Spirit and Antispirit

Spirit  and  Antispirit

Martin Cecil and Hugh Malafry   May 11, 1986

Hugh Malafry — “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”—the Word in essence spoken to the city of man, with all its convoluted ways, its twisted patterns, its obscure, entangled motivations and its abominable purposelessness. It occurs to me how, when the Word has found a place at one point in the consciousness of mankind, in essence at that point it is done in heaven. Now there may be various cycles working out to let that be the fact in the earth, but the consciousness of mankind is no longer as it was—by reason of the presence of one point. That point, we know, is now being magnified, that the whole earth might become a city of habitation. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Is this not the gospel of the kingdom to the city of man: this gospel of the kingdom, that the kingdom of heaven is at hand?

We look out on the world, and in addition to the reflection of ourselves that is there, we see through that perhaps somewhat still misty and smoky lens of our own perceptions a state of affairs which is apparently far more reactive than responsive to the expression of the Word. We see cycles set in motion and what often appears to be reaction to those cycles occurring in the earth—just the opposite, sometimes, to what one would suppose should emerge—emerging in the city of man, because there is reaction to the expression of the Word. When one deals with the city of man it’s wise to be diplomatic. Going out and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” takes many forms. It is said that diplomacy is “the art of letting others have your own way”! I think, with slight modification, there is a certain truth in that; certainly divine diplomacy is the art of letting man see that he must have God’s way in his expression, or have nothing.

“The kingdom of heaven is at hand” brings to my thoughts another promise, to the effect that “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” When one hears these words one is perhaps inclined to feel, if one feels that there has been some experience of what it means to be chosen, that this is a pretty good break: God is on our side, or we are supporting His expression and therefore things will work out rather well; the tribulation will not be what it could be, for the elect’s sake. But can we see these words as meaning, fundamentally, that because there are those who are willing to provide the point of focus with the point of focus, the days are indeed shortened, so that there might be some flesh saved, so that there might be some space in the city of man to allow a pattern of response to emerge, rather than persistent reaction to the expression of the Word.

We see, too, that things are heating up, that when the Word is spoken things move much more quickly than they seemed to do in the past, that the lag in the cycle is not what it was. In times past, things could be set in motion and maybe years down the road, looking out in the world, we’d say, for example, “Hey, things are beginning to show up! People are into natural foods and sprouts—we were first!” A superficial aspect, perhaps. But there has been this tremendous lag in the cycle. But now the days are shortened. The city of man is certainly deteriorating, and the city of habitation, the consciousness, the place of consciousness for the expression of the one life, is becoming increasingly distinct.

Thinking about this, I wonder if this is not so much a reflection of the increased response of mankind to the expression of the Word (and there needs to be that), as a reflection of the fact that the gap between the expression of the Word and the sustaining of that in the life processes of this Body has diminished. Is that not in fact the way the days are shortened, because there is no gap, no arbitrary division between the creative Word at its point of origin and its natural amplification through us? No reaction to radiation, perhaps no response even—just unified expression. And if that gap ceases to exist, does that not then bring together the patterns in which human beings move with the cycles of life which move in this Body of the Spirit of the Living God, so that there is one-to-one correlation. We can have our hand on these things, directly. I think it is important that we include the world in our consciousness, see things for what they are, let our touch be upon it. But the deepest service in this regard is in fact within the mechanism of this Body itself, not in self-centered and selfish terms, not in self-indulgent terms, but in realizing that what we do within the Body of the Living God, that is done in the earth. Once it is established in the heaven it must follow through in the earth—it must! That is the law, that is the law of creation: as the heaven, so the earth.

If we look out in the world these days we see many points of focus emerging, people who are in essence representative of their cultures. Shall they move in the old, habitual cycles of their cultures, doing the same thing all over again, or is there a guiding touch which is intimately at point with respect to those patterns? Very often such ones as they emerge become the focus of troubled feeling. We have the mechanism within this Body to be sure that all those who hear the word, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”—whether it be unconscious to them now or whether it begin to glimmer at the surface of consciousness—we have the mechanism to be sure that these processes which are emerging the world around are brought into oneness with the life processes of this Body in such a way that what needs to fall away can fall away and that which needs to be brought into this Body can be brought into this Body.

In essence it is our absolute focus in the One. As that One is absolutely protected—absolutely—here is the mechanism by which all those who serve in whatever way, wherever, find drawn about them the right patterns of association, the right pattern of protection. This is heavenly magic! We don’t need to go “lo here and lo there”—unless the spirit of the Lord carries you off into the wilderness for whatever reason and puts you there, making right use of the substance and situation—but here and now it is all represented. This gospel of the kingdom—“the kingdom of heaven is at hand”—shall be preached in all the earth, and then shall the end come. And the gospel of the kingdom is this: that heaven and earth are one, and that what we do together in the heaven must surely be done in earth to the glory of God.

Lord Exeter — Does anything else need to be said? It becomes increasingly apparent as to what we are here to do, no longer to be fussing about our personal confusions and disturbances of mind and heart, or aches and pains of body. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Most people seem disinclined to repent but think it more useful, in a self-centered way, to seek out someone who can, hopefully, dispel the ache and the pain. Repent! Stop pouring life force into your aches and pains, stop pouring life force into confusions and disturbances; repent from doing this, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We have had long opportunity to participate in this process of repentance, so that the kingdom of heaven might become the city of habitation and the King be present in His kingdom, to do what He wishes to do.

