The Living Word

Hobgoblines of the imagination
Do you not see that you have come to the place where it is wise to practice all the time bringing the Spirit into the roughage of daily life? Can you understand it better if you say to yourselves, “By doing this I am overcoming the world”. That is, your world. Necessity sometimes brings you to your feet; do not wait for necessity, be there first. Say, “I know that you will give me my daily bread, I know that you will guide me in the way of wisdom, I know that you will release me from the terror by night” through the pressure of material existence. Do you ask, “Why am I chosen for this release.” You are not chosen, you chose and called — called to yourselves this freedom from the laws of negative consequences by abiding in the cause, the source, the Holy Spirit. You can demonstrate a working principle. To be sure you have failed, blundered, daydreamed and got lost in thickets and sloughs of despond and forgetfulness like anyone else, but you have a peculiar and individual instinct for beauty, the beauty of spiritual things, and you have sensed that you can walk into the dawning of a new day. Eternal love walks with anyone intent upon this adventure and the daily miracle comes when you can hold what you receive and do not permit it to become dissipated by your senses and the talks and alarms of self-conscious life. Go forth then, and overcome your own immediate world.
Sometimes you are bewildered for there seems so much to be done and you cannot see the forest for the trees; it is difficult, for your minds are not yet trained to realization, realization in the sense of involuntary awareness of the constant Presence. For that reason what is asked of you seems difficult to the material mind; it is not that you should make a cowardly escape from realities, it is that you should fill yourselves with a calmness not your own making, that you become a channel for it to flow through.
When you examine your inner human selves you find they are tornadoes, volcanoes of feeling ready without warning to ravage the world around you. With the growing consciousness of the Spirit that feeling will be transmuted, for it must be renounced, changed. This sounds as if you had to go through a sort of exercise, but reread about bringing the well filed water jars across no man’s land from the well of life and you will see it is not quite that. The world is too much with you. You would have more power over it if you could perceive that the shock of the world with its vital interest and absorbing drama makes the mind race and the emotions tense. Those who desire to overcome it must step back and let the mind be washed clean and the emotions put in order. This to some may sound an impossible task, but is infinitely easier than suffering the consequences of the human way.
One of you said, “I am tired of being brave!” Say it no more, for that is the negation of all that has been revealed to you. Courage enfolds you with wings, it is calm and protecting; it lifts you over rough places and is the victory of the spirit over the material world.
Another has said, “There is a human limit to what a body can do!” Of course that is so, but you can find great help sometimes by realizing your own inner strength. In the midst of fatigue and exhaustion many have been lifted to their feet by the clearness of their thought. Much of sickness is psychic and is the heaviness of materialism.
You say you are rebellious because you cannot do more. You asked how nature could show you. Consider the delicacy of the beginnings of things and how they must be nurtured; it is the same with your revelation and the way it must be nurtured. You plant a seed as you were prompted to do, for concepts and thoughts are seeds and grow much faster than nature. The weed thoughts wither into dust instantly when you seek the quiet communions of your inner stillness; they are in the soil of illusion and have no power when you are free.
Be not troubled too much by the hobgoblins of the imagination, that is a useless burden. The reality is enough to bear without adding the unreality. The blanking out, the forgetfulness after renewal, is what must be avoided; and yet it is not a question of duty; you must not blame yourselves for it is hard for the human mind and character not to stew in its own juice! Human nature is stubborn, lazy, somnolent. Step forth into the brightness of spiritual vigor! Believe steadily, the long belief; look danger in the face and do not quail. Many ask that God come down to guide you do your part, stand up, go up, realize your majesty; and in the deep security of your silence, realize the godhood that is yours when you are one with the Father.
from Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

