I thought I would begin by reading a few verses from Revelation, Chapter Eight: “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
There is a rather dramatic, symbolic description of something apparently going on in heaven. Prior to those verses there is a description of seven seals being opened. This no doubt correlates with the Seven Spirits that are focused in every human being, and the opening of different levels of consciousness so that finally there is full consciousness in heaven, where angelic action is then initiated.
When people contact us they are invited to share in a process of awakening the outer consciousness to union with the Angelic consciousness. You could put it this way: where seal after seal is opened, level after level of substance is generated as the focus of Identity is known in each succeeding level. We have that experience as one of ascension. Our consciousness is raised. The first level relates to the physical level, and that is where babies and young people are identified. I won’t go through the progression of the seals, but suffice it to say that the opening of each seal does relate to the ascending focus of consciousness of Self as levels of substance are generated.
Is it not so that we and others have aspired to experience heaven? We’ve had our problems, troubles, frustrations, anxieties and resentments, and have thought, “Oh, to be free! Oh, to ascend into heaven and be an Angel there—that would be lovely!” And even after people have substantial spiritual education, there is still the aspiration in many to get into heaven. There is the matter of opening the seals, of letting Identity ascend as finer substance is generated. And there does come a point where there is adequate fine substance generated because of the quality of our living, moment by moment.
When the seals are opened adequately, so that we find ourselves living in heaven, an Identity is known in an eternal quality of Being, and we express ourselves as best as possible through whatever substance is available in our human forms.
There’s silence for half an hour. We become aware of the power of stillness. This is not just a cliché but awareness that external activity is not really what is required to achieve what we are here to achieve. In fact the whole process changes. Instead of the Identity trying to get into heaven, we find that we are an Angel seeking to get into the earth. That’s the real creative challenge before us. God has been excluded from the earth (I won’t say has been trying to come into the earth), and that is our creative challenge. The Angels in heaven experiencing the fulfillment and delight of Being, no matter what is going on in the external levels of substance, address the challenge of coming into the earth.
This is symbolized in the passage I read about the sounding of trumpets. Each Angel is responsible to sound his or her trumpet in the earth or, as it is alternatively phrased, to let the incense of their Being be released in the earth. Incense always relates to essence. The Angelic Presence, when released out of the heaven, has effects in the earth, not by sweat of the brow, organizations or organizing. A little bit of all that may be done in the very peripheral reaches of our Being. But the vast majority of Angelic function is experienced in the heavenly levels of Being, not the external ones.
Every Angel is a focus of Divine Being, the Spirit of God, and has the full range of Spirit with dominant and subdominant factors—differentiations of the One Spirit. Each of us is a hologram in the spiritual sense. This is significant because when people contact us, you often hear the moan go up at some point or another, “I’ve been moving in this program and gave up certain talents, a certain career. There are certain essences of my Being that I know are dominant.” In the early stages of our program one is somehow encouraged to forget that talent as the pathway to fulfillment and wash dishes, weed gardens, clean toilets, etc. Invariably in the human consciousness there is a certain amount of rebellion, resistance and argument about that, because, “What about my particular essences? Unless I have the chance in life to develop these dominant essences of my Being, I will not be fulfilled. How can I get into heaven unless I fulfill these essences?” Before I talk seriously about this, often people who say that are deluded about their level of talent and were never going to do anything much anyway in that particular field.
Speaking for myself, and I suspect for you too, I’m aware of many essences of my Being that I know will never be fulfilled. I’m very musical and like listening to music. I suspect I could have been a wonderful pianist if I’d had the musical education, parents that pushed me into it perhaps to start with, and the time and the money to do it. The essences are here in me. But that didn’t work out. I could have been an artist, I think. I feel artistic essences. That didn’t work out either. I could rehearse a long list of careers and areas of self-expression that I would have loved to do, where I feel the spiritual essences are present.
From the Angelic point of view (and very often our external capacities come along semi-consciously to go along with this), what is required is an outer capacity, because the outer capacity of the human form is very flexible. It could have done all these things—from businessman, to musician, to politician, to gardener—I love doing all those things in essence, and you would say the same in some way. This facility, the outer form, is very facile, very flexible, and could accommodate many of those essences. But from the Angelic standpoint, what is required in the overall creative process where I am?
