the art of meditation part i ii iii

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THE ART OFMEDITATION

By Joel S. Goldsmith

CONTENTS

PART ONEMeditation: The Practice

I The WayII The PurposeIII The PracticeIV The Indissoluble UnionV The Difficulties

ART TWOMeditation: The Experience

Foreword: The Meditation of My Heart

V The Earth Is the Lord'sVII For God So Loved the WorldVIII Ye Are the TempleIX The Silver Is MineX The Place Whereon

Thou StandestXI For Love Is of GodXII For He Is Thy LifeXIII Fear NotXIV The Tabernacle of GodXV The Beauty of Holiness

PART THREE

Meditation: The Fruits

XVI The Fruit of the SpiritXVII Illumination, Communion,

and UnionXVIII A Circle of Christhood

CHAPTER ITHE WAY

Most men and women are convincedthat there is a divine Power of some sortoperating in human affairs; but they arenot sure what it is, nor do they knowhow to bring this divine Presence andPower into their daily experience. Therewas a time when many of these peoplewere content to believe in a Goddwelling in a remote heaven, a Godwhom they would not meet until afterdeath. In this practical age, however,very few are satisfied with that limited

concept of God.The world is full of discord. The questionis asked again find again: Why, if thereis a God, does this God permit disease,war, famine, and disaster. How can allthese evils be, if God is good, if God islife, if God is love. How can there bethat kind of a God and the horrors ofhuman experience. People throughoutall time have attempted to solve thisriddle, but there is no solution; there isno answer except that the world has notknown God. We can never for amoment believe that if people in thisworld had a realization of God, theywould have discord and inharmony, too.Discord and inharrnony come into ourlife because of our ignorance of God. As

we acquaint now ourselves with Him, wefind the secret of harmonious existence.

People throughout all time have soughtfreedom, peace, and plenty; but theirsearch has been primarily through thefeverish activity of the human mind.Pleasure and satisfaction have beenartificially created, and because of their



artificiality, they are neither permanentnor real. Living out from the level of themind, there must be a continuous roundof new pleasures, new faces, and newscenes. There is rarely a truly joyousmoment, nor are there periods of restand relaxation. Freedom, peace, andplenty are not dependent uponcircumstances or conditions. Men havebeen free in chains; they have been freeunder slavery and oppression; theyhave found peace in the midst of war;they have survived floods and famine;they have prospered in periods ofdepression and panic. When the Soul ofman is free, it carries him through Red

Seas and desert experiences to thePromised Land of spiritual peace.Freedom is a condition of the Soul. Aswe turn to the kingdom of our inner Self,we find the reign of divine Power in theouter world. As we seek peace within,we find harmony without. We reach thedepth of the Soul, and It takes over ourexistence, providing activity andnewness of life, a peace and serenity,the like of which we have neverdreamed. We then have achieved thefreedom of the Soul, the freedom ofgrace.

All through the ages there have beenspiritually endowed men and women themystics of the world—who have knownconscious union with God, and who

have brought the presence and powerof God into their actual experience.Always there has been a Moses, anElijah, a Jesus, a John, or a Paul, butnone of them had many followers. Noneof them was ever widely known or histeaching widely practiced, during hisown time or for years afterward. Thesespiritual masters devoted their lives to

giving us the truth which has brought usto our present state of consciousness.The light that we have today is the resultof the light which has come downthrough all time. There are manyspiritual teachers who have left norecord, and about whom we have noknowledge; but there are many whomwe can identify: Moses, Elijah, Jesus,John, and Paul, mentioned above;Eckhart, Boehme, Fox, and othermystics of the twelfth to the seventeenthcenturies; as well as the great leadersand revelators of more recent years. Noone person has given the light to theworld, but each of these great spiritual

prophets has been a beam of lightcontributing to the whole light.

These great spiritual leaders are all inagreement on the basic principles andteachings with which most of us areacquainted: Thou shalt love the Lord thyGod with all thy heart; thou shalt do untoothers as thou wouldst have others dounto you; thou shalt not kill; thou shaltnot steal; thou shalt not commit adultery.They did not teach that we all be of thesame nationality, color, or creed; theytaught the principle of love andcooperation. If this principle of love andcooperation were really practiced andlived by the millions of people whoaccept the teachings of the Christ, warwould be an impossibility. It is a paradox

that, thousands of years after theserevelations of truth, strife and strugglecontinue to be the motivating force inthe world. With this vast reservoir ofmystical wisdom available, we shouldexpect that after all these years theworld would be enjoying freedom andabundance. But the principles of theseteachings have not always been



about God's availability; it is not only anaffirmation or a statement; it is notmerely a platitude or a cliche; it is aliving fact.

Our search for God, our seeking thekingdom of God, is an evidence of ourown faith in the presence and power ofGod, even though we do not yet have aknowledge of it through actualexperience. Those who are not on thespiritual path do not have thatconfidence. Only those who haveattained an inner conviction that there isa God are led to the search for God.These seekers may not necessarily

have attained the realization of God, butat least there is that inner certainty:"This is the way; there is a God."

So the search begins, and it begins indifferent ways. How it begins dependsupon our background; it depends uponwhere we happen to be at any givenmoment and what is going on in ourparticular world around us. There havebeen people whose search began inorthodox churches and some of themhave found the answer there. They havediscovered the kingdom withinthemselves, but have continued workingin the church as a form of service andsometimes as a form of gratitude. Somehave found God through an intellectualapproach, and a few have found a

purely spiritual way. Others have comethrough teachings that are acombination of the intellectual and thespiritual. There are those who havecome to the spiritual path throughbooks, and there are those who havecome through living teachers, whileothers have made contact with the

spiritual saints and seers who havenever died.

To know the truth as so many words,quotations, passages, or theories is onething; but it is an entirely different thingwhen, through meditation, the Wordtakes root in our consciousness andcomes forth as spiritual fruitage. We aretold that the fruits of the Spirit are "love,

joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,goodness, faith." It is really true thatwhen the Spirit has been touched orwhen It has touched us, then thefruitage comes forth in the form ofharmony, wholeness, completeness,

and perfection. The purpose of this bookis to help students practice the art ofmeditation by which the Word takesroot, so that they come into an actualawareness, an actual consciousness ofliving in the Spirit. Our object is to attaina measure of that mind which was inChrist Jesus, and then let It do with uswhat It will. It is to reach thatconsciousness in which Paul revealed,"I live yet not I, Christ liveth my life"; or "Ican do all things through Christ whichstrengtheneth me." In other words, theactivity of the Spirit comes alive in us,and It takes over: we are no longer goodand we are no longer bad; we are nolonger sick, but neither are we well. Weare at a stage which transcends thepairs of opposites.

In spiritual wisdom there are no pairs ofopposites. God is, and, therefore, thereis no concern as to whether or not wecan reach God, because there isnothing for which we need to reachGod: the day is already beautiful; thefruit is already on the trees; the flowersare already blooming; the tides are



flowing; the sun and the moon and thestars are in the heavens; harmony is. Inthis state of spiritual consciousness wecome to that place where we rest andrelax in the realization, "God's in hisheaven all's right with the world!" In thatrealization, we withdraw from thestruggle for the things of this earth.

"Let this mind be in you which was alsoin Christ Jesus . . he that raised upChrist from the dead shall also quickenyour mortal bodies by his Spirit thatdwelleth in you." We must seek theattainment of that same Spirit that raisedup Jesus from the dead, not by talking

about it, or declaring it to be so, notteaching or preaching it but by havingthat mind. The attaining of that mindrequires effort, plus the grace of God.The grace of God is the most importantfactor, because without it, no one wouldhave the fortitude to continue on thepath leading to God-realization. Withoutthe grace of God, no one would havethe desire even to begin the search, letalone to pursue the arduous stepswhich must follow.

There is an area of consciousnessrevealed in meditation through which weare instantly one with God and with allspiritual being and creation, and throughwhich we find all forms of good instantlyavailable. This area of consciousness

has been described as a Sea of Spirit,the universal or divine Soul, the Fatherwithin. In achieving conscious contactwith this Sea of Spirit or the Fatherwithin, we find divine Love pouring Itselfinto expression, so that we no longerlive by personal effort alone, but bygrace. Rather than seeking our goodfrom persons or things, we tap this

universal Soul and become beholders ofIts activity, pouring forth as the ideaswhich become the human forms of goodnecessary to our present experience. Itis only as we learn to look within to thisInfinite Invisible that we begin to under-stand the nature of grace.

Instead of seeking or desiringsomething already existing as form oreffect, let us learn to turn within and letour good unfold from the divine Source,the Infinite Unseen. Let the businessand professional man look to the Divinewithin; let the sick and the sinner seekhealing and perfection from within. Let

each one of us ever be alert, watchingconsciousness unfold as new and richerforms of good, experiencing theabundance of life by grace. Tounderstand that Soul is the eternalstorehouse of all good is to permit theactivity of the Christ to function in ourexperience. Let us draw our good fromthe infinity of our own being, from thekingdom within. Touching that center,the Father reveals our heritage as "heirsof God and joint-heirs with Christ" to allthe heavenly riches. This is to live bygrace, the gift of God. The children ofGod always live by grace.

The secret of grace is contact with theInfinite Invisible, the universal center ofbeing within us. This is the experience

of the Christ. In mystical literature, thisspiritual experience is calledIllumination, Cosmic Consciousness, orChrist-Consciousness; in the NewTestament, it is spoken of as being"born again," or rebirth. Reading andstudying inspirational literature andscripture, as well as frequent ponderingand meditating on God and God's



THE WAYS To every man there openethA Way, and Ways, and a Way,And the High Soul climbs the High Way,And the Low Soul gropes the Low,And in between, on the misty flats,The rest drift to and fro.But to every man there openethA High Way, and a Low,And every man decidethThe Way his soul shall go.

--John Oxenham*

*From Selected Poems of John

Oxenham, edited by Charles L. Wallis(Harper, 1948). Used by permission ofMiss Erica Oxenham and Harper &Brothers.

CHAPTER IITHE PURPOSE

The purpose of meditation is to attaindivine grace. Once this grace has beenattained in a measure, it takes over ourexperience and lives our life, performsthose things which are given us to do,and makes the crooked places straight.We no longer live by bread alone, but bythis inner grace.

Satisfying relationships, abundantsupply, successful business activity, andcreative endeavor are the tangibleeffects of grace. First must come theinner grace before the things of thisworld can be added to us; but we cannever receive the grace of God so longas we seek it for the purpose of

demonstration, that is, seeking God inorder to possess some person or thing,or to achieve some place. That is thereason meditation can never be used todemonstrate an automobile, moremoney, or a better position: meditation isfor the purpose of realizing God. Inmeditation God is revealed as the life ofindividual being. God is the embodimentof all good. In achieving the experienceof God, our good appears as whateverthe need may be. We fail if we attemptto gain any thing separate and apartfrom God. God, Itself, is the good.Prayer or meditation for material thingsand persons cannot be answered by a

God of Spirit. Such an objective defeatsthe purpose of meditation.

Scripture tells us that the natural manreceiveth not the things of God. Who isthe natural man but the human being,the prodigal son, still deep in materialconsciousness, praying that hismateriality may be made a little better, alittle richer, a little more, or a little less?We pray to be stouter or we pray to bethinner; we pray to have more money,seldom to have less, although that mightbe a very spiritual prayer. The point isthat we pray for an improvement or anincrease of that very materiality of whichGod has no knowledge, and suchprayer is not answered. Very often ourhuman desires, if fulfilled, would leave

us unsatisfied, because as humanbeings we do not possess the wisdomto know the things of which we haveneed. It is the Father within who is allwisdom and all love.

To be effective, prayer must beaddressed to a God of Spirit, and,therefore, that for which we pray must



be of a spiritual nature. Let usremember this every time we turn toGod in meditation; let us measure thequality of our prayer by the degree ofspiritual illumination we are seeking,and from that we shall know whether ornot we may expect fulfillment. "I amcome that they might have life, and thatthey might have it more abundantly."The promise is fulfillment, but let us besure that the fulfillment for which we arepraying is a spiritual fulfillment, and thenwe shall not pray to a spiritual God toimprove our human-hood; but we shallobey the scriptural injunction to let theSpirit bear witness within us: "for we

know not what we should pray for as weought; but the Spirit itself makethintercession for us. . . . "

It is not really we who pray or meditateat all; the Spirit meditates within us, andwe simply open our consciousness to letthe Spirit reveal our need and itsfulfillment. Therein is the secret. Howdifferent that is from doing mental work,declaring or affirming that this or thatshall come to pass -- and now, thisminute. Rather, in going into meditation,our attitude should be that of the littleHebrew boy, "Speak, Lord, for thyservant hearetb." That is the trueattitude with which to enter intomeditation opening our consciousnessto God and letting God fulfill Itself within

us. Let God utter Its Word within ourbeing not our words, but the Word. Weshall find that Word to be quick andsharp and powerful; it does not returnunto us void. It does the workwhereunto it is sent, but it must be theWord of God, not your desire or mydesire. The true aspirant on the spiritualpath has no desire other than the

fulfillment of God, the realization of God,the experience of the Christ. How couldthere possibly be an unfufilled need ifthe Christ is operating in ourconsciousness? The Christ must fulfillItself. One desire alone is legitimate andthat is the realization of this activity ofthe Christ in our consciousness.

"The Father within me, he doeth theworks." The Father is within me and theFather is within you; then why is it thatthe works are not done? There is onething needful, and that is our consciousrealization of Omnipresence. Theactivity of God is within us, the presence

of God, the power of God; but we havebuilt up a state of consciousnessconsisting of layers and layers ofmaterial sense. We have not succeededin breaking through these layers toreach the atmosphere and altitude ofGod within us and, until we do so, weshall fail in our meditation and miss thepath to fulfillment.

Most of us come to the search for Godwith a purely material outlook on life:concerned that the heart beat so manytimes a minute, that the digestive andeliminative organs function in aprescribed way, that our supply consistof so many dollars; always believing thatsatisfaction can be found in the externalworld. Some believe that money will

bring that satisfaction; some believe thatfame is the answer; still others believethat fulfillment lies in good health. Howoften is it said: "If only this pain could bestopped, then I really could begin thesearch for God. I can't do it while I am insuch pain," or "If only my rent weretaken care of, then I could be at peaceand would be able to search for God." In



Yourself to me. I care not whether Youreveal Yourself in wealth or in health, inpoverty or in sickness; only revealThyself. In Thy Presence is security,safety, peace, and joy."

In meditation we are seeking the graceof God and nothing but the grace ofGod. This grace is not found in thehuman mind, nor is it found in suchpeace as the world can give. Makingstatements and reading books about itdo not bring it forth. These may be ofassistance in leading us to a pointwhere we are prepared in the silence toreceive the grace of God, but it is

meditation which lifts us to a state ofspiritual apprehension where divinegrace takes over. "If so be that the Spiritof God dwell in you," then are wechildren of God. As human beings, weare cut off from God and for that reasondo not come under the law of God anddo not experience the blessings ofGod's presence and power. It is the Sonof God, the spiritual image and likeness,which is held in the bosom of the Father.We have wandered away from ourFather's household and squandered ourdivine substance in a personal sense of"I." Now, in order to realize our sonshipwith God, we must take the path ofreturn to the Father's house that same

journey the prodigal son had to makethat we may be clothed with the robe

and receive again the jewel of adoption.

How do we become the Sons of God?How do we awaken the Christ, or Son ofGod, which always has been, is, andalways will be our true identity, eventhough it has been hidden from sightduring this period of mortality in whichwe are sleeping? To do this requires

effort. We must abandon all ourprevious concepts of life for my name'ssake." We must get up from the banquetwith the swine, leave behind allthoughts, people, and activities of theswinish world, and return to the Father.It is the nature of the human being tolove self-indulgence: ease, comfort,riches, intemperance, gluttony,indolence, and sensuality. Theseoperate in our consciousness as asense of separation from God. It is notactually separation from God, becausewe can no more be separated from Godthan a gold ring can be separated fromthe gold of which it is formed. Gold is

the ring; gold constitutes the ring. Thereis no possible way to remove the goldfrom the ring without destroying the ring,because there is not gold and a ring;there is only a gold ring.

So it is with us. We cannot be separatedfrom God, because there is no we.Actually, there is no such thing in all theworld as you or me as individualsstanding alone. God being infinite, Godis all there is. God constitutes you andme; God constitutes our life, mind, soul,and being, just as gold constitutes thering. Gold is the substance; the ring isthe form. God is the substance; theindividual is the form as which Godappears. God is the essence of ourbeing —the life, soul, mind, spirit, law,

continuity, and activity. God is the alland all of individual being, whether ofsaint or sinner. The degree of sainthoodexpressed by an individual is whollydependent upon the degree ofconscious realization of oneness withthe Father. The capacity for sin in anindividual is dependent upon the degreeof his sense of separation from God. As



a matter of fact, this sense of separationis all there is to human hood.

We are not human beings as we seemto be; we are pure spiritual being. It isnot that there are two separate beings,the human being and the spiritual being;it is only that a human being isentertaining a sense of separation fromGod. We cannot be separated fromGod, but we can entertain a sense ofseparation from God. The moment thatsense of separation begins todisappear, Christhood or divine son shipis revealed. The return of the prodigaltakes place wholly within one's self as

an activity of consciousness, and themoment one sets his feet in thedirection of the Father's house, he hasentered the spiritual path.

Let no one take credit for being on thespiritual path. Were it not for the graceof God, one would not be reaching outtoward the realization of his divine sonship. In the experience of every person,there comes a certain moment when heis penetrated by a ray of God, when atouch of God breaks through into hisconsciousness, not because of himself,but in spite of himself. From the momentthat ray touches him, the end isinevitable: he will find his way right tothe throne of God.

To human sense, the spiritual way of lifeseems impossible of achievement,ephemeral, and intangible. But in reality,the most tangible thing, the most realthing in all the world is Spirit or God.Once this is perceived, the things of thisworld the dollar bills we use forexchange, our homes, and ourrelationships take their rightful place as

outer symbols of grace or effects ofSpirit. It is these symbols or effectswhich change. As long as men andwomen live by bread alone, by the strifeand struggle involved in human activity;as long as they are dependentexclusively on symbols or effects, theywill discover eventually that theseworldly possessions waste away, areconsumed, and become as nothing. Wesee the results of a dependence onmaterial things as we look into the facesof the men and women who are living bythese effects, placing their reliance onthe health of their bodies, the wealth oftheir pocket-books, and the things of

this world.

In contrast with these people, a fewstand out, here and there, who have aninner light by which they live, an innerhope, expectation, or glory. This spirituallight is easily detected: We see it in theeyes; we hear it in the voice; weobserve it in the vitality and vigor of thebody. Although this Presence isinvisible, It is within every person; noone in the world is without It; It isavailable to everyone who has ears tohear and eyes to see, to everyone whois receptive to divine grace.

The whole purpose of our existence isto be a fitting instrument through whichGod's glory may appear. We shall never

fulfill ourselves in life by trying toexpress our individuality; fulfillment liesin letting the Infinite Invisible bring Itselfthrough into expression. Then we do notstrive and struggle to glorify ourselvesbut every time we meditate, it is as if wewere to say:



Father, "I can of mine own self donothing. . . . My doctrine is not mine, buthis that sent me." I have no wisdom ofmy own, Father; I have no power; I haveno judgment; I have no health; and Ihave no wealth of my own. I am sittinghere to let infinity flow.

Our function is to abide in that innerrealization and let harmony appear. Asour vision is on the unfolding of theChrist, It appears outwardly as a better,healthier, or wealthier human being. Butwe are not deceived by appearances,because we are not looking for achange in the human picture. Meditation

is not an attempt to turn sickness intohealth or lack into abundance. Thevision always is on the one invisibleChrist at the center of our being, hereand now.

Any meditation that has within itself asingle trace of a desire to get somethingfrom God or to acquire somethingthrough God is no longer meditation.Good is to be realized, yes, but not tobe achieved: the infinity of good isalready where I am; the kingdom of Godis within me. Locked up inside of ourbeing is the presence and power ofGod, the whole of the Godhead, just asperfume is locked up in a flower. As theflower opens the perfume or thefragrance escapes. Everyone has the

allness of the Godhead locked up withinhis own being not just a part of it. Godcannot be divided; God is indivisible.God is infinite, but God is indivisible.The allness of God is in one tiny leaf inevery leaf: the allness of God is in everyindividual on the face of the globe. Werethis not true, there would have beenless of God on earth when the

population was only 10 per cent of whatit is today, and, by the same token,there would be twice as much of God onearth when the population is doubled.No, there was just as much of God inthe world a million years ago as therewill be a million years hence. The infiniteallness of God is wherever oneindividual is. That is why it is said thatone Christ Jesus can lead a millionpeople into heaven, because one ChristJesus is the infinite individual Son ofGod and shows forth all that God is."Son, thou art ever with me and all that Ihave is thine" is not addressed to agroup but to an individual. God, in Its

infinite allness, is embodied in the Sonof God, in whom is our spiritual identity.As we learn to turn within and let thisimprisoned perfume escape this activityof the Christ, this beauty of God thendoes it come into visible being.

When we no longer search for thepeace that the world can give, but seekonly "my peace," the gates ofconsciousness open to admit thespiritual light which becomes the life ofour being and our body. Many peopledesire spiritual power in order to enjoymore harmonious experiences. Theirpurpose in seeking God usually is toenjoy more and better earthly things, tocatch larger fish in their nets bigger fish,better fish. But the basis of our work is

to "leave your nets," to leave this searchfor more and better human good andopen consciousness to the spiritualrealities. Then the things which come tous in the outer world are the fruits of aninward grace. Grace can only beattained by a state of inner silence, astate of inner awareness and receptivity;therefore it is necessary for us to



prepare ourselves for the experience ofreceiving that grace. This is the wholepurpose of meditation.

The amount of illumined force andpower that flows through us isdetermined by divine grace. Whether ornot we reach the final goal ofillumination is not our problem. Somewill seek and strive until they exhaustthemselves and yet will not attain it;others will go along easily and steadily;and a few will spontaneously burst outall over with the springtime of the Christ-consciousness. The experience of theChrist is one that is achieved purely

through grace. In whatever degree itcomes, it comes as the gift of God. Itdoes not come because we earn it; itdoes not come because we deserve it; itdoes not come primarily because weare good men or women in fact, it isoften likely to come to the sinful one,because the inner struggle of the sinnermay be greater than the struggle of thegood man, and such a struggle is oftenhighly rewarded.

The only responsibility that we have isthat our desire be for the Christ-experience, and that that desire beshown forth by the sincerity of our studyand the depth of our meditation anddevotion. That is the extent of ourresponsibility. The Christ-experience is

purely the gift of God. No one earns it;no one deserves it; and no one knowswhy it comes to some and why it doesnot come to others.

