The Real Stature of Angelic and Archangelic Nature
Martin Cecil April 11, 1979 Assembly
The real stature of Angelic nature—or particularly Archangelic nature—is very impressive, but not to human nature. This stature is only seen, recognized, by reason of spiritual perception. The human mind is impressed perhaps by its imagination, its concept, of God Almighty maybe, or of Jesus, but is not impressed by the reality—simply because it doesn't see it. It requires spiritual discernment to behold the tremendous stature of Angelic and Archangelic nature. It is unbelievably more immense than human imagination could conceive. I was interested, in listening to Alan this morning, as he was using the two books to indicate something of the quality and character of this nature.
When there are those who do, by reason of some measure of spiritual perception, recognize the qualities of Divine character, there is an inclination to worship the person by reason of whom those characteristics are revealed. This happened to Jesus. While there is very little that has come down to us in the way of His words and His actions—and even these were reported by somebody else—the immense stature of the reality of that particular Being is still made known to those with any spiritual perception. Those without spiritual perception are inclined to accept the idea on the basis of external concepts and beliefs, which is not the same thing as experience of the reality itself, of the tremendous stature of the Divine nature and how it is all‑encompassing. Remember the words "I of myself can do nothing." Obviously it is not a matter of worshipping the particular means by which the Divine stature is revealed. You have shared something this morning which gives you a greater sensing of what that stature really is. Human nature is a pale, distorted, almost invisible reflection of the Truth. As we do begin to become aware of the Truth, then we may see how ridiculous it is to exalt human nature. One is exalting virtually nothing. The works of human nature are impressive to human nature but not at all to God. The works of God are impressive to those whose hearts and spiritual eyes are open to discern their reality.
We need to have this sensing of the greatness, the immense stature, of Divine nature—not only seeing it in relationship to someone else through whom it may have been or be being revealed to some extent, but in one's own experience, or in relationship to oneself. One may not have the adequate experience yet, but there is the necessity of knowing that it is there, of knowing that we are not associated with anything small or insignificant. Sometimes when there is consideration of the few numbers of those who are beginning to open their hearts toward the reality, there is the thought that it is very small. In appearance, maybe so. But from the standpoint of the Divine nature which is emerging there is nothing greater on the face of the earth. There is nothing more immense. There is nothing more powerful. We sense this increasingly to the extent that we ourselves share in allowing this stature to be made evident by reason of our own living, because we are aware of the Tone of Life, which is a great and all‑inclusive Tone. And we are beginning to share the expression of that Tone by reason of our own thoughts, by reason of our own words, and by reason of our own action. We are well aware of the fact that heaven has been waiting. We see that heaven has been waiting to be experienced by those who dwell on earth—to be experienced in human consciousness. What is the quality of heaven? What is the overall characteristic of heaven? What makes heaven heaven? It is said that God is Love. All is Love. We need not only to find out what Love is for ourselves, but reveal it by reason of our living. In fact, revealing it by reason of our living is the way we find out what it is. We can't get hold of it and put it in some sort of a pocket, to be picked out to be given expression when we decide to do it. Love already is; it can't be stored away. There would be no need to store it. It already is.
From the standpoint of our dimensional experience, Love is the substance at every level. There is no level of what is known in the dimensional world, of heaven or earth, where the substance of Love is not. Love is the Tone which we may sense and which may provide the base, the foundation, for living. Love is substance. The whole of the dimensional world, which includes the visible universe, is filled with this substance. It is this substance that makes the dimensional world possible in all its ramifications. There is far more to the universe than the visible aspect of it. Human beings are aware of this to some extent. They have ways and means of becoming acquainted with vibratory factors that are not visible but are nevertheless present. All of these vibratory factors exist because of the substance of Love. Our association and experience, in whatever measure, with Angelic Being and Angelic expression is associated with this Tone, enabling the encompassment of our worlds. Our worlds are filled with this substance. And we ourselves are composed of this substance, in representation of the Lord, of this tremendous character and stature. We find ourselves required, and in position, to encompass our worlds. We have, individually and together, the opportunity of encompassing these worlds in what might be recognized as a horizontal way. These worlds extend out from us horizontally. But obviously there must be more to the encompassment of our worlds than merely the horizontal. There is back of the level of physical substance a number of other levels of substance which we have considered on the basis of the total of seven. In other words the seven relates to the vertical, or the perpendicular, component. There is much more to our physical world than physical substance. Having been born into human nature, we have been oriented in physical substance. I have spoken of this recently, looking at this matter from the standpoint of this Assembly, recognizing that our immediate world is here on Sunrise Ranch. We also saw that the world extends beyond that, in quite a personal sense, for each one. There is a vibrational world beyond that; it's vibrational to us at the moment, even though it is a physical world. But our connection with it is vibrational. We have a vibrational world here on Sunrise Ranch—our connection is based in this vibrational fact—but it is also our physical world at the moment.
