The Master Catalyst Manifest on Earth
Martin Cecil
August 12, 1980 Assembly —
Sunrise Ranch
Never underestimate the power of spiritual
expression—we could say the catalytic action of that power. This brings
changes to pass without any change in the nature of what it was that brought
the change about. We remain ourselves. We remain genuine. In spite of the fact
that necessarily we have to play various roles, the catalyst is always present.
It may be that the catalyst which we really are will transform the role that we
are playing. We do not identify ourselves with external changes because we
have an awareness that we are individually and collectively the unchanging one.
An identity begins to be known that transcends every role that may be played.
Never again do we become lost in any of the roles which we play. People do this
all the time. We do many things, we play many roles, but we remain ourselves.
Here is something stable, something unmoving in a realm which is in the process
of being transformed.
In order to function in all the essential roles
that are needful we must have this stable base. We never think of ourselves as
being the role that we are playing. We may recognize the essential nature of
the role we are playing. We are in the world, but not of it. Being in the world
we have sundry roles to play. We don’t object to roles, even the humblest.
Who’s to judge as to which role is the most important? The human view will not
tell us. You may have found, to the extent that you have been a catalyst in any
situation, that those who are present in that situation became aware of the
change without knowing why it happened. They don't look at you and say, “Ah,
you're the catalyst.” We need to be humble in that sense so that we do not
project ourselves forward so as to make sure everybody knows how important we
are as a catalyst.
A catalyst is very often most effective when it
is unknown. Something becomes known to human beings and it will be
mistranslated. The Master was a catalyst. When He was on earth we see the
immense changes that occurred throughout the whole world because of the fact of
His presence. Those changes have been mistranstranslations, haven't they? The catalyst
was there, the transformations occurred, but they occurred on the basis of
human mistranslations. This partly was consequent on the fact that He was no
longer present. The responsibility was in the hands of those who had been with
Him. They didn't handle it too well.
If these essential transformations are to
provide a true translation there must be on hand a catalyst that remains, that
continues to be present, that continues to exert a control and dominion with
respect to the changes that are occurring. In order for this to be so, there
has been the necessity for a collective body. It would never happen on the
basis of one person. If it could have happened on that basis, it would have
long ago. The Master was here, and there
was no one who could have handled that in any more effective way than He did.
We are not looking for a repeat performance of some kind, maybe with some other
actor in the central role. But this role has to be played, the catalyst has to
be present, but it becomes an effective means of transformation, ultimately
transmutation, because it is a body of individual catalytic factors. And it’s
the whole body that is the catalyst in fact.
We have been concerned with the development of
this manifest catalyst on earth. We become familiar with the requirements
because we let it happen in our own individual experience. We ourselves
discover what it means to provide the catalytic influence in all our affairs.
This influence needs to be pure and absolute. We don't agree with what is not
right and fitting. Unfortunately this has happened all too much in our
experience. There has been agreement on the wrong basis, agreement with respect
to something that was distorted, usually to keep the peace. The catalyst
doesn't necessarily keep the peace. There is the sword aspect to the catalyst.
If there are those things that are not evidence
of the real nature of spirit in action, appearing through ourselves or through
somebody else, we would naturally anticipate rebuke. All too often, rather than rebuke, agreement has been provided. We tend to
provide agreement so that someone else doesn't rebuke us. “I won't rebuke you
if you don't rebuke me,” so that we can continue to get away with human nature.
But there is a line here to be drawn, isn't there? We are here to draw that
line. We need to be aware of what is necessary in order to allow this unified catalyst to operate on earth. Our sole concern is to provide what
is necessary so that it may.
We have recognized that this requires that we deal with many aspects of
human nature so that we may be firm and absolute in our approach to every
field. We cannot know ahead of time what field will be offered to us in which
we need to provide the catalyst. These things are not scheduled in the usual
human nature ways. So we need to have a broad view, a broad understanding,
which is capable of coming to point in a specific sense with respect to the
circumstances that arise.
What I have spoken of as the priesthood is the catalyst—the catalyst
that has to be purely itself; it cannot be altered from being itself. We have
taken note often of the evidence of this revealed by reason of the Master's
presence on earth. Nothing could happen to change Him from being Himself. So
with this collective catalyst. Obviously it requires an absolute loyalty within
the catalyst on the part of those who compose it. There is an absolute
acceptance of the truth in one's own expression—a consistent experience. If
anything creeps in through anyone that is not quite what it should be, then
immediately it is rebuked, maybe not because someone shakes a finger in someone
else's face, but by the very quality of
one's own living. There is a rebuke there. And a person who is not
permitting the truth to find expression will begin immediately to feel very
uncomfortable. Often not a word needs to be spoken. There are occasions when
silence is golden in this sense—no word is spoken. It gives the individual a
chance to think again. If it's too blatant, there may be a need to turn on
one's heel and walk away.
