Workshop - Life's Word Workshop Lake Whitney, TX - 1981 - Page 4 of 4
There is a beautiful little book entitled
Life’s Word
by Anonymous
Dr. Bob was asked to comment on the material for clarification. It has been transcribed verbatim, in the vernacular of Dr. Bob’s “Kentucky-ese”.
(Note: Audience comments are in parenthesis.)
[Dr. Bob’s comments within his reading of Life’s Word are in brackets.]
[Clarifications and Suggested Links to Illustrations on this website are in brackets and italicized.]
Since this Workshop transcription came out to about 50,000 words, it is included here in continuing parts for the facility of loading these pages. There is no particulat relevance or topic to each page as it just continues from one page to the next via the links at the end. - Marsha
Continued from Part 3 .......
VIII
Eighth Mystery: Regeneration
Ok, we will start then with the Eighth Mystery which is the Mystery of Regeneration. Now, regeneration means a rebuilding, or renewing, or a new Life, or being born anew, etc.
You cannot obtain this mystery by striving, nor by study, nor by belief.
Believe all you want to, study all you want to, it won't be there.
It shall be a growth of the character of the body.
That's the only way it comes about.
Unless you have suffered the seven first mysteries in the body, and have left the body free to be controlled by Me, you cannot feel in the body this Eighth Mystery.
So these others are essential for this one to happen, or as I told you, I believe, when we started, you would really recognize one of them because they carry all the aspects of the others with them. So regeneration can happen. You can't say, "Well, I'm going out and regenerate myself,” because all you'll do is screw it up.
In past times, I revealed unto my people the mystery of generation…
Not ‘regeneration’.
…generation and marriage, and sanctified the bodily union of the married unto generation, that by generation after generation
I might develop a body capable of regeneration.
It seems to be that Life has a purpose to finally build, create, develop, do R & D on or whatever, until it has a body that can fully express Life immortal - an immortal being. An immortal being with immortality. It seems that is its purpose. And it says so here, that in times past, it seems to generation which was to keep on developing bodies after bodies, generation after generation while it experimented on ‘em and worked on ‘em, and used the things it's been telling us about here until that the end result was to build a body that would directly regenerate. You know, we old wrecks would all of a sudden go back the other way - you know, reverse the procedure until it would be regenerated. And in that case, then we would have come up with the body who can be immortal - a living being, Life, expressed through a body consciously with immortality.
Now if we try to get that, I guarantee you, you won’t. But it says it could happen, ok? Let's see if we can allow it to happen, but not try to make it happen.
(Bob, does that mean that, say, a thousand years ago that couldn't have been?)
I would imagine that's probably about right. They’s all sick then. There wasn't any of them built up capable of regeneration; but that only given time, maybe they coulda been. I don’t know, but it's only been a few people, apparently, that could be regenerated. But at least, you and I are lucky enough to live in a time when it could happen.
If you have not developed the Seven First Mysteries in the body,
this Mystery of Regeneration is not for you.
Don't even bother with it.
Then it is well for you to cling steadfastly to the ancient mystery of marriage and generation, rearing children in love and tenderness,
in the sacred, true, and faithful marriage relation.
In other words generation is necessary as well as regeneration.
But when you are inspired by Me and have cast aside, as no longer part of your nature, all desire and fear and all striving after your own pleasure,
then the marriage will reveal unto you the Holy Mystery of Regeneration.
Herein is this mystery that the body will not act the same when inspired wholly by love as it did aforetime when governed by desire.
That, I think, you can observe without any big hassle.
When it is inspired by love, it will strive only for the pleasure of the mate and no longer for its own pleasure.
It might be as a by-product, but it won't be the striving.
Then the sacred distillation of the strength will not spend,
but will be redistilled unto the renewing of youth.
Now that's something I don't think too many people have seen, have you? That you’ve seen somebody that was an old wreck and they turned around and regenerated into a youthful looking person. I have had the occasion to see that in some degree; and so I know what it's talking about. And that it is within the realm of possibility, and is not some fantasy.
You will not suddenly enter the life of Regeneration.
That says you won't do that suddenly.
The body will not change completely when the first inspiration of unselfish love comes unto you. Many times shall the old feeling of desire come back to you, but ever will I aspire you more and more with the sweet patience of My pure love, and you will more and more realize the Life that I am living within you.
It is beginning to realize that Life lives in this body, not the not I's. That it is doing everything. That becomes more and more certain; and as it does, more and more regeneration takes part. Regeneration is very much like generation. It starts very little and grows into a full being. It doesn't just say, "blap!" - you go to bed looking like an old wreck and wake up the next morning looking cutie. It won't quite do it that way. It grows.
Do you say, “The mate which I have taken is not now my ideal”?
Yet shall you see that the mate is the best one for you, and that I, Myself, have provided such a mate for you that I might teach you unselfish love.
For I will inspire the heart with love that you will ask for no return, no faithfulness,
no kindness, no support. And I will give you such joy in that love that the body will be glorified and rejuvenated.
That seems a little strange, but only in some sort of relationship where there is love without desire, does it say that regeneration takes place. When there is love radiating, not being sought for. Being sought for and trying to get it seems to be degenerating.
As long as the heart is not ready for the inspiration of My love,
Well, you know, “That sounds all right, but I'll be damned if I'm going to be with somebody who doesn't do so and so, so . . . ”
you will seek to obtain love from others,
and will be dissatisfied with what you do obtain,
Nothing.
for you can only live in the love radiated from within your own body.
That's the only love you really live in, is that which you radiate.
But when the fullness of My life shall come unto you, you shall rejoice in the mate you have and shall love that one
with a gladness that shall triumph over every fault.
In the first place, there wouldn't be any faults. If I see you as not having any faults, you haven't got any, is that right? That's how I choose to see you.
For a selfish mate gives you the opportunity to be unselfish.
And a lot of other people give you that, too.
Also a cross mate gives you the opportunity to be sweet-tempered.
You can be sweet tempered anyway, but only when you got somebody that's kind of cross once in a while does it really help, is that right? You like to be around cross people? Because what happens to you when you're around cross people? Right. They control you. But if it was Life livin’ totally… that's the false personality that get's all crossed. But if they are, so they get cross? So you just be nice to ‘em. So what? It's really not all that difficult to do.
Yet have patience and know that if you are not yet a radiant center of love
and unselfishness and sweet temper, still you shall become such.
And to that end do I send you trials that you may learn to exercise those qualities which others seem to you to lack. So it is well for you to cling to the ancient sacrament of marriage in the days of desire, and in the days of inspiration, for it shall be unto you a trial and yet a joy, and out of it will grow the real strength.
Yet I do not command you to heed these words,
Don't pay any attention to them if you don't want to.
for My message is only what you can receive, and if you do not believe these words to be My message, yet then, shall the disbelief have some affect upon you, and whatever the affect upon you may be, THAT is my message to you.
So somewhere it had some kind of message to you, didn't it? What? ‘ it's possible for the human being to regenerate. Most useful people could regenerate a whole lot. So we'll just put as the eighth one - “Regeneration.” And we're going to run out of space, so we're going to have to quit because we only got room for about one more here. So that will be nine. So we'll do that one.
