One God — One Identity — I Am

from

One  God — One  Identity — I  Am 

Martin Exeter   July 19, 1987

The hard of heart have, amongst other things, sought to find the historical Jesus, even though success in this regard might refute the precious beliefs of millions of people. What would the purpose be to discover the historical Jesus? On the one hand it might be that He never existed historically, or that He was not the character that has been portrayed. In any case this would be a second-hand memory at best. No one here now was present then, so it would all be hearsay anyway. The past does not exist now. There simply is what exists now. Whatever was portrayed by reason of the character of the One called Jesus can only be known now in this moment if it is to be valid. We all have lots of memories of events that occurred in the past. The elephant is supposed to have a good memory. But it is always what is present now that is real; all the rest is imagination. The only way by which the truth can be known is to experience it now. It can never be known by searching in a non-existent past. If it was present when some particular point in the past was now, it was only present because then it was now. The same is equally true in this moment.

The word “God” has been used in the English language referring to something unknown, certainly invisible. The word “God” refers to being, and everything is. Everything is as it is, now. The word “God,” referring to being, also relates to identity. That identity is articulated by the words I am. It isn’t articulated by the words “I was,” even though that may be true, nor even by the words “I will be,” even though that may be true. The only relatedness we have with God, with being, with identity, is in the present moment. Our identity cannot be known because of something in the past; it can only be known now. And the words “I am” are an indication of the presence of God. Our only contact with the meaning of that word, with the truth conveyed by it, is in this present moment, centered in the fact that there is an experienced identity: I am.

Every individual present within the sound of my voice now has very frequently used those words. Usually there was something else tacked on behind them, but there was an articulated statement of identity simply by using the words “I am.” This is the connection that everyone has with whatever the meaning of the word “God” is. It is the only connection, or at least I suppose it could be said to be the only conscious connection, we have. There are unconscious factors at work obviously, because we are still alive and are capable therefore of saying, “I am.”

A statement apparently was recorded in the Old Testament: “I am the Lord thy God… Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Here is an indication of the fact that there is, in truth, only one identity. Clearly this identity has become very scattered insofar as human experience is concerned. Each individual is inclined to think that he or she is unique; and it seems as though there are nowadays five billion separate human identities. All of these human beings are quite capable of uttering the words “I am”—whatever it is in their own language. There is one God. There is one identity—capable of being differentiated, but one identity.

Over the years I have sought to speak and to live from the standpoint of the fact that there is just this one identity. There are those who have endeavored to agree with me; there have been those who have disagreed with me. But insofar as I was concerned it made no difference. I have somewhat soft-pedalled the point of one identity, partly because of the extent of my own experience but also so as to allow whatever was working out in others to do so, to the point where all might be accepted into the experience of the fact of this one identity, of this one God. All kinds of good Christians are inclined to say they believe that there is one God, and in other religious persuasions there is the idea that there is just one God; but virtually no one has seen the implications of this truth, that there is in fact only one identity.

I am the Lord thy God. I am incarnate in the earth. We’ll narrow it down a bit here, perhaps making it a little more obviously acceptable: I am incarnate in the earth. I am incarnate in all the myriad animate forms of the earth. I am incarnate in the human form. If I articulate these things, to what extent as individuals do we know that they are true? It has been the common human attitude to assume that we are all separate: “I am me. You may be you, but I am me,” and I suppose never the twain shall meet. At least this has been the general experience. Human beings desperately try to get together, to agree— although no one would ever suspect this by looking at the state of affairs on earth—but have found it to be impossible.

I am incarnate—and we all may share this awareness, seeing that there is but One God and One Identity—I am incarnate in the earth, in all the animate forms of the earth, and in my human form. My human form was created so that I might be consciously incarnate. Being consciously incarnate, I may be unrestricted in the expression of myself and in the fulfilment of my purposes according to my will. My human form was created that this might be so. For it to be so, my human form had to be free to let it be so—built into the human form is this inherent freedom, that I might be free in the human form to do my will.

Obviously the human form has taken this freedom to itself. It was inherently present and therefore was available to be taken in this way, and it has been. We have described this as the freedom to do as one pleases—as the human form pleases, but not necessarily as the one I am pleases. This has been done, and so the state of separation exists in consequence. It exists in human experience. Even so, I love my human form. This is the attitude of the one I am. I love my human form, even though presently it merely has the potential of accommodating my freedom to express my will. My human form has denied me, rejected me, in favor of a counterfeit identity, a counterfeit identity which is clung to by virtually everyone. Sometimes it’s clung to with such fervor that cramp ensues, and there is what is called suicide. Of course the fact of the matter is that cramp sets in sooner or later anyhow. As we know, it’s called rigor mortis.