In the experience of every earneststudent, there comes a period ofinitiation; that is, there comes a periodof the opening of the soul. It may be

achieved through something that isheard, something that is read, or it maycome through direct contact with theconsciousness of a spiritual teacher.When it comes, the student needs nofurther help from sources outside ofhimself. His entire teaching is receivedfrom within: his entire illumination,healing power, and regenerative powercome from within. From that momenton, he becomes a blessing to othersalong his way, bringing healing andcomfort to them. As he goes deeper intothe Spirit, he awakens in them this sameChristhood: "I, if I be lifted up, shall drawall men unto me." In proportion as any

individual receives spiritual light, thatlight becomes a law unto those who arewithin his orbit. Everyone who has everbrought about a healing through spiritualmeans has been the light, and it was thelight in his consciousness that broughtabout the healing. Whatever degree oflight we realize, automatically makes us,in that degree, a light to all those whotouch our consciousness. That is thepurpose of meditation: that each onemay attain a higher degree of that lightthrough the experience of the Christ.

Once we have achieved this contactwith our inner Being, we are free: weare in bondage to no man, nocircumstance, no condition. We are freein Christ and we can then say:

Christ liveth my life. What differencedoes it make whether or not there areperiods of depression or periods ofprosperity, floods or droughts? Christliveth my life. It leadeth mc beside thestill waters; It maketh me to lie down ingreen pastures. A thousand may fall atmy left hand and ten thousand at my



right hand; still it will not come nigh me.I have made that contact. I am dyingdaily to my human-hood; I am beingreborn of the Spirit; I am being guided,directed, fed, maintained, sustained,healed, and saved by this inner light thisinner illumination.

The secret is the awakening of thesleeping Christ, and that is the purposeof meditation.

CHAPTER IIITHE PRACTICE

here are many forms of meditationleading to the awakening of the sleepingChrist within. There is no one waysuitable to all people. Each person mustultimately find the way which appeals tohis particular consciousness. Allmethods call forth that deep sense ofhumility which knows "I can of mine ownself do nothing." Satisfactory meditation

requires a letting go of personalselfhood, with its egotistic claim topossessing a wisdom of its own, inorder that the Power which we call theFather within can take over. This Poweris within us, not within our body, butwithin our consciousness, and throughmeditation we permit It to escape fromwithin, that It may act on the without andbecome the saviour to our experience.

The initial stage of meditation may be acontemplation of God: the beauty ofGod's universe, the law of God, and theactivity of God. Our life becomes that ofa beholder, beholding the glory of Godin all things in the green grass, in thegentle breeze, in the turbulence of the

ocean, and in the calm of the night. Inthis contemplative state of being, wecannot behold anything in this world,without at the same momentrecognizing its cause, the invisiblespiritual activity, which produced it. Weshould never look at a sunrise or asunset, without instantly realizing thespiritual nature of that which brought itinto expression—God, the creativePrinciple of the mountains, the skies,and the seas; God, the creativePrinciple of that which fills the air withbirds and stocks the seas with fish. If welive continuously in the contemplation ofthe invisible Presence and Power

underlying all things, this very placewhereon we stand is holy ground.

As we ponder the glory of God,contemplate His wonders, our mind isstayed on God. Fewer and fewerextraneous thoughts thrust themselvesupon our consciousness. We are able tosit for many minutes, sometimes for aslong as an hour, finding ourselves atpeace in our contemplation of God andthe beauty of the spiritual universe.Contemplation lifts our consciousnessinto an atmosphere of receptivity, into aconsciousness where miracles can takeplace. The conscious thinking mindcomes to a stop, and the invisiblePresence and Power is given anopportunity to function. Until that It, that

invisible Selfhood, that invisiblePresence and Power, is permitted tooperate in consciousness, we aremerely functioning on the mental level.

The human mind cannot be the avenuefor the activity of the Soul: a higherconsciousness must be reached.Through this higher consciousness,



through that mind which was in ChristJesus, the Soul reveals Itself and Itsactivity as our individual experience.That which imparts itself to us from theinner consciousness is power, not thethoughts we think, not our statements orbeliefs; but that which reveals itself fromwithin on the inner plane is the power,with signs following. This innerconsciousness is without boundary, and,by rising to a higher level ofconsciousness, we become aware ofthat which lies far beyond our immediateknowledge. This higher consciousnessis unlimited and imparts its wisdom to usinfinitely and eternally. It is that insulated

place within our own being, where theceaseless activity of the outer worlddoes not intrude.

If we are faithful in the practice ofcontemplation and the simpler forms ofmeditation, this practice will lead usfrom one form of meditation to another,until we arrive at the actual experienceof hearing the still small voice, ofreceiving divine guidance from within,and of being divinely led every step ofthe way.

Let us begin by sitting in a comfortableposition. Some people prefer a straightchair, even a hard one, so that they arecompelled to sit in an upright position;whereas others find themselves more

comfortable in an armchair. Keep thefeet flat on the floor; hold the bodyerect, with the hands resting in the lap.In this natural, relaxed, but alertposition, begin your meditation withsome passage of scripture that maycome to your thought, or, if you like, youmay open the Bible or a book of spiritualwisdom and read for a short time. You

may read only one paragraph, or youmay need to read ten pages beforesome particular thought attracts yourattention. When this occurs, close yourbook and take that thought into yourmeditation. Think about it; hold it right infront of you; repeat it to yourself. Askyourself: Why did this particularquotation come to me? Does it have aninner meaning? What is its significanceto me at this time?

As you continue meditating anotherstatement may come to your attention.Consider both of these thoughts: Isthere any relationship between them? Is

there any coherence? Why did thisquotation follow the first one? By thistime probably a third idea and then afourth will have come; and all thesethoughts will have come out of yourawareness, out of your consciousness.In this short period of meditation whichmay have been of only a minute'sduration, you have experienced Godrevealing Itself; you have openedyourself to divine Intelligence and Love.This is the Word of God which is quickand sharp and powerful.

To have received one statement of truthfrom the depths of our own being isevidence that we have had a degree ofrealization of God; peace and quietdescend upon us; and a sense of well-

being and assurance well up within us.This form of meditation, if practicedfaithfully, opens our consciousness topermit God to function in our life, topermit Christ to live our life but it mustbe practiced. It is necessary, therefore,to return to our meditation at our firstopportunity, and to repeat the process inthe middle of the day and again in the



evening. We may find that we areunable to sleep continuously throughoutthe night. In the middle of the night, thedemand comes, "Meditate."

These periods of silence, reflection,introspection, meditation, and finallycommunion prepare us to receive theinner grace. Even though we seem tobe making no progress in these three-or four-minute periods of meditationduring the day or night, even though weseem to feel no response, let us notbecome discouraged, because we haveno way of judging the results of ourefforts in terms of a single period of

meditation or even after a week or amonth of this practice. To expectimmediate results from the practice ofmeditation would be the same asexpecting to play Bach or Beethovenafter the first music lesson. Would it notbe absurd, after the first six hours ofpracticing the scales, to give up indespair, because we have not achievedimmediate proficiency in an art whichrequires a high degree of technical skill?If we were serious in our desire tomaster this art, we would recognize thatfrom the moment we began the practiceof our scales, something was takingplace in both mind and muscle. It mightrequire a whole year of practice beforeany degree of skill was attained. Thefinal achievement cannot be measured

in terms of the hourly or daily or evenmonthly periods of practice.

So it is with meditation. We have madea beginning the very first time that weclose our eyes and realize:

I am seeking the grace of God; I amseeking the Word that proceedeth out of

the mouth of God. I know not what topray for, so I do not pray for anything ofthis world. I listen for Thy voice wait forThy Word.

This form of meditation repeated adozen times a day would eventuallychange our entire life, and it is possiblethat changes might be evident within amonth. Every time we turn to that innercenter, we are recognizing that we, ofour own self, can do nothing; we areseeking the kingdom within. This is truehumility, true prayer, an acknowledg-ment of the nothingness of humanwisdom, human power, and human

strength. It is acknowledging thatwisdom, power, and strength come fromthe Infinite Invisible. These periods ofsilence create an atmosphere of Spirit inwhich the activity of Spirit, without ourknowing it or having any awareness ofit, goes before us to make the desertblossom as the rose.

Here is an example of a simple form ofmeditation in which we begin with acentral idea, theme, or quotation andponder it until its inner meaning isrevealed:

"I can of mine own self do nothing. . . .The Father within me, he doeth theworks." The meaning of the first part isimmediately apparent; but what is meant

by the statement that the Father withinme doeth the works? What is the Fatherwithin me? Who is this Father withinme? We know that when Jesus madethat statement he was referring to God.It must mean, then, that God within medoeth the works. Jesus said that it isyour Father and my Father, so heseems to be telling me that there is a



God-power—something within thatdoeth the works. The same Father thatwas in Christ Jesus is also in me. ThisFather within me, this He, is greaterthan he that is in the world, greater thanthe problems of the world. The Life,intelligence, and Wisdom that is withinme is greater than he that is in theworld, greater than my enemies, greaterthan my ills, greater than my ignorance,greater than my fears, greater than mydoubts, even greater than my sins.

"I can do all things through Christ whichstrengtheneth me." This Christ is theFather within me, the divine Power

within, which Jesus said "will neverleave thee nor forsake thee." The Fatherwithin, the Christ which strengthenethme, will never leave me nor forsake me.Before Abraham was, this Father waswithin me, and It is with me even untothe end of the world. It is a Presenceand a Power that has been with mefrom the beginning of time, even when Idid not know It was there, and It will bewith me throughout all eternity.

It will be with me regardless of where Iam: If I make my bed in hell, . . . if I walkthrough the valley of the shadow ofdeath, . . . this Father is ever with me. Itis a Presence that never leaves me, aPower that always strengthens me, thatgoes before me to make the crooked

places straight and the rough placesplain. I feel Thy hand in mine. I know. Iknow that there is a Power that can doall things. I know that there is aPresence that can live my life for me,make my decisions, and show me thepath of life. The whole kingdom of Godis within me. Thou wilt never leave menor forsake me; I can never doubt thy

Presence. All this Thou hast revealed tome from within myself.

I thank Thee, Father, that Thou hast hidthese things from the wise and prudentand hast revealed them to me, a babe intruth, a beginner on the spiritual path.

This practice of pondering a scripturalquotation is not too difficult for abeginner or too simple for an advancedstudent. As in the example given above,a central thought or quotation is used inan attempt to understand its innermeaning and to receive light on it, sothat never again will it be used as a

quotation or as a metaphysical cliche.These primary forms of meditationshould be understood and practicedbefore the higher, more difficult formsare attempted.

Let us remember that our object is todevelop a state of receptivity to the stillsmall voice. In meditation we do notthink about our problem; we turn withinand wait and wait and wait. We wait forthree, four, or five minutes. If, at the endof that time, we have not felt a responsewithin ourselves, we get up and goabout our customary duties. An hour ortwo later we again meditate, waitingsilently waiting until the voice of Godutters Itself within us. The thoughts thatrace through our mind do not concern

us; we are not interested in them. Weare waiting until we feel the activity ofthe Christ stirring within us. If we do notfeel the touch of the Christ within threeor four minutes, we return to our dailytasks, but two or three hours later wemeditate again. If it is necessary, wecontinue this practice for years; but if weare persistent, the day will come when



there will be an inner response, whichwill give us the assurance that there isthat within us which the Master called"the Father," that which Paul knew as"the Christ."

The beginner should meditate threetimes a day or, if that is not possible, atleast twice a day, in the morning and atnight. There is no one who should findthis too difficult to do, becauseeverybody gets up and everybody goesto bed. Everybody can spare a few extraminutes in the morning and at night,even if he cannot find one other minutefor this purpose during the twenty-four

hours. For serious students, however,there will always be another intervalsometime during the day. Gradually,these periods of meditation become aregular part of our existence, and weare meditating at any or every hour ofthe day or night, sometimes for only halfa second or for several minutes at atime; sometimes while driving a car ordoing housework. We learn to openconsciousness, if it is but for a second,and find ourselves in a state ofreceptivity.

Take any aspect or facet of spiritualtruth. It might be the term "light." Therehave been innumerable people whomight be called "the light of the world."Jesus was that light, as were Elijah,

Paul, and John. But what is meant bythe phrase "the light of the world"? Letus turn to the Father and ask Him togive us light on the subject of "light." Aswe develop the listening ear, we gainthe spiritual sense of the term ratherthan the literal meaning as given in thedictionary or the interpretation given to itby some metaphysical writer. We then

have our own God given light on thesubject of "light."

Perhaps the meaning of the word "Soul"is not clear. Very few know what Soulreally means; it is one of the mostprofound mysteries of spiritual wisdom.To understand it, let us turn to theFather for a revelation on the subject ofthe Soul. Sooner or later as we maintaina state of receptivity, we shall begin toreceive impartations on the nature of theSoul. In this way we learn to take intoour consciousness any word or subjectabout which we are seekingunderstanding, and to wait, in a state of

expectancy, for the light to shine on itand reveal its meaning to us.

Most of us are familiar with the passage,"My grace is sufficient unto thee." Weknow the words, but they will be of littleor no significance in our lives unlesstheir inner meaning is revealed throughmeditation. Only then do these wordslive for us and become the Word. Whenwe awaken in the morning, we shouldconsciously bring to remembrance thestatement that God's grace is oursufficiency in all things. We do notrepeat it over and over again, as a vainrepetition or affirmation, but rather dowe take this statement intoconsciousness and dwell on it:

Thy grace is my sufficiency Thy graceyes, the Father's grace within me. TheFather is within me, and it is theFather's grace that is my sufficiency inall things. Now I know whose grace it is;but what is grace? What do we mean bygrace? What is it?



It may take two or three minutes for usto perceive that "Thy grace" is not afaroff, but is within. That may be the extentof the unfoldment for the moment. Twoor three hours later, however, we againbring this statement to consciousremembrance. This time we may recallthat we were considering the word"grace." It will not be long before webegin to realize that we have heardgrace described as the gift of God, asthat which comes from God without ourearning it, deserving it, or laboring for it;it is something which comes withoutpersonal effort. This grace, therefore,which is to be our sufficiency in all

things, is an activity of God within us.

In meditation the meaning of grace maybe revealed to one of us in one way, andto another in an entirely different way;but to both, it may come with such forceas to open the windows of heaven andpour out "a blessing that there shall notbe room enough to receive it." To eachone something different will unfold fromthat which is given to anyone else.

If we are in earnest, we shall take thestatement "My grace is sufficient untothee" into consciousness many timesduring the day. If we abide in thatstatement of truth we shall bemeditating and thus fulfilling one of themost important teachings that has ever

been given to the human race: "If yeabide in me, and my words abide in you,ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall bedone unto you." If we keep the Wordalive in our consciousness by dwellingon it four, five, eight, ten, twelve times aday, and also when we awaken in themiddle of the night, we shall find that weare meditating. We are letting the Word

of truth abide in us and Christ becomesthe activity of our consciousness.

What is Christ? If you really desire toknow what the Christ is, begin with thisvery humble acknowledgment: "Father, Iknow so little about the Christ; help meto understand the Christ." Then closeyour eyes and keep your attention onthe idea of the Christ. Every time themind tries to wander, gently bring itback. Keep your attention centered onthe Christ. Ultimately, you will catch thevision of the real meaning of the Christ,a meaning that you will never quite beable to explain to anyone else; but you,

yourself, will know it. The Christ will bean actual presence in yourconsciousness; It will be a power, aninfluence, a being. Yet, It will besomething that you cannot define. Nomatter what you might say about theChrist, It would not be that.

One day, however, as you persist in thismeditation, the Christ is alive in yourheart and then you hear:

I will never leave thee. As I was withMoses, so I will be with you.Whithersoever thou goest, I will go; I willbe right there with you. Only rememberto look for Me; expect Me. Do not lookfor any sign; do not look for anythingoutside Look only to Me. If you look only

to Me, one day when you think you needwater, it will come out of a rock, or whenyou think you need food, it will come outof the sky but never look for it. That isthe sin looking for it. Look only to Me. Iam walking beside you. I am sittingwithin you. I am resting in your heart. Iam in your mind, in your consciousness.I am right here in your arms, down in



your finger tips. Do you feel Me? I amwith you. I go before you to make thecrooked places straight. I will neverleave you. Look unto Me and be saved.Seek Me while I may be found, and allthese things shall be added unto you.Seek Me.

From the moment that awareness isours, we have demonstrated Paul'sstatement, "I live; yet not I, but Christliveth in me." Then, this atmosphere ofthe Christ is with us always, and ourvery physical presence becomes abenediction to everyone with whom wecome in contact. Because we are there?

No, because the Christ is there as thelight of our being. The way is to praywithout ceasing. We consciously openourselves to the realization of the Christuntil the time comes when you and I nolonger have to do it consciously,because there is no longer a you or an Ito do it. Look unto Me, the Christ, andbe ye saved.

CHAPTER IVTHE INDISSOLUBLE UNION

Very little progress can be made on thespiritual path of life until we have caughtsome vision of what God is, of what ourrelationship to God is, and of what

God's function is in our life. This cannotbe a vicarious experience; it must beindividual and it must be approached ina completely relaxed manner. We mustbe unwilling to accept any authorityother than our own interior revelation.So we ask ourselves questions aboutGod, which will lead into a meditation onGod: What is God? What does God

mean to me? What is the place andfunction of God in my life?

How many people have ever had a God-experience? How many have felt theflow of the Spirit in their minds, in theirsouls, in their bodies? The number issmall, only a few hundred or at the mosta few thousand in a generation; and yetGod is available to every man, woman,and child. God demands our entire loveand devotion; we must give ourselves toHim in order that He may reveal theeternal givingness of Himself to us. Wemust love God supremely with ourwhole heart, mind, and soul; love God

so much that our only prayer is: "I mustfeel God; I must let God fill my soul, myheart, my mind, my being, my verybody."

We speak of God as impersonalIntelligence, Mind, Principle, but God ispersonal, too. The relationship betweenan individual and God is closer than hisrelationship with his own mother. It islike reaching out and feeling a presencealways there, gentle, reassuring in itsvery quietness; it is joy, peace, andwarmth. The moment we have a God-experience, that gentleness is there,that peace is there, that warmth is there;and with it comes a love towardeverything in this world, a sense ofcompanionship and joy in one another.

The normal concept of God is that of aGod separate and apart from us, whohas within Himself all good but iswithholding it from us. Usually, inpraying to God, it is for the purpose ofseeking or getting something from God -- health, supply, opportunity,companionship. Most of us believe that



our meditation be the recognition ofGod, Itself, and we shall find that thatwill suffice.

God is one: one Power, one Law, oneSubstance, one Cause. This teaching ofoneness is probably the highest spiritualteaching ever given to the world. Theentire ministry of the Master, ChristJesus, was based on the old Hebrewteaching of the idea of God as one:"Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord our God, theLord is one." According to Genesis, inthe beginning God created the worldand all that therein is. Anything that Goddid not create was not created, was not

made. In the light of this truth there isonly one Substance and because thereis only one Substance, there is nosubstance to be destroyed, to behealed, or to be improved. There is onlyone Law, and, therefore, we cannot usethe law of God to destroy any other lawor its effects. When we understand Godas Life, there is only one Life and wecan never have a life to save, or a life toheal or redeem. There is only one.

Now that we know all these things aboutGod, let us look at them as landmarksalong the road we have been traveling,but landmarks we have long sincepassed; and let us forget all of them. Noone is ever going to find God until he isstripped of all his concepts of God, until

he leaves behind every synonym forGod he has ever heard and launchesforth into the unknown to discover theUnknowable. There is no such thing asa thought about God or a concept ofGod that is correct, because a conceptalways remains a concept.

How, then, do we arrive at a realizationof what God is? After we have becomewell-grounded in the letter of truth, therecomes a time when we must be willingto admit that all our knowledge aboutGod has been in the realm of theintellect, and that nothing we can knowwith the mind is absolute truth. Nothingthat we can think about God is truth;nothing we can read in a book aboutGod is truth, because these representmerely limited, human opinions aboutGod. To John, God was revealed asLove, but we cannot accept that astruth, because we do not know whatlove is in the sense in which John

understood and used the term. ToJesus, God was Father, because thedeeper meaning of that word wasrevealed within the consciousness ofJesus. The realization of God mustcome as an individual unfoldment toevery aspirant on the spiritual path.

During the years of my own unfoldmentit was necessary for me to let thesecommonly accepted synonyms for Goddrop away one by one, because it wasnot possible for me to know what thosewho revealed them meant by their useof these terms. When every concepthad been brushed aside, I was left withthe term "the Infinite Invisible." Why "theInfinite Invisible"? Because the InfiniteInvisible did not mean anything that I

could understand. Neither you nor I cangrasp the Infinite; neither you nor I cansee the Invisible. The Infinite Invisible isa term that denotes something whichcannot be comprehended by the finitemind. That does not mean, however,that the Infinite Invisible is the correctterm for God. It is correct for me,because it pro-vides me with a term



which my mind cannot encompass. Thatsatisfies me. If I could grasp themeaning of the Infinite Invisible, it wouldbe within the range of my humancomprehension, and I do not want thatkind of a God.

God cannot be known with the humanmind, but if we listen and are still, in thatstillness, God reveals Itself. Right wherewe are God is. ". . . Whither shall I fleefrom thy presence? . . . if I make my bedin hell, behold thou art there." Thepresence of God is within our.consciousness. We do not have toreach out for God even mentally, or

pursue God as if He were afar off or asif He were something difficult to attain.Many have found as they gave up theirfrantic search for God, learned to bestill, and ceased the parrot-likerepetition of meaningless words andphrases, that one day there came anawakening and they discovered thatGod had been right there beside themall the time, quietly whispering, "Waitwhy don't you stop and let Me havesomething to say?" How would that Mespeak to us in a moment ofhelplessness, if we were out on adesert, lost, with no way for us to findhuman help, and no way for human helpto find us? As we listen, we hear Itswhispered words:

The place whereon I stand is holyground. Whither shall I flee from thySpirit? "Yea, though I walk through thevalley of the shadow of death, I will fearno evil: for thou art with me." Alone, yetnot alone; helpless, yet not helpless;divine help is here where I am, and itdoes not have to find me, and do nothave to find it. God is here where I am.

The kingdom of God is within me, for Iand the Father are one. God is not lost,and I am sure God has not lost me. If Iam here, God is also here.

This is a powerful meditation. We havenot asked, begged, or pleaded foranything. We have recognized the truthknown to Jesus, John, Paul, Moses, andElijah, the truth every one of themrevealed, that where I am, God is. It is auniversal teaching that has been knownto every master and spiritual teacherthroughout the ages, but it has been lostthrough the worship of a far-off God andthrough the belief that God and His

beloved Son are separate beings.

In this meditation we realize that God iswithin our own being, but not confinedwithin the limits of our flesh. No surgeoncan operate and find God, yet God iswithin our own consciousness, closerthan breathing and nearer than handsand feet. If we are ever in a place ofdiscord, let us never forget that oursalvation is closer than breathing,because I and the Father are one.

Look at that statement, "I and my Fatherare one." Visualize a figure one and seecontained in that figure one the Father,the Son, and the Holy Ghost. That oneis God, the Creative Principle, invisible;that one is the Son, appearing as the

figure one; that one is the invisible HolyGhost, which maintains and sustains theSon throughout all eternity. That onenever becomes a two; it never becomesa minus one, because there issomething inherent in it that maintainsits oneness.