IX
Ninth Mystery: Freedom
The Ninth Mystery is the Mystery of Freedom.
Now that's what we all want here is to be free, huh?
To prepare you for freedom, I have sold you into slavery.
You know, you have read the story about Exodus and all that stuff. Those people would never thought about freedom if they hadn't been slaves for a while, you see, huh? So we've all been sold into slavery to all sorts of things; and we'll get out of it, maybe.
To prepare you for freedom, I have sold you into slavery.
You were born a slave and raised a slave. Even when you did awake
and knew yourself for a slave, I did not at once deliver you.
Now, how many of us have really ever discovered that we are truly slaves? Have you, Mary? Have you? You’re a slave. You have kids, huh? You know, kids born into this world immediately have a couple of slaves.
From slavery unto slavery have I brought you that you might at last be free. When I sent you any measure of physical freedom, I sent you chains for the mind.
To go along with it. So you got some physical freedom, you got some chains on the mind. You grew up and you could run around a little further, but then somethin’ ties your head down.
That in you which you call the individuality was not capable of freedom. It was either a slave to your desires, or to what you thought were the opinions of others, or to what you thought was the conscience.
Now you've been a slave, trying to keep the conscience from bitin’ you; and it went along and was really a rough slave-master, wasn't it? Hmm? Is that right? So we've been a slave to it. And we've wanted to know what others expected of us, and we've wondered, “what'll people think?” So we've been a slave to that one - their opinions. And we've been a slave to all the desires - for wealth and fame and prestige and attention and approval, and we have worked our little arms off tryin’ to be sure that we got attention and approval and no disapproval - is that right? We really worked at it. So we've been slaves - is that fairly easy? And we are slaves until this day.
Environment has educated you into habits of action and habits of thought, and you have been a slave to those habits.
We talked about those a while ago. You got a habit of eating a certain time of day, goin’ to bed a certain time of day, and then goin’ to work at a certain time of day - all these things. We're slaves to them, is that right? They control, direct.
Even now, certain chains hang about you called “aspirations” and “ambitions”.
That’s the one that really binds you down. You're gonna be a great “spiritual being” or something; and you can really get yourself tied up with that knot. Or you're gonna be a great and famous person or have a lot of money, and that’ll tie you down pretty tight, huh? You're gonna ”help people”.
I said I've been selling things all my life. And I've sold some pretty far-out things, some invisible things that people have bought; but the hardest thing to sell is “well-being”. That's the hardest sell there is. Even if you sell it for a buck - you know, sell it cheap, doesn’t matter what, it’s the hardest thing to get people to buy, is well being. Did you ever notice that? Hmm? I can sell a little square on a map on the wall for $7,000, $20,000 cash. You know it represents a piece of real estate way off in a desert somewhere. People will buy that, pay you for it, Mack. But they won't feel good. Even though you show ‘em how it's so simple as one, two, three. It's the hardest thing in the world to sell somebody on feelin’ good. Why is that, do you suppose? Why is it so hard to sell it? Now I make a good pitch for it too and I'm a pretty good Pitch Man.
(The not-I's take over.)
Well, I wasn't trying to sell them anything. I was trying to sell the person on getting rid of them. I wasn't talkin’ to them in the first place. They want you to feel bad, all right.
That in you which you call the individuality was not capable of freedom. It was either a slave to the desires, or what you thought were the opinions of others, or to what you thought was the conscience.
That's the big one. Environment has educated you into habits and you've been educated into those.
Have you broken all the old chains which bound you into My mysteries of long ago? Yet are you not free! Have you suffered the crucifixion of desire and the humiliation of defeat? Have you given up unto Me all desire for what you think would be good?
Have you decided you don't know what's good and what's bad and that you gotta get on it.
Yet, per chance, you art still in slavery to your own opinions.
That's a good one, to be in slavery to is your own opinions. Oh man!
My freedom is the freedom of the heart and shines forth brightest when the environment seems most to enchain.
Don't pay any attention to the environment.
Herein is this mystery, that freedom is not external, nor in any way dependent upon the actions or thoughts of others. He who is forcibly detained and does not mind it, who takes all external things as he finds them, and sees no fault in them,
partakes of My freedom.
In other words, there's this man we mentioned earlier today that said he had discovered one thing - in whatever state he was, therein to be content. Hmm? So now if you lock the door on me and tell me I got to stay in here and I say, "Well, that's fine, it's rather comfortable in here. I’d sooner be here as anywheres else,” have you got me locked up? Are you kiddin’ yourself? Hmm? As long as I'm free to be here...
I know a guy they put in jail one time for some infraction of political law. He hadn't committed any violence to anybody or anything; and they put him in jail for some failure to keep up with all the regulations that was passed out. And he said, "Well fine, if you wanna keep me here, you'll feed me, and you're housin’ me. I'm gonna do the same thing here I was doing outside anyway; I'm gonna sit and meditate." So he set cross-legged and meditated. And he set there, and they brought his groceries and fed him every day, and he got up and eat, and then sit down to do his mediation.
You know how long they kept him in there? They couldn't punish him. So they threw him out. He was ruining the morale of the whole prison. You know. He had all the other guys thinkin’ they weren't being punished, there in a few minutes. So if that ever got out and everybody found out, and everybody found out – “As long as I'm free to be here, you're not punishin’ me,” – you see, it would wreck the whole penal system. So they got him out of there in a hurry. So suppose they threw a guy in for robbin’ banks and he said, "Well, I just needed some time to meditate. So I'm gonna meditate here while you feed me. I don't even have to get up and go knock off a few stereo sets or anything this week to get groceries. I'll just meditate all week now. You give me a bed to sleep in, a roof over my head and food, now I'll meditate." Can you see how fast that would wreck the penal system? Huh? You’re not punishin’ anybody. Unless the guy don’t wanna be there, you're not punishin’ him. Is that right? So naturally it got him out. So if any of you get in, why sit there and say that's what you want, and you start meditating. So sit there and meditate. And so, nobody’s gonna get you in any trouble.
So freedom is from within. Now, if I’m free to do something. So shall we say that this Mystery is “I am free to experience whatever may arise today” - just today, not tomorrow or anything.
So this Mystery is "I am free to experience whatever may arise today." Now then, can you see that that is truly freedom? You're free to experience. All we are is an experiencing organism. You're experiencing it freely, you're in no bondage, is that correct? Huh? Now if you're really free, can you be free to experience a little discomfort, if discomfort is what should arise today? Hmm? Then the discomfort isn't punishin’ you or causin’ you any difficulty or anything else, is it? Are you free to experience boring people?
(Ok.)
I just wanted to see if I could get to you there for a minute there, Marcy.
(I'd rather die!)
I said, are you free to?
(Yeah.)
Ok then they can't bug you, can you see?
(Yes.)
It is well for you if you are enchained. The organ of the brain through which I shall afterwards express My perfect freedom
can only be developed by the operation of the sense of slavery.
