so it just passes through them like neutrons. But for those who seek this Brightness of God, it awakens and nourishes the spirit and helps us develop higher levels of consciousness.

Four Ways

The Four Ways listed by Ruysbroeck may not be the only ways to keep us close to God, but they are certainly part of it. First, he says we must seek to unite “with the fire.” In other words, to be one with the Light, one with God, one with Heaven. In Cosolargy, we know that the best way to do this is to practice our solar techniques faithfully and regularly. Then we must, as Ruysbroeck puts it, “go forth from ourselves toward all good people”. In Cosolargy, We are taught to keep the teachings secret, just as was done in the mystery schools of the past, yet we can still reach out to others, inform them of what is happening, what the Awakening is all about, and invite them to join Cosolargy. Don’t be disappointed, however, if your friends and relatives are not ready to see the Light, and turn down your suggestion. The Light will come to them when they are ready, not before, but as the old saying goes, it helps to plant seeds. Third, we must, as Ruysbroeck says, go beneath ourselves to continue to labor in the world of matter. We remain part of the material world while developing our spiritual side, so we must continue to function in that world, and not withdraw from it. We function in it but avoid becoming attached to it, or to anything in the world of matter. And finally, we ascend above ourselves to “pray” or communicate with the Beings of Light and With God. This is the way to truly know God.