Steve Ventola — Welcome everyone to our Temple of Light service, a time when we can devote our hearts and minds to listening and hearing the Word of the Lord.Maybe we can begin with sharing radiation. And if you're so inclined to have your hands together, or however you have a way of sharing radiation—and let's consider this instead of radiating-to, but receiving our world. Consider receiving your world.So consider the people in your world orthe elements in your world that look to be received by you.Let's just hold that for a moment, considering the people especially that are responsive to you.Let them be received.Let that reception allow them to be up-draftedinto our love for one another here and now.Receive your world.As we receive our world into one place,we allow our substance to come together, bringing it all before the Lord as we begin our devotional time—with Terry beginning our time, and Robert following. So, Terry, you may lead us from here.
Terry Kauffman —Thank you so much, Steve, for that beautiful beginning. Warm greetings to everyone! I’d like to start with some words that I feel set the Tone, as well, for this time.
Here in this holy place
beauty, reverence and kindness prevail.
Light of Truth clarifies the day, and darkness of unreality dissolves
like mist before the rising sun.
Here, illumination is simply the essence of understanding
mingled with the fullness of appreciation and blessing for
whatever comes to us, howsoever and from whomsoever it may come.
Here, value is in being and giving:lighting the world with the truth of one’s being,
giving expression to the things of heaven,
letting invisible design be seen in visible representation
fulfilling the purpose for which each one was created.
Here, as we stand in the place of connection, a holy place
where ascending and descending currents of life converge,
Behold! A body of substance is available to create
all things new on earth for the Lord’s pleasure,
Here and Now.
It’s a particular pleasure and delight to be with you here and now, in this holy place, this place of worship, this place of connection. We have a specific opportunity to present ourselves before the Lord, to come into His presence, to let our hearts and minds be stilled. I’m sure we would agree that this is a most sacred and privileged invitation. We each bring the substance of our living that we have generated in the cycle of time that has preceded this moment. Can you can sense the depth of humility, rightly, the sense of worshipfulness, the sensing of ascending substance. It really is a matter of how deliberate have we been with each moment, each precious opportunity that has come our way.
The overwhelming feeling I have is one of utter love and appreciation for the individual and collective parts that we each contribute and for the job we came on earth to steward. As Steve and Carol so beautifully brought to focus last month, outlining in detail the large and small cycles that have been in motion, it certainly puts the role we each play into sharp focus, emphasizing ever more clearly our moment-by-moment responsibility—the restoration of sacredness. Where there is sacredness, the atmosphere is clear, clean, it’s golden, if you will, full of creative possibilities. The atmosphere of heavenly things naturally grows and develops and flourishes. As this sacred atmosphere is developed, we know and understand our responsibility to sustain that state so that what needs to unfold in the creative cycles may do so decently and in order.
It comes to focus for each one of us in every moment—each moment grants us this unique opportunity to bless, to create. A few weekends ago some of us here in the Atlanta area had the pleasure of attending a social event which included a number of us who are gathered here today along with a grouping of people most of us had never met before. There were many in attendance and I could see the time together was richly enjoyed by all who were present. The overall enjoyment from my perspective was the fact of the caliber of conversation that we had. During a delightful interchange I had with one woman, we marveled at the quality of what we were sharing and spoke about the fact that if 30 or so people were able to share what we were sharing in Atlanta, Georgia, how many other groupings of people were sharing a similar quality? You might say that what was experienced, although probably not articulated in these words, was touching an aspect of the “kingdom of heaven”—there was a sense of family, a sense of oneness and those present experienced ease, love and a great deal of joy.
Robert Kauffman — Thank you, Terry, for that wonderful introduction and for providing a setting for our shared creation, now during this hour. I find the image of the party particularly fitting, as it was an experience we can all relate to—people blending together in a moment of unified radiation. In that instance, we shared in the purpose that all might feel at home, that each conversation might bring the touch of friendship. When such interactions between guests become so vibrant and creative, you know it! For me, that occasion provided a clear vision into the heaven of that moment.
It reminds me of a sketch I made a few weeks ago during a different gathering of friends. I was thinking of what image I could draw that envisions the whole body of mankind as an instrument of collective glory—envisions that body as a blessing to all of the earth. Clearly, that was a lofty pursuit, but I thought my powerful intention might spur something to mind, at least in terms of form.
