Although the rain falls from time to time it is said that the earth will not be subjected to a flood as it was before, at least not a flood of water. There is another flood, however, which comes upon the earth: a flood of the spirit of God, symbolized particularly in this instance by fire. Fire is seen by human consciousness as being hot. It has been seen as being useful but also destructive. Fire is a symbol of the spirit of love which comes upon the earth, just as water was a symbol of the spirit of truth which came upon the earth.
There was an obliteration of life because of the flood of water, except for what was preserved by reason of the ark, which was lifted up by the flood, resting easily upon the surface of the water. While there may have been an actual event, a cataclysm presumably, when the earth was covered with water, the portrayal in the story conveys the truth through symbolism. What happened in the outer circumstance was in fact symbolic of something else that was occurring in an invisible sense. A change was being wrought. The earth after that cataclysm certainly was not the same as it was before. By the same token, in these days there is this other flood which I mentioned, a flood of spirit, symbolized in this instance by fire. We do not need at the moment to speculate upon what the nature of the actual event is in the external circumstance. No doubt we can think of possibilities.
In any case there is a change to be wrought. We ourselves have perceived something of this and have, with many others, sensed changes in the offing in the worldwide sense. I do not know whether they are really in the offing anymore. They are right here. Most people seem to try to live as though they were not. Observations with respect to the future, planning with respect to the future, still seems to be based in what has occurred in the past, as though there were no real changes occurring. This means that most are trying to live in a nonexistent world. It is difficult; we see difficulties on every hand. It is wiser to live in the experience of change, because this permits an increasing awareness of another world. If we are still involved with the past, that certainly obscures our awareness of what it is that is at hand.
In the story of the flood of old it is indicated that there was one person at least—whose name was Noah—who had some awareness of the changes that were occurring and would come in a very specific way in due course. Coming events do cast their shadows before. It is said that he went ahead and built an ark, which as it turned out was a wise move. Others apparently didn't think so at the time. Whatever the nature of the flood may be in external manifestation, it is what is being portrayed in the invisible sense that has first importance. Unless one is related in some fashion to what is occurring in the invisible sense one will be caught off guard and helpless when the external event puts in an appearance. Noah and those who were with him in the ark were preserved. The flood was the means by which the preservation was made possible but this preservation only occurred because there were those who saw what was coming and were more concerned with association with the invisible causes than with the visible effects. Of course visible effects were taken into account but only because there was consideration of the invisible causes. This is portrayed in that particular story by Noah's relationship with the Lord.
There are still invisible causes. There is still the opportunity to participate in association with those invisible causes. If that is done, then the effects may come and those effects will assist in preserving what should be preserved. Those who were caught in the flood of water viewed the situation as being very destructive, but those who were in the ark found it to be quite constructive; they had a new start eventually. As it worked out it didn't seem to do much good. Human beings went right back where they were before the flood of water, where every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. This is the human state, rather aptly described.
But we have an awareness of something that is happening behind the scenes in the invisible sense so that a particular change may occur, first of all in the experience of humanity, and because of this, in all the world round about. This change comes because there is something analogous to a flood. As I say, it isn't a flood of water. It is a flood of the spirit of love, the truth of love, coming down from God out of heaven, as it has been put, emerging out of the invisible into visible experience. For some this seems to be a creative experience, for others a destructive one, depending presumably upon whether one is in what was symbolized by the ark or not. There is an ark relative to what is occurring now in the world, an ark which is lifted up by what happens. For those who are contained within the ark it might be said that there is salvation. Let us not see this word merely in a religious sense, as though it meant going to some mystical or mythical heaven somewhere, but as relating to what happens right here. The question is as to whether anyone survives on the face of the earth. It seems to me some reference was made to the importance of saving a little flesh. It was indicated that the days should be shortened; otherwise probably no flesh would be saved. Well flesh wanders around here on the surface of the earth, so the salvation relates to what happens here on the surface of the earth.
We have seen these things in some measure and recognize our own association with what is happening, participation in it, and our own responsibility, the responsibility which relates to the spiritual, the invisible, happening. There is a flood on the way. Obviously there is something happening in the consciousness, and consequently in the experience, of human beings the world around. The evidences of irrationality are clear enough everywhere, people behaving in the most crazy ways and yet able to excuse it apparently. There is something happening; there is a flood, an intensification. I suppose we might call it a vibrational flood, something happening in the consciousness of human beings which either lifts them up or drives them crazy—or more crazy than they were before. But there is an ark, which originates in an invisible realm.
You may recall that when Noah went to work he had instructions from someplace as to the material for the ark and the dimensions of the ark and all the rest. There was a design. There was something already provided of which he became aware, and because he became aware of it, it took form—the ark was built. So it is in these days. There is the invisible design. There is what is necessary from that standpoint and this may be useful, valuable, offering the opportunity of salvation, provided that there is someone who becomes aware of it. Then, coming down from God out of heaven, it may take form on earth. The invisible aspect of the ark before it was built was essential to the ark after it was built.