The catalyst provides a rebuke; this is part of the catalytic action by
which changes are wrought. There is a need for a clear association with the
word, with the tone of life, the tone of the catalyst. We examine the human
nature experience to some extent in order to make plain what the attitude of
spirit is relative to such situations. We are not interested in human nature
and the way it behaves, but we are interested in being very sure that we do not
inadvertently even associate ourselves with such off-key expression.
The priesthood has the responsibility for government and for education.
There can't be government until education has been sufficiently in the picture
to allow the ministers of government to be on hand. There must be the priesthood, in other words. This has
been a problem—to have the priesthood on hand who were capable of handling
what needed to be handled, because there needed first of all to be sufficient
education so that they might be on hand. And we see education in a little
different way too; because it's not a matter of information; it's a matter of
experience—of something coming forth into spiritual expression. But it relates
to every field of our living. It relates to all our associations together. If
we begin to accept our responsibilities in the priesthood, male and female,
then we have things to handle that we didn't have to handle before. Heretofore
the priesthood hasn't been around. There was no one handling the things that
the priesthood needed to handle. When the priesthood begins to put in an
appearance, then they are handling something that hadn't been handled before.
We have to have an encompassing vision which enables us to
be aware of what it is that needs to be handled. And we recognize that the
handling always comes very close to home, initially. Once we can handle what is
next to us the way it should be handled, we may be trusted with a magnification
of that further afield. If we can't do it with respect to what is next to us,
how would we ever expect to be trusted with anything more? Now, there have been
those who haven't necessarily proven trustworthiness in the little things, who
yet are always looking over the fence for some great thing which they are going
to do in real ministry. Well the real ministry is right next to one always. If
one hasn't seen it there one has only imagination with respect to a real
ministry somewhere else. It's not real at all.
So we handle what is right next to us. And it is in this that we prove out
the fact of the priesthood.
We may see various areas where there has been a great emptiness.
Government is impossible without the working of the law—to put it another way,
without sex. Therefore there is obviously a need for education in this field,
first of all, that there might be the priesthood—who would then provide what
was necessary in the expanding responsibilities of government and education. In
view of the fact there hasn't been a priesthood available for this creative
work, it might be said that all who aspired in that direction were yet
children. If we consider the true state, where there is a priesthood, where all
have reached a level of adequate maturity spiritually speaking, then the
children growing up in the ordinary sense would be correctly taken care of,
correctly educated, and move into greater spiritual maturity. But we didn't
have a situation like that and regardless of adult bodies, there were a lot of
children around. We are looking toward a greater spiritual maturity and a
priesthood capable of handling children in mature bodies.
There is rightly always the provision of dominion from an external
standpoint, which gradually diminishes—there must be a balance here—diminishes
to the extent that it is coming up within the person concerned. It comes up in
some sooner than others—and then there is a tendency to judge—but even in the true state there are those who begin to experience a greater
maturity more quickly than others, and there will be a different situation with
respect to each in this regard.
There is a warm enfoldment by the
priesthood, male and female, who are responsible for the field of education.
And the whole cycle of unfoldment is designed to allow the individual to
realize from within himself the dominion that should be expressed in his own
particular area of function. But that dominion includes every aspect and every
level. If there is no adequate education for every aspect and every level, that
individual can never experience spiritual maturity. We see something of the
responsibility of the priesthood in this regard.
I think you will recognize that there might indeed be a need for one
hundred and forty-four thousand to handle what needs to be handled just in it’s
core aspect. There is a vast field. Let us not get intimidated by the vastness
of the field. What we do is handle what is with us, that’s all. And if the
catalyst is there in fact, then everything will be taken care of. We are not
trying to take care of it in human strength, but letting the catalyst work. The
former things pass away; all things are made new in consequence.
Now there is something to be done in every
moment. Emphasis has been placed upon the now. We can only live now. However,
living now, there may be an awareness of what is coming. I think living now has
been interpreted in some consciousnesses as narrowing things down to a little
dot, so that we are really in a very small place. But “now” is a crossover
point. There is the future and there is the past. The future comes to point
now. It comes to point out of what might be described as a state of vastness.
The space contained within the two converging lines which are coming down to
this point from above is a symbol ultimately of infinity, isn’t it? You extend
those lines and they go on forever and the space becomes infinite. But it all—out
of the future—comes down to this point where we are on hand to usher it into
the world so that it may move into the past. The past equally goes out to
infinity too. Let us not think of now then as being merely a dot. It is the
crossover point where we stand, where we are responsible.
