Position In The Divine Desaign

Position  In  The  Divine  Design

Martin Cecil  July 18, 1964

In a recent service I spoke of the importance of position in the Divine Design. There is a recognition in man's world of the importance of position. The position of the President of the United States is considered to be of supreme importance in the world today—regardless of the particular man who may be in the position, regardless of whether the President is considered to be a good one or a bad. Presumably, if he is bad enough, the position could be caused to cease to have any further meaning—or any other position, as far as that is concerned—but with the way things are, this position is looked upon as being one of importance; whoever occupies that position is worthy of receiving respect. We could perhaps mention some other positions that are outstanding in this regard in man's world, but I think this illustrates.

The same principle is true in God's world: position is vitally important. There is a certain flexibility in the filling of position, particularly as it relates to whatever might take form on earth. Obviously this must be so, because human beings come and go. The only means by which Divine Position can be filled on earth is through human beings, so flexibility is essential. Those who begin to give meaning and form to position in the Divine Design on earth do not make the position be, they do not actually make it any more important than it is, but they do begin to allow such positions to become meaningful, operative, effective, on earth. But it is the position itself, in the Divine Design, that is the important thing. The individual who fills it is important to the extent that he fills it, because the position is important. Anyone who does begin to emerge into such a position should receive respect, not just alone for himself but because of the position. It is quite important that we should begin to see this.

If there is anything taking form of the Divine Design in relationship to this Ministry, any who carry special responsibility are emerging into certain positions. There needs to be the recognition of the fact of the positions into which various ones are emerging. Of course it is true that there is position for everyone, everyone carries responsibility, but if there are those particular positions which carry special responsibility, then the individual who is in it is in it because there is some measure of expression through himself to at least begin to fill the position. The position itself should carry with it an awareness of its Divine Nature, and consequently there should be respect with respect to the position, regardless of who it is that may be filling it; however, of course, if someone does begin to fill it, obviously that person must be expressing something which makes the filling of that position possible. Therefore the individual, from the standpoint of his own expression, deserves respect.

From my standpoint, I cannot, at any time, arbitrarily appoint someone to some certain position and say, “Now you fill it.” A person, to fill a position, must emerge into it; it cannot be imposed on anyone. I am talking, of course, about the Divine Design. For the filling of position in the Divine Design there must necessarily be the expression of something through the individual in order to begin to cause that person to move into the position. The position, whatever it is, whether it may be clearly defined or clearly understood from the Divine standpoint, or from the human vision of the Divine Design, nevertheless is worthy of respect if there is a recognition of the value of the Divine Design.

According to the particular time of outworking there will be, presumably, certain individuals available to fill the position. If the outworking comes at some other time, then obviously there must be some other individuals available for the outworking, because human beings don't live forever. So here we come again to this matter of flexibility.

There are positions in the Divine Design which need to be filled. We are not concerned with competing for them, because we certainly couldn't fill them on any such basis; neither do we fill them on the basis of being elected by our fellows because they think some certain person would be good in that position. The positions are filled, to the extent that they are, in manifestation on earth, to the degree that the qualities and characteristics that are required to allow that position to take form appear through some person. And when they do appear through someone, that person is in that position—an entirely natural process. There is nothing really arbitrary about it at all.

There has been a recognition, by most if not all of you, of the true nature of the Seven Spirits before the Throne of God. We have designated those spirits by certain names, the Spirit of Love being supreme. Then there are six more spirits: the Spirit of the Womb, the Spirit of Life, the Spirit of Purification, the Spirit of Blessing, the Spirit of the Single Eye, and the Spirit of the New Earth. We could say that these definitions of spirit are more or less arbitrary, but the words have a particular relatedness to the nature of the spirit.

We recognize that the Spirit of Love, in its pure essence, is of such an intensity that if it were released through us as human beings here on earth, we would instantly be destroyed. We have recognized that this Spirit of Love must properly be transformed, or stepped down, from level to level or from plane to plane, so that it may function creatively at each level. We have an awareness of the fact that we live in a Seven-Plane World. What that means may not be adequately understood, but in any case only the Seventh Plane provides the facilities for the pure expression of Love. Each other plane requires that that Love be transformed, or stepped down, so that it may manifest constructively and creatively at the particular level involved. The means by which this transformation, or stepping-down process, takes place is what we call Truth. Truth allows the pure essences of Love to manifest according to the Divine Design, under control, at the particular level where the manifestation is required. Of course it is required at all levels, at all planes. The Truth is available to permit this stepping-down process with respect to every plane and every level.

