CHAPTER 1 – THE POWER OF GOD
Let us consider the source of God’s power – that substance which has been called the breath of life, odic force, and which may simply be termed the power of God. We know from observation of all that we can see that some force is used to control the growth and character of all things. The plants of Earth grow from seed to maturity at certain seasons of the year in such a bewildering and splendid variety of shapes, colours, and perfumes that it seems almost impossible that any single intelligence could have created them. The animals of the Earth and seas abound in unceasing variety. The planets of our universe are permitted to wander through the Heavens, seen as myriad points of light but are held in an invisible grip.
Behind the haphazard plethora of shapes, we detect a controlling force. The plants are reborn each year, responding to an invisible, silent call. They are reborn true in their species. The rose does not combine with the dandelion nor lavender with the hop. Without being controlled in any way that we can detect, the plants have a means of knowing which other plants are suitable partners for cross-fertilisation. Similarly, animals follow guidelines set out for their development and regeneration. The lion does not mate with the lamb nor the horse with the pig. Each animal, according to his species, senses the time of year for performing certain acts like breeding, migrating, or hibernating. The creatures obey these commands quite unconsciously because the call, the power, is irresistible.
It is our task now to consider this force and to try and understand how complex and yet how simple is the nature of God’s power. By understanding a little more, it may be possible for us to take one step nearer God’s throne. When God created the physical universe, all that our earthly senses can relate to, he created it of atoms, structures so tiny that man has only recently developed machines to observe and quantify them. Each atom is a miniature form of planet. By observing atoms moving round each other in an endlessly repeated pattern to form an object that we may observe with our naked eyes, we think perhaps that our universe appears like that to some other being too gigantic for us to sense. Everything that exists in the universe is composed of atoms combining in various ways to make the structures that we see and sense. Our physical bodies, the plants, rocks, air, the seas, our thoughts and emotions – everything is composed of atoms combining in some way.
Each atom has a power inside it, the power of God. That power is not only contained inside the atom but extends for a distance beyond. This radiating force is called magnetism by scientists. Atoms, therefore, attract each other according to the nature of the power exuding from that atom. Atoms may combine into quite complicated structures and produce substances such as sugars and plastics. Man on Earth has obtained some idea of the power contained in each atom because he has recently learned to unleash that power. It was not God’s intention that the power should be released in such a fashion. It will be shown in this chapter that the power can be released, contained, and put to use in a safe manner by an act of spiritual will according to God’s law.
Scientists have stumbled on a means of releasing this power in a crude fashion and there is great danger because the people who have control of it may not be spiritually advanced enough to put the power to use in God’s name. There are always destructive, base powers lurking, ready to influence the minds of man in many subtle ways. The spiritually immature person would be impressed by arguments presented in a way that would appeal to his low ego. The result has already been seen in various parts of the world – the wanton destruction of physical lives, the disfiguration and corruption of human form and desecration of land. The power of God is not to be used in such a fashion. His people, His animals, plants, kingdoms are not to be destroyed because of the base instincts and fears of any group of individuals. The price in remorse eventually to be paid by these misguided souls will greatly outweigh the suffering that they have brought to their victims. They will ultimately learn, as must we all, that respect for God’s kingdom is of paramount importance. Preservation of self means nothing compared to this.
The power of God, when put to use in God’s name to further his work, is regenerated. As this power is used, so more is sent down to us for further use. Only when it is used for destructive purposes is the supply cut off and then, to continue such work, it is necessary to draw on the vital forces of one’s own body. Students of the black arts and those who actively plot evil against others would do well to take heed of this. God’s power belongs to him. It is to be used for good work. He gives us free will to act as we please but he reserves the right to control that power and issue it only to those who do his work. People doing evil work will find that in order to continue to project force against others, their vital force gradually diminishes until tiredness, sickness, feebleness of mind, disease, and death are experienced. A brief study of the history of mankind will reveal that, of all the people notorious through acts of evil against God, few indeed lived to attain old age and good health. Compare that with the data concerning the number of genuine disciples of God, priests, nuns, and ordinary good souls, who achieve longevity and vibrant health. God indeed looks after His own.
God is spirit and His power is spirit. Magnetism, gravity – call it what you will – is a spirit force. It is invisible to the physical eyes but may be observed spiritually as light, the colour of which varies according to the use being made of it. In complex structures like man, the power is used in a variety of ways – maintaining physical life, permitting thoughts to be formulated in the brain, fighting diseases, aspiring to God, etcetera.
