I AM the Door
WE HAVE shown the three stages reached by those whose feet are definitely set upon the Path that leads back to the Father's House—the stages of the Aspirant, the Disciple on Probation, and the Accepted Disciple. We have tried to show each traveler the stage he or she has attained, so that they may understand the meaning and purpose of the experiences through which they are now passing, and also of those which await in the stages ahead.
All who have accompanied us thus far and who have earnestly studied and meditated upon all that has been said cannot fail to realize that this is a mental journey we are traveling, and that we are headed inward—for is not the Kingdom of Heaven within us? Also all such are beginning to see why we have been so insistent upon those accompanying us taking the suggested daily exercises in meditation and mind control. For it will be utterly impossible to continue with us until the mental faculties have been trained along the lines indicated, so that they will obey you and permit you to direct and use them to any desired end.
This journey, naturally being an inward one, will lead us deep within the mind, or rather within the consciousness that fills and really is what is called mind. But do not become concerned about it yet—those of you who have not made much progress in thought-control, for we are only trying to prepare you—to get you to understand what is necessary, and that it is not at all a difficult journey—when you are properly equipped for it. You are already provided with the required equipment,—you have all your mental faculties, you have an earnest desire to go, a will awaiting your command to direct and put the faculties to work, and plain and simple exercises that you are asked to follow. Therefore, if you are really in earnest and the seeking of the Kingdom is FIRST in your heart and mind—why not get busy now, and let nothing interfere with your gaining perfect control of your mental faculties and thus becoming fully equipped for this all-important journey.
Under the subject of Meditation it was stated, "All must learn that to be of real service to the Master within they must first be able to hear His Voice when He speaks, and that cannot be until they have learned to become quiet and to turn their thoughts within for the definite purpose of finding and getting acquainted with Him."
Many think it most difficult and vouchsafed only to the favored few to hear the Voice of the Master —the Higher Self, but when we say that practically everyone who reads these words hears His Voice many times a day and is being guided and directed by Him almost all the time, you will see that it really only needs that you get better acquainted with Him to enable you to know when He speaks, and to permit you to work with Him and to follow where He directs. It is our wish and aim to make you so well acquainted with Him that you may always know when He speaks, and when it is the voice of self that you hear.
First, try to recall the times during the day when you see yourself doing something foolish or wrong—not what you would have done had you first taken counsel with yourself; or when you find yourself saying something that hurts another, that arouses anger, or that is not true, which you would not have said had you exercised control of yourself.
You will note, if you read again the preceding sentence carefully, that you see yourself doing and saying things. We will repeat it in a little different form—to see if you can learn why: "You see your self doing something foolish or wrong—not what it would have done had it first taken counsel with you; or you find your self saying something that hurts another, that arouses anger, or that is not true, which would not have been said had you exercised control of that self."
Here apparently are two selves—at first they may seem to be one—yet a careful reading discloses a distinct difference; there is one that sees and knows, and another that is seen and does not know; one that can control the other, yet at times lets the other have its own way—evidently for a purpose.
By studying the activities of your mind and the tendencies of your nature you will discover that there is a part of you that is willful and wholly selfish and which, if not restrained, gets you into much trouble; also that there is another part—one that is all mind, which knows all about and can restrain the other part—the emotional side of your nature, when it wills to do so, but which it seldom does, until it has learned by experience the wisdom of so doing. Now this part—the mind that learns by experience—more and more becomes conscious of a quiet Voice within pointing out the lessons of such experiences and continually suggesting, cautioning, chiding, denying, accusing, shaming, and gradually getting the mind to listen to and heed it. This continues every day for years, until the mind is taught much knowledge—especially the results of listening and obeying.
If you can now see this part—your mind that is learning to listen and obey and also learning to restrain and control the other part, the animal and selfish side of your nature—as the Disciple, the John Smith part of you; and the Voice speaking from within the depths of the soul as that of the Master, the Real You—the Spirit of God, the Christ-Self of you,—you will begin to glimpse a great but a very simple truth. Pause here and try to get the full significance of what has been stated in the last five paragraphs.
