Chapter Twelve
Now as the days passed, the students continued to learn, but only those who had seen The Light continued to receive images, and the other students began to get jealous and annoyed because they were not able to do things like their fellows.
2 "Be patient," The Old Fox told them. "Your day will come. Do not rush The Lords. When you are ready The Light will come to you. Five of you have received it already, the other five will, in time. The others are being readied sooner, because they will leave sooner. Just be patient."
3 Now as they practiced one day, The Old Fox told Gray Fox to take The Light. "I see a man in Spirit," Gray Fox explained, "and as I watch him, he seems to get younger and younger. Then, he is older again, and gets younger, then, older again. And also I feel his nature change.
4 When I just see him, he is friendly and out going. But each time he gets older and younger he becomes more hostile....angry....frustrated. Now he looks like a dog that walks around like a man. Now, he is going too fast. He is becoming one animal after another, becoming smaller and smaller. Now, he is gone completely, I cannot even see him.
5 Now, I see another man. But looking inside him, I can see all these things, one inside the other. But I do not understand what it means. What is it, Teacher?"
6 "You are looking at their life lines," The Old Fox answered, "expressed in several different ways. You may also see them as having several pairs of arms and legs, or several heads floating around each other.
7 Someone may often ask you, 'What was I before?' It is a curiosity many will have. Be absolutely sure when you answer their question, you are seeing one of their past existences and not another Spirit close to them."
8 "But how will we tell the difference?" asked Gray Fox.
9 "A previous existence will always overlap the person you are speaking to," answered The Old Fox. "It will be as if there are two people in the same place, because in reality that is what is happening. Another Spirit or another Soul will be outside the one you are speaking with. But be careful! Sometimes they can be very close, and the difference is hard to detect. It takes a bit of practice. But continue, Gray Fox, what else do you see?"
10 "As I look inside all of these," Gray Fox continued, "I see a beast, a terrible creature that wants to attack and kill, devour and destroy. It is encased by the soul that has control and discipline.
11 Master, The Lords have shown me Their Truth, and perhaps I am not worthy to serve Them. For I would not defend Their Truth."
12 "What do you mean?" asked The Old Fox.
13 "I went to the marketplace," the other explained, "yesterday, and while I was there some men began to make fun of me. 'Here is one of those strange people,' they said, 'that believes they are animals, that in each of them is a wild beast that must be controlled, that the gods did not make their souls. Now, tell me, my good fellow, look inside me. Do you see a wild dog or a bush cat? Or maybe I was a mouse and I'll chew you up!"
14 Now as the man spoke I DID look inside him, and I found none of those things. I found a timid creature, a sheep, a common ram! Now I did not dare tell him this, so I told him that he was mistaken. That I was not even a worshipper of Spirit because I did not want to be ridiculed in a public place. The men went away, and I was so ashamed! But it is such a hard thing, Lord, to tell men that they were animals. And I thought that we were all aggressive creatures, like dogs and cats before we became men."
15 "Gray Fox," The Old Fox replied, "have you ever seen a ram protecting his flock? There is no more vicious creature in the world! He will attack with sudden fury, and his terrible blows will drive off a bear! But he is loyal to his kin, and brave, near to being a man. We do not all rise from the aggressive creatures. Some of us came up through the grass eaters, too.
16 Every soul finds the passage that benefits it best. And be not ashamed. You were hesitant to speak because deep in your mind you doubt this Teaching.
17 You are afraid to look within yourself, and know that a beast dwells there. But this is a natural thing. No man likes the thought that there is savageness in him. He always wants to think that he is the perfect thing, that he is always in control. But that is the greatest danger for any person.
18 We must always realize our heritage, and be ready to control that beast within us, only fighting when we must fight, never abusing others for our own sake.
19 Only when we recognize the beast within us, and conquer it, can we ever hope to conquer the beast within other men's souls. Never be afraid of it. Always face it boldly and surely. You can never pretend that it isn't there. That is how it destroys other men."
20 "I understand," Gray Fox told him, "and I will obey. I will never fear to speak The Truth again, no matter what other men think."
21 "That is good," encouraged The Old Fox. "Now, let us break the circle. It is time to rest." So the learning continued.
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