He Sat Down Among The Ashes

He  Sat  Down  Among  The  Ashes

"The New Testament of the Ancients"

Uranda  September 6, 1945

Let us read Chapter 2, Verses 1-8, as found in the book of Job in the King James Version of the Book.

1. Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

2. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou move me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 

7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

The first three verses have already been considered. In the fourth verse the arguments of Satan, which have been proved false, are continued in a slightly different form. Satan had said that it was because of the hedge about Job, because the work of his hands had been blessed and his work had been prospered, that Job was responsive to the Lord, but now, when these arguments had been proved false, he continued in the same vein, and said: "Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life." Here we pass from a consideration of the influence on a responsive human being exerted by external things, possessions, circumstances and then move on to losses to the influence of health, comfort and well being.

It is easy to understand why Satan chose boils from all the painful things in the world. And when Job had boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, his misery and suffering can well be imagined; for the eruptions were all over his body, so that he had to take a potsherd to scrape himself withal. Such a condition would be as painful as could be imagined. Here, again, there is emphasis laid on steadfastness and response to the LORD regardless of physical discomfort, illness or suffering. And we recognize that steadfastness—that unwavering response wherein the individual is not moved by things in the environment, nor personal suffering—is most vital. The whole scope of individual problems faced by man is covered in principle here. Nothing is left out. The principles underlying this portrayal apply to everyone in all phases of human life and relationships. The Way, the Truth and the Life is revealed to all who are willing to see and respond, to repent and be directed, that they may find that joy unspeakable and full of glory which comes to those who stand steadfastly upon the Rock, and emerge victoriously in the Dawn of the New Day of Spiritual Life, individually and collectively for the whole world.

However there is an even deeper significance. There is the direct portrayal of obvious lessons, some of which we have already considered, and there is also the symbolism involved, of which there are many phases. For instance, we have a symbolic portrayal of the experience of incarnation, in a manner which gives some idea of the difference between the heavenly, or natural, state of the God Being, and the fallen state of man as he now is. In this portrayal we recognize that the putrid nature of sin and suffering into which man by reason of his self-willed arrogance has plunged himself, without necessity and without cause, is so vividly pictured by the boils from which Job suffered. Coming from the Divine Realms into the state of fallen man—who functions without enlightenment—is pictured by the process of transition from the state of health to that of being covered with boils. Now this idea does not indicate that the God Being suffers through incarnation as Job did, but rather, a portrayal of the difference between what is lovely, pure and glorious, and that which is born of the self-centered expression of man in the fallen state.

Another phase of the symbolism here portrayed deals with the outer expression of man in the sense that, regardless of adverse circumstances or the intensity of suffering experienced, it is possible, if he is steadfast enough, to retain conscious attunement with the Divine. In this phase it is shown that, regardless of outer circumstance, Satan is powerless to touch the Life that permits man to function in the outer world. The LORD said: “Behold, he is in thy hand; but save his life.”

Satan, the self-activity of mind and body, may remove life from the form, but it cannot touch the Life itself. It can touch the expression of life as it appears through mind and body, but Life is Eternal, and Satan cannot destroy it. To the degree that man abides in the realization that the Life that pulses through him and permits him to live, and move, and have his Being is Eternal, and cannot be touched, nor destroyed, nor harmed by outer world circumstances, but that only the expression can be hindered and disturbed by such things, all cause of fear is banished and he lives, day by day, in an abiding sense of Eternal Life. He comes, gradually perhaps, but surely, to an awareness of where he was when the foundations of the earth were laid. He comes to know with certainty that before the world was, he was, in the Divine Inner sense, and he comes to recognize that after these passing forms are gone and all ill circumstances are banished, his Life, that which he really is, will still Be. From the Inner standpoint he is an Eternal Being, and while for a time he may move within the limited confines of the present human form, and the ill things of this outer world, he will not be so limited forever. And when all the limitations are broken asunder he will continue on free and Eternal.

He who knows these things with a certainty, and lives each day in a consciousness of the fact of Life Eternal, finds it easy to remain unmoved, and to abide in serenity, regardless of the outworking of conditions in the world. We recognize that the ideal is transmutation into the Divine Estate without death, but we also recognize that the process of transmutation is constantly taking place, and if for some reason or other, the physical should end, that is not the end of that which we really are. Why should an individual who is Eternal, who has enjoyed Eternity of the past, who lives in the Eternity of the present, and who can look forward with confidence and assurance to the Eternity of the future, be greatly disturbed because of what takes place in this outer world? This life is given to us to enjoy in the outer sense, but that portion of the outer which refuses to respond and to enter into the Joy of the Lord now, cannot prevent that which we really are from continuing on, for Satan cannot touch nor destroy the Life that is in us.

There is further symbolism in these Eight Verses. “And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.” In the potsherd we have a symbol of the outer things with which man seeks to improve his ill condition. He may remove a certain amount of putrid matter that has come to the surface, so that it can be seen, but such activities have little effect on the true causes of the ill conditions from which man suffers. The futility of depending solely upon external things is emphasized, but at the same time it is made clear that there is nothing wrong with utilizing such external things as may be available for improving conditions that exist. The importance of avoiding extremes is made clear.

“And he sat down among the ashes.” Throughout the Old Testament, sitting down in the ashes is used to symbolize a state of humility, sorrow, or extreme depression. This phase is included here. However, there is a deeper meaning. Mention has already been made of the symbolism of the process of incarnation, and here it is indicated that this physical world in which we dwell is actually the ash of the Creative fires, and it is this ash of the physical world which is being transmuted and lifted up through the process of life that finds form in this world—whether vegetable, animal or in the human expression. We are actually, no matter how high may be our estate in this world, sitting down among the ashes. These ashes can become beautiful, have meaning and be channels for the expression of the Divine, only to the degree that man, as the key point of all nature in this world, permits himself to be the connecting link between heaven and earth, instead of the missing link. As we in our daily environment find it necessary to sit down among the ashes, and to deal or work with things that are properly below us, let us remember that everything in this world is designed to further the transmutation of the ashes of creation. And also let us remember that Job did not hesitate to sit down among the ashes, and that when he did he remained steadfast and true in his love response to the Lord. 

