Before studying the true nature of "I", it is necessary to get acquainted with the reality of this very "I". This is the first step. Acquaintance with the reality of I is achieved by the meditation described above, after which a person should concentrate all his attention on his individual “I”, drive away all thoughts about the external world and about other people. It must create in the mind the idea of itself as a real phenomenon, as a real being, an individual center, the sun - around which the world revolves.

And let no false modesty or a sense of his own insignificance prevent him from being imbued with this idea, because there is nothing in this idea that would prevent other people from considering themselves the same centers. Man is undoubtedly the center of consciousness, so the Absolute made him, and at the moment he is awakening to the consciousness of this fact. Until the “I” has recognized itself as the center of thought, influence and power, it will not be able to inject these qualities and will manifest these properties in proportion to the consciousness of itself as a center. There is no need for a person to compare himself with others or imagine himself above or below others. Such comparisons will only hinder him, since they are unworthy of a truly developing “I” and most likely indicate a lack of development than its height. In a state of meditation, you just need to discard all considerations about the relative qualities of others and try only to feel the fact that you are the center of consciousness, a center of power, a center of influence and thought, just as the planets revolve around the sun, your world revolves around you as its center.

And there is no need to argue with yourself or anyone else about it or convince yourself of its truth through intellectual reasoning. Real knowledge does not come in this way, but appears in the form of an inner sensation of truth, which gradually penetrates into your consciousness, through meditation and concentration. Keep in yourself the thought of yourself as the center of consciousness, influence and power, because this is an occult truth and the more clearly you feel this truth, the more you will be able to manifest this quality.

No matter how humble your position may be, no matter what your fate may be, no matter how you may feel the shortcomings of your education and upbringing, you must still feel that you will not change your “I” with the happiest, smartest or highest-ranking person on earth. This idea may seem wrong, but think for a moment and you will realize that you are right. When you say that you would like to be this or that person, you really mean that you would like to have his degree of intelligence, strength, wealth, or position. What you want belongs to them, or is similar to what they have, but you would never, for a single moment, wish to exchange your identity with him, to exchange yourself for him. Think about it! To be a different person would be to stop being yourself. Your true “I” would then cease to exist, and you would not be you, but someone else.

If you can grasp this idea, you will see that you would never agree to such a change. Of course, such an exchange of personalities is impossible, because your "I" can not be destroyed, it is eternal, and will always exist-reaching higher and higher positions. But at the same time, your “I” will always remain the same “I”. Just as you change from a very early age, remaining the same person, so your "I" always remains the same. No matter how high a degree of power, knowledge, wisdom, and experience you attain, your " I "will always be with you, for the "I" is the Divine Spark, and it cannot be extinguished.

Most people at the present stage of development have very little idea of the reality of their “I”. They agree when told of its existence, but they are aware of themselves as living, sleeping, drinking beings – as the highest form of the animal. They have not yet awakened to the consciousness of their real "I". But it must come to them in time, as it comes to all people who become the center of influence and power. In some people, this consciousness is partially awakened, and they themselves do not understand its meaning. They feel that there is some truth in this, and by this very fact they leave the ranks of ordinary people and become stronger for the manifestation of good and evil. Very often this becomes a negative phenomenon, since this "consciousness" without full knowledge can do more harm than good to both the person and others.

The student of occultism should reflect on his "I", recognize it and feel it as the center. This is his first task. Fix in your mind the word “I” in this sense and understanding, and let it penetrate deeply into your consciousness, become as it were a part of you, and when you say the word” I“, you should mentally draw a picture of your” I " as the center of consciousness, thought, power and influence.

Try to see yourself surrounded by your world, where you go - there goes the center of your world, because you are the center and everything outside revolves around this center. This is the first great lesson on the path to initiation, capture it and try not to forget it.

The sages say that the awareness of the "I”, as the center can be accelerated by falling into silence or into a state of meditation and slowly repeating your name for hours. This instruction is intended to force the mind to concentrate on the idea of "I", and many such cases of the first glimpses of inner initiation have resulted from this practice. Many independent thinkers have accidentally found this method themselves.

We have given our readers the keys to the first stage of meditation and concentration. Before we go any further, we want to quote the saying of one of the teachers who said: “When the soul sees itself as a center surrounded by its circumference, when the sun knows that it is the sun and that it is surrounded by revolving planets – then the soul is ready to receive the wisdom and power of the Teachers.”

To be continued...