Now we have, individually and together, the opportunity of encompassing these worlds in what might be recognized as a horizontal way. These worlds extend out from us horizontally. But obviously there must be more to the encompassment of our worlds than merely the horizontal. That would be restricting our world terribly. It was noted this morning that the number twenty‑four related particularly to the earthly level. It was seen in terms, for instance, of the earth turning on its axis and the experience that we have by reason of that on the surface of the earth. Here is the lowest level, one might say, the horizontal level of encompassment. This needs encompassing, certainly. But at the same time we recognize that anything that is at that level is not isolated from the vertical component, in the sense that there is back of the level of physical substance a number of other levels of substance which we have considered on the basis of the seven, the total of seven. In other words the seven relates to the vertical, or the perpendicular, component. There is much more to our physical world than physical substance. We are familiar with physical substance. Having been born into human nature, we have been oriented in physical substance.
But now we begin to find our orientation being lifted up so that it includes other levels. Each of these levels is at least as important as the physical level; each level has greater stature than the one below it. We can see it perhaps in the dimensional sense as occupying more space. The physical level occupies the least amount of space. We can see that rather clearly in the universe. The universe is mostly space, with just a little physical substance dotted around here and there. I'm speaking of "little" in relative terms, mind you, relative to the immense amount of what used to be supposed to be empty space. We see the same thing to be true closer to home, relative to our own physical bodies, for instance. We've always been inclined to think of our stature as being how high we are physically, or perhaps how broad—either way. But this is not the real stature. Obviously so, when we begin to see the immensity of Divine character and the Divine nature. But this is reflected in the dimensional world, so that there is the mental substance which occupies the space of the physical substance but extends beyond it. And we may, considering all the various levels, see that each higher level of substance occupies the total of the lower levels of substance and extends beyond, so that when we come to the seventh, which is the pure substance of Love, could we estimate what dimensional stature that has? There should be a sensing of the fact that our character, spiritually speaking, divinely speaking, even in the dimensional world is immensely greater than what we have thought of ourselves physically speaking.
Sometimes those who are of small physical stature feel somewhat defensive because of this; they are living in a world of giants, it is supposed. And very often those of small stature in this sense compensate for it, try to appear to be bigger than they look physically speaking. They blow themselves up, their egos, of course, really, trying to make themselves feel that they have more stature than they actually have in the physical sense. Well the fact of the matter is they do! And there is no need to try to blow oneself up. It is only because one is unaware of that stature that one feels under the necessity of trying to become more impressive to other human natures than one's physical stature might lead other human natures to believe.
We all have, dimensionally speaking, a stature of which we have been virtually unconscious. Perhaps we are still unconscious of it to a high degree but we at least have some perception of its reality, so that when the Angelic expression is allowed to emerge, to come forth, there is the evidence then of an immense stature. It's not a little thing. This coming forth is made possible by reason of the substance present in the dimensional world for it to happen. It is the coming forth of a reality that is undimensional. It is caused to be dimensional by reason of the substance. There is just one substance, and that is the substance of Love. What we call physical substance is the substance of Love at the physical level. We have thought of the seventh level as being characterized by the Spirit of Love. It is so characterized because of the substance of Love, which fills all the space that there is, dimensionally speaking. This substance of Love assumes different characteristics. It is differentiated by what may be referred to by using the word Truth. It could be said that Truth is the design of Love. Truth sets the design for the qualities and characteristics of Love at the various levels of Love's expression.
