The setting in which we are gathered has significance. I have emphasized this fact before. The physical setting of this Chapel has significance to the extent that it is filled with a heavenly atmosphere. This heavenly atmosphere is our responsibility as there has been some physical, mental and emotional preparation on the part of each one who is present. There may be a quietness of spirit and an attitude, a concern, that there should be fitting space for the intensification of spirit. In body and mind and heart there may be humility and receptiveness, heavenly space, a place prepared awaiting the coming of the particular focus of spirit which naturally comes forth when there is space for the coming. Into this heavenly atmosphere it may be said, “I am come. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world, because there is space for my coming.”
I understand there was a movie recently, something about the coming of the Jedi. I didn’t see it so I don’t know much about it; but we could paraphrase that. We are concerned with the coming of the foci—the plural of focus. In our own consciousness this might have application to the Seven Spirits which are before the Throne of God—what was represented by Job’s seven sons—the coming of the foci. This is an individual matter and also a collective matter. There is individual emergence of the Seven Spirits into positive expression for each one, and there is representation of those Seven Spirits in the larger groupings of those in whom the heavenly atmosphere is present. There might be an application, for instance, in this grouping this morning. There would be application of these seven points of representation the unit grouping here, on Sunrise Ranch, and in other groupings of those who are concerned to maintain the heavenly atmosphere. There would be application for this whole spiritual body. There is a consistent design present by which spirit may be in action at all levels of expression.
These Seven Spirits are One. There is One Spirit. We could identify that by using the word love. The Spirit of Love is the one primary spirit. It is present because of the one primary substance. The spirit and the substance are both love: heaven and earth are one. The primary substance, which is love, is not substance as substance is known by the human mind, but all substance is love. The spirit and substance of love is differentiated and modified, so that it might be said that there are seven primary spirits and seven primary modifications of substance.
If we consider light as a substance, we are aware of the substance of light particularly when it is differentiated into the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—seven—and yet you can’t draw a line between the colors in a rainbow. Perhaps children when they draw rainbows in their coloring books make the colors distinct and there is a line between each, but naturally that is not so. Each color blends into the next. It is all one substance. It is known to be one substance when the colors are reassembled and become white light. So is it with the Spirit of Love and the substance of love. There is in fact only One Substance and One Spirit, even though that substance may be modified in various ways and that spirit may be differentiated in various ways; but it all emerges out of the one unified heaven and earth, spirit and substance.
It is not by chance that emphasis has been placed upon love. All is Love—Love is All. It may be and has been that human experience has largely excluded the reality of love. Little dribs and drabs put in an appearance now and again, usually in distorted ways. The reality of love has remained almost entirely beyond the veil—the veil constituted by the impurity of human minds and hearts. But because human beings have had so little awareness and experience of love does not deny the Truth of Love; neither does it deny that Love is All. Love is the positive creative spirit—in love is the power of creation.
It might be said that before substance is, there is what might be called latent substance. This is beyond the activation of love as yet therefore it is nothing, because there is nothing outside of love. Another word for this nothing is latent substance. The activation of latent substance by the power of love brings existent substance. The Spirit of Love and the Substance of Love are one. This is all that is. Described in these words it’s very simple. Really nothing else needs to be known. Of course human beings have not known it. When it’s known nothing else needs to be known. If it is not known human minds at least imagine that they have to discover a lot of things to be known, and we have the collection of knowledge. Human minds collect knowledge because they do not know love. Knowing love, there is no necessity to collect knowledge.
The Spirit of Love and the substance of love are here present this morning—of course—there is no other spirit and no other substance. Most people think of substance in terms of physical substance. If we picture substance in terms of a sphere, a sphere of love substance outside of which there is nothing, then at the very center of that sphere would be quite small one representing physical substance. If we think of these things in terms of the differentiation of spirit and the modification of substance, because there are seven differentiations of spirit, there are seven modifications of substance. And while it may not be an accurate way of describing it, nevertheless it conveys the idea if we were to say that physical substance is one seventh of total substance, something relatively quite small and yet this is what occupies human consciousness as though it was primary. All things tend to be seen in terms of physical substance. In the practical sense most human values are related to physical substance. There may be high-sounding precepts, but the control that has been operative in human experience has stemmed from this little sphere of physical substance. This little sphere of physical substance may be seen in terms of the planet, which is after all a sphere, but we would be inclined to recognize that this little planet is but a speck of virtually invisible dust in the larger picture of the universe. It doesn’t amount to very much, even in the solar system.
Having allowed a consciousness of love to begin to permeate the receptive atmosphere which we have brought individually and together into this Chapel this morning, we are in position to view things from a true and rational perspective. The physical level of things tends to fade away as being relatively insignificant. It has significance but only because it is a modification of the substance of love. It is the substance of love that is important, and the substance of love is inseparable from the Spirit of Love. The Spirit of Love is supreme. Here is the first point of focus which comes, the first of the foci, the Spirit of Love in union with the substance of love. Love is All—All is Love. The power of love is describable as a radiant power, an outgoing power. In that power is the power of differentiation. The essential factor of differentiation by reason of the power of love is what is called Truth. Truth, the Spirit and the Substance of Truth, is simply a differentiation of the Spirit of Love and a modification of the substance of love.