In other words, you really couldn't get around to being free to experience whatever may arise unless you had gone through a long period of being totally un-free to experience what may arise today, unless it just happened to suit you, is that right? And then you wanted to hang onto that and not let the other one go. So again we're back to what the man said. I've discovered one thing—whatever state I find myself in, to be therein content. Or, I am free to experience whatever may arise today. So if it rains, fine. If clouds fall, fine. Sun shines – fine. People are nice to me - fine; if the restaurant's noisy - fine; if it's nice and quiet – fine. And on down the road - so what's the difference?
So it is in all My mysteries, that the worse you do seem to be, the better it is for you.
That's why all you folks who have been alcoholics and etc. are such wonderful people - you've been through that rat race. You know about it. Really. And I'm not ‘wolfin'; I'm not making snide statements. That is a literal fact. You've been through something and now you know what it is to kind of fly clear once in a while. So when the world says you are in a mess, well that's when Life says you're better off.
So it is in all My mysteries that the worse you do seem to be, the better it is for you. Are you painfully self-conscious? Then I am developing the organ of the brain which I design to use for expressing the consciousness of Me.
I, at one time, was the most bashful of all people. It was horrible and painful. And I recognize what this statement means. It was really miserable. And now I know what it really means.
Are you fearful and afraid? Then I am developing the organ of the brain
through which I will afterwards express My perfect courage.
You know if you get enough of that stuff, after awhile you quit.
Do you suffer because you lack judgment? I am using that suffering to develop the organ of the brain through which I will afterwards
express My perfect wisdom and judgment.
Now the great suffering and discipline which I send unto the minds of many is that they should not be able to see the perfection of My law.
And that is probably very, very accurate cause you see, the laws are usually that when you make anything important, you become anxious. It's wonderful you can't see that for a while. It really is kinda nice. And it really is nice to see that as long as you're struggling to be happy, there's no way to be happy; and the day you don't give a durn about being happy, you'll find you are. So it's wonderful you can't see all that for a while.
Therefore, I say unto you that you are blessed if you do suffer,
for that suffering develops you;
It's a good exercise.
and you are double blessed if you are afraid, for out of fear I will bring forth courage; but you are thrice blessed if you do suffer; and also are in fear, and also cannot see that it is I being born in the heart.
All that comes about is the way Life is born in your innermost being; so you're thrice blessed, three times blessed, if you see all. You see, that was some of the great beings through history have been called “the three times blessed”. They were blessed because they suffered, because they were afraid, and also because they were blind. They couldn't see what was going on.
For out of blindness will I bring sight. The darkest blindness shall develop the most glorious light. Behold I am light shining forth from within you.
And that light, you will remember we looked at, was several different things: love, and health, and wealth, and joy, and so forth, and happiness. So that's that light, and it's shining forth from men, but we cover it up pretty heavy with all our good stuff. You know, all the not-I's.
My words come alike unto many, but it is not possible then to be understood by you until you are ready for that understanding.
And I think everybody here today is ready or we wouldn't have been here.
Herein is this Mystery of Freedom: that you are free to believe as you do choose, but you cannot believe anything in the heart until I have developed the body to the point where it needs such a belief.
In other words, if the heart wasn't possible to believe in regeneration, there was no way you could accept it. I have thrown this out in many places to many different people that it was possible for regeneration and Life eternal to exist; and I have found that there is precious few that can accept it. So there's very few bodies prepared to that point. Yet most of them say, one guy said, "Who in hell would wanna live forever?” He's already had it, he wanted out now. So obviously he wasn't interested in it.
You are free from the environment, for I can adapt the heart to freely allow that other to have any opinion he chooses.
So you know we don't have to fight other people's opinion. If they have an opinion, it's wonderful. If they have an opinion of this idea, that idea, reincarnation, or soul sleep or transportin’ on flying saucers to other realms, it's all wonderful - it's just fine. I don't find any fault in it. Why not? That's as good an idea to believe in as any.
Yet you are free to struggle against environment and free to be
influenced by another's opinion.
Now you're free to do that, it said - pretty obvious, isn't it? I'm free to do anything and I can choose what I wanna do then.
And herein is this mystery, that I call you by many voices, through slavery, fear, and doubt, that I may develop my expression, which is
the body, unto freedom.
So we could possibly say that the Mystery in this, this one on Freedom, is that we are free already to experience whatever may come along today without gettin’ all torn up about it. Now then you're free, is that right? Comes all into that.
So everything that we've fought with, and struggled, made it possible when we see, "Well, I don't want to fight and struggle with that one anymore." You've been free to experience it now. You don't want to fight it anymore, is that right? Hmm? Then you're already free.
So freedom can be very instantaneous; and I suppose that's what everybody has said they wanted more than anything else. But most people have approached freedom by trying to be free from something. If you want to be free from unhappiness, you'll never get it.
If I wanted to get even into Whitney (it’s not very far from here, is that right Mack?) and I followed signs that said, “From Whitney”, how long do you think it’d take me to get there?
(You just wouldn't make it.)
But if I followed signs that says “To Whitney”, I'm there in a few minutes, is that right? Now if I follow signs that says, “Free From”, I'm goin’ away from freedom; free from want, free from fear, free from this. You know, we been sold all this by institutions, that we're gonna give you so many things that you’ll be free from fear, free from want, that correct? That's what the great society is all about, is to give us things so we'll be free from the great things we wanna have Freedom from. Now if I'm free to do anything, I'm already free. So freedom follows the signs that says, “To”, not “From”. So I am free to do anything; experience whatever may arise today. Now I'm totally free, but if I wanna be free even from one thing - and even though it don't happen today, I'm still anxious about it, it might happen, is that correct? So are you free to experience whatever may arise today, huh?
(You bet.)
Then you're a free individual. You're free, you're one…Life, not not-I's expressing through you. See, the not-I's and their urge to be never disturbed are the ones that wants to be free from things. So we've struggled to be free from. That’s the way we approach everything. Free from bein’ sick, free from bein’ old, free from dying, free from bein’ broke, free from being hassled - all these things. But the more you do, the more they're there, is that correct? Okay, so let's take off. It’s approximately five o’clock.
Ok, we will start and we have two little sessions to do tonight; and inasmuch as they’re both reasonably short we probably won't take a break only maybe you can stand up and stretch or somethin’ like that. No use runnin’ downstairs and have to walk back up the steps again. So we’ll just do that and then we’ll visit around after that.
X
Tenth Mystery: Religion
Until you who can receive, it is given to know the Mystery of Religion.
Now, religion is a subject that’s been around for since there has been any history of mankind and there's been many, many different ones; each one of which claims to be the one and only true religion. Now of course, that's the one we all belong to, you know - the one and only true one. The rest of the people have been deceived.
Each religion and creed which I have sent
differs in doctrine and practice from every other.
That is at least on the surface.
Will you say, “Herein I know that religion is not of God, for God would not delude all the people of the world with false religions, nor yet part of the world, causing one man to believe that another's religion is false.”
That we know – that there’s been wars fought over it and all kinds of stuff.
Know that I have brought you through many generations, developing the body to a different perfection than any other body. Know that generation has followed generation, obeying My laws of differentiation and selection, until now. And now
each one of My bodies is different from all others.
