The first step is a change in consciousness
I am unique. I have different abilities, different inclinations, different strengths and weaknesses. Am I doing what I am best fitted to do, what will make my life count most? Am I doing what I should—or should I be doing something else instead?
That is the question which each person, ultimately, must answer for himself, for no one can see better into our own souls than we ourselves—at least, not after we have trained ourselves to look there. Even so, one of the purposes of our community is to help each man or woman who joins us, to the extent possible, find the correct answer for him or herself. We can do that thorough individual guidance, and we can do it through collective guidance.
Of the factors used to find our path the first is knowledge; the second is consciousness; the third is discipline; and the fourth is service. Knowledge is simply an objective understanding of reality in sufficient detail. Our knowledge, our understanding, grows with time.
Consciousness is the next step beyond knowledge. From our knowledge we know what we must do. Consciousness comes when we not only know but also feel what we must do. It comes when we have learned to look into our souls and have seen the same message there that we have understood from our first awakening; that our ancestors understood 4,000 years ago when they built the first observatories, studied the stars, and pondered the meaning of their existence.