In Chapter 2, Verses 9-10, we find the following lesson, which is one of the most valuable Keys to living ever set down in Holy writ.

9. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. 

10. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this, did not Job sin with his lips. 

Job again portrays the individual in the outer world, and shows the way. He symbolizes the Spiritual-mental phase of being, while his wife symbolizes the physical-mental phase of being, between which two phases in many individuals there is a certain conflict. As long as this conflict between the two phases of an individual continues he is as a house divided against itself, which cannot stand. When the outer physical is inclined to give up, saying, “What is the use?” it is wise to listen to the Spiritual-mental phase, which, if properly attuned to the Lord in steadfast love response, will be the channel of correct direction in whatever function is required. 

To examine further, his wife, the one who was supposed to be closest, who should be first to give comfort, encouragement, assistance in his hour of trial, says: “Dost thou still retain thine integrity?” Integrity relates to honesty. The person who is truly honest, whose life is dedicated to true function, as in the case of Job, is steadfast and true regardless of what takes place in the outer world because of the capering of Satan, the outer mind. In order to waver from the Way, the individual must let go of his integrity; he must be dishonest with himself, with his neighbor, and with God. In this there is a reminder of the words of Jesus. He said that we should be led into all Truth, and that the Truth would set us free. Job acted out of the Truth. It is only as we preserve our integrity, being true to God, man and ourselves, that we can hope to carry through successfully and prove the wonder-working power of God in the meeting of such ill conditions and circumstances as may appear in our lives, as individuals and collectively. Consider what a tremendous Truth—and all the implications of it—is contained in this question, and in your time of trial, ask yourself this same question: “Do I still retain my integrity, in the face of this?” When you can honestly answer that question in the affirmative, all is well, and the God of our Fathers shall surely be with you in the Way. 

It was not in asking the question that Job's wife proved her failure; it was what she said afterwards. We can all from time to time in difficult situations properly ask ourselves if we are retaining our integrity, but she said nothing to give him confidence, nothing that recognized his courage and steadfastness. She said, “Curse God, and die”. In these four words is expressed in vivid form a portrayal of the way and cause of death. The concept of cursing God should not be limited to blasphemy in words, although that is certainly included. We should remember that every time a human being, by word or deed, denies the Lord, or acts contrary to the Will of God in any respect whatsoever, he is to that degree cursing God. He who rebels against the Lord, though he never blasphemes His Name, is cursing God. He who refuses to receive what the Lord offers in salvation, peace and Perfection of Being is thereby cursing God. He who curses God dies, just as surely as God said in the beginning, “In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” Let us not curse God and die but, rather, let us respond in love to Him and live. The Way of Life is implied in our quotation. If cursing God brings death, then perfect response to God, whereby God is glorified in our lives, brings Life. This is a simple fact, an obvious Truth, which no one who gives consideration to the matter can honestly deny. The Way lies in steadfastness in response to the Lord, regardless of happenings in our environment, loss, apparent disaster, failure of loved ones or friends to stand with us upon the Rock.

Note that Job did not berate his wife. He did not even call her a foolish woman, but he faced the facts, saying, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.” He who curses God by act or word or thought, acts foolishly. He who remains steadfast in all patience, unwavering, regardless of the slowness of the outworking of conditions, acts wisely. At times the human mind suggests that if these things were true, an hour, a day, a week or a month should suffice to bring marked changes and great results. It is not for the human mind to say when the changes and improvements are to appear, for “no man knoweth the hour”. It is for the human mind to be content to abide in love response to the Lord that the Lord may bring forth the results in His own season, according to His own Way and Will. Let us be wise. Let us respond in Love to the Lord, and Live.

Job says, “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” Job does not say that we receive evil from the Hand of the Lord. He recognized that what is of Reality comes from the Hand of the Lord, but he also recognized that we live in the state of the fallen world, and that just because we seek in all ways to know and do the Will of the Lord, there is no assurance that we shall not find it necessary to share in the evil world, insofar as suffering, and limitations are concerned. Some seem to feel that if we are to receive good from the Hand of the Lord we could not possibly experience any discomfort, inconvenience, or difficulty because of the evil that is in the world. What foolishness!

While we live in the world as it now is, we must recognize that we are a part of the world body and that, although we receive good from the Hand of the Lord, we must, as part of the world body, be willing to experience inconvenience and difficulty by reason of the evil that is in the world. Because of Job's recognition of these things we find the statement, “In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” Here is the correct attitude. Here is the sure and definite instruction for those who would walk in the Way and the Truth and the Life. Retain integrity, respond in Love to the Lord, and Live. The role of the Lord Within is revealed, and also that of the outer individual who allows the Lord to express through him.

Now consider Chapter 2, Verses 11-13

11. Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

12. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job had three friends. Again we are reminded of the symbolism of the three. They represent the human trinity—spiritual, mental and physical, with Job representing the expression of the Divine in the earth. The following interpretation of the names of the friends may be found in any good Bible dictionary.

The first friend was Eliphaz, which name means “to whom God is strength”. He was the Temanite, one of the children of Teman, meaning “on the right hand”. These two characteristics, “to whom God is strength” and “on the one right hand”, suggests the Spiritual only to the degree that we are those “to whom God is strength”. And when we function from the standpoint of the Spirit of the Truth of Love we have the correct attunement “on the right hand”. And with the right hand representing the Positive, this is function that is in harmony with the Positive expression of the Divine into the earth. Thus, the first friend mentioned may be regarded as the most important, and it is evident that attunement to the Spiritual Expression Plane is of first importance, for if that is established the rest follows. For the other two phases, mental and physical, are properly Negative to the first.

The next friend is Bildad, the Shuhite. The name Bildad, means “son of contention”, which is an apt characterization of the self-active human mind. The human mind is forever contending with the Lord, or trying to—and with other human minds. The mind attempts to be Positive to the Spiritual expression, instead of responding and being Negative. Shuha means “wealth”. The mind spends a great deal of its effort on striving to achieve power in the world through contention and through wealth.