If we move out from the pure essences of Love, moving downward, we might say, from that apex, we come to the Spirit of the Womb at the level of the Sixth Plane, the Spirit of Life at the level of the Fifth Plane, the Spirit of Purification at the level of the Fourth Plane, the Spirit of Blessing at the level of the Third Plane, the Spirit of the Single Eye at the level of the Second Plane, and the Spirit of the New Earth at the level of the First, or physical, Plane. If the Spirit of Love is to reach us, who function in the first three planes of Being in this outer world, it necessarily must be transformed and stepped down so that it may appear at each level of these three planes according to the Divine Design and under control. We could say that the Six Spirits below the Seventh, the Spirit of Love, reveal the nature of the Spirit of Truth as it relates to these six planes. That which is coming down from God out of heaven, to manifest on earth, must necessarily pass through the higher levels to reach the lower levels, and there must be the facilities available for this to occur if it is to be experienced according to the Divine Design.

We have noted that in man's world the opposites of these spirits have tended to dominate. Instead of the Spirit of Love there has been a rather intense expression of the spirit of hate. I don't think anyone has paid very much attention to our Master's suggestion that we should love our enemies. It is considered the thing to do, to hate your enemies; if you don't they might get the better of you. Of course this indicates a complete lack of comprehension with respect to the Truth. However the spirit of hate certainly has been very dominant in the lives of virtually everyone. There has been a bit of what has been supposed to be love, too, of course. Then instead of the Spirit of the Womb, which is a very protective spirit, the spirit which would allow something to be conceived and gestate peacefully and naturally, there has been the spirit of barrenness. Have you ever experienced that spirit, the spirit of desolation? This is quite a popular spirit with human beings; they feel so very desolate at times; they identify themselves with this spirit. And then the spirit of death, rather than the Spirit of Life. So much in man's world is based in concepts about death, and because of the high expectation of death, it is a very important factor in man's world—so much revolves around death and the expectation of death. Fear enters in here, doesn't it?

Then, considering the Spirit of Purification, we have the spirit of defilement, and how quick human beings are to defile sacred things. Unfeelingly, thoughtlessly, they trample over the things of God. The tender plants that are beginning to grow in the hearts of their fellows are so quickly defiled by human function. Instead of the Spirit of Blessing, the spirit of cursing. Human beings curse each other—curse the other fellow so that he goes under and you go up. And instead of the Spirit of the Single Eye we have the spirit of double-mindedness. And instead of the Spirit of the New Earth, the spirit of decay.

These opposites are not according to the Divine Design, nor are they under Divine Control. And yet human beings do identify themselves with these spirits, don't they? Probably all of us have identified ourselves with at least some of them, if not all of them, in times past. We take up our position as fallen human beings on the basis of these spirits. With some, the spirit of hate may be particularly dominant; with others, the spirit of cursing—whatever. Human beings gravitate toward the particular areas where these spirits are dominant, and consequently occupy position accordingly; we might say position in the devil's design, if there is any design. By the same token, when we begin to experience these true spirits:

The Spirit of Love.

The Spirit of the Womb, which enfolds sacred things to keep them holy and safe.

The Spirit of Life, of vibrancy; the increased expression of that which is divine on earth.

The Spirit of Purification, which enables those things which are responding to come up

and move over into the Divine Design, into the Divine Pattern.

The Spirit of Purification relates to the Fourth Plane. The Fourth Plane is the connecting link between the First three planes and the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh planes. Everything that ascends must pass through the Fourth Plane. It relates to the Flaming Sword, that which purifies. Coming up out of the world, the outer three planes must pass through the purifying flame to reach into, to come into, the Divine Design, which is established from the standpoint of the higher planes. We are concerned to so function that all that comes to us is purified by reason of its coming to us, and not defiled. So often something comes to a person, he doesn't like it, and he acts in a way toward it which defiles, doesn't offer any opportunity for that which comes to be purified, to be lifted up, to become something meaningful, to be changed.

And then the Spirit of Blessing, extending something of a blessing, constantly; we are to be identified with this spirit.

And to maintain centering with the Single Eye; we begin to find attunement with the Spirit of the Single Eye.

And the Spirit of the New Earth is something which is known through actual experience in living, not a constant feeling of going down and down and down, but coming up, moving higher, moving into something fuller and freer, the Spirit of the New Earth.