That's easy to do. All we got to do is look around a little bit.
Each body selects different food.
Each selects different experiences and different doctrines.
That's not anything so hard to find out, you know. Maybe you like to be a vegetarian, maybe you like potatoes, and maybe you don't like potatoes. Some people eat a tomato and break out, some people eat shellfish and break out - others feel wonderful. So we all select a little different. Having run restaurants, why six people sit down at a table and each one of ‘em orders something a little different - if nothing else they want their steak cooked different, and so on. So we're different, so naturally different foods, physical foods, appeal to us; then certainly different ideologies and beliefs would appeal to us. That seems as reasonable as one to the other to me. And we certainly want different experiences. Some of us like to do one occupation, some does another, some couldn't stand the other person’s occupation; you know, they just can't do that.
And many have their choices of foods, having developed unto that point
where their bodies can benefit by choosing.
Some people will actually benefit by choosing what to eat. I tell them, "You eat what you get hungry for." And some people say, "Well, I'm hungry for everything." You know… and so they eat everything. And other people are very selective when you tell them that.
And many have their choices of doctrines, which acquired the mental strength to discriminate between them.
Some people can really pick out; others just go on and live whatever you were brought up with. Folks were one particular brand of religion, that's what you grew up with, well that's the one you fight for all your life. And some, that’s the one you rebel against all your life—it’s according to how they liked the folks. That ‘bout right? You can’t stand there and believe - it's bound to have been wrong.
But whether they seem to choose or seem to be forced, yet in all cases it is I that choose for them, acting through their choice or against it,
giving them each what is best, under all the circumstances,
to develop that particular character and body.
So all the things that we have run into has been what was most useful to us at the present time, place and circumstance; so we really didn't do as much choosing as we thought we did.
Now the nature of bodies is such that character depends wholly upon formation. And the formation of the brain and nerves is such that no food or experience or belief can appeal to the character unless such food or experience or belief is suitable for that character's development.
In other words, if I don't like a certain food, there's not much way I'm gonna convince myself to like it. Did you ever try to learn to like something real well? Think you could learn to like liver? One little lady that can't stand the sight, smell or the looks of it even; so obviously, it doesn't fit. And it would probably be very upsetting to the whole person, if some way or other it was forced down.
But do you say, “Does God let man believe in error?”
You know, he gives us pretty much, let us have the earth. Might even give us one sometime.
Know that all finite belief is erroneous.
That's the next thing. “Know that all finite belief is erroneous.” At least to some degree.
But it is nevertheless, suitable for the stage of growth.
…that the particular person is in at that moment. And that, I've noticed many times, that that is very factual.
It is that in you which sets itself up as a separate person from Me, which believes.
That's all the not-I's, one that believes and does as told by authorities.
Now personality cannot see the Truth and is incapable of knowing Me.
Life. It only knows about itself and it thinks it knows what ought to be.
When that so-called person shall die, leaving the body free to be My conscious instrument, then the body shall radiate all truth.
But before then it's finite as long as there is the believing of not-I's there; they will believe something that is truly a bit of an error.
Know that all finite belief is erroneous. But it is nevertheless
suitable for the stage of growth.
This thing that sets itself up as being separate is the one that believes and fights and does all these noises.
And when that personality shall die, leaving the body free to be My conscious instrument, then the body shall radiate all truth. Until then, I provide all beliefs for you, each equally erroneous, that you may believe that which appeals unto you.
…in your present time, place, and circumstance and stage of growth and development.
And yet, if you could but understand one of these beliefs from within,
The light came on.
…you would find it true.
In other words, from one aspect, from the inner aspect, it's true. The outer aspect, it is erroneous.
…you would find it true, for truth is so great
that but a reflection of its glory would illuminate you.
In other words, it would fill you full of light, because in one way or another you'd recognize that what says “I”, and what is really Life, is what's called God. That God and Life is an interchangeable term according to the Scripture, and it seems that this little book verifies that, too.
And this is the Tenth Mystery, that all religions are false when viewed from without, yet all are equally true and beautiful when viewed from within.
Each one of them is trying to eliminate the false personality and let the real being - Life, Spirit - within express and be the whole thing. All of ‘em do that no matter what the name of it is, and in what part of the world it originated. Viewed from without, it comes into a bunch of rituals, a bunch of ideologies and etc.
Do you teach some ancient and beautiful truth? Are you firm in the conviction that the truth you teach is the only truth, and that all different religions are lies? Behold, it is well and you are My minister,
and the truth which you teach shall appeal unto many.
… and it will, no doubt.
And unto as many as to whom it shall appeal, you art My messenger.
And no one can believe it except they who need it for their development.
So when you set out to proselytize a group of people, only a certain number will come along, but they're the ones that can use it at that state; and when they grow a little further, they will leave and isn't that nice. You don't get saddled with followers that way - for long. Thank goodness.
Do you break the heart over those to whom the teaching does not appeal, and do you try to reach them by prayer and exhortation?
You know, really get with it and pray over them and everything else. Thank goodness it won't appeal to them.
It is well. All hearts that can break shall break, in order that those hearts that are strong shall remain. Yes, try and reach those in whom the belief does not appeal. For this trying will affect both them and you. Not in the way you desire, but in the further development of bodies, both yours and theirs.
So it's worth it that they don't accept it. So let it try and it's valuable to you, and it may be valuable to them.
Do some of My religions appear cruel to you? And do you say, “Nothing can justify cruelty”? Yet I am cruel unto the personality and will utterly destroy it.
To all the not-I's, very cruel and will utterly destroy. Give it a little time and it will utterly destroy by cruelty.
I am cruel to be kind, developing the brain until you can become conscious of Me.
I think that's pretty worthwhile, get some consciousness and not not-I's.
It is well if you can see the beauty in any one of My religions.
That's seein’ it from within.
Each one, as seen from within, teaches the crucifixion of “self”,
The not-I's.
and if any one of them can lead you into the consciousness of freedom from self, you shall know that I have sent it unto you for that purpose.
And that's the only purpose that any religion can really do is to crucify the "self," the set of not-I's that makes up the personality.
Have you read that in times past, they who profess to be My ministers have spread darkness instead of light, and kept back what you call the progress of civilization? Behold, I have ever been alive as I am now. I have ever provided for the development and organization of the formation of character as I saw fit. You know now part of My workings in those dark times, and
I have put it in the heart to question My wisdom of the partial knowledge.
So it’s well to start questionin’ things at any time because that's the way you begin to see a whole lot more. If we assume we already know, we don't question; we only condemn or justify. That bout right? You quit questionin’ things, but questionin’ is a pretty worthwhile thing to do. It shows that you're not quite as gullible as you could be, huh? That right? Question - keep on askin’ questions. And question don't only mean to ask questions, it means to ask yourself, “Has this got any validity for me?” Now it may have a lot of validity for somebody else, but does it have validity for me?
Yet learn this, that all things worthy to survive thrive best on opposition.
With a little Second Force, as we call it, runnin’ around. Anything that's worthy of surviving, survives best and grows with some opposition.