We may expect the name of the next friend to express something characteristic of the physical plane and of those whose control lies chiefly in the physical nature. We find that Zophar means “the chatterer” and that a Naamathite is “one who seeks pleasure”. Our expectation is fulfilled, for one of the outstanding characteristics of those who have little Spiritual attunement, and little mental capacity, is their tendency to spend their time in meaningless chatter and gossip about trivialities, and their constant pursuit of pleasure, eating, drinking, gratification of the senses.

When all the evil had fallen upon Job, his three friends came “every one from his own place”. The three, as we have said, suggests the trinity of human expression, each one having a specific place in that harmonization. “They came every one from his own place.” Each one had a place peculiar to himself within the Divine Pattern. “For they had made an appointment together, to come together to mourn with him and to comfort him.” This plainly says that it was the focalization of the individual's outer trinity that is being considered. The three phases had made an appointment to come together “to mourn with him”—that is, to express the difficulties and tribulations, the trials and tests of this outer world, and “to comfort him”. What would bring satisfaction and comfort to the LORD would be an accomplishment through the human trinity of the Divine Will—meaning the working out of ascension, transmutation and release of Spiritual Truth and understanding into the world.

“And when they lifted up their eyes afar off and knew him not”—the appearance had completely changed. The appearance from the outer standpoint is altogether different from the appearance from the Inner. The recognition of the outer—for the Divine is afar off—is as through a glass darkly. The outer human expression of the trinity, when it thinks of the LORD, tends to picture Him as being afar off. The human vision is so limited that there is no direct recognition of the true nature of the Divine. “They lifted up their voice, and wept”. The first thing that a baby does when it comes into the world is to raise up its voice and weep.

“And they rent every one his mantle.” The mantle represents the clothing, the surrounding expression, or what is typical of each of the phases. The action of rending indicates that each phases of the outer trinity was letting go of what separated it not only from the other two phases, but alas, from the Lord—the wall that is between the human and the Divine. It is obvious that as long as there exists a wall between the human being and the Divine, the human being cannot act from the standpoint of the Divine. In that state he is under the necessity of acting from the standpoint of the chatterer.

The LORD’s word in contrast is clear and direct. In fact, there is even a little Divine sarcasm apparent in the word of the LORD when He does speak to Job: “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said; Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” (Job 38: 1-3) Too often we find that in this outer world, counsel, or understanding, is darkened by words without knowledge. Simply multiplying words accomplishes nothing. Whatever words are expressed should be words that convey meanings that help the individual, and not words that darken counsel.

We see the necessity of removing what separates. The body and mind are so completely blended that it is impossible to draw a line between them. To the degree that there is Spiritual expression, it permeates the individual’s whole expression. There is not any division between body, mind and Spiritual expression. Too many try to separate what they think to be their Spiritual expression from their daily activities—their bodies and minds in everyday expression—but if Spiritual Expression is to have any meaning for us it has to permeate the body and mind and be the motivating factor in everything.

How is the mantle to be rent? Jesus gave definite instruction on this point. The first step is to love God with the whole body. We are to love the Lord with all our feelings, with our entire mind, and with our whole Spiritual expression. That is the first Commandment. The Second is to love thy neighbor as thyself. If our love for our neighbor is to be of any value, that love must come from the Lord. If it is merely the expression of outer human love, it cannot be of lasting value. Jesus said that we are to love the Lord with our whole being, physical, mental and Spiritual. The Love of the Lord is pouring forth to us without limit at all times, but this does not change us, or help us in our difficulties, until we become attuned to God's Love. God says that it is a fundamental Law that man can receive Love only to the degree that he gives love. You can love another human being, but your love is not received until he or she loves in return. How are we to become attuned with that Love, letting it take hold of us, that joy and fullness of life may result here and now? The fulfillment of the First Commandment provides that attunement with the Divine Current. To the degree that we love God, we have established a contact point with that which comes from God, a channel through which we can receive the Love of God unto ourselves. The more we love God the more love we receive, and the more power can flow through us.

The wall or veil between the human and Divine is swept away through love response to God, in body, mind and Spiritual expression. It is a simple Law, clearly expressed in the Bible, and proven to work time and time again. It will work for everyone, but no one can receive the blessings of God until he opens himself to the Love of God by obeying the First Commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” The love must come in the feelings, or emotional sphere, too. That is why Jesus mentioned the heart.

“And they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.” Here is the expression of humility, of willingness to respond to the Lord, and let what is Divine come forth. “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” Seven refers significantly to the Seven Days or periods of time involved in the creation. The world was brought forth of a Seven Vibration. In Revelation we read of the seven golden candlesticks, and in many other places the importance of the seven is underlined. Every individual on the earth is brought forth upon what is called a Seven Plane Vibration, or number of manifestation.

Reference has been made to the human trinity, and the Divine Trinity that should properly find expression through the human trinity. There must be something to bind the two trinities together, and that is the Seventh. When the Christ expression, which has been called the Seventh Plane Vibration, blends the outer human trinity with the Divine Inner Trinity, we have seen that it is one thing.  Then there is no longer separation. The goal appears before us—bringing that which is of Heaven down into earth. This is the Whole Plan of Heaven, the means whereby the Divine can come down into the earth so that Heaven and earth can be one. We find in the record that they sat down with him upon the ground for seven days and seven nights. The day represents the Positive, and the night the Negative. The three friends undertook attunement with Job without much talking, in fact without saying a word, seven days and seven nights, on a Seven Plane Vibration, in harmony with the Law of the Positive and Negative, which produces a completely unified state that accomplishes something that is necessary to complete harmonization.