Those who have some view with respect to the King I'm sure would be inclined to say, "Well I'm sure that what He would wish to do is what should be done." So that's settled! But I wonder how many of us here present this evening, or beyond the few of us, really consider what the vision, the attitude, the outlook, of the King really is, so that we might associate ourselves with that? I don't think His intent would be to fuss with aches and pains, confusions and disturbances. He is not interested, as we well know, in condemning anyone. There is this lingering attitude present in human beings in general that God is dealing out punishment. We have divine terms here, a recognition of love, understanding, and a door opened in heaven. There is no intent on the part of the Lord to mete out punishment to anyone. I think if we consider His attitude we would find that He is quite aware that human beings mete out sufficient punishment upon themselves, without Him interfering in the matter!

But, really, what would His outlook be? What is His vision of what is occurring in the world? Do we really know what that is or, knowing, share it? Or do we have our own little view, which, as I say, tends to be short-circuited when we start to fuss about all these aches and pains, confusions and disturbances? Certainly He is not interested in all that. The suggestion He would make with respect to it is, "Leave it alone; let it pass away; don't insist that it should be given more and more and more life force." The kingdom of heaven is at hand. There is no need for all of that.

The whole kit and caboodle of divine design is available to be given form and expression in the natural pulsations of spirit, when there are hearts and minds that are open to let this happen. When they are open in that way and there begins to be the movement of the creative cycle within one's own experience, it will have an effect. That is why it is important not to judge that effect. It may even engender a few aches and pains. There may be some increase in confusion and disturbance, because, after all, there are those things of human nature present which need to pass away; something is being stirred up: "Oh Lord, save me from this hell!" But it is really heaven in the process of coming. Judge not. Let the accuser be cast down out of the heaven which he has occupied in human experience for so long. As I recall in the illustration in the Book of Revelation with respect to this, he raised particular hell in the earth after he was cast down. Well isn't that nice? Aches, pains, confusion, disturbance—part of the natural process by which the heaven may finally be reflected accurately in the earth. Obviously it can't be reflected accurately the way things are now.

The King has been rejected; that is what caused the fall in the first place. How could there possibly be restoration without the acceptance of the King? The kingdom of heaven is at hand—but, we are discovering, a lot closer at hand than perhaps in times past we thought it was. Of course for most it looks more like doomsday which is at hand: things are closing up and disintegrating all over. "Poor us; we're not going to be able to enjoy ourselves the way we used to." It obviously is a dilemma, which is so easily dissipated once there is acceptance into one's own experience of the focus point of spirit, the spirit of the King, which then immediately proclaims in one's own consciousness that the kingdom of heaven is not only at hand but is right here. Then of course the accuser comes along and begins to whisper and say, "Well if it's right here, why isn't it more evident in your circumstances?" Give it a chance!

As has been indicated, the days are shortened and there is less of a lag between the heavenly impulse and the effect of it in the circumstances and in human experience round about. Of course this intensifies things, hots things up, which makes it even more uncomfortable for human nature; but at last it is recognized that what feels uncomfortable should feel uncomfortable, and it is splendid that it does. One need no longer be identified with the discomforts of human nature, and by the same token we are not interested in trying to make human nature comfortable—our own or anyone else's. It must come to this point. There has been a tendency to tolerate human nature in others for the simple reason that one is tolerating it in oneself. Until you bring it to point in yourself you're not going to bring it to point in anyone else.

But the days are shortened for the continued existence of human nature. And where should those days be shortened first? The greater intensity should be welcomed, because it is that that shortens the days: the burning up of the human nature in one's own experience. The days are shortened, and as we have this viewpoint of the necessity of receiving the kingdom—which cannot be done without the disposition of human nature—then we are anxious for human nature to dissolve. And we begin to become aware of the King's viewpoint: let human nature pass away. But this requires that there be an acceptance of the King and His spirit into one's own experience and expression.

This is done individually speaking—but then it comes to the body and we become aware of what needs to happen in the body and we become aware of our own responsibility, as individuals, for the dissipation of human nature in the body. We do not align ourselves with the accuser. The only way that one can be a part of the process by which this dissipation occurs is to recognize that, largely, what is seen in others is this reflection of what is still present in oneself but which one has not yet admitted to oneself. You don't judge what you think is occurring in anybody else, because you don't really know what it is. One comes to the point where there is a recognition that all that is required is that there should be a clarification in oneself relative to the whole body. The clarification in oneself clarifies it for the whole body.

So we let it clear in the body, and the body becomes a fit place for the King. And the King comes into the body, and He is not interested in fussing with the aches and the pains in the body, or with the confusion and disturbance in the body. All He is interested in doing is what He is incarnate in this body to do. So there begins to be an alignment of thought, of feeling, of awareness with respect to what it is that is happening in the creative field of the King. And that is what is of sole concern—not "How's this going to affect me? What's going to happen to me? Well who are you? Are you the human nature person who is not being turned over to the King at all? Or are you the one whose identity is in the King? This is my body, and I am here on earth in this body not to condemn the world, not to accuse the world of anything, but to offer salvation. The offering of salvation requires the dissolution of human nature, and it requires the dissolution of the invisible focus of human nature, which has been manipulating human beings ever since the fall.

What you consider to be right and good will have been built into your subconscious mind coming out of your hereditary past since the fall. So all that has no further meaning insofar as we are concerned, does it? All we are concerned to do is to represent, be, the King in expression because He has a body through which to express Himself. And we compose that body; we can't get away from the King, then. There is no sense of separation; it is all one thing. And, individually speaking, we find that we think the King's thoughts, we move in the King's ways. We don't have any personal, human nature thoughts or ways of our own anymore. That would be considered, from the human nature standpoint, some sort of absolute dictatorship.