The essential foundation of life force is that which we call the power of God. The exact nature of the force may not be quantified. It is deemed to remain forever the ultimate mystery. Its effects are all around us, that which is seen and that which is unobservable. However, the motivating force itself is never observed. It may be that the power that motivates all life is observed in many and varied forms but that power itself has one source and is one power. It is not a part of the one power that motivates but the totality of power that is the essence of anything manifest.
To stress the point, the one singular life force is at the focus of everything that was, is, and ever will be. This concept, difficult to grasp, has far-reaching effects on realisations of time, space, and matter. Suffice it to say that the seen world has often been called maya, an illusion. It is indeed such, an illusion that is essential for the human race to be enveloped in because personality needs that reality in order to relate and experience life on Earth. When that lifetime is finished, the illusion too may finish.
Those who would aspire to follow a path towards the Creator will eventually come up against a barrier to progress. That barrier is created by the mind as consciousness expands beyond the boundaries of earthly experience and doors are opened into a broader field of experience. All experience, before being accepted into the mind, must have a niche created into it into which it can fit. Should the new experience be similar to that which has been previously known, the information is quickly assimilated. Should the experience be new, it has no niche into which it can fit and, therefore, is not accepted. The new information is rejected utterly and completely until the mind creates a cell for it and that new information will only then feel valid to the individual concerned.
The violence with which alien concepts are rejected by the mind is a source of wonder indeed and has created sympathetic tremors throughout the body of many a man, a tremor sufficiently strong as to cause an outbreak of violent indignation. The personality, nearly always seeking reassurance from experience, would hold new information at bay for considerable lengths of time, seeking always to suppress that information and, if necessary, destroying its originators until either that information no longer has any relevance to the individual or until a change in personality may occur, enabling the said information to be at last accepted into a broader reality.
What it takes for mind limited by earthly experiences and concepts to expand into a reality where the values of time, space, and matter are at total variance may be appreciated. For many, such concepts will never exist. For others, they may be accepted as principles for experimentation and quantification, principles never to be resolved into fact. Few in number can grasp the beauty and vitality of permanence based on the concepts stated above and so the barrier remains for many. This stumbling block is a major hazard on the road to God. God is not to be found whilst limitations are a reality. There may well be experiences of exultation, of joy, but the truly explosive nature of exultation and joy that signify the presence of God will remain an illusion
That which cannot be overcome must be lived with. The rewards that await the traveller, as he crosses the divide between illusion and truth, are the certainty that never again can there be a problem, never a cloud, never any fear. Pure joy, forgiveness, and patience are received as the gifts of the spirit. Those who would experience that joy must first prepare themselves to be God’s disciples through the trinity of prayer, devotion, and duty, and seek always to penetrate the veil beyond which reality lies. The experiences of life are meant to act as a spur to further endeavour and those experiences are all we have, all that is necessary, for the path to be trod towards that goal.
Pity and understand those who hesitate at the gate between Maya and life. Pity and feel compassion for the brother who has not the courage to forge ahead into the unknown because that brother is part of you – indeed, is you. Therefore, if you would progress yourself, ensure that those whom you meet at the fence are helped over to the best of your ability. Some will not succeed and yet, until all do, the totality that is you and I cannot altogether succeed. Do not think that you may act in isolation. That which you are, your fellow man is also. All are one and where one succeeds, all will succeed. Where the one fails, the failure taints all.
Those whose task it is to bring information to the seekers on the path to God find their role easy or difficult according to whether the seeker has managed to transcend the limitation of his imagination and is able to open his mind to influence by word and by thought. Many and varied are the instruments of the Great Spirit, instruments incarnate on Earth and discarnate in spirit. The message is the same when genuine and should be sifted by the recipient for the gold of truth. Acceptance of information depends upon the abilities mentioned before but misinformation is tantamount to denying God the right to speak and is a grievous sin. And yet, misinformation has been made greater use of in formulating religions throughout the ages than truth.
The power and the principle upon which the foundation of existence is built relies on acceptance by the recipients of that power. Through acceptance is more power ultimately generated to further the onward flow of spirit which drives the machinery of life. Through acceptance does more energy become available to fuel the fires of eternal spirit. Through acceptance is all possible. Should the power be denied, the opposite happens, which could and would have disastrous consequences for the viable continuance of life as we understand it.