I instinctively turned to the natural world for inspiration. What came to mind was a memory of walking through some hayfields in Tennessee one afternoon. I was enjoying my solitude, when suddenly a murmuration of starlings materialized in the sky above and around me. It surprised the heck out of me at first, but I was soon reveling in the spectacle for the greater part of half an hour. The swirling pattern of birds was dipping and swarming and turning abruptly—only to fold back on itself time and time again. The undulations were exhilarating and unforgettable, and listening to the clatter of cries, I was convinced that the thousands of birds flew in absolute joy and harmony. And so that’s what I drew for my friends—a murmuration of human beings flowing in formation like the birds. That vision stays with me even now.
Now I’m not going to show you my drawing—it could hardly begin to reveal the grandeur of this natural wonder. But I invite you instead to join me in appreciating the starlings. Here’s a brief video to remind you of how magnificent a typical murmuration may be and listen—listen to the birds as they call out to one another.
YouTube Video
I love watching those birds! I chose this particular sequence because it alone zooms in close, illustrating to my mind the individual experience from the bird’s point of view. It’s like looking into the heart of the matter, what’s happening inside. Did you hear the intensity? Did you notice the seeming disconnect between the micro and the macro levels of this visible form? I would point out that the murmuration is so beautiful because each bird is playing its part. Seeming chaos morphs into perfect balance.
I looked up Google’s interpretation of what we’ve just seen, and read the following: “Starling murmurations … often carry symbolic meaning related to community, unity, and adaptability. They can also symbolize the power of collective intelligence, trust, and the ability to navigate change.” This made it sound like my ‘human murmuration’ was landing in the right place, which I would summarize by one word: ‘agreement’. The implication is that each starling moves in unison with the control factor—innate, instinctual, as it may be—and flying as best it can, it has its own agency. At such speed and buffeted by unpredictable currents, each bird adds in the creation of the whole, as I said, with apparent passion and joy. This is at least one example of what a body of human beings might strive for.
Now perhaps you’ve had a chance to view similar waves of human beings in a city—for instance, the foot traffic in New York City. When the film is sped up to approximate the speed of those starlings and shot from around 1000 feet, above, the pattern of humanity shifts into eddies and sudden spurts as the crowd winds its way along sidewalks, across streets, and into the face of traffic. I‘ve often walked those streets, in similar crowds, and I’ll tell you there’s not much joy felt in that situation! There may be a smidgeon of agreement—yes, we were all in a rush to get somewhere very fast. However, we were an unconscious community, almost completely concerned with our own affairs.
In preparing for this presentation, I was thinking perhaps mass human celebrations do offer a more positive example. I could include Hands Across America and We Are The World from the 1980’s, to name a couple. But a true portrait of humanity is not just a matter of huge numbers doing something in unison. Now, I would rather return to the party Terry mentioned earlier—something much closer to home. As she said, it seemed like everyone who attended was primed to share themselves in the moment. From arrival, the guests went out of their way to engage with others, to step out of habitual siloes. For example, I wandered directly to a seat on the couch and found myself between two older women I’d never met before. One of them broke the ice by exclaiming how much she’d been looking forward to this party—and that she was from Nashville, Tennessee. Now, I’d never been to Nashville but we were soon ensconced in the Great Smokies, Knoxville and bluegrass with our minds flying together with the agility of Starlings—engulfed within a common spirit—good vibes, we used to call it. And catching a side glance through the house I sensed the whole crowd was doing the same. Now, I can assure you there was no visible murmuration wafting through the house, but I could feel the kind and friendly energy that did flow with eddies and spurts, swooping from one conversation into another, touching hearts with reflected joy. It was by all accounts a blessing for all who took part.
If only I could draw those lines of vibrational interchange within my image of murmuration, because human beings are first and foremost vibrational beings. We share a common joy of Life even though we are blessed with such differences in form. When we let go of preconceived notions of ourselves we live freely within a vibrational community.