In Chapter 3, the picture changes as Job's three friends have come to him and have blended with him, according to appointment. At this point Job is symbolizing the outer form of man. It must be realized that the symbolical portrayal has a different setting. A human being who feels himself shut off from the Lord, and troubles and disturbances come upon him, is inclined to think that death and oblivion would be preferable to existence in such a state. Job makes such statements as are typical of the feelings of the human being who comes to the point of letting himself be subjected to what he conceives to be great difficulties, sorrows and tribulations. It portrays what actually is the state of those who function from an outer standpoint. There is a very important point contained in the 25th verse. “For the thing that I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.”

We know that, “Perfect Love casteth out all fear”. We also know that the state of fear is one of faith in something that we do not want, or do not like. The person who is afraid, or is subject to fear, draws to himself the very thing that he does not want. In this, death from the outer standpoint is pictured as oblivion. Insofar as that which does not respond to the Lord is not transmuted and does not ascend, that is true. If there is that form which refuses to respond to the Lord, and is in great distress, the only way of release is through death. But we find that death is not the only way of release. Death is the only way of release known to the outer aspect of being in its self-active state. And this is in striking contrast to the way of release through Response to the Lord.

In the 5th Chapter, Verse 7, we read, “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” As man is born unto trouble in the outer world, he is moving upward as the sparks fly upward. He is supposed to be working on an ascending vibration—supposed to let transmutation take place so that ascension may be possible. The mere fact that we are born into a world of trouble should not disturb us, if we recognize that it is a starting point for this process of transmutation and ascension, as the sparks fly upward.

© Emissaries of Divine Light

The Envelope Of The Spirit

from

The  Envelope  of  the  Spirit

Uranda   November 19, 1953

Tonight I would like to share with you a little meditation on some of the factors which are very closely related to the service in which we are engaged, some of the problems and some of the principles which confront us. Always it is needful that we keep centered, that we remain true to the agreement with God, and to that end let us begin our meditation tonight with a moment of devotion.

Our gracious Lord and holy King, we thank Thee for the privilege we have of abiding under the evidence of Thy presence, that because the evidence of Thy presence is made manifest in and through us Thy kingdom is caused to appear and Thy will is caused to be done in earth as it is in heaven, that all who respond may truly come to know that Thine is the kingdom, the dominion, the control. No matter how human beings may resist or fight, no matter how they may seek to escape or turn aside, Thine is the control, Thine is the kingdom, and though human beings may do many things contrary to Thy will, they cannot escape from Thy control, the working of Thy Law. We thank Thee that as we realize that this is so, we recognize that there are two ways by which we may come under subjection to Thee: one, the easy way of response and acceptance, of yielded body and mind and heart; and the other, of resistance, of fighting, of attempting to follow devious ways. This is the hard way, which nevertheless brings human beings under subjection to Thy kingdom, Thy dominion and Thy control; for he who fights against Thee but defeats himself, and he who resists Thy yearning love creates for himself the torment of hell.

But we know that all who respond may come to see that Thine is the power—for there is no power except the power that is of Thee, and without Thee there is no power in any person or in anything—and that if Thy power is used according to Thy will, it brings forth blessings, it reveals beauty, it establishes that which is of the divine design in the expression of glorious life. But if this power which is of Thee is used contrary to Thy will it is a foolish thing, for then human beings, stealing Thy power, seek to use that power to defeat the source of the very power by which they act. He who would turn Thy power in upon Thee to defeat Thee is surely foolish, ignorant and unwise, for thereby, as a channel for the manifestation of power, he establishes within himself a pattern of chaos, of turmoil and of disintegration. Those channels by which Thy power is caused to work against Thee must, by the very action which they induce, destroy themselves from the face of the earth, for Thine is the control and Thine is the kingdom, Thine is the power by which all things whatsoever are done, and that which is contrary to the correct uses of Thy power destroys the channels through which Thy power is made manifest. It has been so down through these centuries, down through the millennia, that all the children of men may know that those in whom the power is not allowed to operate constructively must themselves be destroyed by their own actions. For Thine is the power, yea, and Thine is the glory, the glory of the manifestation of the abundant life, the glory of the increasing expression of life, the glory of accomplishment in a creative life, and anything that diminishes from that glory is attempting to act contrary to Thy will and therefore, separating itself from Thee, causes itself to cease to exist.

Cycle after cycle and generation after generation these things have been established in the lives of the children of men, that all who have eyes to see may comprehend and realize with clear vision the truth and cease working against Thee, by the wrong uses of Thine own power, and cease trying to escape from Thy dominion or to function contrary to Thy control; for he who so functions does indeed remove himself from the realms of glory in the increasing creative life, and he establishes himself in the realms of chaos and turmoil, of conflict, of disintegration and decay, until he shall be no more. No one can successfully for long turn Thy power in upon Thee, seeking to defeat Thee, seeing Thou art the source of all power now and forever. We thank Thee, therefore, for the sweet realization of the glorious truth that Thine IS the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. We would so live, and let Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, that the increase of Thy kingdom and Thy power and Thy glory may be made manifest on earth, and that we may cease from all foolishness and accept that dominion and the right uses of Thy power and the sharing of Thy glory, for it is so established in Shekinah, now and forever, to all who shall come to know the spirit of the living Christ. Aum-en.

We have cause for much rejoicing in the increasing manifestation of God's provision. During the recent period of our absence from you in person you allowed something of that manifestation of provision to appear. You saw signs or evidences of the working of the Law; and yet you know that the Law is not fully bringing forth that which is constructive in relationship to your individual lives, for our collective function. There is evidence that part of the application in the use of power has been on the destructive side, which is to say, contrary to the divine purposes for the use of the power.

Let us note briefly something with respect to this power. We have physical bodies designed particularly for the physical manifestation of this power. We have minds designed particularly to allow the mental manifestation of this power. And we have hearts, or emotional natures, particularly designed to allow the feeling manifestation of this power. In addition there is, as the result of these, the manifestation of the spirit and the atmosphere, the envelope if you please, in which we live or exist, which is particularly designed as a means by which the higher spiritual aspect of this power may be invisibly made manifest in the atmosphere of our lives. Now we see that when by reason of variations from centering, variations from the basic agreement, we ignorantly or wilfully, even for a moment, turn the expression of the power in against the source of the power, we thereby place ourselves in a position of opposition to God, contrary to the will of God, and begin to separate ourselves from the source of the power. Thereby we have the basic cause of all physical illness, we have the basic cause of all mental disturbance, we have the basic cause of all emotional turmoil, we have the basic cause of all ill characteristics in the spirit pattern of the envelope of being.