But, you know, from the human nature standpoint, from the standpoint of the invisible focus of that human nature, there is the intent to establish a state of affairs which is an absolute dictatorship. We hear about people's desire for peace and the disposition of all nuclear weapons, all good causes. Who could be against it? Yet these causes are fundamentally the devil's causes, because the intent is that it should all lead to what has been called world government. Here is an attempt to duplicate what is the fact with respect to the kingdom of heaven, but to do it without the King, to establish something that would be world government. Of course when people think of world government they think of it in terms of their own structures of consciousness. The kingdom isn't a democracy; human beings don't know what it is. There might be the inclination to say, "Well the King rules; therefore it's a dictatorship." Therefore there is an attempt here to bring in world government.

Well, of course the world should be governed, governed as a part of a universal government, whatever that is. It can't really be taken out of that, which is what this particular invisible focus of human nature is attempting to do, so that there is a background influence constantly, to maneuver things through well-meaning people so as to lead everybody to the logical conclusion that the only way we can have peace is to have a world government. But then who is going to govern? Who is going to govern? Of course, if there is a recognition that there is an invisible focus insofar as human nature is concerned, then there is the point from which this government would spring. And that could be interpreted as dictatorial, because it would appear through somebody, or some group of people. That invisible focus might be called the antispirit. We are concerned with spirit proceeding out of heaven, participating in the expression of that spirit so that the earth may reflect it. And in a sense I suppose you could say that's world government; that's the way things actually work. But it's a very different thing to the emergence of what comes to focus in antispirit, in the absence of the spirit of God—that is what the antispirit means. And what comes into expression on that basis is human nature, and human nature is always tying itself up in knots.

Well we're not interested in what is happening in that regard, although we need to be alert with respect to these various movements and causes that are present on earth, and which seem on the surface to be so good, so necessary in case the whole human race should perish: "We must have world government!" If that threat is present and sustained and big enough, then it seems only logical, "Let's rush in and have world government"—world government by antispirit, the invisible focus of human nature. The control is exerted through human nature. It already is, of course, but there is a gathering of things together so that finally there may possibly be a dragon with only one head. The dragon is there already. At the moment it has quite a number of heads, which appear to be in conflict with each other; but back of the heads there is the rest of the dragon. But it's just one dragon. Finally it might work out that all the heads destroy each other but one.

I'm thinking of that in terms of form, but it is all happening because of something which is quite invisible. This is why people who have been looking so desperately to find the evil genius who is making things go wrong on earth have never really come up with an answer. They find someone occasionally—ah, off with his head! But everything is the same as it was before. There is no shortage of human nature on earth! There are plenty of candidates to be moved by this invisible focus, and as long as the attention is paid to form—this form, that form, the other form; this person, the other person; this nation, the other nation—this is distraction from what is actually happening. People with the best of intentions go along with these movements and causes, imagining that somehow or other they are going to achieve some great thing, when those forms are not what they seem to be, because of human nature. It doesn't matter what anyone does, how they organize, how good their intentions are, it's all human nature, and human nature is governed invisibly; there is an invisible focus to do it.

I have never emphasized this point particularly, because one needs to reach a point when one has an awareness of the invisible focus of spirit coming down from God out of heaven in one's own experience, in order to understand what it is in the reverse direction. But there is a reverse direction, obviously so; the fall took place, and human beings are governed by human nature. Until one has an awareness of what the situation is from within oneself, one is in no position to deal with what needs to be dealt with in the larger picture, which is the King's purpose through His body on earth: To do just that, deal with it.

Well, obviously you're not going to deal with this rather immense pattern of human nature, and the antispirit which focalizes it, by soft and peaceable words. There is going to be the necessity for meeting the situation, but not on a crusade basis: "Ah, now we see the antichrist! Let's get on our white horses, with swords drawn, and off with his head!" Well, one can do that; a lot of people have tried that, but he always grew another one. No, it's not the form, because that is merely a reflection of what is in the heaven of that form, and that is an invisible focus. But we need to begin to become conscious that our mandate—shall we put it that way?—is immense, compared to the stupid little things with which as individuals we become involved, and as a grouping we become involved.

Finally we begin to look out with the eyes of the King, with the understanding of the King, with the strength of the King, with the authority of the King. Then all these other things simply are nonexistent anymore as influences, insofar as our vision and outlook and action are concerned. They may be present for a while. I know I personally am not free from aches and pains. I'm not so confused as I used to be! or so disturbed, because there is more space for the focus of invisible spirit coming down from God out of heaven. It is merely something that happens when there is space for it to happen. It is available to anyone, and we find that it comes in a certain way: We move in the way of the Lord; we think the thoughts of the Lord; we share in the expression that is natural on that basis. And consequently we are able to begin to bring into conscious awareness something of the immensity of the job that has to be done—immensity, I suppose, really from the view of the human mind, because it is not immense at all from the view of the spirit of God. It's a very little thing in the total universe, obviously, so there is no problem. But it transcends any view that we have had in the human nature sense. All those things are so utterly petty and meaningless once we begin to associate ourselves with what it is that is really to be done in the fulfilment of the purposes of the King on earth.