These thoughts have given me a new look at our community here together this morning, afternoon and evening. Since most of us are disbursed across the nation and the world, we must, of necessity, gather together virtually through electronic means. We’ve been doing so in pretty much the same groupings over the past five years and creating invisible patterns of agreement that emerge and shift, always new. We have allowed the spirit of the moment to form our joyful community and lead us to speak and move with one accord. This is the picture I’m after, the picture of a living body of human beings and we have done this; we do this. We are boundless in the air of spirit moving with the urge of the present moment.
This is the invisible realm of the heart. I am privileged to meet you here and in particular, to come before you now in company with Terry. I think it is a miraculous thing how distance makes no difference to how we commune together over an hour of service. There may be a few visible connections with the broader world, and as heaven is brought to bear in our collective consideration, it’s easy to ‘see’ the blessing released. We’ve used this present moment, through words and feeling, to bring the hand of the Lord into the earth.
Terry Kauffman — As Robert just emphasized again, it is all contained in the precious “present moment”, isn’t it? We all know that’s the only one-time opportunity we have to create. I personally like to look at each day as a clean slate, an empty page, one that is filled with the moments of my day. The colors, textures, designs are all dependent upon what I bring to focus—feelings, thoughts, words and actions. I then have the opportunity at the end of the day to reflect on my creation—don’t’ we find that it’s easier to make necessary adjustments when things are fresh? We can ask ourselves questions about that day, and one of the questions I ask myself is: “Did the words I speak assist in the creation of heaven or did they create something else”?
There is a quotation from the Bible: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” This is found in Proverbs 25:11 and it emphasizes the power and value of speaking the right words at the right time in the right spirit. “A word fitly spoken …” Now, the masterful and sensitive use of words to my mind is one of the greatest opportunities we have. Words rightly are a vehicle for attunement and our words are powerful instruments. Can we even imagine how many words would have been uttered through our lips over the past week? What did those words create—what was their intent—because if we’re honest there is always intent. Were they words spoken with limited thought or consideration—maybe spoken in reaction—perhaps regarding world events or feelings about events? Was the conversation we had creative? Did any complaints or judgments find their way in? Because we know that words can either dissipate the pressure or the power in our experience of life, or they can be used, very deliberately, as a means of increasing the expression of power. It might seem like a small thing, “Oh, darn, I slipped up, I just wasn’t thinking” and I know that we all know that in these very dramatic and concentrated times, every word is significant.
I was reminded of our Master’s life and what He was able to accomplish in His public ministry between the ages of thirty and thirty-three—just think of everything He accomplished! We remember in His meeting of the Three Temptations, He recognized and acknowledged for Himself that, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” In other words, the momentary words of life, those things which form up out of the heaven in each moment for each person. Now, what if He had taken the attitude, “Oh, I’ve got plenty of time. It doesn’t have to be every word. I can let slip a word here and a word there, it doesn’t have to be that specific”. No, it really is that specific, it really is every word that proceeds out of our mouth—which, by the way, is always preceded by what is in one’s heart, the feeling realm.
Words rightly are vessels for the light; and I know we all know this, but it’s essential to recognize that there is always choice involved with respect to the words which we speak. Along with this, it is vitally important to recognize that the words we speak do create exactly in relation to the depth of feeling behind them. I’m really not saying anything new here, just reminding us of these very important factors. Because, it’s clear, that in these very dramatic and concentrated times, we know what is required. We know that though the human tendency when the going gets rough is to retreat, dissipate and give up, we welcome the opportunity to function perfectly—holding steady, letting the pressure build. It is so important to see the opportunities which arise under pressure; that is the time when the inclination to express is according to pre-established patterns that oftentimes can be destructive. As I said previously, we have a choice—not just of changing our function or changing our mind, but of changing the orientation of our heart in that moment to one of thankfulness and appreciation, we’ve heard that a time or two! A quote by Uranda really sums it up for me: And he starts out “remember this” my two favorite words of Uranda’s! “Remember this—whenever pressures appear, hold center and give thanks to God for the battle that is drawn. It is for you to remain centered and hold steady under pressure, for if there be no pressure there can be no victory.”
Isn’t that beautiful? It’s such wise instruction. Now, what have I brought to focus today was the use of words but, obviously, this right use of pressure and consequently power has vast implications for our feelings, thoughts and actions, as well. Seems to me like great starting points for future considerations.
