The average spiritual aspirant is unduly self-centered. This is because he is so preoccupied with his own development, his own self-correction, and his own spiritual needs that he tends to forget a vitally important truth. This is that the last battle to be fought on the Quest--the battle which brings the ego finally and fully under the Overself's rule--is reflected to a lesser extent in the earlier battles of the Quest. This battle cannot possibly be won by the aspirant himself for the very good and sufficient reason that the ego is not willing to commit suicide, or to put it in another way, is unable to lift itself onto a plane of non-existence. Final victory can only come by the bestowal of Grace from the Overself, which alone can effect this seeming miracle. To attract this Grace the seeker needs to turn away from his self-centeredness to what is its utter opposite--preoccupation with the Overself. He is to think of the Divine alone, of the infinitude and eternity of the Higher Power, and to forget all about his personal growth for a while.
-- Notebooks Category 23: Advanced Contemplation > Chapter 4 : The Changeover To the Short Path > # 70
