38 The Spiritual Life.
long inheritance of the past is on the side of
themonarch itwould discrown,andbitterand
many-fortuned is the war. Consciousness, m
itsout-goingactivities,runs easilyintotheworn
channels of the habits of many lives; on the
other hand it is divertedbythe efforts of the
Man to take control and to turn it into the
channelshewnout byhisreflections. Hiswill
determines the line of theconsciousness-forcesworking in his higher vehicles, while habit
largelydeterminesthedirectionof thoseworking
in the desire body. Thewill, guided by the
clear-eyed intelligence,pointsto the loftyideal
thatis seen as a fit object of attainment; the
desire-nature does not want to reach it, is
lethargic before it, seeing no beauty that it
should desire it, nay, often repelled by the
austere outlines of its grave and chastened
dignity. "The difficulty is that I do not
wanty Wedonot wanttodothatwhich,in
our higher moments, we have resolved to do.
Thelower " 1 " is moved bythe attractionof
themomentratherthanbytherecorded results
of thepast that swaythe higher, and the real
difficulty IS to make ourselves feel that the
lethargic,or the clamorous, "I" of the lower
natureisnotthetrue"I."