While we may laugh at such things, it’s not really a laughing matter. It is an indication of arrogance: “I can make a go of it on my own in this phony identity.” Virtually everybody has had the same attitude, so all have promoted each other in this undertaking. In fact the things that are achieved are honored in various ways, and rewards are offered, statues are erected, or whatever: the great men of the earth, the thieves, those who have stolen that inherent freedom for their own purposes. Most people have the attitude: “I am free to do as I please, within the confines of course of the particular state of affairs where I exist.” And those confines become more onerous all the time, more restrictive, more binding. The freedom which human beings seek is a pipe dream which ends in nothing. It always ends in nothing for the individual who insists upon this endeavor.

But I am present. I am incarnate. I am obviously very patient. But there comes a time when the rebellious children must be summoned from their deadly games. I am present in this day. I seek those who, as it apparently was put long ago, will worship me “in spirit and in truth.” This has been rather obscure. What does it mean? I seek those who are willing to lose their existence in this phony state for my sake, not particularly to benefit me but for the sake of being in the experience of the one identity: I am. As I say, there is clearly a differentiation of this identity (as long as there is more than one human being!). But agreement can never be found while this state of separation exists. It is a phony state. It isn’t the truth. It’s a human invention. It’s a human invention that has been sustained for millennia. But now the time comes when I, the incarnate one, say, “That’s enough.” There is no point to any further human nonsense.

In order to allow this statement to be absolute, there is the necessity that there be those human forms who accept it absolutely, who leave their deadly children’s games and come again to me, to the one I am—just one. What that experience might be is completely foreign to human beings, since they have all been existing in this phony condition for so long. I must find a human form—at least one—which will accept my word, which will sound my Tone of Life, that there may be found others who resonate with that tone. As there are those who do so, changes in attitude and consciousness occur. And, finally, an individual here or an individual there reaches the point where there is a willingness to return what has been deemed heretofore to be human freedom to the one I am, who is the only one who is free. Then that freedom may be shared on that basis; but there are no separate human ambitions and determinations to do this or that, no matter how good those determinations may seem to be to human beings.

There has been a very massive attempt to prove that human freedom as it has been known—that is, stolen freedom—can produce a condition of fulfilment on earth for human beings. It never has done, it never can, but still the endeavor has continued; and all sorts of methods have been used.

The whole complex of these methods is the human state. Some of these methods are deemed by some to be very good. Some of them of course are deemed to be very bad. There are the good, the bad, the indifferent. It doesn’t matter. None of it means anything. None of it will produce the anticipated experience. All it produces—and this should be obvious enough, particularly these days—is destruction, individually and collectively. That’s all that happens on this basis. It’s all that can happen on this basis.

It might be said that my hand has been stayed for a considerable period of time to provide opportunity for what has been described as repentance: Stop the nonsense! Nobody cares to do that apparently, or very few. But there have been some over the ages, and there are some in this day now. This is the important moment, because it is the only one. So, those who have begun to resonate with the sound of my voice, the Tone of my living, come to me. This has usually been translated in human consciousness as coming to some person. Well a person has to be present to make the statement. Isn’t that so? Isn’t that obviously necessary? How else could it be made? Is there still the childish and fanciful expectation that a booming voice is going to come out of the sky? Of course not. It comes through a person, always.

There is one identity, to be shared in differentiated expression by all who resonate with that tone of life. Then there is the experience of the reality of one God. Otherwise there can be only a belief in one knows not what, because there has been no experience of it. So all these fanciful beliefs are set in array, one against the other, and none of them mean anything. They are all excuses for failing to surrender what has been deemed to be human freedom. But human beings find that it is being taken away anyhow. In this hour there are those who are willing to relinquish their right to be, to do, anything. I am the Lord thy God. That is an absolutely accurate statement. It is the truth.

I am incarnate in this whole earth complex. As I say, we’ll restrict it to that for the moment, but this is a focused fact: I am incarnate. I receive those who come to me, willing to lose their lives in this wretched state. Why should there be so much concern about losing that? They may lose their lives for my sake, and find them in me. When you say, “I am this or that,” who speaks? A liar? Or is it the truth? There is one identity, in fact, in the whole universe. But there is one identity insofar as we are concerned, being conscious here on earth. And all animate forms on earth, and the very earth itself, are dependent upon this human form—whether it will acknowledge its awful arrogance and the worthlessness of all its good works, or whether it will insist upon the same old thing in the same old way, which comes ultimately to nothing. It comes ultimately to nothing for the individual and for the whole of mankind.

But we know there is a reality present, and we know the name of that reality: I am—something that each one can say. Is it true? Is it true for oneself? I have sought over the years to let it be revealed as true for me. That’s nice, for me presumably. But what was the reason for that? So that each individual might let it be true for him-or herself. It’s the only way it works. It doesn’t work because there is some great figure called Jesus, for instance, or Buddha or somebody else. It works because of me, and only because of me. Each one may say this and make it stick. Who has what it takes to do so? Who is a man and who is a woman? That is the question. We have had lots of imitations around. We’ve all been imitations. Are there any real people here present this morning, because they abide in the sanctuary which has been brought into this setting? Let it be so. The one I am, always says, “Come unto me. Don’t come unto so-and-so, come unto me. I am the one.” That is the only way that that one can be present in expression.