Just so every person is one with God.That oneness includes God, the Father;the Son, the individual identity; and theHoly Ghost, the activity of God, whichmaintains and sustains this oneness,the individual identity, called Ruth,Robert, or Joel. That which we see isnot all there is to Ruth, Robert, or Joel;there is more than the eyes behold,because right where this form appearsis the creative Principle, the sustainingActivity. There is an individual identitycalled Robert: Robert, the Son; plusRobert, the Father; plus the Holy GhostGod, the Father; God, the Son; God, theHoly Ghost. This breaks down every

sense of separation from God. Theactivity of God maintains each individualidentity unto eternity, supports it, feedsit, sustains it, and bestows upon it Itsabundance, success, and grace. Let usstand still and be fed, maintained,sustained, and directed by this invisibleForce, whose function it is to be theMessiah.

The purpose of this meditation is toarrive at the real meaning of oneness,the inner meaning of the statement, "Iand my Father are one?' Let us centerour attention on this statement.Sometimes we may find it difficult tohold our attention to one thread ofthought for any length of time, but if welose the thread, we can gently come

back to it in this way:

"I and my Father are one." As a wave isone with the ocean. so am I one withGod; as a sunbeam is an emanation ofthe sun itself, so am I one with God.Therefore, I can never be lost. I cannever be alone. The presence of God is

here where I am, in this very placewhere I find myself, even though I call ithell. In the valley of the shadow ofdeath, I shall not fear, for God is withme.

I will never leave you nor forsake you.Before Abraham was I am. BeforeAbraham was, I was with you, and I willbe with you unto the end of the world. Iin the midst of thee am mighty: I in theeand thou in me and we are one.Whithersoever thou goest, I will go;whithersoever thou goest—east or west,north or south, in the sky above or thesea below—whithersoever thou goest, I

will go. I will never leave thee norforsake thee. If you walk through thewaters, you will not drown, for I am withthee. If you go through the fiery furnace,the flames will not kindle upon you, for Iam with thee.

The nature of God is I. Quietly, humblyrealize that that I whom you havethought to be you, that I whom you havethought to have problems is God. Howthen can you that I have problems orknow limitation? If you believe that Godis your Father and my Father, and thatthat Father is within you, how far canyou ever be from guidance, fromprotection, from supply? When yourealize the nature of God to be I—fromthen on, I have no problems.

It is not likely that any of us will be facedwith the unusual situation of being loston a desert, but let us never doubt for amoment that at some time or other weshall find ourselves in some kind of awilderness only to discover that Godappears to us as manna from the sky,water from a rock, or the opening of a



sea. From Genesis to Revelation, theBible is the history of your life and ofmine. In some degree, whateverhappened to Moses will happen to us;whatever happened to Elijah, to Jesus,to John, to Paul, will, in some measure,take place in our experience. We maybe in some wilderness only to learn thatwhere we are God is, that the placewhereon we stand is holy ground. Thevoice of the Lord will direct us in the waywe should go. We shall not hear thisdirection if we believe that the voice ofGod was reserved for Jesus, Isaiah,Elijah, or Moses, two or three thousandyears ago. We are able to hear it only if

we can accept God as one: God, theuniversal Father; and God, the Son.

All meditation on God is fruitless, unlesswe realize that what is true of God istrue of us as infinite individual being.Only as we establish the infinite natureof God's being as the nature ofindividual being, do we complete therealization that brings harmony into ourexperience.

The nature of God is I, that I whichdwells in the midst of us, that I which werecognize to be individualized as ourown being. This I is not the body we seewith our eyes; it is not the egotistical "I"which believes that a human being hasall power or that a human being is God;

but it is that gentle I which looks outfrom the center of our being. The humanself-centered "I" must "die daily" that thedivine I may be born again in us, andour divine relationship be revealed.

God is individual being. God is yourbeing; God is my being; God is thebeing of every form of life human,

animal, vegetable, mineral. God isindividual being. God is the law, the life,the soul, the substance of individualbeing, and, therefore, all that God is, Iam: "all that the Father hath is mine."That is beautiful scripture, but it is of nopractical value unless we become livingembodiments of that principle.

God is my individual being; Godconstitutes my being; God is the life, thesoul of my being, the spirit. God is thevery substance of which my body isformed. God is the only law governingme not laws of lack or limitation; notlaws of food, climate, or digestion; not

laws of medical belief or theologicalbelief God is the only law. God's law is alaw of immortality, eternality, andperfection; it is self-maintained and self-sustained.

Temptation to believe that we have abeing separate and apart from God maycome to us in one form or another. Thetemptation may come when a call forhealing reaches us. Our first responsemay be, "Oh, I haven't enoughunderstanding." If we are alert torecognize the truth of God as individualbeing, we shall realize:

Of course, I haven't enoughunderstanding and I never shall haveenough understanding to heal anyone or

anything. Health does not come throughmy understanding. This health mustcome as the activity of the Christ, notbecause of my understanding—notbecause of what I know, or do not know.I am a willing instrument, Father. I amwilling to be still; I am willing to let theactivity of Thy being be my being andThy grace the sufficiency unto this



individual or this situation. "I can of mineown self do nothing. . . ." I, the Son, ambut the instrument for I, the Father.

God, alone, is the source and fount ofall that is: of all supply, of all health, andof all relationships. If we use our moneyas if it were being taken from our ownstorehouse, we shall find our supplyreduced by just that much; unless wehave recognized that this money doesnot really belong to us it belongs to God,because "the earth is the Lord's and thefullness thereof." All supply is in and ofGod. When we spend, therefore, let usspend as if it were God's abundance

and not ours that we are using. Then weshall find that we do not have lessinstead there will be twelve baskets fullleft over. This was the principle theMaster was illustrating when hemultiplied the loaves and fishes.

The Bible teaches that the earth is theLord's and the fullness thereof. Evenwhile we are repeating such words,however, many of us still believe thatGod's abundance is something separateand apart from us, and that at somepoint or other there is a transfer actionwhere that which belongs to Godbecomes ours. This is as ludicrous asthinking that the beautiful flowersgrowing in our garden belong to us. Allnature would laugh at such an idea.

God is the source of every flower thatblooms in a garden. God is the sourceof everything. What difference does itmake whether the fullness of the Lordblooms as a flower or as a dollar? Thereis no point of transfer between thatwhich is in God and that which is in us.All that is in God is in us at this verymoment, because "I and my Father are

one" God, the Father, the creativePrinciple, invisible; God, the Son, thevisible; and God, the invisible HolyGhost, the maintaining and sustaininginfluence.

This is the teaching of the Master: to"deny thyself" or to "die daily." This isthe teaching of Paul: to let mortality bedropped so that we may be clothed withimmortality and God be revealed in allIts glory as individual being. As long asthere is a personal "I" attempting toachieve anything, accomplish anything,get anything; there is a selfhoodstruggling to maintain itself, separate

and apart from God. But it is possible todie daily; it is possible to deny self,because the only denying of self is adenial that I can of myself be or haveanything: that I can of myself be good;that I can of myself be spiritual; that Ican of myself have spiritual power; that Ican of myself have health; or that I canof myself have wealth. That is the onlydenying of self there is, and that is dyingdaily. It is ceasing to try to gainsomething for our-selves. The lessonitself is easy: Let us not desire to addmore fish, bigger fish, or better fish toour nets. Let us deny that we have anyneed of fish, because all the fish in thesea belong to God, and everything thatbelongs to God belongs to us. Indenying the personal sense of self, we

glorify the Self which we really are -- theGod-Self. The God-Self is our truebeing, and the measure of our Selfhoodis infinity.

In recognizing God as individual being,we are recognizing infinity at the centerof our own being, an infinity which wecan permit to flow out from us to the



world. The very moment, however, thata thought of getting, acquiring,demonstrating, or achieving anythingenters our thoughts, we block or preventthis infinity from escaping. When werecognize that we are but the instrumentfor Its entrance into humanconsciousness, then, we carry with usthe spiritual, holy atmosphere of theallness of God within our very being.Without a trace of egotism, with nodesire for personal glory or profit, werealize that anyone, anywhere, who insincerity comes to us for God's grace,can receive it. God's grace is asufficiency unto the situation—not our

knowledge or possessions. Then inpeace and in quietness the flow beginsto pour out from us as warmth, asrelease, as joy. To be able to be still andknow that the "I" of us is God, that thatGod is our individual being interiorselfhood, internal nature, character, andquality and that all that God is, is flowingout from us into visible manifestationand expression as us, automaticallysets us free.

When our relationship to God isestablished, we can travel the worldover without purse and without scrip.We can begin each and every day anewwith nothing and in a short time find ourevery need fulfilled. We, humanly, shallnot be desiring to acquire or achieve it,

but we shall be living the principle:

God is my individual being. All that theFather is, I am; all that the Father hathis embodied within my consciousness. Itdoes not come to me; I am but theinstrument through which it flows tothose who are not yet aware of thisgreat truth of their relationship to God.

Wherever the need is, there isfulfillment. Fulfillment exists inconsciousness as the consciousness ofindividual being, and that consciousnessis God. Fulfillment involves a transitionin consciousness. It may require days,weeks, or months of meditation beforewe come to the realization that God isindividual being and that the placewhereon we stand is holy ground. Neveragain can there be a need or desire,without its being instantly fulfilled fromwithin, as the fulfillment ofconsciousness. God is ourconsciousness; God fulfills Itself, daily

and hourly, in every form necessary. Thebasis of this realization is God asindividual being.

Since God is individual consciousness,we can, with faithfulness, persistence,and perseverance, reach the kingdom ofGod within us and bring it forth into ourexperience, so that it takes over ourentire life. This God-consciousness canfulfill Itself only in proportion as wenullify the personal sense of "I." Goingto God without a single desireeliminates the "I" in large measure,because it is only the personal "I" whocould have a wish, a desire, or a will.We turn to God to receive a spiritualblessing or benediction, and no oneknows what will be the nature of his

particular spiritual blessing orbenediction. "Eye hath not seen, nor earheard, neither have entered into theheart of man, the things which God hathprepared for them that love him. ButGod hath revealed them unto us by hisSpirit."



When the Finger of God touches us, Itmay place us in a completely differentlife if that be Its destiny for us. For eachof us there is a destiny; we are not allintended to engage in the same kind ofactivity:

Now there are diversities of gifts, but thesame Spirit. . . . And there arediversities of operations; but it is thesame God which worketh all in all. . . .

For to one is given by the Spirit, theword of wisdom; to another the word ofknowledge, by the same Spirit;

To another the working of miracles; toanother prophecy; to another discerningof spirits; to another divers kinds oftongues; to another the interpretation oftongues;

But all these worketh that one and theselfsame Spirit, dividing to every manseverally as he will.

For as the body is one, and hath manymembers, and all the members of thatone body, being many, are one body; soalso is Christ.

God works as bridge builders, coalminers, teachers, salesmen, lawyers,artists, ministers; and it is God, the

infinite Intelligence, at the center of ourbeing, which determines our specialform of expression. To know what Itsdestiny is for us, we must touch thiscenter within us in meditation.

The degree of fulfillment experienced isin proportion to the degree ofconsciousness unfolding. Wherever we

are at this moment in life represents thedegree of God-life unfolded in consciousexpression, and we can change thatexpression by opening ourconsciousness for a greater flow. Thosewho open themselves to God throughmeditation are at one with the InfiniteInvisible. God uses the mind, soul, andbody as instruments for Its activity andunfoldment, and the grace of Godflowing through them is a benediction tothe world:

"My grace is sufficient for thee." Thygrace is not only my sufficiency, but Thygrace is the sufficiency of all those who

come within range of my thought.Father, I am an instrument throughwhich this invisible blessing may appearin the world for those who seek Thee.The kingdom of God is within me, thekingdom of righteousness; it is Thykingdom and Thy power and Thy grace.Thy grace is a blessing and abenediction to all who are in the world. Itis my joy that this blessing thisbenediction of God, this grace of God—shall flow equally to friend or foe, nearor far, that it shall flow to those of anynationality, race, or faith who lift theirhearts to God. It is my joy that all thosewho honestly lift their thought or voice toGod shall find their benediction andblessing through Thy grace which flowsthrough me.

CHAPTER VTHE DIFFICULTIES

If we practice the foregoing meditationsfaithfully, undoubtedly many questionswill arise as to certain procedures in



meditation: What about the extraneousthoughts that race through the mind?Should we expect to see visions? Isthere a definite length of time for eachmeditation? How much understanding isnecessary? Does diet have any bearingon the effectiveness of meditation? Isany particular posture necessary ordesirable?

Let us consider the question of posturefirst. Meditation is most easily practicedwhen we are not conscious of the body.It we sit in a straight chair, with feetplaced squarely on the floor, the backstraight as it normally should be, the

chin in, and both hands resting in thelap, the body should not intrude itselfinto our thoughts. This normal andnatural position we should be able tomaintain for five, ten, or twenty minutes,without thought reverting to the body.

There is nothing mysterious aboutposture. In the Orient, few people sit onchairs; therefore, it is natural for them tomeditate sitting on the floor with theirlegs crossed. In that position, they arecomfortable; but we, of the Occident,would find such posture not only difficultto achieve, but, for most of us, veryuncomfortable to maintain.

If it is remembered that in meditation ourwhole attention is to be focused on God

and the things of God, it will be readilyunderstood that in meditating it is wisefor the body to be in a natural orcomfortable position, so that theattention is not drawn to the body. Theonly reason for assuming any particularposture is to make it easier to center theattention on God and to becomereceptive to Its infinite power. In

meditation, a change within the systemis noticeable. The spine is erect; thechest is high; the breathing becomesslower, and thoughts race through themind less and less until they finallycease.

Meditation is a conscious experience.As suggested earlier, it is a great help tobegin meditation with some question,thought, or specific idea on which wewish enlightenment. We begin with theidea of receiving an unfoldment fromGod. If we realize that meditation is aconscious activity of our Soul, there willbe no danger of our falling asleep or

becoming drowsy. Two or three minutesof meditation should be enough to driveaway the weariness one sometimesfeels at the end of a strenuous day'swork. We cannot go to sleep with amind open, waiting for instruction.Those who fall asleep during meditationfail to make it a conscious experience.At a certain stage of meditation, sleepmay come, but such sleep is not alapsing into unconsciousness. Theactivity of consciousness wouldcontinue during sleep. Meditation is not

just a lazy sitting back and saying, "Allright, God, you go ahead." It is aquickening alertness and yet it is the"peace that passeth understanding."

Let us be sure there is that peace. We

must make certain that there is no strainin connection with meditation. We arenot going to take the kingdom of God byforce by mental or physical power.When meditation begins to be an effort,stop it; or we shall defeat our purpose. Itis not necessary to meditate for anyspecific period of time. If the meditationhas been of only one minute's duration,



let us be satisfied, because if we havebeen keeping our mind stayed on Godfor but half a minute, we have startedthe flow.

Meditation is a difficult art to master.Were it not so difficult, the whole worldwould long ago have mastered itstechnique. In my own experience, eightmonths of from five to ten meditations aday were necessary, before I receivedthe very first "click" or sense of thePresence within eight months ofmeditating day and night. Furthermore, Ihad no knowledge that such a thing asmaking a contact with God was

possible, or that it would accomplishanything once it was achieved. Therewas, however, deep within me, anunwavering conviction that it waspossible to touch something greaterthan myself, to merge with a higherpower. Nobody whom I knew had gonethat way before me; nobody hadprepared the ground for me. There wasonly that inner conviction that if I couldtouch God, at the center of my being, Itwould take hold of my life, my work, mypractice, and my patients. By the end ofeight months, I was able to achieve onesecond of realization perhaps it was noteven one second. I do not know how tomeasure time when it involves less thana second, but it certainly was less thana second of realization. It was another

week before the next second ofrealization came, and many days beforethe third one. A whole week intervenedbefore the fourth moment of realizationwas achieved; then, it happened twicein one day. Finally, the day came whenthe realization seemed to last for aneternity and that eternity was certainlyfar less than a minute. It was probably

three years before I learned that if I gotup at four o'clock, sometime betweenthen and eight in the morning, I wouldfeel that "click" or awareness that God ison the field. Some days the "click" camewithin five minutes and some days ittook the whole four hours, but neverafter that did I leave for my office untilthe Presence had been realized.

Now there are never less than nine orten hours out of the twenty-four givenover to meditation not in one singleperiod, but five minutes at a time, tenminutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes.There is no regular schedule:

Sometimes I go to bed at eight o'clockin the evening, get up at about ten-thirty,and meditate from then until threeo'clock; then back to bed again until fouror four-thirty, up again and in meditationuntil dawn. Moreover, whenever anyonecomes to see me, after I have let himtalk for a few minutes, we meditate. Thisis the way constant, constantmeditation, a constant turning within sothat the inner impulse is kept fresh.

As we advance in this work, if we permitourselves to be deprived of our periodsof contemplation, by the pressure ofbusiness or the demands of increasingresponsibility, we shall miss the way.Once the Christ center has beentouched, it is possible that outer

activities may increase to such anextent that they encroach upon the timewhich should be devoted to meditation.Too great an indulgence in the things ofthis world might soon take from us thespiritual gift which is infinitely morevaluable than any material thing we maysacrifice. The Master withdrew from themultitudes to commune alone in the



wilderness and on the mountaintop. We,too, must withdraw from our families,our friends, and our human obligationsfor those periods of communionnecessary to our inner development andunfoldment. An hour or two ofmeditation or communion, with nopurpose or desire of any kind, brings theexperience of God to us in an everdeepening measure. Frequently thequestion of diet in relation to meditationis raised. Is there any special diet which,if followed, will enhance one's spiritualcapacity? Are certain foods to beavoided by the aspirant on the spiritualpath? Should one refrain from the eating

of meat? At every stage of ourunfoldment we are tempted to believethat something we do or think in thehuman realm will help us in thedevelopment of our spiritual awareness.This is a false assumption. On thecontrary, it is the development of ourspiritual awareness that changes oureveryday habits and mode of living. Asthe aspirant progresses along thespiritual path, he may find himself eatingless and less meat and, ultimately, mayreach the point of being unable to eatany meat at all. Let us not, however,believe that there is virtue in some act ofomission or commission, that some formof material sacrifice will increase ourspirituality. Spirituality is developedthrough the reading of spiritual

literature, the hearing of spiritualwisdom, the association with those onthe spiritual path, and through thepractice of meditation. The kingdom ofGod is found by inner realization. Theouter transformation in one's dietaryhabits is a direct result of an innerspiritual grace; it is a result of thespiritualizing process taking place in

consciousness. Abstaining from theeating of meat is not a means ofdeveloping inner spiritual grace; but thedevelopment of inner spiritual graceleads to the renunciation of such thingson the outer plane.

Another question that arises is in regardto psychic visions. Are suchmanifestations a desirable or necessarypart of the experience of meditation?Psychic visions, such as seeing colorsor being confronted with an apparition ofa super-natural character, may havesome relevancy to our humanexperience, but remember this: they are

entirely on the psychic level or in themental realm of consciousness. Inspiritual literature, these visions arenever referred to or considered asspiritual experiences. Psychicexperiences have nothing to do with theworld of Spirit. The psychic world ofseeing visions, colors, or anything ofthat nature is left behind in therealization that right here and now weare spiritual beings, the manifestation ofall that God is. For that reason, let usnot linger in the psychic realm, but riseabove it into the pure atmosphere ofSpirit.

Many times in meditation we attain asense of peace or harmony therealization of the presence of the Christ.

These are inspiring experiences, but wemust be willing to give up even thatdeep peace and rise to the next higherlevel of consciousness in which theattaining of that peace is of nosignificance or importance whatsoever.Having realized the ever presence ofthe Christ, is it necessary to have anykind of an emotional reaction? Whether



we feel emotionally satisfied oremotionally starved will make nodifference, since we shall have realizedthat the activity of the Spirit is an eternalthing, always with us.

One of the greatest hindrances tomeditation is the fear that we do nothave enough understanding with whichto begin this practice. The Psalmistforever disposed of such fear and doubtwhen, in the 147th Psalm, his heart andlips sang forth the praises of God:"Great is our Lord, and of great power:his understanding is infinite." It is Hisunder-standing, not ours, which is

important. Let us give up all thisnonsense about our not having enoughunderstanding or about our having sucha great understanding. We mustremember, it is His understanding. Inquietness and confidence, therefore, letus turn within to let truth reveal itself.There is no limit to understanding, if ourdependence is on God's understandingrather than on our own. There is not aperson reading this book who does nothave sufficient understanding to beginthe practice of meditation and, thereby,enter the kingdom of God. By grace,even the thief on the cross was enabledto enter paradise "this day," and we, too,by grace can enter the gates of heavenat this very moment.

The major difficulty with meditation is, ofcourse, the inability to hold the thoughtin one direction This is neither your faultnor mine, but is partially the result of theaccelerated tempo of modern living. Theinfant is given a rattle, and as soon ashe outgrows that he is given another toy.His entire attention from infancy throughadolescence and into adulthood is

centered on people and things, so that ifhe ever found himself alone, he wouldbe overcome by fright. Most peoplehave never learned how to sit down bythem-selves and be quiet; many of themhave never learned how to be quiet longenough even to read a book. Ourculture has focused attention on thethings of the world to such an extentthat we have lost the capacity to sitquietly and ponder an idea.

When we close our eyes in an attemptto meditate, we are amazed to discovera boiler factory inside of us. All sorts ofthoughts flash through our minds,

simple things such as: Did I disconnectthe electric iron? Did I turn on therefrigerator? Did I put the cat outside?Other thoughts, not so simple orunimportant, come in thoughts of fear ordoubt. Let us not be afraid of thesethoughts; they are world thoughts. Weare like antennas picking up all thebroadcasts of the world. If we disregardthese world thoughts, in a few days orweeks they will die for lack of feeding.Only as we accept them as ourthoughts, do we feed them.

Although our object is to attain aquietness and receptivity, we shouldnever try to still the human mind; nevertry to stop thinking or to blank out ourthoughts. It cannot be done. When we

begin to meditate and thoughts of anunruly nature come, we shouldremember that they are world thoughts,not our thoughts. Let them come. Wewill sit back and watch them, see themimpersonally. Eventually they will stop,and we will be at peace. As often as ourthought wanders in meditation, wegently come back, with no impatience,



to the subject of the meditation. Therewill come a time, as we continue in thispractice, when these extraneousthoughts will not impinge on ourconsciousness. We will have starvedthem by neglect. We will have madeourselves so unreceptive to them by notfighting them that they will not return toplague us. But if we fight them, they willbe with us forever.

In meditation we must be very patient inour endeavor to conquer any sense ofunrest. No truth that we do not alreadyknow is going to be given to us fromwithout, but the light presented on that

truth from within our own Soul makes itapplicable in our experience. Truth thatcomes from without is a meresemblance of truth; it is the truthrevealed within our own consciousnesswhich becomes the "light of the world"to all who come within range of it. "1, if Ibe lifted up from the earth, will draw allmen unto me." Meditation will lift us tothe point where we apprehend the wordof truth in its inner significance. Therhythm of the universe takes possessionof us. 'We do not move; we do not think;but we feel that we are in tune, thatthere is a rhythm to life, that there is aharmony of being. This is more thanpeace of mind; this is the spiritual peacewhich passeth understanding.

In order to enter into the mystical life,we must master the ability to remain inthe silence without thought. This is themost difficult part of all spiritual practice.In no way is this a cessation orrepression of thought, or an efforttoward such; instead, it is such a deepcommunion with God that thought stopsof its own accord. In that moment of

silence, we begin to understand that thedivine mind, or cosmic consciousness,is an infinite intelligence imbued withlove, and it functions as our being, whenconscious thinking has been stilled.