If it were not for the vast majority of life mechanisms found throughout the universe accepting blindly the inflowing thrust of spiritual power, then the totality of energy available to precipitate the turning of the spiritual wheel and life would quite literally grind to a halt. Such a condition, whilst unlikely to happen, is a constant threat to complacency and spurs those charged with its ministration and communication never to forget, always, to be alert to the possibility of energy being won or lost in the ongoing battle to win supremacy over chaos and death. It is unthinkable that any situation should be tolerated which would diminish the overall bank of spiritual energy and yet how quickly are whole nations influenced by a powerful mind enwrapped with designs for the downfall of his fellow man which contaminates the minds of those sitting on the fence and so swaying them into areas of disbelief.
The contagion spreads and quickly the balance of power is challenged. At such times, the angelic forces are able to do little to assist in the fight because their weapons, spiritual power, are being depleted by the enemy that they would influence for good. Thus, it is that forces for evil can often hold sway over man for long periods until such time as, one by one, little by little, souls are influenced for the better and a tiny amount more of power is regained, leading ultimately to the victory of right over wrong. Victory, though assured, is ever hard won and inevitably there are forces envious of the power that the evil group once held and hopeful to rule through chaos themselves who set about gaining support from their contacts and so the battle commences again in another theatre of war.
Would it were that man could live at peace, one with another, however, man has free will, freedom to choose, and the right to take the path to destruction should he so choose. It is beholden upon the angels of mercy to correct and redress any imbalance in the power structure resulting from the actions of those individuals so that the overall tenor of the spiritual climate is fair. The task of monitoring, administrating, and distributing spiritual energy is placed at the disposition of trusted angelic hosts who work as a hierarchical team, causing energy to rise and descend through the realms of existence according to the needs of those realms. Such beings are not capable of being described in any terms meaningful to man incarnate and, indeed, few souls discarnate are able to comprehend the existence of such.
However, these precepts do exist, are real, are active, and essential to the ongoing realities of life as man would experience it. They are not God. God is the creator. These are His servants. Their nature and their structure within the concept of life is bizarre in our terms. Life has many forms and the life of these creatures follows a different scale indeed from that of any human being. It is generally imagined by man throughout the ages that the angelic forces and God Himself resembles man. It is stated in the Bible but it is not necessarily true. Angels there are who resemble man though, generally, the angelic forces described throughout the old and new testaments that have been passed down to us today describe, more likely, discarnate souls returning to fulfill an obligation made to assist the next generation of their tribes.
The true angelic hosts have no interest in man, are not human, at least in any way that resembles a man, and have different objectives to their existence, more broad and far-reaching than any man could conceive. They are the engineers of life. They ensure that all is in order that the dramas of life might be played out by us lesser mortals without upsetting too much the balance of spiritual power upon which the balance of all depends. These angelic forces, however, are real. The reality to which they conform is not ours but our reality is but an illusion within greater realities, themselves illusions within far greater realities. This process goes on until all is an illusion except the one great truth. Nevertheless, the angelic forces are very real within their own sphere and play an ever-increasingly important role in an atmosphere where man wars increasingly against God and his fellow man and in an environment where the destructive capacity of man has reached unprecedented limits.
Those who would aspire to achieve results in seeking the kingdom of God and those who would use the power so released would do well to consider the price that must be paid in total sacrifice and struggle by themselves and by others who would assist them in their travails. The cost is dear indeed because the price is total surrender to the power of God, total abnegation of ego and personality to the will of the One, and surrender of all pride, desire, and emotion to that one power which demands all and in return offers nothing, nothing except that the individual is able to appreciate the beauty and splendour, the peace and happiness of being at the Godhead. These goals all men purport to seek and, indeed, only a fool would reject and yet most are so entrapped in the Maya of life that they are totally unable to appreciate the reality awaiting them.
It is of paramount importance that seekers after spiritual knowledge should prepare themselves both physically and mentally for the journey that they must undertake. The road is long and the way arduous. Spiritual work makes great demands upon the physique due to the fact that in order to gain or receive spirituality, an exchange has to be made in terms of the vital power that is related to the body. An exchange signifies that, to receive, it is necessary to give. The receiving of spiritual blessing implies that the receiver gives a certain portion of his physical power, the power that would normally be used to sustain and regenerate the body.