If we can let our outer consciousnesses yield to what the creative process, the Whole, brings to us to be done, and release the essences of our Angelic nature into what actually comes, interesting things begin to happen. For one thing, we are able to lead a far more varied and balanced life than most other people. Angels do that. Angels, you see, are quite capable of creating heaven through virtually any form of activity. A human ego can’t do it. But an Angel can and does and, therefore knowing the eternal nature of its Being, is in no hurry to lose the unique opportunities to express the particular blend of essences that are required in this short cycle of a life in this form. Whatever our circumstances are, it is a unique artistic challenge to create the experience of heaven out of the raw material of circumstances. We naturally accept that challenge with delight, not wanting to change some of the raw material and say, “I’d rather have more of this, and less of that.” It’s the futile habits of the outer consciousness to think that way, because the Angel can very easily create heaven with the raw material that is at hand. And there’s no frustration, because every circumstance affords the opportunity to express the creative genius and essences of one’s Being.
We must know the experience of heaven before we can offer much leadership on earth. Unless we are experiencing the creative fulfillment that is natural in heaven, our service on earth is limited. We can still serve even with our frustrations, anxieties and fears and know we are still playing a part. But we must also know that it is a natural part of the cycle for us to generate the fine substance required to come into the experience of Self in heaven, fulfilled. Then we find that certain of our essences can be expressed in every moment of our living. Then after that generalized expression of Self, it does happen that there are certain dominant essences of our Being that can move into focus so that we can sound those trumpets on earth. We have particular areas of essences that we are individually responsible for sounding in the body of mankind. It’s important that those do come around (and they will if we do it right), because the expression of these Angelic essences is the means of control and government within the larger body of mankind and beyond.
I’d like to look at some areas where people tend to experience frustration because they feel they are not expressing the essences of themselves in that field. One is sexual relationship. I think we can all relate to feelings of frustration. We have essences of love within ourselves, and may feel there’s no one in our vicinity that we can see who complements these intense currents of love that are essences of our Being that we long to release into the Earth. Much of the frustration generated in human beings is because they are focused in the level of form. The art of arriving on earth is to begin to release the essences, the currents, and the incense, with the forms that are actually available, even though a person may not be married or have some physically intimate relationship. Well, that’s tough then. That’s the situation. Must we be frustrated? No.
The Angel in heaven, one with his or her own essences (that’s who they are, after all) feels these currents emerging and looks around in the earth for someone to complement the current of love that may be moving. Now it would hardly be appropriate to jump on the first person of the opposite sex that one clapped eyes on—it’s not the creative way to do it! However, one can find in one’s world a symbol of the Beloved—perhaps a person sitting at a dinner table, and smile and converse with them appropriately in the current of the essences of one’s Being—and know that one is releasing into the earth, with this particular contact point, a complementary factor. It’s a complementary factor in heaven but looks as though it is someone out here. An Angel relates to them fittingly, creatively, and those essences are released.
There’s a progression of form available to release these essences: holding hands, giving a hug. If it is done artistically in the pure essences of your Being, you will find that you are releasing these essences of your Being, sexual factors, through the contact point on earth of someone you can hold hands with. The power is being released and the fire is being released through that small symbol. If it is the pure, clear essences of Spirit that you release through that small symbol, it moves out and achieves what it needs to achieve, and is also part of the creative process whereby a more substantial form or symbol is being created, through which greater intensity may in due season be released as needed in the creative cycle. We have to use the symbols that are present now, exactly as they are—and release the essences of Spirit ourselves through available forms, as part of the creative process for the achievement of larger purposes.
So we need never be frustrated in that field if we realize that fulfillment is always primarily in the experience of essences. I’m sure many of you have on occasion experienced communion and fulfillment sexually in essence, when you’ve held hands with someone, and can contrast that with having sexual intercourse with someone where those essences were not in focus. One experience is delightful, thrilling and fulfilling; the other is an empty husk. Form is not the dominant factor, ever. That’s not to say that there are not fulfilling factors related to all levels of form, but that is not the core factor of fulfillment.
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Let’s take another relationship: children. There are many people who feel that they will never be fulfilled on earth because the essences of parenthood cannot be fulfilled. They’re either not married, or not likely to have children, so they feel frustrated. It’s because they don’t know how to live. Their identity is not in Angelic Being, with their essences; because there are children around all over the place! Those essences of parenthood may be exercised if they really need to. Opportunity abounds for the release of those essences.