Robert Kauffman —Words always matter. As Terry said, words are spoken directly from the heart. Our capacity of speech is known by many who research these things, as the most unique characteristic of human beings. It’s the way we think and communicate, and potentially, also, the way we encourage or agree with other human beings. In other words, short of just being silent, speech is a primary vehicle by which we bless our worlds, by which we commune. For better or worse, our societies, our cultures and our civilizations have been built on a torrent of words.
Now, reflecting back on the murmuration of the starlings for just a moment, I would repeat that it touches my heart because that form suggests to me the dynamic flow of Life, reminiscent of a whirlwind, perhaps and one stands in awe of the seeming lack of control which, as we saw, always resolves into new forms. In the case of the starlings, it’s clearly not a danger. In the human analogy, however, lack of control continues to be a very real threat. There are often nowadays so very few visible signs of control. We have the power to change this, to bring control into these patterns of consciousness and apply it within ourselves first and then to the care and fulfillment of our communities. We are in the business of reflecting the spirit of our LORD and KING into this spiraling human world. I would emphasize, as Terry has just stated, that Uranda and Martin spoke often about the power of words when used rightly.
What kind of speech is required of us? It is “… every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Nothing less. What is the task that lies before us in these challenging times? Uranda speaks to that question in a talk later entitled, “The Need to Abide in Love Response” spoken July 19, 1950:
“The task is not a small one—but we are not here to ask God for just the little tasks, the ones that do not require much courage or time or concern. We are here to accept our responsibility, along with our privileges. We are here to render service to God by rendering service to humanity. We are here to seek out and to prove "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" before us that we may accomplish that work to which we are called. Let us never forget that fullness of vision which recognizes the whole, the wholeness of the Unit in its relationship to God, and the wholeness of our field of ministry as it reaches out and encompasses the whole earth.
“We are responsible for ourselves and for that which we do. Let us be true to that responsibility. Let us let the mind that was in Christ Jesus be in us now and always, so that out of the abundance of our hearts the things of God may find expression on our lips, through our deeds, through our thoughts, that at all times we may let the light so shine that men may see our good works, the lives that we live, and glorify our Father which is in heaven.”
Isn’t that why we incarnated? Uranda has invited us all into a vibrational ministry over his many years of teaching. I’ve just read a quote which describes a vision for the coordinated efforts of us all. Our job is to make this into a living vision: that all who respond may come home through me—and we all can say that.
I AM THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!
The paths of men are dark and devious. Some walk deliberately in them, others ignorantly. There is a straight path and a right way. Those who long to find it shall hear my voice.
The Lord of whom I speak is not the figurehead of religious belief nor mere invention of vain imagination. The word may be rightly translated as Jehovah and it simply means, God in action on earth.
Prepare ye the way for divine action on earth. God acts through man. Therefore I am come to prepare men to let God act, that His creative path may be made straight.
My voice sounds in the earthly wilderness which is the tangled man-made world. Let all with ears to hear hearken to my word and to the living spirit which is the substance of it. Come near unto me.
TO YOU WHO HEAR I SPEAK, calling many things to your remembrance. Some of what I say you may think you already know. Have patience. With other things you may not agree. Withhold your judgment.
Your true nature is divine, not merely human. This indicates a quality of character which is transcendent. This transcendent character is an already existing potential. Some of this potential may have been partially realized, but there is as yet vastly more unknown to you than known. When known this is the truth that makes you free.
The reality indicated by the word “God” includes this truth of your own divine nature. Your acquaintance therefore with God can be no more than your acquaintance with yourSelf as you divinely are.
Some believe and some deny the existence of God. In either case acceptance or rejection is based in the idea of what the word means to those concerned, or perhaps the attitude may be inherited without thought. When the idea is of a logical nature no doubt acceptance will be compelled. Likewise with an unreasonable concept intelligence and honesty require rejection. However the word “God” may be used to define a reality which is capable of being known to the extent that you come to know your true Self. Neither belief nor unbelief is necessary when the truth is known.
If you are to know yourSelf, you must first admit that the self which you now know is at best but a hint of your true Self. It is unlikely that the experience of identity you have known has always been characterized by the highest vision then possible to you, let alone by the divine state yet beyond your awareness. Who without self-righteousness can claim to be all that he inherently knows he could be?