In our everyday life, we may have oneplan in mind and the cosmic mind mayhave another, but we shall never knowits plan so long as we are busilyengaged in thinking, scheming, andreacting to the activities and distractionsof the world. To receive the divine graceof the cosmic mind, there must beperiods when the human mind is in astate of quiescence. The individual who

is Master of his destiny has reached thestate of consciousness where nothing inthis world is of any importance to him.Only that is significant which takes placewhen he has risen above the sea ofthought. In that high place the divinethought, the divine activity ofconsciousness, reveals itself. This doesnot mean that our mind must or willbecome a total blank, but it does meanthat throughout the day and night wemust have several periods of time inwhich there is no desire other than the

joy of communion with God. It is in thiscomplete stillness and respite fromthinking that the Father takes over in ourexperience.

Before we can enter the mystical life,

the habit of continuously thinking andtalking must be transformed into thehabit of continuously listening. OurMaster spent much of his time in silentmeditation and communion, and we maybe assured that he was not asking Godfor anything of a material nature. Hewas not talking; he was listening. Hewas listening for God's direction and



instruction, for God's guidance andsupport.

It is in developing that listening abilityand receptivity that the human mind isquieted and becomes stilled to such adegree that it is an avenue or instrumentthrough which God manifests andexpresses Itself. This human mind, thisreasoning, thinking mind, is not to beput off or destroyed. It has its place. It isnot consciousness, but it is a facet ofconsciousness, an avenue ofawareness through which we re-ceiveknowledge and wisdom fromconsciousness.

Thinking is an initial step leading towardmeditation. Let us suppose that we arenot advanced to the place where we livein a constant state of receptivity. True,God is always uttering His voice, but weare not always listening. Thought maybe used to help us reach that exaltedstate of listening consciousness, but inmeditation no thought should be used inthe sense of an affirmation or denial.

Let us suppose that we desire tomeditate, but the human mind is in sucha turmoil that we do not find ourselvesimmediately in a state of quiet andpeace. Instead of attempting to blankthe mind and blot out these disturbingthoughts, we use the mind and turn to

scripture or to some other book forinspiration. Now let us see how thisoperates in the use of such a quotationas "Be still and know that I am God."The student who has learned to rely onaffirmations would repeat over and overagain, "Be still and know that I am God.Be still and know that I am God. Be stilland know that I am God," until he

reached a point of self-hypnosis and, inthat state, temporarily found himself still,To repeat continuously, "Be still andknow that I am God," is nothing butsuggestive therapy, nothing butaffirmation and denial used to hypnotizeoneself. It is not spiritual practice; it isnot spiritual power. Some people havebecome so hypnotized through the useof such an affirmation that they actuallybelieve that they, as human beings, areGod.

Now let us take that same statement,but instead of using it as an affirmation,let us discover its real meaning through

meditation:

"Be still and know that I am God." Whatdoes that mean? Of course, you know,Joel,* that you are not God. So whatdoes this mean? It says, "I am God," notthat Joel is God. That is quite different.I, yes, "I and the Father are one. • . .God in the midst of me is mighty. . . . Iand the Father are one." Yes, Joel and I,the Father, are one. The Father andJoel are one; right where I am, God iscloser than breathing, nearer thanhands or feet. Be still, Joel, because theI in you is God. You do not have to seekprotection, help, or healing anywhere. Iam with you. Be still and know that that Iis your protection, your salvation, yoursecurity.

In the contemplation of this scripturalpassage, peace enfolds us and we areat rest in a divine stillness.

A few on the spiritual path achieve thisstillness quickly and easily, but for most,the Way is long and difficult. It is not forany of us, however, to boast about the



rapidity of our progress nor to decry itsslowness, but to pursue the way withsteadfastness and unswerving purpose.Most of us have periods of gradualprogression, punctuated by interludes ofdesolation, when we feel that we havelost the way and are wandering in amaze of conflict and contradiction. Oftenwe find that, after these valleyexperiences, we go forward to newheights where unsuspected vistasspread out before us.

There are a few gifted individuals who,because of previous experiences, havebeen so well prepared that their way

seems to be much easier than others'.The purity of consciousness which theyhave developed makes the ascent intospiritual consciousness a beautiful,gradual, and harmonious journey besetwith very few problems.

For most of us the path is up and down,but by the end of a year or two there isusually a feeling that we are a traceahead of where we were the yearbefore. The prerequisite for the hearingof the still small voice, for the actualexperience of the Christ, is to prepareourselves by study, meditation, and bymingling with others on the spiritualpath. When we hear the still small voicewithin us, we have received God'sgrace, and the purpose of meditation is

being achieved.

We dare not be satisfied with anythingless than the experience of God Itself. Itis the pearl of great price. It is for eachof us to decide how much time andeffort will be given over to meditation: todetermine whether we will spend a fewspare minutes now and then or so

arrange our lives as to permit prolongedperiods of uninterrupted quiet in whichto contact the inner Presence andPower. The years necessary to thestudy and practice of meditation are notyears of sacrifice to the aspirant; ratherare they years of devotion to that whichis his goal in life. It requires patience,endurance, and determination, but if therealization of God is the motivating forcein our lives, what the world calls asacrifice of time or effort is not asacrifice, but the most intense joy.

PART TWO

MEDITATION:THE EXPERIENCE

Forward

THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART

Let the words of my mouth, and themeditation of my heart, be acceptable inthy sight, 0 Lord, my strength, and myredeemer.

PSALMS 19:14

Meditation is an experience, andinasmuch as this experience is anindividual one, it can never be confinedwithin the limits of any predeterminedpattern. Meditate; pray; dwell in thesecret place of the most High inquietness and in peace; and you willdiscover that the truth you are seeking



already abides within you. Christ, thegreat light, is within you. Christ is thehealer; Christ is the multiplier of loavesand fishes; Christ is that which supports,maintains, and sustains; but It is alreadywithin you. You will never find health,supply, or companion-ship by searchingfor them. These are embodied withinyou and they will unfold from yourwithinness, as you learn to communewith the Father. You can draw on yourChristhood for anything, and it will flowout from you to the extent of yourrealization of this truth. You are self-complete in God. Christ is your trueidentity, and in Christ, you are fulfilled in

all your completeness. In this self-completeness in God, there is only onething for which to pray; there is only onething needful spiritual illumination.Knock, and the door will be opened toyou. Ask for spiritual illumination, for thegift of the Spirit, and God will revealItself as fulfillment. In moments ofuplifted consciousness, the ensuingmeditations unfolded from within,revealing the gifts of the Spirit. Thesemeditations follow no established orprescribed pattern, but each one is anexpression of the spiritual impulseflowing into form. They are not to befollowed slavishly nor are they to beused as a formula. Their only purpose isto serve as an inspiration, so that youmay glimpse the beauty and joy of this

experience and be encouraged toundertake the discipline required todiscover the unplumbed depths of yourown within-ness and, in so doing,launch forth into deeper and everdeeper experiences of awareness.Meditation is a continuous song ofgratitude that God is love, that God ishere, and that God is now. It is resting in

God's bosom, holding God's hand, andfeeling the divine Presence. Rest in thecontemplation of the Father's love andthe Father's presence. Then you will beable to say: "My meditation of him shallbe sweet: I will be glad in the Lord."

CHAPTER VITHE EARTH IS THE LORD'S

The earth is the Lord's, and the fullnessthereof; the world, and they that dwelltherein.

PSALMS 24:1

When I consider thy heavens, the workof thy fingers, the moon and the stars,which thou hast ordained;

What is man that thou art mindful ofhim? and the son of man, that thouvisitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower

than the angels, and hast crowned himwith glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion overthe works of thy hands; thou hast put allthings under his feet.PSALMS 8:3-6

In the contemplation of God's universe,the mind is centered in God. As wequietly, gently, and peacefully observeGod in action on earth as It is in heaven,we are witnessing the glory of God.Practicing this form of meditation orcontemplation, day in and day out, willbring us to a state of consciousnesswhere discursive thought slows downand finally stops. One of these days, as



sufficiency. Can I ask for more than toknow that the Intelligence that governsthis universe is governing my individualaffairs? Should I ask for more than therealization that the love shown forth inthe creation and the maintenance of thisuniverse is governing my life, my world,my business, and my home? Thy graceis sufficient to fill the earth; it is sufficientfor my every need.

I behold God in all things and,especially, do I behold God in Its lawand in Its love. God loves the fish in thesea and provides for their food and fortheir propagation. God loves the birds in

the air and cares for them. God providesthe gentle breezes and the coolingwaters. God loves me, and hasevidenced that love by incarnating Itsown being, Its own life, Its own wisdom,and Its own love as me. I need only toobey the law the law of one power andthe law of love and then all these thingswill be added. They are God's gift,without price. The things of God aremine, given freely in the measure of myacknowledgment of God as their source.God is the great giver of the universe,the great giver of Itself to this universe,giving Its love, intelligence, wisdom,direction, and strength to all.

As we contemplate the glories of Godthat already exist, we are

acknowledging God and bearingwitness to Its grace, which has providedall this good without our having askedfor it, begged for it, or petitioned for it.We become witnesses of the activity ofGod on earth. At night, looking up at thestarry sky, no one is ever anxious abouttomorrow's sun. Not one of us will sit uptonight to pray that the sun will rise

tomorrow. God requires no supplication,information, or advice from us in regardto the government of Its universe, andeven should we pray all night in anattempt to change the hour of sunrise,there is no doubt but that the sun willrise tomorrow at its appointed time.Tomorrow night the moon and the starswill continue to move in their orbits; thetides will rise and ebb twice in everytwenty-four hours. Praying to God,petitioning God, or begging God will notchange God's law. God's work is done;God's law is in operation. In thecontemplation of the wonders of God'suniverse, we transcend the desire to

inform God of anything or to ask God foranything. Such contemplation lifts us tothe heights of the Psalmist's vision thatthe earth is the Lord's and the fullnessthereof. In a quiet, silent walk in a park,by seashore, lake, or river, in ouraloneness, we catch that vision. Welook up to the hills, to the mountains, tothe heights of consciousness, andbehold only that which God beholds andknow only that which God knows.Anything that lifts us in consciousnessabove the clamor of the senses and thenoises of this world will serve to bring usinto the presence of God. When wereach the divine heights of in-spiration,we find God. God is a deep silence;God is a stillness, the stillness of all thatis human.

Aloneness has been granted me.Whether on Bishop Street at noon,Or Kalakaua;On Waikiki at sunset,On the sands at KailuaBefore dawn,I am alone.I walk alone in crowds



And feel the solitary SelfIn the moonlight on the beach.

Aloneness has been granted me.To walk with men,To fly the skies,And sail the seas,Wherever heart is raised to Him —I walk alone.At heat of day,Or cool of eve,On shore or city street,The yearning Soul receives myAloneness.

The sick are healed;

The restless are forgiven.Alone, yet in the heartsOf those who long for peace,The restless feel my Aloneness;The hungry eat it;The thirsty drink it;It washes the impure mindsOf those who do not know,Touching the mind with Light.

Aloneness has been granted me,Alone I sit behind the prison wall;Alone I pace the sickroom floor;Whatever danger threatens,My aloneness breaks the spell,Where misery craves company,My Aloneness they may share.

Alone, I wake, and walk, and sleep—

Alone, I sit or stand.Alone, I travel sea and skyAlone, I walk and talk with menOr stroll along the shady lane.Aloneness has been granted meWherever I may be.

When through spiritual insight, we seethrough the appearance, all that we

behold in this world is showing forthGod's glory, God's work, God's law, andGod's love for His children. Theheavens and the earth were made forus; we were given dominion over them:"Thou madest him to have dominionover the works of thy hands; thou hastput all things under his feet . ." We areGod's greatest creation: God, the Soulof this universe, is manifesting Itself andsending Itself forth into individualexpression as you and as me.

CHAPTER VIIFOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

For God so loved the world, that hegave his only begotten Son, thatwhosoever believeth in him should notperish but have everlasting life.

JOHN 3:16

Behold, what manner of love the Fatherhath bestowed upon us, that we should

be called the sons of God. . .I JOHN 3:1

The secret of the beauty and glory ofholiness is God manifest God incarnatein the flesh. God so loved the world, thatHe gave Himself to this world,appearing visibly as the Son of God,which, according to His promise, I amand which you are. God is my being andGod is your being: God is our trueidentity.

Spiritually understood, this earth isheaven. Heaven and earth are one,because God has manifested Himselfupon the earth. God has given untoHimself this universe made up of the



stars, sun, moon, and planets. God hascreated for His glory this footstool whichwe call the earth. All this God hasevolved from within Himself, and for Hisglory. God, in His own great glory, ismanifested as individual being. We arenot separate and apart from God, butwe are the very essence of God, thevery selfhood of God, unfolded,revealed, and brought into activeexpression as individual being.

All things in heaven and on earth aregiven unto us because of thisrelationship of divine sonship. All thingsthat exist, exist for our purpose. As joint

heirs with Christ in God, this earth isours. From everlasting to everlasting weare fulfilled. God has ordained the lawgoverning the union of Himself with Hisbeloved Son, providing him with all thatbelongs to the Father, and drawing untothe Son all that the Father hasestablished for him, since before thefoundation of the world:

"I am come that they might have life,and that they might have it moreabundantly." I am come that you mighthave life—My Life My life, yourindividual life. My life is the life ofindividual being, knowing no age,knowing no change, knowing nodeterioration from its God-estate. Butyou must live and move and have your

being in this consciousness of ouroneness. I will never leave you norforsake you, but you must abide in MyWord, and you must let My Word abidein you. You must look unto Me and besaved.

There is a glory of the Father preparedfor the Son. There is a peace My peace

the peace that passeth understanding.This peace is embodied in the Soul ofman: it is never dependent upon anyexternal condition; it exists as the gift ofGod in the midst of us. Our mistake hasbeen in seeking peace from each other,in believing that others had the power togive or to withhold peace, or in relyingupon others for our harmony. In thisreliance on people and outercircumstances has been our failure andthe failure of the world. Only in God canpeace be found. God has given to eachone of us His infinite peace, Hiseverlasting dominion, and His allencompassing love.

God has not given us the spirit of fear,but of power, of love, and of a soundmind, because God is the very mind ofour being. We have no mind apart fromGod. Our ignorance, our fear, and ourinsanity have been in the belief of amind apart from God, the belief of a soulapart from God, a soul that could sin.God's Being is individual being, andwhen seen through spiritual vision, onlythe qualities of God and the nature ofGod comprise individual being. "I andmy Father are one . . . he that seeth meseeth him that sent me. . . . I am in theFather, and the Father in me." Spiritualdiscernment reveals God as the Fatherand God as the Son. In the realizationof this oneness is our completeness and

our perfection. There can be no peace,security, or joy separate and apart fromGod. Peace, security, and joy areinherent in God and for this reason mustbe indigenous to us through therealization of God as our own being.

The great secret of scripture is: in thebeginning God. In the beginning all that



was, was God: now and forever, all thatis, is God. God is appearing as theinfinity, glow, and strength of Its ownBeing. It is not your being or my being,but Its infinite Being which appearsoutwardly as your being and as mine —I in Him and He in me, and this oneBeing spiritual, infinite, perfect,harmonious, whole, and complete. HisBeing is perfect; His understanding isinfinite, His strength enables us tomount up as the eagle. His joyoverflows our cup. Let us acknowledgeHis joy, His health, His understanding,His peace, His harmony, His purity, andHis integrity. Let us drop "my" this or

"my" that and "your" this or "your" that.His Being, expressing, as grace, is oursufficiency in all things. His grace Hispresence, His joy, His love, Hisallness—is our sufficiency.

His love flows out as our love, but let usnot claim it as your love or as mine. Thislove is flowing as the sun is shining,freely upon all. The sun shines withoutfavoritism, never questioning the meritsor worth of the recipients of its warmthand light. The sun shines; God loves.God's love flows freely to the just andthe unjust, to the deserving and theundeserving, to the saint and the sinneralike. God's love pours into thisuniverse, giving life to the seed, strengthto the growing plants, protection to

animal, vegetable, and mineral life.God's love is the supporting andanimating influence of all creation,because all creation is Love, Itself,freely flowing.

All that is, is in and of God. There are noexceptions. There must be no labels ofcriticism or of judgment or of

condemnation. Above all things we mustnot judge after the testimony of the eyesor the ears. God is too pure to seeiniquity, and when we recognize our trueidentity as God in expression, we shallsee as God sees. As we beholdourselves spiritually endowed, webecome beholders of God appearing inall and through all. But we can do thisonly as we relinquish those judgmentsthat come to us by the seeing of the eyeand the hearing of the ear.

His infinite understanding becomes ourunderstanding. His infinite lovebecomes our love. God's blessings are

not ours because you are you or I am I.They are God's blessings unto God --God's blessings flowing unto Its ownSelf as the Son, the Father bestowingHis all as the Son. It is the Father giving,the Son receiving, and yet one, only oneFather and Son. In oneness, inconscious union with God is ourstrength; in conscious union with God isour supply; in conscious union with Godis our peace, joy, power, dominion, andour every blessing.

If God is the infinite nature of our being,what need is there to be envious, to be

jealous, to be hateful, or to beambitious? When we know that God isthe source of our inner satisfaction, howcan we long for anything external to our

own being? In this relationship, theblessings of God unfold as ourexperience.

Our Father has imparted to us Himself.In the realization of our true identity, wepartake of the very Body of God: that iseating the Body and drinking the Blood."'I have meat to eat that ye know not of.'



I can give you life -- waters that springinto life eternal -- the invisible waters,invisible wine, invisible meat." This ispartaking of the living God, or the livingWord, and watching the Word becomeflesh and dwell among us -- Godincarnate in the flesh.

CHAPTER VIIIYE ARE THE TEMPLE

Know ye not that ye are the temple ofgod . . . that your body is the temple . .of the living God."

I CORINTHIANS 16:19

The body is the temple of the living God,a temple not made with hands, notmortally conceived, but eternal in theheavens; that is, eternal in time andspace; eternal in life; eternal in spirit, insoul, and in substance. God made allthat was made, and all that God madewas made of God, partaking of the verynature of God which is eternality,immortality, and perfection. God madethe body in Its own image and likeness.

God is life. An activity of God, operatingin a seed, brings forth a child with all thepotentialities of adulthood embodied inone tiny little form -- not merely a pieceof matter, but an intelligence and a soul

accompanying that body. The Spirit ofGod does this, but, in his vanity, manhas arrogated to himself the role of acreator. Men and women have assumedthat because they were fathers andmothers they were originators, insteadof knowing that they are the instrumentsthrough which God acts to expressHimself - not to perpetuate you or me,

or my children or your children. Godoperates as love in our consciousnessto produce His own image and likeness.This expression of God we have calledyour child and mine, forgetting that thisis God's child, and not a personalcreation or a personal possession. Wepray to God to maintain and sustain ourchildren; but they are not our children:they are God's children. It is notnecessary to pray that God maintainand sustain His own children. It is God'sprerogative to create, maintain, andsustain Its own image and likeness.

God is the creator of all that is. God,

then, is the creator of man's body."Know ye not that your body is thetemple of the living God?" We call thisbody your body and my body, but it isnot ours. It is God's body, formed byHim for His pleasure, made in His imageand likeness, governed by His law, andcreated to show forth His glory.

On our Christmas trees there are lightsof all colors red, blue, purple. Electricitytransmits its light through thesemulticolored bulbs of all shapes andsizes. The bulbs, in and of themselves,are not the source of the light; they aremerely the instruments through whichthe light shines. So it is that when wesee human, animal, or plant life, wemistake their visible form for the life

which animates and is the substance ofthat form. God is the life and thesubstance of all form, the creativeprinciple of all that is. God is the activitygoverning the functions and organs ofthe body. It is God that animates all menand women. God is the wisdom, theintegrity, and the purity of the Soul ofman. God is the strength of man.



Let us not be deceived by appearances,not even by good appearances. Let usnot call one person strong and anotherone beautiful. We must look behind theappearance to the invisible Life whichmakes all this beauty of form possible.Then we can enjoy every aspect ofcreation, every appearance, whether itis the human body, an animal species,or a plant. These are forms of life, but ifwe do not understand that Life whichvitalizes these forms, they may appearas either good or bad, young or old, sickor well, rich or poor.

A limited human sense of life relies onshifting values and invests the forms lifeassumes with power for good or evil; aspiritual sense of life, however, enjoysthe form while recognizing the InfiniteInvisible as the essence of that form. Ifwe take our eyes away from the formlong enough to look behind it into theInvisible and see God as the principle ofall life, we shall understand thedifference between material living andspiritual living. The truth entertained inour consciousness is the law of life, ofharmony, and of resurrection unto ourbody.

God made this form, my infinite divineform, to show forth my true identity. Mybody is a manifestation, the image of

the I that I am. My body is anexpression of life showing forth all thatbecause my body is the I that I amformed, and formed spiritually, eternally,and immortally. I am true identity eternalidentity and my body is the temple, theinstrument of my activity and of myliving.

As against this spiritual truth, there isthat form which I see in a mirror; thereare the expressions of nature, such astrees, flowers, vegetables, and fruits.These are not spiritual being or body:these are the concepts that areentertained humanly of being and body.

If I look in a mirror, I may see myself asyoung or old, sick or well, stout or thin,but I am not seeing myself at all: I amseeing my body. That is my body, but Iam invisible. Even this body which I seewith my eyes is but a limited, finiteconcept of the body. That is the reasonthe body appears to keep changing. In

reality, the body never changes; only theconcept which I entertain about bodychanges.

Who am I? What am I? Where am I?Let us look down at our feet and askourselves: Is this I? Are these feet I orare they mine? Am I in the feet or do Ipossess these feet? Let us travel on upto the knee. Am I in the legs or arethese legs mine? If they are injured, amI hurt; or is it my legs that are injured? Isthere not an I, an identity which is notthe legs? Let us go on up to the waist,to the chest, the neck, and finally thehead. Am I in any of these or are theseparts of the body mine? Is there not an Iseparate and apart from the body, an Iwhich possesses the body? The body is

an instrument for my activity, mymovement, as much mine as is myautomobile. Am I in the ears, eyes,mouth, tongue, throat, or are they mine?Am I in this body; am I this body; or isthis body mine? Is it not a temple, aninstrument given to me for my use?



Look at my hands. Can they ofthemselves give or withhold, or must Igive or withhold using the hands as aninstrument in either case? Can myhands be generous or miserly? Have myhands the power to give or the power towithhold; or does all that power reside inme? Is there not something called "I"that gives through these hands or thatmay sometimes withhold through thesesame hands? Can the hands move upor down, left or right? Does the heartgive me permission to live or does lifeanimate the heart? If my hands cannotgive and cannot withhold, how then canmy heart give life or withhold life? If my

hands are not self-acting, how can myheart, liver, lungs, or kidneys be self-acting? As material organs, can myeyes see or my ears hear? Can theorgans of this body move of their ownaccord? Is there not something called "I"which functions through this body? Isthere not something called "I" whichwalks the street through these legs orby means of these legs? Is there not an"I" which functions through theinstrumentality of this body?

