Day One

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

DAY ONE
Every one of us consists of two contrasting qualities: darkness
and light, evening and morning. These states represent our
spiritual ascents and descents. Ascents and descents have
nothing to do with how much money you gained or lost, but
with how near or far you are from the Creator, and hence
from His quality of bestowal.
Therefore, when the notions of “day-night” and “morningevening”
are mentioned in Genesis, know that they refer to
your changing states. The goal in spiritual progress is to find
ways to keep the descents short-lived, and swiftly shift to the
next phase—one of ascent, of morning.
The secret of good and bad states can be defined by
proximity to the Creator: when I am close to His quality of
Love, I enjoy a state of ascent, and feel good. The farther I
am from this Law, the more I suffer a state of descent, and
feel bad. Although I always look to attribute my despair to
corporeal factors, like ill health, loss of money, a tiring work
day, or a fight with my spouse, these justifications are false.
The situation appears that way to me from my uncorrected
state, when the root—the force that’s really pulling the
strings—is concealed from me. Thus, I find myself immersed
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in my “I,” in my egoism, instead of trying with all my might
to come out of it.
The truth is that no matter how hard I try, I am powerless
to do it. However, this fervent striving is what leads me to
the true prayer, found not in the mind but in the heart. This
is precisely the prayer the Creator wants from me, one that
He answers instantly and without fail.
A “prayer” is a plea, a demand that is born in my heart.
It is “inscribed” in it, rather than read in a prayer book.
A prayer is my desperate plea for help, for deliverance, an
appeal to the Creator, beseeching Him not to abandon me
to the bondage of egoism.
When does such a prayer arise? Only when I come to
realize that I cannot escape the ego’s deadly grip by myself.
Only then do I turn to the Creator for help, imploring Him
to grant me the necessary strength.
That is precisely the prayer that this Book teaches
me. It tells me that all these states are necessary for the
development of my soul. There cannot be morning without
evening; I cannot feel an ascent if I haven’t experienced
descent. Hence, together they comprise the whole spiritual
desire; together they are “evening and morning,” descent
and ascent which unite into “one day.”
“And there was evening and there was morning, one
day.” This is the one spiritual vessel, the only one capable of
receiving the Light.
So let’s recap the “days of Creation” referenced at the
very beginning of Genesis. These passages explain precisely
what you need to do with your soul on each of the “days.”
For instance, on the “first day” you need only feel that
the Light (quality of bestowal) exists, and that will already
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trigger the thoughts of what your inner “day and night,”
“morning and evening” might be. These initial sensations
are only beginning to stir within you. An environment is
being formed for the soul to reside in, for the human that
will arise within you.