All these spirits permit us to find attunement with, and experience of, the Spirit of Love in a manner that is creative and constructive. And once we begin to find a balance within ourselves with respect to all these spirits, and we begin to know them from the standpoint of our own experience in function, in living, we will discover that one of them will seem to be more particularly dominant, more particularly natural, to us. To reach this point is to emerge into position in the Divine Design, the experience with respect to one's own dominant spirit in the Divine Design.

Now how could anyone be appointed to position in the Divine Design? From the human standpoint it would be absolutely impossible—because a person must move through this experience to emerge into a growing awareness within himself of the particular aspect of spirit which is dominant, or natural, in his or her own expression. If the Divine Design is to emerge in manifestation on earth it does so because there are those who begin to experience this fulfilment and consequently give form and manifestation to Divine Position on earth. But first comes the balanced attunement with these Seven Spirits before the Throne of God. There must be some awareness with respect to the meaningfulness of them. There must be an awareness of these spirits as they relate specifically to oneself.

What is your function as it relates to the Spirit of the Womb? Do you know? Do you have any idea? Here is the Secret Place—the Spirit of the Secret Place within yourself, the secret place where gestation of things Divine occurs. And just as in a mother-to-be there is the need to exercise care and thoughtfulness with respect to that which is gestating in the womb, so must there be care and thoughtfulness in relationship to the correct attunement with this spirit. What is it that is gestating in you? Perhaps you don't know yet. It is still in the womb. It hasn't come to birth. Something has come to birth already, but there is far more, isn't there?

Do you have Mother Love toward that which is unfolding in you?—the Spirit of the Womb, the Spirit of Life. Is your attunement with the Spirit of Life, or is it rather with the things which relate to dying? Which? Are you concerned with the increase of life as it is manifesting in you and around you, or are you fussing about the things which you think are reducing life in you and around you? With which spirit are you attuned? To which spirit do you give consideration? Which spirit do you welcome?

And the Spirit of Purification. What of all the things with which you are dealing day by day? Do you feel a sense of responsibility for these things, that because they come to your hands they have the opportunity of being purified, they are being uplifted, they are being drawn closer to God?

And the Spirit of Blessing—all these things again which come to your hands. Do you consider how you may bless, rather than find yourself in a battle, a state of conflict with things round about, fighting with them because you are afraid of them, instead of blessing? Love your enemies.

The Spirit of the Single Eye. Is your eye single? How easily can you be distracted? How easily can you become involved in the patterns of double-mindedness? Well, you don't quite know! The Single Eye—Single Spirit—Single Spirit—the Single Mind. Singleness of attitude, singleness of purpose. The Single Eye.

And the Spirit of the New Earth, which relates to the sense of lightness. The Spirit of the New Earth is experienced naturally when a person is true to all the spirits that went before. Then something begins to occur in his own physical body, and that is sensed; it begins to be known and experienced—an uplifting, healing experience—the Spirit of the New Earth.

Finding attunement with these spirits, so that one naturally is aware of their importance and of the fact that they are working within the range of one's own experience, there begins to emerge a dominant sense of something which relates to one's own True Being, one's own True Identity; something with respect to these spirits is brought to focus. It is true of everyone, and it is distinct for everyone. It may be an aspect of the Spirit of the Womb or any of the other spirits, but it is distinct for each one. And as that begins to appear, and be sensed, the individual is beginning to move into position in the Divine Design. Because someone is moving into position the Divine Design begins to take form on earth.

Now many people must move into position in this sense for it to take form, but of course all these aspects of spirit are drawn to point somewhere—they come to focus somewhere in some person. It may be a person, it may be a couple, and there will be others involved as the pattern builds. But here is the framework, here is the foundation, of position, and you may recognize easily enough that it is based in spirit, not in some outer manifestation, some outer form. It is based in spirit, in these spirits, and the individual relatedness to them. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.” That which is to be achieved must appear, must emerge, on the basis of spirit. If a person is so centered in the external form, so involved with manifest things round about, that he has no facility left to experience spirit, he is in a bad way, because the creative power, God's Love, works through the Divine Design, through the Truth, under control, on the basis of spirit.

We begin to see the Divine Design is spirit. It is to take form, yes, on earth, but the Divine Design itself is spirit insofar as we are concerned. It isn't form, it is spirit. We permit it to take form to the extent that we have experienced spirit; then it can emerge. But without the experience of spirit it cannot emerge. And the experience of spirit relates to something that is very comprehensible, actually. When you examine it in relationship to your own experience, to your own living, you can see that these aspects of spirit which we have defined this way, with these specific words, have a relatedness to your living, to all your expression in life. They properly establish the nature of that which finds expression through you with respect to all these levels of being.