Again, at times you find yourself sitting back—outside of your human self as it were—viewing the John Smith part of you in all its petty meannesses and selfishness—its shortcomings, faults and weaknesses, pointing them out to your mind so that it sees them clearly through your eyes and becomes heartily sick and ashamed of itself for permitting such things to be, and determines definitely to overcome and eliminate all such from your nature for the good of all concerned.
Please note carefully that in this case your consciousness was back with that of the Master—that it was practically one with His consciousness, and you were seeing with His eyes and with His understanding. In fact the Disciple was temporarily in the consciousness of the Master—showing how simple a matter it is for the loving and obedient Disciple to enter actually into the Master's Consciousness.
We have given you these two proofs that it is not difficult to hear the Voice of the Master and that a Disciple hears it many times a day. Indeed that which thinks, which decides, which directs you as a Disciple in every activity of mind, speech or body, is the Master—is You, the Christ of you—the one and only Self, telling your brain mind what You want it, your instrument, to think, say or do. You who are living in this body, built it with its physical brain and five senses for Your use, and are now teaching, training and fitting its brain and mind so that it will be fully conscious of You and will acknowledge You as its Master and will lovingly and obediently compel its body likewise to wait upon and serve only You.
We know that many will find it difficult to follow closely the thought of the above, but we earnestly urge that you stay with it, meditating upon its every word, until the meaning becomes clear, and you will surely be rewarded by the consciousness of having made a great truth your very own for all time; and it will unfailingly help you later to enter the Consciousness of the Master at will.
But let no one think one may enter this Consciousness when anything of self, desiring it for the use of self, is in evidence. For as we have so definitely shown, no one can get very far on this journey to the Kingdom when self and personality still are prominent; and this Consciousness comes only to one who has dedicated and is requiring self to serve the Loving One within. In fact, it is only such who ever become His Disciple.
By this time you will have realized that these words are especially written for Disciples, and that they only can fully understand and appreciate the value of what is stated. This does not mean, however, that those to whom it has a strong appeal, but who feel that they are not yet worthy to be Disciples, are not receiving the benefit intended. For in very truth such are potential Disciples, and these words that make such strong appeal will quicken the soul and accomplish just the expansion of consciousness necessary to permit the Master within to make His presence more definitely felt.
I AM THE ONLY WAY
In the third chapter we tried to show that the I AM—the Christ Consciousness—is the only way unto the Father, the only Truth and the only Life; that until the Disciple recognizes and accepts the Christ within as the Higher Self and Divine Master he has not yet found the Way, cannot really know Truth, and consequently the perfect God Life of him cannot express and enable him to be his Real Self. Until then the brain mind—the Disciple—still thinks itself separate from You—the Master—and naturally, therefore, separate from its Source—the One Mind of God, its Father. You in your Christ nature know that You and the Father are One—even as Jesus knew; hence You are trying to teach your brain mind by the words above and by those that follow to realize that only by knowing its Oneness with You, can it come into Oneness with the Mind of the Father.
"I am the Way—the only way you can travel—either without or within; for only by using My power can you be, can you express, can you do, can you go. Hence only by finding and knowing Me as your true and only self, can you ever find the Kingdom.
"I am the Truth. There would be no knowing in you if it were not for Me in you. For am I not the Interpreter—the only Teacher of Truth—the only Knower—for you?
"I am the Life. There would be no life in your body if I were not dwelling in it—for I am the Life that lives it. I am the Life of God that flows into, centers in you, expresses you, and Is you.
"Therefore you must seek and find Me, that you may know and become I AM—for only by entering in and being Me, can you come into the Consciousness of the Father, Who is One with Me."
Jesus in so many ways proved for our benefit that the Christ of Him knew, and He was all the time teaching His Disciples by demonstration and Truth statements, trying to convey to them the above great truths—even as we are trying to con- vey them to you. For this consciousness—this KNOWING—is absolutely essential, not only before you can enter the Kingdom, but before you can be- come a real Disciple—a real servant of the Master.