The principle called civilization is one which gathers strength
through the hand of him who would keep it back.
In other words, the people who attempt to destroy civilization are the ones which makes it the most powerful. If there was no opposition to it, it gradually falls apart. It becomes very decadent, very rapidly. So when we live in a time where there's no opposition to what's called civilization, you see decadence beginning to arise cause there must be a resistance or it don't grow good.
Could you know all, then you would say, “Even then the Lord knew best.”
But though religions have ever led men unto a knowledge of Me, it is not through religions alone that I call you. I call by everything of which you are conscious.
Everything - business, beauty and art and music and conversation and books and every other thing. They all work just as well as religion does and maybe sometimes even work better.
I call by everything of which you are conscious. Every voice is My voice. Every sweet influence of life in flower or tree or animal is My influence. Every bitter or severe or cruel jolt which can come unto you is from Me.
They're very useful. If we didn't have ‘em, we probably would never wake up.
Do I speak severely to the personality by the voice of religion? Yet I speak still more severely by the voice of experience I send you.
That's the one that really hollers out loud, isn't it?
Every experience is from Me. Perhaps you do not see how your experience can be dictated by Divine Love. “If God sends this,” you say,
“then He cannot be a God of love!”
Know that a parent may love a child - very, very, very dearly, but it doesn't mean it always agrees with the kid. If the four year old, three-year-old kid wants to run in front of Mack trucks, you probably would make a little bit of noise to stop it, is that correct? Would that be because you were cruel, or because you truly loved it? You may do something to convince that child not to run in front of it - Mack trucks and Kenworthy trucks and so forth, is that right? Might work at it anyway. Would you feel you were being cruel? No. You were expressing love. The child would probably say you were a "meany." You know I saw a child cry very severely one time because it wanted to pick up a bright red coal in the fireplace. It wanted it’s pretty and it was beautiful. And it was very angry with its mother for holding it back from the fire. But it would have been more cruel to say, “Well, let it grab it,” you know. Which one would you do?
(Hold it back.)
Ok, but the kid would say you were very cruel, you just didn't want it to have that pretty, wouldn't it? You're a mean old woman. Then you understand what this just said.
Behold it is well for you to speak thus for a season,
for this blindness shall give place to a great light.
As you can begin to see sometimes.
Then shall you know that my love is so great that I do not let a hair of your head be touched except by Me, and for your advancement only.
So a lot of times we have something that seems to jolt us, but if we look back a little while, we see that sure was good that happened. Huh? It opened up gobs of things for us.
So I say unto you that it is My voice which calls you, whether by the
words of sweet home songs and mother-taught prayers,
or by the wild tempest of rough experiences.
I expect experience teaches us more.
Whatever voice appeals unto you is My truth for you, to nurse you
until I shall lead you into all Truth. And this is the Tenth Mystery, that each brain believes a different doctrine and different historical facts,
and I feed them thereon, giving each the best possible food for such a brain.And you are yourself a proof of My care; for even in this I do not let you believe what you read unless that belief shall be the best food for the brain.
So let's say that the Mystery is that all that appeals to me is valuable to me - in some way or other - for me to grow. All that appeals to me, all that appeals - to me, not to somebody else - is valuable to me.
And you don't go around with a bunch of regrets that, “Oh if hadn’t only involved myself in so and so, look how much better off I'd be.” You don’t know. Do any of you know whether you ever made a mistake in something or not? I'm not talking about adding up a column of figures. Did you ever make a mistake in some of your action in life? Huh? You think you did. What woulda happened had you done something else? You don’t know. You don't know what had happened. You might not have been here if you'd turned a corner in the other direction. We don't even know what would have happened had we not went down the road that we didn't intend to sometimes. Hmm? Do you know whether you ever made a mistake in any course of action you ever took? Because you would have to know what all the other alternatives were and what would have been the outcome of them. I don't believe any of us can say, “I made a mistake” in that sense. Sure we've added up a column of figures and got an incorrect number, but that's not a mistake - that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about did you make a mistake when you moved to Dallas instead of going to Buffalo, New York, huh? You'll never know that. You don't know what woulda happened. Did you make a mistake when you went downtown one time and got a parking ticket? You don't know. You don't know what would have happened had you went some other direction or parked somewheres else, is that correct, huh? You don't know. So I don't think we can ever say with full correctness that we ever made a mistake. I don't know whether I did or not; and I have no way of knowing cause I would have to know all the possible alternatives that I could have done, then, and what would have been the outcome of them two weeks, two years, twenty years down the road.
(Is it safe to say that there aren’t any mistakes?)
I don't know. You can say anything, but whether it's true or not is another question. (laughter) I just said I don’t think we know whether we ever made a mistake or not. Do you? I have no way of checkin’ up. I don't know. Accordin’ to what it says here, no, you couldn't have made a mistake because Life chooses the right turn. And even though it wound up with you getting’ all kinds of bumps and cracks and spots on your head, why, that was still what you could use best at that moment. That's what it says. I don't know. See, I'm only reading the book out here. I don't know, Honey. I'm just the reader here. But I doubt if you ever made a mistake, ok?
(Ok.)
I'm sure none of us know whether we ever really did or not. I doubt if we did, but that I can't be certain of. But I am sure that you don’t know whether you ever made a mistake or not. That I'm sure of, ok?
(What is it that makes us feel like we have made a mistake?)
Well, because we feel that there is only two things coulda happened - wonderful and terrible. What happened was terrible, so, “If I hadn’t a’done this, it's bound to have been wonderful.” But it was, maybe, many degrees of lousiness coulda happened.
(As long as we don't compare.)
See that's the way we look at everything. “If I hadn't a-done that,” ya know. That guy says, “If I had’a just invested in that buildin’ over there, why I'd a-been a millionaire today.” He may had more law suits in his hand than he could have ever settled, couldn't he? And, “If I just hadn't a-done so and so, I woulda been a millionaire today.” “If I hadn't-a-married that woman I woulda really been happy.” I don't know what you woulda done if you hadn't done that. Do you?
So let's just say that I don't know that I ever made a mistake cause I have no way of finding out what woulda happened had I took some alternate route, ok? That at least we know. So we can’t sit around, beat ourselves over the head with a hammer for having made mistakes. But I don't know about it, and I don't think anybody else does.
But, you know people do a lot of regretting about the “mistakes” they made, huh? And I don't know that we ever made one. I'm sure we're conditioned to believe that if everything didn't work out with a bed of rose petals, we must’a made a mistake. Mama always told me if I do the right thing, everything would work out well; but the old lady forgot to tell me what the right thing was and I had to worry about that for 20 years. Huh? That's why we work on it. “If you do the right thing, son, everything will work out fine.” So when it don't work out so good, and so you still, with Mama now internalized, said, "See, you didn't do the right thing. That's why you got into all this mess.” Huh? But you don't know what the right thing is. She told me to do it but she never let me in on what it was, do you see? Did your mother tell you always do the right thing? Did she tell you what the right thing was?
(Sometimes she did.)
Which was something you didn't wanna do?
(Right.)