Here is something which allows for the emergence of your own True Identity in experience, and it can come in no other way, because it comes down from God out of heaven; it doesn't come out of the earth. And so here is a new look at the Divine Design, a new look at certain broad but specific aspects of spirit which establish position in the Divine Design. And until a person begins to experience something in this regard, position in the Divine Design is no more than a dream or a fantasy. But we can't experience anything in this regard without paying attention to it, without recognizing its importance, and without recognizing its relatedness to oneself. So here is a field of Meditation, with the door open wide for all who would go in thereat, that the attunement with the spirit of God may be more adequate than it has been. It isn't a vague thing, it isn't something that just happens, as we have so often emphasized. We have to do something. We have to do a little thinking, for one thing. Is this such a terrible chore? It seems to be, for some. Perhaps we could get used to it.

It requires a little thinking, a little consideration, an examination of one's own experience in living, a consideration of how one handles things, on what basis, and how do these spirits relate to it? We begin to become familiar with the idea, and do even, perhaps, put ourselves out a little to do something about it. We find that it becomes natural. We don't have to think about it so specifically—it becomes automatic. But if you never think about it to start with, it never becomes automatic, does it? So we have to do something. But the door is open for that doing, and we may share an increased attunement with the spirit of God, with God Himself, through the Seven Spirits before His throne.

© Emissaries of Divine Light

Response Is The Expression Of Divine Being

Response  Is  The  Expression  Ff  Divine  Being

"Reverence In Life"

Martin Cecil  November 12, 1961

In my ministry to you I believe you sense the fact that I know there is Divine Being in each of you. I think you sense the fact that I am not just simply trying to kid myself on this score, that if I had been trying to kid myself I would have been discouraged quite a while ago, in some instances at least. There is a knowing. Because of that knowing, the door is always open. There are certainly occasions when I have drawn attention to the things that do not, or should not, have any weight, meaning or value, because perhaps you may have overlooked the fact that they did not have any weight, meaning or value. But all that was presented, all that has been said or done, has been based in the fact of the reality of Divine Being. Some of you have been aware of the reality of Divine Being in me, and you have responded to it. I rejoice. But what is real response to God? What happens when there is real response to God?

The individual who responds, him- or herself, gives expression to Divine Being. That is the evidence of response. Encouragement has been given to the spoken word or the written word of response, and there has been response which was an expression of thankfulness and perhaps a recapitulation of some of the things that I had said; but the real response is the expression of Divine Being through the individual, something which has never been expressed before. It will not be unrelated to the particular pattern in which the expression appears; for instance, in a comment period after a service. We might say that kindergarten response is one thing, where there is simply an expression of appreciation. It is all right as far as it goes; but until it reaches a point where there begins to be something coming forth through the individual that is the expression of Divine Being for that person, there is not yet any evidence of a maturing response. Here is the evidence of response. This is response—the expression of Divine Being made manifest. It is this for which I look. Perhaps there has been the development of this in relationship to some of you. It has appeared in some measure. But it is this expression as it appears, when it appears within the scope of our unified Body, that causes this Ministry to be unique.

There have been spiritual leaders all down through the ages. There has been a Supreme Point always on earth somewhere, but there have been others as well. There has been response to those spiritual leaders by human beings, but the response virtually has never gone beyond the kindergarten stage; for true response causes those who respond to share in giving expression to the Divine Being which is focalized through the spiritual leader. In virtually every case, if you look back over the record, the spiritual leader has stood alone. There have been those who had a devoted response, we might say, in certain points toward that spiritual leader, but it never caused them to begin to participate, to become a part of that which the spiritual leader was expressing, and consequently afterwards, after the spiritual leader was gone, nobody really knew what it was that he had brought into the world. We have that clearly revealed in relationship to what is called Christianity—scarcely anyone has the faintest idea of what it was our Master brought into the world. They have developed a whole host of beliefs and concepts and ideas, but none of them the reality, because nobody shared in it in fact.

There will be something original, something which has never appeared on earth before, the very moment that there is the development of a Body of human beings who are actually sharing in the expression of Divine Being that is focalized in the spiritual leader. But it means precious little as long as it just remains there. It only means something when it begins to permeate the Whole Body, so that that which is expressed through the individual members of the Body is the expression of Divine Being. It is not just response, or what is supposed to be response, which centers in a sort of adulation of the spiritual leader. The true response is revealed, the evidence appears, in the expression of Divine Being through the individual who is responding. If it does not appear in that, there is no real response. As you begin to find an awareness of Divine Being in relationship to yourselves and your fellows, then there is the beginning of the evidence of response: the expression of Divine Being through you. And this will be unique, absolutely unique.

