Almost every day I receive a letter, an e-mail, or phone call from an aspirant who wants to know, essentially, the following: "What must I do to succeed spiritually?" Or, in a slight variation on that theme: "What's the right way to do what I must in order to awaken?"

Part of our essential need to be at peace is to know that we are in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, and to know it in such a fashion that nothing can come along and convince us that we are not. Have you ever thought to yourself "I'm doing the right thing at the right time," and someone said, "No, you're not," and then everything fell apart?...

You can't study spirit directly, but you can learn to see what's divine and celestial in the world around you. In studying a fire you come to understand what's required in order for the wood to become enflamed. Similarly, in your spiritual life, if you wish for the holy spirit to come into you and transform you, you must do your part, by bringing yourself to the place where revelation can take...