Power, once given, is lost at least for the time being and that leaves a vacuum in terms of power. The vacuum is filled with spirituality. The spiritual power once received is equivalent to the physical power lost and restores balance in a physical sense. The spirituality of the individual has, of course, risen by that degree by which spiritual power has been absorbed. However, the danger point is during the period when energy has been given and the body is depleted, awaiting fulfillment by the Holy Spirit. At such times, the person concerned is in a weak condition and is open to all manner of illnesses and infections which can take hold during such times.
It is advisable for the student of the mysteries of life only to aspire to receive spiritual power at times when he is feeling fit and well and at times when sleep and rest may be gained at will. If, during the long journey towards perfection, a person incarnate attempts to perfect himself and yet still makes the normal demands upon his body that employment and the home environment make, there is a real danger of the body becoming overtaxed and serious illness and even death of the body occurring. The advice given to the student is to plan his voyages in stages and listen to the dictates of his body so that he does not overtire himself. Thus it is that many who made great progress during their earthly incarnations found their life force shortened.
This is unfortunate when it occurs as there is much to be gained by an earthly incarnation, a fact often only realised once that incarnation has terminated. It is sad to shorten it through overexertion which, to a certain extent, defeats the object of attempting the voyage. However, having stated the dangers on the path, the rewards will be considered and they are many. Such is the value of the blessings accrued through having achieved certain progress along the way that any effort made to reach that goal is worthwhile. The blessings, whilst themselves taken individually may appear insignificant, are nevertheless vital and wonderful progressions towards perfection.
The steps can be appreciated in hindsight and are noticeable in that the problems that one was bound with gradually lift and are diminished in proportion to lessons sent from the Almighty for the betterment of the recipient. Peace of mind is an adjunct to progress and finally bliss. A state of at-oneness is achieved. There is felt no desire to escape from perceived realities of life as there are with drug-induced enhanced states. Indeed, involvement with aspects of life relevant to the progressive needs of the student is essential to the achievement of these goals. There can be no progress without sacrifices and spiritual sacrifice is not the killing of an innocent animal nor is it drinking wine or eating bread. Sacrifice implies that the individual must be brought to the altar and should suffer. The suffering, which is nearly always in the form of service to God made manifest in man, results in a reward being made by God through acceptance of the sacrifice. Reward, of course, has been mentioned earlier. Thus, it is that service in any way, shape, or form is considered a necessary part of the spiritual path.
Some factions would attempt to achieve perfection by total withdrawal from life. This path has its adherents and the act of withdrawal is, in itself, a heavy penalty to pay for the rewards gained because it is unnatural for humans to live a solitary life and so that sacrifice is rewarded by the granting of blessings. However, one feels that the path is rather a negative and passive way, not perhaps conducive to the furtherance of the human race on Earth and thus perhaps not to be regarded as a path most suited for the vast majority to follow.
A more promising avenue to the future would be total involvement with aspects of life chosen by God for that individual where that individual would be most able to serve and be most able to benefit by service. Service done for the benefit of financial profit brings no reward. Service performed for God, even when rewarded financially, is accepted by God and confers blessing upon the worker. And so, the advice given to any individual contemplating progression towards perfection would be to seek the guidance of Almighty God in obtaining a suitable arena of service and, once that has been attained, to devote himself ardently to serve mankind within that arena to the best of his ability and to rest assured that that labour will be accepted as sacrifice upon the altar of service by God. His blessings will follow in due course.
Commensurate with service should come devotion. Devotion implies that the individual subjects himself to a higher being and recognises that that being is capable of receiving that devotion and is able to confer blessings upon the devotee as a reward for the devotion given. The process is a dual one. It is a giving out from the devotee to the devoted one and a receiving by the devotee. That which is given in a period of devotion is, in fact, the power that would normally have been used to fuel the fires of personality and ego, power that would have been used to strengthen the bonds of earthly ties. Having given that power to the Almighty, the giver receives, in return, spiritual power which raises and strengthens the spiritual concept of the individual. Thus, gross matter has been transmuted into spiritual gold.
