It is of importance to get the definitions of the different aspects of man used in this book as clear as possible in one^'s consciousness in order to assist you in gaining as clear an understanding as possible of the perception I offer of our nature and purpose. It may help to discuss these aspects of man defined here with others in order to clarify your own mental picture. Another way is to sit down with an empty sheet of paper, pencil and crayons and allow the force within you to draw images of the various aspects defined here and to represent these images in relationship to each other. Each person will perform this exercise in their own unique way. I have thus resisted drawing a picture in this book which although it may help some, will confuse others.

I believe it is particularly important to establish a personal picture of what aspect it is of our total being which is contemplating his deeper purpose. The description of the one who is contemplating which is consistent with the terms used in this book is that the contemplator is man. Man is homo sapiens. Man has a physical body and senses with which he experiences his environment. His thoughts gained from the experience of his senses are his Mental Consciousness and it is with this consciousness that you contemplate the following definitions. It is important to recognize that any definition in words is limited in its ability to convey a spiritual meaning. The real deeper meaning of these terms has to come from the enlightened consciousness of the reader.

Our society has generated many names to describe aspects of man's nature. Many of these terms have different meanings to different people. I ask your indulgence to accept the following definitions of the aspects of man in order to help you understand the perspective I offer.

MAN -- The name for a male or female human experiencing life on Planet Earth. Man is a Physical Self with a Mental Consciousness. Man is the reader of this book,

PHYSICAL SELF -- The temporal form of man which senses and acts in the physical world.

MENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS -- The consciousness of the Physical Self; the learned knowledge of man's lifetime experience, a portion of which is remembered, a portion of which is forgotten. The Mental Consciousness changes as a result of man learning to become an expression of his Real Self.

FALSE MENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS -- The portion of man's Mental Consciousness which is not in harmony with the consciousness of his Real Self; sometimes referred to as the "innocent villain".

REAL SELF -- The aspect of man which is guiding man's experience on Planet Earth and learning from his experience. The Real Self consists of the Soul which is eternal and its Intuitive Consciousness.

SOUL -- The spiritual form of man which experiences and acts in the spiritual realm. 

INTUITIVE CONSCIOUSNESS -- The consciousness of the Real Self gained on its journey of experience. The Intuitive Consciousness changes as a result of the Real Self learning to become an expression of the Spirit.

FALSE INTUITIVE CONSCIOUSNESS -- The portion of the Intuitive Consciousness which is not in harmony with the consciousness of the Spirit.

WHOLENESS -- The state of being in which man^'s actions, feelings, and thoughts are an expression of the Real Self. It is the state of being in which the Real Self expresses itself through man without distortion.

SPIRIT -- The Spirit is more easily understood as a guiding force and movement rather than as a form. The Spirit can be perceived and experienced in the harmonious movement of man's body, emotions, and mind. The true nature of man is to be a reflection of his Spirit; this is the state of being which man and his Real Self are learning to express.

ONENESS -- The state in which man and his Real Self are pure expressions of the Divine Consciousness; the state of reflecting the presence of God.

DIVINE CONSCIOUSNESS -- The will of God.

GOD -- God cannot be explicitly defined in terms of the mental reality of man. Man has devised many definitions of an all-encompassing consciousness which gives meaning and purpose to his reality. God is seen by many as the spiritual source of all creation; by others as the love which guides men on to their true life purpose. All definitions of God are limiting. The closest men can get to knowing God is a feeling within their hearts.

In reading and understanding the text, it will be valuable to keep these definitions in mind. In particular, to understand that when the term man is used it is synonymous with Physical Self and when Real Self is used it is synonymous with Soul.

The need for defining two terms arises out of the desire to differentiate between man the human being who has a changing consciousness and the Physical Self the aspect of man within and through which the consciousness is expressed; similarly, to differentiate between the Real Self which has a changing consciousness and the Soul, the spiritual aspect of man within and through which the consciousness is expressed.

These definitions can be related to the story of the spiritual village in the following manner. Our real self with its intuitive consciousness decided to undertake a journey of experience and discovery on Earth. Our real self fell asleep and awoke as man. Man, through his senses, develops a mental consciousness and maintains a link to the intuitive consciousness of his real self through his feelings or inner voice.