How about money? Some people feel they would be fulfilled if they had lots of money and could show their expertise in handling it if they had enough to perhaps play the stock market. The essences of stewardship and money management can be released through a welfare check, in the same way one handles all physical form effectively and efficiently.
Fulfillment is in the level of essence, of Spirit, handling that more intense level of substance. The outer levels of substance are less intense, with less dense substance. The most intense experiences of life are known when one is consciously engaged in the denser levels of substance, living and acting from them. This is the art of creating heaven. Heaven, in all its dimensions, is created through handling spiritual essences. As soon as you become aware of a spiritual essence on the move and allow the careful release of that essence—the fire that is moving into the earth—and let it come precisely into the other levels of substance, fulfillment will be known.
This is how Angels begin to sound their trumpet in the earth. If I had read on in Revelation, you would see that when the Angel began to sound the trumpet, all sorts of results occurred in the lower levels of substance. Our crudest awareness of focalizations of Spirit, the presence of Angels, has always pertained to whatever level of substance our own Identity was focused in. Therefore when we were children, humanly speaking, or spiritually, our experience of focalization or leadership was an external control through someone else.
There’s a need to move successfully through the experience of focalization in all the different levels as they appear. Usually there’s no need for rebellion. There’s a wrong rebellion that is resistance to the Divine Design, taking the form of a naughty child or rebellious human ego. Then as one comes to the successful filling of the vessel with substance of a certain level, one naturally feels that that kind of control, external perhaps, is no longer quite fitting. There is a sensing that one has generated finer substance that transcends that level, and so the old patterns of focalization—yes sir, no sir—don’t feel quite right, and therefore there’s a change. There is no need to feel rebellious about it just because there’s change, and one naturally explores in a creative Spirit what the new patterns of interaction are. The crude experience is the teenaged thing. We know the same sort of machinations go on spiritually. So let’s be more graceful in our awareness of what is going on.
As the Angels do appear in the heaven and sound the trumpet, in order for a creative experience to occur, there has to be response to that. In one sense, the Angel doesn’t care. The Angel is always in heaven. It might be said by the Angel, “I Am always fulfilled.” I know I speak for all the Angels present. As the Angel actually appears in heaven on earth, the Angel doesn’t try to impose control. There’s no need. You might say the human consciousness’s experience of focalization is being imposed upon by something so-called higher than I am. Coming out of heaven, there is no need to try to exert control over anybody or anything. It’s a different process altogether. It’s just the presence of the focalized essences with their particular authority, and as that presence manifests more and more intensely through the levels of substance that have been generated in the earthly form, then the radiance does the job. Resonant substance in other people or objects throughout the body of mankind or the planet simply respond as the radiance is present, and find union in the experience of heaven, union with the Spirit.
Any substance that resists or doesn’t want to be unified, well that’s fine. It doesn’t matter to the Angel because we know that the process is under way. You might say that the beauty of Angelic focalization is that it is all done by love. It’s All Love. An Angel doesn’t want anybody or anything to respond, and doesn’t want anything. Government is maintained by the working of love. As the quality of the Angelic Presence appears, and its particular focalization of essences, then that which should be unified simply responds out of love. Anything that doesn’t love the point of focus from the Angelic standpoint doesn’t find union there and is not included in that part of the heaven, anyway; maybe they are orienting somewhere else, and that’s fine. It doesn’t matter. This takes a lot of the anxiety out of “who is responding to me” and “who isn’t.” Only a human ego would be bothered by such a thing. From the Angelic standpoint, ultimately everything is unified in love, and that’s where we begin to sense our Being is.
As we sound our trumpet out of heaven, things begin to happen in the earth, and the Angel uses available symbolic objects and situations through which to sound the trumpet. The essences, the power, the fire must have a medium, contact points into the various levels of substance. Thoughts are things. Thoughts are objects. Thoughts are symbols. They should no longer just flit through our minds. They are contact points with the whole consciousness of the body of mankind. When an Angel thinks, then that substance resonates throughout the whole consciousness of the body of mankind. No sweat. It just is so.
There’s another aspect to this matter of Angelic Presence that I would like to just touch on. I think we would say that Spirit is animating all the earth forms that exist throughout the whole Cosmos, wouldn’t we? There are some rather interesting implications to that generalized statement, because human beings usually think of the universe as an impersonal machine. We look up into the night sky and see all these solar systems, the galactic systems. We look out on the surface of the planet and see all the vegetation and other systems. It’s a very impersonal world that human egos live in. As far as the Cosmos goes, they live in the midst of what is thought of as this huge machine, and think only they have this intelligence and heart, and that everything else is machinery supporting this consciousness capable of experiencing love. It isn’t so. That’s the isolated human that has come to that pass.