Is your soul yearning to heal, to teach, to work in the Cause of Brotherhood? Then you know now what should be your first accomplishment. When that is attained you will be able to enter at will into the Consciousness of the One Mind— will be able to connect your mind with It as easily as pressing the electric button turns on the light, or as turning on the faucet causes the water to pour out. This you will prove and demonstrate for yourself in healing, teaching and serving, with the attainment of that KNOWING—for that will make all easy.
Is it worth working for? Then meditate daily upon what has been given, faithfully practicing the exercises, for they will surely bring that KNOWING to the soul that earnestly and persistently seeks it.
I AM THE DOOR
"I am the door; by Me, if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you. I am the door of the sheep. He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
"But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."--John 10:9, 7, 1-2.
He—the I AM — the Divine Self of us—thus shows us that He is the door—the only door into the Kingdom. Man must become His Disciple—must become the loving shepherd of his thoughts, feelings, motives—dedicating them all to Him, shepherding them ever toward the heavenly pasture— if he would save them, and he, himself, be saved. Once having found his Divine Self—the Christ— and having entered into His Consciousness, he can go in and out at will, and will find that everything needed is always available for use in His service. For having found Him and entered into His Consciousness he becomes One with Him—and thinks only His thoughts, speaks only His words, and does only His will.
He who climbeth up through pure will-power, uninspired by Love; or by great intellectual knowledge, unwedded to Love; or by magical rites claimed to be a short cut; the same thereby is a thief and a robber—no matter how wonderful the things he teaches, the mysteries he reveals, or the seeming miracles he performs. For now you know that the true knowledge, the mysteries of the Spirit, the power to perform real miracles, come only from and are used only by the Christ-Self, Who abides in and works only from the Kingdom.
In the days to come—in the near future—there will appear many seemingly great teachers, revealers of the mysteries, and performers of miracles. Our beloved Master, Himself, told us:
"If any man shall say unto you, Lo here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."--Matthew 24:23-24. (Read the whole Chapter and become acquainted with it, for we shall refer to it again.)
Our work is to awaken the elect—and all those who can be saved—to call them forth from out their darkened sleep of self into the light of true understanding, and thereby into the service of the Christ within—their beloved Master; so that when these false Christs without appear, they may know them instantly for what they are—thieves and robbers.
(Read all of the 10th Chapter of John.)
All of these wonderful words of truth that Jesus spoke nineteen hundred years ago are so simple and so grandly true that they are easily provable today, and are well known by every Disciple. For does He not speak them to us daily from within in His efforts to win us utterly to Him?
So that our hearts yearn with a strong yearning to have everyone who reads come quickly into the great Joy of His Presence that every Disciple feels. He waits within with longing, open arms, calling you to Him. Can you not hear His loving Voice appealing to you deep within your heart? Surely you are learning to know that Voice and to feel there His Presence—in His Love that surges outward for recognition.
THE PRAYER
In the appendix is a Prayer or Invocation for the assisting of Aspirants to enter into the consciousness of the Higher Self—the Christ within. Try to realize in voicing this Prayer that in that consciousness the Father can actually be known in Spirit, as well as can our blessed Master, Christ Jesus, and all of our other Brothers in Christ. For in that consciousness, which is truly the Father's Consciousness—His Kingdom, all are One—there is no separation.
The only way into the consciousness of the Higher Self—the Christ within—is through the door of the heart. By opening wide our hearts we let out our Father's love, which quickens and spiritualizes our minds, and enables us to feel and recognize His Presence within as our Christ-Self; when His love actually becomes our love, enabling us to see with His eyes and to know with His understanding what He wishes us to know.
We then have the right to ask Him to cleanse us of all consciousness of the separate self, so that our Christ-Self may live His life in us, do His will in us, and be in very truth His self in us.
And when we go about thereafter in His consciousness, He can give us of His wisdom to light and direct our way, so that we may make no more missteps; may be empowered by His will to abide in the consciousness of His ever Presence, so that His Words may abide in us; and may feel His dear Love always within and active in our hearts, so that our Spiritual eyes may remain open and we may see His beloved Self looking from out the eyes of every soul we meet.