Lillian Exeter — I am present.

Martin Exeter — This is the name of God, the one identity. There is no other. I take the responsibility for everything. I am present. And any human beings—there have been billions of them over the ages—who have sought to make it stick that there was some other identity have failed. Isn’t it about time one should face up to failure and accept the truth? We have known this in whatever measure, in the measure that we have proved it. We have not known it if we have remained in this miserable state, bewailing our lot, complaining about it, blaming other people and all this. Obviously here is a wimp who hasn’t taken any responsibility. But I take the responsibility for everything. I am present. Is there anyone here who could not say that?

Grace Van Duzen — Martin, I take responsibility for everything, for one reason: that there is a voice on earth which says, “I am.” I have heard your words this morning, and without your voice, in your body, this would not be available for anyone on earth. And I am profoundly thankful for that. I am. And I can say those words and mean them truly because you utter them now.

Martin Exeter — There must be someone who speaks those words. I have sought over the years to do it, and there are others who now accept the same responsibility with me. I am not particularly impressed with my aspect of responsibility, as though it was something greater or more vast than the responsibility that anyone else may accept. That’s not really the point. The point is as to whether one accepts it or not. And I am thankful that there are those who come to the point of accepting it, so it is not a statement of a lie: “I am a human form who tries to serve God.” That’s blasphemy. It is assumed, and was assumed apparently long ago for one particular individual, that to say “I am” would be to blaspheme. But it’s the truth. Let us say it and make it stick, that the One who is incarnate in the earth and in all the animate forms of the earth, and particularly in the human form, may be known once more in creative action. And what that is is discovered only as it is done.

© emissaries of divine light

A Large Upper Room Furnished

A  Large  Upper  Room  Furnished

There  Make  Ready

David Barnes   January 2, 2021   Salmon Arm, BC

Recently the compassionate spirit moving through an open and tender heart has been emphasized, to meet the challenge of a whirlwind of discordant feelings that flood the heart of mankind. At a more subtle level, a quiet intensity has been building as we pass through the Solstice and now move once again toward the Equinox, a balance point in the seasonal cycles—and a balance point in cosmic cycles which will bring a rebalancing of the whole earth in times to come. All intensity is evidence of the rhythms of the spirit in motion. This that is felt so keenly in the substance of the heart is the spirit of the Archangel moving in the vast creative processes, right now. The Archangel is the Word and the Angels who compose the Archangelic Body are His Words Made Flesh. This is us, and many other human beings. He is the LORD, Supreme One, the Master of the Temple of the Archangelic Body.

We are not here for our own personal satisfaction as human beings, although it is delightful to be alive, awake and expressing the spirits of compassion and forgiveness. We are His Angels and He is the One who sent each of us into the world to express His Spirit, His Word differentiated in unique and fitting ways through each one, and to sustain that clear and true expression through everything. This is uppermost in consciousness always. The Supreme One, the Archangel and His Body—these names are transcendent and hallowed to us, representing what is most sacred, filling consciousness with humility, grace and a quiet but passionate enthusiasm, and with a calm assurance that is natural to all who live in His Presence. On this earth, there is nothing outside of His Presence, whether or not anyone is consciously aware of it.

I am reminded of words of instruction by the Master Jesus: “And He said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And... the goodman of the house... shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.” [Luke 22:10] These instructions are related to past events, but they also refer to this Age [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2020/12/world-turmoils-are-not-signs-of-failure.html] and what has been experienced. Many were drawn to meet the man bearing the pitcher of water (Uranda) and a few entered into the House with him; and these were introduced to the goodman of the House (Martin Exeter) who showed them the furnished Upper Room—and some made ready as instructed. For those who followed the instructions, this is a fulfilling day, considering and realizing the implications.

These things we share now were born into manifestation in the Day that was opened by the man bearing the pitcher of water—Uranda in 1932. A precious few are keenly aware of 89 years of outer ministry which clothe an inner ordination that was long ago confirmed and set in motion by the Master, leading eventually to the full incarnation of the Archangel through His Body on earth. Here we consciously acknowledge what is emerging and take responsibility for our part in it now, inviting all to participate as movement toward this point of fusion proceeds with absolute assurance. Behold I come quickly, and this coming changes everything. Nothing can stop this Archangelic happening, and it is a good day for those who are aligned with the happening.

As it is in the individual human body, the Archangelic Body is composed of many working parts. Each part has its place and its function. It makes sense that awareness of what is occurring in the life of the Body first dawns in the head. Those who are conscious play a part in the Head Pattern of the Archangelic Body, a specific part analogous to a Vibrational Gateway in the Head of the Body. Other angels play other essential parts, and the whole Body is important and loved; angels are thankful, compassionate and forgiving relative to all that transforms in every part. Some angels enter the Body through this Upper Room, this particular Vibrational Gateway. The implications are obvious through experience in attunement.