This process is vitally necessary for the individual concerned. His future in all respects depends upon the change that occurs. Should devotion not be practiced as a daily ritual, then any other spiritual activities undertaken would be harmful to that individual. Spiritual work makes demands that only spiritual power can satisfy. Spiritual power alone is sufficient to transport the voyager along the path towards perfection. Therefore, it must be stressed that regular periods of devotion are necessary and must become daily routine for the disciple of God. Stress must also be placed on the need to consider the physical body at such times and care taken to minimise physical and emotional exertion at the times mentioned previously when the body has given up a certain portion of physical power and it has not yet been replaced with pure spiritual power.
There is need also to consider one’s emotional stability at such times. The turbulence created in mind during early endeavours towards perfection are great. Stability, albeit tenuous, is achieved as a compromise by most individuals prior to feeling the need to find God and, once new routines are firmly established, stability returns once again. During initial periods of spiritual endeavour, sweeping changes are wrought throughout personality which causes much turbulence and emotional discomfort. Indeed, it is not uncommon for people to experience emotional breakdown at such times. This should not occur, however, if the path is followed with care, considering always the feelings of the body. Emotional trauma is, however, a prerequisite to receiving spiritual blessing and the student should be prepared to experience it to a degree and adjust his work, devotion routines, so that changes happen slowly and without drama.
Taking stock of the information imparted so far and assimilating that information into the subconscious will cause changes to be wrought in the personality of the student. These changes, though subtle, will begin to allow a process of expansion of mind to occur, the results of which will be a fruition of inventiveness and a process of creativity which is indicative of the beginnings of wisdom. Wisdom is a word often used by individuals where the correct word would be cunning. True wisdom is not acquired through experience of life alone nor is it achieved through academic knowledge. Power, when acquired, does not bring wisdom as a handmaiden.
Wisdom is a process of merging worldly experience with soul growth. The result of that activity is to create a person who has the ability to make decisions and to act upon them to influence others, not for financial, political, or theological gain, but to act in a manner that implies godliness, transposed into an earthly environment. Such actions are not coloured by selfishness but are the epitome of selflessness moulded upon reality. Few decisions taken in the world today or in the past use such criteria as process for action, and few individuals could genuinely be called wise. However, as with all gifts of the spirit, wisdom is open to all. Intelligence, though important, is secondary to spiritual growth and it is spiritual growth that decides a person’s wisdom. The process of acquisition is long and requires diligent application by the student before it is released into his custody, but, like all gifts of the spirit, it is worth gaining and as soon as possible.
The manifestations of perfection are such as to leave no doubt upon the disciple that perfection is being achieved. So that there can be no doubt in the heart and mind of the inquirer as to his progress along the path, there are placed certain milestones to guide him, to remind him of the distance travelled and to act as a warning that the traveller has not arrived at his destination. The past is strewn with the debris of past endeavours and should be picked over with great caution. Past endeavours, whilst themselves valuable at the time, bear no relation to that which will be necessary in the future and should be left on the path, shunned, with one’s face always turned to the light, the eyes only upon the goal. Disciplines relevant to today’s exercises need not necessarily apply tomorrow for, as the student progresses further from the land of Maya and further into the reality, so the rules governing his actions within those spheres alter.
Christ was not bound or limited by the laws of nature that applied to the uninitiated. Initiation brings with it nothing except the knowledge that the initiate has much to learn and initiation confers no special rights upon the individual. Indeed, it infers great obligation towards the group with whom he would travel and from whom he receives knowledge. Initiation is a responsibility that binds an individual to his group and is the first step towards remitting his sense of isolation with the possibility of confirming oneness with the group.
To all concerned, it is clear that individuality is only a temporary measure created by personality and is intended to endure only as long as it takes for that personality to realise greater realities. Then the step can be made freeing him from isolation and liberating him into the warmth of multiple souls acting as one. This state, strange in concept, is a most blessed achievement and brings with it assurance and peace.
However, as with all things, there is a price. The price is devotion to God – suppression and replacement of earthly emotions and earthly opinion and a willingness to resist not the flow of the group. It might be questioned as to how a person would be able to operate in what appears to be isolation whilst his personality is responding to a group pressure. That question, if asked, infers total lack of an understanding of initiation. It is in fact quite possible to carry out one’s duties each day, responding to the pressures of life, and, at the same time, making decisions on a group basis. Not mine, but “thy will be done”. This state has been mentioned before cannot be conceived by one immersed in the world of illusion. It is obtained by those of elevated consciousness.