3 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

Ask for Courage when you are Afraid
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In these days of violence it is important to hear a standard upon the side of righteousness in your daily lives and to remember that fear is the tempter, that it is faith in your antagonist as I have told you before. It is the destroyer and always brings sorrow.
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One can have nothing but compassion for those who dwell in fear but we would lead them away into the only place of trust and protection. As he said, “This kind goes out only by fasting and prayer.” Therefore pray, keep your body a holy temple for only then can the flaming powers pour through.
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Use your imagination to realize that the hidden strengths within you are awakened sometimes through great experiences, shocks, changes. Man is aroused to manhood or broken very often by lack of courage, spiritual courage which could have been his for the asking. There are those all over the world today who are giving testimony of having received what they asked for simply, with childlike faith. It is simplicity that is hard for us. But you have found a way through the darkness as they, in terrible need, have done; you too, in your everyday lives, can take a lamp and walk quietly step by step down a path into lighted confidence. Keep it lighted, never let it go out. Those others who are hard pressed by grim circumstances do not have to be reminded to watch their light; it is their life, the Almighty, the Comforter.
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The human reality has a terrifying grip and faith seems very nebulous when danger’s breath is hot on your face, but your safety is in letting go to faith and in knowing that faith is where your mind is. Give yourself up to it, let go, for underneath are the everlasting arms. It is true that you cannot speak of faith as if it were an abstract or medicinal sort of thing; no, it’s the actual touching of Christ himself.

-from Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

4 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

Become impartial and self-less
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Today we speak of the realization of the black and white of daily living; now one thing and now another. See these states; they seem to come out of a bag and surround us. They are very real while they last, these times of fermentation and doubt. It seems to you that there can be no light or hope and the days are gray and dark. Much of this is steam rising from you and you make your own fog. When understood it is a sign of growth; but you will feel better, feel cleansed when you have the understanding to ponder on the strangeness of these states, as being unreal and not of truth. The healing of the spirit comes in these times of realization. Don’t you begin to see that these moments are self-made and lie in your own responses. Your release lies in taking these moments, both the star moments and the nettles and in holding them in each hand while you consider them. By this act of the free will you become a master, for at last you take your appointed place in your own unfoldment.
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This dwelling upon your own states is not a dangerous knitting of the brows in introspection, for there is no self-love in the process, neither is there pride nor self-pity. To know yourself you must become impartial and self-less; then with that calm, impersonal knowledge which is given to you in cooling draughts, you will free and cleanse yourself of the states and the events which made them so very real and ungovernable. In this way you make yourself free; a little at a time perhaps, but you have discovered the principle and the rest follows.
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Now do you not perceive that Christ in you cannot be apart like a phantom. No, no! He demands the outer you as well as your inner self to make the perfect whole.
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You are here, now, at this place, at this time, in this room, in your world, in the scheme of this moment, and you have never been at this moment before. Well, then, take this moment and instead of letting it wing through the mind as nothing, receive it as a divine gift and place it in the chalice, holding it up as high as you can reach. That is how you help all other persons at their stations - now at this moment. See nations this way; open and enlarge the realization of each moment; enlarge the now. This is how inspiration will pour into your life for, oh, it is so important not to drop the moments on the floor! Hold them up into the light when all the currents and tides are against you; every time you raise a low impulse to the highest, those nearest you are lifted and changed. In this way are destructive emotions transmuted, like water into steam, a driving force for good. Nature demands lawlessly and hungrily and if indulged will consume and destroy you by her spendthrift lack of restraint.
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Do you not see that by doing this you literally bring order out of chaos and create a new world. Nature is made to obey the great law that will uplift the human race.

from Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

4 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

Whoever cultivates words from my mouth inside themselves,
whether male or female, shall become as I AM;
for there is no partiality in Divine Being
and the I AM within him or her shall become the Higher Identity in them. For them, the mysteries will reveal themselves,
and they will come to know the truth in all things. 108

from the Lachlen Paul French translation of The Gospel According to Thomas

4 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

Remember, nothing can enter your Temple Consciousness or upset your life’s progress if you are unifying your inner spiritual awareness with
your external activities. Nor can your life be seized by any force.
The Father of Lights has given dominion to each of us over our own being. There is no need to worry over dark forces or spirits threatening your life; it is, in fact, they who will shy away from your Light.
Do not fear anything invisible.
However, if your inner spiritual activities [your RIGHT HAND]
and your outer earthly activities [your LEFT HAND] are at cross purposes and in conflict, then your current progress [your mental HOUSE]
can be ransacked.
Remember, if our Heart is divided against itself
it cannot stand unified, in strength.
Live your true and highest Awareness, and you will be a fortress of Strength. Do not live in contradictions, but abide yourself in pure
singleness of Purpose. Do not try living “spiritually” for only one day,
and live the other days otherwise.
Do not go against your “conscience” [a pure messenger of God]. Raise your vibratory level every day. Go within yourself to Feel your Higher Self ’s wisdom-choices ... and Rest in those. 35.
from the Lachlen Paul French translation of The Gospel According to Thomas

