It is to gather knowledge that the soul has come on earth. Looking into the past is just like looking deep down from great heights. It means probing the depths of life.
Looking into the present is just like observing a wide horizon, as wide as we can see.
Looking into the future is like looking upward to the zenith. In self-knowledge of past and present and future one has to learn what was the origin of the soul, how the soul has formed itself, how it has come to manifest, the knowledge of the process of manifestation, and the different stages through which it has passed towards manifestation.
Regarding the present one should learn one’s own condition, the condition of one’s spirit, of one’s mind and body, one’s situation in life, and one’s individual; relationship to others. One should also realize how far the soul reaches in the spiritual spheres.
Daily Meditations, March 9, by Hazrat Inayat Khan