Or that would prevent you from doing what you wanted to do. Is that correct? And if you tried it, you still might have not worked out so well and then she said, "Well you didn't do it right."
The folks up in Salt Lake City say, "Well, you did the right thing, but for the wrong reason." That really blaps you. You see there is no "out" when you get caught in all these games. You did the right thing, but for the wrong reason. Good lord and little fishes! There's nothin’ you can do right and you're really caught up now.
XI
Eleventh Mystery: Death
So appropriately the last mystery is the Mystery of Death. That is the last kick, you know. So I guess we'll take that one on. You wanna stand up first before we die or do we just . . .
(Let the good times roll.)
Let the good times roll, we'll just go ahead with it right now. We're only gonna talk about death this time.
The last mystery is the Mystery of Death. You are one and yet you are three. There is the body, which is a link in My chain of organized formation, and there is the personality which thinks it is the real you,
and there is the Spirit, which is Me.
So the body and Spirit is one, and there’s another one in there which is a bunch of not-I's that's trying to convince you they're the ones that's right.
Heretofore the body has been subject unto death. Yet each body which died was a link in My chain, transforming organization unto higher organization. Each had its influence upon each succeeding generation,
So nobody's lived in vain in this world. No matter if they were only like the farmers around where I grew up - they worked all summer then with the mule in the hot sun to raise enough corn to feed the mule in the winter so the mule would be alive to plow and raise crops the next year… which is about what they accomplished in a lifetime. But nevertheless, they added something on down, even if it was only “don't play that game anymore,” you know.
Each body which died was a link in My chain, transforming organization unto higher organization. Each had its influence upon each succeeding generation, living again in its offspring
or in the body's influence by its life.
So everybody's had some influence on somebody else or some of the offspring or whatever. So nobody lives in vain.
The personality of a body is its self-consciousness,
or sense of a separate existence from Me.
That's the personality or the not-I.
This sense is useful to the body for a time and is useful to other bodies by its reaction, but is temporary by nature, and subject to death.
In other words, the not-I's are subject to death; and they will die one way or another. Either the body will die first and the not-I’s have nothing to sustain them and they die, or they can die first if we get the upper hand on them.
You who think you are a being separate from Me shall die,
but perchance the body shall live.
Maybe that the not-I, that idea of a separate thing, will die first. Let's hope so; and then something else can happen.
Now, the body has been more subject unto death
than the self-consciousness.
The body has been dying first because they weren't developed strong enough that the self-consciousness could die first and the body live. So bodies were weakened and they hadn't fully developed over the ages to the strength they now have, and consequently, the bodies died first, most often. And it says that…
You who think you are a separate being from Me shall die,
but perchance…
You know, just happenstance,
…the body shall live. Now the body has been more subject to death than the self-consciousness. Where the body dies first, the self-consciousness lives on for a little while, often continuing to be useful to other bodies by appealing to them as if from another world.
Maybe some of you have been to mediums and so forth, and there are entities that seem to appear that they’re of a body that died first. But the not-I's live on for a while and they’re just about as smart-ass after the body is dead as they are before, if you've ever noticed. If you've been to a medium and all these people that do things, why you should be well acquainted with them. They really carry on about the same.
It is well for you if you can hear voices from these selfish personalities.
That's wonderful, if you're a medium or a psychic or whatever they're called.
And yet know that the self-consciousness is limited, temporary, and does not love the eternal. I give it no further wisdom when the body dies,
and it soon dies also.
Now "soon" is not an exact time sequence. It may be a year, it may be 30 minutes and it some cases, it may be four or five years. And in some, it may be 50 years. I don't know. Anyway, they seem to hang around for a little while; but it soon dies also.
Yet it is well if it amuses you to call for the presence of the
self-consciousness of some dead body,
Why go to the mediums and holler for ‘em? They might bring you up one, and boy, can you be deluded with them. A not-I tells you just as many lies then as it did when it was around. It says, “Be sure and do this and don’t do that and you're wrong for doing this and somebody's going to do you in”, and all this good stuff.
Yet it is well if it amuses you to call for the presence
of the self-consciousness of some dead body,
You know - a bunch of not-I's.
…for I will cause even that experience to develop you. The Spirit in the body is I, Myself. Whether any one body dies or lives, I live on in all bodies. The real Self is reincarnated, not only in various bodies,
but in all bodies.
So the word is incarnated, not reincarnated. X incarnates constantly. You know there is a new body comes out every few minutes or every few seconds. You got a ticker somewhere in the country that ticks off every time somebody's born. And that's runnin' awful fast. So X is incarnating. Life/Spirit is putting itself in a body to develop it for some purpose.
The Spirit in the body is I, myself, whether any one body dies or lives,
I live on in all bodies.
So all bodies walkin’ around, Spirit lies there, right?
Know this, that the spirit is the element of life,
and the self-consciousness is the element of death.
The “not -Is” are the element of death. Spirit is the element of Life.
Yet the self-consciousness [not-I's] is My minister to develop the body beyond the power of death, for the body
is not necessarily subject unto death.
Now it didn't say it wasn't; it said not necessarily, ok?
The organization of formation is ever developing, and when the body is developed which needs no self-consciousness [not-I's] -
You can get along without them.
which is strong enough to express Me [Life] -
It takes a bit more energy or a bit more vitality or body strength to express life than it does not-I's. The intensity is high. Life expresses at an altogether different rate of vibration than the not-I's do, so the body has to be pretty strong. So get yourself strong - push iron, walk, do whatever; but get strong because the not-I’s can live in a weak body, but X will burn it up. So obviously, it doesn't make it there until the not-I's are out.
Then the body which needs no self-consciousness - is strong enough to express Me - then the self-consciousness shall die
before the death of the body,
That's what we're all workin’ for is that the not-I's die before they kill the body. That's a pretty good thing. Get ‘em dead first.
In all the Sufi literature around the world it usually talks about a man tells the year he died. Never said when he was born, says when he died. What it means is that's when the personality died and the man became immortal. And he now walks without dying off, because the year he died was the year the not-I's died and the body lived on. So there's history of any of those guys and are still around after thousands of years and they're going on about their business. But the book says they died in the year 1230, we'll say. That's the year the not-I's died. The personality got out.
Now, I hope we can all write that all out, one of these days, that the personality died in 1981, ok? Hope we all do it and the bodies can live on.
…then the self-consciousness shall die before the death of the body,
leaving the body free to express perfect love without self-thought. And there will then be no element of death in that body and
I will live in it forever.
Says X. So, there's no element of death in the body unless it’s a bunch of not-I's. They make all sorts of lovely little things that doctors can diagnose. But when they’re not around, there's nothing there to make all those things. The body is regenerated. I think we went through that one way back down the way.
So that statement is worth remembering: “And there will then be no element of death in that body and I will live in it forever.” That's pretty worthwhile, don't you think? Investigate, don't believe it, but check it out. “Such a body will express my perfect love without desire” - it's not trying to gain anything. Why should it gain anything? You already have everything then.
Does desire still live in you? If so, well. For each desire is My minister,
to prepare the brain for real love without desire.
