NEED FOR SPIRIT TEACHING

　"IN times of great upheaval the world requires more than ever the message that can come through inspired instru-ments, the demonstration of spirit power which has for its purpose the spreading of a great knowledge," said Silver Birch when we met together to hear his wise counsel.

　"Throughout the world of matter there are countless beings whose minds are filled with perplexity. Their faith has been destroyed; within them there is a yearning which they do not understand; it is a yearning for the demonstration of the eternal realities.

　"Man by nature is a spiritual being, and always the spirit is clamant in its demands for that which will give it sustenance. The spirit must be nurtured, the spirit must be supported, the spirit must have activity. The spirit cries out for expression, and often, when man does not understand himself, often when he is unaware of his own nature, he cannot escape the demands of his own spirit, which is the real individual.

　"The conventional message of the Churches gives satis-faction but to a few. In a world which is progressive, in which there is change, in which there is growth, it is im-possible that a set of religious principles that were adhered to

generations ago should have wide application today. And so it must be that those who still give ear to conventional appeals made on behalf of systems of theology that originate in the minds of man are fewer in number.

　"Yet history does not repeat itself in this respect, for al-though a growing number turn their backs on the creeds and the doctrines of the Churches, they do not become more materialistic. That arid gospel is also losing its appeal, this time for a different reason. It is the man of science who has revealed the wonders of the universe which make the doctrine of materialism barren, sterile and impossible of acсeptance.

　"So it is, in times like these, when so many find their out-look is being altered and all is in the melting pot that there comes the great opportunity to present spiritual truths.

　"It has been said before that man's extremity is God's opportunity, and once again when the need is great the power

of the spirit pours itself out. Love calls to love across the chasm of death, love seeks to guide its beloved, to bring the balm of comfort to hearts tortured with sorrow, to bring the healing power to those tortured with affliction, to bring guidance to those who have lost their way, to bring all the demonstrations of the reality of spirit power.

　"The truths which accompany these demonstrations are eternal; they are changeless, they are unaffected by any hap-pening in your world or in mine, they are not subject to repeal or alteration, they are eternal realities. Once have grasped them, once you have acquired them, once you under-stand and appreciate them, your life has a lustre, a beauty, a richness, a radiance, a confidence, a sureness and no more can you walk desolate in heart, dispirited or despairing.

　"These are the great tasks, the great opportunities, the avenues of service, that are brought to many. The millions who cry out in anguish provide the soil where we labour, and each soul who finds the light, each soul who is able to abandon ignorance for knowledge, who can replace tears of sorrow with the smile of joy, each such soul is a victory, a victory won in the eternal battle that is being waged.

　"So let us all, wherever we may be, whoever we are, gird up our strength, put on our armour, continue in this fray in which the issues are of such tremendous import to all humanity, knowing that the mighty power of the Great Spirit is ranged with us to aid us in the succouring of all who need our service."

　Then the guide answered questions. The first one came from a reader, who quoted Shaw Desmond's statement that "ninety-nine out of every hundred guides talk tosh," and asked for Silver Birch's opinion. He replied:

　"No one who is really a guide, competent to perform the services of a guide, would qualify for that description. The guides are carefully chosen for the tasks assigned to them, and their fitness to perform these tasks has been demonstrated before they begin their mission in co-operation with a medium.

　"This is not a charge which could be levelled against any who are truly guides. It is, however, unfortunately true that there are undeveloped instruments through whom the power of the spirit could not be registered with that fulness or clarity which can be achieved when there is greater develop-ment.

　"Among such instruments, in the stages of unfoldment, many things are said and done attributed to guides. In reality their origin does not belong to guides but rather to members of the band, controls, and in some cases where the develop-ment of the medium is of a very elementary nature it may well be that only the subconscious ideas of the instrument are being expressed.

　"So that, I would say it is not true to assert that the guides talk rubbish. We must not be blamed for that as it would be unfair to say that so many of those who expound these truths too often talk rubbish. But that is a very general statement. He does not say which guide." 

　"I think Desmond makes sweeping statements," com-mented a member of the circle, and another stated: "We sometimes don't agree with some of the guides. I find some whose teaching is difficult to follow. Whether he means that we don't know." Another comment was: "A guide perhaps has a very different line of development to Desmond's, and therefore he thinks it is all wrong.''

　"Still," said Silver Birch, "I do not see why we should be dismissed with such sweeping statements. Then, of course, it must be remembered that rubbish is always spoken by some-body else, and our own utterances have the hall-mark of divine inspiration."

　The next question was of a very different order. The writer asked for a guide's help, and said: "Will you please give some advice on the mental attitude one should try to attain to benefit those we love, in respect of mental and physical health and in material circumstances? Should one direct thoughts of well-being to them, or should one direct thoughts to God in the form of prayers for them?"

　"A very good question," commented Silver Birch. "It is sincere soul who desires to help. All prayer, all aspiration should centre itself on the Great Spirit. By that I do not mean that there should be a constant flow of petitions.

　"I have often said that prayer is a process of attunement, of harmonising our will to the divine will, of establishing a closer unity with the Great Spirit, knowing that as we do so our own lives are better as a result. As you heighten your own con-sciousness, so you set yourselves better standards and thus automatically your own lives show the results.

　"By all means strive by prayer to get nearer to the heart of the universe, to its centre, to its architect. Also, if you desire that those you love should attain a richer life, surround them mentally with an aura of good will and the desire to be of

service.