As the subsequent seals are opened sequentially, we begin to find that the universe is not an impersonal place. If Spirit is Love, which is animating everything, it’s the Spirit of God. It is love. Well, what is this love? A sort of electricity? No. For love to be meaningful, identity must be involved, so that as Angels we begin to meet each other as focalizations of love. I know that I am a focalization of love—my real Self that my outer consciousness is beginning to know. I know my nature. I love to love! I’m beautiful. I’m noble. I’m honorable. Yes, I am this Angel! The outer consciousness begins to be aware of the presence of an Identity—the true Self, a focalization of love.
Whether I like it initially or not when I look out, I see other focalizations of the one Spirit of Love. It’s true of everybody. We know that theoretically, but in experience we should become increasingly capable of knowing communion with the essences of a person, even if they have some kinky human characteristics that we don’t care for much. If the Angel is increasingly present, we can disregard oddities, knowing that that’s not the eternal part. We can begin to connect with the essences of the Angel that is present. That in itself opens up a vast new world of communion. If you, as an Angel, begin to have control over your external consciousness and heart such that you can begin to forget the garbage that is spotted on various human beings and relate to the Angelic Presence, well then you can begin to be in a totally different world.
Even objects—trees, flowers, everything—are evidence of the Presence of an Angel who is coordinating that particular aspect of Spirit. I’m not saying there’s an Angel in every flower. I am saying there is a differentiation of an Angel in every flower. There is a point of Angelic Focus, a Divine Being, whose level of responsibility is to coordinate the creative field that, we’ll say, includes flowers or plants. That is a differentiation of a focus of Love. There is a point of Angelic Focus, a Divine Being for every species. The Angel’s Identity isn’t focused in that form, but the Angel’s Spirit is present through that creative field for which he or she has responsibility.
Now this has implications, because there is the possibility of communing. We think we’re just communing with nature. People go out and say, “Well, I sense God.” Who’s God? God is focalizations of Angels, Divine Beings who have particularized responsibilities of focalization in the Divine Design. There is a whole network of focalization. That opens up a whole level of communion, not just with a flower. You can commune with a flower, there is a differentiation, but increasingly we may find that it is not an unintelligent, unloving universe in which we find ourselves.
Coming back to the human-nature way of doing things, if a human being doesn’t like their neighbor they will maybe kick their neighbor’s car or, if they’re really nasty, their dog. Let’s put it this way: damage the neighbor’s car, you damage the neighbor. Now we, in human nature, do that all the time. There are people who we don’t realize we are attacking when we criticize their dog. It’s not really the dog, it’s a person we’re getting at—the way “their child is an ill-mannered twit, if ever I saw one,” and so on. And when the child goes by, some ill thought or word passes through us, maybe not even to the child, but in spirit we do our dirty stuff. There’s the person over there, and the differentiation of that person’s world (like their car) is contacted over here.
We have thought ourselves to be in an impersonal universe with flowers, trees and objects. It isn’t that way. We are connected in Spirit, in essence, to actual Beings, so that when we interact with any symbol, object or life-form, we are not merely interacting with that. That is a contact point with a Focus of Love, in fact. Here is an opportunity for communion at various levels, in Love, with a particularized Focus of Love. Heaven is not only vast; it is very personal. And you will find that as you begin to relate, at first you don’t know who the Being is that’s coordinating a pattern.
What I described is just an outline idea for something to begin. As you begin to relate to every object and connection in the current of love, releasing the essences of your own Being, you will find, for one thing, that you are beginning to generate spiritual intimacy in many dimensions. It is communion and the sharing of love. When you start doing it with objects, just expressing that tone of love, respect, cooperation, releasing the true essences of your Being in this interaction—although it may be high in the heaven yet and the outer consciousness is not yet capable of being aware of it—you are, in fact, communing with another Being, Beings. The world, the Cosmos, is actually only animated by Divine Beings. And their radiance is what we have called natural laws. It’s not just inanimate, unconscious power. It is the radiance of Beings. There is no other power except the presence of Angelic Beings. It is not impersonal.