Looking at it this way we may see once more that at the sixth level the quality of the substance is described by using the word the Womb. This is the level for the manifestation of what is spoken of as the Spirit of the Womb. The use of this word indicates enfoldment. Love is the substance all the way through. Love therefore is present at every level in the pure nature of its substance. But in the process by which the expression of Love is brought forth, both in the creation and in the operation of our worlds, there is a level of Love substance which enfolds all other levels. It is a modification of the pure substance of Love already present, a modification which allows a certain design of that substance to put in an appearance. It could be said that the original substance is designless; there is no design present in it yet. The substance is available to allow the design to emerge; and the Truth is what makes is possible for that emergence. The design is in the Truth. And the first aspect of that design is describable by the word Womb because it is the enfolding substance, the enfolding substance which contains all the other levels of the substance of Love in the design which are yet to be brought forth.
We see this principle portrayed in human form physically speaking, where the uterus in the female enfolds the embryo, the fetus, which is in the process of being brought forth. All the creative process takes place, initially at least, in that womb until the creation is complete. Then there is a movement beyond that again. We speak of that point of completion as birth. Usually people think of it in terms of the point of starting. We all have birthdays which we celebrate, either willingly or unwillingly, as indicating a starting point physically speaking. But that starting point was also a point of completion: The baby form had been completed. Of course things are a bit mixed up these days, and we have premature births and so on. But in the controlled unfoldment the babe is perfectly completed and ready to come forth, so that that creative cycle all took place within the range of that womb. Subsequently, after birth, there is another womb of a different nature. But the same principle is repeated. We move from womb to womb in that sense, in the dimensional sense. And there is completion, rightly, at each level, so that there may be birth relative to the next womb. It's birth into the next womb, out of one womb into the next.
Now here is the creative process in operation by reason of dimensionless Spirit being brought to bear in dimensional substance. The design makes possible the bringing forth into expression of the real stature of Divine Being. All this is to make possible the expression of God in the dimensional world in a very specific and direct sense. We have noted that God in action on earth is described by using the word Jehovah. This is God in action on earth by reason of man. Such action is impossible without man. Because man has not been available for this expression for quite some time, the action of God in a direct sense has been absent. What would occur if there was the total means for the expression of God is unknown. This eye hath not seen nor ear heard. It is possible to indulge in imagination as to what it might be but impossible to know what it would be, except by letting it be.
Now obviously we can't, as a small group here, let it be for the whole world. We can let it be for ourselves. In view of the fact that the true creation includes all mankind as the vehicle for the expression of God, if the expression of God only emerges through a smaller body than the body of mankind, whether a collective body such as this or whether through an individual body, it will not reveal what would be revealed if it was happening through the whole body of mankind. We can't create an isolated bubble of the Garden of Eden, in which we might dwell at every level, because we are not isolated from the whole body of mankind. And what the restoration really is remains unknown until it happens for the Whole body of mankind.
In the meantime we have our responsibility in the creative process which allows it to happen for the Whole body of mankind. So we are not imagining that somehow we are going to produce the restored state on earth just by reason of a few people. We may experience what the Angelic expression is in the present state of affairs the way things now are, and God is always very practical. He doesn't try, as many human beings do, to live in a condition which doesn't exist. The expression of God on earth must come forth in the condition that does exist. And God Himself is not averse to that. He knows that it is the only way that the restoration can occur. So there is the necessity of handling the circumstances that do exist, from the Angelic standpoint, letting God be in expression in that setting.