　"But do not confine yourself to those you love, for often with the highest motives that tinges your desire with an aspect of selfishness. Rather let your mind seek to express itself in such a way that you become inspired to serve all mankind, and that means to render any help you can to any soul who comes your way in daily life."

　"You read just now a question about the utterances of guides and you know the test which I have always asked you to applyーthe test of your own reason and test of your own judgment and common sense. I have never sought to lead you into any avenues of blind faith or asked you to follow any course of action where your intelligence would be insulted.

　"I am not given to vaunting. The more I see of the universe the more I am filled with true humility. Yet, nevertheless, I must say that I know of the power to guide you. It is given to souls like myself, not because we are what we are, but because of what we seek to do. That guidance has been freely given throughout the years of our association, that guidance will still continue as long as you desire it.

　"I do not wish that you should continue these sittings when nature provides you with opportunities to refresh your spirits and your bodies. To equip the spirit and neglect the body is a practice that we do not encourage. It is as foolish as equipping the body and neglecting the spirit.

　"Make full use of the vigour and strength that nature, which is the expression of the Great Spirit, offers in the ap-proaching heyday of its activities. Seize all that which is freely offered to you and appreciate to the full the lavish beauty that the divine artist offers you as His eternal pageant moves to the summit of its attainment.

　"And always," he concluded, "let us centre our thoughts on that sublime power which seeks to use us as the instruments of its beneficent purpose. Let us open our beings to receive the full benediction of that divine grace. And let us strive by our own lives to show that we reflect that love and goodness of purpose that all may see in us the messengers of the Great Spirit."

　It was at another meeting of the Hannen Swaffer home circle that Silver Birch commented on the present state of Spiritualism. He declared: "There is much confusion, there is much shouting and much exhibiting of wares. It is still necessary for the truths of the spirit to be made known. The means at our disposal have always been inadequate to the task, but the task has been essayed always and some measure of success achieved. We cannot reach the whole world of matter, let us reach those we can.

　"You are experiencing the inevitable aftermath of war when all values are turned upside down; confusion reigns, disorder is prevalent, moral values are in the balance, clarity of vision and judgment disappear, the old virtues recede and in the welter of confusion much that is fundamentally true has completely receded. Let us stress those eternal truths which cannot be changed even in a changing world. Let us draw attention to the spiritual realities which are fadeless, untarnishable, incorruptible, permanent and which, when understood, make the whole pattern of life clear to those who have not seen it. 

　"That which you call Spiritualism is part of the natural law. The Great Spirit has ordered the universe to be ruled and to be expressed through unchanging laws. These laws control every facet of universal activity. Nowhere in the whole universe, whether it be in those regions known to you or in that much larger portion which is beyond human reach, is there absence of natural law.

　"The divine will is imposed through divine ordinance. Most laws are subject to change and alteration, most laws are imperfect and do not take cognisance of every circumstance, but the laws of the Great Spirit have provided for every contingency that will ever arise. There is no happening left to chance or accident; all is regulated, all is controlled, all comes within the divine dispensation.

　"Men of science have discovered much of the workings of the physical world, but the realm of the spiritual has not been subjected to the same intensive research. Those who attempt to judge, understand or consider life solely in terms of matter, are behaving foolishly. They are concentrating on the smallest part and overlooking the greatest portion.

　"Our task is to draw attention to the vast realm of the spirit, to the rich treasures of the spirit, so that the many millions who are in darkness and ignorance and have lost their way, may have the guidance, the comfort, the assurance that comes with the knowledge of spiritual truth. That is part of what I want to tell themーto comfort those who mourn, to dry the tears of those afflicted with sorrow, that is very necessary. It is a great part of our mission, but the great test is, having knowledge of who you are, who you really are, why you are on this planet of earth, what you must do in order to qualify for greater progress. These are fundamentals."

　We were told: “There is an immense task awaiting us, the task of reconstruction. We have to welcome into our midst the bruised and battered wrecks of humanity, the tired, the weary, the distraught, the ones who look for some gleam of light in their darkness.

　"The search is on and the gaze of many turns hopefully in our direction wondering whether this is indeed the balm for humanity. This truth, and this power, which is its natural concomitant, can help and sustain, guide and cherish all these, no matter whether it runs into many hundreds of thousands. The reservoir of the spirit is infinite, no matter what is the problem, the need, the care, or the anxiety.

　"I am conscious of the work we have to do. You will find that many young men have acquired an eagerness to find out more about these truths of the spirit, to see whetherーto use their own languageーwe can deliver the goods.

　"The whole world is in the melting pot. The whole scale of values has to be recast. In this maelstrom there are so very few who can speak with accents of certainty and say: "These are the eternal standards of the spirit that will endure. These are the truths which you must follow; these are the principles on which you must build; these are the foundations.'

　"Before have reconstruction you have destruction. You have witnessed destruction and the reconstruction is about to take place. The foundations, as I have always said, were laid some time ago. The plan is there. Now, slowly, painfully, it begins to emerge and you will see how gradually the lot of man will begin to improve and he has a fairer chance of developing the gifts with which the Great Spirit has en-dowed him. There is nothing that should fill you with alarm or despair. There is work to be done and together we can do it and help others to do it.

　"Let us look forward to the privilege of service that has been given to us and let our hearts be filled with gratitude that we can help others to find that knowledge which has wrought so much revolution in your own lives, that they too can adjust themselves and feel they are part a divine power, filled with love and wisdom, that desires them to extract from life all the beauty and joy and radiance which can be theirs."