So the experience of love begins to be much more intense, varied and omnipresent. It is a totally different universe than the human consciousness has known. Heaven is full of forms of union in Love. And we are here to provide a focus for this re-creative consciousness that experiences this. This is the Truth of Love. Above all else, we have all longed to love, to know love. As we awaken in heaven, we find (speaking of the outer consciousness) that just as we suspected, love is everything and everywhere. It is very intense, it is mild, and it is all the different nuances to be experienced.
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And it is all very personal. The caressing of a flower is the caressing of a Divine Being’s hand somewhere. The healing touch on something that is ugly, with the intent to clear up a mess, is soothing to some Being somewhere; it is of assistance to a Being somewhere. It is not an impersonal act. It is an act of love. And as we begin to function in this world that I have just described, we will find love appears in myriad forms all around us.
Ultimately, the focus of this pattern of Divine Being is what we have called the LORD of Lords and KING of Kings. It is the expression of Love to Him personally. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40) And that’s not just other human beings. “The least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Communion in love is available to us in every moment.
Three thousand five hundred years ago a great leader became aware of the fact that the people whom he was leading needed a symbol of the Temple which each one is. These were the very early days, and these were people who were responding to a call to form the body of God on earth. There was need for many such symbols. Moses was aware that it was time to share what he accurately knew—because of his identity with the One who dwelt in him—of the design for this which was to be built; the measurements, the materials, everything. It is a fascinating story, the building of this Temple, this Tabernacle. The relations between the figures, the measurements, are those of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, the same as those of the Temple of Solomon, and they are the same as in this temple, the human body; in other words, the Divine Design is consistent throughout the cosmos. We are looking at this particular one now, with emphasis on the Ark which was contained in the Tabernacle.
So I invite you to share my vision of this, and I suggest that it not be for the purpose of categorizing or dissecting or delineating, but just letting the spirit of it be shared. In the twenty-fifth chapter of Exodus we read:
“Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. According to all that I shew thee …” Here is the design already established, pictured as the Lord speaking through Moses, the source of being which is in each one. It is according to that which is shown, or revealed, from the Source. “… after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof.”
In this hour I am thinking of the Temple of God which each one is, of which this Tabernacle is a symbol. These are the specifications by which you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made. “And they shall make an ark.”
In my vision of this text, the Ark depicts the head. The specifications for the Ark describe the place where God communes with man. The specific means, the instrument, for that communion is contained in the head, which is the purpose for the whole Tabernacle: that there be a means for the communion between God and His creation. There are magical seals throughout the Temple, and in the head we have the pineal gland, for one; here is the connection with the silver cord, the connection with the source of all being, the source of all the power in the cosmos. We have heard about accepting a great promise. How great is the promise we accept? Does it include this whole planet and the people on it?
“And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.” A crown around the Ark is an aura. Here we have an overlay, within and without, of gold. We have spoken of spirit substance, calling it pneumaplasm. Spirit substance is God substance, and God is love, so we have love substance. Everything was overlaid within and without with pure gold, which symbolizes love substance.
Religious art through the ages has depicted this aura. It is natural; it is the way we were created. But in the present human state it is a phenomenon when anyone sees it. Here is a light emanating from this gold overlay, within and without, of love. Gold is a symbol of love, and love is power. This gold, this aura, is an emanation of love substance, which is light. “Let your light so shine before men.” This is the source of the name Emissaries of Divine Light. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.” What are the good works? The shining of the light! In the presence of that, all that is necessary is achieved and accomplished. The presence of one who is letting this light shine has impact upon others—that is the good works. When the light is there, everything else means something. Without that, all the words in the book don't mean anything. The shining of the light is very practical.
Other substances were used in the building of the Ark—much silver, and brass—but especially gold in abundance. The physical body is composed of minerals, as we know, all the substances of the earth, and gold is one of them. One does not usually think of gold as being one of the substances of the physical body. It is not easy to ingest—you cannot take a capsule of gold; there is no vitamin of gold! I once read that the only way the element of gold could be taken into the body is in conjunction with some electrical factor. That is interesting, because there was a definite charge to the Ark that was being built in the story. It had electrical qualities, for want of a better word; it was imbued with power. And all this gold had a great deal to do with the current which filled the Ark. Gold is a very effective conductor of the current—love, the conductor. “And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt makes staves of … wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.” The Ark was to be carried by the staves, not to be touched itself. “The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.”