Your consciousness of present identity is likely to be closely associated with your physical body. Various mental and emotional characteristics and idiosyncrasies are also included in the personality which you think yourself to be. All these elements, constituting your human nature, are derived from hereditary sources and environmental experiences. Consequently you are conscious of a self which is merely a conglomerate amalgam stemming from the myriad influences out of your historical past, combined with the reactions induced by them.
However this composite self of which you are aware cannot be you who are aware of it. Neither is it a true revelation of you. It is rather the reflection of an unnatural state brought to you out of the past, resulting from the experience of countless generations of people who lacked any real awareness of divine identity. This is not you nor does it give evidence of the real nature of your true Self.
You are divine. You are not the conglomerate self-made self. However you are also human which fact makes it possible for your divine Self to be experienced and made known on earth. Inherently in you are all the essences of your divinely individual character. You are the potential of the divine revelation of your- Self on earth. When you are your true Self on earth, God is in action on earth because of you. Insofar as you personally are concerned the way of the Lord has then been prepared and His paths made straight.
YOU ARE DIVINE. This is the truth for you, but it remains meaningless on earth until you know it. “Knowing” is the state of realized experience, and this occurs as your divine nature is given expression in thought, word and deed.
One of the characteristics of this nature is creativeness. You are a creator. It is natural for you to share the creative work of God by which divine purposes are achieved. All the essences of the divine state, as these relate to your own field of responsibility, are potential in you. The world of your environment is the creative field for which you are responsible.
Your body, your mind and your emotional nature are a part of the world of your environment. They are not you. You are the one who is capable of observing and using them. Anything which you observe cannot be you, the observer. These capacities, however, are the means for your creative expression on earth. Through them you may know and reveal your divine Self.
However, to the extent that they have claimed your identity the experience of your divine Self on earth has been impossible. The self of which you have been aware was a false one. The you you have known has not really been you. You have existed in a condition comparable to a dream state. In such case you are an unreal person in an unreal world, for your observation of the world around you has been from the standpoint of a false identity. This unreal state with its false self and false world may be recreated or caused to become real by a process comparable to that of awakening.
In the unreal state the self which you know is the conglomerate amalgam of hereditary and environmental influences mentioned before. This self is an individual focus and representation of all from which its composition is derived. Identified with it your thoughts and words, your attitudes and actions, are not really your own. They are generated and governed by the inherited mishmash of irrational impulses characterizing that self as these erupt from the subconscious mind.
The conscious mind endeavors to suppress them or to bring them into sufficient order for the achievement of its self-determined ends. But the conscious mind is also a part of the conglomerate self and cannot separate itself from its origins. It is capable of logical reasoning but the only information with which it has to work does not contain the true premise. This conglomerate self is a false self which has become dominant because the true premise was absent. No amount of logical reasoning on the part of the conscious mind will permit true understanding as long as the original premise is false.
The true premise is the experience of divine identity.
THE EXPERIENCE OF DIVINE IDENTITY is impossible until the present fact of false identity is acknowledged. As long as the false state is assumed to be real, there is no capacity available for the experience of the true state. The admission of this is what the word “repentance” really describes. It requires honesty and a refusal to be governed by the false pride which is part of the nature of the unreal self.
The person who cannot or will not see this, no matter how intellectually brilliant he may seem to be, is in a darkened state of ignorance comparable to sleep or hypnosis. Darkness cannot comprehend light. The fact of darkness must be recognized before comprehension of light is possible.
Once there is the acknowledgment of the falsity of the self which has dominated your experience, causing you to live a lie, the door begins to open for you to know the truth. In this sense I am now setting before you an open door. No man can close it. No one, no circumstance, can prevent you from being your true Self. If you can comprehend these words this is so for you.
This, therefore, I say to you: Come up hither. You may do so if you will. Accept the responsibility that is yours and yours alone. Be what you truly are.
TO BE YOUR REAL SELF you must express your divine nature. As long as the capacities of your body, your mind and your heart are occupied with a display of the unreal self, the expression and consequent experience of your divine nature are impossible.