In other words, you can see that desire, even if its realized, doesn't do what you had anticipated it might do, so you can get rid of it easy.
You cannot give up desire before your time.
That you're developed.
For if you should be able to give up the present desires in order to have the body attain to the glory of consciously expressing Me, which you do desire, that would be but giving up the lesser desires
in order to obtain the greater.
So as long as we're desiring something, even if it's to live forever, or to be truly conscious, why we're still just switchin’ around with desire. We start off by bein’ thankful where we are, what we are, and what's going on here.
Now every desire that can come to you is to prove you and help you,
but they are of the self,
and the not-I's…
and are an element of death.
That's their way of expressing.
Do you desire your particular body shall be one to live forever?
That desire is an element of death in the body
and may prevent its own fulfillment.
Because again, we're desiring something. Why not be free to die today? What difference does it make? I've had a lot of fun so far and if I get out today, it will be pretty wonderful anyway. I can't say it was wasted.
That desire is an element of death in the body and may prevent its own fulfillment. Do you desire to be humble? Desire is an element of pride!
So, I've found people that are working to be humble. Did you ever see that? I had one man tell me that he's very humble. He used to be very proud, but now he was very humble, and he said, "I don't think you can find a man in the world more humble than I am." And I agreed with him.
Do you desire to be unselfish? Desire is of the self alone!
,
Always the not-I's. So the side we call “B” says “You get to be unselfish,” and the other one, “A”, says, “But you gotta look out for yourself.” So the conflict is on.
So that whatever you do desire, the very desire
therefore tends to prevent you from attaining.
So if you really think that you might have enough ability, why don't you be thankful for trying to be loving? You won't be, just go on and love what you can and forget the rest of it. You know, all these desires imply the existence of an ideal. Do they not? If you desire somethin’, it implies the existence of an ideal state.
Now, everybody here has all attributes in the world. So there's no chance for you to improve. Now, you may not have actualized every attribute, but you have it. So you can't improve upon it, so you just leave it alone. And the very act of leaving it alone allows it to actualize.
You know a plant does better if you don't fiddle with it. Now you can go out there and poke on it, pull it up everyday, see how the roots are doin’, stick it back in the ground, and poke on it here and pull it out and check it - stick needles in it and see what's going on, that plant's not gonna do very well. If you just let it alone, it grows good. Did you ever notice how wonderful weeds grow? They're let alone, nobody worryin’ about ‘em.
And herein is the Mystery of Death, that when you are willing for the body to die, it shall live, and I will live therein, and the self-consciousness shall die.
That is the Mystery. When you are truly free to die, you have a chance of really being alive because now you've given up all the elements of death.
Now somewheres back up in here, we had one of the mysteries was that “I'm free to experience whatever may arise in my way today.” So if you're free for death to arise in your way today and it's all right with you, and you wouldn't panicville and all that stuff, then you're not havin’ very many desires, is that about right? You're free to be dead. And that one’s the one that hangs most people up and that's why they go on and die. The body dies first in that worry. I know people who worry if they had a pimple - that means they're gonna die. And this and this and this. And they worry constantly about dyin’ all the time. And they die thousands of deaths before they really destroy the body. But at least the person who don't give a durn if they’re gonna die, only dies once - if he does. And he has a chance of not doin’ it at all. So I think it's kinda worthwhile just to be free to be wiped out.
So here is the Mystery of Death.
I think it's very worthwhile to listen to it again.
That when you are willing for the body to die, it shall live, and I will live therein,
and the self-consciousness [or the not-I's] will die.
Cause see, they’re all interested in keepin’ everything goin’ and they're gonna be important and everything. So when you're perfectly willin’ to die, you'll cease to put any value on the not-I's, right Miss Marcy? Okay, let's kinda see if we can do that. Might be a little difficult, but I think it is the key of the whole thing. So we will put number ten up. It, obviously, is going to have to be in another color. We’ll use orange. Orange. Number 10: “I am free (see, we talked about freedom while ago, now we’ll find out what it really is) to die” now or any other time. And that possibly is the approach to immortality. Now this is nothing new. If any of you read the New Testament, you'll find that the Christ said 2,000 years ago—“the man who laid down his life will find it”. Lay it down for his friend - who cares, so he's dead - and that man would live, and live forever. And I think he demonstrated it.
Through many trials do I bring the body,
even through the sorrow of bereavement.
When you're loved ones pass away and so on.
For your sake I brought forth the body which I have visited with death.
Do you say, “A happy child at prayer was stricken; why do the good die young?”
“Why,” I think we've told that you lots of time. But “the good die young”, we've heard, and so everybody gets upset about that.
Yet I rule all. I have placed in the heart that sense of sympathy which condemns Me for not keeping some sweet little child alive. Another perchance cries, “Oh God, why did I not die as a child so I wouldn't have to suffer all these agonies?”
That was my mother's favorite song: “I don't see why I didn't die when I was a child.” I said, "Well, I'm glad you stuck around for a little while anyway - I got here, even if you didn't like it."
Have you not faith to know that whom I see fit, I keep alive; and whom I see fit, I let die? This is the Last Mystery, that death is My angel. The child-body whose formation will not stand the great trials of the world, I relieve of those trials.
Now what's so horrible about that? You know, it hasn't got the constitution to stand up under this yap that we've all been through, and it's better that they just went to sleep somewheres.
One of my dearest little friends about three-years-old, passed away not too many months ago and the family were very dear friends of mine and little Monamee did not have the strength to face this world. And so I couldn't think of anything more wonderful then that little Monamee went to sleep. And after the folks thought about it for a while, and we talked about it, they said likewise.
The child body whose formation will not stand the great trials of the world I relieved of these trials. Such a body is not tried with strong tendencies,
hence, you call it “good”.
And everybody thought little Monamee was the sweetest thing in the world, and she was. But her little body wasn't strong enough to bitch; you know, make noises like most people do. So everybody says, it’s “good”.
The coming and passing away of such a body is for you, in order that you may be tried with the fire of affliction. And the sense of separate personalities shall die and pass away. But unto the bodies of those to whom the self has died
do I give eternal life. And herein is this mystery,
that he who would save the Life of the self shall lose the life of the body.
So if you want to keep all the not-I's in good shape and doin’ well, just pamper ‘em; so you'll save them and the body will die. That seems a little perfect as far as I'm concerned. “And he who gives up the Life of the not-I's, the self, saves the body.” I think that's pretty good.
Behold generations after generations of My bodies have passed away, but I am Life and cannot die, and I live in you and the I that lives in you shall never die. That I which dwells in the body now, has lived from the eternal beginning of all things.
Life has no beginning and no end. It doesn't get born and die - it just activates bodies.
To it, there is no death. It is the creator of all things and lives eternally, radiating its supreme essence of love and power. Fear not death,
for it has no power over you, but is the servant.
You are a king; the crown is Life and the scepter is death. You have always been guided by My Life within you, and you need not fear that it will forsake you now.
It's been around a long time and seen you had food, clothing, shelter and transportation, interesting things to do and all these things all these years. You think it's gonna give up on you today? I expect it’ll be there in the morning.