© emissaries of divine light

First Of All We Must Have A Man

First  Of  All  We  Must  Have  A  Man

from  Divine Manhood and Womanhood

Martin Cecil   March 9, 1958

How patient the Lord is! We have remarked on this divine quality many times before. The Lord's patience with the children of men is indeed a marvelous thing. We have seen something of the patience of the Lord as He has builded within the scope of recorded history those structures through which it was His intention to achieve the divine purposes. He builds patiently, carefully, knowing the design, understanding the purpose. And how consistently human beings have wrecked that which the Lord began to build! Some of the destructiveness did not entirely eliminate the opportunity that was offered and it was possible to repair the damage and continue in the cycle, but thus far there has always come a time when the destruction was so complete that the Lord was under the necessity of saying, “That is that! It will not work out that way anymore.” And then He proceeded to work it out, or to make possible an outworking, in another way. We see this in the large patterns of opportunity that He has offered to the children of men which we find recorded in the Old and the New Testaments. But consider the millions and billions of individual human beings who have been builded on earth.

We have taken note of the marvelous mechanism of the physical body of man, the intricacy of its operation, the perfect provision that has been made for the maintenance and balance as it allows the expression of life to manifest in form on earth; and the building of a human mind to the point where it is capable of logical thought, of following out in a pattern of reason, of acquiring essential knowledge for the discharge of responsibility in life. And the heart, the emotional realm of man, though it has been such a limited and distorted thing in fallen man, yet what a marvelous capacity! How flat and meaningless life would be—even more meaningless than human beings have found it—if there were not that capacity to feel, to appreciate, to enjoy, to experience satisfaction. Every human being who has been born into the world has had these capacities in varying degrees, carefully developed and builded during the course of that individual lifetime. And though the Lord has made these miracles possible, He has had to watch human beings throwing away their opportunities, failing utterly to comprehend or to do anything to fulfil the true purpose for which He created them. Generation after generation, the world around, human beings have been born. Their bodies and minds and hearts have been builded; they have lived out a little life span—to what end? From the standpoint of the Lord, what was achieved? In virtually every case, practically nothing—the gift of life wasted; all the Lord's care and provision for the development of that marvelous mechanism by which He might express Himself on earth has gone for nothing. What infinite patience! What faith He has had in the children of men, that there would be those sometime, sooner or later, in sufficient number, who would let this tremendous provision which the Lord has made in relationship to each one come to fruition, be used for the purpose for which it was created. And yet He has had to watch generation after generation simply passing away with nothing to show for it. Patience. Faith. How wonderful is the Lord's patience and His faith!

We might consider that there are those, or have been over the ages, who have in some measure—some more, some less—allowed this mechanism to come to the point of being really useful to the Lord. We have the record of many, particularly in the Old Testament, who did permit the marvelous provision of the Lord in relationship to themselves to have some meaning. A few allowed it to have great meaning. Then our Master came into the world, carefully building an instrument for His use on earth—a physical body with the capacities of mind and heart, growing and maturing, being trained, brought into position to allow that wonderful expression of divine being to be offered to the children of men. The instrument in His case was perfect for the needs of that time, capable of functioning in the fulness of the wisdom of the LORD of Lords, capable of doing the work, capable of being used under absolute control. What a marvelous thing—something that in the same degree had been virtually unknown in the world since man fell, or shortly thereafter. This instrument was developed and brought to this point of capability and capacity, a marvelous thing, so that the ministry of our Lord and King might begin to appear on earth. And human beings undertook to destroy it out of hand, at least they destroyed it insofar as they themselves were concerned. Obliterated it—something that the Lord had so carefully builded! It had only taken Him thirty years. And after three more years it was gone, lost to the world. No wonder there was darkness on that fateful day when our Master hung upon the cross.

And yet how patient He has been. How many millions and billions of human beings have lived on earth since that time, bodies and minds and hearts carefully builded, provided with every opportunity, brought to the point where they might be, if they would be, trained to be the divine instrument on earth. But how many have been willing to let it be so? Very, very few. And in our own lifetime we can remember one man whose body and mind and heart were trained and developed to the point where they might be a true instrument for the expression of the Spirit of Truth on earth, and then, in a moment, it was gone! In his case, forty-seven years on earth, a very brief span, but even so, fourteen years longer than our Master was here in the world. That instrument through which the Spirit of Truth might express was builded with care, the facilities, the capacities, were developed with care, trained, brought to that pitch of perfection which allowed the expression of the Spirit of Truth on earth. And then, no more.

The Lord has builded in relationship to each one of you, carefully, providing every means and opportunity for the development of your capacities, your abilities, so that you might become instruments in His hands for the fulfilment of those purposes for which He created you. How much has He been able to achieve in that regard up to this point? We know His patience; we have all experienced it. How perfect is the instrument at this point? How long do we have to allow Him to complete it into what it should and can easily be?

It is usual in the world of men to consider the next generation. Human beings think to achieve so much so that their children can go on from there, but if the divine purposes are to find fulfilment on earth it must come in one generation. The question is: Are those who are charged with that responsibility, all things else being equal, going to live long enough to let it be? It is indicated that man, under the conditions of the world as it now is, should live threescore years and ten, or thereabouts. You know, in the divine state it took threescore years and ten, approximately, for divine man, divine men and women, to come to the point of being adequately mature to begin to undertake their life work. Just about at the time that the Lord might have developed an instrument to the required pitch, in this day and age, it is liable to become so decrepit that it is no more use. We cannot wait and let the job be done at one and the same time.