This envelope corresponds, as you will recall from our previous meditations, to the envelope of atmosphere, air, which surrounds and envelops the earth itself. We have recognized that our business is to begin to change the envelope. We know that whatever we may seem to do in relationship to the physical, the mental, the emotional, in any direct sense, has no bearing, no meaning, no value whatsoever, except as by that means we are afforded an opportunity to begin to change the envelope. And by reason of our previous meditations, we clearly recognize that the changes in the physical organism, the mind and the heart definitely follow as the envelope is changed. Whatever is established in the envelope becomes imposed upon that which is contained within the envelope. And this envelope of spirit, atmosphere, the firmament if you please, which God calls heaven, is manifest on an individual basis with respect to each and every one.

Now if that which is contained within the envelope, in the sense of the human being, responds to factors contrary to the divine design, characteristics are established in the envelope which are not of heaven but of hell, and forthwith the physical, the mental, and the emotional patterns of being begin to partake of the nature, the characteristics, of the envelope. It is true that these three phases of human function have a definite part to play in relationship to the nature of the envelope, and it is by reason of their function that this envelope is either heaven or hell. But the actual conditions which begin to appear in the physical, mental and emotional phases of being do not appear until the vibratory factors, either of heaven or of hell, have first been established in the envelope. So even though you, as a human being, partake of the creative function which establishes the condition in the envelope, that condition does not come back to you until it is established in the envelope.

As you recall these things as they have been clearly set forth in our earlier meditations, you also recall that it is utterly impossible for anyone to do anything by himself, and here is one of the most grievous errors into which human minds tend to fall, because human beings are inclined to like to feel that they can do something by themselves, that the individual can accomplish something of himself or herself. This has been one of the great lies of the adversary by which human beings have remained trapped in the chaotic condition down through the centuries. But you cannot do anything on earth by yourself. You may say, “Yes, I acknowledge that. I certainly have to have God with me. But whatever power comes from God and that I have, I can use all by myself.” No, that is a contemptible lie. You can't. You can't do anything by yourself, even from an outer standpoint, without the cooperation of some other human being. Anything, whether you are aware of the fact or not, whatever it may be, little or large, must have in some fashion the agreement of someone else or you cannot do it, I do not care what it is. You cannot even think, you cannot speak, you cannot act in relationship to yourself or another, in anything, except on the basis of agreement between you and someone else.

Now you may not have any awareness of who that someone else is, or of how the vibratory factors of the agreement are worked out, but it is impossible for you to do anything without God, yes, without Shekinah, yes, that is true; but you cannot do anything without the agreement of some other human being. So we are reminded of the vital importance of the basic factors of agreement, and it takes two on earth before anything can be done. And when it is done on earth it is by reason of the power of the Father, whether it is a good thing, a bad thing, a mediocre thing, regardless of anything. So anything that is done is done by the power of God, made manifest through Shekinah. But it is impossible to use Shekinah, or the forces made manifest by Shekinah, without the agreement of some other human being. Anything that you express is in agreement with someone. You may not know who it is, consciously, but anything that you express, no matter what it is, of the divine or of the devil, is in agreement with someone.

It follows, then, that we are in all things selecting those with whom we are in agreement, and in relationship to that agreement each one is either carrying a positive point of polarity, seeking those who will agree, or he is carrying a negative point of polarity to someone who has the positive point of polarity in relationship to that which is expressed; for you cannot do anything except in relationship to that agreement with someone else, whether you know it or not. You cannot even breathe except as there is agreement with someone else. You cannot speak any word, you cannot arise from the chair where you sit, you cannot do anything, you cannot live for thirty seconds, except on the basis of agreement with someone else. I have pointed this out to you before, it is not new to you; but I emphasize it tonight so that you may be reminded of the vital importance of selectivity in relationship to those with whom you agree, for there is someone on earth who will agree with you. No matter how vile, or how good, there is someone who will agree with you. It does not make any difference what you may do, or not do, what course of action you may take, there is someone on earth who will agree with you in relationship to that thing.

Now it very often takes much longer to find someone who will agree with you on the basis of a divinely ordained pattern than it does to find someone who will agree with you on some deceptive pattern. It is so easy to find agreement in relationship to anything that is disintegrating, decaying, going down. Sometimes it takes longer, on a basis of selectivity, to find real agreement on the constructive, truly creative basis, and in the interval you will be finding individuals who are inviting you to agree with them on all kinds of destructive things. If you do so, you become subject to them. If, on the other hand, you remember your agreement with God and refuse to enter into agreement with others who ask you, by the very vibratory factors which surround you all the time in the mass consciousness of the world, who are constantly asking you to agree with them on some wrong things, if you refuse to do it and are true, you will find that with the pattern clearing in your own envelope you will be able to become aware of the vibratory factors of those who will agree with you on the constructive step in the creative expression of life.

Now all agreement is creative, either creating the conditions for living or creating the conditions for dying, one or the other. Anything that one does in agreement—and you cannot do anything outside of agreement—is creative, creating the conditions for living or creating the conditions for dying. So we always have a choice, and that agreement into which you enter is important. If you only enter into the destructive agreement for a few minutes, it is still agreement, and the current of your power has been released in that which is in opposition to God. Therefore the effectiveness of life is diminished.

These things are of vital importance to us. We have so much to accomplish, and in some respects, we might say, so little time in which to do it. We are so few and the task so great, but we cannot afford to do anything which specifically, unnecessarily, delays our program. We need to do only those things which move toward the creation of the opportunity for living. The individual who spends enough of his time creating the condition for dying, so that he does not have a balance over, a credit on the right side shall we say, in relationship to his creative function, bringing forth an opportunity for living, is defeating himself, nullifying himself. And this process of nullifying oneself to some degree is still at work in all of you, some more than others. But it is something from which we have not yet emerged into a clear pattern wherein all of our functions are given to creating those conditions which make it possible to live.