And the Mystery of Death and suffering is this—that if one of my bodies shall suffer shame and pain and death, another shall hear of that shame and pain and death—it shall be unto their minds a development; and it shall so work on their minds that they shall obtain to the development of character which they would otherwise have had to themselves suffered to obtain. And that development shall be a salvation unto their character. Therefore I show you the mystery of vicarious suffering and salvation thereby, that you may know the truth thrice blessed is he who suffers,
for I will cause the suffering to be a blessing unto others.
If you want to read that carefully over by yourself sometimes, I think you'll see that that relates to the Christ very accurately and the crucifixion and so forth.
Are you willing to suffer and to die that others may be blessed? Yea, you may suffer shame and pain and death of the body, but if you are really willing, and the self-consciousness has passed away, then I say unto you,
that the body is immortal and the grave cannot hold it.
I think that has also been demonstrated.
Now this writing is inspired by Me, Life, as all things are inspired by Me,
whether spoken, or written or acted. And this writing shall have the affect I choose upon all to whom it shall come, whether it causes them to bless or curse,
to scoff or to pray. For all alike are inspired by ME.
Ok? Is there any questions or any comments - anything you want me to talk about? Okay, clear as mud. Okay.
(There was a section here you read about ‘the coming of special bodies’ is for us “in order that thou mayest be tried with the fire of affliction”. Does that mean that we're tested?)
No not tested, but that you get stronger when you can tolerate something a little bit. You know, there's some things you have to go through. Now obviously, none of us would choose for one of our loved ones to pass away. Is that right? But if they do, as of necessity you're gonna live through it anyway and you'll be a bit stronger that way. Ok? It doesn't mean you're tested and tried out cause it doesn't say that. It says all the way through, that you're only given what you can handle at this moment, is that right? You may not like what you can handle at this point, but no more will be given than you can handle. And, of course, the theme is that when we're willing to die, that that kills the not-I's; that goes against ‘em. That's the only way really you can get totally rid of all not-I's is to be really willing to die cause that kills those little devils.
(I thought that the not-I's, the only thing they agreed on was that you should kill yourself.)
Right, but you see that's only when you're in turmoil and trying to be non-disturbed, honey - not when you're growing. They wanna convince you, totally under their power, that if you would just get yourself dead, you wouldn't be disturbed anymore, and it's so pathetic. So that's an ultimate expression of self-pity they lead you into - not to be willing to die, but to want to die to get out of a little pain or a little hassle that might be going on somewheres, that right? That’s quite different, isn't it? Yes, ma’am?
(Yes. Is procrastination a sort of a not-I or something?)
Oh, it is not a “sort of” one; it is a full grown one. Procrastination. Never heard of it!
(Is it always ok?)
Oh, it's all right to procrastinate because that's one of the biggest conflicts you run into, and it hurts so much, you'll finally get over it. It gets you into it where it's better to not do it than put up with the agony, isn't it? You procrastinate pretty well?
(Yes.)
Isn't it miserable? Miserable isn't it? You know you get a bill and so you say, “Well I should write the check now. Well, I'll do it tomorrow.” You feel upset all night. Well, tomorrow, “Why not put it off another day?” Pretty soon the thing’s past due, got an interest on it and so forth, and you can really be all rattled up over that thing, is that right? So procrastination is intentional suffering.
(Self-inflicted.)
But it's all right to do it, because it will finally torment you enough that it gives you more strength. It's like exercise and liftin’ weights, you see. Okay? We have no… Life, in this book, gives you no "you shoulds" or "not to's" if you have noticed. There wasn't a one time through it, it says, “You should do so and so”, or that “you should not do so and so.” Not once. And of all books I've ever read that were spiritually directed, it's the only one I can say that about. Has anybody ever read one that didn't have some “should’s” and “ought-to's” in it? Have you, Marcy? That you can recall right off the top of your head? Well if you look it up and find one, send me the name of it. I'd like to add it to the list.
(I'm thinking of one, but I’m not sure. I'll have to check it out.)
Check it out, would you please. I've never seen one of them. And I have read two or three of them anyway, through the years, you know. Through the years I’ve read a few of ‘em and they all give you some “should’s and ought-to's and have-to's and musts,” and so forth, and if you don't do this, all kinds of bad things are gonna happen. Not one in here. The only thing is if and when you are free to die, then the personality would die first and the body could live on and X would express and operate the body instead of the not-I's. And that is quite a difference, okay?
(Yes sir. What is your opinion on “the redistribution of the spirit”?)
I don't have any. I've no opinions. I don't know, and what I don't know, I don't know. So, redistribution? I don't understand that word, but even then I wouldn't have an opinion. What do you mean by redistribution? Where does it go when it gets here? It don't go anywhere. It's like the light. You turn the switch, the globe goes out. Where does the light in the room go to?
(It's redistributed in the darkness.)
Now you don't know, so let's just leave it there. I don't trouble myself with that.
(It's an involuntary conversion.)
Maybe it is, I don't know. It may not be converted, I don't know. It seems to me that Life IS, and it doesn't matter whether it had one body or ten millions or ten trillion bodies, it wouldn't make any difference. It's just like we have cells in the body and a slew of ‘em die everyday, and I don't think anybody pays any attention to it. We cut off fingernails, cut off hair, skin sloughs off everyday, cells inside it. We don't pay any attention to it. Life goes on, ok? So I think probably in the overall view, each of us is a microscopic little cell in the body of somethin’ called Life. So one cell more or less don't matter. Yes?
(Does it take a stronger physical body to express Life than it does to express a “not-I”?)
Oh yeah, that's very true. Yep. That's right. Not-I's can fiddle around with any old sick carcass. Life would burn it up. If there really lives Life in it, without the not-I's would burn up an awful lot of bodies floatin' around on the street, and you’re a strong cat, so perhaps you could stand it. Ok? That answer your question? Ok? Any other questions?
You said you were gonna have a service at 9:30 in the mornin’. At 11 we will have the usual Sunday service. Right? I will talk on – it’s already been requested by my friend over here – so he asked me to experiment and I’m gonna give it, ok? I one time gave this for a Catholic priest. And when you do it for the priest, it’s called a “homily”. It’s not called a sermon, it’s called a homily. So I gave a talk. And they’re never the same but they cover the same stuff. And he said he wanted me to go with him everywheres to give the homily cause it was the only sermon he ever heard worth a durn. So we will give it tomorrow and see if it’s any good. The Roman Church priest even approved of it, so who knows…may be a Methodist will someday.
Ok people, it has been a wonderful marvelous day for me and I hope you have tolerated it fairly well. We will see you in the morning at least at 11:00. I have fulfilled your request to talk on the Word of Life, Life’s Word. Everything you heard out of Life's Word today, you have heard many times over or have read it many times over in scripture, etc. All I did was try to bring it down into present day language and I did make a few comments on it here, there, and elsewhere, as I saw fit to do so. Ok? Let's all see you in the morning. Have a lovely, lovely evening. And I’ll see you if you’re not here in the morning, I will see you one of these days along the way somewheres, ok?
End......