Let The Waters Under The Heaven
Be Gathered Together
Martin Cecil January 11, 1978
Events which occur within the range of our field of responsibility, all in the realm of effects, are given meaning because there are angels present providing the unique quality of spiritual expression. We may well be impressed with the nature of things as they are in this humanly produced world, the striving of human ego with human ego, each claiming to have the best one. But what does it all matter? Our concern in every field is to set a right precedent, whether it be with respect to music or finance or education or any other field of distorted human endeavor. The only way we can do this is by coming as angels; then we may use the opportunities that present themselves according to our several abilities in the external sense. But only as angels can we do this. The gathering here this week, and the gatherings which occur in other places at other times, have meaning to the extent that they are gatherings of angels who are identified with Cause and who are not all involved with the realm of effects.
We might be reminded of the third day of creation, when God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place.” Here is the basis for any gathering of angels, related to any field of endeavor. “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place.” We are aware of the symbolism of water, the truth. Let the truth that is present in the consciousness of those concerned be gathered together unto one place in the realm of Cause—under the heaven. The heaven is the realm of Cause insofar as this dimensional world is concerned. We may see water as relating to the substance of human consciousness. Let the pure water be gathered together unto one place, pure because it is under the heaven, because what is present in the realm of Cause is operative in the substance of consciousness. Pure water, symbolically, is the true condition of the human consciousness—very palatable, very refreshing, very valuable in the creative processes. So in any of our gatherings the concern is to let the pure waters be gathered together unto one place for angelic use, the pure water of consciousness unadulterated by the structures of human ego.
We may observe something here relative to a far wider field than any particular aspect of consideration that may be coming to point by reason of the gathering of angels. We have observed how a creative process has been working out in the world over many centuries, working out on the basis of what is required for re-creation. Obviously the earth doesn't need to be created, but the world which human beings have produced on earth must be transformed into the world of God; so a creative process is at work to permit this to be so. It is observable in various ways. In the creative process darkness is always the starting point—the state of the world's darkness is necessarily the starting point.
In this creative process which we are considering the initiation occurred by reason of Abraham long ago. The word to be spoken was the Word of God. “God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” There is no other way by which what is required may be brought forth; only through the Word of God. The Word of God must rightly be spoken at the level where the bringing forth is to occur, and so there was the necessity for a facility to be generated by which the Word of God might be spoken at the level of the darkness that was present in the consciousness of mankind. That facility came by reason of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; the sons of Jacob, Joseph particularly; and later Moses. The word of God was spoken, the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters: “Let there be light: and there was light.” The light was present with the people, particularly by reason of Moses, but the light was not protected and preserved. The ideas of men about the light were apparently carefully protected and preserved—but the light itself, no. All concerned never emerged out of the realm of effects and their identification with it, but the light had been brought, the Word of the Lord had been spoken, and there was light present therefore. We recognize this to be so.
We have considered much out of the record of the Old Testament and been keenly aware of the brilliance of the light that was shining. There it is! But it has been well covered up by the doctrines of men, particularly by reason of the Judaic tradition. However, the creative cycle was initiated and moving, even though there was scarcely anyone associated with it until the Lord Himself came, so that the Word might be spoken, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.” The firmament was called heaven. The good news was, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This was indeed the Gospel which was brought on earth by the Lord incarnate in human form. So the seed of heaven was added to the seed of light. And now in these days God says, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place.”
We recognize this as being the Word of the Lord now, spoken into the consciousness of mankind, that whatever is true in that consciousness may be gathered together unto one place. We have seen this as being the purpose of this ministry. You and others have been gathered together unto this one place, to the extent that you have, because the Word of God has been spoken, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place.” It has been spoken at the level of human consciousness. The waters, present in the consciousness of human beings everywhere, which are influenced by the heaven, have been and are being stirred by reason of the Word that is spoken. You have come in response to the command, spoken unconsciously insofar as you are concerned: Let the waters be gathered together unto one place. The waters come and you came. Your selfhood came along with the waters. Those who come to the Lord come because they are compelled to do so, not because they really chose to do so. You came in spite of your human egos, not ever because of them. So do not take any credit to your human ego self for the fact that you may have drawn a little closer to the Lord.
The Word of the Lord has been spoken within the consciousness of mankind and something has happened to that consciousness in consequence. We are concerned for the waters which are being gathered together. We delight to behold the waters being gathered together, and incidentally we rejoice that a few people come along too. They come along in spite of themselves, simply because the commandment of God is obeyed by the waters under the heaven; that is, the substance of human consciousness—these are the waters below the heaven—the substance of human consciousness which is open to the influence of the heaven which was established in the second day of creation. So we would not be here if it were not for the fact of that second day, and the second day would not have occurred if it had not been for the fact of the first day. Even though human beings have behaved badly, rejecting consciously virtually everything that was brought to them, nevertheless the power of God operates with absolute inevitability, once the Word is spoken at the level of operation. It was spoken in the First Day at the level of operation; it was spoken in the Second Day at the level of operation; it is spoken in the Third Day at the level of operation, and so the waters are in the process of being gathered together unto one place.