The Priesthood, the body of priests, ministered in the Tabernacle with the Ark, took care of all these instruments, and carried the Ark. They were trained, lifelong, to do this. This is a symbol of what we are trained to do. Here is this very potent, charged instrument which we carry—which we are, actually. The Priesthood is trained to bear the Ark. There is a record in the Bible of one man, not trained, not of the Priesthood, touching it the wrong way and being immediately killed. It is a good symbol. The human body self-destructs, shall we say, and has for twenty thousand years. And we are here now, in this time of climax for the whole world, a time of crossing over, when the current is increased, and there must be that which can carry it. Much is happening, one way or the other, according to the reaction to this intensified current.
It is interesting to go through the story and see the materials that the priests used in the Tabernacle and in the Ark—very specific directions for the materials and measurements and so on. One of them was for the use of badger skins; it seems this was a form of processed leather which was very effective as insulation from charged objects. So perhaps the priests had a little help along the way! But basically there was training whereby the priests could operate effectively in the presence of great power. The power was allowed to move through them. This is the place where we are right now. It has been ever thus, but surely we can see an intensification now—a time of the end, as it has been put.
The name written on the mitre of the priests, which is the cap that extended above the head—again, beautiful symbolism—was “Holiness to the Lord.” This is what made it safe.
“And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee”—the whole purpose for the creation. “And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold… And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment.”
The cherubims were a very special part of the Ark. In religious art you will find them pictured as angels with wings. In the most ancient records the cherubims in the Tabernacle were not persons or angels, but wings—two beautiful wings. It must have been a gorgeous sight in the Ark, which was not a small construction.
My vision of this is that in the head are these two beautiful wings, halves of the brain. It is a beautiful picture if we see it in this way. “Their faces shall look one to another.” Here is the perfect communion between the two aspects, positive and negative, of this magnificent creation. Today we hear about right brain and left brain quite a lot. Both aspects are present, and there is an interchange between them constantly, face-to-face. They face each other, in a beautiful exchange, not separate. In this marvelous creation of the brain is the control for the whole body. Within these two wings is a sacred, holy place, the place where the Lord can commune with His creation. So there is a protection, and a magnificent interchange of design and control for the entire body.
Some years ago I read a beautiful article by a renowned and remarkable brain surgeon. He was a very spiritual man, and his love for this organ caused him to perform what could be called miracles with damaged brains. It was his love for the brain that imparted to me a different picture. Heretofore the image had been of gray matter, of convolutions—it was not really attractive. But he described the exposed brain as an indescribably intricate and beautiful creation, which to him resembled mother-of-pearl. That's not gray matter, that's luminescent—two great luminescent wings.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses… And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua … a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.” [Exodus 33:11] Joshua was with Moses all the way through. “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” [Exodus 40:34] With respect to these two great ones, Moses and Joshua, we see a specific correlation with the lives of Uranda and Martin. There is a beautiful parallel story here, where something was begun, a body of people initiated and formed, and then the development of a body throughout the earth. We have heard how Abraham accepted a great promise—the great pioneer. Moses accepted a great promise; it included the whole earth. Joshua, who was with Moses all the way through, was right there when Moses had to leave. So now we come, in the story, to the time of Joshua, who was with the children of Israel at the River Jordan. They needed to cross that river; how were they going to do it? Throughout the wandering in the wilderness the Ark was carried with them—sheltered in a tent because of the travels, but always with them. So they came to this point of crossing, in which place we are now: the crossover of consciousness from the old to the new. And I am not talking about a New Age—there have been new ages throughout the millennia. I am talking about a new heaven and a new earth.
It was at this point, at the river, where Moses left this sphere of things. There is a poignant picture of Moses standing on Mount Nebo, from which he had a view of the Promised Land. His vision was not dimmed, or his natural force abated, but it was time for him to go. Joshua was perfectly in place. The River Jordan has been interpreted as “that last river to cross” when you leave this sphere of things and go to another one. That transition has been seen as being possible only through the death of the physical body. This story emphasizes the fact that that transition is to take place here on earth. That is a great promise! Can we accept that? It has nothing to do with personal fulfillment—“Will I be one of them?” But we accept this promise, no matter what happens to us. We know that with men it is impossible. With God all things are possible—with God. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. This place of crossing is where the world is now, where we are—a place where the crossing in consciousness from the old heaven and old earth takes place to the new heaven and new earth, right here on earth. The mind cannot possibly imagine what that would involve—which is a very good thing!
