I would like to meditate with you
on operational factors of magic. The first one, and one that is of vital
importance to all of you in your movement, could be classified as the factor of acknowledgment. To the degree that we begin to
acknowledge God, God can begin to acknowledge us. Until we do acknowledge God,
God's love for us is of small meaning in direct relationship—we keep everything
of God in a sphere of small meaning. This principle of acknowledgment must
extend on out until in the basic sense you have acknowledged God, so that He
can begin to acknowledge you. You are not in position to begin to acknowledge
the focalization factors of response which come within the sphere of your
influence—they are overlooked, they are ignored, and you cannot very well
acknowledge them. Once they are perceived, recognized, you can begin to
acknowledge them within yourself; and once they are acknowledged in
relationship to those whom you may influence, and you hold the pattern steady
without violating the hedge, you begin to find that there are those who will
begin to acknowledge you.
We may properly at this point
pause to consider something with respect to the Class which preceded you. I
pointed out that what they did here was establishing the vibrational factors
which they would have to contend with out there and that their attitude toward
me was sowing the seed for the attitude of others toward themselves, and some
did not believe me. They thought they could maintain any attitude toward me
they wanted to and still go out there and inspire other people to acknowledge
them and respond to them and accept what they offered. And lo and behold, the
evidence indicates that I was right. There were those who thought they could
inspire others to respond to themselves when they refused to be inspired and
extend any response to me. But it didn't work!
Now that outline is in a lower
vibrational level or pattern than what we are considering in the field of magic,
because that Class never let me move into this field. However, the principles
apply and we can see it on a higher level in a larger sphere, and when we begin
to consider the basic, functional factors of magic, we must have a starting
point, and from that which we have studied before, that which is evident from
the structure of the universe and the manifestation of life all around us, we
know that that starting point must be always with the One Law, with orientation to the One Law; not merely as a theory,
but the center of a field where there is
action—functional factors. So
you can see why I put acknowledgment first, because it is the manifestation in
action, in function, of the One Law in relationship to yourself.
The first part of the two great
commandments emphasizes acknowledgment of God—a complete acknowledgment—with
one's whole being, one's whole soul, body, mind and heart, and with all one's
strength, a complete acknowledgment of God. Remember, this is a functional factor of magic. So we see in acknowledgment
something that is active, not passive. We cannot acknowledge something merely
by perceiving it—you have to say it. Your actions and your words must give
evidence of your perception. You may see many things without acknowledging
them. But if there is acknowledgment of that which you see, then there are
words, there are feelings, there are thoughts, there are actions. We see acknowledgment as afunctional factor.
The acknowledgment of God permits
this functional factor to begin to work in relationship to yourself, so that
you begin to receive acknowledgment,
you begin to be aware of that divine
acknowledgment of you. As long as you are not aware on a functional basis
of the divine acknowledgment of yourself you cannot very well function from the
divine standpoint—the pattern of relatedness has not been established. So on a functional basis you begin to
be aware, not fully yet, but you begin to be aware of the divine acknowledgmentof you. With this cycle opening, you begin to have the ability to perceive the focalization factors of response, or potential response as the
case may be, in those around you upon whom you may begin to exert influence.
Unless you do exert influence that is received and acknowledged you are not going
to be much of a server.
The process of serving is a
process of exerting influence on a basis which causes others to accept that
influence. The influence exerted must be received and accepted and allowed to
have meaning in the lives of others. At first you may not be particularly aware
of any extensive meaningfulness through influence upon others, but you do not
go through a process of drifting and daydreaming, and then suddenly wake up
someday as a powerful figure of influence in the world. The patterns, the
cycles, have to be built; and there will be those who refuse to receive the
influence, and others will begin to receive it. Some will reject, some will
accept.
This field of influence should not
be immediately given form in the sense of words spoken. I am suggesting the
influence of a life that does not immediately plunge into an avalanche of words
to try to tell someone everything you know. One simply lives and allows one's
expression to be in harmony with the patterns of response to the occasion. And
then there is a recognition that our
primary means of influence is not through the words we speak. Most people
imagine that if they are not speaking words or doing something that can be seen
with the physical eye of the person around, they are not doing anything. One of
the biggest problems I have here is to convince even those who have been here
for some time that they do not have to do something where it can be seen, and
they do not have to say words that have to be heard, in order to be doing
something.
