Center In The Divine Commission
Anniversary Meditation
Uranda September 13, 1953 11:00 a.m.
We have come to the hour of our Sunday morning Meditation on this 13th day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred fifty three. As I pointed out last evening, this is the beginning of our Anniversary period of Meditation.
Twenty-one years ago this morning, at about 4 o'clock, there was the beginning of that cycle which established this Ministry which we share on earth. And in recognition of this, we plan to have a period of Meditation continuing tomorrow evening, Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening; for the 13th, 14th and 15th days of September mark this Anniversary period, the three days which, in 1932, correlated with the three days of the tomb period and the cycles of the Resurrection, and on the 16th day of September, 1932, our official Ministry on earth began.
As I mentioned last evening, that Commission was not merely to me. It was a Commission to be shared by all who would take part in it. And it is to this end that you are here—to share in the fulfilment of that Divine Commission. Through this special cycle of Meditation, I would like to share with you a consideration, not only of the Commission itself, but of the means whereby it may be fulfilled on earth. To this end, let us have a moment of Devotion.
I have a very vivid memory of that morning twenty-one years ago today, when I was awakened early in the morning at the first faint signs of a coming dawn, with a feeling of being virtually overwhelmed with a tremendous restlessness. I got up and walked about the room for a time. I considered dressing and taking a walk out on the streets, in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. But, somehow, that did not seem to be the course of action. So I tried to read, and the printed page was merely a mass of meaningless words. And I thought I would read the Bible for a while, but it, too, for that moment, appeared to offer nothing. Somehow, whether by coincidence or whatever you may wish to call it, there was a tablet of paper and a pencil on the table, and after it had caught my eye I had an urge to sit down at the table. I had no outer awareness of anything which I might write, but I sat down and picked up the pencil, and gradually the room filled with a silvery cloud of light, until all of the objects in the room were blotted from my view. And, being enfolded in that cloud, I began to write, and in the writing recorded the answers to questions that had been in my mind for many years, seeking the solution. Gradually, after about an hour, and the urge to write had ceased, the cloud disappeared. And I read over, with much interest, what had been written under my hand. The following morning, on September 14th, I was awakened again at about the same hour, and on arising went immediately to the table, and again the cloud filled the room, and again I was enfolded in that cloud for about an hour. The same thing happened on the morning of September 15.
I have never, since that day, had a similar experience. Just those three mornings. And through that experience the consciousness of the basic principles of Reality which I have presented to you was presented to my own outer consciousness. At the conclusion of that experience I knew the answers to the questions, and the questions, in that sense, have not concerned me since that day. The questions of application in service to humanity have concerned me, but for myself I knew the answers. And I knew the work to which my life, from that moment forward, had to be utterly dedicated, and it is through that Ministry that you have been gathered here to share this hour.
In recent weeks and months you have been given an opportunity to begin to understand what we have called the Shekinah pattern of Being, and when I speak of that silver cloud that appeared those three mornings in succession, I am sure you all recognize the reality of what, in olden times, was called the Shekinah Cloud of Glory. I do not suggest that you should try to imitate my experience. I do not suggest that your own outworking should be similar in the sense of the nature of the personal experience, but the principles are the same.
When our Master was on earth, according to the record He made this statement: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” During that experience I personally became aware of the Truth of the Master’s words that, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” and there was established in my heart a deep and abiding desire to help others come to the realization that man does not need to go somewhere else, that man does not need to wait until he dies, nor does he need to go to some far place; for the door which leads to the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
I suppose the inexperience of the outer man at that time had something to do with it, but somehow I had the conviction that I could convey that Truth to others in a way that would, in a short time, cause untold thousands of people to be aware of that basic Truth. In setting out upon the path to carry that Good News to others, I was to find, through sad experience of many years, that human ears tend to be deaf to the Word of Truth. A few heard and said they agreed, but it did not mean anything to them in real living They would accept the idea, theoretically, but never let it take hold in body and mind and heart. Over and over again I gathered groups together and began to expound the basic principles which you have come to know and to realize to a goodly degree, only to have personal prejudices and disbeliefs cause them to scatter—self-centeredness in some form, because he who would share this of which I speak must reach a point of selflessness. And human beings are so busy with such important business of their own that they have little time for our Father's business.
But, finally, we came to the year 1953, and we found ourselves located here in a little valley at the foot of the majestic Rockies. And various factors had worked together to make it possible for us, not only to have our regular services, but a Class dedicated to the study of the Principles of Reality. We were working forward in the Class and in the Unit here as a whole to a point where there might be a true realization of what has been called, “The outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” But, again, certain factors entered in, and the realization of that experience was held in abeyance until the conditions could be met.
We read the story of what is called the Day of Pentecost, a very brief story, only a few words, portraying a mighty event, and the human mind tends to develop certain concepts, and the feeling that somehow we have to imitate, or duplicate, that which we imagine to have happened then. But in my own experience in that upper room—it was a second-story room—twenty-one years ago today, that which took place could, I believe, properly be called the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; but if there is an attempt to imitate, or duplicate, my experience, factors will be established in the pattern which will prevent the manifestation of that which is needful to us.