Let everyone seek to get the full meaning of the above, so that this Prayer may be to you all that is intended. Make no mistake, it will surely repay the effort made to comprehend fully what you are asking. For it is the soul prayer of every true Disciple of Christ. Once it has become your soul's longing, do not enter the inner realms at night in sleep without repeating it in deep earnestness, no more than you start the day without similarly repeating the Lord's Prayer.
ONE METHOD OF HEALING
We will now suggest an application of the power of concentration gained by the exercises given in the two Meditations, which will be found in the appendix. [The two meditations are found on these webpages: Meditation 1 and Meditation 2]
Read carefully the first part of the small Meditation, trying to get the full meaning of what is stated about the consciousness of the One Mind circulating freely to every center of that Mind. Then try to realize that every cell in every organ or in any part of the body is a center of consciousness of that Mind, and therefore is a center for the expression of the One Life—God's Life; that that Life, being God's Life, will grow and heal and make perfect any expression of Itself—that it will naturally and automatically do this, because It knows no disease —it knows only Life.
This it does in the bodies of men, animals, vegetation and even minerals, as almost everyone knows. That is why, when there is a cut, a bruise, or an injury of any kind to any one of these bodies, that Life immediately begins to repair, restore and heal—if left alone and if not interfered with by the human mind with its fears, anxieties and misbeliefs—and will quickly make it whole as before.
It stands to reason that It should do this in any part of the human body—where alone It is ever interfered with—if the brain mind which controls the consciousness of the cells there fully co-operates with this Life, by simply knowing Its power and impressing upon the consciousness of the cells the same knowing—instead of the usual fears and states of panic when a serious injury occurs or a disease is discovered.
The practical way of proving this is—first to know the truth just stated. Then to "see" or visualize this Life, directed by your will, pushing right through the darkness of the consciousness of the cells of the injured or diseased part—for remember, your consciousness, when it knows truth as God knows it, is His Consciousness; and wherever His Consciousness is, His Life must be and operate—bringing Light and Life and once more Oneness of consciousness and therefore of health, harmony and wholeness to these cells, driving out all darkness of ignorance, misconception and wrong thinking that may have been instilled there by your human beliefs, and starting nature's healing processes immediately to work again.
For you must realize that this Life is Spirit—is purest Light and Love; and being the inner essence of all Life, it instantly penetrates to the center of all consciousness—easily into the darkness of the consciousness of cells created by human misconceptions of what is life—when directed by the will of one who knows the truth above stated, and quickly dispels all sense of pain, inharmony or disease—aye, just as easily as carrying a bright light into a dark room causes the darkness instantly to disappear.
Read the above over many times, each time trying to get its full meaning before trying to prove it. Then do not attempt to prove it until urged by a Loving Power within to respond to a call for help from one who suffers. Then with a prayer for that Power to come forth and use you as It wills to drive out the darkness from the suffering one, obey whatever you are led to say and to do.
This brings up the question of when is it legitimate to use this healing knowledge and the power it gives. Do you think that you are wise enough to know what another soul needs, or if its Higher Self wants you to heal it of a disease brought upon it as a result of disobedience or of breaking a definite law? Of course few are wise enough for that. Then until you are, it were best not to attempt to use this knowledge and power only under certain, well-defined conditions—which we will make clear.
Above we plainly state that one should not attempt to prove it "until urged by a Loving Power within in response to a call for help from one who suffers." That means that one must know when that Loving Power speaks—that one must become thoroughly acquainted with It, and learn to work with and for It.
You can now see why we are trying to help you get acquainted with that Power—the Loving Christ within; so that you can let Him come forth and use you as He wills "to drive out the darkness from the minds of the suffering ones," by bringing to them the Light of His knowing from within themselves.
When you are fully conscious that He knows all, and therefore deep within is watching over, caring for, and in complete charge of all, you will leave it all in His hands in supremest confidence, always ready however to fly at His command to do what He wishes you to do, knowing that as He starts the healing current through you there can be only one result and then probably you will be given actually to see it manifest.