We can work in the secret place—we
have the privilege of functioning from the standpoint of heavenly magic, and that is our primary field of influence. Once
that current is working, once that influence is being exerted, and someone is
responding to it—whether he or she knows what it is or not is beside the point—if
there is anything real in the individual there there will be evidences of
response, and then when those evidences are there, after they are plainly
manifest, you can say a little something. You are not going out with your lips to
try to sell a bill of goods. There may be times when much talking is required.
I do some talking here in the classes and so on; but there is a responsive
pattern, recognition, meditation and acceptance. But if there was a vast field
of resistance, do you think I would be talking about such subjects as I have
considered with you? Not at all. My presentation depends upon your response. I
do not arbitrarily make a presentation, hoping you will respond. If there is no
response there is no presentation, period. And I let it go at that, as far as
the outer sphere is concerned.
There is a constant radiation
through the hedge, as constant as the hedge structure will permit, but that is
something which the human being must constantly accept or reject within
himself. If there is a resistance pattern, he has to be constantly fighting
lest it get in; if he stops resisting, it starts getting in and working inside.
And so it is the life we live that really counts, and unless that living of
life begins to carry a current of influence, we will never get very far. Just
going out and preaching, or teaching, or trying to sell an idea through the use
of words, will not get the job done. We must function from the standpoint of
heavenly magic, meeting the issues, pressing back the ill conditions and
opening the door so that those who begin to respond can have an opportunity of
movement in the right direction.
So first we have acknowledgment, the
fulfilment of the Law; and if you hesitate to acknowledge you are setting a
pattern by which others will hesitate to acknowledge. Your attitude toward me
is sowing the seed in the hearts of others which shall blossom into their
attitudes toward you. Acknowledgment.
Next is the factor of
consideration with respect to the conditions
with which we are working. What are these conditions? There are only four types or conditions of people in the world, without respect to race, color or creed—only four. We already have our orientation, our polarity through acknowledgment. We have to look around us to see the field in which we are to function in letting the things of God be extended into the earth— we need to see clearly that with which we must work.
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These four classifications are: Those who are dead. They are completely dead to the influence of the spirit, impervious to the currents of the spirit of God. Those who are asleep—that is, they have no awareness of the things of God but in their sleep they have a vibrational attunement with divine things. Those who are awakening—stirring from their slumber. And those who are awake. Any person you meet anywhere in the world will come under one of those four classifications, always. Those who are dead, those who are asleep, those who are awakening, and those who are awake.
Now consider the basic, simple principles of the practical living in daily life. If you are talking to someone who is wide awake you will proceed on the assumption that there will be no difficulty in being comprehended. But if you start talking to someone who is just in the process of waking up, you do not start in talking as if you expected everything you say to be fully comprehended. Those who are awakening must be treated differently from those who are awake. Then there are those who are asleep, and if you go out and start talking to those who are asleep as if you expected them to function as if they were awake—they don't get it; they are asleep. There is something wrong with you if you expect people who are asleep to understand as if they were wide awake. They won't! Then there must be the recognition that there is a very, very large proportion of the people in the world who are dead—and if you try to function in relationship to them as if they were just asleep or as if they were waking up, it won't work. Now there may be some hope for those who are dead. There will be a resurrection one way or another, and you don't want to be too quick to arbitrarily classify someone as being dead. You don't have to classify people at all. Let them classify themselves. It's simple.
Sometimes you may think someone is dead when he is only sleeping. Remember the story of Lazarus? The Master said, "He is not dead, but sleepeth." And what took place? He told them to open the tomb. "He is not dead, but sleepeth." The silver cord had not been broken. Lazarus was in a coma but he was not dead. This is of vital importance to us in many ways, because it reveals some of the basic factors with respect to the working of heavenly magic. This worked out on a basis which permitted the vibratory factors which would be at work in relationship to the Master Himself to be established. As the Master said with respect to Lazarus, so was it with respect to Himself. "He is not dead, but sleepeth," and human beings around Him couldn't see the difference. And people to this day have not been able to see the difference—but there is a difference. He was not dead. The silver cord had not been loosed, had not been broken. He caused the tomb to be opened and called with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." And Lazarus began to stir. He came out of the coma; he was released from the graveclothes and restored to life with his sisters. This was the preview of the outworking of the basic principles that were in operation in relationship to the Master Himself, and human beings to this day still confuse the issue, just as they did at that time, and they have failed to recognize the significance of the Master's word, "He is not dead, but sleepeth." He was in a coma. The silver cord had not been loosed. After the silver cord is loosed the physical body returns to the dust from whence it came.