We have had the privilege of associating for a little while with a spiritual leader [Swami Premananda] who is expressing something of Divine Being, traveling around the world, offering something to many people. There are many who respond to him in the sense of appreciating what he says, most of them without understanding what it is. They feel something, it feels good for the moment; but what is needed in the world is a pattern in which those who respond share in the expression that is made manifest in its focalized essences at the point of the leadership. There must be that point. There has been such a point constantly, all down through the ages. It is not that that is really unique in our ministry. Perhaps the recognition of it is something. But the sharing of it!—that is the unique thing.

Richard was mentioning the other day, some lady who was a secretary of Gandhi, and she is involved in some movement in relationship to this nonviolent program, which is another form of conflict. The subject was brought up with Premananda, and he was very quick to indicate that this was not at all what Gandhi was offering. In other words those who were followers of Gandhi have virtually all of them failed to comprehend what it was that he brought. They were not really sharing in it at all. Just the same thing as happened when our Master was on earth; the disciples had no faintest idea. Do you, in this Ministry?

It is in the measure that you do know something, share something, participate in something, experience oneness with something, that there is the unique provision on earth of that which makes possible salvation. It has never been on earth yet. If it had, the world would not be the way it is. No religion has provided it—the way human beings have functioned in relationship to their religions, at least. The truth has been brought over and over again and offered, and there have been those who have felt that the spiritual leader was wonderful, but they never reached the point of sharing what was being expressed. Only as that point is reached does this Ministry, or any other ministry, have any meaning. Of course, the spiritual leader must be a spiritual leader. He must be right. He must be providing an expression of that which is Divine for it to work, but it only begins to work as there are those who share that spirit.

The spirit appears individually through the individual expression, but it is never a violation of that which is focalized at Center. And as there begins to be this sharing, as you begin to know it because you are aware of Divine Being wherever you look, there is something unique on earth, and it is not wonderful just for its uniqueness but by reason of the fact that it provides what is essential to the creative achievement of the Divine purposes, making possible the changing of human beings. This may be shared by all of you and many others, to the glory of God, for you reverence Him and your attitude is one of reverence as you live and serve.

© Emissaries of Divine Light

Karma Of The World Body

Karma  Of  The  World  Body

from  Dealing With Facts Without Judgment

Martin Cecil   January 13, 1980  a.m.

Whenever I come before those who are assembled in the Chapel here at 100 Mile House, or elsewhere, I am always faced with a question as to what it is that should be offered in the name of the Lord, for the purposes of God, during the hour that is to ensue. The choice, however, is not entirely my own. I always have a question to ask, too: What will those who are present be willing to let be offered? I am faced with a question; you are faced with a question. These questions may be answered as they are allowed to blend together, so that there is a clear facility present for the Lord to give what is right and fitting and necessary in the particular hour.

We are here this morning with these questions as yet unanswered. From my standpoint it is mostly a matter of finding a starting point. Obviously none of us can know ahead of time all that properly should take form in the hour. If we did I suppose it would be unnecessary for us to be here. We are here to find out. What is forthcoming at the hand of the Lord must necessarily be accepted willingly. None of us are here to determine what it is that should take form. We discover what it is as it does so, but it can only do so in an effective manner if we provide what is necessary to let it happen. If we have any restrictions, any particular wants, then immediately what would naturally come forth is frustrated in some measure.

What comes forth has to come forth either through an open door or seek to emerge around the various blockages that are present. When there is an open door everything is very easy, and incidentally very enjoyable, and in fact we are not bored; but if there is too much necessity for circumnavigating the icebergs and the shoals, then it may become a little bit tedious. But even that tedium must necessarily be accepted, because we are concerned to let come forth what may; no arbitrary imposition is going to be made. So collectively we establish the limits of what may occur. We are all responsible in this regard, so it behooves us to be present with one accord in one place, letting the door be opened wide.

All this pertains to our particular responsibility here in the Chapel, but at the same time we need to recognize that there is more going on on earth than what is occurring here in the Chapel. What is forthcoming, if we act as we should, will also be conditioned by the necessities on the wider scene. Consequently we must not only bear with the particular quality of the outpouring of the spirit that is coming forth through the open door which we provide, but have a keen awareness that it is coming forth for a particular purpose relative to what is present, in the relevant aspects of the world experience as a whole.