I am being; my being is not dependentupon body: my body is dependent uponmy being. The I that I am governs mybody. My body has no will of its own, nointelligence of its own, no action of itsown. My body responds to me; it is

governed by me. My body is the imageand likeness of me; my body is themanifestation of me, the I that I am.There is a Spirit in me: the breath of theAlmighty giveth me life. The activity ofGod in me governs my bodily functions,organs, and muscles. An invisible Spiritacts upon every organ and function ofmy body to maintain it and sustain it

unto eternity. Nothing from without, todefile or make a lie, can enter thistemple of the living God. Whatever is ofGod, God will maintain and sustain.Whatever is a mortal concept of mybody may pass from sight, but the truthabout my body will live forever becausemy body is the temple of the living God.

All power is in God functioning as thelaw of my body. God is the only law, justas God is the only lawgiver. All law,therefore, is spiritual, and my body isgoverned by spiritual law. Spiritual lawdoes not overcome or nullify materiallaw, but spiritual law reveals that the

material sense of law is of no effect."Stand still, and see the salvation of theLord . . . not by might, nor by power, butby my spirit." This body is the temple ofGod. I need not struggle; I need notseek healing. The battle is not mine, butGod's, and rightly understood, it is not abattle. It is a revelation that this body isthe temple of the living God and isgoverned by spiritual law. Every mortalor material concept which I haveentertained about the body dissolves inthe recognition that my body is thetemple of the living God, ageless,timeless, diseaseless, deathless. God isthe central theme of my being; God isthe central theme of my body.

God is the substance and strength of

my body. "I can do all things throughChrist which strengtheneth me. . . . TheLord is my strength and song. . . . Godis my strength and power: and hemaketh my way perfect. . . . the Lord isthe strength of my life; of whom shall Ibe afraid?" If I look to my body forstrength, I find disease, death, andweakness. If I agree that Christ is my



strength, that my divine sonship is mystrength, that the word of God in themidst of me is my strength, my youth,my vitality, my all in all, I find life eternal.

"I am the bread of life: he that cometh tome shall never hunger; and he thatbelieveth on me shall never thirst."I have water. If you ask of Me, I can giveyou water, a water that springs up intolife eternal. I do not live by bread alone.Every Word of God that comes to myconsciousness is bread, wine, water,and meat to my Soul, my spirit, mybeing, and my body. Every Word of truththat I permit to fill my consciousness is

the meat the world knows not of. EveryWord of truth I maintain inconsciousness is a wellspring of water,springing up into life everlasting.

When I am empty of the Word of God, Iam empty of sustenance. The mostpalatable food is like so much sawdust

—mere bulk in my system unless theWord of God accompanies it to act as alaw of digestion, assimilation, andelimination.

I am the wine, the inspiration, thespiritual wisdom. I am that whichenlightens and uplifts. God it is thatenlightens and uplifts; God it is thatinspires; God it is that illumines. I canknow all things through Christ which is

my wisdom: the Son of God in me is mywisdom. The Word of God in me isbread, wine, water. The world knoweth itnot; I keep it hidden secretly within me,because if the world knew, it would notunderstand. The Word of God in themidst of me is mighty, revealing theperfect temple of God my body, the

body not made with hands, eternal inthe heavens.

In this type of meditation, we drop allform and go beyond the visible to theInvisible. Then, we shall behold theInvisible upholding the visible. We mustlive and move and have our being inGod-consciousness. Let us live, dwell inthe secret place of the most High. Thenwe shall see the body as it really is: thetemple not made with hands eternal inthe heavens. "Behold the tabernacle ofGod is with men, and he will dwell withthem. . . . and there shall in no wiseenter into it anything that defileth,

neither whatsoever workethabomination, or maketh a lie."

CHAPTER IXTHE SILVER IS MINE

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,saith the Lord of hosts.

The glory of this latter house shall begreater than of the former, saith theLord of hosts.

HAGGAI 2:8, 9

Except the Lord build the house, theylabour in vain that build it.

PSALMS 127:1

"Except the Lord build the house,"unless God is understood to be thesource of our supply, there is nopermanent supply. This "house" is ourindividual consciousness: When thisconsciousness is unenlightened humanconsciousness, it is barren; it lacks the



spiritual substance from which supplyflows.

"Ye have sown much, and bring in little;ye eat, but ye have not enough; yedrink, but ye are not filled with drink; yeclothe you, but there is none warm; andhe that earneth wages earneth wages toput it into a bag with holes." All this istrue of you "ye," the unenlightenedconsciousness. As human beings, we allhave sown much and reaped little; wehave worked hard and many timesaccomplished nothing; we have earnedwages and often have had nothing left,because all this came from an

unenriched, barren consciousness. Outof the barrenness of humanconsciousness, regardless of what webuild, our efforts are not permanent orlasting. We eat, and hunger again; wedrink, and thirst again; we engage in allthe activities of human life, but nothingendures. "It is vain . . . to rise up early,to sit up late" trying to demonstratesupply.

Then we are told: "Thus saith the Lordof hosts; Consider your ways." With thisadmonition, comes the instruction to goup to the mountain: to go up into a highstate of consciousness; to go into thehigh places, and from there "bring wood,and build the house." Every time wemeditate or fill ourselves with "the meat

ye know not or or the water of life or thewine of life, or the bread of life, meaningspiritual substance and food, we arebuilding the house of spiritualconsciousness, a consciousness oftruth.

When that house has been built, theLord says, "I will take pleasure in it, andI will be glorified." Now we speak of I:

Yet now be strong, 0 Zerubbabel, saiththe Lord; and be strong, 0 Joshua, sonof Josedech, the high priest; and bestrong, all ye people of the land, saiththe Lord, and work: for I am with you,saith the Lord of hosts:

. . . . . .

For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yetonce, it is a little while, and I will shakethe heavens, and the earth, and the

sea, and the dry land;

And I will shake all nations, and thedesire of all nations shall come: and Iwill fill this house with glory, saith theLord of hosts.

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,saith the Lord of hosts:

The glory of this latter house shall begreater than of the former, saith theLord of hosts: and in this place will I givepeace, saith the Lord of hosts.

HAGGAI 2:4, 6-9

Before this, it was all "ye"; it was ours,and no matter how much of it we had, itcame to little. Now let us turn and

acknowledge that the silver is the Lord'sand the power is the Lord's. Let usbegin to understand that the earth is theLord's and the fullness thereof. The I,within us, is multiplying out of theunseen resources of Spirit not takinganything from anyone, not dividing thatwhich is al-ready in the world, and notdrawing upon the visible resources of



the earth. Now supply is multiplied fromwithin us. Now we are drawing forthfrom the invisible storehouse of our ownbeing. Our individual consciousness isthe storehouse of infinite spiritualunfoldment. The moment we begin todraw from this inexhaustible storehouse,which never takes account of what is inthe visible world, we cease beingconcerned with how much or how littlewe have, or with whether the currenteconomic status of the world be one ofprosperity or depression. God has givento us infinite bounty, and it is unlimited inits expression, as long as we recognizethat the earth is the Lord's; the silver is

the Lord's; and the gold is the Lord's. Itis only when we are trying to get ourshare of the world's goods, believingthat the earth, the silver, and the goldare personal possessions, belonging tohuman beings, that we are limited. Asense of finiteness creeps in, andregardless of the number and amount ofpersonal possessions acquired, there isoften nothing left over. In the realizationthat the silver is Mine and the gold isMine, we draw on such an infinitesource that the more we use the moreremains. When we have God, we havethe infinity of supply.

We experience lack or we are suppliedaccording to our state of consciousness.Whatever is to appear in our life must

appear as the result of the activity oftruth in our consciousness. If wemaintain the same consciousnesstomorrow that we have today, we cannotexpect any different results tomorrow. Toenjoy a more satisfying experiencetomorrow, there must be an expandingactivity of truth in our consciousnesstoday.

As we begin to understand that God isour individual consciousness, and thatGod is infinite, we perceive the truenature of supply as that which isinvisible; we no longer judge byappearances as to the amount of oursupply, nor do we ever come to thatplace where there is an absence ofsupply. Never can an individual with aconsciousness of supply lack the formsof supply. During wars or suddendepression, or during a period of stressand strain, such as the Hebrewsexperienced on their journey from Egyptto the Promised Land, there may be a

temporary absence of the forms ofsupply. But with the wisdom that supplyis the Infinite Invisible appearing asform, "the years of the locust" arequickly restored, and supply is revealedas omnipresent and abundant.

We can draw on our Christhood foranything, anything at all, to the extent ofour realization of this truth. There maybe a multitude clamoring to be fed andno store-house or barn from which todraw food only a few loaves and fishes.How can they be fed? As human beings,there is no alternative except starvation;but as Christ-being, we turn to theFather within, and draw forth from thedepths of the infinity of our own beingan abundance of supply, of food, or

whatever is necessary. Out of ourChristhood, the infinite nature of ourbeing, can flow millions of words,millions of ideas, and why not millions ofdollars. What is the difference? Thesource is the same; the substance is thesame: in the beginning was God, andGod was Spirit; everything that comesforth comes from the Father, from Spirit.



brought it home, I did blow upon it.Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Becauseof mine house that is waste, and ye run,every man unto his own house" to hisown intellect, his own sense of wisdom,his own spirituality, instead of to God,the Infinite Invisible, the source andfount of his being.

In going within, we do not turn to ourown spirituality or our own goodness orour own strength or our own knowledge;but we go within to unleash the InfiniteInvisible. The only permanence is in thatcompleteness which comes throughGod, through the realization of the

spiritual nature of our being, and theability to let it manifest and express itselfin whatever direction it may take.

In this stillness, as we touch this visionof our oneness with the Father, Godpours Its infinite good through us. Weshall find that, without any strain orstruggle, leaves will unfold, little budswill bloom, and by standing still, active inthe work that is given us to do each day,the fruitage will follow. Each one of ushas some kind of work to do today. If wedo that work today, without concern fortomorrow, in the realization that God,through the invisible Christ of our being,is ever pouring Its essence, substance,and bounty into us, the next daysomething else is given us to do.

Tomorrow there may be anothermission, another work, or anotheractivity for us. Nothing can keep ourwork from us. When the Christ has beenrealized, Its activity can never beimpaired, impeded, delayed, orhindered. God has a way of wiping awayevery obstruction. Nothing can prevent

the fruitage from appearing in our lifewhen its time has come. When thatmoment comes, the God-force willthrust it into expression, just asinexorably as the unborn child isexpelled from the womb, when itsmoment arrives to appear on the scene.

The government is on His shoulder. Aswe listen to that I that is deep within ourown being, we are led of the Spirit. Webehold the hand of God reaching rightup through us, in us, coming out intomanifestation and placing Its glory in ourexperience as our activity. We witnessthe hand of God within us as it offers up

its good; our good corning to us fromwithin us, not from without, but from thekingdom of God which is within us; notfrom man whose breath is in his nostrils,not from man who would give orwithhold, or who could give or withhold.The band of God does not withhold; thehand of God does not limit.

Step by step, the infinite Christ leads usfrom one activity to another. It may leadus from the business world to the worldof music, or from a world of family dutiesto the ministry of healing or teaching.The Christ can make of us anything Itchooses. It has no favorite occupation;no occupation is more spiritual thananother so long as it is of a constructivenature. All are equal in the sight of God;

all are the activity of grace appearing ininfinite form and variety.

Life by grace is lived with theunderstanding that tomorrow is not ourconcern but God's concern. The graceof God does not bestow partial successor happiness, nor does it demand thatwhich cannot be fulfilled. God brings the



task to us, but grace also provides theunderstanding, the strength, and thewisdom to perform it. Whatever isnecessary for the fulfillment of that task,whether it be transportation, funds,books, people, teachers, or teaching, isalways forthcoming. Everything thatcomes by grace comes as fulfillment.

Because we have more, more isexpected of us. We can fulfill any andevery demand made upon us if werealize that the demand is not madeupon us, but upon Him that sent us. "Ican of mine own self do nothing," butthe Father within is equal to every

demand. Divine grace enables us toperform everything necessary and, in itsown time, frees us of undue burdensthrough the realization that Godshoulders them. When God meets anobligation He has a way of meeting itforever, so that it is not a recurring or acontinuing one.

Let us pour out our gifts of the Spirit tothe multitudes; but let us never seek themultitudes. We do not go up and downthe highways and byways, even of ourfamily, trying to find somebody uponwhom to force this gift; because if wesquander the gift of the Spirit on theunprepared thought, we shall findourselves depleted. We wait for themultitudes to come to us. Should the

multitude consist of only one person, wewait for that one to come to us. We sitquietly at home, or in our shop or office,with our finger on our lips, keeping ourtreasure hidden from the world. Thosewho are receptive respond to the lightwithin us, and recognize the glint in oureyes, or the smile on our face. As theycome, one by one, let us accept each

one as the multitude. They come to usfor bread, which we give to them, andcold water and warm water, too. Wegive them what they are seeking. Wegive it to them gently; we give it to themgradually; we give it to them with love,with joy, and with the power of authority.We can draw upon the infinity of ourbeing, and anything will flow: words oftruth, compassion, love, healing, grace,finances, food, water, drink, protection,care, companionship all these will flowforth from the Christ within us.

Let us be reborn in the spiritualawareness of the infinite nature of our

own being and our already Self-completeness. Let our prayer be:

Thank you, Father; I am. That which Ihave been seeking, I already am. All isembodied within my own being, and it isonly necessary for me to let it flow intomanifestation. Nothing can be added tome; nothing can be taken from me. "Ican do all things through Christ whichstrengtheneth me. . . . I live; yet not I"; itis really God living in me and as me.God performs those things which aregiven me to do. I am that center of God-being through which God pours Itsinfinite good to this universe; God usesme as Its instrument. My only purposeon earth is to bear witness to God'sglory, to God's greatness, and to God's

infinity: to show forth God's handiwork.

God is my parent; God is myenvironment; and God is my inheritance.This I that I am is not limited by anypersonal sense of consciousness, subconsciousness, or superconsciousness, It is limited only towhatever limitations are imposed upon



God, and since God is infinite, there areno limitations. All that the universalconsciousness is, is pouring Itself intome. I let God flow into me, through me,and out into this vast world.

I am come that ye might be fulfilled. I goto prepare a place for you. I go: that I ofmy being, that divine Ego, prepares theway. My heavenly Father knoweth that Ihave need of these things, and it is hisgood pleasure to give them to me not tomake me struggle, not to make mestrive, not to make me fight or labor, begor plead for them. My good is mine byright of divine inheritance.

I awaken in the morning withconfidence, rejoicing in whatever work isgiven me to do. Whatever that work is, Ido it, not in order to earn a living or inthe sense of per-forming an onerousduty; but, with joy and gladness, I let itunfold as the activity of God expressingthrough me.

As we continuously look to the Christ asthe source and fount of our good, thuswill it flow. As we place our completereliance on the divine Presence within,we become that point through whichGod shines to the world; and wewillingly accept our role as a channel,through which good finds an outlet tothe world, instead of looking to the

world, expecting that good to flow from itto us. All the Godhead pours out fromus to those who do not yet know abouttheir conscious oneness with God.Spiritual man rests in his consciousunion with God and lets the infinity ofgood manifest: never does he seek,desire, or want; he stands and serves.The more of a transparency for the

Christ we are, the more of a servant webecome. We serve as an instrumentthrough which the Father feeds Hisflock. We become the avenue throughwhich the infinite spiritual good of thedivine Source pours forth into visibleexpression.

CHAPTER XIFOR LOVE IS OF GOD

Beloved, let us love one another: forlove is of God.

I JOHN 4:7That they all may be one; as thou,Father, art in me, and I in thee, that theyalso may be one in us . . .

JOHN 17:21

Living, moving, and having our being incontinuous God-consciousness revealsthe secret of living with other people.And what is the secret of ourrelationship to other people? How do weachieve harmony in our interpersonalrelationships?

From a human standpoint, satisfactoryrelationships between groups of peopleand between individuals depend uponthe quality of communication. All toofrequently attempts at communicationresult in misunderstanding and"confusion worse confounded." Oftenthese unhappy effects are due to theprevalent belief that there are manyminds with diverse interests: that we



can get something from somebody, orthat somebody may take somethingfrom us.

The Infinite Way, however, approachesthis problem from an entirely differentpoint of view. Our secret lies in a newconcept of human relations: It is arelationship based on oneness,springing from a conviction that we arenot beings separate and apart from oneanother; but that our oneness with Godconstitutes our oneness with oneanother.

God is individual mind; the mind of God

in me addresses the mind of God inyou. The one infinite Intelligence, actingthrough me, communicates with the oneinfinite Intelligence acting through you.One Intelligence speaks; oneIntelligence hears; we are one. We arein agreement, not because we agreewith each other, but because Godagrees with Itself. God is the only mind;so in this one mind there can be nomisunderstandings. God speaks untoGod Life reveals itself unto Life. Soulspeaks unto Soul. I am but aninstrument through which infiniteIntelligence and divine Love are beingrevealed to the infinite Intelligence anddivine Love of those who come withinrange of my consciousness. In that flowof Love from you to me, and from me to

you, there is no separation.

The pressures of the world not onlywould separate us from God, but theywould separate man from man, manfrom wife, parent from child, friend fromfriend, employer from employee. Theworld has made us natural enemies ofone another. One animal preys upon

another, and the great animal, man,preys upon all the other animals. Theway of the world is separation; the wayof the Christ is oneness. Isaiah caughtthis vision of oneness when he said:"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,and the leopard shall lie down with thekid; and the calf and the young lion andthe fatling together. . . . They shall nothurt nor destroy in all my holymountain."

The essential ingredient of allsatisfactory relationships is love. Ourlove for God is made manifest in ourlove for man. We are not only one with

God, but we are one with the children ofGod: with our families and relatives; withour church members; with our businessassociates; with our friends. When werecognize God as our neighbor, webecome members of the household ofGod, saints in the spiritual kingdom:there is a complete surrender of sell intothe infinite Sea of Spirit. The good ofGod flows to us through all who becomea part of our universe. To those who livein communion with God, serving Godthrough their fellow man, the promise isliterally kept: All that I have is thine.

No longer is there a need or a desire forany person or any thing. Every thing andevery person become part of our being.What we surrender, we have; what we

hold in the grasp of possession, welose. Every thing we release, we draw tous; every thing we loose, we have;every thing we set free, we bind to usforever. "Loose him and let him go." Leteveryone be loosed in Christ. We trusteveryone to the God of his own being.We do not hold anyone in bondage to adebt of love, hate, fear, or doubt. We do



not demand even love from anyone. Weagree that no man owes us anything.Only when we do not feel a debt ofobligation and only when we hold noone in a debt of obligation to us, are wefree, and do we set our world free.

If we maintain our relationship ofoneness with God, consciously realized,there will always be those in ourexperience who are instruments of God,sharing with us as we share with them,drawing on the same illimitableOneness. If we expect love from oneanother, we obstruct and limit its flow tous. But if we maintain our conscious

union with God, through a constantrealization that I and the Father are one,then we open the way for the activity ofGod to flow to us, through anyone andeveryone receptive and responsive tothe God-impulse. Our contact with Godis our contact with every person or placethat can, in any way, play a part in theunfolding of our daily experience,including not only persons and placeswithin range of our immediateenvironment, but throughout theuniverse. Wherever there is good for usin the world, it finds its way to us.

Our good comes through grace. Thisgrace will appear as normal everydayavenues or channels, if we do notinterfere with its operation by planning

how it is to be expressed.Understanding God to be the giver of allgood, we do not look to one anothereven for those things which constituteour human or our legal rights. Incircumstances warranting court action,we naturally would take the necessaryhuman steps to obtain competent legalcounsel and to present our case in the

best way possible. Our faith and trust,however, would not rest in thetechnicalities of legal procedure, but inGod as the fount of all justice. The

judge, jury, lawyers, and witnesseswould be regarded as instrumentsexpressing the justice of God.

The attitude of others toward us isstrictly their own demonstration. If theyact in accord with good, so it is to them;if their actions are contrary to good, thereaping of discord is likewise unto them.Only in proportion as we are looking tothem for good is there the possibility oftheir doing evil to us. None can do good

or evil to us, because we havesubmitted ourselves to the governmentand control of God. We look only to theFather within, and therefore thethoughts or deeds of man can nevertouch us. We are responsible only forour own conduct toward all, and thatconduct must be in accord with thegreat command: love thy neighbor asthyself; love your enemies; forgiveseventy times seven; pray for themwhich despitefully use you. Never fearor hate those who act contrary to thedivine law of the one Self; but rejoice inthose who let God use them asinstruments for good.

We are faced with humanity at manylevels, some good, some bad, and

some intolerable. As humanity, mankindis graded, falling into varying states ofconsciousness. Living merely as humanbeings, with their inner resourcesuntapped, unaware of their true identity,life for some becomes a hopelessstruggle against insuperable odds illhealth, small earnings, and high taxes.To cloak their failure and sense of



inadequacy, some people assume abravado or affect an exuberance ofouter joy to conceal theirdisappointment and frustration. Yetthese people, as do all people, hungerfor love. And how do they want to beloved? As we do, first by beingunderstood. Most of us are convincedthat no one understands us; if ourfriends and relatives really understoodus, they would forgive us more.Whenever we come in contact withdiffering degrees of humanhood, ourattitude should be that of the Master:"Father, forgive them; for they know notwhat they do"; they have not been

awakened to their Christhood. Themeasuring rod always must be:regardless of the appearance, God istheir true being; God is the only lawgoverning them; and their only qualitiesare God-bestowed.

There is only One only one infiniteBeing. There is only one Person, sinceGod is one and God is infinite. Just asthere is only one life, the God-life,permeating our garden, even thoughthat life may appear as twelve differentspecies; so it is, that even though ourfriends and acquaintances may benumbered by the hundreds, there is onlyone life manifested in individualexpression. We can never fear a personif we remember that God is one, that

there is only One, and that that oneBeing is God. In that oneness, there canbe no discord, inharmony, or injustice toanybody.

Our sense of forgiveness is a realizationthat no one can harm us, because thegrace of God maintains and sustainsour relationship of oneness with the

Father, under any and allcircumstances. There is an invisiblethread binding us all together: thatthread is the Christ. If we are bound toone another by material ties of anynature, these ties soon becomeburdensome. Whether the tie be one ofmembership in an organization, someform of human obligation, or a tie ofblood or marriage; as long as it is of amaterial nature, it will irk. Only when thelove behind these material ties is sopure that it is devoid of all selfishconsideration will the relationship besatisfying, permanent, and mutuallybeneficial.

There can be no real, enduring love inany relationship into which God doesnot enter. There is no miracle of love inany marriage unless God is thefoundation stone. If we know the love ofGod, we shall know the love of man.That love for God is a completesurrender in the mystical union of Fatherand Son: God, all that I have is Thine,

just as all that Thou hast is mine. Mytime, my hands, my life are at Thyservice. If men and women haveexperienced a complete surrender toGod, if they have become one with God,then when the time comes for humanmarriage, they will enter into that samekind of a relationship with each other,and the words of the marriage

ceremony will become a reality the twobecome one.