From the Book of Joshua, Chapter 3: “And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there… And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests … bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place”—get up—“and go after it.”
Then a warning was given: “Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.”
It was a new way at this place of crossover. Two thousand cubits is three thousand feet. Previously in the story there were directions given for the space and it was less than this; so they were coming to a place now where something was about to happen, and more precautions were taken. When we talk about the Israelites in this story, we can relate it to all the people in the world—this is what we are talking about. There is a body of people, the Priesthood—we, with all our preparation, are included surely—which can bear this intensified power without reaction. The whole world is experiencing it; the whole world is at this point. But what happens with the intensification of the current? Reactions of all kinds, to get out of the pressure, or maybe to have something that might be pleasing under the intense current. But to let it move in whatever way the Lord would have it move through His creation, where He can commune—this is where we are.
A certain distance was to be kept between the Ark and the people. They were to follow but not get too close—in other words, they were not in position to get too close. Anyone who could, fine! come on in. But there were many who could not. We see this in the world today. We also know that many are coming, subconsciously at first, at whatever distance from this concentration of power. If they just keep that Ark in sight, keep moving, it will become conscious somewhere along the way. This is what is happening now. It was a new way that had not been followed since the fall of man—to cross Jordan. Dying has been the way to reach a new state, and man has said it is the will of God. Abraham did not accept that. He almost did; he almost sacrificed his son. But he said, “No, this is not the will of God.” But isn't this the picture in the world? Death seems normal. Yes, it is, but because man made it that way. To let something actually change, to accept that great promise, is why we are here; and we would not be here if we could not accept it.
So there is a new way
“And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves.” That was the first requirement. The people were ready for the crossing. How could all these people cross the river? It was a big river, and it was overflowing its bank because it was harvest time. But they were to go right up to it. The Priesthood carried the Ark right to Jordan.
Joshua said: “Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.”
This is the verse that caught my attention and made me say, “What? This electrical structure that killed a person who wasn't attuned to the power? Carry this and walk into the water?!” What could possibly be the result of that intensification of the current? That is where we are today. Does it look like it is the end of everything—for the world or for us? Let's see what happened.
“And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you… Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.”
They were not being acted upon by the power—they were the power. Something happened to this river, a seeming barrier that defied their passage, and the waters were stayed. This is a picture of what is happening today: there is time for those who can and will cross over Jordan, cross over to this state of consciousness. There is time given for them, because of this body of intensified power that is in the midst of Jordan on dry ground. That is the source of power. If we look around in the world, I think we could say that something has been stayed. There is this mighty force. There is only one power, but it has been turned into destructive avenues by fallen consciousness, unleashed forces which people say could have destroyed the earth long ago—could tomorrow, they say. Something is holding that force in abeyance until something happens, until there is a body of people who cross over in consciousness, until there is an effective body in place.
“It came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap … and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.”
The River Jordan has its source in a beautiful mountain. The water is clear at the source, picturing the river of life, and flows through what has been called the Promised Land—a symbol of the whole earth, twelve tribes, twelve divisions, not only of the peoples of the earth but of the earth itself, twelve physical divisions of the planet. But it comes to a place called the “salt sea”—we call it the Dead Sea—a place where it receives everything and gives nothing; there is no outlet. The result is crystallization, the Dead Sea. It is an accurate picture of the fallen state of consciousness.
“And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.”
There is something wonderful about those words “clean over Jordan”—altogether, absolute; not partway over and then complaints: “I don't like this; it needs to be changed.” There are such picayune things that sometimes distract us, aren't there—so petty. This is a picture of the whole world in this place of crossing, not just a few Israelites. The whole world is in this place. But there is a body capable of bearing this Ark, which is the place of communion with God, with all the power of the cosmos; and that power is exercised, so that this force which man has distorted is kept in abeyance until there is that strong body which has crossed over. It is the only way that the crossover can take place here on earth.
“Until all the people were passed clean over Jordan”—that hardly means that all the people in the world are going to experience this change in consciousness. The point is that what remains on earth will have passed clean over Jordan; it is absolute, and all the people can say, “The Lord, He is the God,” without reservation; bend the knee. “All the people” pictures the state of the earth restored. All the people then present will be totally with the Lord, will be a part of that which happens in the midst of Jordan on dry ground—firmly on dry ground.