Go to the next Chapter ~ I AM the Resurrection and the Life
All who have accompanied us thus far and who have earnestly studied and meditated upon all that has been said cannot fail to realize that this is a mental journey we are traveling, and that we are headed inward—for is not the Kingdom of Heaven within us? Also all such are beginning to see why we have been so insistent upon those accompanying us taking the suggested daily exercises in meditation and mind control. For it will be utterly impossible to continue with us until the mental faculties have been trained along the lines indicated, so that they will obey you and permit you to direct and use them to any desired end.
This journey, naturally being an inward one, will lead us deep within the mind, or rather within the consciousness that fills and really is what is called mind. But do not become concerned about it yet—those of you who have not made much progress in thought-control, for we are only trying to prepare you—to get you to understand what is necessary, and that it is not at all a difficult journey—when you are properly equipped for it. You are already provided with the required equipment,—you have all your mental faculties, you have an earnest desire to go, a will awaiting your command to direct and put the faculties to work, and plain and simple exercises that you are asked to follow. Therefore, if you are really in earnest and the seeking of the Kingdom is FIRST in your heart and mind—why not get busy now, and let nothing interfere with your gaining perfect control of your mental faculties and thus becoming fully equipped for this all-important journey.
Under the subject of Meditation it was stated, "All must learn that to be of real service to the Master within they must first be able to hear His Voice when He speaks, and that cannot be until they have learned to become quiet and to turn their thoughts within for the definite purpose of finding and getting acquainted with Him."
Many think it most difficult and vouchsafed only to the favored few to hear the Voice of the Master —the Higher Self, but when we say that practically everyone who reads these words hears His Voice many times a day and is being guided and directed by Him almost all the time, you will see that it really only needs that you get better acquainted with Him to enable you to know when He speaks, and to permit you to work with Him and to follow where He directs. It is our wish and aim to make you so well acquainted with Him that you may always know when He speaks, and when it is the voice of self that you hear.
First, try to recall the times during the day when you see yourself doing something foolish or wrong—not what you would have done had you first taken counsel with yourself; or when you find yourself saying something that hurts another, that arouses anger, or that is not true, which you would not have said had you exercised control of yourself.
You will note, if you read again the preceding sentence carefully, that you see yourself doing and saying things. We will repeat it in a little different form—to see if you can learn why: "You see your self doing something foolish or wrong—not what it would have done had it first taken counsel with you; or you find your self saying something that hurts another, that arouses anger, or that is not true, which would not have been said had you exercised control of that self."
Here apparently are two selves—at first they may seem to be one—yet a careful reading discloses a distinct difference; there is one that sees and knows, and another that is seen and does not know; one that can control the other, yet at times lets the other have its own way—evidently for a purpose.
By studying the activities of your mind and the tendencies of your nature you will discover that there is a part of you that is willful and wholly selfish and which, if not restrained, gets you into much trouble; also that there is another part—one that is all mind, which knows all about and can restrain the other part—the emotional side of your nature, when it wills to do so, but which it seldom does, until it has learned by experience the wisdom of so doing. Now this part—the mind that learns by experience—more and more becomes conscious of a quiet Voice within pointing out the lessons of such experiences and continually suggesting, cautioning, chiding, denying, accusing, shaming, and gradually getting the mind to listen to and heed it. This continues every day for years, until the mind is taught much knowledge—especially the results of listening and obeying.
If you can now see this part—your mind that is learning to listen and obey and also learning to restrain and control the other part, the animal and selfish side of your nature—as the Disciple, the John Smith part of you; and the Voice speaking from within the depths of the soul as that of the Master, the Real You—the Spirit of God, the Christ-Self of you,—you will begin to glimpse a great but a very simple truth. Pause here and try to get the full significance of what has been stated in the last five paragraphs.