You may recall that in consideration of the Seven Spirits before the Throne of God, the sixth, as we are moving forth from Love, was the Spirit of the Womb. All other differentiations and modifications are encompassed by the Spirit and Substance of the Womb. The womb is the first differentiation and modification of love, and this womb spirit and substance is the Spirit and Substance of Truth within which is contained all further differentiations and modifications. It might be looked upon as the first sphere within a sphere, the first sphere within the Sphere of Love, so that the substance of love is present, unmodified, but also in this initial state of modification. The word womb is rather accurate as to the nature of this differentiation and modification. All else is contained within this. But because of differentiation and modification there is no lessening of love. Love is All—All is Love.
You know that human beings have been enjoined to love one another. They do not do it very well, do they? There may be a little love, usually temporary, between people, but that is graded down all the way to the absence of love, which is called hate. Does this deny the fact that Love is All and All is Love? No, of course not. The fact remains, but excluded from human experience. It’s a sad condition, isn’t it? How little is known of the Truth of Love. How little it is known that Love is All and All is Love. It seems that there is so much discord, conflict, violence in the world, appearing to deny the Truth of Love. But this is a denial which human beings themselves have chosen. It is so just to themselves; it isn’t the truth. On this basis of course it can easily be seen that the truth is not known. In spite of all the acquisition of knowledge that has gone on the truth is not known, and knowledge will never reveal it. The truth is revealed by love, because the truth is a differentiation and modification of love. Without love there is nothing. Without love there is no existence; there may be a latency but no existence yet.
And so this morning we share a very special opportunity of providing setting, a heavenly setting into which the foci may come. We have considered Love, which is All, and Truth, which is the first differentiation of the Spirit of Love and the first modification of the Substance of Love. We may refer to this as the Spirit and the Substance of the Womb. Differentiation of this spirit and the modification of this substance brings Life. Here are, as we know, the three primary aspects of Spirit: Love, Truth and Life. Truth is inseparable from Love; Life is inseparable from Truth and Love. Because of these three aspects of spirit all further differentiation and modification occurs. It’s all under control. It all operates according to design. The evidence of this operation we speak of as Life. Life is a Spirit. There is the Substance of Life too. These three spheres of substance are rich and full, complete and orderly, beautiful and strong, ever present, beyond the reach of impure human minds and hearts.
Here is the character of the One I Am, because each of us is capable of saying, “I Am the one I Am.” This primary focus of spirit may be brought into our receptive hearts and minds and bodies, individually and collectively. Our hearts and minds and bodies are not separate from the hearts and minds and bodies of all human beings. The same substance is present. We all have flesh bodies. We all have minds, and therefore the substance of mind. We all have emotions, and therefore the substance of emotions. We are not separatefrom the standpoint of this particular human design. And all substance, no matter what we call it, is love. There is no other substance. When we function as though there was other substance than love we exclude ourselves increasingly from the substance of Love, from the substance of Truth, from the substance of Life. This is done by human beings in general—but now I Am come, because there is an acknowledgment of the reality of the substance of Love. I am present in the substance of Love. My spirit includes all the differentiations of spirit and all modifications of substance.
I Am come, and because I Am come the creative process emerges into expression because of me. The creative process has always been in operation but it has been hidden and obscure from the experience of human beings. Now it begins to emerge. We begin to be aware of its emergence. Because of this we may know and set the ordinances of heaven in the earth. All that is emerging in our experience through body and mind and heart is part of the creative process. We see it as such. We have no desire to judge anything. We have no preconceptions as to what should be. We do not manipulate but are content with the creative cycle as it is emerging. We are aware that all things do work together to perfection. It is happening within the range of our experience. Whatever it is of which we may become aware within the range of our field of operations is part of this creative cycle. Of course we can’t judge it. We stop vain imagination that it should be some other way. It is the way it is, because I Am come, because we each are aware of the truth of this.
The creative process proceeds as it has always proceeded, and it has effects as it emerges because we are aware of its emergence. If we are aware of its emergence and we see all things working together to perfection, then here is the creative process introduced into human experience. It is the way it is. We are delighted that it is the way it is. Doubtless there are those things which arise within the range of our experience which humanly could well be judged adversely, but we see how ridiculous that is, because human beings have not known the truth. Now we begin to know the truth, and here it is coming forth. The fact of its coming forth is proven by the fact of our knowing that it is coming forth. Part of the effect of the coming forth is that we know it’s coming forth, and we are content with that. We are delighted with that, and we throw no monkey wrenches into the process by judging it. Whatever happens, it’s all right. Everything is under control, as it always has been; but thus far and for a long, long time human beings have not known it.
They thought it wasn’t all right, so that they had to manipulate, they had to judge, they had to indulge in what they thought of as the good and the bad, eating of the forbidden fruit, which is fatal. No more judgment, all is well. All is Love—Love is All. What is there to fuss about? What is there to try to make some other way? Certainly things have been messed up in human consciousness. The truth is not known, and because it’s so messed up it is imagined that it has to be sorted out somehow. Just let it pass away. All human messes pass away sooner or later. From our standpoint, I suppose it could be said, “The sooner the better.” May it be so in our own experience—the mess in our own minds and hearts—that we may know the Truth because we know Love.
The instruction given to love one another is recognized to be a most practical and straightforward requirement, which anyone may accept. Only when we love can we know the truth, and only when we know the truth can we live, and can we bring these points of focus into the heavenly substance for which we are responsible moment by moment. This is not only when we are gathered as we are now in the Chapel in this setting, but we carry our setting with us wherever we are. If it is the heavenly setting, then the Focus of Love is present and in action; the means of action is Truth, and the emergent action itself is Life—the coming of the foci. This coming brings salvation to those who are willing to receive it. Our responsibility is to make very sure that the power and the means of salvation are present, so that salvation is present.
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