There is an invisible aspect to the ark now. We have described that invisible aspect by using a certain word, and that word is the Word—the Word that was with God in the beginning, the Word that is God, the Word by which all things are. Inherently in the Word is the design. The Word is portrayed in form initially by words. If that's all that happens the form will be inadequate. But if by reason of the Word and the words the invisible design takes form through human flesh, by reason of the lives of those concerned, then there is an ark— there is an ark which may be lifted up by reason of the flood. The flood may be described as a vibrational intensification affecting the consciousness of human beings the world around. There is something of this nature flooding into the world, and human beings are aware of it without knowing what it is. Because they are wrapped up in the effects of what is happening they cannot see what is happening. One has to be in position to stand back so that one is unmixed with what is happening, in order to see what is happening. But if one is merely a part of what is happening one doesn't understand what is happening and the experience is a destructive one.
The provision of the ark is present. The Word is present and there are those who know it. They know it, not just because of the words that have been spoken to clothe the Word but because they themselves have experienced the reality of that Word in their own living. Every aspect of expression, thinking, feeling, speaking, acting, then is clothing for the Word. When this is so, a person knows the Word. If it isn't so, but words have merely been heard with the ear, then nothing has yet happened of any significance; the destructive experience is still the primary one and the individual finds himself pushed around from pillar to post. What is he being pushed around by? By his own state, which exhibits an unwillingness to allow the Word to be given flesh by reason of his own living. Human beings suffer their own difficulties by reason of their own actions. They like to blame it on someone else. Very often the attitude is taken that it isn't fair. Did you ever hear children playing, getting into a little trouble somewhere?—“It isn't fair!”—and probably tears flow. One sees adult human beings indulging in the same childishness: “It isn't fair!” Oh yes it is, absolutely.
It has been said that the Law works; at least this is one way of describing the way things happen, and each one is responsible for the happening. Surely our concern is for the creative happening rather than the destructive one. If there are those who insist upon the destructive one, well they must be allowed to so insist. But from our standpoint, we ourselves properly accept the responsibility of being associated with the Word and letting that take form in our living, letting that condition what finds expression in our thinking, in our feeling, in our speaking, in our acting. That is assuming creative responsibility. We don't take the attitude that anyone anywhere can stop us from being right in this way, from letting the Word be made flesh because of our own living. So here is the immediate responsibility relative to this flood.
There is a description in several places in the Bible, in the Book of Revelation in particular, of the nature of this flood. There are some words in the 21st chapter of Revelation about “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.” Well the rain comes out of the sky. In that first flood it is said that it rained for forty days and forty nights. Pretty heavy rain! It came down from the manifest symbol of the heaven, out of the sky. So it is that this flood also comes down from the heaven, or out from the heaven—however one might for the moment be aware of the nature of the heaven, the invisible heaven. There is something coming from the invisible heaven. It was described as “the holy city, new Jerusalem.” We have seen this in terms of a new state of spiritual consciousness for human beings, a true state of consciousness once more emerging out of heaven. It comes as a flood. We don't need particularly at the moment to investigate as to why this is happening. There are very logical reasons as to why it is happening but they might not seem altogether logical to the illogical human mind. It doesn't matter anyway; it's happening. This flood is a reality; it is present with us. Human beings generally are beginning to wonder whether they are going to be able to survive it. Of course their endeavors to survive are based, as I say, in what has been known in the past, grabbing on to the flotsam and jetsam. But there is an ark—the Word—the Word that is with God, the Word that is God, the Word by which all things are, the Word in which life is.
Speaking of the flood, the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven, it is said: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life”—they through whom the pure lifestream is flowing. “Blessed are the pure in heart.” The human experience is of an adulterated lifestream, toxic blood. The poisons affect the function of the brain and the central nervous system, producing hallucinations in the mind, so that human beings sometimes imagine they are being intelligent when they are being quite irrational. The pure lifestream is known to those who enter into the Word, into the ark, which lifts them above the pollution, lifts them above the poisons. As we noted in the past, it is ultimately useless to try to cleanse the blood as long as one is still taking poisons into one's body. So it is in the spiritual sense also.
As long as human nature governs the attitudes and the experiences of living, the lifestream is adulterated; there is filthiness in the lifestream and there is no way by which a person can then experience either health or understanding. The Word is present on earth. It has been spoken in words over the years for those who had ears to hear and hearts to understand, who were willing to allow the filthiness to be removed, to be left behind, no longer taken into the expression of living. To this extent there have been those who have allowed this Word to expand in form on earth, both in the form of words and in the form of living flesh, so that the invitation might be extended to others to participate in this living flesh.
But the Word must be known. As it was put long ago, “If ye continue in my word … ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” There have been precious few who have actually continued in the Word. Some have continued in the words after a fashion but have never known the Word. The prior state of human nature has been grasped and held on to, but in the Word “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.” None of these things are present. Most people think of that as some sort of futuristic, perfect state somewhere, but not possible now. When will it be possible? There have been human beings in every generation for millennia who have had that attitude, that it will be possible one day, but how few men and women there have been who had what it takes to accept the reality now.
The Word has been offered in words and in the flesh for many years, in a personal sense for twenty-five or thirty years. It's interesting, isn't it, but words have been used week by week, month by month, year by year, in services, in Classes, in Assemblies, in lectures, in so many ways for such a long time. From my own standpoint, I have spoken over these years spontaneously for these various opportunities that presented themselves to me. How could this be done? Where did it come from? You know the answer to that, in theory at least. But there need to be those who know the truth for themselves. From time to time there are those who feel that I don't understand them. Well it's true, I don't go into great analysis of the characters of all those who come within the range of my awareness. My time would be cut out, wouldn't it, if I indulged in that sort of thing. It's not necessary. It only would seem to be necessary from the standpoint of human nature, that one has to examine people so carefully.