There is another reference to the Upper Room, after the ascension of the Master Jesus: “Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” [Acts 1] From within the Upper Room, a greater outpouring of radiation is experienced, and it floods the Whole Body. Within the spirit and the substance of this radiation are the essences of the blueprint for the formation of the Archangelic Body in this cycle now. In every phase of development there is considerable flexibility—there must be—in the implementation of the blueprint; and there are also patterns that are fixed.

This current Seven-Year Cycle, which began in September 2016 [and concludes in September 2023], is characterized by Water, the spirit and substance of Truth, wherein the design for this specific aspect of the Archangelic Body is being re-focalized under the hand of the Master—as must occur with every generational change if spiritual continuity is to be sustained by the Angels incarnate at the moment of every change. Human beings take so long to wake up, if they ever do, and they die so young; and it all needs to be re-focalized frequently as the cycles of regeneration proceed. This is such a time of refocalization—new and delicate patterns are emerging now.

This is a good day to acknowledge the Victory Pattern of the Ages, and the continuum of victory that is with us. The yoke is easy and the burden is light when there are no personal ambitions that are injected into the clear pattern of this precisely orchestrated creative cycle. How vital to remain in open-hearted attunement, responsive to the Word of the Master of the Temple of the Archangelic Body. Open and mature Angelic response to Him provides assurance, a calm and stabilizing factor within the whole awakening Body—assurance that I am present and active within this cycle, and that each Angel can be absolutely counted upon as His instruments in human form, always available for the radiation of His coming forth.

This vibrational radiation is real, and it moves in rhythms pulsing within the substance, compelling a 180-degree turn, shifting orientation from grief and death to life and radiance—a reorientation which is absolutely imperative. In this, one knows and knows that they know—I am alive, a living presence and a living spirit in the midst of an ocean of substance teeming with life. I am a focus point for the spirit of Life, and acknowledgement of this focus point changes everything. The spirit of Life becomes very personal, tangible and real as it is embodied in expanded and differentiated expression through this Archangelic Body.

The Christ Spirit—the Fire, the Light and the Glory of the Spirit of Life characterized by radiance is brought to focus through the fifth seal. The fourth sacred seal relates to the heart center for the spirit of purification—a spirit which is certainly intensified. And humanity as a whole is in the midst of the fires of purification. The pure heart is characterized by an attitude of assurance—a firm foundation at the point of union between heaven and earth, our ordained placement right in the center of it all, where there is a deep and personal sense of oneness with the radiance that accomplishes the purification. Here, an enduring passion dissolves all desire for the limited passions that capture attention below the veil of the impure and unawakened heart. The third sacred seal is characterized by the spirit of blessing, the life radiance in expression as thanksgiving, compassion and forgiveness sweep away uncertainty and grief.

This is the Age of Radiance—and the Age of Purified Response. Maybe this conjures an image of nuclear power and atomic radiation that has dominated this more recent era, and that is a fact. But also present is the essence of spiritual fusion now coming to point in the crowing creation, man and woman, me and you, through the coming forth of the One I am. This is spiritual radiation and spiritual government, and it all becomes increasingly clear as we continue in the Word, in a consciousness of Eternal Life, which is eternally transforming all substance. Being so attuned with that which is eternal and immortal, one is living in the eternity of this present moment where both past and future are characterized by the qualities of Life itself, living at the heart of it all in the Garden of heaven on earth.

Attunement with Life always brings a great love for the LORD of Lords, and the work He accomplished when He was incarnate as Jesus. The whole design of Being comes to focus at this apex point, in the LORD of the Fire, and there comes a deep and abiding love for this Supreme One. He unveiled the essences of the true identity of mankind. Considering His life span, it is astonishing what He accomplished in such a short period of time—before the crucifixion, but also afterward, with the conception of something unprecedented in the consciousness of mankind. The LORD of Lords, through Jesus, set in motion the cycle that is opening in this Age of Radiance. His Spirit is moving in an intensified way through the subconscious substance in all people—through all substance actually.

We surely feel this intensification gathering in ourselves. The processes of purification are intensified as the spirit of Life is released through everyone and everything—nothing is excluded from this intensification. Resistance is felt and seen, and the chaos and the grief increasing in consequence. Where there is welcome there is the experience of fusion, evidence of the presence of the Vibrational Ark and a new dispensation of Angelic agreement. It is an Ark which allows the gathering of power, with fire increasing and fusion occurring, calling for the increased presence of those who are consciously attuned to the design inherent in the spirit of Life and capable of handling the increasing intensity with equanimity, wisdom and humility. A new formation is shaping in heaven now, experienced as an Arc of Radiance and Agreement, offering mercy and compassion, forgiveness and welcome.

