Kuthumi teaches that it is the ego, the prideful self, that is offended by the gruffness of the Guru. 14

      Morya has an extremely gruff gatekeeper in Darjeeling. If you can get past the gatekeeper and not be offended by his gruffness, you get inside the Darjeeling Council chambers. Remember that. People think those who are gruff and curt and short and have that fire are somehow not on the Path. It's the people who are the opposite, who are wishy-washy, that are not on the Path.

      Pride will stand in your way of getting the Holy Spirit as sure as we live. The Maha Chohan says that your pride must be tested regularly "to see whether it is still there." Have you said to yourself, "Boy, I'm working on my pride. I'm getting over this now," and all of a sudden somebody insults you and you find out you still have it?

      How can you know whether you still have personal pride? "By how you react to disrespectful or demeaning remarks made to you, or about you, by others." Every time somebody says to me or tells me about some disparaging remark somebody has made about me, I said, "Forget it. I could care less. Just don't even worry about it." "When your pride is piqued," says the Maha Chohan, "recognize how far you still have to go on the Path. If you can be offended by anyone who is over you or beneath you, if you are ready to throw in the towel because someone has in some way disgraced you, consider whether you are ready for a one-on-one relationship with an Ascended Master."

      The Maha Chohan says, "Pride will surely put great distance between you and myself. The Holy Spirit will not dispense his gifts to those who yet have pride. For how much more proud shall they become when they have the spiritual gifts" 15

      A stern approach has always been used by the Ascended Masters of the Great White Brotherhood to disentangle souls from their worst enemy-their own lesser self. 16

      From the chelas' standpoint, it can be "a fearful thing" and this is quote from Hebrews-it can be "a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 17

      That's from a chela's standpoint, to fall into the hands of an Ascended Master who will pummel you, make you over and bring you to that point of adeptship. It's frightening to think how we need to be taken apart and put back together again to become instruments of God.

      But you can meet fire with fire. The way to respond to the sternness of an Ascended Master is to summon an inner fire that self-reflects and self-corrects. Correct yourself before you have to be rebuked by an Ascended Master. Do the self-correcting. Reflect upon yourself and root out the weeds. Unless you are going to slink away, there is nothing to do but stand, face and conquer that part of yourself that needs to go. And I think we all know what part of ourselves needs to go because we wrestle with it every day. Stop wrestling with it and kick it out.