If the feelings of the body, the concepts of the mind and the desires of the heart cause primary value to be placed in the unreal world, identity is maintained in the unreal self. Your inherent creativeness working through your unreal self reproduces the state of the unreal world of your awareness accordingly. This in turn confirms the seeming validity of the physical, mental and emotional estimates of value. Yet the whole procedure is based in the false premise of identity in the unreal self. This is a vicious circle which ends for the unreal self when the fact of its unreality is finally made clear in what is called death.
However, the death of the physical body which also eliminates mental and emotional capacities is not the only way by which the unreal self may pass away. The unreal self may be dissolved while body, mind and heart remain to allow the manifestation of the divine Self.
In this latter case, as in the former, it might be said that the false self dies, but its death may allow the resurrection of the true Self while the physical body yet lives on earth. It is to this cycle of resurrection that I have called you.
WHERE ARE YOUR PRIMARY VALUES? Have your body, mind and emotions convinced you that the values are properly in the world state that you now know? Let us consider.
Does the physical condition of your own body loom large to you? Do your material circumstances trouble you? Is it your experience that they determine your happiness or unhappiness? Perhaps changes in the members of your family, your friends, your business associates, are required to make you content? Is security found in money or position?
Are you easily hurt by what other people say or do? Are you quick to leap to your own defense? Do you feel that others should treat you differently or love you more?
Does resentment, anger or fear dominate your attitude and actions at times? Do you hate anyone?
Many more such questions could be asked. Be honest in your self-examination. If you say “Yes” to any of them, then to this extent your primary values are in the unreal state and you are identified with a false self.
If the nature of what you express in life is determined by the state of the world of your awareness, you cannot know your true Self. All you know is the experience of a puppet. Your only apparent hope for happiness and meaning depends upon your environment, most of which seems to be beyond your control. The people and circumstances out of the past and in the present encase you in a rigid personal bondage from which, try as you may, you cannot escape. What has come from the past makes the present seem hopeless and any bright expectations must be pinned to the future. All this is consequent upon the state of the unreal world, contained in the consciousness of the unreal self, but appearing to be an objective and very real environment.
It is futile for the unreal self to try to save itself from the devastating experience of its own self-created state. Its natural habitat is the unreal world and it can only exist therein. Each is dependent upon the other. Both need to pass away.
THE REAL VALUES ARE THE QUALITIES OF DIVINE BEING. These characterize your true Self. You find your real meaning in the expression of them. When expressed they determine the state of your world. You are, therefore, responsible for your world.
To carry that responsibility correctly you must be true to your divine Self. You can be true only as you accept the qualities of divine being as your own. You will not do this unless they are of supreme value to you.
What are these qualities? All of them are differentiations of the reality described by the word love. God is love. You are divine. Therefore you are characterized by love. Love differentiated in the expression of your life creates a divine world.
The world of your creating is not isolated or separated from the worlds created by others, any more than your divine Self is independent of the divine Self of anyone else. You are divine, they are divine. All are a part of God.
God is one. The world of God is one and includes the whole cosmos with all its divine ramifications and states.
The false state of your present distorted experience is included within the divine state, much as a dream state is included within a waking state world. The fact of a dream state proves the fact of a waking state from which the confused composition of the dream was abstracted. The fact of your false state proves the reality of the divine state from which your unreal self and world were abstracted. The unreality of your present state is partly consequent upon its incompleteness, being an abstraction, and partly upon the resulting absence of the rational control and design inherent in the divine state.
Placing supreme value in the divine nature, conscious experience of the divine state may begin to be restored. To the extent that the new values become dominant to you, your estimate of the false self and the unreal world undergoes a drastic change.
Circumstances and people can then no longer induce reactionary attitudes in you; on the contrary, identified with your divine Self, reaction gives way to creative action. You extend into your world an entirely new influence never brought to bear before.
Creative action springing from your divine nature is a specific differentiation of love rightly applicable to the situation. Because you are divinely identified you not only cannot help but act in love; you also see and under- stand the situation as it really is—not as it falsely seemed to be to the unreal self. Thus divine intelligence becomes operative because you are dealing with real things instead of a distorted mirage.
SUPREME VALUE CENTERS IN LOVE. All true values are differentiations of this supreme value. The means by which love is differentiated into the infinite variety of its divine nature may be called “truth.” Life is the evidence of the truth of love in action. Because love is eternal and the truth of it unchanging, although infinite in its aspects, life is eternal.