What is it that offers salvation? The ark, we say; well, the Word. And where does the Word come from? It may be said that it comes from nowhere, but it is now here. It has been now here for all these years. It came anyway—that's all that's necessary—not just in words but in the flesh of living. And what comes that way is the way it exactly should be. In theory, I suppose, most would say, “Yes the expression of the spirit of God is right; that's righteousness.” But in fact it's denied a lot of the time. We don't need as individuals to know everything about everything and everybody. I'm not anxious to have my consciousness cluttered up with all that; I don't know about you. What would we do with it all? Just let the spirit of God find expression, that's all, and we may do this to the extent that we have generated a little spiritual substance to let it happen, to give us a starting point at least, so that we may begin to live the truth of love. We may abide in the ark; but we can't stand outside the ark and question the dimensions of the ark or the material of which it is composed and be in the ark at the same time.
The ark is the Lord's responsibility; its dimensions are His responsibility; the way it takes form is His responsibility. It does take form because there are those who agree with the Lord in this. If there is no one to agree, of course nothing happens; but if there are those who agree then it takes form, and it takes form the way it takes form. We don't question it. We don't tear it down; we don't judge it; we don't try to make it some other way. We don't take the attitude ever that we are being unjustly treated or unfairly treated someway. That's childish nonsense! We stand with the Lord, in agreement with Him, and the evidence of that agreement is that we agree with those who stand with the Lord. It's very simple, really. The human nature approach makes it complicated seemingly. It isn't. It never was. That approach is sustained because apparently most people don't want to grow up; they want to stay childish. We know better. Let us prove that we know better.
So may we provide a facility for the full and free expression of the spirit of God and let Him have His way without constantly injecting our own theories and ideas and opinions into the picture. Let it be the way it is. Now that's been said once or twice, I believe. People nod their heads but seldom do it. They say, “Well this obviously is not right; this is unfair.” Is it? How do you know? Let it be the way it is and trust God. Each individual is responsible for that expression of the spirit for him- or herself and for nobody else. So why look at someone else and say, “Well they're not doing it right; I'm being treated wrongly, unfairly”? No you're being treated exactly the way you should be treated. We all are. Let's not object. If we get a kick in the pants, well that's what was coming to us. Or doesn't the Law work? Let's wake up and assume our responsibilities in a consistent way so that there may be a more expansive ark than has yet put in an appearance, an ark to be lifted up upon this flood of spirit and fire, to offer salvation on earth to all who will receive it.
The way by which we may achieve what we know we must achieve is really a very simple matter. Mankind as a whole has been in attunement with what is present in the mass consciousness, moved in various ways on this basis. It has been suggested that there should be those who are in position to give the body of mankind an attunement, to move it out of attunement with the mass consciousness, or what is present in that mass consciousness, into attunement with the Word. Some have had an imagination about this; perhaps we might project somehow the spirit of God to zap the world body of mankind. But what is it that is really necessary? To provide that to which all might properly become attuned. In the sense of spirit this has been present for people, but the dragon in the mass consciousness of humanity has held sway in the lives of human beings, albeit those human beings have been unconscious of the fact.
For an attunement with the true state to be provided there must be those, even if it is only half a dozen people to begin with, who themselves reveal the fact of that true attunement. Then the change in polarity can begin to take place. It hasn't taken place heretofore because there were not even half a dozen people to provide what was necessary. We are concerned that there should be considerably more than six people, but it requires that those concerned have themselves experienced the true attunement. The attunement ministry has been present for quite some time but there is scarcely anyone, even yet, who knows what it is. It has been seen very largely in personal terms; sometimes there is an endeavor to bring into the picture something more. But the real attunement is in the matter of living.
We may recall the words spoken in connection with the fall of Babylon the great: “Come out of her, my people.” I think we have been inclined to translate that in terms which relate to ourselves. The Lord is calling, “Come out of her, my people,” and we are going to rise up and come out. How is the Lord going to call? From the standpoint of spirit He has been calling for twenty thousand years. Scarcely anyone heard, because the invitation was not offered within the range of human hearing. Of course it has been offered within the range of human hearing now and again, but most people didn't want to hear. The invitation is offered because there are those on earth in position to offer it, to speak the words, “Come out of her, my people.” We may easily see this as our responsibility now in this hour: to let these words be spoken, if not in form, except as I may say them, but nevertheless spoken because we are present, by reason of our state, the state of our being here. This state rightly reveals the fact of attunement with the Word, so that we are moved in our thoughts, in our feelings, in our words and actions, by the Word—our whole lives are an expression of the Word. If this is so, the invitation is extended, “Come out of her, my people.” Attunement is offered. There is something to which human beings can become attuned other than the dragon. So we are here this evening for this purpose: to provide the Word spoken on earth, “Come out of her, my people. Come out of attunement with the dragon.” This Word comes because we ourselves presently experience the true attunement, which means that we are capable of handling what arises by reason of the dragon, what comes within the range of our own immediate experience. We don't have to go anyplace, do we, to have these immediate experiences. They come to us.