4 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

Blessed are the ONES who have unified their Intention, Attention, and Expression with divine solitude –– [the SOLITARY];
and blessed are “the Elect,”
[those consciously dedicated to their divine reunification]
for they shall live in bliss, in their true Home, in eternity and light, and they shall find rest in their Original Soul awareness. 49.
from the Lachlen Paul French translation of The Gospel According to Thomas

4 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

Surrender the Mind’s focus back to the I AM —
the blissful place — instead of in anxious mentation
Continual inner communion is what I speak of.
I AM Awareness is where your life is peacefully maintained and truly utilized. Take no anxious thought for “not now – not here thinking”.
Sufficient unto today are the adversities thereof.
Therefore, let him who is willing listen now and act appropriately!
Remain in the present moment – in pure I AM awareness, always just here and right now. Let go of all yesterdays and their sorrows, they are gone. Let go of your tomorrows, which are not yet in awareness.
Living today in wonder—in the now-moment—creates blissful tomorrows. Count your blessings. Enjoy and be thankful for all that belongs to this moment, whatever it is, and be enthusiastically involved in that activity.
Let go of control. Stop trying to run or ‘pattern’ this life after mental fixations and egotistical agendas.
Stop the endless criticism of yourself and others, even in your mind. Let everyone be... especially yourself.
Let peace flow between you and others, and between your thoughts. The I AM will provide whatever you need to learn from experience. You are the judge of no one, so let judging go away from you.
And be gentle on yourself.
However, give yourself some disciplines to refine your nature.
As you do, your refinements will become you;
they will give birth to new growth, ever new expansion, and new disciplines. Your greatest endeavor is in Loving yourself—and others—through
loving expansiveness. You actually Assist others on their life paths,
and your own as well, by taking charge of pointless appetites,
which make others stumble as your lives touch.
Your Expansive Kindness, however, inspires other people’s lives
with a love from Above.
When your love goes out to others, it returns again to you a hundred fold, becoming the Grace to you that it was to them.
In doing these things you become a clear LENS and a clean VESSEL through which the Original Being may work the wonders
of the Infinite One ... in you and As you. 84.
from the Lachlen Paul French translation of The Gospel According to Thomas

4 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

You will come to this place
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It may be helpful for you to consider the fact that to permit stupid thoughts to dwell and slip through the mind is as dangerous as to let sharp delicate tools slip through the fingers. Therefore the old practice of self-examination is recommended if it is made with clean, concentrated thinking that challenges one’s words and deeds during the miniature life of a day, thus planning for the future. See and realize the strange unreasonable elements that seem to come from nowhere; shades of savagery born from self-pity, the constant oversweet voice that indulges the self-, condoning excuses. There is much degeneration due to emotional storms, even though they are secret storms, that needs the strong tools of creative, intelligent thought to clear away.
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Yes, build yourselves a practical, sufficient, spiritually hard working instrument that will live your life for you more easily, in balance, so that you will walk surefooted through states of emotion. When you are stung by a hurt, an unreasonableness, a delay, watch your response; take it out and look at it. You are to think your way out. Now that you are more aware of divine assistance, cease from being fools, for the wise man is he who when he prays for wisdom and receives it, acts upon it. Many pray, receive and do not recognize it. Pray that you may realize the tools of thought recognize them when they are put shining into your hands. There are no excuses in this realm.
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This is not preaching in the old scolding way; this is awakening in your consciousness the inspiration of knowing that you can overcome the world; you cannot overcome the world by formless prayer, although I would not confuse you by implying that you have to put prayer always into words. It is the deep intent, the idea, that carries power; the shape of a cup shapes the substance it contains. That is why the emotion behind a word does not always bring what we expect or desire. It is not enough to say “my kingdom is not of this world.” That is a truth, a noble and divine theme, a statement of intent. What matters is how are you going to prove there is a kingdom within you in which you are a crowned king Your life is not placed in a palace, but in a very restricted, irritated small area of reality where you meet the heat and cold of public opinion, delays and obstructions, jealousies, malice, lacks, boredom and strain. It is not enough to say “my kingdom is not of this world” and not arrange your thoughts accordingly. An awakening is taking place, a dawning, for the time is approaching when you will realize that you cannot advance spiritually unless you act upon the wisdom given you, instead of receiving, of hearing the voice and then doing nothing about it.
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Out of humanity have come such realizations because every human who has made this journey has come to this place, this time of understanding, when he sees that acting upon the revelation that has come to him is the only way he can win to victory.
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Here is a prayer for thy comfort: “I stand in the light of the Spirit knowing that this tired flesh is not the reality of myself. In this light I stand, aware of immortality now. I will dedicate my waking hours to the realization of this Presence and the knowledge that I am never alone. Thou art with me always and thou art my refreshment.”