“The priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan.” That is where we are, with our feet solidly on dry ground, with all the power of the cosmos operating on earth because of that foundation. The emissary body has a firm foundation—fifty-eight years of it. Solidly on that, in the midst of everything that is happening, with the waters held in abeyance, it is a magnetic, charged area. How could this Ark be there, and this Priesthood, without it being a very intense place? This certainly can be recognized as happening in the whole earth, with all the peoples—things happening which, a few years ago, we would say were impossible. But then we could say that about this body right here. Changes can happen with the overlay of gold, with love surrounding and penetrating; then it is easy. The problems dissolve in one way or another, and are washed away.
And from Joshua, Chapter 4: “And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man.” We had the core of the Priesthood, but then twelve men were taken out of the people, a man to represent each tribe. We know something about that: twelve men representing twelve units of people. This has been achieved. Joshua did that. Here we have a design.
“Command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man.” Today we see this representation of the whole world—in groups of people, not just in individuals.
“And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel.” The “number” doesn't mean one, two, three, four, five; it means the distinguishing characteristics of each tribe or portion of this world's people—not twelve sons of Jacob but the twelve divisions of people all over the world, all represented. “And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.”
The substance of the earth itself, pictured as stones, was carried over. The substance of the earth was not discarded as being unclean. It is beautiful substance. When I walk through Eden Valley, and see and smell and hear the wonders of it, I often say, “What more could there be to make it heaven?” We know how the earth has been abused, desecrated, polluted. But here is a picture of the earth's substance being carried over into the new heaven and new earth, to be as it was created. We speak of Mother Earth. Here is a picture of Mother Earth restored because of the worship of the Lord of all the earth. That of course includes the substance of the earth, our bodies. However, in the new earth state there is a new heaven first—the new heaven and the new earth. That speaks of different vibratory levels, the way we were created in the beginning, where there was a communion between all levels, seven levels of being—at least seven. Here is the design. It is perfection, magnificent. With all these vibratory levels interacting, there is a new state, a new earth—not limited to one level, the physical, which man has focused on entirely, but a beautiful interchange with all levels. Here is a picture of Divine Being.
“For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.” After they heard the word, when all that had been given to Joshua from Moses was given to the people, they too “hasted and passed over.” That is quite a picture: the priests in the midst of Jordan, standing firm on dry ground until “every thing” was finished. That is our job—to see that everything is finished, and that all who can and will have passed clean over, absolutely. “… until every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over… And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks.”
What happens then is perfect. It will clear out whatever needs to be taken away. When there is this body, firm, then there is the time for the flowing of power, which will take care of whatever needs to be taken care of, without destroying everything—which would have happened if the body of the Priesthood had gone into the water and been washed away. The power was there to let the water be stayed until there was a body that had come “clean over” from the old consciousness to the new. That power which brings the new heaven and the new earth is the same that dissolves the old heaven and the old earth; and all that is connected with it, identified with it, is taken care of. There is no judgment—just a big sigh of relief in the cosmos.
“And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.” [Joshua 4:11] This is where we are. A great promise has been accepted, a promise so great that the mind of man says it is impossible. To men it is. With God, in that place of communion with God, all things are possible. Is it too big a job for the Lord to sort out what needs to be sorted out? It was all made by Him, and this machinery is in place.
This great promise, as I say, has been accepted in this day. Abraham let it be accepted in him—something which included all the earth. It was said that his body would be as the grains of the sand and the stars in the heaven—you can't count them. That same promise was accepted fifty-eight years ago by Uranda and, not long after that, by one who came to stand very closely with him. Now we have a body under perfect leadership for this time. It was done by Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and two thousand years ago by that greatest one of all, Jesus, who proved it in himself but had to leave because there was not a body. And that must be present. The body is the essential ingredient. In this day it was begun, was carried forward, is here. We are here, and the whole world is in this place of crossover. It is being done—we can see the evidence of it everywhere.
In the intensified current of the Ark, in the place of the magnificent, luminescent wings that extend far above and protect that sacred, holy place of communion—this is the place where we are, symbolized by the Ark. This is what allows the water to be stayed, what lets the power work without destroying everything. It is communion with the Lord—individually yes, but also collectively, because that is necessary. There are signs that the body can work together; there always have been. But with the increase of the current of life, of love—which is the power of the cosmos—there is a smooth outworking, and it is reflected all around us. It is all one thing; we are all in this. Regardless of the distances from the Ark that people are located, if they are on track it is all right. And when the waters return, it will be fine! We have lived all these years to see this happen, and now it is happening.