Entering into agreement on earth is something which you do, whether you know it or not. Every time you change the vibratory keynote or nature of your expression, you are entering into agreement with someone else. What is the picture like at the close of a given day? With how many different patterns have you been in agreement? How many different things have you shared in creating? How many of these things are opposed to each other, contradictory, inconsistent? How many of the agreements were unnecessary? How many of these agreements were contrary to your own best interests, to say nothing of the best interests of others?

I am particularly leading, tonight, to a point of considering the Lord's provision. We have some very wonderful evidences of the Lord's provision, and from the Unit standpoint you have many times in the past tended to get into a corner and depend upon my creative function on the right pattern in order to pull out of a difficult situation and have the essential provision. You have tended this time, during my absence, to hold the line—there was no great increase in indebtedness; there was certain manifestation of the Lord's provision, and perhaps for the period, adequate—but the cycle is not clear in this regard, and I would that somehow I could help you to understand wherein you have in the past tended to so consistently defeat yourselves and increase the burden of my own load and responsibility.

I deem these things to be of vital importance. They are factors bearing a vital relationship to our service, in which you share. And these things relate to the question as to whether we are going to move forward speedily and effectively or not. I am talking about the degree to which you function creatively in agreement with me, creating the conditions which tend to make our program successful, rather than in agreement with my adversary, creating the conditions which tend to defeat us. You have done so many things, but there are still those things that provide needless waste in the vibratory creative field, and I have never yet been able to find the words to portray or bring about the realization of how it is that you so unwittingly and unnecessarily tend to defeat yourselves. We do not live to ourselves alone. We cannot do anything alone, and the question arises—With whom are you in agreement? How much of the day, with how many, are you in agreement during the day? We are creating all the time, all the time, whether we know it or not, think of it as such. Even now we are creating.

All things are made by Shekinah, and without Shekinah there is not anything made that is made. And we cannot use Shekinah except on the basis of agreement. You have to agree with someone who is working contrary to God to create something that is contrary to God. But if you are in agreement with God, then those who are likewise in agreement with God will be in agreement with you, and you can share agreement in the right range of true or constructive creative activity. These are simple, basic truths, which you have known, really, for a long time. We can do better than we have done. We can create only that which is of God, in our heaven, our envelope, our firmament here, and then that which is in the envelope will appear in the form, whatever it may be. You cannot just arbitrarily create some physical thing. Your function is in essence limited to its influence in the creative sense in the envelope. What you do to create a change in the envelope becomes the means by which a change is established in your body, your mind, your heart. No change can come in body or mind or heart except as that change is first made in the envelope, and if the change is made there on the basis of the true agreement with God, in the true expression, the right use of the creative power, the reality of divine dominion and the glory of life, we find that perhaps slowly, it may seem, but certainly, that which is of the divine pattern will emerge.

We sometimes encounter human beings—I have on occasion—where they think that they can more or less buy their way in relationship to God's service on earth, that they can, with their money or certain things, or something of the sort, change a condition and establish a situation acceptable to themselves. But it can't be done. If a person came here with a hundred million dollars, he could not buy anything; he couldn't buy a change, he couldn't buy something suitable, acceptable to himself. Why? Because he is trying then to use physical substance to change conditions in the physical world. He may seem to do that for a little time, but it will not endure. A change, to take place in the physical realm, must first take place in the envelope, and you cannot buy those things; it can't be done. You cannot buy the things of God, except perhaps in the sense of giving yourself utterly to the will of God, no longer seeking to impose your will, your determination and your desire.

As long as what you want is one of the primary factors in determining your function you are not helping God create heaven on earth. You may say, “But what I want is good.” I do not care what it is you want, no matter how good you think it is, you are still creating hell, you are still serving the devil. You have to reach a point where what you want is not in control. As long as what you want in a personal sense is allowed to control, you are sharing in the work of creating hell, no matter how good you may think that thing to be, no matter whether you think it is an improvement for yourself or someone else. We have to reach a point where we are flexible in the pattern of function, and where self, personal desire, is not in control.

So many people think they are selfless when they are not. They are selfless as long as it doesn't interfere with what they want. Oh, then they can be very selfless; but let it touch that and there is a stiffening, a resistance, a rebellion. “I don't like to do this! I don't want to do that!” All right, go ahead and create hell. We are either creating hell or heaven, and the results are going to appear right out here in this world. You do not have hell in the physical factors until you create hell in your envelope. You do not have heaven in the physical realm until you have created heaven in your envelope. That is the way it is. Whether we like it or not, that is the way it is. And the question is, How much more delay must we face before all of our unified energies are directed toward creating a unified envelope of heaven? You come here and I invite you into my envelope, and you enjoy it. When you come into this room and I am speaking to you, because you are in my personal envelope you find what you do. That could be our envelope. How long will it take until it is, until we have a Unit envelope in which there is no hell but only that heaven which God has designed and ordained?

So I thank God for you, and all that you have done in helping create heaven. I ignore, generally speaking, what you do to create hell, but it is there. How long? How long till we begin to realize the basic, fundamental truths of being, which you cannot alter or change? No one ever has and no one ever will. We accept it or perish—by the results of our own creating. What shall it be for us? What is the true nature of the service that we offer, and shall offer in the days to come, to the world of responding ones? Are we truly serving our Lord and King? Let us create heaven in the envelope, in the firmament, and see what happens on earth. Do you think we could afford to put it to the test? You can change the firmament but you cannot change the earth or the physical situation until the heaven is changed. You can struggle till you die trying to do something else, and you will fail. Just one way. Let it be the way to victory in the service of our King.