Each of us has a unique background of understanding and insight—unique essences through being incarnate in this Age, different ranges of responsibility and different ways of expressing. Back along the way, something came dramatically alive for each one because of something that was already on the move through men and women that we didn’t even know, through their expression of spirit—and because of the overlighting vibration of this Age of Radiance wherein everything is being made new. At some point we met someone who represents the man carrying the pitcher of water and the goodman of the House. Entering the Upper Room, everything quickened and intensified. And there is absolutely no stopping it—people try to hold it back, seemingly successful for a short time, but it is impossible. Everything in creation is changing and transforming, including our own consciousness.

What a wonder of governmental essences awaits release as we sustain and increase the Arc of Radiance and Agreement. There is a relatively thin, polluted layer of human activity and atmosphere, above and below which there is the unpolluted heaven—the New Heaven above, and the New Heaven below where the Holy Spirit moves through a regenerated subconscious. Our primary work is within the realm of this Holy Ghost substance above and below: the sea of glass, the New Heaven, the regenerated subconscious, and this Arc of Radiance. Within this ghost substance we become aware of our own presence as representations of the finer essences of the Vibrational Ark. The higher ranges bring these primary images and experiences more vividly to consciousness, and we experience ourselves as aspects of the design of the Ark made flesh, drawn into formation in heaven on earth. This is known to be so by those who give themselves to it.

The Archangelic radiation from the invisible and undimensional ranges has brought the impulse to remember and gather in the Upper Room, to commune and activate the core essences of our responsibility—not as it was in the designs of the past; not in memory of the past that was 25,000 years ago or the past that was 33 years ago, but reforming now in ways that work now. A new formation of the Vibrational Ark, put together by God, allows the rushing mighty wind, the power and the control to be with us and in us. There is a perfect storm of factors now gathering in the old heaven and the old earth, bringing with it increased disintegration. There is also a perfect storm of factors gathering in the New Heaven—a perfect storm which is the rushing mighty wind of the spirit which fills the Whole House where we meet as a representative body in the Upper Room. In the months and years ahead, we have a remarkable opportunity to gather and abide in the Upper Room, allowing this perfect heavenly storm to draw and release the essences in consecutive cycles of outpouring, which lets the spirit of the Archangel recreate everything in consciousness, unifying the design elements essential to the regeneration of the substance of the Vibrational Ark.

Letting ourselves be drawn into this New Formation, well positioned to meet and handle the perfect storm of factors now gathering, and providing what is needed in the Heaven of this Ark made flesh, all things a made new. Wherever the Ark is present a Priesthood formation appears in the Temple, within which there is the Holy of Holies, and the Holy Place for the world. The Outer Court and the Encampment are gradually awakened and drawn into more conscious attunement and function as the Presence of the LORD is made evident in patterns of fusion and illumination. In this large Upper Room, furnished, there make ready, and from this point and place it is Glory all the way.

greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com

Compassion & To Make The Days Ahead Count

Compassion

John Gray  December 20, 2020  Lake Elsinore, California

johncgray@aol.com

As calendar years draw to a close it’s usual to look back and assess the year that was. AJ Willingham, a writer for CNN, posted yesterday, “If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that kindness and compassion have never been more important. It’s taught us that difficult times are made easier when we work together, when we take care of each other; when we reach out a hand to those struggling and lift up the heroes that protect us. It’s taught us that the best way through the darkness is to look for the light—and if there is none, to make it ourselves.” When the Washington Post asked readers recently to describe their experience of 2020 in one word or short phrase, they reported receiving over two thousand replies very quickly. The most common one-worders submitted were “exhausting,” “relentless,” “lost,” “chaotic,” and “surreal.” Those are understandable descriptives. But they aren’t words that I’d choose. How about you? The adjectives for 2020 that come to my mind are “attention-getting,” “opportune,” “progressive,” “confirming,” “rut-breaking,” and “uplifting.” Our experienced personal identities determine how we see things, of course.

A moment of twice-annual solstice occurs tomorrow, December 21st. We’ll have the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day of the year in the Southern. In the northern half of the planet the winter solstice is when the earth is tilted furthest away from the sun. In South Africa, Argentina, and Australia, for examples, this is the summer solstice. The earth is tilted closest toward the sun. Also tomorrow, Jupiter and Saturn appear to nearly conjoin in the southwest sky at dusk. We’re told this is the closest together they’ve appeared in eight centuries. Of course this is only how it looks to us from here. The physical planets are actually 400 million miles apart in their respective orbits, but the conjunction has meaning at other levels. There are events of far more significance going on than human affairs, but to most people what’s happening to them in their own lives has overwhelming importance. Of course we take attentive care of what’s closest at hand, but we do that while maintaining perspective as the large spiritual beings we really are. Most everyone on earth is aware of the current pandemic, and many are personally impacted in some way—physically, mentally, emotionally, maybe financially. The Washington Post readers’ chosen adjectives speak to that, I think.