Now what God in expression in that setting would be is not what God in expression would be in the restored state. It's just God in expression in this particular setting. How could we know ahead of time what that expression would be? All we can know is what it is now, what it is in the present setting with respect to the present facility through which that expression may emerge. Let's settle for this. It's all we have, anyway, whether as Angels or in human consciousness. And it is when there is a contentedness to settle for what it is, we may find ourselves in the present moment. We're not involved in trying to imagine what will be. And we are not involved with what was, in the sense of memory—usually; as was noted this morning, also involved with self‑pity, self-centeredness of some kind, where people are backward‑looking. They may claim that they are forward‑looking, but their forward looking is based on their backward-looking, because they have accepted as their own expression the mess of pottage which is the human‑nature design of things. And there is the actual experience, as well very often there is the conscious excuse—that one's expression is because of one's ancestry in one way or another, whether one's invisible ancestry or whether one's more recent visible ancestry. Human beings complain about the things that happened to them along the way of life experience. They are backward‑looking in this sense. Until all that can be forgotten one is not free to function in the present moment in the expression of what should be putting in an appearance in the present moment. One is always conditioning what should be putting in an appearance with something out of the past; one is always covering it over. And, no doubt, in the human consciousness we have all sorts of good reasons as to why this is so. We can justify every last one of the impositions we make upon what should be appearing in the present moment. The overall attitude in this regard is very often "I can't help it." Well "I can't help it" implies that there is something back here causing one to behave the way one is now. And while people laugh at the idea, "The devil made me do it," that's exactly what is happening all the time. But why let the devil make one do it? That's the question. One can't use the devil as an excuse, in other words—that is, a justifiable excuse.
So we are here to allow the real stature, Angelic stature, to emerge, not to be impressive to anyone but just to be ourselves. You can't reveal a pygmy and reveal yourself. And how human consciousness keeps whittling a person down to scarcely anything. And then he feels he is scarcely anything so he has to try and become a great big something or other, and becomes a great big nothing. We have our world present with us. We need to allow this world not only to be a horizontal one—because if it is only horizontal we're liable to be off in the past or the future—but a vertical one as well, which brings us to point in the present moment, so that there may be an inclusion, in our experience, of all the levels of the substance of Love. And the initial one, as we have noted, is the substance of the Womb, the substance of encompassment, the substance of enfoldment. And this is our initial attitude here relative to our worlds. We know that our worlds are more than the physical aspect; there is much more to our worlds than that. And our concern is to let there be enfoldment of it all. But initially we are keenly aware of the physical aspect and of some vibrational factors of our worlds. And it is our concern to enfold all this, as much as we are aware of now. We are working in the situation as it is. Maybe we could say, well we should be aware of much more. Probably. But what are we aware of? That's the question. And that's where we have to start. That's the only place that is real. All the rest is imagination. So we encompass the world that we know; encompassment of this much of your world, at least, in a very conscious sense.
Now as there is an increasing sensing of the Tone in the quality of our behavior during the day, there is unconscious unfoldment as well as conscious. We would wish these two aspects to be in alignment—not that we need to know everything that we unconsciously enfold; that would make for confusion. There are those levels of enfoldment which need to be unconscious. But if there are such levels of unconscious enfoldment, and we are consciously condemning and judging and not enfolding, then we're certainly a house divided. If we are consciously enfolding, encompassing, our worlds to the extent that we see them, and we are not adequately encompassing subconsciously what we should be, that will also be a house‑divided state, but it will begin to allow the subconscious aspect to pay attention to the tone. Now it may work in either direction. It may work subconsciously because you are paying attention to the Tone subconsciously in some measure; that may spill over into the conscious mind. Or you may be consciously concerned with being true to the Tone and that will spill over into the subconscious. Usually, of course, it's a little bit of each. And gradually there may come a larger space occupied by the substance of the Womb in our experience.
Of course, experiencing these things there is also a generation of more substance to be available at that particular level, the substance of heaven, the substance of Love, which is part of the dimensional world. And we find ourselves increasingly immersed in it. It is our composition. It is our total composition. You may not have known it, but it has been there present. And we will find that we increasingly become aware of it, partly because we consciously become aware of the Tone and are true to it. And we are concerned, altogether now, with the enfoldment of our worlds, whatever size those worlds may be within the range of our vision, of our awareness. So I praise the Lord that we can participate in this creative process, which is quite exact. It works the way it works. We become willing to let it work the way it works, not the way we would want it to work or think it should work, but the way it does work. Then it works! Otherwise it doesn't.
© emissaries of divine light