Again, at times you find yourself sitting back—outside of your human self as it were—viewing the John Smith part of you in all its petty meannesses and selfishness—its shortcomings, faults and weaknesses, pointing them out to your mind so that it sees them clearly through your eyes and becomes heartily sick and ashamed of itself for permitting such things to be, and determines definitely to overcome and eliminate all such from your nature for the good of all concerned.
Please note carefully that in this case your consciousness was back with that of the Master—that it was practically one with His consciousness, and you were seeing with His eyes and with His understanding. In fact the Disciple was temporarily in the consciousness of the Master—showing how simple a matter it is for the loving and obedient Disciple to enter actually into the Master's Consciousness.
We have given you these two proofs that it is not difficult to hear the Voice of the Master and that a Disciple hears it many times a day. Indeed that which thinks, which decides, which directs you as a Disciple in every activity of mind, speech or body, is the Master—is You, the Christ of you—the one and only Self, telling your brain mind what You want it, your instrument, to think, say or do. You who are living in this body, built it with its physical brain and five senses for Your use, and are now teaching, training and fitting its brain and mind so that it will be fully conscious of You and will acknowledge You as its Master and will lovingly and obediently compel its body likewise to wait upon and serve only You.
We know that many will find it difficult to follow closely the thought of the above, but we earnestly urge that you stay with it, meditating upon its every word, until the meaning becomes clear, and you will surely be rewarded by the consciousness of having made a great truth your very own for all time; and it will unfailingly help you later to enter the Consciousness of the Master at will.
But let no one think one may enter this Consciousness when anything of self, desiring it for the use of self, is in evidence. For as we have so definitely shown, no one can get very far on this journey to the Kingdom when self and personality still are prominent; and this Consciousness comes only to one who has dedicated and is requiring self to serve the Loving One within. In fact, it is only such who ever become His Disciple.
By this time you will have realized that these words are especially written for Disciples, and that they only can fully understand and appreciate the value of what is stated. This does not mean, however, that those to whom it has a strong appeal, but who feel that they are not yet worthy to be Disciples, are not receiving the benefit intended. For in very truth such are potential Disciples, and these words that make such strong appeal will quicken the soul and accomplish just the expansion of consciousness necessary to permit the Master within to make His presence more definitely felt.
I AM THE ONLY WAY
In the third chapter we tried to show that the I AM—the Christ Consciousness—is the only way unto the Father, the only Truth and the only Life; that until the Disciple recognizes and accepts the Christ within as the Higher Self and Divine Master he has not yet found the Way, cannot really know Truth, and consequently the perfect God Life of him cannot express and enable him to be his Real Self. Until then the brain mind—the Disciple—still thinks itself separate from You—the Master—and naturally, therefore, separate from its Source—the One Mind of God, its Father. You in your Christ nature know that You and the Father are One—even as Jesus knew; hence You are trying to teach your brain mind by the words above and by those that follow to realize that only by knowing its Oneness with You, can it come into Oneness with the Mind of the Father.
"I am the Way—the only way you can travel—either without or within; for only by using My power can you be, can you express, can you do, can you go. Hence only by finding and knowing Me as your true and only self, can you ever find the Kingdom.
"I am the Truth. There would be no knowing in you if it were not for Me in you. For am I not the Interpreter—the only Teacher of Truth—the only Knower—for you?
"I am the Life. There would be no life in your body if I were not dwelling in it—for I am the Life that lives it. I am the Life of God that flows into, centers in you, expresses you, and Is you.
"Therefore you must seek and find Me, that you may know and become I AM—for only by entering in and being Me, can you come into the Consciousness of the Father, Who is One with Me."
Jesus in so many ways proved for our benefit that the Christ of Him knew, and He was all the time teaching His Disciples by demonstration and Truth statements, trying to convey to them the above great truths—even as we are trying to con- vey them to you. For this consciousness—this KNOWING—is absolutely essential, not only before you can enter the Kingdom, but before you can be- come a real Disciple—a real servant of the Master.