I looked up some statistics online an hour ago: About 1.7 million people worldwide are reported to have died of Covid-19 infection complications so far this year, with almost 320,000 of those fatalities in the United States—335,000 if we add Canada. I read that right now the Covid-19 daily mortality rate in America exceeds the number of people dying each day of heart disease and cancer combined. Globally in 2020, an estimated 60 million people died from all causes and about 150 million babies were born. That’s a lot of comings and goings, for sure, but as a proportion of the estimated total human population of 7.85 billion the increase was about 1%. These are just statistics of course, and statistics can be impersonal, even numbing. Let’s draw the matter in from the realm of numbers and closer to home: How many people died this year who you personally knew? How many children were born to people you know? I bet none of us would answer zero to either question; we all know of some departures and arrivals. For the most part, this is all seen as a normal part of human life experience. The coronavirus pandemic introduced a new element into the usual human view of life and death, however. We expect—and are maybe a little numbed to—people dying of heart problems and cancer, for examples, but this has added something different. 

It’s human nature to grieve about death and loss. And there’s a lot of grief in the world. This may be especially felt by an individual when it is their loved one who died. The deep substantial connection known in life shifts with death of the physical body. Resisting this process produces a painful experience to the griever. I think grief may be second only to shame as the most painful emotion human beings feel. We feel grief when our heads and our hearts—facts and feelings—pull in opposite directions. A person may feel, “Maybe such-and-such is a fact, but I don’t want it to be and I don’t like it!” It’s this internal division that produces pain. We can understand a toddler’s tantrum, grieving loudly over being told “no,” but it becomes an irrational and irresponsible thing in a person who is chronologically adult. The pain of grief can feel so great that facts are not faced at all.

Grief is an invaluable way to internally deal with events like death, and it shouldn’t be run from. One of our roles as divine beings in human form is, as may at times be necessary, preside over a process of reconciling and realigning mind and heart in ourselves and in the world. I don’t think grief is something to get over. Its presence indicates, often sharply, the need for healing, for making whole. When the heart/mind divide is closed, grief is no more. Just a thin scar remains. Grief is not related to just bodily death, of course. This past year many people have mourned the demise of some comfortable norms of everyday social life. Some grieve the fact that they can’t get together with family and friends as in the past, or they are controlled by those feelings and do it anyway. How many grieve over the death of a rain forest, or of untold species of plants and animals? How many grieve the innumerable imbalanced conditions in the natural and manmade worlds, and the state of the planet itself?

Personal experiences of grief are connected to and are rooted in deeper collective experiences of grief in the whole body of mankind and of the planet. We are each, after all, inextricable parts of that whole and we share a deep subconscious past. Much of that remains unresolved, unhealed. This may help explain why feelings of grief may seem bottomless, as they sometimes do. We feel on behalf of the whole. Doing this is an aspect of our service.

Well, good grief! What’s needed to comport ourselves effectively and well in the midst of all this? Dealing with grief is just a small bit of what is ours to give and receive and bless in the world, of course, but when it’s to the fore, it can seem pretty big. Spiritual leaders have for centuries emphasized the need for compassion—compassion for oneself and for one’s fellows; to uplift the afflicted. Compassion is defined in dictionaries as “having care and concern for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it.” Both Greek and Latin roots of the word have to do with feeling the suffering and having empathy for another’s plight—and, to me, suggests extending understanding and a helping hand.

            

There is a well-loved passage in the Old Testament of the Bible which describes these essences so well: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty unto the captives… to comfort all that mourn; to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...” [Isaiah 61:1-3] Anyone looking for a resolution for the New Year—and the rest of this incarnation— could hardly do better than adopt these words! The proclamation I quoted, attributed to the prophet Isaiah, comes from the same spiritual symphony as the basic teachings of Buddha a couple of centuries later. Per Wikipedia, “According to Buddhism, compassion is an aspiration, a state of mind, wanting others to be free from suffering. It’s not passive—it’s not empathy alone—but rather an empathetic altruism that actively strives to free others from suffering. Genuine compassion must have both wisdom and lovingkindness.”

Isaiah and Buddha were among enlightened ones who were forerunners to the coming of the one we call the LORD of Lords. What the Christ came to accomplish—minimally, the establishment of a nucleus collective body of spiritually conscious individuals—could not be accomplished the way it might have been had those close to him been more willing. In the New Testament portrayal of this, when this fact became evident, it is said, “Jesus wept.” [John 11:35]  I can only imagine his profound sorrow. Not long after this point came his crucifixion. Notwithstanding that horrific event, his attitude toward everyone throughout this whole time was, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” [Luke 23:34] He demonstrated supreme compassion.