We may see this on the large scale. We may also see it from the standpoint of the smaller groupings of angels that may occur. We have one here now. We have one here now relative to this immediate gathering, and the Word is spoken: Let the waters be gathered together unto one place. This is obeyed when those waters are under the heaven; that is, under the influence of the realm of Cause. Then there begins to be the experience, individually speaking, of emerging out of identification with the realm of effects, and it doesn't matter particularly whether those effects are thought of as being good effects or bad effects. The experience needs to come out of identification with those effects, that there may be angels present incarnate on earth.
“Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place.” This is the Word of God spoken now on earth. There are increasing numbers who begin to share in that speaking. The speaking is a reality by reason of the expression of life—the real quality and character of life is the Word of God on earth. “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.” It is because the waters of consciousness present in you are being gathered together unto one place that your bodies came along. “Let the dry land appear.” It isn't a matter of saying, “Let the dry land appear and then we will have some waters of consciousness to gather together.” It doesn't work that way. We can't drum up business on the basis of the dry land. It is a matter of the gathering together of the waters, and this requires the Word of God to be spoken at the level where the gathering is to take place. It is happening. We have experience of its happening, both from the standpoint of how our own consciousnesses have been gathered together over the years and from the standpoint of speaking the Word ourselves by which it occurs in others. We observe the occurrence in others rather more easily than we observe it in ourselves.
So we rejoice in this Third Day of Creation, relating of course to what has been called the Third Sacred School. If we see it on the large scale as happening with respect to the whole body of mankind we also see it on the small scale, particularly with respect to our various gatherings where angels are present, where therefore the creative Word may be spoken. Let the pure water be present. Let the waters be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. There is a certain amount of dry land visible here simply because the waters have been gathered together unto one place. It has worked within the scope of our own experience. Of course merely to have the waters and the dry land is not the be-all and end-all of creation. Something occurs by reason of the fact that there has been a gathering together of the waters under the heaven and because the dry land has appeared. It is described in the story of creation: “And God said"—again, nothing happens without the Word of God—“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”
Obviously it was necessary that the dry land should appear, for anything to be done. All concerned who are now here gathered in this configuration were wherever they were before. Their consciousness was there; their physical form was there. If that was all that was necessary then there would be no need for this gathering. It is necessary for the dry land to be present: if the waters are gathered together unto one place then the dry land also is in one place. Because the dry land is in one place, whether with respect to that original gathering or with respect to this gathering this morning, something can happen because of it, something that couldn't happen if the dry land wasn't a fact—if the physical forms of people were not present. It is because the physical forms of people are present by reason of the fact that the waters have been gathered together that there may be a further speaking of the Word of God. “And God said, Let the earth bring forth.” I don't think you would be very effective if it were possible for you to be present here merely in consciousness—no physical forms. What on earth would we do? Well we wouldn't do anything on earth. But because the physical forms are present something can be done, something can be brought forth. The bringing forth occurs by reason of the dry land, but the dry land is there by reason of the gathering together of the waters. Everything must be in place; then there is a bringing forth.
But the bringing forth as it is described here, as grass and herbs and fruit trees, is not a manipulative bringing forth. It is something which simply occurs by reason of the fact that the Word of God is spoken. Particular emphasis is placed upon the fact, as it is put here: “whose seed is in itself.” The seed is present. We don't have to build some sort of structure—in a service or in a gathering. The seed is there, the seed is present. The seed is perhaps hidden; in fact it is essential that the seed should be hidden if it is to germinate and bring forth. But if the seed is present the design is present, all that is to appear by reason of the seed is present; and it isn't bright manipulations that are going to bring forth what is needed. What is needed is already there. What is needed is that the Word of God should be spoken to animate what is already present, and the Word of God is spoken by the angel, not by the human mind.
Let the waters be gathered together unto one place, because they are under the heaven, because there is a yielding of consciousness to the control of Cause, so that the Word of God may be spoken; and the Word of God spoken brings forth by reason of the dry land, by reason of the physical facility which is present to do what needs to be done. But the bringing forth is always of what is already inherent—already present as a seed. The germination of the seed comes because of the Word of God. There must be the Word of God spoken if there is to be conception: spirit must be present. So it is in all our fields of responsibility.
These principles which are observable by the human mind are in operation in spite of the human mind. They do not need to be made to operate by the human mind. We have noted the creative days which have unfolded over the centuries—not certainly because of human beings but in spite of them—to bring us to this hour when the waters are indeed being gathered together insofar as the consciousness of mankind is concerned. And because of this many individual human egos find themselves moving in certain ways which usually they rationalize to indicate how wise they have been to move in those ways. But it had nothing to do with the human ego. What occurred occurred in spite of that, because the Word of God had been spoken and the waters were being gathered together. And if there are waters under the influence of the heaven in us as individuals, well those waters are going to be gathered together and we find ourselves being yanked along; but let us not assume that anything is happening because of the human ego. There needs to be a willingness to let what is happening happen, and to the extent that there is a willingness to let it happen the human ego fades away. That's the easy way.
There begins to emerge a sense of identity with Cause. We find ourselves in the heaven and we operate in the heaven. Heaven and earth are one, so we operate on earth as well; but our base of operations is in the heaven. We do not any longer see things merely from the standpoint of the realm of effects. As the waters are gathered together unto one place there is a rising up; there is resurrection. Our meaning is as angels and for no other reason at all. We may have a little bit of talent here or there in the external sense which can be used to advantage, but in comparison to the fact of the angel none of that amounts to anything. There is nothing that an angel cannot use and use to advantage, but the angel must be consciously present if the Word of the Lord is to be spoken.