Home is the expression of theconsciousness of the individualscomprising the household. It takes onthe atmosphere of the consciousness ofthose who make it. In a house, as such,there is neither love nor hate, sin nor



purity, disease nor health; but if themembers of that household permit theirconsciousness to be filled with thoughtsof sin, disease, lack, limitation,suspicion, or fear; then discord,inharmony, and impoverishment willreign in that home. On the other hand, ifthe consciousness of those who makethe home ex-presses love,understanding, faith, courage, hope,and assurance, home becomes asanctuary. The vision of the newJerusalem is built into that home oneholy city governed by love.

It is true that many of us cannot take our

entire house-hold with us into thekingdom of heaven. We may notsucceed in making of our home thatholy city, but we can resolve to remainsteadfast in our realization of the Christ-identity of every person in our home notoutwardly voicing or preaching it in amultitude of meaningless words, but insilence maintaining our spiritual integrity,letting our life stand as a livingtestimony to the truth realized.

The Master made his demonstration forhimself and for his followers in thesilence of his own being. He did nothesitate to retire from the throngspressing about him in order to have hisdays alone. We, too, can find our quietperiods of renewal, early in the morning,

late at night, in the middle of the night,or at intervals during the day, by seizingbrief respites from the demands offamily life. Our realization of truthexternalizes in the harmony and peaceof our home. The Word is made flesh.

Unless, through these periods ofsilence, God enters into our relationship

with our family, all our efforts and workto build home may come to naught. Thematerial water, bread, or wine we maygive the members of the family theservice does not satisfy, and the nextday they will hunger and thirst again. Itis only in proportion to our recognition ofour Christhood and the true identity ofthe members of our household that weare able to give the living waters:"Whosoever drinketh of the water that Ishall give him shall never thirst." ThenGod fulfills Itself through us, as we fulfillour part, by bringing peace to individualconsciousness.

When we are consciously aware of ourunion with God, turning to the Fatherwithin as the source of all good, ourrelationship with one another is pureand completely free of any desire to get,to have, or to possess anything oranyone which someone else has. Aspiritual relationship is a giving one, asharing one, and a cooperative one. It isEke giving gifts to our children, tohusbands, wives, brothers, sisters, orfriends: not for any return; not for anyreason; not because they have earnedor deserved them; but just for the joy ofexpressing love. When our relationshipto one another is based, not on what wedeserve or have earned from oneanother, but on what lies within ourhearts to give or share with one another

not only money, but all the courtesies oflife: cooperation; forgiveness;understanding; mutuality; trust; andhelpfulness then, and then only, will thatrelationship be permanent, a pure gift ofthe Spirit, a pure offering of ourselves."For love is of God."



CHAPTER XIIFOR HE IS THY LIFE

For I have no pleasure in the death ofhim that dieth, saith the Lord God:wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

EZEKIEL 18:32

• • • for He is thy life, and the length ofthy days . . .

DEUTERONOMY 30:20

In my Father's house are manymansions: if it were not so, I would havetold you.

JOHN 14:2

He that believeth on me hath everlastinglife.

JOHN 6:47

And this is the will of him that sent me,that every one which seeth the Son andbelieveth on him, may have everlastinglife. . . .

JOHN 6:40

Immortality is the realization of our trueidentity as God-being, an identitywithout beginning and without end,eternal and everlasting: It is arecognition of God as the Father andGod as the Son. To those on thespiritual path, this is not a new idea. It isthe foundation stone upon which restsevery great spiritual teaching known toman. But the essence of this teachinghas been buried in the prevalentconcepts of immortality as aMethuselah-plus existence in this world,or as an eternal existence of bliss afterdeath. The first is merely a gilded notionof longevity. The second is based tipoti

the faulty premise that death is a part ofGod's creation, whereas the Masterclearly stated, "The last enemy that shallhe overcome is death."

It is true that, at some time or other, weall pass from human sight. Each, in hisown time, will leave this plane Ofconsciousness. Those who have noknowledge of God Mild their relationshipto God may be forced out of their bodiesby disease, accident, or old age; butthose with a right understanding of Godwill make the transition without struggle,pain, or infirmity. All eventually will leavethis plane.

"In my Father's house are manymansions." We pass from infancy tochildhood, childhood to adolescence,and adolescence to maturity each stateof consciousness, one of God's manymansions. Those who accept thetransition front one state ofconsciousness to another as an activityof God, not looking back in a vainattempt to cling to states ofconsciousness which should have beenoutgrown, do not experience theinfirmities of old age. Resisting theadvancing years, as if they weresomething to be feared, produces manyof the discords associated with age.Accepting the normal, natural change,which accompanies the transition from

one stage of life to another, will enableus to look forward to the experience ofthe middle years and the advancedyears with joy and confidence ratherthan with fear and dread.

There is no difference between the flowof God this minute or a hundred yearsfrom now. Actually, the life of God will



never age or end. God has a spiritualwork for each one of us and He hasgiven us His ability with which toperform it. As long as there is work forus to do on what is called this plane ofexistence, God will maintain its in vitality,strength, youth, health, and wholeness.In such assurance, we no longermistake longevity for immortality.Longevity is not immortality: it is merelya continuation of the present physicalsense of existence. We are notconcerned with the visible span of ouryears on earth, but rather with thedemonstration of our eternal Selfhood,forever about the Father's business.

Every transition is for the glory of Godand for the development of ourindividual Soul. Those of us who areapproaching the middle years, andbeyond the middle years, must learn toask the Father, "What have you for meto do now?" Then, just as the flowerblooms, fades, and then blooms again,so do old experiences give way to new.We pass through many transitionalexperiences, but death is never a part ofany of these experiences.

Sooner or later, everyone on thespiritual path reaches the place in hisdevelopment where he realizes that asone state of consciousness isexchanged for another in the progress

from birth to death, so the experience ofwhat is termed death is merely anothertransition in the ongoingness of life.Death is our interpretation of what weare witnessing; but those who havecaught the first tiny glimpse of Godunderstand that God is life eternal, lifewithout beginning and without end, "forhe is thy life, and the length of thy

days." This vision can only come tothose who have risen above the selfishdesire to hold themselves and others inbondage to a familiar form. The wormmust emerge from its cocoon in order tobecome a butterfly. Everyone andeverything pass through transitionalstages; but through spiritual evolutionand development, each one ultimatelyfinds himself sitting at the foot of theThrone of God, returned to the Father'sHouse.

This does not mean the immortality ofthe Soul and the death of the body as itis usually understood. The body will die

daily: the fingernails and hair are cut offand grow again; the skin sloughs off; thecells in the body are constantlychanging; and yet despite thesechanges, the consciousness which isour true identity remains. Our trainingfrom infancy has instilled in us the ideathat the body which we see in the minor,or of which we are conscious, is I. Wehave identified the body as ourselves;whereas the body is an instrument forour use, just as an automobile is avehicle which we use to transport usfrom one place to another. At no timeare we identified with or as ourautomobile. We are always separateand apart from the automobile, but weutilize it as a means of locomotion. Theautomobile is no more "I" than the body

is "I," because "I" is consciousness.

At some period or other in ourexperience, we must give up ourconcept of the body as constituting thesum total of our being and accept thetruth of our spiritual identity asconsciousness. There comes a time forus to cease living as human beings.



me nor forsake me, because I is "me." Iwill always govern and protect me.

The only moment I can know is thisminute. A minute ago has no existence;a minute from now will have noexistence. To me, the past, the present,and the future are now: it is this now inwhich I am living; it is now that I havealways lived; and it is now that I shallalways live. It is purposeless andpointless for me to look forward to a lifeone hundred or two hundred years fromnow. The only time I can live is now; andnow, in this moment, God, the one Life,is expressing Itself. I do not express life:

Life expresses Itself as my infinite,individual, indestructible being.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley ofthe shadow of death," Thou art there.Death is not annihilation; death is but ashadow that looks like death. Eventhrough the valley of the shadow, I shallstand there watching myself passthrough it, because I can never beseparated from I: I can never die.

CHAPTER XIIIFEAR NOT

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be notdismayed: for I am thy God: I willstrengthen thee; yea, I will uphold theewith the right hand of my righteousness.

ISAIAH 4 1 : 1 0

Fear not: "There remaineth . . . a rest tothe people of God," a rest from anxiousthought-taking, a rest from fear, a restfrom doubt and concern. In this state ofrest, the power of grace descends and

the presence of God flows intoimmediate expression as ourexperience. Receive the gift of GodWithout labor, struggle, or strain. Inquietness and confidence, in a restingfrom anxiety and fear, let God revealItself. Let God express Itself. Let Godlive our lives. Let there be no more "I" or"you" separate and apart from theFather, but let the Father be our life.

In conscious union with God, the mindrests. The human mind is no longerconcerned with the problems of today ortomorrow, because the Soul's union withGod the conscious realization of God

reveals God as the fulfillment of everyneed even before the need is apparent.Concern, fear, and doubt vanish in themidst of fulfillment; the true meaning ofthe words, "Fear not," is revealed. Inconscious union with God, the mind ofGod functions as our mind, as ourexperience, and as our life. Then thehuman mind rests and performs itsproper function as an avenue ofawareness.

This state of rest is an inner peacewhich is not attained by anything in therealm of effect. Even a thought or astatement of truth is an effect, and thatis why using the mind to repeatstereotyped statements about God oftendoes not induce peace. It is not

thoughts about God that result inanswered prayer. Thought about God isnot the creative principle of theuniverse: God, Itself, is the creativeprinciple and God is known only whenthe human mind is at rest.

God is the consciousness of individualbeing; therefore, infinity is the measure



Anything that you accept as a powerapart from God may harm you, but ofitself, it has no more power than ashadow upon a wall. If you believe thatanother can injure you or that you caninjure another, then you will suffer, notfrom what someone else has done, orfrom what you have done, but from yourbelief that there is a power apart fromyour own consciousness. The harmcomes, not from another, but from you,because of your deviation from truth.You must come out and be separatefrom the belief that good or evil cancome to you.

Do not fear any evil thought or deedwhich is directed toward you or anyoneelse. Do not fear any person, and aboveall, do not resent or hate him, unlessyou would bind him to you by theloathsome chains of hatred. You mustunderstand that evil can touch only thatperson who is entertaining it. therefore,never fear evil; never hate it; neverresent it; but always respond withcompassion.

Your good may be "evil spoken of"; itmay even be considered weakness; butdo not let that concern you. You have noresponsibility for proving anything andyou have nothing to prove. Let the worldentertain its own concepts of God andman, of religion and of prayer. "Bless

them that curse you, do good to themthat hate you, and pray for them whichdespitefully use you and persecute you."Pray for their awakening, but never fearthem and never resent them.

No good can come to you, because youare already established in good; no evilcan disturb you, because God is the

measure of your good. God is theinfinity of your consciousness; God isthe purity of your Soul. Nothing existsoutside your own consciousness.

If there is no evil in your consciousness,there is no evil operating in your world.How can you determine whether or notevil is operating in your consciousness?Do you accept or recognize a presenceor a power apart from God? If you do,then evil exists for you. Do you seesomething to hate, fear, or resent? Thenyou are seeing an image which youhave created within yourself. Hatred,resentment, and fear are but figments of

thought, the result of a self createdimage, and are, therefore, withoutpower, presence, or reality. God is thefabric, the substance, and the law ofyour consciousness. Evil is but asuggestion or temptation to accept acreator apart from God. This suggestionyou must handle. within yourself, untilyou come to that place of rest in whichthe Word of God abides in you and youabide in this consciousness of truth.

Abide in the truth that God is the onlypower and you will discover that allblessings emanate from this truthmaintained in your consciousness.Abide in the truth of God's kingdomestablished on earth. Abide in the truththat I am closer than breathing and

nearer than hands and feet. Abide in thetruth that your names are writ in heaven,that you are the Christed Son of Godthe image and likeness of His divineBeing, the manifestation of His glory. "Iam come that they might have life, andthat they might have it moreabundantly."



Let your prayer be a resting from words,a resting from thoughts, a resting fromdesire. Take no anxious thought. TheSpirit of Truth, the Comforter, will neverleave you, even though every avenue orchannel of good is closed. TheComforter is an activity of God withinyour own consciousness. As such it isas much an integral part of your beingas is your own integrity, loyalty, orfidelity. The Comforter is within you; it isthe "Peace, be still" to every stormwithout and to every disturbance within.Open the door of your consciousnessand let the Comforter speak; let theComforter be your assurance; let the

Comforter be your supply, your health,the harmony of your home, and thepeace of your inner life.

To live the spiritual life means to live inan atmosphere of absolutefearlessness, regardless of thecircumstances. "Be strong and of agood courage, fear not, nor be afraid ofthem: for the Lord thy God, he it is thatcloth go with thee; he will not fail thee,nor forsake thee . . . it is I; be notafraid." This is the greatest healing truthever revealed to human consciousness.To the disciples a storm threateneddeath and disaster, but the Master sawonly another opportunity to reassurethem with those comforting words, "It isI, be not afraid." This same confidence

enabled Jesus to stand before Pilateand say, "Thou couldest have no powerat all against me, except it were giventhee from above." It was this samepower in Joseph that said to thebrethren, "It was not you that sent mehither, but God. . . . God did send mebefore you to preserve life."

The circumstances confronting you mayappear terrifying and disaster imminent,but the Christ says, "It is I; be notafraid." God has strange ways ofbringing you to Himself. Sometimes thatwhich appears as disaster and thedissolution of that which you hold mostprecious is the very means ofawakening you to the spiritual life.

Never look upon temporary discord asfailure, lack of demonstration, or theabsence of spiritual vision andunderstanding. It was not lack ofspiritual vision which drove Moses andthe Hebrews into the desert experience;

it was God leading them to a highersense of good. It was not lack ofunderstanding that sent Elijah into thewilderness to be so an hungered thatravens had to bring him food: it wasGod proving to Elijah that thereremained seven thousand who had notbowed their knees to Baal and that evenin the wilderness, there am I with theeand able always to set a table beforethee, in the presence of thine enemies.

It was not failure that took Jesus up intoa high mountain, there to be tempted ofthe devil, or that brought him to thewilderness without food: it was God'sway of revealing that he was not to seekdemonstrations of things, that man doesnot live by bread alone but by every

word that proceedeth out of the mouthof God. It was not failure that placed theMaster on the cross, that incarceratedPeter and Silas in a prison cell, thatfastened an asp on the hand of Paul.No, these were God's opportunitiesprovided to prove the nothingness ofthat which the world called an evilpower, even a deathly power.



Never look upon the discords andinharmonies of your life as if theyrepresented a lack of understanding ora lack of demonstration. Regard theseunfortuitous circumstances asopportunities which will be dissolvedwhen they no longer serve their purposeas spurs to your spiritual unfoldment.

Have courage to look at every personand circumstance that you considerharmful or destructive. In the silence,face the situation fearlessly; face thecondition or the person and you willdiscover that it or he is an image of your

own thought; and, therefore, there is nocause, jurisdiction, or law to support it.Recognize God as the Soul of everyperson and God as the activity in everysituation.

Fear not what mortal thought can thinkor do, since mortal thought is self-destructive. Fear not the thoughts ordeeds of man whose breath is in hisnostrils. You are the temple of God, andGod is in His holy temple now. You arethe temple of the living God; your bodyis the temple of the living God; your life,your soul, your mind is the abiding placeof truth, and if you abide in this truth andlet this truth abide in you, no evil willcome nigh your dwelling place. Fearnot; rest in faith and confidence in the

kingdom of God.

I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.Why all this struggle? I am in the verymidst of thee, closer titan breathing,nearer than hands and feet. Whystruggle if you had to seek for Me andsearch for Me? Why struggle as if you

had to hold on to Me? I will never leaveyou; I ant with you always.

I will give you water. I will give it to you,so do not struggle for it; do not strive --

just be still. Let Me feed you. Do not tryto live by bread, at least not by breadalone; live by every word, every promiseof scripture which is fulfilled in you. As Iwas with Moses, so I will he with you.Believe only, and I will give you of thehidden manna which is invisible to theworld, incompatible with common sence,and incomprehensible to humanunderstanding, hidden in the depths ofyour own being. I have meat the world

knows not of. If you ask Me, I will giveyou water. Leave your dependence andfaith in people, circumstances, andconditions. Deep down within you, thereis a meat that the world knows not of;there are hidden springs of water andhidden manna: all this is embedded andembodied within your own being.

Your heavenly Father knoweth that youhave need of these things; it is His goodpleasure to give them to you -- not tomake you struggle and strive for them,but to give them to you, through grace.Whenever an appearance of discordlooms upon your horizon, relax, rest, beat peace in the assurance of Mypresence within you.

Listen to Me, the still small voice at thecenter of your being. I will never leaveyou; I will never forsake you. Even in thevalley of the shadow of death, I will bewith you. You will never know death; youwill never die. I give you living watersthat spring up into life everlasting. If youlisten for My still voice, if you rest in theeverlasting arms, if you relax in Me, if



you let My every word feed you and beyour bread of life and your staff, you willnever die. My Spirit is with you; Mypresence goes before you; I go toprepare a place for you.

Stop fearing; stop doubting. Rest in Mybosom; rest in My arms; rest in My loveand be at peace. Trust the I at thecenter of your being. Believe that I cando these things. Believe that there is aPresence at the center of your beingwhose only function is to bless, to be abenediction, and to be the instrument ofMy grace. Trust Me; believe only in Me;fear not.

CHAPTER XIVTHE TABERNACLE OF GOD

How amiable are thy tabernacles, 0 Lordof hosts. . . . My soul longeth, yea, evenfainteth for the courts of the Lord: myheart and my flesh crieth out for the

living God.PSALMS 84:1-2

One thing have I desired of the Lord,that will I seek after; that I may dwell inthe house of the Lord all the days of mylife to behold the beauty of the Lord, andto enquire in his temple.

PSALMS 27:4

Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?who shall dwell in thy holy hill? . . . Hethat hath clean hands, and a pure heart.

PSALMS 151; 24:4

People of every faith have had their holyplace of worship — a temple, mosque,or church where the earnest seeker

could tabernacle with his God. Thestructure, itself, and the objects ofdevotion within the sanctuary were alldesigned to lead the Soul to God; but, inreality, meeting God face to face is notdependent upon worship in a particularplace or upon adherence to aprescribed ritual. The rites practiced arebut the outer symbols of an inner searchfor God, and each symbol has its owndeep meaning and significance. Anillustration of this search for God, andone replete with symbology, is theworship in the tabernacle of the Lord asdescribed in minutest detail in the OldTestament.

The Hebrew temple or tabernacle was inthe shape of a parallelogram, with itssides facing north and south, and itsends east and west. It consisted ofthree parts: the outer court; the holyplace; and the Holy of Holies.

The court was open to all for worship. Inthis outer courtyard was found a burningbrazier, which was a great brazen altar,located near the entrance, into whichofferings, voluntarily brought by thepeople, were burned. Between thebrazier and the door of the temple stooda laver, constructed of brass, where thepriests of the temple washed theirhands and feet, preparatory to offeringsacrifices or before entering the temple.

The holy place was accessible only tothe priests. On the north side of it stooda wooden table. This was the table ofshowbread on which lay twelve loavesof unleavened bread divided into twoseparate piles. This bread wasindicative of God's abundance andgrace, and every week a fresh supply



was laid upon the table. The word"showbread" means "bread of thePresence" and is interpreted by somebiblical scholars as being symbolic ofthe presence of God. On the oppositeside of the temple, across from the tableof showbread, stood the goldencandelabra, a metal shaft with threebranches on each side bulging intoalmond-shaped bowls, which formedreceptacles for seven lamps. In theselamps olive oil burned continuously.Near the entrance to the Holy of Holies,and similar in construction to the brazenaltar in the courtyard, was a golden altarin which incense, consecrated for this

purpose, was burned by the high priestboth morning and evening.

The most sacred spot in the wholetabernacle was the Holy of Holies,located just beyond the holy place. Inthis enclosure symbols of the greatestvalue and significance to the ritual weredeposited, and only once a year werethe priests allowed to enter its sacredprecincts. Here reposed the ark of thecovenant, a chest of acacia wood,overlaid with gold. Here, it was believed,the very presence of God could befound; but only those with clean bandsand a pure heart could find their way tothis Presence.

Now, through meditation, let us attempt

to understand the spiritual significanceof the symbolism of this temple worship.We begin in the courtyard. At the brazenaltar, which greeted all those whoentered, the worshipers delivered uptheir sacrifice. In those early days, thesacrifice usually consisted of consigningto the flames some material object ofintrinsic value, thereby proving the

sincerity of one's devotion and thewillingness to give up all in order toreach God. The seeker had to ridhimself of whatever it was that acted asa barrier to his communion with Godand be willing to throw into the burningfire all those things which would impedehis progress. This practice symbolizedthe sacrifice of personal sense, becauseno one can approach the presence ofGod without first giving up his faith andtrust in human dependencies.

Some of us may never enter a temple,church, or a holy place of any kind; butnevertheless, if we truly desire to reach

God, there is a sacrifice which isrequired of all of us. And what is thesacrifice demanded of us in this modernworld, if we are to reach the Holy ofHolies? What is the barrier confrontingus? What is obstructing our progress?Is it not above all the age-old practice ofworshiping other gods, forgetting thefirst commandment, "Thou shalt have noother gods before me"?

The gods we worship today are notgraven images as of old. No; instead,fame, fortune, and position are idolized.We are continually looking to someoneor something for satisfaction, expectinglove and gratitude from people ratherthan looking to God as the source; orwe are believing that our supply is

dependent upon investments, bankaccounts, and employment. Thisdependence on human means—this isthe sacrifice required of us, one which isnot offered in public, but which isdelivered up in the sanctity and secrecyof our own being.



We cannot come into the presence ofGod weighted down by our burdens.Even the desire to influence God tointercede in our human affairs must beabandoned. Remember, the ark of thecovenant—God—is at the far end of thetemple; but before God can be reached,every barrier must be re-moved. So webegin to make the sacrifice byfiguratively casting into the burningbrazier all worldly dependencies. Wemust give up our mortal and materialsense of wealth and of health; and yetwe do not renounce these. On thecontrary, as these human concepts arerelinquished in a complete dependence

on God, they may be present in ever-increasing abundance and harmony.

Let us not misunderstand the nature ofthe sacrifice. We are not required togive away or to throw away our personalpossessions; it is the belief that materialwealth constitutes supply which must besacrificed. Unless this belief is dis-carded, we cannot come into therealization of our self-completeness inGod, in which supply is alreadyestablished in us from everlasting toeverlasting. Lack and limitation areexperienced only in proportion to theacceptance of the materialistic conceptthat money is synonymous with supplyor that money is the source of supply.The reverse is true. supply is the source

of money; supply is the substance ofwhich money is formed. Supply is theconsciousness of truth, the conscious-ness of our relationship to God. Oncethis relationship, this awareness of trueidentity, becomes a reality and anintegral part of our consciousness,never again will we suffer lack or

limitation, because this understanding isthe substance of our supply.

The same spiritual wisdom orunderstanding which forms thesubstance of our supply also is thesubstance of our health. The commonlyaccepted view of health is that of a heartbeating normally, a liver secreting theproper amount of bile, lungs inhalingand exhaling rhythmically, a digestivetract assimilating and eliminatingsatisfactorily, and various other organsand parts of the body performing theirnatural functions. This concept, thathealthy organs and functions constitute

health, must be sacrificed. Health is therealization of God as the source of allactivity and the substance of all form, ofGod as the law unto Its creation. Thisspiritual wisdom will appear as health.