I mentioned the matter of fear this morning, jealousy and greed. We could say that jealousy and greed spring out of fear. Did you ever try to tell someone who was afraid, “There's no need to be afraid”? Did that person stop being afraid because you said that? You perhaps might have known there was really no need for fear, but it takes more than presenting the idea that the person doesn't need to be afraid. Where does the fear come from? There have been those who have sought to pin it on some past events: the violent cataclysms, for instance, that have occurred on earth, the memory of which is present in the mass consciousness but suppressed. Surely that must have been a very fearful experience for those who were on hand for it; scarcely any survived. That particular reason for fear has been hidden away. Immanuel Velikovsky unearthed it, much to the consternation of many people, who reacted violently. When a person is lying supine on the psychiatrist's couch the psychiatrist will approach such fears that may be present in that person slowly and gently. But Velikovsky's action was rather violent, requiring those who were the proponents of uniformity to be shocked by this sudden impact which came upon them, perhaps reminding them of something which they preferred to forget by using the elaborate theories that had been developed to make it seem as though there was nothing fearful to remember out of the past. I don't know about you, but even in a short human lifetime I can look back upon events which were cause for fear: fearful events, perhaps not so horrendous as the cataclysms which affected the whole earth but nevertheless there were factors of fear.
Whenever fear does show up in human experience there is an endeavor to explain it away, to give it a form of some kind, a body, to say, “I'm afraid because of this or that.” It seems more bearable if one can put a body on it. But quite often fears arise where there is nothing that you can pin it on. Did you ever have the sensation of fear and you looked around and you couldn't find anything that you could immediately be afraid of, and yet the fear was there? Where did it come from? Well it came up out of the subconscious levels. Possibly it might have related to something with which you had an immediate personal connection, but it also could have come from this reservoir of memory in the mass unconscious. The fears to which we do give bodies seldom originate with those bodies. We delight to rationalize. So there have been those such as Velikovsky who have looked back a little further and found fearful events back along the way, and these are purported to be the reason why human beings are largely governed by what arises out of the mass unconscious without anyone really knowing what it is. From the psychiatric standpoint, of course, the usual approach is gradually to bring it out into the open so it may be looked at and if possible relived, so that then it goes away. Well that may be all right, I suppose, up to a point, but you haven't really got back yet to the origination of the fear. After all, even these cataclysmic events were brought to pass by reason of something else. It wasn't just by chance that these things happened. If it was just by chance then it is very convenient to be able to say, “Well I couldn't help it; I have no responsibility in the matter. All this trouble just descended upon the human race. Poor human race.” If there is belief in God, then presumably God would be blamed: He brought these troubles on everybody. And this has been the attitude of human beings: “Let's pray to Him to take them away.” The vengeance of the Lord! I think we know better, don't we? It has been described in this way because this is the way that human minds have thought.
We are aware of causative factors that go back beyond those events, causative factors which were initiated by human beings. It doesn't help all that much to uncover these violent cataclysms that may have occurred in the past if one stops there, because the individual is still excusing himself: he couldn't help it. Well in an individual sense I suppose there may be some truth to that, but each individual is a part of the body of mankind and the body of mankind has been responsible. We can't extract ourselves from the body of mankind and stand over there somewhere and say, “I'm white as snow; no sin attaches to me.” This is what brought about the idea of original sin, isn't it? One can't escape it; one is a part of the body of mankind which failed back along the way, and so the consequences appeared. And some of those consequences were really very violent, in and of themselves cause for great fear. But do you think human beings weren't afraid before that? Of course they were. I think the story of the fall is rather accurate when it is said that Adam and Eve hid behind the trees when the Lord came walking in the cool of the day: “Where art thou?... I was afraid.” There is the origination of the fear. He wasn't afraid of events that had not yet occurred. At that point, in this analogous story, Adam and Eve had not been put out of the garden.
No, the fear related to something much deeper than external events. It related to a failure to maintain attunement with the Word. This is what introduced fear. It didn't exist in the experience of man before that point. So the fear that has to be faced is not the fear of externals but the fear which resulted from the failure to maintain attunement with the Word. That fear obviously is very present with each individual now, because individually speaking no one has maintained attunement with the Word. So there is fear, and human beings look around for a body to clothe it with, to avoid facing what the fear really is, where it originated; and all kinds of bodies have been found. Human beings delight to rationalize—if they are going to be afraid they had better have something to be afraid about—and so they create all these things to be afraid about. It is their continued failure to allow attunement with the Word to be restored that brings all the seemingly valid reasons for fear, none of which are the true reason for the fear.
As I say, that true reason goes much deeper and it relates to what is present with every individual on the face of the earth now. It relates to us. Therefore we don't have to go out somewhere else looking for the reason for it. It's right here. As long as human beings are controlled by fear they are attuned with the dragon, and manipulation from the mass unconscious occurs with everybody. We could never get rid of the fear on the psychiatrist's couch simply by remembering some fearful event—and this relates to other traumatic experiences which might not per se be fearful; most of them are, of course—because it isn't the event that caused the fear. The fear was present before the event. It is an inherent factor in earthly heredity, one might say, stemming from that original occasion when attunement with the Word was lost and there came an awareness of, at that point, an indefinable result. To this very day most human beings are afraid of ghosts. Some try to assuage that fear by saying ghosts don't exist; they don't exist because that person never saw one. But the fear of the unknown, the unknown which was the origination point of that fear, has been so deeply buried that it has remained hidden. And even if there were those who did come along and begin to unearth it, they were quickly disposed of. Very irrational, but that is the way human beings act.