The Lord seeks to build the essential instrument on earth. We have examples of what happens when the outworking is left to future generations. It is not a very victorious picture. Little distortions, little deviations, become greater and greater, and soon any resemblance to the original is virtually nonexistent. Not too many of those who call themselves Christians would be willing to acknowledge that in relationship to Christianity, but by and large it is true. It has scarcely any resemblance to that which our Master brought into the world; it is unrecognizable except for those who have a measure of spiritual vision, and then, to understand, they do not need to look at Christianity, as it is called in the world; the understanding does not come by looking at it. It is those who have the present opportunity, who are associated with the original, who may do the job. It is possible that if they do not do the job their children may; it is possible.

But we have an outstanding example of failure in the experience of the children of Israel—we have considered that point many times—when they had the opportunity to move on through into the promised land. They had come out of Egypt, they had spent a little time in the wilderness—not very long—and the opportunity was presented to them to move on through into the promised land. Certain ones of them looked the situation over and decided that the giants were too big, that while it was a fine land, flowing with milk and honey, it was really too much of a job to go on in, and their counsel prevailed. And so the children of Israel did not go on in in the way which the Lord had opened before them. We can perhaps speculate as to what might have happened if they had gone on through. The task at that time would have been easy, far easier than it was later, and the precedent of failure would not have been established, which later, if the victory was ever to be known, had to be overcome. The outworking in the promised land itself would of course have been much more rapid, because there would have been proof that the children of Israel were letting the Lord direct and control in the outworking of that which He Himself had established. But no, they would not let it be that way. And they had to stay in the wilderness until that generation had died, that the next generation might have the chance. Well, as we know, in the ultimate outworking it failed. That first generation could have gone on through if they had been willing to do so.

For us this also is true, and it seems to me that there is more indication, which we can perceive on a reasonable basis, that those of us who participate in this opportunity had better go on through, for the next generation may not have the chance. We would that those who are of the next generation should share the fulfilment with us, but let us not imagine that we can leave it to them. It is our responsibility; it is our opportunity; and the Lord has builded carefully, in spite of failures along the way, and brought this present cycle to this time. Let us not try His patience any further, so that we may, by our own choice and action, let Him complete the instrument that is needed both with respect to each one as an individual and with respect to all together. He is capable of doing it; there has never been any question with regard to that. But are you, and other responding ones who share this opportunity, going to take advantage of it so that you may let the job be done in you? Our Master let it be done in Him, through His body and mind and heart when He was on earth, in thirty years. Most of you are older than that; some of you may be younger. Those who are younger do not need to wait. Those who are older have obviously been waiting too long.

Yesterday evening I spoke of the confidence which the Lord has had in you, and I suggested to you that there is no valid reason why you should not share His confidence, so that you are confident in that which God has established in you. Human beings feel inadequate, imperfect, sometimes wicked. They feel that they have limitations, and the devil does all in his power, either through the individual's own mind or through somebody else, to convince human beings that that is all they are—inadequate, limited, sinful, wretched, miserable, poor, hopeless and helpless. Most human beings feel that way underneath, and so when someone comes along and says, “That's the way you are,” the individual says, “Yes, that is the way I feel. He must be right.” The devil was a liar from the beginning. The Lord has confidence in you, otherwise you would not be here on earth. And if He has confidence in you it should be safe to acknowledge that He is right, and that no matter what you feel, no matter what anyone says, no matter what your experience may be, the devil is a liar. As long as you can be convinced of sin you are under the thumb of the devil. When you recognize that truth, you can see what controls in the world of Christianity. It is not God, is it? It is not the Lord. It is not that in which the Lord has confidence that controls. There are many wrong things in the world, probably still many wrong things in you. The Lord has no confidence in wrong things. But there is that in you in which He has confidence and in which you may have confidence. Trust that and do not let all these supposed limitations cause you to distrust it. Because you happen to feel this way and that way, because on the basis of your experience you have had this failure and that failure, do not take the attitude that you cannot have confidence in that in you in which the Lord has confidence.

You know, females in the world tend to have a certain attitude toward their menfolk. Because they feel insecure, uncertain of themselves, because they know they are not what they ought to be, and because they realize, subconsciously at least, that they need a point somewhere upon which they can depend, they are inclined to attempt, in relationship to their menfolk, to test them, to try to tear down, to destroy, in order to find out if there is anything there that is dependable. It is a backhanded way of doing it. That does not excuse men from being so weak and letting themselves be so convinced. What is needed is to find women who will not be so concerned with weakness but will begin to consider that point of strength, that point in which the Lord has confidence, in her man; to encourage that, to support that, to give her response to that, and to refuse to do what she has been inclined to do in the past—insist upon all the weaknesses.

How does this pattern work out? First of all we must have a man somewhere. Women are not going to do it just on their own hook. They never have thus far, and from my standpoint at least, I see no possibilities that they ever will. There needs to be a man—at least one man—to initiate the cycle. And then there must be one or more women who respond and begin to give support, begin to let themselves be changed in basic attitudes so that they do give support and backing and response to that point of strength. Then there begins to be something by means of which there may be the initiation of a creative cycle, so that the influence may begin to extend beyond, and other men and women may come, the men not imagining that they are perfect all at once and the women not insisting that they should be all at once. But it is on the basis of the attitude of the female to the male, of the woman to the man, that the reality of divine womanhood may appear. There is no such thing as a divine woman until she has found her correct attitude toward divine man. She cannot do it on her own.