But the garden is planted eastward in Eden. It
is the garden, the essential essences of what should properly be brought to
focus in oneself now. One may be, and one should be, rightly aware of what it
is that is approaching in this sense. If you try and look too far, of course,
you can get lost in infinity, in which case you have stepped out of the now.
But if you stay in the now and from that vantage point begin to allow a
spiritual discernment to acquaint you with what it is that is coming, then you
are not leaving the now—that discernment is
part of the right action now and you are never therefore taken by surprise.
This is not a discernment, necessarily, of coming events. They haven't yet
taken form. This relates to spirit, the garden planted eastward in Eden. Part
of the action of the spirit of truth in our own experience is to acquaint us
with things to come.
Now people usually think of things to come in
terms of coming events. But we are not so much interested in that. We may see
such things because coming events cast their shadows before. There must be a
light there to cast a shadow and we are interested in the light which is
present because of the movement of spirit. Spirit is vast, unlimited, but it's
coming down to us individually; and also to us collectively, to be brought to
point where we are either individually or collectively. As it begins to come
toward this point it begins to be concentrated to a greater extent and becomes
more specifically discernable in consequence. Something needs to come out of that vast expanse, down here right where we are and it is close to our field of
specific responsibility, that we may begin to discern something of what is
coming, the spirit of truth showing us things to come.
Spirit—something emerging from certain
vibrational levels other than earthly levels. When our polarity is right we are
perceptive of these things, we are discerning of them; we know a little ahead
what it is that is happening. To the extent of our ability to discern in this
way we have the opportunity of allowing what is coming to be correlated with
what we know in our present moment of ministry. It's not as
though there was a set structured pattern of spirit coming down, and it's going
to come down here and it won't be any other way than what it is. That would be
the state of an automaton in so far as we were concerned, wouldn't it, if this
was really the case.
Our discernment broadens our view. According to the extent of our discernment it can be quite a view. To start
with it is probably very little. Within that range there are certain things
apparent—vibrations. And knowing what is present in our field of
ministry we may allow it—“this would seem to be fitting”—allow it to come out
that way. There is a vast provision available, treasure in
heaven, and it's not going to be forced on us in some particular way. We are
given the opportunity of playing our part in deciding what it is out of this
treasure which is fitting and right for our immediate field of ministry.
We don't do this as though what was coming to us
individually was unrelated to what was coming to others. We have a certain
discernment which relates to others too. We see what is emerging for them. They
are not yet in position to discern what it is that’s coming insofar as they
are concerned, what should be appearing next. But we should be in that position
so that we can discern what is appearing for them and we can begin to acquaint
them with what it is that is coming to point in them. This is part of the
responsibility of the priesthood. One needs to be able to discern what it is
that is needful vibrationally speaking. We have to discern that first before it
can take form correctly. We know these things because we have spiritual
discernment. We see what is coming down from God out of heaven before it
arrives, it’s in the offing. This is capable of being discerned because it's
not unrelated to what is happening in this present moment, to whatever has come
down from God out of heaven that is being expressed.
There is not a God sitting up there on high
saying, “Well now I have this particular treasure that you are going to take
whether you like it or not.” He said, “I have all these treasures. It's your
responsibility to discern which are the right ones to be made use of in the
present moment of your ministry.” And we have that responsibility; we have this
array of facilities available to us spiritually speaking. We also have an
awareness of what is present with us materially speaking. And we bring the two
together on the right basis. You look over your own array of spiritual
facilities and you see, well this perhaps is the one that would be most fitting
in this instance and you let it come through you to bless. This is the way we
minister.
This which is to be offered by the priesthood is
something new. It hasn't been known. Obviously everybody has something more to
learn by reason of actual experience. This emphasizes the importance that,
while gaining this experience, as whatever is required unfolds naturally, there
should always be very careful orientation upward. One should never assume that
one is going to gain experience all on one's own. This is the usual attitude of
human nature. “Ah, now I begin to see something. Now I am going to gain this
experience for myself.” No.
There must be dominion. There must be the
control provided, the enfoldment provided. This can only be done to the extent
that those who are to be enfolded are yielded and open upward, aware that they
don't really know yet, they haven't the experience yet. Therefore, “What is it
that's fitting?” There may be a beginning awareness of something or other, but
you let the control always be where it belongs. Presumably when there is
experience, when there have been a hundred years of such experience, we will
say, then those concerned possibly could be trusted to handle their affairs
rightly without the necessity of letting everything be laid out to the higher
point. Obviously this would become very tedious after a while, when we come to
the one hundred and forty-four thousand even. So there is a development of the
ability in spirit to remain rightly oriented without necessarily always having
to give it a form. But in the initial stages, where there isn't the experience,
it must be given form. It must be kept centered so that the experience may be
gained on the right basis. Always it comes back to this level of the keeping
of the first great commandment.
© Emissaries of Divine Light