The material concepts of health and ofwealth are but two among manyerroneous concepts which must besacrificed. Let us begin where we arethis moment in consciousness. In ourinnermost minds and hearts, we,ourselves, know what we areentertaining of a mortal, material,limited, or finite nature, whether it be ofwealth, health, friends, family, socialposition, power, or fame. We give up ourhuman concepts to accept in exchangea higher spiritual sense of being; we

sacrifice the worthless to receive thatwhich is divinely real. Those who havesought God for their own purpose havemissed the way: God can be attainedonly by a complete surrender of everydesire, except the desire to bask in Hislove and grace. In this meditation webegin to make the sacrifice:



I surrender; I surrender every materialobstacle, every mortal and humanobstacle, everything that standsbetween me and God. In Thy Presenceis fullness of life. I surrender everydesire that I have ever had. I surrenderevery desire but one: all that I seek isThee. Let me be in Thy Presence. Thygrace is sufficient for me not Thy graceand health or wealth, but Thy gracealone. I surrender the desire for person,place, thing, circumstance, or conditioneven my hope of heaven. I surrenderevery desire for recognition, for reward,for gratitude, for love, for understanding.

I am satisfied with Thy grace. If only Ican sit here and hold Thy hand, I willnever ask even for tomorrow'sbreakfast; I will fast the rest of my days.Just let me hold Thy hand and I shallnever hunger; I shall never thirst. Onlylet me hold Thy hand; let me be in ThyPresence.

Having divested ourselves of humanand material dependencies by throwingthem into the burning brazier, we areready for the next step. A short distancebeyond the smoldering fire stands alarge round receptacle filled with water.This is the laver or bath, where isperformed the rite of purification. Herethe worshiper was given the opportunityof cleansing himself externally as well

as internally. The cleansing process atthe laver, however, is no more aphysical operation than was thethrowing of our sacrifice into the fire.Now as we stand before the laver, this isour opportunity to cleanse ourselveswithin and without. No one needs to betold about the things in his own mind ofwhich he would like to be purified,

because each person knows his owninner being better than does anyoneelse. The entire procedure resolvesitself into a symbolic internal andexternal cleansing, in which occurs acomplete purification of our humansense of good.

The sacrifice and purification of ahuman sense of values prepares us forentrance to the holy place. There westand before the table of showbread,which is always maintained fresh andabundant, not for the purpose offeasting, but as an evidence of theomnipresence of supply and of all good.

In the contemplation of this table, therearises within us a silent recognition, that just as this shewbread is always presentin the holy temple, so the bread of lifeand all that represents self-completeness is here this moment. Andwhere is here? Where I stand. Rightwhere I stand is the shewbread. Rightwhere I stand is the omnipresence ofthe sub-stance of life, the staff of life,the harmony and the good all this, thegift of God. This gift of God isomnipresent and infinite, because it is ofGod, the infinite substance of all life.

Sacrifice, purification, and thecontemplation of the abundance of goodserve as a preparation for the openingof consciousness to the ever abiding

presence of spiritual light, which isrepresented by the seven-branchedcandelabra, located on the left-handside of the holy place. The priests ofthe temple used seven lamps, becauseseven expresses completeness. As westand in the presence of this symbol ofspiritual light, the unextinguishable lightof the Christ begins to permeate



consciousness. Now this sevenness,this completeness of spiritualillumination, infuses our being; andgradually or suddenly, consciousnessawakens to the truth that right where weare now in meditation is theomnipresence, the allness of spiritualwisdom, spiritual understanding, andspiritual life. Whether or not themanifestation of this spiritualcompleteness is visible is unimportant.The full light of God, the full spiritualillumination, is complete within us now,even though it may not be apparent.Stand-ing in meditation before thisseven-lighted candelabra, filling

ourselves with the remembrance of ourself-completeness in God and believingthat it already is, we let this light pourforth into visible expression.

Step by step, we are making our way tothe Holy of Holies, the very presence ofGod. Each act of consecration brings uscloser to our goal. Only one thing moreis required — a final proof of devotion.So we turn in thanksgiving to the placeof worship, symbolized by the incenseburner, and there offer up our praiseand gratitude for the innumerableblessings of God. Here, in this hallowedplace before the burning incense in frontof the sanctuary, we bring to consciousremembrance our progress sinceentering the courtyard. All that we have

found so far in the temple has been arevelation of that which is alreadyestablished within our own being. Fornone of this are we seeking or praying.Our self-completeness in God is, and forthis we give praise, thanksgiving,devotion, worship, and adoration.

Each rite of consecration plays its ownpeculiar role in our spiritualunfoldment—the inner sacrifice throwninto the burning brazier, the purificationof self at the laver, the contemplation ofGod's goodness before the table ofshowbread, the recognition of theeternal light within symbolized by thelighted candlestick, and the offering ofthanksgiving and praise at the goldenaltar. If each one of these rites has beenperformed faithfully, we stand directlybehind the altar of incense, before amist like veil, which is finally withdrawnrevealing the ark of the covenant.

If our meditation has been gentle andserene, bringing us into such arealization of our God-being, that oureyes arc opened to spiritual reality, weshall behold the great mystery: the mistdisperses; the curtain is withdrawn; andwe find ours selves in the presence ofGod. There is no more mental orspiritual darkness. The presence of Godannounces Itself, reminding us:

I am ever with you. I was with you whenyou began your search, but the mistbefore your eyes so dimmed your visionthat you could not see Me. You were socluttered up with materialistic conceptsthat your awareness was dulled. Themist could not be dispelled until thosethings which caused the mist had been

removed. Then, and then only, couldyou find Me, hear My voice, and feel MyPresence.

In whatever state or stage ofconsciousness the seeker, whetherpriest or neophyte, finds himself, thereis a Way for him — a Way which willlead him ultimately to the very presence



of God. This Way may be completelyunique to the individual or it may takeone of the established forms of religiousworship, such as: journeying from theouter courtyard to the very Holy ofHolies in the Hebrew temple; placing aflower before a statue of the Buddha;making a pilgrimage to Mecca; bathingin the sacred Ganges; pondering theenigmatic koan; or kneeling in thecathedral in holy communion, drinkingthe symbolic wine, and eating thesacred bread.

Whatever symbology is used, it is deadand fruitless until the inner meaning of

the form is discerned. Meditation suchas this in which we have just engaged,clothes the symbol with life and reality.The act of sacrifice, purification, anddevotion must be performed by eachand every aspirant, not as a ceremonialdemanded by some outer rule, but asthe dictate of the heart. Only when theheart has yielded and the Soul has paidhomage to God can we come into thePresence.

No one can enter the Presence exceptin holiness. Of old, only the priests wereconsidered sufficiently worthy to gainadmittance to the Holy of Holies; buttoday in our enlightenment, anyspiritualized man or woman who has anunder-standing of his true identity is a

priest and can find the Way to the innersanctuary. Everyone who attains somemeasure of awareness of God is apriest. Such a person not only servesGod, but is maintained by God. Thedivine bread of life feeds him; theinvisible robe supplies him; and the lightof truth illumines him, making him thelight of the world, the avenue through

which spiritual wisdom, love, life, andtruth flow to all those who do not knowthe source of their good.

Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thypresence is fullness of joy; at thy righthand there are pleasures for evermore.

PSALMS 1 6: 1 1

CHAPTER XVTHE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS

Give unto the Lord the glory due untohis name: O worship the Lord in thebeauty of holiness.

PSALMS 96:8, 9

Behold, the heaven and the heaven ofheavens is the Lord's thy God, the earthalso, with all that therein is.DEUTERONOMY 10:14

The heavens declare the glory of God;and the firmament sheweth his

handiwork.PSALMS 19 : 1

Meditation is not an end in itself. Thatwhich we are seeking is a consciousrealization of the presence of God, butin the realization of that Presence,before the experience of the full andcomplete illumination, there may be twoof us God and me. We do not want Godand me: we want God alone. That is thefinal step on the spiritual Path.

God is unknown and unknowable to thehuman senses. One way, however, inwhich to bridge the immeasurable spanbetween materiality and spirituality is tolet thought drift from the cares and



problems of the world to God'shandiwork. In everyone's surroundings,there is always some object of beauty: apicture, a piece of sculpture, a plant,lake, mountain, or tree. We think ofsome one of these in meditation,considering the idea of God, theInvisible, expressing Itself throughnature or through the mind of an artist orcraftsman.

The presence and the power of theInvisible is that which is made manifestto us as the visible, the one inseparablefrom the other. Even a littleunderstanding of God enables us to

discern, in a measure, God's life, love,and joy embodied in man arid theuniverse. In this understanding, our lifeand love expand and become morepure, joyous, and free, leading us into ahigher dimension of life. We begin tolive not so much in the world of effect asin the world of cause, discovering ourgood in the Cause of all that existsrather than in effect in things, persons,or places. The more understanding wehave of Cause, God, the greater is ourenjoyment of all persons and things.

Only through penetrating the realm ofthe Invisible, this higher or fourthdimension of life, do we begin toperceive the law of love at work. Toenter the fourth dimension, which

cannot be comprehended by means ofthe physical senses, we visualize theinvisible forces of nature which operatedto bring into manifestation such a formas a plant or flower. With the eyespartially closed, look at a plant; look atits leaves, its buds, its flowers. Whatmiracle of in-visible activity hastransformed a dry seed, a handful of

earth, and a little water into a flower!The invisible life, operating through themoisture in the ground, touched theseed, broke it open, and caused littleshoots to take root. This same invisibleforce drew from the elements of theearth the sustenance necessary todevelop these shoots into a root system,which finally appeared above the groundas a plant. What marvel, what wonder,what miracle is this unfolding before ourvery eyes, unseen, unknown,inexplicable! Only God, the InfiniteInvisible, could produce such beautyand grace.

All that appears is the form and activityof that which is invisible; the visible isbut the appearing in form of that whichcaused it and gave it life and beauty.Because the form is inseparable andindivisible from its source, even the formis eternal. To recognize and understandthe source of the outer symbols ofcreation is to love and enjoy them morekeenly. The activity of nature is notsomething separate gild apart from theplant. The invisible life of the plant Mitaform as its color, grace, and beauty.

In like manner, the soul, the mind, andthe skill of an artist coalesce in a pieceof stone or ivory to form a work of art inwhich the qualities of the artist areInseparable from the figure created. On

the table before t18 is a tiny ivoryrepresentation of the Buddha. Let us tryto visualize the artist seated before thepiece of ivory, which be haspainstakingly selected for its beauty andpurify of color. Can you imagine howlovingly he fondled this inert mass as itsulti-mate form began to take shape inhis mind? Can you see beyond the man,



himself, and discern the beauty of soul,the purity of mind, the divine intelligencewhich guided and gave skill to hisfingers? Remember, he was not merelycarving the figure of a man: the Buddharepresents enlightenment, a state ofdivine consciousness, that which theOccident calls the Spirit of God in man,the Christ, or spiritual Son. In the artist'smind is the desire to share with othershis conception of this Spirit of God inman. Understanding the sculptor's lovefor his work arouses in us a deeperappreciation of the subject and theartistry expressed in this figure,

Just as the artist has poured himself outas this little figure or as nature haspoured itself out as a beautiful flower; sodo we live by the grace of an invisiblePresence and Power, which is foreverpouring Itself out as creation. In thisform of meditation, we not only delight inbeautiful sunsets, tower-ing mountains,or starry skies; but seeing them, we seebe-yond them to the love, the skill, andthe integrity of the Invisible, manifest asGod's handiwork. The ceaseless activityof divine Love guarantees the continuityof this magnificent creation called manand the universe.

Meditation on the activity of Godappearing as natural phenomena or asany other form of beauty will teach us to

look through man to his divine origin,taking no cognizance of his failures orsuccesses. God has expressed Itself, Itsown qualities, as every man, woman,and child. All the forces of the Invisibleunite to form the visible expression ofintelligence, life love, and joy. This is notdiscernible through a cursoryobservation of a person, any more than

is the invisible cause of a plant or workof art perceptible to the senses. Only bylooking through the appearance to theInvisible is Its essence discerned.

In the light of such perception, everyindividual is recognized as anexpression of the infinite divine Beingpouring Itself into manifestation.Criticism and condemnation aretransformed into a deep love for thisuniverse and its people. With thistransformation will come compassion forthose who know not their true identity,for those whom we have considered theevil men and women of the world.

Only in the degree that we understandthe nature of God can we understandthe nature of individual being. In thinkingof ourselves, as well as of others, wemust catch some glimpse inwardly ofthe nature and activity of God, thecreative Principle, which brought usforth into expression. God hasincarnated Itself as the very mind, soul,substance, and life of our being eventhe substance of our body. The Wordhas become flesh as individual you andme.

Meditation must always have God as itssubject and God as its object, becausesubject and object arc one, not two. Itshould carry us from our three-

dimensional life, the visible, to theInvisible, which is known as the fourthdimension. Those who live in a three-dimensional world live only in the worldof height, width, and depth; in otherwords, they live in a world of form,completely separated from the essenceof that which appears outwardly as theform. In the fourth dimension, in which



God is the cause, substance, and thereality of life, all effect, whetherappearing as thing or man, is revealed abut the showing forth of the infiniteBeing, God.

All individual being, all individual form,whether animal, vegetable, or mineral, isthe invisible God, pouring Itself intoexpression, embodying Its infinitequalities, nature, and character. All ofthis earth is the Lord's and the fullnessthereof: God appearing as a universeand as man. All of it is immortal; all of itis eternal; all of it is ours. "Son, all that Ihave is thine," and I am ever with thee.

"I and my Father are one." How can webe separated from God? "Thou seestme, thou seest the Father that sent me."Can the love of the artist ever beseparated and apart from that which ithas created? We see the ivory figure;we see the state of consciousness thatevolved it. How can the greatness orgrandeur of the invisible life force ofnature ever be separate from its form?We see the plant, we see the divine lifeforce which formed it they are one,inseparable, and indivisible. In thefourth-dimensional world, cause andeffect, subject and object are one.

Gradually we go deeper and deeperuntil we find ourselves centered in God.We are not thinking any more: thoughts

are being thought for us, ideas arebeing crystallized through us,impartations of the Soul becomeapparent to our awareness. Then wefind God revealing Itself, uttering theWord, which is quick and sharp andmore powerful than a two-edged sword:that Word of God which separates theRed Sea when necessary, which

produces the cloud by day and the pillarof fire by night the miracles in ourexperience. This meditation is arevelation of the Infinite Invisibledeclaring Itself within our own being.

Meditation is the art of divineappreciation, through which we learnrightly to appraise man, hisachievements, and the universe. Ourappreciation of the outer forms isincreased, because meditation gives usan understanding of the divine Lovewhich produced the form. When weunderstand the mind and the soul fiathas produced any form of good, we can

better appreciate the good itself. Toknow the author of a book makes thebook more meaningful; to know thecomposer of a piece of molt makes themusic more enjoyable. If we could onlyknow God, if we could only taste ortouch one drop of God, creation wouldappear in all its wonder and glory.Meditation develops the insight whichcarries us from the object to its creativeprinciple, and then, with this new insight,the world is revealed as it really is.Through meditation, a new dimension oflife will unfold. No longer will we belimited to time or space, to height, width,or depth, because instantly the mind willleap from the three-dimensional form tothe fourth dimension, which is its origin,cause, and source. In this higher

dimension, we are not dependent onthings which do appear, whether it isperson, place, or thing: we do not lovethem too much, hate them, or fear them,because if we look through them, weperceive, in every instance, that thesource is God.



When we hear the words "I will neverleave you nor forsake you," let usremember the little ivory figure. Thelove, the artistry, the skill, and thedevotion of the artist can never beremoved from that figure. So it is withus. That which formed us will neverleave us nor forsake us. Its essence isour very being.

Meditation on God's handiwork is oneway of bringing the Soul-faculties intoactive expression and of understandingthe higher wisdom. We must learn tolook not only at sunsets, gardens, orany beautiful appearance, but to look

beyond them and catch a glimpse ofthat which brought them intoexpression. Then we shall always havepermanent forms of beauty andpermanent forms of harmony, becausewe shall have that perfect divineEssence which is ever forming Itselfanew. If we try to see perfection in theform, we lose it. Material sense sees theform and enjoys it; spiritual sense seesthe underlying substance and reality ofthe form. The form, then, is alwaysperfect, complete, and whole,

The object of our work is to elevateourselves to that divine apprehensionwhere we see God appearing in all ofGod's glory not in man's glory, but God'sglory as the glory of man showing forth

the infinite perfection of God'shandiwork. We are lifted into a state ofdivine illumination in which we beholdGod's world already perfect andcomplete, God manifesting Itself in allIts glory. "The heavens declare the gloryof God," and the earth showeth forth Hishandiwork. And now "my meditation ofhim is sweet, and I am glad in the Lord."

PART THREEMEDITATION:THE FRUITS

CHAPTER XVITHE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

In the life of every seeker after Godthere comes a time when he feels thePresence and becomes aware, in oneway or another, of an actualtranscendental Presence and Power.

Then he will have done with readingbooks about the God-experience or withhearing people talk about it. We do notknow in what form that experience willcome to us. To each one it comes in adifferent way, but this much is certain:When it comes, and the Spirit of theLord is a realized Presence, "there isliberty" — a liberty and a freedom fromthe thoughts and things of this world, itsfears, doubts, cares, and problems. Thevery moment that the Spirit of the Lordtouches a person, he is transformed. Hebegins to under-stand the meaning ofrebirth or of being "born again." Hesenses a difference within himself andhe knows that he is not the sameperson be was yesterday or last week.The degree of the transformation may

not at once be apparent in the visiblerealm, but, bit by bit, it becomes evidentto the outer world.

Sometimes in the very beginning it maybecome evident in negativeappearances. Loss often precedes gain:"He that findeth his life, shall lose it: andhe that loseth his life for my sake, shall



find it." The present sense of life mustbe sacrificed that the spiritual sense oflife may be gained. Before the full andcomplete realization of this new life hastaken place, the breaking up of the oldforms may appear as a problem ofsome sort, either economic, emotional,or physical. There is the sense of losingsomething, giving up or sacrificingsomething. Actually, this is not true.Once the Spirit of the Lord has reallytouched a person, he is not disturbed oraffected by outer appearances, becausehe recognizes them as part of atransitional experience.

The early Christian martyrs who turnedfrom the pagan gods to the one God didnot think in terms of a human sense oflife. The persecution they were forced toendure was as nothing in comparisonwith the fulfillment of their spiritualmission. To the onlooker, it did not makesense that righteous men should bestoned, thrown to the lions, or burned atthe stake. From the human point of viewthis never will make sense; but whenthe Spirit of the Lord has touched one,he understands that in reality nothing isbeing given up, lost, or sacrificed. It ismartyrdom only to those who do notunderstand. To the spiritually illumined,it is the fulfillment of their spiritualdestiny and experience, and that whichis gained more than compensates for

that which the world considers lost.

Today, the attitude of the man of theworld is similar to that of the pagans ofnineteen centuries ago. lie views withamazement and distrust anyone whodeliberately chooses to devote his timeand money to the development of hisspirit-ual nature rather than to the

pursuit of pleasure, fame, and fortunethe gods of this world. Such a choice, inthe eyes of the materialist, parallels thesacrifice of the Christian martyrs; but toa person who has even glimpsed thenature of the spiritual path, and moteespecially, to one who has experiencedthe Christ, what is gained more thancompensates for that which has beengiven up,

In this life it is all highlands andlowlands all mountains and valleys.Some days we look out on the worldfrom the top of a pretty little hill, and allthe world is gentle and kind; but before

we know it, we have slid down into thevalley. There are other days when weare way up on top of the highestmountain, only to find ourselves thefollowing day giving way todiscouragement and despair. Theseperiods have no particular significanceand are of no real importance; they arepart of the rhythmic cycle of human life.The valley experiences are but apreparation for the mountainexperience. There is always a valleybetween two mountains; one cannotascend the next mountain without firstpassing through the valley lyingbetween. In biblical terms, no man canfind his life until he loses it. It is in thevalley that he casts off the burden of thehuman self with its desires, wants, and

wishes. Thus unencumbered, he is freeto climb the next higher mountain. Asthe journey continues, the mountainexperiences will be of longer durationand the valley experiences shorter. Thiswill go on year after year, until a point oftransition is reached when the heightsremain his permanent dwelling place.



Today can be that day of transition forus. If we remember this day as the timewhen we made the decision to forget"those things which are behind, and [toreach] for those things which are before,[to] press toward the mark for the prizeof the high calling of God in ChristJesus," a year from now we shall haveto admit that a transformation of our lifeis in progress. The human sense of lifewill never again touch us so deeply: weshall never again be able to hate or tolove quite so intensely as before; weshall neither grieve nor rejoice with thesame intensity of human emotion. Thedepth of our vision will continue to bring

forth greater and greater spiritual light,wisdom, and guidance, so that everyday will be a day of deeper discernment,a clay of greater living in theatmosphere of God than the precedingday. This work will serve as a foundationon which we may build the temple of ourbody and home, the temple of ourindividual experience — a temple notmade with hands, eternal in theheavens.

In this work we are at that place inconsciousness where the Christ mustbe experienced. For years we havetalked and heard about the beauty ofthe Christ, the power of the Christ, andthe healing influence of the Christ thatSpirit of the Lord within us. Many of us

also have been blessed through someother person's attainment of this Spirit ofGod. Now the time has come when weshould no longer depend upon talk orupon the illumination of some otherperson. We must have the experiencefor ourselves, so that we can be in thisworld but not of it, walk up and downthis world and yet not be a part of it,

walk in and out of the discords andinharrnonies, as well as the pleasuresand harmonies of this world, andthrough it all maintain our spiritualintegrity. We lose all sense of having todo something, or having to knowsomething, or having to understandsomething. There is a relaxing ofpersonal responsibility, and we rest instillness and in quietness in therealization that where the Spirit of theLord is, there is liberty. Let us bebeholders, watching God at work in Hisuniverse, recognizing a transcendentalBeing as It performs Its work throughour consciousness.

Some people have had an experience ofGod, but no outer transformationresulted. They have merely lived in thememory of it, because they did not knowwhat it meant, how it had been attained,or how to maintain it. However, astudent who has devoted his life to thestudy of spiritual wisdom and thepractice of meditation finds that whenthe God-experience does come, he isnot bewildered, because heunderstands its meaning. Although beaccepts it with joy as an evidence ofgrace, he knows that it has beenattained by the expenditure of muchtime and effort. Therefore, he does notlive in outworn memories, because asreceptivity in-creases through continued

meditation, the God-experience willbecome more frequent, until the daycomes when it can be attained at will.