-from Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

5 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

A spirit of courage
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You are beginning to comprehend the vitality of your thoughts; how they will race and clash and confuse and tire the orderly rhythm of one’s living, day and night. Thoughts can seize and fasten onto the consciousness. Now take boldly the role of commander; calm these unruly soldiers in your company by commands, by great words of spiritual intent. As you were warned, do not go down with the stream, remain at the source, the source within you. Be the eternal spring. This indeed is a task for a man, but here is the victory won.
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Perhaps words like these will help you; say, to yourself-, “I am a messenger. I will not waste my life on the letter, but I will seek the Spirit and hold myself at the source. I will obey the word; I will not be delayed in the treadmill of human, negative thought. I will escape all useless mental anxiety. Lord, here I stand, obeying thy words, knowing that in obeying the divine command my burden will be lifted.”
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Lean, lean therefore on thy strong reassuring inner self-, realizing that in obedience God’s will is done to the end of time. Nothing is too small, nothing too large. “Say not lo, here! nor lo, there!” Nor be dragged here and there and about, for indeed the kingdom of all peace and power is within you. Stay — and advance!
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Try dissolving your universe, as you have been told before, into spiritual and mental concepts. Consider yourself a feeling that has been led about by the events of your time. Character is, in its last analysis, a collection of feelings. A good man is a trust feeling. If you dissolve all people to thought and examine your own thought as you carry it about you will see with greater clarity how destructive it is to be a Fear. If you are a Fear, you at once become a vortex which attracts to you currents of obstacles and blocks. But if you are a Confidence going though the unseen, as your true world really is, if you are a spirit of courage, calm and loving, you act like a sun on all about you and grateful faces will turn to you as you touch the creative impulse everywhere. It is as simple as this. Guard yourself from states and when you find yourself sinking into one and you stand before the walls of your Jericho, blow your silver bugle and your clear note of prayer will be heard. Great and good forces are your companions. You do not walk alone, Christ is in your heart.
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How little are the blind men. Come within that your eyes may be opened and you may see. Stretch your identity, widen your faith, lift your mind and keep out all material and entangling thoughts. Let them dissolve and fall like sediment. Take no thought; be thought; “have the mind of Christ.”
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from Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

5 months ago | [YT] | 0

The Living Word

Maintaining your conscious spiritual Awareness requires the care and vigilance that a SHEPHERD [one who has a conscious evolutionary path] has for his one-hundred SHEEP [for his life’s spiritual priorities].
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The person who has a spiritual path tries to live consciously, and on purpose, so he exercises disciplines over mind and body in order to create a good life. However, among most people [shepherds] those with a conscious spiritual path the most important dedication [sheep] has been left behind and is missing. It is the true Idea of real living, that of witnessing the Christ Mind operate one’s life. This is most often missing from human awareness, even from successful human awareness, even from rich people who enjoy earthly abundance; because normally, the ego wants to run our life, fulfilling its own agendas, despite our spiritual longings.
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So the WISE SHEPHERD [disciple] does not focus on the 99 things of his life so that he may find his Christ Identity ... and he will do that, until he finds it. After all his searching efforts, when he finds his Authentic Self, he will say, “I love you, my Christ Awareness, more than the 99 other things of my life [more than religions, possessions, philosophies, careers, wealth, fame].
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With everything in proper priority –– with our Christ Consciousness in ascendance, we can attend to all of life’s matters and better than before. 107.
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from the Lachlen Paul French translation of The Gospel According to Thomas

5 months ago | [YT] | 0