The real trauma of human experience was the loss of attunement with the Word, the loss of meaning, so that, ever since, human beings have been trying to create meaning for themselves, because they didn't have any. In the core of themselves there was no meaning, just emptiness, because the attunement with the Word was gone, indeed a fearful experience. Now we are being reminded of it. Perhaps it has been done so slowly and so gently that we are still present; we didn't pack our bags and scoot. Finally it comes back into focus, so that we know the origination of the fears that arise within the range of our own awareness. We can't be fooled anymore by the bodies that it has been customary to place upon the fear. This is the awakening—the necessity of awakening to fear, to the reason for it, the reason why it has been introduced into human experience when originally it wasn't there at all.
So we need to go back beyond these horrendous events that occurred in the past to where the cause of those events originated. This gives indication of the tremendous responsibility that man originally had. We could hardly imagine in these days that the things that human beings do would disrupt the solar system. However, human beings have gotten themselves to the point where they can indeed disrupt the earth; one might say, blow it apart. They have created a cataclysm, or a potential one at least, which is going to absolve them from their fears and their guilts. It sure would, wouldn't it? There wouldn't be anyone around to have any fear or guilt anymore. And it would indeed be a disrupting element in the solar system, wouldn't it, something that would affect the other bodies in the solar system. It might look as though a planet exploded at one time: the unoccupied orbit, planetary orbit, between Mars and Jupiter. There are fragments out there somewhere; they hit us occasionally. So it can happen. And human beings have been so brilliant that they have been able to devise a means of making it happen, deliberately making it happen. Extraordinary, isn't it?—absolutely irrational, all stemming from this original point where the attunement with the Word was lost. Now we are here to let it be restored.
We need to have a certain awareness of what happened, so that we can deal with the fears that arise within the range of our own awareness, so that we stop sticking peculiar bodies all over them and saying, “This is the reason,” when we really know better; because none of these bodies which human beings create to clothe their fears would be fearful at all if there was no sense of fear. That's right, isn't it? In other words the sense of fear is the factor that is present which needs to be faced. Of course that has been explained away: “Well we need to be afraid. You should be at least a little fearful about crossing the highway out here; otherwise you're not likely to survive.” So, rationalizing, we say, “Well we must fear.” Would it not be possible just to do the right thing without fear? Do we have to be forced to do the right thing because we are so afraid? Well it isn't the right thing if that's why we do it. We do it because fear compelled us, the dragon compelled us. So there is a need to come to grips, as they say, with origins—the origin of fear, for instance, the origin of any of these destructive elements which take control of human lives. They all stem from the same point. Knowing this, we see these things rising up because they are present in the mass unconscious and put in an appearance. If we simply react in the way that human beings have done over the ages, what use are we? No, we are supposed to be enlightened. We know what's what; we claim that at times.
There is something to be handled right here where we are, where the experience arises. Where else are we going to handle it? We can handle it right here; not the events, that's not the point. The events will occur by reason of what is happening in human beings, and as long as human beings are subject to fear, for instance, those events will be destructive; and nobody can prevent them from being destructive. The only events which will prove to be constructive are those which arise by reason of the fact that the Word is spoken because there are those who are attuned with the Word on earth. That is the only point of origination for anything constructive. There isn't any other! People are beginning to find this out. Anything they do proves to be wrong, and there is always a host of people to make sure that whoever did what he did knows he was doing the wrong thing. Well, right; it was wrong. But then the people who point out it was wrong, if they did what they thought should be done, that would be wrong too. So there is nothing that anybody can do as dupes of the dragon, angels of the dragon, which is constructive. It is not possible.
The only constructive causes spring out of the Word, and the Word needs to be spoken for those constructive causes to be present in the world. So we have this awareness of responsibility, but it is such a simple thing because it relates to what is here. It relates to things as they are all around us immediately. We can't ever reach over these things to “out there.” We can handle events out there by handling the causes of events right here. Unless we come to grips with this we are useless. It is what rises up in one's own experience that is to be handled rightly, handled by the Word, by the creative expression of the spirit of God. The source of our living is no longer, then, the dragon. Of course that is not the source of living; that is the source of dying. Everybody is so accustomed to that habit that they assume there couldn't be any other habit. It's not true.
So we share these moments considering these things, aware that there is going to be brought to us whatever is going to be brought to us. Only the fearful want to prognosticate about that. They want to know what is coming, so that if they don't like what is coming they can do something about getting out of the way. Of course if the prognostication is true, then it must be going to come anyway; so how can you get out of the way? It is much better not to look too far into the future but be open to receive what is coming now—that is the only thing that has to be dealt with—so that we are not compelled by the dragon in our behavior at all. We are simply the compulsion of the Word on earth, which is quite capable of dealing with what arises. Nothing is required of us more than we are capable of handling. Of course if we don't take advantage of our opportunities I suppose it builds up after a while and finally we can't handle it anymore. But if we do handle what we are capable of handling in the moment, and in the next moment, and the next moment, we'll never find ourselves out on a limb.