© Emissaries of Divine Light

Look Up

Look  Up

Martin Cecil  February 20, 1972

Out of God the cosmic cycles of creation spring. The power and dominion of God emerge into the universe of time and space consistently, and the evidence of this is a vast and unending diversity. All that man is capable of observing is contained in this creative expression of God. Human beings on earth today are increasingly aware of an intensifying experience of destructiveness. We have used the analogy of an explosion to portray what is occurring in this regard here on earth within the range of man’s direct experience. If, however, we recognize that all springs from God, what appears to human beings to be a destructive explosion must be, in fact, a creative experience in the unfolding divine design.

An explosion occurs because there is a very rapid expansion of gas, we will say, within a rigid container. When the pressure of that expansion is sufficient to shatter the container there is what we would call an explosion. That explosion is a destructive thing as the shattered parts of the container in turn create havoc in the environment. However, it is possible to control an explosion as, for instance, is done in the internal combustion engine, so that what otherwise would destroy the engine may be converted into useful power which will achieve some particular purpose. We may see something of the same principle at work in the working of God’s power throughout the universe and in the affairs of men, because there is dominion, there is the means by which control is maintained, so that the power generated may be applied to a useful purpose. The useful purposes of God are, in a general sense, beyond the understanding of the human intellect, but the fact that they are not humanly understood does not mean that the useful purposes of God do not exist. The very fact of what appears to man as an orderly universe gives evidence of control and power. Power and dominion from God are quite apparent in the universe of time and space.

When we come to the affairs of men we find that there is in the attitudes of human beings a tendency to resist the power and dominion of God, presumably in favor of the power and dominion of man. The power and dominion of man, such as it is, is a subversion of the power and dominion of God to purposes largely unrelated to the purposes of God; the purposes of man are substituted. This establishes a state of resistance to the power and dominion of God working through the cosmically ordained creative cycles; consequently the pressure builds, and we find the cause of the explosion already at work. There is an expansion of the spirit of God within the container of man’s self-centeredness. This expansion of the spirit of God is partly consequent upon the vastly increased number of people on earth. No individual would exist if it were not for the presence of the spirit of God; therefore if the population is multiplied the presence of the spirit of God in form is multiplied also. The pressure increases. It becomes a seemingly painful and disruptive experience to human beings who compose the container in which the pressure increases. It is subject to stresses and strains. It begins to buckle here and there. Human endeavor is mostly given to preserving this state of self-centeredness and consequently to endeavoring to repair any breaches that begin to appear in this self-centered container. But there must come a day when the pressure is more than the container can hold. At that point there is a climactic experience as the container of self-centeredness shatters.

Because human beings are self-centered, concerned with themselves and with the world which they have made on earth, they are more or less oblivious to the implications of the increasing pressure. All that is observed are the stresses and strains caused by that increasing pressure, and because the polarization is in external things the awareness of the results tends to obscure any consciousness of the cause. People scurry around in the world trying to settle what they call their problems. These problems range from those of the individual in a petty personal sense—although the individual doesn’t usually look upon them as petty—to the larger problems which include massive groups of people or even the world as a whole. Virtually all the attention which human beings give is centered in these things. The question is asked, “What can we do about this? What can we do about that?” in the external sense, “How can we solve this problem? How can we solve that problem?”—the idea being that if the problem is solved, then the self-centered state is successfully maintained. Actually, of course, we begin to see that it is the failure to solve problems that permits the self-centered state to pass away.

So, most of human energy is designed to maintain the self-centered state by solving problems. Nothing much else occurs to anybody who is self-centered. But we need to see clearly that the reason for the so-called problems, the reason for the stresses and strains in the self-centered state, is the internal expansion of the spirit of God. Out of God the cosmic cycles of creation spring. Nothing else springs out of God but that. These creative cycles are entirely constructive. They are designed to achieve what may be called the purposes of God, purposes which are, as I said, to a large extent incomprehensible to the human intellect but there nevertheless. As human beings in the self-centered state, we find ourselves identified with the pattern of resistance to that expansion and we consequently experience the inevitable stresses and strains. We may acknowledge that there is a shattering event yet to come, because the explosion has already been initiated. The pressure is building and nothing will stop the building of that pressure until the container shatters. The container is the state of man’s self-centeredness. People tend to become frantic as they feel the pressures building in their own experience. The problems seem to multiply. Sometimes the problems can be identified as this or that; sometimes there is just a general state of increasing malaise: everybody becomes certain that there are problems but they can’t really identify them too clearly. Of course, in specific instances people imagine that they are able to put their fingers on them; but, here, we see what is happening.

There is a passage in the Gospel according to Luke which relates to the external experience.

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

“Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Here is the creative aspect of the outworking.

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Presumably these words were being spoken to those who were interested in the power and the dominion of God. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” Most people are not inclined to agree with that conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer. Humanly speaking, it is said, “For mine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for as long as I last.” That is a lie to start with; the kingdom is not “mine.” It takes a tremendous amount of effort to preserve self-centeredness, and the self-centeredness is shattered in the end, inevitably. We are living at a time on earth when this shattering of self-centeredness is approaching for mankind as a whole. It has occurred consistently all down through the ages insofar as individual human beings are concerned; now it comes to the whole works. When this begins to be seen as happening the instruction is: Lift up your eyes, lift up your heads, so that there may be a centering in the cause rather than in the effects. Being centered in the effects there is reason to weep and wail, there is reason apparently for hearts to fail with fear, there is reason to be overwhelmed. However, if the cosmic cycles of creation do proceed from God there is in reality no cause for alarm; only cause, in fact, for thankfulness. It only seems a devastating experience to the extent that we attempt to maintain self-centeredness, to the extent that we are centered in the world of self-centeredness which man has created. To those who are so centered it seems as though everything that makes life possible on earth is passing away. There is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in consequence; all is darkness. People in general have not yet faced the facts in this regard, so the hopes of the human heart are sustained: maybe we can succeed in maintaining self-centeredness and surviving. The two states are incompatible. Self-centeredness does not survive. All that results from self-centeredness is disintegration.