The difficulty with human beings is that they read some word of Truth, or hear it with their ears, and forthwith get busy with their minds developing a pattern of concept, or idea, wherein they anticipate fulfilment of the Truth which has been perceived. And so often the human mind fails to comprehend that He who established the Truth in the beginning is well able to clothe that Truth with the reality of right concept. If the human mind did not busy itself developing a concept with respect to the Truths of God, it would be open to the clothing of realization which the Lord provides. But man, having perceived some central Truth, designs the clothing himself, and he expects to produce on the basis of man's design. And in this he fails to see that he is again eating of the forbidden fruit, again violating the Principles of Polarity, and asking God to become subject to man, instead of showing forth a willingness to become subject to the Will of God. This is the key which, when understood properly, makes it possible for us to understand why there are so many religions, so many philosophies, so many beliefs, in the world. It makes us be in position where we can see where the human clothing of concept has entered in and spoiled the revelation of the beauty of Truth. It is not that God withholds the clothing essential to the full manifestation of the basic Truth, but man does not give God a chance to provide the clothing.
You were born naked into the world. As you came forth from your mother's womb, you wore no clothing. The beginning manifestation of Truth, as it is born into the consciousness of man, is always naked, the naked baby of the central Truth. But man, beginning to see the basic Truth, the baby, that is born into his own consciousness, hastens to clothe that baby with his own realizations, his own concepts, his own beliefs, and the baby of Truth becomes smothered in the clothing which man provides, and is gone, so that all man has left are his own formations of idea, belief and concept.
The willingness to receive the naked baby of Truth and to care for it, and to let the Lord begin to provide the raiment, pure and white, like fine linen, is something which man has lacked. A little patience, a little willingness to let the Divine realization unfold, and man could be spared so many unnecessary delays, so much that is false, so much suffering, needless back-tracking, wasting of his own time and energy, his life forces, his own opportunities; for man begins to try to understand. He begins to develop in his own consciousness a pattern of what he conceives to be philosophy, realization, the clothing for his central core of Truth. I do not question but what every religion on the face of the earth, bar none, every philosophy, started out with a central point of Truth. It may have been seen with imperfect vision, but it was there. But that which developed under man's care led human beings away from the Truth, until today we see the evidences of this in many, many ways, one of the most dramatic of which appears at Easter time, when, with new gowns, new hats, people go to church to be seen of men, the display of the clothing.
Now, if we, here today, are to begin to move into the pattern of experience which is possible to us in this Anniversary period, we must let go of this compelling rush to build an idea, to shape it and form it and see it in all of its aspects, to provide clothing for the baby. If we are willing to become patient, if we are willing to see what it is that God would unfold, we can take a forward step along the Way which has been opened unto us. You have recognized, theoretically at least, the basic principles of Reality, the working of the One Law, the principles of Ascension and Resurrection and Restoration. But, even you, here, have tended, in relationship to these things, to do one of two things, take one of two courses. Either you have busied yourselves to knit, or make and fit garments for the babe, or you have sat back, as it were, immovable in relationship to the impulse of the Spirit, and said, “In God's season He will reveal these things; meanwhile, we will do this and that.” The bump-on-a-log pattern is followed by most of those who classify themselves as Christians. They are going to live their daily lives, they are going to do what they think to be necessary. “But, when Jesus comes, or our Lord comes, or at the coming of our Lord, then everything is going to work out. Meanwhile, we are going to be good, we are going to be bumps-on-a-log.” Or, “When we die.” If it is not expecting the Lord to come floating out of the sky, it is all going to happen when we die. Two patterns—when the Lord comes out of the sky, or when we at last come to the day of dying, then it will all happen. And it appears to be difficult for man to actually take the step of moving out of this pattern. Whichever of its particular forms may have been of primary influence in the past, it is one thing, although there are those who imagine that they see a great difference. But it is one thing, whether it is going to happen by the Lord coming according to the popular concepts or it is going to happen when we die. The same idea, the same basic Truth, with a different dress on it—and both of them man-made. In this pattern there is something lethargic, something stolid, something that in some people becomes almost stoic. They are going to endure, somehow, until the Lord comes or until they die. And then, all will be well.
But when we begin to accept the reality of the Shekinah pattern of Being, when we begin to see that the Truth presented in the Old Testament period is identical to the Truth presented in the New Testament period, from the standpoint of our Master at least, we can begin to have a true acceptance of the Gospel that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and we will not, as Paul, go into Arabia to weave the clothing for this central grain of Truth; for that is what he did. He went into Arabia for three years, all by himself, and proceeded to weave a basic pattern of clothing for what he conceived to be the central Truth of what Jesus had presented on earth. He made the clothing for it, and most people have accepted the basic design of clothing which Paul wove, if they call themselves Christians. They have advanced the design, of course. It has changed in various ways. Different groups alter the design according to their concept of what is pleasing, and they have their own churches, but it is the same basic design which Paul so carefully developed, the design of clothing for the Truth which the Master presented on earth.