It isn't so much the events that should be looked upon as being troublesome; it's the feelings that arise relative to those events which cause the problems in human experience. How do you handle that, something in a sense invisible? People become quite effective at handling events. If there is a fire, call out the fire department; they'll handle it effectively. But if fear arises in you, who is going to handle that? The fire department isn't any good! Of course it may seem to be useful if the fear that has arisen has been given the body of a fire by you. No, the fear one has to handle oneself. All these things that arise—are you going to be pushed around by them, or is the Word going to be brought to bear? When it is, the dragon ceases to have any more power—get thee hence, satan—you can't be governed by any of these things arising out of the unconscious levels. This was what was demonstrated in the story of the temptations in the wilderness. Whatever arises, we understand; but we don't understand it on the basis of pinning a body on it. We understand what it is that has arisen, impinging upon our own feelings, as a vibrational factor, because the fall originally took place at that level. For quite a while there were no particular evidences of fearful results occurring from the failure to remain attuned with the Word. It was only later that finally it was brought home.
Now we remember again because the Spirit of Truth calls all things to remembrance. We remember again and we are capable of dealing with the fears that arise. If you say, “Oh, I'm afraid; I can't deal with this,” fear is in control once more and you have pinned a body on it: “I can't do this.” Oh yes, the Word is known. Let it be spoken. And so we may use to advantage what are seemingly most of the time rather insignificant affairs, because within those insignificant affairs the awareness of various feeling reactions arises, and that is where we deal with them. It's easy, very close. We have already said that it's insignificant, so, easily dealt with! Yes it is, when we actually undertake to do it.
When a number of human beings are assembled together in one place it usually is not silent. Is it not rather refreshing to be together in this place this evening and experience quietness? Silence without embarrassment. I am not embarrassed by this silence. Are you? Yet this is very different from what is usually known where human beings assemble themselves together. We are all here present this evening in this setting for a reason. I am sure that you are not interested in wasting your time. I am not either. So we are all here present, all together now. Do you think that we are here by chance? You know that you didn't just wander in. There has been much preparation for your coming, preparation in the life experience of each one and preparation in the life experience of others, so that there might be a setting into which you might come. If it isn't by chance then there is some sort of a sense of destiny, rightly. For one reason or another you could not help but be here. We are sufficiently humble not to imagine that we did it. Something was in action that affected us in such a way as to bring us to this moment, in this place together. This should emphasize in our consciousness the fact of purpose. There is indeed a reason why we are here, why we have been put together in this formation. We did not pick and choose each other to any great extent, and yet we are here. This formation is available for something.
You all have some consciousness of the reality which has allowed this to happen. What is the purpose? We might use words to define it, which may be accurate but not necessarily adequately understood. We are here together to allow spiritual action to occur, not for our own benefit but for the purposes of God. We are particular people, all unique; therefore it might be assumed that there is a unique purpose for this particular formation. Human beings sometimes drift into gatherings with the expectation of receiving some blessing—but I trust that none of us imagine that we are here present merely to receive a blessing. We are here to give a blessing, a blessing that is only possible of the giving by reason of these who are here present. The blessing that is possible to be given by reason of us would not be possible of the giving by anyone else. We are not really interchangeable. We need to have a consciousness of this, particularly as it relates to the gathering this evening. But the gathering here will only be valuable and effective as there is something of a consciousness of the unique expression which we individually may offer in blessing in our daily living. This is part of our daily living, but it brings all these unique expressions of blessing together in this one place, so that something even more valuable may happen, a greater intensity of Light may shine, a greater release of spiritual action may occur. It is surely our delight to be present to let it happen.
This little word let puts in an appearance again. We know very well that this relates to any creative process. “Let there be light,” was the creative command. But something preceded that creative command. It wasn't as though a Supreme Being suddenly had a brainstorm and by whim decided to say, “Let there be light.” Even in the record in the Book of Genesis there are several verses which precede the one which includes the words “Let there be light”: “The earth was without form, and void,” for instance, “and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Something is mentioned here which may seem to be more or less nothing to human consciousness: formless, void, empty, dark—and yet here was an adequate starting point, evidently. Reference is being made to something that appears to be nothing, dimensionally speaking—but isn't in fact. Reference is being made to what might be called the raw material of creation which is already present. It is already present now. From our standpoint, if creative action is to occur and the Creative Word be spoken, the Light be caused to appear in a special intensity by reason of this formation, it is because there is something already available to allow it to happen. We don't use the little word let in the creative process, out of the blue, so to speak. If there is to be a letting, it is because that letting is made possible—there is already a means for the letting. The letting doesn't produce the means for itself. There is something already present.
We may be able to see this relative to our own experience now. We have often spoken of the generation of substance, referring to it particularly as spiritual substance. One aspect of this substance has been called the substance of connection, the substance which makes possible spiritual connection so that spirit has a means of action within the range of human experience. This is our concern. Presumably spirit has had a means of action anyway everywhere, otherwise nothing would have happened; but we are aware that many things have happened and are happening and will happen in this whole vast universe. So the substance is already there universally speaking, but from the standpoint of human experience, not so. It must be generated—a substance of connection must be regenerated, we might say. The Master Himself spoke of the regeneration—the regeneration of the substance of connection, so that there may be a means for spiritual action, there may be a means by which the Creative Word may be spoken: “Let there be light,” perhaps.