You may recall the story of the creation, of man in the beginning, which indicated that Adam was created first and that Eve was taken out of Adam. In other words her being is absolutely dependent upon her relationship to man. She cannot be a divine woman, she cannot be what she was created to be, without her man, or without the reality of divine manhood. I am not speaking of it necessarily from the individual standpoint. We have husbands and wives, and they have something to learn. But we do have a pattern in which there are men and women, and it is something that should manifest on the right basis from the collective standpoint of men and women. The men cannot make the women over. Don't let them try it! They are responsible for being men, and when they are men, those who are willing to be true women will appear. A man who is really a man does not want anything else; he does not want the imitation; he simply is not interested. It must come on the right basis. It is needful, then, that men should be concerned about being men. Never mind about the women; just be concerned about being a man. And the women should be concerned about being women. Never mind about trying to make the men over; that is not required. But to be women they must recognize the necessity of their right relationship to the men. They cannot be women without it. If we eliminated all the men from the face of the earth—oh my!—we certainly would not have any true women. That should be obvious enough.

So the women need to recognize that point of strength, that point in the men in which the Lord has confidence, and begin to respond to that and support that, to give themselves to that in response. This is the basis, in this particular pattern, for true spiritual intimacy of which I spoke before. As long as women persist in their attitudes of tearing down and destroying they will never find that for which they are looking, and they reveal in that attitude the attitude of the whole of mankind toward God.

Human beings sought to destroy the Lord when He came, to tear Him down, to eliminate Him, imagining that if He was the Lord, well that would be impossible; so if He stood they could say, “Well that is fine! Here's the Lord; we will believe on Him now.” So has it ever been since man first fell, and so has it ever been in relationship to women with men—the same pattern. Let us let it be changed. Let us, as men, be concerned about being men, true men, having confidence in that in which God has confidence; and as women, let there be concern about being true women and finding the correct attitude toward men. As long as the old world attitudes are persisted in there can never be fulfilment; we can never do the job; we can never let that instrument come to the point of its perfection which is required to let the Lord do the works. Let us not try the Lord's patience in this matter anymore but play our parts in letting the reality of divine manhood and womanhood appear once more on earth to give glory to God in the highest, that there may indeed be the rule of the Prince of Peace on earth and the doing of God's will in the world of mankind.

© Emissaries of Divine Light

Negative Aspect Of The Silver Cord

Negative  Aspect  of  the  Silver  Cord

Kathy  Meeker

Special  Focalization  Session

Uranda   March 2, 1948  p.m.

Gabilan  Ranch,  Salinas,  California

As I was resting this evening, I was meditating on many things. There are so many things that have already been said, that it is not so much a matter of my undertaking to say something new as it is a matter of helping you to a deeper realization and a more complete feeling recognition of things that you have already begun to know.

The primary phase of my work on earth in this cycle of outworking is the formation of the One Christ Body, that it may be a Reality, that through the Body made manifest, the works and the Greater Works may be done. Sometimes individuals imagine that they should, more or less by and of themselves, reach a point where individually they could do the Greater Works; but that is not the Goal; that is not what we are undertaking to accomplish. The Greater Works must be done through the Unit as a whole. Individual members may take primary focus of activity in varying phases of those Works, but it is not that any individual, working on a more or less segregated vibration, should accomplish the Works that are necessary in the earth. It is that the Unit should be the channel through which the LORD of Lords may do the Works.

I was considering the formation of this Unit, or Body, the way it is manifesting, the steps of its growth. Not all of those who live on earth, or who continue to live on earth, will be actually in that Body in the sense of its focalization of the world-body. The 144,000 spoken of in Revelation relates to the formation of the Body, but all people on earth are eventually to be either in the Body or related thereto in coordination—but the Christ Body on earth, the Unit, is the focus of manifestation in its present form. It needs to grow and increase, and then it will, in one sense, be the Head of the world-body, that all the earth may be coordinated in the vibrations of Reality in season. With respect to the formation of this Body as it is now made manifest, I was considering the manner in which it has been brought forth. I was considering the way in which you all had a part, coordinated; but I think tonight my attention focused more fully on the part that Kathy has played in this regard.

I know that all of you have always had a high regard for her. I feel that, in some respects, it is increased in this Special Focalization Session; and as I was considering it, I was thinking how it is that she has been, and is now, as it were, the Pineal Gland in this Body made manifest; how, at least insofar as my function in that Body is concerned, her stable vibration has provided always a Silver Cord, as it were, between myself and that Body that is coming into manifestation. I think you all recognize that she has, also, a very wonderful attunement in the Current of that Love that flows forth from the LORD of Lords, and as I was resting there my heart was full of an overwhelming spirit of thanksgiving, of gratitude and praise to God for her ministry at my side by which so many things have been accomplished in such a wonderful way. I am considering this tonight, not so much to draw attention to Kathy, and I know that in her heart she does not seek or desire any special approbation, and she did not know what I was going to talk about tonight—but because it seemed to me that in this there are many things that are of value to you, not just in the fact of the stable vibration of that Silver Cord that I mentioned, but also with respect to the basis of effective service in the Unit. She has not claimed any great knowledge; she has not tried to understand a lot of mysteries; she has not let herself be bothered with questions that were too much beyond the range of her immediate vision; and when there has been a need for her to see or comprehend more fully some point, she has always brought it to me on a basis that allowed it to be a sensible, straightforward consideration.

As a person, she is a jewel among women because she does not try to govern or control me through emotional upheavals or reactions of some sort or other. In fact, she does not try to control me at all. We see the manifestation and operation of the Law here, because the fact of her love, coupled with a common sense vision and deep stability, have allowed the cycles to work out gradually and surely. In the outworking I have not had to worry about whether or not she would be on the vibration. I have not had to be constantly straightening her out, so to speak, and, whatever the necessities of my Ministry, in periods of time and under conditions that conformity to the female patterns of this world would have made her feel that I was neglecting her in some fashion, she has held true to that expression of Divine Womanhood by reason of which I have always found in her a stable, unwavering, dependable vibration. When I have had to face difficulties that pertained particularly to myself, which would, from the ordinary standpoint, have given her excuse for emotional upheaval, she held steady, and gave me that vibration necessary to the outworking of the Father's Will on earth; and when there has been turmoil manifest in the hearts and lives of others, she has held steady.