I mention these things because we may see how important it is that we should have no strings attached to what it is that is forthcoming in the name of the Lord. Even if it should happen that all of us here allow the door to be fully opened, this is not the only factor within the range of our field of responsibility. Certainly we are not gathered here to benefit ourselves, to have a nice and satisfying experience for an hour. We are here to allow something to find release in expression during this hour which is going to be of value in the hands of the Lord relative to His world as a whole—and who of us is to say what that would be? We don’t really need to know, and we are unlikely to find out during the hour what it is. Even though there may be some awareness of the nature of what takes form, we may not know its ultimate purpose in the specific sense. We are quite willing to trust the Lord in this regard—it’s His business, after all. We play our respective parts; we play our part as a whole, unified group, but what moves beyond is not necessarily seen or known by us. It doesn’t need to be. We are here to do our job and we may trust the Lord to do His.

So, always, at the beginning of a service there is a need to find some sort of starting point, as in some measure we have already done this morning. I may ahead of time have given consideration to some possible starting points, but what will ensue once the starting point is presented and the spirit starts to move remains to be seen. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man.” The human mind likes to have things cut and dried. It feels safer that way; more secure, it thinks. But that’s a sure way to produce boredom. How much more delightful it is to experience freedom, so that whatever may emerge is allowed to do so. It becomes exciting then, an adventure, not a repetition of platitudes.

I would like to consider with you a wider vision, so that we may see more clearly what it is that we need to do in a personal sense. Mankind has inhabited the face of the earth for many millennia. There is of course speculation as to origins, but beyond the period of human history as it is known, human beings, much as they are today, were evidently in existence. We say that civilizations have come and gone. However mankind has remained. Mankind is still alive. There are those who talk about what they call karma, trying to make it fit relative to individual human beings. However, we may see a karma which does fit, relative to mankind as a whole. What has been sown has been reaped during the lifetime of mankind. We don’t need any reincarnation to explain it. There is just one lifetime so far, with respect to mankind, and what is sown collectively is reaped collectively. There have been ups and downs, we might say. Some of the downs have been so deep that they formed a chasm over which human vision, at this present time, doesn’t really reach. There is consequently speculation.

Individually speaking, human beings are a part of this overall body of mankind, which thus far remains living. Individual human beings come and go. There is a tendency to see themselves as isolated entities. In order to make the experience seem somehow meaningful various theories have been introduced in which many people fervently believe. One of them is of course this matter of reincarnation. We might well recall an occasion when sight was restored to a man who was born blind, and there was a certain amount of speculation on the part of the disciples as to why he was born blind in the first place. The human mind has always been interested to try to find out why apparently unjust experiences are known. There is basically a recognition in human consciousness that there must be justice somehow. The recorded words of the Master, in reply to this speculation, were these: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” That certainly, if believed, would shoot down the concept of reincarnation, working out some sort of long-term karma.

This idea of course is convenient because it apparently means that one need not accept immediate responsibility for one’s own experiences. You can blame it on the past, even on one’s own misbehavior in the past. So that looks pretty good to many people. It doesn’t involve blaming anyone else. I don’t think that any of us should anymore be looking for excuses for failing to do what we are perfectly capable of doing now. If we want to consider karma then we can look at the whole human race and see that what is in effect in the world now is not unrelated to what human beings have been doing all down through the ages. But in the personal sense, let us not try to slip out from the acceptance of the reality of our own manhood or womanhood. Let us not whine or complain about what we experience. Much of what we experience we bring upon ourselves. After all, we have been busy sowing seeds of various sorts ever since we have been born, and consequently we reap harvests which are not unrelated to our sowing. It is true that individually we are all part of the body of mankind, and we can’t escape the results of prior action on the part of that body. One of the most futile things to undertake is to complain about it. It won’t make any difference. What we can do is to acknowledge responsibility for ourselves now, and let us do it without judgment.

Judgment probably rises up most quickly when matters of injustice present themselves to us, or what seems to us to be unjust. Then we begin to judge. For instance, there may be those who experience troubles of various sorts that from our viewpoint look to be unfair to those people: it’s not fair to them; at least this could be our human viewpoint; whereas with somebody else who is doing a bit of suffering, we might say, “Well he has it coming to him.” That obviously is judgment, isn’t it? On the one hand we’re saying, “No, that’s unfair over there; that shouldn’t happen. But this here now, this person who is suffering, it’s really justified.” That's judgment! And that is the basis upon which human beings tend to function. Of course these attitudes are taken because of what is known in one’s own personal experience with respect to oneself. Most people do not like to admit that they sowed the seeds which they are now reaping, so it is much more satisfying to claim that one is being treated unfairly.