It is not for you to be attempting to institute the processes of resurrection in relationship to those who are dead. When the cycles work out and the currents of influence are allowed to manifest, those who are asleep will begin to awaken. What does it take to cause the sleepy ones to begin to awaken? It takes the coming of the dawn of the day, doesn't it? There must begin to be light, so that the darkness is dispelled around them. There has to be the warmth of the sun. There must be the sounds of living and of movement, and then those who are asleep begin to stir, they begin to wake up. And it is as they are awakening that you can begin to serve. But you must use discretion and not talk too much. These then are the functional factors which must be seen in relationship to the application of heavenly magic on earth.
Next we recognize a particularized step in relationship to the building of the machinery of reality. When we first begin to draw together those people who are sufficiently awake that they can begin to understand what we are talking about, we begin to draw them together, inspire them to move into the pattern of divine function. Always during this waking-up time there is much opportunity for misunderstanding, so do not say too much too fast. Repeat if necessary, and do not be offended if someone does not understand what you mean. Be patient! But gradually those who respond, those who are beginning to be awake, must be drawn into a pattern.
Until you are able to inspire and draw a few people together who will form a nucleus of a pattern for you, those who will be steady with you, those who have faith in you, confidence, those who are willing to listen to you and be instructed, you do not have anything very stable to work with. There has to be a pattern, and until you begin to gather that nucleus together in relationship to yourself you cannot have any stable, creative field out of which to function. And you cannot build such a nucleus pattern and have such a field unless you are a part of a nucleus pattern, a part of such a field. If you have not become a part of the field here, you will not be able to establish a field there. That has been shown.
But in this process of beginning to establish the formation, there is that which confuses those who are just awakening. They begin to feel something of the working of the spirit within them, they translate that impulse of the spirit thus and so, and then you are under the necessity of gently pointing out that this is what is necessary—this is the divine pattern here. And the responding one begins to get skeptical. There are several factors involved. One is that when the person is first waking up he or she is not going to translate the impulse of the spirit correctly. It is going to be mistranslated in various ways, so you have to be patient with that. But even if the translation were correct insofar as that individual's vibratory factors were concerned, it would still be wrong, even though it is the expression of the spirit of God. Why?
What is one of the basic things that anyone must learn if he or she is going to function from the standpoint of reality? You must learn to follow before you can be a leader. You must learn to obey before you can command. So we begin to see that the impulse of the spirit working through the individual, within the range of his or her comprehension, will tend to appear on the basis of that individual's ultimate potentiality—but there will be colorations, mistranslations; it will not be something which is dependable yet, but it is working in a certain direction. But while that is working, this individual must learn to fit into the basic pattern and to fill the immediate needs, to do the thing that must be done now, because in the ultimate outworking, after the cycle has grown, after there are more people responding, after the body is filled in, that for which the individual has the most capacity will begin to appear as a specific place, and then the two can be fitted together. But until that place takes form by the working of the machinery of reality, the individual is always trying to get into something that is not there, and then he gets discouraged. But he has to be encouraged to be not concerned about that; it doesn't make any difference yet.
Blessed ones, there has to be a core, a focalization, there has to be the beginning of the machinery, and those who ultimately will be here and there and everywhere must now function in some other place. And it does not make any difference where they are to be in the potential sense, they must begin to function on the basis of the elemental factors of the machinery of reality. And if they are so busy trying to find out just exactly what the ultimate end of the impulses they feel will achieve, they are not going to fit in. They are not really awake yet, because if they were awake in any true sense they would not be concerned about where they were to serve. They cannot possibly understand what their own ultimate point is.
They have all kinds of imaginations about it but they do not know. They say, "Oh but I feel the current of the spirit of God in this; it is the divine impulse." Oh it is the divine impulse, yes, but you don't know how to translate it, you don't know what it means. So let it work! Do not be concerned about it, and do that which needs to be done today; fill this place. There must be first the basic design of the machinery—the overall pattern must control first, and unless you are willing to function effectively in relationship to that overall pattern and the central focalization, you will never arrive at your own true point of being, no matter what it is or where, because you will always and forever be seeing the two as if they were in conflict.
They are not in conflict at all, if you let the superior point of focalization control. But if you bring the superior point of focalization under question and resist and refuse to acknowledge, you will not allow the building of that which will make possible the formation of the place into which you will ultimately come. You will defeat yourself because you are so sure that "This is the current of the spirit of God I feel and I translate it thus and so and therefore it must be conflict." It isn't conflict unless you make it so. It is not conflict unless you make it so.