The life experienced by the false self is the evidence of a distorted expression of love. It is a temporary state, having no lasting significance.
The presence of love, which is the supreme value and the central essence of your divine nature, is proven because you know life. If you express the truth of love, you are your real Self and your life is eternal. If your expression is not the truth of love, an unreal self is made evident with only transitory existence.
The distinction between the real and the unreal state is not consequent upon the presence or absence of love. If it were possible for love to be entirely absent there could be no state at all. The difference is as to whether the experience of love’s action is true or false.
No more love is needful to you than is now present. Any apparent lack in your life arises from an inadequate experience of the truth of love. It is this truth that makes you free to know love as it really is and to be your divine Self.
Life is the evidence of the controlled differentiation of love according to the design of love’s own nature. What is called life in the experience of the unreal self is a temporary state of unreal existence resulting from the improperly controlled differentiation of love according to an untrue pattern. Such a state would not be possible if at the same time a certain measure of the true control and design in the differentiation of love did not remain operative. Because this is so for you, the opportunity is still open for you to know the truth of yourSelf, which is the truth of love brought to focus and differentiated through you on earth.
YOU ARE AN INDIVIDUALIZED ASPECT OF GOD and your nature is a particularized differentiation of love. This is the truth for you. This individual truth is a part of the whole truth. The whole truth includes all the individualized aspects which compose God and all the particularizations which compose love. The truth as a whole is the design of symmetrical relationship between all aspects of God and differentiations of love and also the control which governs creative action through the design. Design and control are the basic elements of the truth of God and His nature.
As an aspect of that design and a control factor in its working, you have a particular part to play. Your part is closely related to the parts played by many other individualized aspects of that design. All are coordinated by reason of the design so that control may be maintained in creative action.
Identification with the false self obliterates awareness of the true Self and the design of which it is an aspect. In this state of blindness the unreal self seeks to maintain its existence in the unreal world at the expense of other unreal selves. For the sake of comfort and self-preservation, a social order may be developed by cooperative efforts, but the pattern so evolved is not the true design. Some of the principles must be abstracted from the true design, however, for anything to be achieved at all.
Coordination and control are made possible in the true design by the principle of focalization. This same principle is used in any effective organization of the unreal world. The orderly operation of a nation requires a governing body. The orderly operation of a government comes to focus in a cabinet or some such group. The orderly operation of a cabinet is impossible without a chief minister. The principle is at work in the field of business, religion, or wherever people band together for a common purpose. Without it, or should it break down in application, there is chaos.
In the unreal world human purposes are manifold, contradictory and unreal. Divine purposes are harmonious differentiations of one true purpose. Their nature is consonant with love. Their accomplishment depends upon the design and control of truth. Control is maintained by reason of the principle of focalization, which is operative throughout the whole design.
You as an individualized aspect of God are an integral part of a system composed of many such individualizations. This system, with others, is included in a larger system which in turn is an essential part of one greater still.
However far this design of individualizations and systems may be rightly taken, in its completeness it composes what is designated by the word “God.” The cosmos itself portrays this truth. From the atom to the system of galaxies and beyond, it is minutely and majestically proclaimed.
The God-system with which you are immediately concerned relates to this particular planet. In the design of this system, as with all others, the principle of focalization is at work. One individualized aspect of God provides an apex point of control in which all others, including you, are focalized.
This system is part of a greater system and there are lesser systems within this one. All are properly focalized. The application of the principle throughout maintains coordination and control. This total system within a system is God for this planet and the potential of the divine state on earth—the kingdom of heaven at hand.
YOUR DIVINE NATURE IS UNIQUE. As the specific differentiation of love, which is your true nature, in turn is differentiated in the unique expression of your Self on earth, this is the divine state for you.
The translation of your divine potential into the actual experience of this state occurs as your love for God exceeds all other emotional involvements. It is the real fact in this regard, not the mere desire, that counts.
The principle of focalization applies to your love for God. The manner of its application must be understood and accepted if the divine state is to be known by you. The right application draws your response in love toward the one at the apex of this system, in whom all the differentiations of love within the system come to focus. He is the Lord your God. Regardless of the name used to identify Him, He is the focalization of God for you. Your love for Him and for the fulness of the divine nature focalized by Him and differentiated through you and others, must be complete. When it is, nothing other than the pure expression of your own divine nature could ever find release through your thoughts, feelings, words and deeds.
