34 The Spiritual Life.
activity,andworkinginthese heidentifieshim-
self with them. Ashisevolutionproceeds,as
hehimself develops,hegraduallydiscoversthat
these physical, astral, mental centres are hisinstruments, nothimself; heseesthemasparts
of the "not-Self" that he has temporarily
attractedinto unionwith himself-as hemight
take up a pen ora chisel; he draws himself
awayfromthem,recognisingandusingthemas
thetools theyare; knows himselfto belife-
not form, bliss-not desire, knowledge-not
thought; and then first is conscious of unity,
thenalone finds peace. Whilethe conscious-
nessidentifiesitself withforms,itappearstobemultiple; when it identifies itself as life it
standsforthasone.
The next important fact for us is that, as
H.P.B. pointed out,consciousness,at the pre-
sent stage ofevolution, has itscentre normally
in the astral body. Consciousness learns to
knowbyitscapacityof sensation,the sensation
whichbelongstotheastralbody. Wesensate;
that is, we recognise contact with something
whichISnotourselves,somethingwhicharouses
in us pleasure or pain, or the neutral point
between. Thislife of sensationis the greater