Is your soul yearning to heal, to teach, to work in the Cause of Brotherhood? Then you know now what should be your first accomplishment. When that is attained you will be able to enter at will into the Consciousness of the One Mind— will be able to connect your mind with It as easily as pressing the electric button turns on the light, or as turning on the faucet causes the water to pour out. This you will prove and demonstrate for yourself in healing, teaching and serving, with the attainment of that KNOWING—for that will make all easy.
Is it worth working for? Then meditate daily upon what has been given, faithfully practicing the exercises, for they will surely bring that KNOWING to the soul that earnestly and persistently seeks it.
I AM THE DOOR
"I am the door; by Me, if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you. I am the door of the sheep. He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
"But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."--John 10:9, 7, 1-2.
He—the I AM — the Divine Self of us—thus shows us that He is the door—the only door into the Kingdom. Man must become His Disciple—must become the loving shepherd of his thoughts, feelings, motives—dedicating them all to Him, shepherding them ever toward the heavenly pasture— if he would save them, and he, himself, be saved. Once having found his Divine Self—the Christ— and having entered into His Consciousness, he can go in and out at will, and will find that everything needed is always available for use in His service. For having found Him and entered into His Consciousness he becomes One with Him—and thinks only His thoughts, speaks only His words, and does only His will.
He who climbeth up through pure will-power, uninspired by Love; or by great intellectual knowledge, unwedded to Love; or by magical rites claimed to be a short cut; the same thereby is a thief and a robber—no matter how wonderful the things he teaches, the mysteries he reveals, or the seeming miracles he performs. For now you know that the true knowledge, the mysteries of the Spirit, the power to perform real miracles, come only from and are used only by the Christ-Self, Who abides in and works only from the Kingdom.
In the days to come—in the near future—there will appear many seemingly great teachers, revealers of the mysteries, and performers of miracles. Our beloved Master, Himself, told us:
"If any man shall say unto you, Lo here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."--Matthew 24:23-24. (Read the whole Chapter and become acquainted with it, for we shall refer to it again.)
Our work is to awaken the elect—and all those who can be saved—to call them forth from out their darkened sleep of self into the light of true understanding, and thereby into the service of the Christ within—their beloved Master; so that when these false Christs without appear, they may know them instantly for what they are—thieves and robbers.
(Read all of the 10th Chapter of John.)
All of these wonderful words of truth that Jesus spoke nineteen hundred years ago are so simple and so grandly true that they are easily provable today, and are well known by every Disciple. For does He not speak them to us daily from within in His efforts to win us utterly to Him?
So that our hearts yearn with a strong yearning to have everyone who reads come quickly into the great Joy of His Presence that every Disciple feels. He waits within with longing, open arms, calling you to Him. Can you not hear His loving Voice appealing to you deep within your heart? Surely you are learning to know that Voice and to feel there His Presence—in His Love that surges outward for recognition.
THE PRAYER
In the appendix is a Prayer or Invocation for the assisting of Aspirants to enter into the consciousness of the Higher Self—the Christ within. Try to realize in voicing this Prayer that in that consciousness the Father can actually be known in Spirit, as well as can our blessed Master, Christ Jesus, and all of our other Brothers in Christ. For in that consciousness, which is truly the Father's Consciousness—His Kingdom, all are One—there is no separation.
The only way into the consciousness of the Higher Self—the Christ within—is through the door of the heart. By opening wide our hearts we let out our Father's love, which quickens and spiritualizes our minds, and enables us to feel and recognize His Presence within as our Christ-Self; when His love actually becomes our love, enabling us to see with His eyes and to know with His understanding what He wishes us to know.
We then have the right to ask Him to cleanse us of all consciousness of the separate self, so that our Christ-Self may live His life in us, do His will in us, and be in very truth His self in us.
And when we go about thereafter in His consciousness, He can give us of His wisdom to light and direct our way, so that we may make no more missteps; may be empowered by His will to abide in the consciousness of His ever Presence, so that His Words may abide in us; and may feel His dear Love always within and active in our hearts, so that our Spiritual eyes may remain open and we may see His beloved Self looking from out the eyes of every soul we meet.