Your love for this supreme one is at the same time your love for your true Self and also your love for your neighbor; for all the differentiated aspects of the divine nature within this system are contained in essence at the apex point of focus. The system is one. In it there is one identity, focalized at the apex and differentiated into individual aspects throughout. Thus is the system composed.
This system is the potential for a corresponding system, or “body,” in form on earth. When the potential is fully realized the earthly “body” is a revelation of the divine system. This is God in action on earth.
The way by which this occurs is the creative process. In the unfoldment of it there is a further differentiation of the divine nature through the manifest system or “body” into the larger environment. Thus the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms begin to give increasing evidence of the divine state in expanded expression. So does the kingdom of heaven which is at hand, merely potential, come on earth in actual form and function.
The reproduction of the divine system in manifest form necessarily reveals the principle of focalization in operation on earth. The working of this principle, being inherent in the design of the divine system, cannot be established by the determinations of the unreal self without distorting it. As long as the unreal self is present and active the true design will be obscured. Consequently only the willingness of the unreal self to lose its life for the sake of your real Self, permits the design of the divine system to take form on earth.
The whole creative fulfilment is dependent, therefore, upon the correct individual choice. Insofar as you are concerned it is dependent upon the extent to which your unreal self will release you into the experience of your real Self on earth. The unreal self must decrease, the real Self increase.
If you wish to correlate all that I have been saying to you with the recorded words and actions of Jesus Christ, you will discover that I am calling them to your remembrance. I do not invite you to accept some strange belief according to the doctrines of the unreal self, but show you the way, the truth and the life by which your divine Self may come on earth here and now.
THE COMING OF YOUR DIVINE SELF on earth dissolves the unreal state as darkness is caused to vanish before the rising sun.
The manifold achievements of the unreal self consequent upon increased scientific and technological knowledge are not evidence of progressive evolution. They are indications of an explosive proliferation of effects produced by the improperly controlled activity of the unreal self, whose shortsighted outlook lacks awareness of ultimate consequences. This unreal state is self-destructive.
Within the unreal state while it lasts, what has seemed to be pleasing and beneficial to the unreal self has provided the motivation for action. Divine purpose has consequently been ignored or assumed to be non- existent. The attempt of the unreal self to enhance and perpetuate its own existence was deemed to be good. Anything which would detract from its estimate of its own progress and importance was seen as evil. But the truth is that the dissolution of the false self with the coming of the true Self is necessary to the achievement of divine purpose.
Only the true Self and the real world can be a part of divine purpose. Both the unreal self and its world are doomed to oblivion. They have only temporary existence and by their very nature are constantly in the process of passing away. The final and complete dissolution of the unreal world is inevitable.
“Advanced civilizations” have vanished from the face of the earth several times in the past, leaving virtually no record other than in legend. Violent upheavals of the earth’s crust were involved. On each occasion opportunity had been extended to the inhabitants of the earth to accept and experience the true Self, and consequently to recreate the divine world. The present world state obviously indicates that those opportunities were neglected or rejected. Because the chance has never yet been taken does not mean either that it does not exist or that it cannot be taken.
The self-destruction of the unreal world of the false self is again at hand. Once more the opportunity to regain the consciousness of divine being is offered to the children of men. These words are one such reminder.
The inevitable passing of the unreal world need not be ultimate disaster for mankind, although vastly greater tribulation will surely occur. If there are those on earth who have accepted and experienced the divine Self then the divine world shall take form as surely as the unreal world disintegrates.
These words are spoken to you. Should you have ears to hear them and a heart to understand, then the future is in your hands.
Let the unreal state pass away in you and around you. Weep not for the passing but rejoice in the coming. Nothing that is real or true can ever be lost. Only false values and distorted states shall vanish from the earth. Do not look back nor mourn their passing.
LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND SEE the truth that makes you free. Hear and understand the word that has been spoken to you.
There are yet many things to be said to those who can bear them, much to be called to remembrance. All that is needful shall be found by those who truly seek, lifting their hearts and their eyes to the source on earth from whence this book took form. “Behold, I make all things new.”