What shall we do? Go rushing forward, seeing how quickly the Truth can be clothed into something acceptable to the minds of human beings?—we are going to improve on Paul, but do the same thing he did? Or become lethargic, and accept the bump-on-a-log pattern which has dulled the senses and developed the self-righteousness of many millions of people?
In this Anniversary period of Meditation it is not necessary for me to reiterate, extensively at least, the points which we have already considered together. It is, rather, necessary that we begin to take a new look at what we already claim to believe. If the Master set forth certain key points of Truth on earth, then that was the beginning of the manifestation of the Garden which God planted Eastward in Eden. Man was supposed to dress it and keep it. Man hastened to dress it, but he was so busy designing the clothing and getting it established on a suitable manikin, that he did not keep it. He started dressing it, according to his own design. The true process of dressing it, or giving it form, must be under the same inspiration, the same jurisdiction, the same control that established the Truth in the beginning.
In the pattern of development, as it has been outlined to you in Services, and was presented in the Class work, I pointed out that any effort to establish vibratory patterns, deeper understanding, or function, on a cross pattern one to another, was doomed to failure. Inevitably, such an effort causes the Truth to be lost in the maze of human concept. I pointed out that each advancing step should be cleared at Center, so that it was a manifestation of an acceptable segment of the pattern in relationship to the whole, cleared to Center, before it could begin to clear between you. To quite a degree, this principle, which I outlined quite carefully, has been disregarded, and a certain amount of confusion has resulted; ideas have been advanced which must, sooner or later, be repudiated; some of the clothing which has been woven for the basic babe of Truth must be discarded; unnecessary tensions and problems have been engendered. The excuse for doing this is usually worked out in the conviction that the individual is working under the impulse of the Spirit of God and that I desire you to become individuals who can function in relationship to the initiative of the Spirit through yourselves.
It is interesting how the devil distorts Truth to gain his own ends. It is certainly true that I wish you, as rapidly as possible, to reach a point where you do function, individually and collectively, under the initiative of the Spirit, on a basis which does not require that every little thing, as it is put, shall be brought to my attention. But, sometimes what seem to you to be little things may not be so little. And sometimes what seems to you to be the impulse of the Spirit may be very greatly clouded with a distorted emotional pattern or a warped mental comprehension of a basic Truth. There have been some individual developments along this line which have seriously hindered our Program and delayed the time of the manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. No, it is not my intention that you should become puppets and that I must pull the strings. But it is my intention that whatever may appear in the individual which he assumes to be true shall be cleared to Center, so that you will not waste your time busying yourselves clothing what you conceive to be a babe born of God but which is not.
Many of these things that appear can, very cleverly, up to a point, seem to be grounded in the Truth that I have presented. But one of the characteristics which distinguishes such things is that the individual seeks to develop an understanding of what he conceives to be true by talking with others, developing the idea on a cross pattern basis, without first having cleared the matter with me. Any such function is a service of the devil. It tends ta dwarf, distort and destroy, and spoil the pattern of that for which we stand.
We recognize the basic Truth that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and it is God's Will that each and every one should know the beauty and the wonder and the glory of that Kingdom. There are these tendencies to try to get into the Kingdom the back way, or the tendencies on the part of individuals to assume that they know enough so that they can govern the development of a pattern of what they deem to be focalization for the welfare of others, to help them unfold, to help them grow—they imagine that somehow (they may not put it just so, but their actions indicate it) I neglected some aspect of the problem, or that I have somehow failed to give individuals an ample opportunity to grow with respect to some matter. And they step forward to remedy the situation, to help others develop, to give clothing to the basic babe of Truth, and they attempt to weave such beautiful clothing. And it may easily appear to be something inspiring, and it may, for some eyes, appear to be beautiful; but it leads to discord, disillusionment, unnecessary suffering and delay.
These things stand as barriers to our forward movement, our unified sharing in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that we may reach a point where we realize clearly the nature of the Divine Commission, and how we should function in order to discharge our responsibilities under that Commission.
This comes back to the basic principles of the One Law, the principles of Centering, the principles of Agreement. And there have been too many attempts made to establish agreement between individuals who have not yet come to agreement in the true, or absolute, sense in relationship to Center. There is ample opportunity for the ingenuity, the initiative, under the impulse of the Spirit, of each and everyone, but the time for that expression, the time for that determination, follows a true agreement with Center. There have been some rather serious violations of whatever agreement there was with Center, and when human beings seek a short-cut to an entrance into the Kingdom, that they may the more quickly experience the beauties and wonders of Heaven on earth, it leads inevitably toward tragedy.
I would, therefore, that in the beginning of our Anniversary period of Meditation there should be an awareness of the importance of true Centering, of coming to point under the Law, of right Polarity, and of letting some futures be changed, because violation of the principles which I have outlined has tended to inject into certain futures, within the sound of my voice, those things which ought not to be. Those things in the future may yet be changed, if God's Will is permitted to have control; otherwise, each must reap as he sows. Let us, by right polarity and true centering, change the future to the Divine Estate and not permit ourselves to be drawn into a situation where the beautiful future which God has provided is changed into a future of sorrow and sadness. Ours is the responsibility of moving forward to Victory, to the Glory of God and the Blessing of the children of men.
© Emissaries of Divine Light