Sometimes when there was too much of it, sometimes when the supporting vibrations that should have been closely coordinated with her were not, I have seen her reach a point where there was too much tension, but even under that terrific pressure she held steady—and always the Lord worked it out so that the supporting cycles cleared in one manner or another to relieve the pressures in time. If I had not had this dependable vibrational contact and cycle, holding steady in what we might call the negative aspect of the Silver Cord, by which the Life Forces were reaching the Body, or the Unit, we would not have been able to reach this point and place, this cycle of outworking. This is not just a tribute to her—although I gladly recognize that it is a tribute—more than that, it is a tribute to the LORD of Lords and KING of Kings, by Whose Grace and through Whose Love, this and all the other factors necessary to the accomplishment of what has been done, has been made manifest. More than that, it stands as an example of the application of Law and Principle, as they are taught in the Third Sacred School, so that it is not a theory only, but a proven fact. All of you have various evidences from your own experience, so that for you also in various ways, it is proven fact, and you share in the formation of this Unit, so that you have evidences therein also.

But reaching down into the feeling realm, not limiting ourselves to the realm of intellectual perception, acceptance and belief, we need to feel and know and recognize all of those things by which the absolute conviction of the outworking of the Law in Reality may be an abiding thing in our hearts and lives, so that no Member of the Body should think or say or do anything that would constitute a denial of our recognition of the operation of the Law and the fulfilment of the Promise of God in the outworking of that in which we share. One of the reasons I wish to emphasize this tonight is this. The focalized manifestation of Divine Manhood, as it finds expression in the Unit of the One Christ Body, has its sphere of function in relationship to the feeling or emotional realm; but it is in the female aspect of that Body, that which is becoming the focalization of Divine Womanhood on earth, that we have the primary concern with respect to the feeling realm, the clearing of the emotional currents.

Women, being conformed to the outer-world patterns of function, have, through the ages, sought, by all kinds of emotional processes, to control their men-folk, and the list of those things which are to be found in their bag of tricks is exceedingly long. By that means women have maintained control of the men, and to a high degree made the men what they are in the world. We can say the men ought to have been strong enough to overcome, but I think that is rather a ridiculous approach to the matter. Men have not known how to function, that is true enough; but women have had the advantage because they started from the cradle, and taught men that they should be thus and so toward women; so by the time the boy has reached the point where he is very much influenced from the standpoint of men, the men he has contacted have been taught and trained in the school of women, and it is pretty well ingrained, and so on it goes. I am not condoning anything wrong in the men; I am not condoning their weakness—we are going to change that too, by the way. But all of this in the emotional realm must be eradicated. It has to be eliminated utterly and completely and cleansed away; it is something that has absolutely no part or place in Divine Womanhood or in the expression of the One Christ Body on earth.

Of all the things necessary to the development of the One Christ Body on earth, after I began to get the initial factors worked out, the one that caused me the most difficulty, and the one that required the most faith, was the idea that there would manifest somewhere, somehow, a focalization of Divine Womanhood that would be sufficiently free of all of these things to allow the beginnings of the outworking of the Will of God on earth. Finally, in an extremity, a critical point of my Ministry, the Lord provided for me such a woman, and I praise God. There is not anything that brings a current of thanksgiving to my heart more frequently than the abiding realization of that; and, to varying degrees, I have seen movement toward that ideal in various ones of the ladies who are letting themselves become members of the One Body on earth; but it is a phase of the development of the One Body where there is need for considerable progress. There has been progress, and certain ones have been doing outstandingly well, but it is not enough that there should be just a few.

In order to become absolute Members of the Unit, fully and finally, the hearts of women must be cleansed and purified—the emotional realm must come under control. The woman is likely to get so emotional that she feels that the cleansing of her own emotional realm is an impossible business, or she is likely to get so indignant that she claims that it does not need cleansing; but sometimes there are those women who face these things in tranquility of spirit, knowing that they could not possibly cleanse their own hearts if they could live for ten thousand years trying to do so. So, there are those who face these things in tranquil spirit, calmly, not struggling, not trying, and not being indignant, not being resentful, willing to accept the changes, willing to cease being conformed to the world, that they may be transformed and made whole. The women who function according to the world pattern of emotionalism do not have pure hearts.

Facing these things in tranquility of spirit, willing to let the cleansing take place, is so important. It is important for the men too. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” That applies to men and women alike, but tonight I am thinking more about the ladies—but the ladies must reach a point where there is one thing, morning, noon and night, sixty seconds in every minute, sixty minutes in every hour, and twenty-four hours in every day, day-in and day-out that is most important, and that is the doing of the Father's Will, not getting their own way, not satisfying their own vanity, not building up their own pride in some fashion—the simple reality of the Father's Will, regardless of any inclination to pull any tricks out of the bag.

