Theologically speaking, charity means the love of one’s neighbours. This is actually a commandment from Jesus. Charity towards one’s neighbour is a most important concept because it also means loving oneself. The concept of “love thy neighbour as thyself” has never really been followed by this mankind simply because we have not been able to see how the love for our neighbours can really benefit us. We have not been able to see how loving a stranger could be the same as loving oneself, or how we could love a total stranger as oneself?

This commandment is actually quite simple and Christ gave it to us as a simple lifebelt so that its application would guarantee an entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven for those whose goal it is to achieve this. Whatever one does for the other takes on form in this Creation. It takes on a form that corresponds to the nature of the thought or deed. These forms are attached to their producers through an unbreakable thread but leave to either be attracted by similar forms, thereby forming huge centres in the Beyond, or go on into the world to influence like-minded people.

If evil, they induce these people to produce similar thoughts and goad them into carrying out deeds which correspond to the nature of the forms. Sometimes the deeds manifest in a quite unexpected manner resulting in unbelievably dastardly deeds which the producer never had in mind but he must have a share in the deeds and the consequences which must follow.

Much destructive force is thereby wrought by these forms and the result is that even if we had intended these forms for others, they are our works and we must be held accountable for whatever has resulted from the activities of these forms. These forms, especially the ones that arise through the power of the intuition have a motive life within and can work quite independently of the producers, but they remain his children. They return one day to burden us with all the consequences of their activities.

Even when we leave the earth, they are still attached to us. These are spiritual works and as such are capable of outliving the earthly body. We are attracted to the centres to which our forms have been attracted, there to partake of the life that has arisen through their activities. If, on the other hand, we had indulged in producing good forms then we are attracted on high. The good volition we show to our neighbours become good harvest capable of lifting us on high.

So loving one’s neighbour is actually loving oneself. We must however be wary of intellectualising this concept and thereby forcing ourselves and “deliberately” doing good in one direction or the other. The thoughts and deeds must proceed freely from the heart without any forethought or desire for gain. With a constant effort in this direction the spiritual goal is achieved quicker.