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I confess that there have been times in my life when I’ve said, “Father forgive me, for I know not what I did.” Gradually I came to know with certainty that it is my anointed place—and it is each of ours—to extend the same qualities of forgiveness and compassion to all and to everything. Let us hold the world this way. It so needs us.

To  Make  The  Days  Ahead  Count  Still  More

Evening Service Upon Return To Sunrise Ranch From California

Uranda  August 11, 1948

It is good to be home again. We journeyed out into the field to do certain things. Some of those things we accomplished; and it might appear that, with respect to some of those things, there was failure, but we do not know yet what will develop from the seeds that were sown. I praise God that you have kept the home-fires burning, and it is good to be home. All of you have learned lessons, and through this period you have come to know that there are other lessons to be learned—and we have the assurance that they will be learned. We have the assurance of Victory in the Name of Jesus Christ our LORD. We move forward in the assurance that there will be Victory—there must be. I am not going to review for you tonight what we might call the development of the battle lines back along the centuries that have passed, up to this present day, but you do know that there has been too much go into the development of that which is in accordance with God's Plan for it to ever fail. And we have the assurance that as long as there are even a few who are willing to give that which they are to that Plan, as long as it means something in the heart and life of any individual, it has not failed.

As we came rolling across the Nevada desert, and the wilderness along the Great Salt Lake desert with the fields of salt on either side of the road, and the Wyoming desert, as we saw the various formations of nature, I looked at the face of the earth which we were crossing. Some places were barren rock, alkaline stretches, wilderness, deserts where nothing to speak of grows—and then there were some fertile places where water had been found, where water had been used, places where things were growing. Coming down out of Wyoming into Colorado today, leaving the waterless places, coming to that section where water had changed the desert to a garden, we began to see trees that were green, to see trees bearing fruit. It was a change from hundreds of miles where there was nothing green, where there was just deadness all around. And it seemed to me that the earth itself is not so very different from the human beings who live on it—there are so many desert places in humanity. But I am not so much concerned about humanity as a whole tonight in our immediate consideration as I am about that portion of humanity that is here. Each one of you tends yet to have some rocky places, some arid places, where the water has not wrought the verdant growth that is necessary for the full manifestation of the Garden of God on earth. And yet, there are those places where you are bearing fruit. In each one of you I can see fruitage. Each one of you has places where there are well-springs; some have to do a little irrigating, shall we say. But it is not the fulness that is possible.

I do not return to you today, and tell you this tonight, in any sense of fault-finding, or to bring discouragement; but, while we rejoice in that which has been accomplished and that which has been made manifest, we cannot rest on any laurels; we cannot cease moving forward; we cannot decide, “Well, the fruit of the spirit is manifesting enough in me.” Considering this abnormal condition of the earth itself, and thinking of human beings in that connection, I gave some consideration to the thought of abnormal people, and those who might be considered to be normal. In the world, according to psychiatry, a normal person is not the type of person I would like to be. Did you ever consider what that type of normalcy really is? If you are really interested in the whys and wherefores of life, according to that type or idea of normalcy you are abnormal. Actually then, from the standpoint of the world viewpoint, I suspect it would be very easily said that every emissary is abnormal, according to that standard. What other standard could we use?

The only one that would be of any interest or concern to us would be the standard of reality, the fulness of the expression of Divinity through the human being. And as I consider that, it seems to me I would have to say that, according to that standard, you are still abnormal. You have not reached the fulness of that standard of reality; so there are abnormalities. You have learned much about love one for another; you have made progress toward fulfilling the requirement of discipleship—“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”—but you still have problems in relationship one to another, you still have lessons in tolerance to learn, you still have the necessities of the development of understanding. As I returned to be with you here in person, I was under the necessity of making a choice of either having a little service of more or less patting each one of you on the back tonight, or a service that would form something of an introduction of that which I feel to be necessary with respect to the things ahead. I chose the second course.

The world is being divided into its various camps. We do not have all of eternity in which to prepare for eternity. We have been called to the most serious task, to face the greatest responsibility that can devolve upon human beings. What are we going to do about it? You have been doing something about it, and I praise the Lord for that, but we must do yet more. We must let a more complete cleansing take place. We must reach a place where each one is willing to let his or her own heart be opened up to see that which is there, that the Lord may be permitted to cleanse away that which should not be there, that each one may be that which he or she should be. As I was travelling across country to be with you, my thoughts were running along these lines.