From the standpoint of the precedents in this world, that was the most improbable phase of my whole undertaking, that any woman would ever reach a point where she would provide evidence that it could be so. The rest of it is comparatively simple. The most improbable part was that a woman would let that be true; because when it comes to the point of doing the Father's Will, the woman will accept the idea as long as it does not touch her own emotional realm in any way that limits her control. But that does not make her a Spiritual person by a long ways. Emotional tricks of various kinds must be removed. The heart of woman must be purified. I have seen this purifying process going on in many ladies in the Service. Some are reaching a high degree of that purity; but one of the things that has caused me to marvel day by day, one of the things that has caused me joy unspeakable, and encouraged me beyond measure, is the fact that in my wife I find a wonderful focalization of that purity of heart in Divine Womanhood on earth.

I am not saying this to satisfy her vanity in some way, or her pride, or just because it is nice for a husband to talk about his wife that way. No. If I thought for a minute it was going to be satisfying any human pride on her part, I would never say it. No. But this is the point. This outworking to this point, as it is seen within the scope of the Unit as it now stands, provides factors which to me are very encouraging—very encouraging from the standpoint of the men, and very encouraging from the standpoint of the progress of the women. But the job is not done, and I do not know any better way to set the stage for letting that process be increased and carried forward effectively in the weeks and months to come, than to say to you what I have been saying tonight, that we might review the fundamental facts involved.

It is no longer just a matter of blind faith on the basis of the outer in relationship to laws and principles. We have reached a point where there is evidence; it is not just a theory, it is a fact. We knew that, theoretically; but it is being proven now, and that is important. And since it can be done, there is not any more excuse for it not being done, and that is important. For a long time the women could advance the idea that, after all, they just could not help feeling the way they do; they just could not help having that kind of reaction; they just could not help getting upset, etc. I knew that there was no truth in the arguments advanced, and I kept pointing to the Law. But it has finally been proven—and so, since it can be done, there is not any excuse remaining for its not being done. Now, that is important. Women themselves must begin to realize that point. As long as they think they have excuse for not doing it, they will not do it. It is just that way. As long as they can convince themselves, and those around them, that they are a little bit different, so it is unreasonable to expect it of them—you see where you get!

But now we come to the point where the women, facing themselves—whether they like it or not—have to recognize and come to the point of acknowledging that it does not have to be that way. Because man could not pin it down to any logic or reason, he thought he could not understand women. Of course that was foolish on the part of men to get taken in, but the point is that we have come to a time and place in the outworking of things where we can take a look at these things and see them for what they are. A man can understand a woman. There are precious few women who even have a glimmering of understanding of themselves. A lot of men just pamper their wives and sweethearts because it is easier to get along with the women, with them deluded by their own delusion. I would not say that, except from the standpoint of reality here. But it is true. A lot of men know it is true. A man has to acknowledge that he cannot understand nonsense that has no basis of understanding. So, men have used that as a means of sort of smoothing things out and accepting the childish nonsense that the women have insisted on maintaining through their so-called years of maturity.

There are very few mature women—very few. From my own standpoint, I would say my wife comes nearer being a mature woman than any woman I have ever met, but there are a few who come pretty close along the line with her. Age does not mature women. It does not mature men. So, as we have looked at these things and considered them, we are touching upon one of the reasons why no movement of the past, at any time, has ever succeeded in carrying through to that point which we envision as the Goal, whether it is because there was not any leadership able to penetrate that realm adequately enough, and inspire response enough, to carry through to a point of facing the facts, we do not need to argue—it does not make much difference now—but the point is that this is the thing that has prevented the outworking all the way through, the thing which always before has stopped every movement upward.

Now we come to a time when it ceases to be as it has been in the past. We come to a time when this emotional realm in men and women must be cleansed and purified. It must cease refusing to let the individual do the Will of God. You know, the devil does not care much whether his rule is carried on through the mind, through false concepts; or through the emotional realm, through false reactions of various kinds, when there is not any difference in the net result. So, the individual can believe anything he pleases, actually, no matter how true it is, without ever interfering with the rule of the prince of darkness, as long as it does not reach down into the emotional realm and purify that. But when the mind accepts the Truth and believes it, and the emotional realm is purified and caused to conform with the Truth, then the Truth truly sets that individual free to enter into the glorious liberty of the children of God, and the rule of the prince of this world comes to an end.

That must be done. It is going to be done; and it will be done easily as soon as all the ladies realize that it is no use, that they are not going to interfere with the doing of the Father's Will on earth by getting their own way through emotional upheavals of various sorts, and they realize, to a point of conviction and acceptance, that this can be done, and they stop making excuses for themselves, stop being resentful, stop being disturbed, and begin to be calm, tranquil, serene, trusting the Lord—lo and behold, the operation will be so painless and so easy, comparatively quick, that they will hardly know it happened, and then they will know what it is to abide in Peace, IN the Christ. It is only when the individual struggles over it that it becomes painful. In the outworking thus far I have had to do a great deal of holding back with respect to the ladies in this regard, but we are coming to that time, when, through that one-pointed dedication to the Lord that is in you, we may let these things work out, so that, male and female, we may serve the LORD our GOD to His Glory, that, male and female, we may let His Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, so that the One Christ Body may truly be the means by which the Greater Works are accomplished. O LORD, I thank Thee that Thy Word, spoken in the Altar Flame, accomplishes that whereunto It is sent, IN the Christ. Aum-en

Grace Van Duzen — I would like to express thanksgiving to the Lord, and I know I speak for all the women in the Unit, and in the School, in acknowledging the inspiration which Kathy is for all womankind.

Uranda — I praise the Lord for your recognition and acknowledgment, and I praise the Lord also, most deeply, for the part all you lovely ladies are playing with respect to making that focalization have true meaning, for we recognize that Kathy could not do it alone, that it takes all put together, in Oneness, to make it effective and real in the world.

© Emissaries of Divine Light