The point is not as to whether one is being treated fairly or unfairly from the standpoint of the human viewpoint. The point is as to whether one is going to judge in the matter, and whether one is therefore going to be in position or not to handle whatever the situation is correctly. No circumstance can be handled correctly unless there is a correct person on hand to handle it. That’s reasonable, isn’t it? It requires a person who is not judging for one thing, not eating of the forbidden fruit, to handle whatever it is that arises in the circumstances—which includes those within oneself in the human sense—rightly and wisely. This cannot be done if one is judging, if one is saying, “I am being treated unfairly.” That’s not the point at all. It doesn’t matter whether it’s fair or unfair—that’s completely irrelevant! Now that’s a horrible thought, isn’t it? But it is completely irrelevant! The question is, how are you going to handle that circumstance, the factual circumstance, without speculating as to its fairness or unfairness; there is the fact; what are you going to do with that? How are you going to handle it?

In relationship to other people—and the way one handles these things with respect to other people is rather revealing of what’s going on inside oneself of course—if you are saying with respect to someone, probably because you are fond of that person, that he is being unfairly treated and suffering in consequence of that unfair treatment, all you are doing is supporting a state of judgment in yourself. This is the basis on which sympathy is offered, isn’t it? “Oh it is terrible how you are suffering. Isn’t it awful the way other people make you suffer?” Oh the individual is hurting so! Well I trust they hurt some more, so that they wake up finally to the fact that they are responsible for handling that hurt. They are not responsible for judging as to why it is there, and no one else is responsible for judging why it is there. “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents.” We’re not going to place blame anywhere, because that is completely beside the point. Mind you, this attitude occupies human beings everywhere on the face of the earth: “Oh how unfair everything is.” So what? Of course it is. Human beings have been unfair to the Lord, incidentally, for a long, long time. Because of that they suffer, and the suffering emerges through this one and that one in different ways. Is there anyone on hand who is capable of functioning correctly in such a situation? And this is an individual matter. We are beginning to come back from that large picture of immense happenings in the world to our responsibility as individuals relative to those immense happenings, because what we do is important.

The immense happenings in the world come because human beings react to the creative tides of the spirit of God. We are not interested so much in human reaction to the creative tides as we are in the creative tides, to associate ourselves with those tides, so that we are in agreement with them and we are not looking around in the world and saying, “Well it’s unfair the way these tides are working.” It isn't unfair; it’s exactly the way they should be. Surely we’re not going to buck the Law. It’s not going to make any difference to the Law anyway; it’s going to work. Let it work! We may be able to provide a blessing to those who are willing to accept a blessing. We won’t find out whether they are willing to accept a blessing until we provide it. Sometimes there is a little prejudgment in this regard, isn’t there? “Oh I know that person is not going to accept the blessing anyway, so I won’t provide it.” Well it’s up to that person whether he accepts it or not, but it’s up to you whether you provide it or not.

So we are very much concerned with handling factual situations and coming out of the ridiculous imaginations that human beings have, coming out of their imaginary worlds of suffering; and as I have said before, vast numbers of human beings love to suffer. They wouldn’t admit it consciously but the proof of the pudding is in the eating—and they suffer. We all have things to handle in that sense. We’re all part of the body of mankind, which is reaping what it has sown; therefore there are those impacts which come up against us in various ways but which we need not try to explain in personal terms.

There is a great deal of suffering to be done; that’s a foregone conclusion. Do any of you imagine, in this moment, that your suffering is worse than the suffering of anyone else on the face of the earth? That’s obviously ridiculous. It isn’t that human beings are not going to suffer—and, the last word I had, we’re all human beings. So there is a certain amount of suffering to be done, the way things are, in the reaping of what has been sown. Why try to explain it any more than that? Whatever the situation is, is factual. Let us handle the situation from the standpoint of the spiritual tides which are moving in the affairs of men, including our own affairs.