God survives! The cosmic cycles of creation that proceed from God survive. The proper results of those creative cycles in the whole universe survive. So, while it is necessary to recognize what it is that is occurring in the experience of mankind on earth, immediately the door opens to a new heaven and a new earth, the door opens to identification with the cosmic cycles of creation, so that we might find our association with these. If we really are identified with God, then we are delighted with what is occurring. We can no longer be deceived into feeling badly about the tribulation, about the shattering of the container of self-centeredness. However, if we are a part of that container, then that shattering experience is indeed disaster.

We haven’t, of course, come to the point where the shattering in the worldwide sense is complete. In one sense it has only just begun. If, however, we consider the outworking of things in cosmic terms, so that a thousand years is as one day, then what would one hundred years be? Almost an instantaneous experience, wouldn’t it? An explosion is looked upon as being instantaneous, but it isn’t. It follows out the cycle; it takes time, in other words. The outworking of things in this explosion occurs in the twinkling of an eye insofar as the cosmic clock is concerned. We see it happening, and while it takes years from our standpoint the time involved is really nothing. It is an explosion. Of course, there is an ultimate point where the shattering occurs very rapidly, even in our eyes. Let us be found centered where we belong by then!

We may, if we will, find identity with cause. In so doing we begin to have a perspective viewpoint. We still stand in the present moment but we may behold what it is that is occurring. Our vision sees, first of all, the effects around us, but then we begin to see beyond the effects to the intensification of the power and dominion of God on earth in the human population. We begin to see how this cleanses the earth of the self-centered state. In doing so, undoubtedly it cleanses the earth of a lot of human forms; nevertheless some flesh remains “for the elect’s sake.” The elect are those who find their identity in the cause rather than in the effects, so that there is something stable, unshatterable, on earth. This is not unshatterable in the external sense but in the internal sense, in heaven. The elect are finally gathered, you may recall, according to the record, from one end of the heaven to the other. This is heaven on earth, the invisible experience on earth where the concern is not with the effects, where the concern is solely with the cause. The cause, being the cosmic cycles of creation emerging out of God, produces the right effects. We are not required to judge the effects but to let them be whatever they are. Our concern is simply to be identified with the cause, to maintain that identity regardless of what occurs environmentally. We had better find a stable footing in that regard while the environmental factors can still be lived with, even though there is some self-centeredness remaining in us. If we wait until the point is reached where the environment cannot be lived with if we are self-centered, that would be too late, wouldn’t it? That point comes, not necessarily at exactly the same time for everybody, although ultimately it does. But we do have the opportunity of standing in the holy place, identified with the true cause emerging out of God into the world of space and time, into the heaven of our experience. Only as we can abide in that heaven regardless of what is occurring in the earth may we be accounted among the elect for whose sake the days are shortened, by reason of whom the outworking effects of cause may be achieved very rapidly. Because of the rapidity of the outworking some flesh may be saved. If it drags on too long everybody has had it!

There was indication in the Book of Revelation that what was symbolically portrayed by the great red dragon, which deceived the whole world, was cast out of heaven into the earth. The heaven on earth, in other words, became the habitation of true cause in the experience of man. This dragon in the earth raised a very particular hell for a while because he knew that he had “but a short time.” In other words, in the outworking of this shift through the consciousness of man the results which occur in the experience of man, in the earthly sense, are painful. Because they are painful, of course everybody is inclined to resist them to try to stop the pain. Actually the resistance is what increases the pain.

This is very clearly demonstrated in childbirth. If the mother-to-be doesn’t understand and is not trained adequately in an attitude and an ability to cooperate with what is occurring, the reaction is to resist it, and it is this resistance that produces the agony. It is man’s resistance in his self-centeredness to this birth of a new state which is appearing on earth that causes the human agony. If we recognize the value of what is called “natural childbirth” in the individual sense we may see that this does have a relatedness to a natural birth in the collective sense insofar as mankind is concerned. That birth could be relatively easy if there were cooperation with it. It is going to happen anyway, and there is no way by which mankind can be given a shot, rendered unconscious, while the job gets done. Our concern rightly is to find a centering in the cause and to move with the cosmic cycles of creation. Then that is found to be easy; not only easy but delightful and fulfilling.

If a person looks at the world the way it is in the external sense he would be hard put to imagine how the outworking could be delightful and fulfilling. A person who is in the agony of childbirth without any ability to cooperate in the process cannot imagine how this experience could possibly be delightful and fulfilling, and yet here we have a truly creative experience occurring in the world. We begin to know something of its wonder as we return to the place where we belong, to stand in the holy place, participating consciously, actively, in the cycles of birth. We see what is coming, looking beyond the immediate experience in the external sense to the delight and the fulfillment which is inevitably the result of the movement of the cosmic cycles of creation emerging from God. This does not mean that we are trying to live in the future. We live now. In our cooperation with what is transpiring we may enjoy the experience of living now. But the very moment we begin to accept an attitude of self-centeredness we will suffer the consequences. There is no exemption from the consequences of self-centeredness for anyone who is self-centered.

So we come again to stand in the holy place, identified with cause, observing the effects of the working of the cosmic cycles of creation as they come to focus through us here on earth. We know that the state of self-centeredness must pass away. It will give way, it will be shattered. For those who insist upon being identified with that state, that certainly is a very painful experience; but when self-centeredness is gone the wonder and the beauty which emerge into the universe of time and space from God take form. The material for that formation is then freely available, because the self-centeredness which kept it fixed in humanly devised patterns is no longer present. Everything is free to move easily and joyously into the true design of being on earth. The power and dominion of God come again into the conscious experience of man. The world which takes form is then the world of God.

“Thy kingdom come… For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” That is the truth of the matter. Let us not try to prove it otherwise. Let us not resist the power and the dominion of God. That is the sure path to failure. The path of victory is available in this hour to all who are willing to let the shackles of self-centeredness be shattered in their own experience, so that there may be emergence into the clear light of the new day which is the coming of the Son of man, the truth of man, made manifest in human experience on earth.

© Emissaries of Divine Light