We must begin to see that the ultimate place in which you may be is utterly and absolutely beside the point. If you function correctly you will be groomed for that, prepared for that, so that when that place is made available to you you can step into it and be what you ought to be. But if you are forever trying to get into something that does not yet exist, what is going to happen? You are going to have a sense of futility, you are going to be all bothered, and you are going to feel that you are justified in having patterns of hesitancy and resistance and questioning and what have you, so that you never become anything. We all have to function in substitute patterns, especially in the earlier cycles of outworking.
Your facility for functioning in substitute patterns determines your worth, because there are thousands of people who ought to be here who are not. There are all kinds of things that have to be done, places filled, vibratory factors worked out, and there is no one to do it. Who cares where you are supposed to be? You shouldn't, from the standpoint of some ultimate outworking in the design and the pattern. If you do, you are going to throw yourself away. Where are you supposed to be? You are supposed to be where you can serve today. If you have to be somewhere else to serve tomorrow, that is the Lord's business. What difference does it make? It does not make any if you are a true servant of God. Be ready to serve wherever the Lord puts you, and be ready to serve in the way in which the Lord directs. "But I feel I am particularly equipped to serve over here. I will try to do my best, but I'd really like to be over here." Oh you would, would you? You would like to run the show. You would like to be Lord God Almighty Himself. No!
It doesn't make any difference what you would like. If you are going to serve God you would like to be where He puts you, to do what He wants you to do, when He wants you to do it, the way He wants you to do it, where He wants you to do it. And if you will follow you will learn to live, and if you will obey you will learn to command, and when you can be trusted to do what needs to be done regardless of any feelings you may have, divinely inspired or otherwise, you will begin to have some value to the Lord and to your brother man. But you cannot be what you ought to be until you learn to follow. Ultimately there will be that place which is just your own, peculiar to you—but you cannot get into it now. You are not ready for it, and the place is not ready for you. We have to function in substitute patterns, and we must be ready to do what needs to be done, or we will never be able to achieve that which is necessary in the divine outworking.
If you cannot see enough in the divine design of things to make you thrill to the opportunity of being any part of it, anywhere, at any time, then what are you doing here? Willing to be a gatekeeper. Anything, anywhere! Position? What is position? Position, greatness, is by reason of the larger service to others. If I have any greatness it is because I serve. That is all. The point is, we must do what we are supposed to do in the present, regardless of the future. God is perfectly capable of working it out if we will let Him. We have a job to do, whatever it may be, and unless we take that attitude we certainly are not functioning from the standpoint of heavenly magic, because if you are concerned about pleasing yourself you are self-centered, and God Himself cannot please a self-centered person. Until you are selfless enough so that you are not concerned about pleasing yourself, God cannot begin to please you. You might remember that!
God loves to please people, but He does not attempt to please the self-centered, because that is not possible to God—to violate His own laws of being and destroy the cosmos. So it is time for us to begin to see some of these functional factors of heavenly magic, the reason why the impersonal attitude is necessary. But if we cannot find it a thrilling adventure and a joy forever to serve God in any place, in any capacity to which we may be called at the moment, there is something wrong with us. What difference does it make? If it is to serve God, if it is a part of the cosmic plan of being, that is enough. For how long? Who is to tell? Until you are needed somewhere else, in some other way. Until God is ready to make a change because someone is ready to be where he or she ought to be.
If we had 144,000 people who were so ready to serve, all properly polarized, all properly functioning, then we could begin to be concerned about place; only we wouldn't. It could be that we wouldn't because we would be so happy to be wherever God wants us to be, all the time. All the futile pushing and pulling and all the nonsense wherein people cause the impulse of the spirit to seem to conflict with the impulse of the spirit through the superior point of focalization. There is no conflict. But until we learn to do that which we should do, where we should do it, when we should do it, we are not true servants of God.
And we are not to tell God what to do, when to do it, and how to do it for us. We are to be ready to serve Him; for a servant doesn't say, "Well now, Lord, you know we have a union here in heaven. I'll do this, but anything that touches on the maid's work over here, well that is hers. Lord, I really want to obey, but that belongs to the maid. You will have to see the union." Yes! Blessed ones, a servant of God must be a servant of God, period. And if we are ready to obey, ready to be trustworthy, so God's trust in us can mean something, if we are ready to do our part in movement toward that divine pattern, then we are not going to be swayed this way and that by feelings within ourselves or by attitudes round about us or by anything anywhere; for if we can be controlled by something other than God's direction we are not serving God. Regardless of what people say or do, what we like or do not like, what is or is not, are we ready to serve and let God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven? If we are we can begin to share in the true beauty and the wonder and the glory of the fact that the kingdom and the power and the glory belong to our King.