We may have compassion upon others, insofar as their suffering is concerned, and we offer blessing; but the blessing is never to commiserate with people on their suffering, never! “Poor you, you’re being badly done by.” That’s agreeing with the devil. No one is being badly done by. Why are we here on earth? “That the works of God should be made manifest.” Simple. Very simple. The works of God are not made manifest when we agree with the attitude of judgment, the judgment that this suffering should not occur, for instance, as one aspect of it. How do you know? I am sure that many of you have had this awful burden of suffering to carry during the course of your lives, and you didn’t like it when it happened probably, but you have been able to look back on it and maybe you saw that it was the best thing that ever happened to you. So let’s leave it all alone, not try to explain it beyond the fact that the Law works. It works individually, it works collectively, and so there are many facts that are here which need to be handled. Who is going to handle them? Not the one who is judging and accusing and condemning and deciding what the sentence should be upon somebody else, but the one who is concerned simply that the spiritual tides of Being should be made manifest in his own attitude and his own way of handling things, even to the extent of handling his own suffering.

So many people just give up when there is a little suffering on hand. We may think of this even in terms of physical suffering. Mind you, you can’t separate physical suffering from mental suffering and emotional suffering. A lot of physical suffering occurs by reason of the wrong function mentally and emotionally. Then the individual has something to show to the world: “Look what’s wrong with me; I can show you; therefore I’m suffering,” as though that was the origination of suffering. It isn’t—it’s just a peripheral effect of something else, something that’s not so apt to be brought to the surface and displayed before other people.

The question always arises as to what you do when you get sick, physically speaking. Here is a very simple situation. We say everybody gets sick, after all. Why? Is there any such necessity? Virtually all sickness is self-induced. We originate our own sicknesses—it’s not unfair—and we need to handle them, because if we don’t we'll keep on originating our sicknesses. What do you do when you get sick? Do you surrender your position of spiritual responsibility, saying to yourself, “Well I can’t be expected to handle that, because I’m so sick. When the sickness goes away I’ll pick up my responsibilities again”? Do you think we would have had any ministry now if I had taken that attitude? We can’t break the tide that is moving through us and is our responsibility to allow to take form in expression, and then pick it up again as though nothing had happened. Something has happened; something has been dissipated, it’s lost. You can’t get it back.

Did you ever hear of the first flush of feeling, the importance of that? That subject was introduced maybe forty years ago, but who has taken responsibility for that first flush of feeling? “Well it will be better next time; I’m making progress; it will be right one day.” Do you think so? Never, never on that basis. It’s now or never! There’s a saying that human beings utter from time to time, “Now or never.” Well it is, in this field, now or never. And if we get sick we still have our spiritual responsibility and the physical symptoms are entirely to one side. I see so many people sinking down supinely under their physical symptoms: “Oh, I can’t help it, I’m sick." That’s like saying, “I can’t help it, I’m human.” Just carrying that a little further you can say, “I can’t help it, I’m dead.”

Regardless of what’s happening in ourselves or anyone else, we stay where we belong. Then we are in position to let whatever happens be to the glory of God, because there is someone there to handle it as it should be handled. One of the first places where anyone needs to handle it is in relationship to his own experience, and that relates very particularly to this business of being sick. We can all be sick, but regardless of all that, we can still be in position and do what we are supposed to be doing. Does that mean that you could never rightly retire to bed? Well it might mean that you never rightly retire to bed as often as you do, but one can handle what needs to be handled even if one is in bed.

Let us assume our responsibilities spiritually, so that we move with the tides that are moving and we are not supporting other people who are complaining about the tides and the effect that they are having in their own experience. Rejoice! That's what should be happening. Thank God that it is so, so that we may keep moving with the tides of the spirit and not keep moving with the reactions of human beings. Let this be clear in our experience, and the creative power of God can work. Let us live, handling our factual experiences without indulging in vain and evil imagination which is based in judgment, usually of what is supposed to be fair or unfair. We need to reach a point where we can say, “Who cares?” The question is whether you are a man or woman enough to handle what is happening, and if we see this happening with respect to somebody else, well what’s our attitude toward them? “You need to handle this in the right way,” not “It’s too bad. If so-and-so had behaved in some other way you wouldn’t be suffering so.” How do you know? We claim our own suffering. We sometimes think of ourselves as being important because we have suffered so much. That’s not where the importance lies. The importance lies in how we handled such suffering as we may have had, and usually it wasn’t near as much as we make it out to be. 

So, let us praise the Lord for the privilege of accepting responsibility, individually speaking, in our worlds with respect to ourselves and with respect to others. We don’t support the nonsensical human attitudes that are taken. We need to see the truth, and because we lay it on the line with respect to ourselves we begin to lay it on the line with respect to others. A lot of nonsense could clear up in short order on that basis. Praise the Lord!

© emissaries of divine light