So over the years there have been those who have been associated with this generative action. Substance has been generated by individuals over the years in some measure, and this also has been the case collectively, increasingly so. There is present, for instance, in this room, not only by reason of those who are here now in this moment but also by reason of what has gone before, a considerable amount of spiritual substance. Because of this there is much that can be achieved that could not have been achieved back along the way when there wasn't this extent of spiritual substance. Each individual is responsible for the generation in a personal sense, but also there is substance available, already present, which may be shared. We are here to increase the generation, certainly not to dissipate the substance that is already present. We all have a responsibility in this regard, but we may indeed be very thankful for the fact that there have been many who went before, and consequently there is an availability of substance in which we may now share quite apart from what we generate ourselves. I don't mean when I say “apart” that it is separate from anything we may generate ourselves. It is all one substance. Because of this substance, spirit can be in action to this extent.
Let us for a moment pause and consider the state of affairs in the human world, which has been sadly lacking in this spiritual substance beyond what we may refer to as the veil. There certainly is a veil in the world, and human beings function underneath it. It is so thick that there is scarcely any awareness that there could be anything beyond the veil. It isn't looked upon as a veil in fact; it is just looked upon as the way things are, and the area in which human beings do function is not seen as being restricted by a veil. Yet the fact of the matter is that it is so restricted. There is a little area under the veil where human consciousness resides and vibrational substance is fairly plentiful, but the operation all occurs under this veil. The realm of human consciousness, which is present by reason of the substance of it, is fairly coarse substance. All the various levels of substance under the veil are relatively coarse when seen in the light of the substance that is available above the veil. Here is very refined substance. This refined substance remains beyond human awareness because of the veil. The veil relates to the impure human heart. There is no open window of heaven, just a murky smog, and all human function is under the veil.
Human consciousness is the heaven in which the great red dragon functions and rules, or has ruled. This coarse substance under the veil has been wrongly used to create structures of all kinds which are then reproduced in physical substance, for instance. We have the physical world that human beings have created. It all emerged out of what was going on in human consciousness, the realm of the dragon who has ruled. The world as we know it is man-made. There are some evidences of the fact of another world, God-made, something that man could not make even though he manipulates it a good deal, tries to make it over. He deems that he has been quite successful in certain areas, changing the nature of animals and plants to suit himself, but there had to be animals and plants to start with. He could not make those. So the dragon has been enthroned in this coarse heaven below the veil.
It is said that there was war in this heaven. Many of these terms are used because they are familiar to human consciousness. It wasn't a ding-dong battle. We properly are permitting this so-called war to occur within the range of the coarse substance of consciousness for which we are responsible. We cannot take responsibility for the coarse consciousness which is present in others but we can with respect to our own. And it is within the range of this coarse substance below the veil, the substance for which we personally are responsible and collectively are responsible, that the heaven is, out of which the dragon must be cast and is in the process of being cast, so that there may be a safe place in this coarse substance for the designs present in the fine substance to begin to put in an appearance. There is nothing wrong with coarse substance as such. It is the uses to which it has been put that have been wrong—unrighteousness. So the coarse substance is available, but what has been present in it must be cast out. The structures must be dissolved in one way or another so that there is room, so that there is space, for the true design to begin to emerge out of the fine substance and be present at this level of heaven.
Here is our field of responsibility. We are to allow heaven to be here where we are, and it is a very practical matter. Let the coarse substance of our human consciousness be cleared. It is cleared of the structures that have been established there when we stop preserving them, when we stop giving our life force to their continued existence—stop arguing to support the things that need to pass away. Human beings have memories which need to be dissolved. It is said that the Spirit of Truth would bring all things to remembrance. This is slightly different. The Spirit of Truth doesn't bring to remembrance your hereditary shortcomings. It brings to remembrance what is already present in the fine substance above the veil, which is to be allowed to emerge through the veil into the coarse substance of human consciousness. The coarse substance itself is all right; that is the composition of human consciousness. There would not be any human consciousness without it. So we don't object to it but we do know that there is a great deal present in human consciousness which certainly doesn't belong there. It has been produced by the evil imaginings of human hearts. As long as it is there the dragon controls, the human state is preserved, and there is no possibility of any other experience until there is a little space created in this coarse substance. You are the container for this coarse substance—the coarse substance available in the individual to be cleared; and it is only available for that person in his own consciousness. This is true of each one.
We all have the responsibility of letting this dissolution take place, but we also recognize that it does take place by reason of spiritual action emerging through the veil from the fine levels of substance which have not been distorted at all. The clearing of the veil to allow this to happen is the purification of the heart. The purification of the heart comes when the emotions are no longer triggered by what is below the veil. When the heart begins to be moved by what is above the veil then it begins to be purified, so that the dark cloud of the veil may be allowed to dissolve, at least at the point where that individual is. The cloud is always dissolved from above. Everything that goes on under the veil in the human nature state of consciousness is consequent upon what is happening under the veil. It goes around and around in a circle under the veil, and human beings are stimulated by their environments in one way or another to do this or that. Sometimes the stimulation is deemed to be good and sometimes the stimulation is deemed to be bad—but all the stimulation in this state comes from what is below the veil. As long as we are being stimulated, in whatever way, by what is going on under the veil we are completely useless. This gives a sad picture of the human race, doesn't it?—completely useless. That is the fact of the matter.