Let everyone seek to get the full meaning of the above, so that this Prayer may be to you all that is intended. Make no mistake, it will surely repay the effort made to comprehend fully what you are asking. For it is the soul prayer of every true Disciple of Christ. Once it has become your soul's longing, do not enter the inner realms at night in sleep without repeating it in deep earnestness, no more than you start the day without similarly repeating the Lord's Prayer.
ONE METHOD OF HEALING
We will now suggest an application of the power of concentration gained by the exercises given in the two Meditations, which will be found in the appendix. [The two meditations are found on these webpages: Meditation 1 and Meditation 2]
Read carefully the first part of the small Meditation, trying to get the full meaning of what is stated about the consciousness of the One Mind circulating freely to every center of that Mind. Then try to realize that every cell in every organ or in any part of the body is a center of consciousness of that Mind, and therefore is a center for the expression of the One Life—God's Life; that that Life, being God's Life, will grow and heal and make perfect any expression of Itself—that it will naturally and automatically do this, because It knows no disease —it knows only Life.
This it does in the bodies of men, animals, vegetation and even minerals, as almost everyone knows. That is why, when there is a cut, a bruise, or an injury of any kind to any one of these bodies, that Life immediately begins to repair, restore and heal—if left alone and if not interfered with by the human mind with its fears, anxieties and misbeliefs—and will quickly make it whole as before.
It stands to reason that It should do this in any part of the human body—where alone It is ever interfered with—if the brain mind which controls the consciousness of the cells there fully co-operates with this Life, by simply knowing Its power and impressing upon the consciousness of the cells the same knowing—instead of the usual fears and states of panic when a serious injury occurs or a disease is discovered.
The practical way of proving this is—first to know the truth just stated. Then to "see" or visualize this Life, directed by your will, pushing right through the darkness of the consciousness of the cells of the injured or diseased part—for remember, your consciousness, when it knows truth as God knows it, is His Consciousness; and wherever His Consciousness is, His Life must be and operate—bringing Light and Life and once more Oneness of consciousness and therefore of health, harmony and wholeness to these cells, driving out all darkness of ignorance, misconception and wrong thinking that may have been instilled there by your human beliefs, and starting nature's healing processes immediately to work again.
For you must realize that this Life is Spirit—is purest Light and Love; and being the inner essence of all Life, it instantly penetrates to the center of all consciousness—easily into the darkness of the consciousness of cells created by human misconceptions of what is life—when directed by the will of one who knows the truth above stated, and quickly dispels all sense of pain, inharmony or disease—aye, just as easily as carrying a bright light into a dark room causes the darkness instantly to disappear.
Read the above over many times, each time trying to get its full meaning before trying to prove it. Then do not attempt to prove it until urged by a Loving Power within to respond to a call for help from one who suffers. Then with a prayer for that Power to come forth and use you as It wills to drive out the darkness from the suffering one, obey whatever you are led to say and to do.
This brings up the question of when is it legitimate to use this healing knowledge and the power it gives. Do you think that you are wise enough to know what another soul needs, or if its Higher Self wants you to heal it of a disease brought upon it as a result of disobedience or of breaking a definite law? Of course few are wise enough for that. Then until you are, it were best not to attempt to use this knowledge and power only under certain, well-defined conditions—which we will make clear.
Above we plainly state that one should not attempt to prove it "until urged by a Loving Power within in response to a call for help from one who suffers." That means that one must know when that Loving Power speaks—that one must become thoroughly acquainted with It, and learn to work with and for It.
You can now see why we are trying to help you get acquainted with that Power—the Loving Christ within; so that you can let Him come forth and use you as He wills "to drive out the darkness from the minds of the suffering ones," by bringing to them the Light of His knowing from within themselves.
When you are fully conscious that He knows all, and therefore deep within is watching over, caring for, and in complete charge of all, you will leave it all in His hands in supremest confidence, always ready however to fly at His command to do what He wishes you to do, knowing that as He starts the healing current through you there can be only one result and then probably you will be given actually to see it manifest.
Go to the next Chapter ~ I AM the Resurrection and the Life