This spiritual Presence and Power, thisChrist, which takes over the functions oflife for us, is invisible, but none the lessreal for all Its invisibility. It takes over thefunctions of the body, so that it becomes



unnecessary to take thought for bodilyactivities. The Spirit within, the Christ,performeth that which is given us or ourbody to do. Gradually, as the Christ livesour life, the awareness of a physicalbody or of bodily activities as such iseliminated. Were it necessary to takethought to direct the circulation of theblood or the digestive tract, we wouldthen be living by human means ratherthan by every word that proceedeth outof the mouth of God. No, the functioningof the body, without the need or help ofany thought-taking, in fact, without anyconcrete knowledge of the operation ofa blood stream or digestive system, is a

direct evidence of Christ in action.Health is of God, and in that recognitionthere is not my health or your health. Ifwe accept this literally, we shall seemiracles happen. Good is not personal,whether it is health or wealth. Health isreally a quality and an activity of God,the essence and substance of God. Tospeak of "my" health and "you?' healthwould indicate that there are degrees ofhealth, good health and bad health. Inthe spiritual way of life this cannot be; itis an utter impossibility: there is onlyone health and that is God.

With God as health and God "is thehealth of my countenance"— health isinfinite, not because it is our health, butbecause it is God's health. Once we

learn to give up the sense of personalpossession as indicated by the words"I," "me," "mine," we begin to find thereal meaning of spiritual living universal,impersonal, harmonious living. Godexpresses Its harmony through ourbeing. Every phase of harmony, whetherit is goodness or good health, is aquality, an activity, and a law of God.

When we recognize God as theessence of all good, we becomeinstruments for the expression of auniversal sense of good. 'With thespiritual sense of health comes thediscovery that health is not dependenton digestion, on elimination, or on thefunctioning of any organ of the body.Health is dependent on God alone; it isa quality and an activity of God.Whatever is necessary in thegovernment of the body is performed asan activity of God. Let us remember thisin connection with the very food we eat:"The food that I eat has no nourishingvalue, no substance, no power to

sustain or maintain life; but I, the Soul ofme, the consciousness of me, impart toit, its substance, its value, and itsnourishment." If we make that aconscious realization, we shall find thatfood will have an entirely different effectupon our bodies than it has hadheretofore. "He performeth that which isgiven me to do," and, therefore, theactivity of the body is performed by thatHe that is within us. We do not have totake thought about it. He performeth it.He perfecteth that which concerneth us.Let us be beholders of God appearingas our health, our wealth, our strength,and our life.

So it is with every phase of our humanexperience. If there is a sense of

rightness about life if the right words arespoken at the right time, if the right actsare performed at the right time, ifharmony prevails in our experience —then, we feel, we see, we recognize thatevery phase of that experience is adirect result of the activity of the Christ.We do not do it; we do not take thought:It, the Christ, does it all, even before we



have any awareness of what istranspiring. It, the Christ, is the activityof the body, of the purse, and of ourrelationships with one another. ThePresence goes before us to make thecrooked places straight and to prepare aplace for us. The Presence doeseverything for us, and we live on thisplane of existence as witnesses —beholders.

There are innumerable biblicalpassages which reveal the importanceof "waiting on the Lord," of being abeholder of life. This does not meansitting idly by doing nothing. On the

contrary, the more one waits on theLord, the more is one a beholder of Godworking in him, through him, and ashim, and the more active does hebecome.

If we are beholders, we do those thingswhich require our attention and which lienearest at hand. If we have a house-hold to take care of, we take care of it; ifwe are entrusted with a business tomanage, we manage it; if we have callsto make, we make them; but while weare engaging in these activities, it is withthe attitude: "I wait on the Lord; I beholdwhat the Father gives me to do." Alwayswe bold ours selves in such a state ofreceptivity that we are ready and willing,at a moment's notice, to change any

plans we may have Made in order tofollow the divine plan.

There are duties to be performed andobligations to be met every day of ourlives. That which is given us to do mustbe performed; but in being a beholder,we discover that there is a divinedirection, a divine power which guides

us. This is the state of consciousnessachieved by Paul: "I live, yet not I, Christliveth in me." It is as if the man Paulwere stepping to one side saying: "TheChrist is on the field; the Christ is actingin me, through me, and as me. Christlives my life for me." That is the attitudethat we maintain as a beholder, almostas if we were saying: "I am not reallyliving my life at all. I am watching theFather live Its life through me."

This is the ideal way of living; this is thespiritual way of life, the way in which wemeet with the fewest obstacles, theleast opposition, the smallest number of

misunderstandings. There is always aPresence, the Infinite Invisible, whichgoes before us to make the crookedplaces straight, and to make every detailof our experience perfect. It is onlywhen "I" do things, say things, and thinkthings that the outcome may be wrong.Our entire experience of frustrationcomes from our reluctance to wait longenough for It to take over.

Most of us are unwilling to wait until themoment in which a decision isnecessary; we insist on knowing theanswer in advance, the day before, theweek before, or the month before. Wewant to know what is around the corner;we want to know today what is going tohappen next week or next month, and

even what decision should be made fornext year, instead of waiting until theactual moment when the decision isrequired, and then letting God put thewords in our mouth and reveal whataction should be taken. Day by day themanna falls; day by day the wisdom,guidance, and direction necessary forthat day are given to us. God does not



human mind and body can accomplishin twenty-four hours. The person on thespiritual path, however, who has learnedto open himself to the activity of theChrist through meditation, knows nolimitation. There is no limit to what theChrist can perform through a humanbeing in twenty-four hours. The Christdoes not measure Its activity in terms ofindividual capacity. It operates throughIts capacity, for which we are but theinstruments. There is nothing whichcannot be brought forth from the depthsof our own inner being, because God isthe mind of individual man. Everyonehas the full capacity of the Godhead,

and in proportion to the stillness andquietness of the thinking, reasoningmind does infinity flow through intoexpression. Both mind and body areinstruments of God. Just as we use thearm and hand for writing, so does Goduse our minds and bodies for makingItself visible and tangible in humanexperience. As God reveals to us Itsharmony, the mind and body serve asinstruments to bring God's harmony intovisible form and expression. Anyinspiration received from God carrieswith it fulfillment. For example, if aninventor realizes that his work is theactivity of God, all that is necessary forthe fulfillment of the idea embodied inhis invention will be available thefinancing, the advertising, the buying,

and the selling. This is true of any God-created idea. The source of itsinspiration is the same activity whichbrings it to its full fruition.

Nobody could earnestly follow for anylength of time the instruction inmeditation as set forth in this bookwithout noticing a change of a radical

spiritual nature. From the moment thatthere is a turning away from materialreliances to an invisible, humanlyunknown way of life, it is inevitable thatthis change will follow. "The fruit of theSpirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,temperance: against such there is nolaw." Such fruit does not come to thosewho have not yet learned to value theChrist Its presence, power, and

jurisdiction. Years of consecration anddevotion in which one has, in somemeasure, left all for Christ must precedethe harvesting of this fruit. But when thattime comes we shall never again be

alone. We shall never again fear. Wemay go through the valley of the shadowof death, but even there the Presence iswith us. We rest in the center of ourbeing while the storms pass overhead.We are beholders of God, guiding,maintaining, and sustaining Its own,God fulfilling Itself as individual being.Then we "see Him as He is" and Godappears as the wholeness, theabundance, the harmony, the peace,and the joy of our experience.

CHAPTER XVIIILLUMINATION, COMMUNION,

AND UNION

Meditation leads to that illuminationwhich becomes first, communion withGod, and finally union. Illumination is anindividual experience. In no way is itrelated to any outward observance orform of worship; it is entirely dependentupon the realization of our relationshipto God. It is an experience which takes



place within ourselves separate andapart from every other person. It cannotbe shared with anybody — husband,wife, child, or trusted friend. It cannot besought in the company of others. No twopeople can seek it together. Each mustretire to the inner sanctuary of his ownbeing and find his God-experiencethere. In a measure, it is possible toshare our unfoldment with others whoare either illumined or who are on thepath of illumination, but let us alwaysremember, a God-experience is anindividual one. If it were to come to us inthe midst of thousands of people, itwould still remain a solitary experience.

There can be no partner in thisexperience. We can share the unfoldingtruth which may lead others to theexperience and, if we have a sufficientdegree of enlightenment, we may helpto lift them to the point where they alsocan experience God. Further than thatwe cannot go; the experience, itself,must take place within them.

No one should attempt to teach or sharethe truth which has been revealed tohim, until he has let it work within hisown consciousness and has, thereby,achieved a measure of light. After thathe will be directed as to bow, when,where, and under what circumstanceshe should share this revelation. God willmake known the part he is to play and

the way in which he is to play it.

Illumination is possible to everyindividual in proportion to the intensity ofhis desire for it; but while he is strivingto make the God-contact, he would dowell to keep that first spark hidden fromthe world, until it is kindled into a flame.After the first glimmerings of

illumination, the wise student holds thisnewborn Christ close within his bosom,secret from the world. Figuratively, hegoes down into Egypt to hide the Christ-Child. He does not speak of It; he doesnot in any way reveal It to the world,because the world, in its ignorance andthoughtlessness, may attempt todamage It. The world may uproot It, mayeven destroy his own confidence andassurance in Its presence and Its power.For this faith, the world wouldunhesitatingly crucify one. Always theworld seeks to destroy the Christ.Prophecies, from the earliest scripturesknown to man down through the ages,

indicate that whenever the Messiahcomes, he will be sacrificed. There isthat in human nature which does notwish to be destroyed, and it knows thatthe one Power that can annihilatehuman wickedness, arrogance, andegotism is the presence and the powerof the Christ realized.

It is necessary that we maintain secrecy.This is the one thing we dare not tell theworld. The very moment the worldsenses in any person a pure devotion tothe Christ, it would unhesitatingly speakevilly of him and attempt to tear himloose from his moorings. The Antichrist,or suggestion of a selfhood apart fromGod, enters with the subtlety of aserpent to arouse doubt and to

undermine faith. It must be kept secret,therefore, until the time comes when theChrist-consciousness is so developedthat It has become rooted and groundedin consciousness as the very activity ofdaily life, Then, we can stand before theworld and reveal It and not beconcerned or affected by any abuse ordoubt the world may heap upon us. It is



only when we are presenting the Christto the world that we are in danger oflosing It ourselves; when the Christ hastaken over sufficiently, It presents Itselfto the world silently, secretly, gently, andso quietly that no one in the worldrecognizes or knows what It is, buteveryone feels Its influence.

After the first glimpse of illuminationmany temptations beset us. Even Jesuswas faced with the temptation of lack,the temptation of fame, and thetemptation of personal power. All thesehe resisted and overcame. These sametemptations come to all of us, but any

temptation that a human being has everhad is multiplied many times as soon ashe obtains even a degree of spiritualillumination. As be goes on to greaterillumination, however, these temptationsfall away one by one until only onetemptation remains — egotism, thetemptation to believe that "I" of my ownself can do something or be something.That, too, must finally yield to the risenChrist.

There is no limit to the depth ofChristhood. Illumination leads tocommunion in which there is areciprocal exchange, something flowingout from God into our consciousnessand back again from our consciousnessinto the consciousness of God. It is

meditation carried to a deeper degreethan has been experienced thus far, butwe do not carry it God carries it. Itcannot be brought about by any efforton our part; it cannot be forced. We canonly be patient and wait for It and thenfind that It takes over and there is apeaceful, joyous interchange in which

we feel the love of God touching us andour love for God returning to God.

In communion the activity of the Christbecomes a continuous experience onerealized not only at rare intervals butever present. Eventually, a transitionalpoint is reached in which a radicalchange takes place. We no longer liveour own life; Christ lives our life for usand through us; we become nothingmore nor less than an instrument for thisdivine Activity: we have no will of ourown; we have no desire of our own; wego when and where we are sent; wehave no supply of our own; we do not

even have health of our own. God isliving Its life as us. When God lives ourlife, the robe of Spirit envelops us. Then,whenever anyone touches ourconsciousness, He touches the robe ofthe Christ, and if but the hem of therobe is touched, there is healing andredemption. Enfolded in this robe, it isunnecessary to go anywhere to carrythe Christ-message to the world; theworld will reach out for It wherever weare but we must be robed with theconsciousness of the Christ.

Communion, carried to its ultimate,results in the final relationship which isunion with God. In communion, such ahigh state of consciousness is reachedthat it is possible to turn within at any

time of the day or night and feel thepresence of the Lord. It is as if It weresaying, "I am walking beside you"; thenagain It may say, "Heretofore, I havewalked beside you, but now I am withinyou"; finally, you hear It say,"Heretofore, I have been within you, butnow I am you — I think as you; I speakas you; I act as you; your



consciousness and My Consciousnessare one and the same, because there isnow only My Consciousness."

When that stage is reached, there is nolonger communion, because there arenot two. There is on", one, and that oneis God expressing Itself, revealing Itself,fulfilling Itself. It is the mystical marriagein which we witness ourselves beingwedded to the Christ we become thatwhich God bath joined together in theindissoluble union which has existedfrom the beginning. "I and the Fatherare one" that is the divine union. In thismystical union, every barrier is

dissolved, and even our intellectualopinions melt into the universal wisdom.There is a complete surrender of selfinto the universal One: All that I have isYours, my hands are Yours, my verybody. I have no need of any person,place, or thing; within me is the bread,the water, the wine. I have onlyfulfillment.

This is the height of spiritual experience.In the Song of Solomon this is theexperience which is described almost asif it were a story of human love, but ofcourse it is not that at all. Always thereare at first the two. It is in thecommunion stage that it is the two wholove each other the Father and the Son.Jesus said, "As the Father bath loved

me, so have I loved you." In thisrelationship of communion we feel ourlove flowing out to God and God's loveflow-ing to us, as a mother's loveenfolds her beloved child.

All this ends with union. When uniontakes place, there is no longer any "I."There is only God, and as we look out

on the world, we see only what Godsees; we feel only what God feels,because there is no other Selfhood.There is no you; there is no I; there isonly God being.

These moments of union are priceless.They are few, but they are precious,because they reveal the world as it is. IfIt is possible to experience this union fora few days or even for an hour, it ispossible to experience it forever. Thereis only one necessity: getting ourselvesout of the way. The day will come whenthe earth will be so full of the presenceof the Lord that there will be no mortal

or material sense of existence left.Illumination will have dissolved everyshadow cast by the individual who hasthrust himself between the sun and itsbeam of light.

When illumination comes, we no longerneed anything found in the outer world.Everything and everyone become partof our being. Never again is it necessaryto take thought, because now God livesour life. There is always theconsciousness of a Presence; It singswithin us over and over: I will neverleave you nor forsake you. It lives ourlife and we become beholders of It,watching It unfold as our veryexperience. There is that within whichdraws to us all that is required for our

fulfillment. In the silence of ourconsciousness the creative power ofGod comes forth. When we feel thatanswering response, we are not onlyone with God, we are one with everyspiritual being in the universe. Whereveror whatever there is of good for us in theuniverse, finds its way to us.



It is the goodness of God which poursthrough us to the world. No longer dowe of ourselves own anything. It takesfrom us all sense of personalpossessions, personal acquisitiveness,personal powers, and in their placebestows upon us Allness, theabundance of God in its infinite fullness.The whole glory of God is revealed inand as our life: as the harmony of ourrelationships, as the abundance andsatisfaction found in our affairs, as theradiance of our countenance, as thebuoyancy and strength of our body, asthe very garments with which we areclothed. All the joy and fulfillment which

surge through our being is a silenttestimony that I in the midst of thee ammighty.

CHAPTER XVIIIA CIRCLE OF CHRISTHOOD

Is it reasonable to expect that there can

be a whole group of people in moderntimes so dedicated to the Christ-life thatthey will live by actual spiritual contact?Is it con-ceivable that a body of studentsor. earnest aspirants on the spiritualpath will evolve, who will seriouslyaccept the hypothesis that they, ofthemselves, are nothing, but that God isall? is it within the range of possibilitythat a group of people will appear onthis earth, who have arrived at that pointof realization where life is lived by theSpirit? Such a group would establish apattern for the whole world.

Always there have been isolatedindividuals who have achievedChristhood by grace, but at no period in

the history of the world has it beeneither realized or maintained by a group.No one has been able to impart it to agroup, because up to this moment noeffective way of transmitting the Christ-consciousness to large numbers hasbeen found at least none that has beeneffective. It was imparted by Jesus tothe twelve disciples, and out of thetwelve only three or four were able tomaintain it. It was taught to severalstudents by Buddha, but only two ofthem understood it, and of Lao-tse'sdisciples, only one was able to carry on.

Today the wisdom of all ages is again

coming to light in humanconsciousness: "Hear, 0 Israel: TheLord our God is one Lord." Thisteaching of oneness is the ancientsecret of the mystics revealedthroughout all time by every one of thegreat spiritual lights of the world. Everygreat religious teacher has caught thisvision of oneness. This it is whichenables us to unite in that selfsamerealization that if I am in the Father, andthe Father is in me, then, you are in me,and I am in you; and we are all one inthe Father, united in oneconsciousness.

Despite the diverse forms of religiousworship and teach-ing prevalent today,men and women of whatever

persuasion should be able to unite inthis age-old wisdom of oneness. Theteaching of oneness is universal and inno way interferes with the continuedpractice of our present manner ofworship. In reality, there is no cleavagebetween your teaching and "my"teaching. There is one Spirit and thatSpirit is God, permeating human



consciousness wherever humanconsciousness is receptive. This Spiritof God works through me for yourblessing and through you for myblessing, since we are one in ChristJesus.

The world has made great stridesforward in religious and metaphysicalteachings since those early days ofJesus, Buddha, and Lao-tse, but toomuch of this teaching has remainedmere speculation in the realm of theintellect. Somehow, somewhere, agroup known by their fruits must comeinto active expression, a group who

actually live the Christ life. They mustkeep their fingers on their lips, nottalking truth, not teaching truth, butliving truth, their every act ademonstration of the presence andpower of God. As discord or inharmonyflash across their horizon, they will resistthe temptation to affirm truth, andinstead, turn to that center where theChrist is enthroned and let It make thecrooked places straight. It, not they, willbe the blessing.

The answer, the solution to all problems,is the realized Christ; let us call It theRisen Christ. Christ buried in the tombof the mind will not come forth and dowonders, but Christ risen in ourconsciousness, Christ raised up from

the tomb through meditation andcommunion that is the miracle worker ofthe ages. It may begin with us andexpress in the improvement of ourhealth, supply, and environment. Then,as the Christ becomes active in ourconsciousness on behalf of those whoare receptive to It, It will begin to be aninfluence in their experience. Thus,

going from one to another, touching afew here, a few more there, eventually, itwill encircle the globe.

Every person who has prepared himselffor the awakening of the Christ maybecome an integral part of this circle oflight. It is not, however, an experiencethat is possible to every person at thispresent moment, just as it is notpossible for everyone to earn a degreein engineering or law, without therequired preliminary study. Much as allthose who are interested in the deepthings of the Spirit would like to includetheir friends and families as their

companions along the Way, this is notalways practicable. Often the membersof one's own family or others closelyrelated by ties of friendship, love, orassociation are the very ones who arethe most antagonistic to truth. They arethe rocky or barren soil to which theMaster referred. It is not for anyone to

judge or to know who is ready for Soulunfoldment. That is something betweenevery person and his God. Eventually,every knee must bend, and ultimately,all will come into their spiritual heritage.

Spiritual unfoldment must begin withone always one. It has to begin in theconsciousness of one person. Thatconsciousness could just as well beyours; that consciousness could just as

well be mine. It all depends upon thedegree in which we come into therealization of the Christ. The realized,risen Christ, active in one person,becomes a potent force in the entireworld. At any given moment there maybe a receptive person in some hospital,in a prison cell, on a battlefield, in highpolitical office or low, someone



anywhere in the world crying out, "0God, can you help me? Is there a Godto help me?" Wherever or wheneverthere is a reaching out to God, there therealized Christ is, in Its fullness. No onecan fully apprehend the widespreadeffect of the realized Christ when It isloosed in the world. There is no way ofknowing bow many people have hadhealings — mental, physical, moral, andfinancial by the very act of reaching outto the Unknown, and, thereby, touch-ingthis very Christ, which has beenreleased in meditation by you or by me.

It is for this reason that I have been

asking our students in The Infinite Wayto devote one meditation period eachday to God alone not for themselves,their families, their business, theirpatients, or their students, but for Godalone. In other words, we reserve oneperiod for a meditation in which we go toGod with clean hands:

Father, I seek nothing. I come to You inthe same spirit in which I would go tomy mother were my mother avail-able,for communion, just for love. You are theFather and Mother of my being. You arethe Source of my life. You are the Soulof me, the Spirit of me. I have no favorsto ask of You. I come to You for the joyof communion, to feel the assurance ofYour hand in mine, the touch of Your

finger on my shoulder just to be in ThyPresence.

The realized, demonstrated presence ofGod is the Savior of the world.

The time has passed for any oneindividual to set himself up as the solerepresentative of the Spirit of God on

earth. Every person must show forththat same Spirit. If this book can bring toa few the experience of the Spirit of theLord, then they, in turn, will be able togo out and help others reach this sameexperience. The Saviour is the Spirit ofthe Lord not a man or a woman. TheSaviour is the Spirit of the Lord, and theSpirit of the Lord must be realized byyou and by me individually.

The most that any spiritual teaching orbook can accomplish is to lead thestudent to the realization that there is akingdom of God within him and theninspire him with the desire to achieve it.

The most that a spiritual teacher can dois to open the consciousness of thoseindividuals who look to him, so that theymay attain the realization of the Spirit ofthe Lord. But one teacher, as we haveseen in the case of Jesus Christ, couldnot do this for the entire world not evenfor his own disciples, except for the fewwho were receptive and responsive.Judas is an example of one who did notrespond to the Christ. Only those with adeep spiritual hunger can be lifted by aspiritual teacher into the God-experience.

Every mystic throughout the ages hassucceeded in opening theconsciousness of students to theexperience of the Spirit of the Lord. In

some cases, hundreds received itthrough their teacher. But the worldwent on its merry way to destruction,because those who reached this highstate of consciousness set up a worshipof the teacher rather than a practice ofthe teaching. Everyone who through thiswork is touched by the Christ shoulddedicate himself to opening the



consciousness of others in the sameway as has been done for him. This hecan do by being a witness to the activityof the Christ in his own consciousness,demonstrating to the world that anyonewith sufficient interest and devotion maybe led to the same experience.

Wherever there is a realized God-consciousness, it be-comes aninstrument through which God functionsin human consciousness. The activity ofthe Christ can function through myconsciousness, reaching and touchingyours to illumine, heal, and supply. Inthe same manner, as you are attuned to

the Infinite Invisible in meditation, Christfinds an outlet through yourconsciousness, touching the lives ofothers, awakening their consciousness,and bringing what the world callshealing to their bodies and affairs. Theactivity of the Christ, with no humanintervention, flows into whatever humanconsciousness is opening itself to God'sgrace.

The day will come when there will be aband, a circle of spiritual wisdom aroundthe entire globe. The fabric of this circlewill be formed throughout the world bythe realized Christ-consciousness ofteachers and students. When this circleh b d l d ffi i tl th

anyone in the world who touches it canattain it in some measure.

Illumination dissolves all material tiesand binds men together with the goldenchains of spiritual understanding; itacknowledges only the leadership of theChrist; it has no ritual or rule but thedivine, impersonal universal Love; noother worship than the inner Flame thatis ever lit at the shrine of Spirit. Thisunion is the free state of spiritualbrotherhood. The only restraint is thediscipline of Soul, therefore we knowliberty without license; we are a uniteduniverse without physical limits; a divine

service to God without ceremony orcreed. The illumined walk without fear --by Grace.

FINI

the art of meditation part i ii iii

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