Article of the Week
Preliminary Teaching on the Utilization of Time
When some people are told about the remarkable conception of Logosophy, about its extraordinary method to attain the knowledge of oneself, of the universal laws, of God and Creation, as well as about the necessity to undertake the process of conscious evolution, they declare, notwithstanding their manifest interest, that they have no time available. Apart from some who justify their attitude on the grounds of excessive work, there are also those who give the impression that they are entangled in all sorts of commitments. This is the tragedy of many who are no longer their own masters, forced to comply with such commitments, whether it is to their liking or not; thus, it is easy to realize that, under such circumstances, no matter how high a position a man occupies in life, he cannot experience happiness.
The truth is that man is not always aware of this unconditional subjection of life to the tyranny of time, which takes possession of his will because he does not know how to make the best use of it. One of the teachings of Logosophy which is most beneficial when cultivated is, precisely, that which deals with time, since one learns, through this teaching, how to administer time with surprising results.
In principle, the study of Logosophy requires of the student only that part of time he normally wastes during the day, in other words, time misspent uselessly. This statement intends to point out that it will never require that part of time which the individual uses to attend to his customary tasks.
The expansion of one's own time is of the many benefits obtained from the study of Logosophy. The person who, through our cognitions, frees himself from the hands of the clock and gets ahead of them, gains control of time, expands it at will, and feels as if life had suddenly advanced toward broader horizons. Of course, the dimension and value of this teaching are appreciated when the scope and the significance of our cognitions are comprehended. In this respect, we can certify, as it has occurred to hundreds of Logosophy students - that only an amusing recollection will remain of that "hour" which, in principle, the student was asked to devote to our studies because, after making some progress in the practice of the logosophical cognitions, this period of time gradually increases - of the student's own free will - to two, three, or more hours. This proves that everything is possible to achieve when it is steadfastly desired, and it also proves that one spends more time where one's life is more pleasant especially - as in our case - when one discovers a happiness that is very difficult to find and enjoy elsewhere, because it is impeded by the very lack of time.
It is important to know that time presses when it has been wasted, and time is wasted when one does not think. It follows from this that the proper utilization of one's time runs side by side with the function of thinking. What to think about? About all those things that, directly or indirectly conspire against the auspicious purpose of integral self-elevation. In fact, the inconveniences and problems of everyday life - whether pertaining to the family environment and to one's occupation or profession, or those occurring in one's inner world - are the insatiable time-eaters. And they will continue to be so for as long as man's life remains confined to the narrow limits imposed by them. In this instance, the function of thinking represents the opportunity to free the individual's life from that imprisonment, by creating solutions capable of happily opening the doors to his psychical liberation. This is how time and energies can now pass into the hands of their rightful owner, for the use determined by his good judgment and his anxiety for knowledge.
In summary, time is
squandered and lost when one does not think. It is, however, gained
and even recovered, when one learns to think, and exercises this
function every time adversity - whichever for it may take -
interferes with the individual's conscious advancement.
From the book "Initiation Course
intoLogosophy" by Carlos Bernardo González Pecotche originally published in
1963