I would like for each one of you to consider a certain question. It is not an off-hand answer that I would like to have. When you examine into your heart, when you take into consideration all the thoughts and feeling reactions that you have through the day, what is the purpose of your action; what is the purpose of your thought and your word, the purpose for which we function, the purpose for which we live? It seems to me that for a little period of self-analysis that might be a good starting point. Every time some reaction tends to appear in you, every time you seemingly act or speak or think without proper consideration, orientation in reality, do you think it would help to stop and look at yourself from the standpoint of that one question: What is the purpose of my action? Why are we here? Why are we undergoing training? Then there are the whys and wherefores with respect to the little points of action, the different phases of function. Do you think that might be a good idea to use that as a starting point for a little deeper self-analysis, to look at yourself every time you feel some turbulent vibration inside that is going to spring out pretty soon, a reaction of some kind, a thought or word, or something of the sort? No, you are not perfect, and I do not expect you to be overnight. You have learned some lessons, and you are learning more, but if I had expected you to be perfect when I came back I would have been disappointed, would I not? It is good to laugh at yourself—but it is still rather serious, so we must do something about it. In the next few days we will begin to work out your individual problems, step by step, as rapidly as possible. What do you think? Are we going to get the job done? I think so. I think so.

Any individual who stands in a place of leadership has problems to consider which sometimes are not given very much thought by others. I mention this to help you to remember that in working out problems, while I consider each one of you individually, from my standpoint I have to consider every problem from the standpoint of the whole, and not from the standpoint of one or two or three or four people. It is not just a matter of what I would like or what you would like. We want to get rid of those abnormalities. It is a matter of what makes you feel happy inside because you did the right thing, because you let the spirit and the power of God work through you. Each one here knows that when some action is wrong and there is a consciousness of it, it does not make you happy inside, and when you are feeling that way inside you cannot do very much toward lifting the spirit of the whole. The things that tend to depress and disturb inside must be eliminated, so that each one can feel the full support of every other one, so that each one can be in position where he or she can receive that full support.

This last year and a half has been a special period of training for you here. That time cannot be brought back. You have done with it what you have done with it, and that is finished—but the next year and a half still rests within the range of choice of individual and collective determination. I feel that all of you wish to make the days ahead count still more than the days that are past. Am I right?

I could, perhaps, take a little time to do a little entertaining in a lighter vein, but I think I will postpone that for another time. Your letters and your function, your staying with the job—all of these things emphasize the extent of your dedication to the service of our KING. It is that in you which makes me feel certain of fulfilment and of Victory. We share, with all other earnest ones everywhere, to the degree of their understanding and dedication, the most glorious Calling, the most glorious privileges and opportunities which it is possible for human beings to enjoy. You have all felt the weight of that responsibility, and sometimes in your efforts to fulfil your share of that responsibility you found yourselves caught in a feeling current of futility. In the physical organism, pain is a sign that something is wrong, a sign that some cause of ill function needs to be corrected. So also with respect to emotional health, a feeling current of futility or discouragement is a sign that something is wrong, that the cause of some ill function needs to be corrected. Generally, it is a sign that efforts to fulfil responsibility have been colored with self-willed action or thoughtlessness. Self-activity is not always willful disregard of reality. It is very often thoughtlessness. At other times it results from the fact that the individual tries to make something work out a certain way to get a certain result, without considering all of the factors. Sometimes the individual is not in position to know all of the factors. Then it is that we need to be careful about coming to a conclusion as to what the sum, or result, is or should be.

Each one has certain equations, or problems, to work out in his individual sphere, but those are all parts of a greater equation, and if they are all put together properly we can have the final determination of the sum, or the result of our mathematics in spiritual life—spiritual mathematics—and we should remember that there is an exactness that is required, and exactness cannot be attained by jumping to conclusions; exactness cannot be achieved by brittle holding to some point which should be yielded to the factors of the total equation. To be molded, while we wait yielded and still, requires a recognition of the whole, a realization of the value of the whole. Intellectually you have that realization; in the feeling realm you have it to a considerable degree. The fact that you have stayed in your places, that you have functioned here regardless of the fact that I was not here present in person, proves that you have such a recognition. I am not denying the degree to which you have it, but I am pointing to the fact that our problems in further attainment will be greatly simplified to the degree that that becomes an abiding realization in the whole emotional realm, so there is patience—patience one with another, patience with yourself when it is needful, patience with respect to fulfilments, and patience with the necessities that devolve upon me in working out the problems for all of you and for the whole.

As we work together in that spirit and attitude, we will find the refreshing Water of Truth, the revivifying Spirit of Divine Love, working in and through us, that our Father in Heaven may accomplish His Will on earth in us and through us, and the only true and lasting joy comes from letting Heaven come on earth through ourselves. To the degree that Heaven is expressing through you into the world, you have joy, you have peace, you have a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment; but to the degree that there are stoppages in you, mentally or emotionally, that prevent the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven through you, you feel disturbing vibrations.

I suggest that we rest in the current of Love for God whereby we are privileged to meditate upon the Holy Joy that is ours in letting the Kingdom come, the Kingdom that is at hand, letting it come into the world through ourselves here and now. The Blessing of our LORD and KING is upon you, and shall be upon you in the Way. And now I think we should go our several ways, to let the physical temple be renewed and refreshed and made whole through the night, that on the morrow we may arise in a realization that it is the Dawn of a New Day.