There is a potential for use; that is why the human race is still here. If that potential were gone then the human race would be gone. We are aware of the reality of that potential because we have, in whatever measure, begun to permit the experience of an expression which comes through the veil into the world below the veil so that something is added, a blessing emerges. We are here therefore to bless the world, and in blessing it to awaken it—to change it, to re-create it. Fundamentally it is an awakening that is required, out of the state of evil human imagination. There needs to be something absolute on earth in this regard, just as absolute as the One called Jesus is deemed to be. That is the nature of the absoluteness that is required of those who come into position to let what is in the fine substance emerge into the coarse substance of human consciousness in oneself—that is creative action. It is the creative action of spirit actually present, and this certainly has an effect with respect to human consciousness everywhere, because the fact of the matter is that human consciousness is not really divided up into little wee segments in individual human beings. It is one thing.
This coarse substance permits the creative Word to be spoken when there is someone on hand to speak it. In the beginning of the creation of the earth God was on hand somehow, and God said, “Let there be light.” But first of all the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters—the available substance. The Light emerges from the level where it is and acts in the coarse substance to the extent that the veil has been dissolved. It is like a ray of sunshine coming through the clouds. It makes a difference, doesn't it? Finally a ray of sunshine comes through and the whole world is transformed. We deliberately are willing to allow this to happen in our own experience in order that there may be a blessing extended, coming down from God out of heaven into the earth. We are the break in the clouds by which it happens. We are that break when the heart is sufficiently pure so that it is moved only by the beauty and the wonder and the Glory of the Spirit of God. As long as the heart is moved by the darkness underneath, it remains impure and there is no rent in the clouds to allow the sun to come through. The clouds are dissolved from above, not from below, and gradually the break in the clouds becomes larger and there is a safe place for the sunshine below the clouds.
We each have a responsibility to preserve that safe place. It is in our human consciousness. Did you ever consider as to how much you are really interested in preserving that safe place in your consciousness? Or do the arguments occur to you to convince you that it is impossible? There are so many things, aren't there, that make it impossible—like the impossibility of walking on the water. What really is impossible? There are many things that are impossible in human imagination. Most people think that they have to enter into imagination to be freed from the restrictions. One begins to be freed from the unnecessary restrictions when one comes out of the realm of imagination into the realm of fact, the realm of Truth. I say “unnecessary restrictions” because there really are restrictions that are right and proper. There is the restriction, for instance, of the orbit in which the earth moves around the sun. Would you like to dissolve that restriction? I don't think so. We don't want the earth straying too far out of that orbit. Maybe there is a need for some adjustment but I don't think any human mind is capable of telling what that adjustment should be. There are proper restrictions in this sense. There is a design—a true design. The universe is not an undifferentiated blob. So there are restrictions, and we don't rebel about the necessary ones but we may see that in human imagination vast areas of restriction have been created and steadfastly maintained so that we are all convinced about them. These are some of the structures that need to be dissolved.
With God all things are possible. In reality all things are possible by reason of the action of the Spirit of God, but we remember that the Spirit of God includes the Spirit of Truth, and Truth is characterized by design and control. Given eternity, I suspect that everything that is conceivable could occur, but we wouldn't want it all to occur in one big bang, would we? So, wisely, there is no hurry. There is quite a while yet to go before eternity runs out, and it works out naturally in measured tones, rhythmically. If we are wise we are willing to let that happen, but in order to experience what that actually is the arbitrary structures that have been humanly devised and established must be dissolved. They will, finally, one way or another, be pushed out of the way anyhow. But we have expectations that when they are pushed out of the way they won't at the same time push all human beings out of the way, because there are those who have been willing to let go of those things so that the structures can go and they can stay, and be in position to participate in the creative expression of the Word, the sounding of the creative Tone, the action of spirit.
We are here to let that action occur. We have been here this evening to let that action occur in this particular formation. We have participated in the movement of that spirit in action. We don't have to try to make the spirit explain to us what the action this evening has particularly accomplished. Very largely that is none of our business. Our business is to let that action occur so that whatever is needful may be accomplished—and it is a wise provision that we don't know too much about it, because if we did we would probably interfere. This is the human habit, isn't it? If there is any human nature hanging around, that habit is hanging around too. We want to see things work the way we want to see things work. Never mind. Let it go! Let the creative action of spirit produce what is needful because we offer ourselves in position in this formation, in any formation at any time—or as individuals. We let whatever needs to happen happen on this basis, and we are not sorry to see the structures in the coarse substance of our own human consciousness be dissolved, because it doesn't leave a blank, strangely enough. The fine substance contains the design, and this comes forth naturally and easily, and all things work together to perfection. We have some experience of this already. Let us continue to let it happen to the Glory of God and to bring blessings into the world, which heretofore has been entirely under the veil. And behold, that coarse substance for which we ourselves are responsible may provide a resting place for what is coming down from God out of heaven, and we keep it safe. What becomes possible on this basis is certainly beyond the wildest imaginings of the human mind, is beyond anything, certainly, that is the experience in that realm of human imagination. How blessed we are to have a part to play in this!
