OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE
(続き)
not faith born of credulity but founded on knowledge of what you have received, the faith that you must have because it is impossible for infinite knowledge to be at your disposal at this stage of your evolution.
Rest your faith on the foundation of your knowledge. Each one of you has been led by the power of the spirit through suffering, through crises, through difficulties, to where you are now. You can look back and see how the finger of guidance has pointed the way. Have faith that, because of what has happened in the past, the power of the
spirit cannot fail you, even though too often the human channel can fail the power of the spirit. We have all been richly blessed by having the sublime revelation of the reality of spiritual truths. Let us therefore show that we are worthy of the responsibilities that are entrusted to us because of the knowledge that we have gained.
The past is gone. Whatever mistakes you have made you must forget. You come into your world to make mistakes, and to learn from them. Forget the past. It is the present that matters. Serve all you can in whatever form your service can take. Do what you regard as reasonable for your material provision. Don't concern yourself overmuch about the future. Do your part and we will do ours and I can promise you that in such a co-operation there will be no failure.
You cannot measure the work that is being done in this building, which to us is hallowed and sacred ground. Here
love comes into its own, tears of sorrow are dried and replaced by the smiling confidence of certainty. The sick receive alleviation and many perplexed and troubled souls find the balm of inner tranquillity as a result of direction and guidance. You cannot calculate what is being done, for you have no yardstick with which to measure the results on the soul.❝
Can you define the part played by spirit guidance and what should be our own efforts?
We have to work within certain laws. There are some things we can do and some things we cannot do. We are subject to laws in an even far more vigorous manner than you are. My greatest difficulty has been when I have watched those I love in the midst of crises and knew that I had to stand back, do nothing, leave them to their own devices, to see which way they choose. Often we have to say to those we love: "At this stage you are on your own. See how you fare. On your choice depends your evolution and attainment."
We are concerned with the spiritual results. You, too often, if you will forgive me saying this, are looking at the material results. With your own Association, if you look back through history, you will find that spirit guidance has not done so badly.
We can enunciate only certain fundamental principles that are true because they are based on eternal reality. The power of the spirit cannot fail. If the earth ceased to rotate on its axis, if the tides did not move according to a preordained plan, if all the galaxies did not behave according to their pattern, then I would not be so sure. Because the Great Spirit is all-powerful and spirit is the divine power, I am confident that those who place their full reliance on that power can never fail.
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You said there were times when you had to stand back and let those you love make their choice. They had free will to go which way they liked. What happens if they throw spanners into the works?
There is free will up to a point, but it is never a free free will. It is a free will that is restricted and conditioned by certain circumstances of spiritual growth and evolution. It is not a complete, unfettered free will in which you have perfect liberty of choice.
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Is there no such thing as free will?
There is a free will within certain limitsーyou can choose which path you take at that moment and either hinder or advance your spiritual progress.
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Whilst you do that, surely you may be hindering or advancing someone else?
That is possible. But may I try to explain, if I can, that on the surface all is simple. Behind the surface there are highly complex workings because there are laws within laws, with-in laws, within laws. Such, however, is the perfection of the Great Spirit's wisdom that all is balanced to an extent that the operation cannot fail.
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Isn't it possible that the spanner that we might throw in the works isn't important enough to have much effect on the total plan?
You can throw a spanner and injure some of the works, but you cannot throw a spanner into all the works. The
damage you can do is comparatively small. Nobody in your world has the means at his or her disposal to wreck com-pletely the will of the Great Spirit, or to do the amount of damage that could prevent the divine plan from operating.
. . .
Then all these disasters that occur on our planet are within the divine plan?
In the sense that man cannot work outside the divine plan, because there is an inexorable law of cause and effect. The overruling law maintains the limitation that is imposed on man. Let me put it quite bluntly. Your scientists cannot devise means of destruction that would completely destroy the whole of the universe. That is the limitation.
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Would you say that something which appears evil from the human standpoint may not be evil at allーin fact from a higher standpoint it might be regarded as good?
To many people in your world suffering is evil, pain is unwelcome, but this is not necessarily the case. Pain is just as much a part of the divine plan as pleasure. Without pain there could be no pleasure, without darkness there could be no light, without hatred there could be no love. Action and reaction are equal and opposite. They are the two sides of the same coin. Good and evil are fundamental and compara-tive. You have codes of morality in your world dependent on the place where you live. But it is not the same code of morality in every place. Our evaluation is based upon the effect on the soul. This is the important thing, anything which advances soul-attainment is good; anything which retards soul-attainment is bad.
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I am not very happy about what you said on equal opportunities. While the spiritual essence in a soul may be the same, the instru-ments through which that essence will be expressed are not of equal efficiency. We cannot all gain benefit through equal opportunities. Either the opportunities presented to us vary according to our talents, or the opportunities are equal, but we are not fairly en-dowed so that we all have a reasonable chance of making use of them.
No, I'm sorry I cannot agree. Every human being who incarnates into the world of matter has a seed of divinity, otherwise he could not incarnate. Life is spirit and spirit is life. You have the seed of the spirit which is intended to flower. Its flowering depends upon the conditions it receives and which will affect its growth. There are equal oppor-tunities for all human beings to develop their spiritual natures. I did not say they would attain equality of spiritual status. I said the opportunities were there. It does not matter if you are rich or poor, the service you give is not dependent upon the physical knowledge that you have.
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But what about the physical abilities through which spiritual qualities are expressed?
Do you mean a child who is deformed and the brain is damaged? That is another complication with which I will deal and it involves karma.
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If there is karma, is there reincarnation?
There is reincarnation, but not in the sense in which it is generally expounded. There is in our world a spiritual diamond which has many many facets. These come into your world to gain experience and to add their quota to the diamond's lustre and brilliance. Thus the personalities that are incarnated are facets of the one individuality. There is no problem really. People get confused and say, "I was So-and-So last time and I will be somebody else next time." That doesn't matter. It is the facet which has its quota to contribute to the entirety of the diamondーin that sense there is rein-carnation. What you express on earth is but an infinitesimal fraction of the individuality to which you belong. Thus there are what you call "group souls," a single unity with facets which have spiritual relationships that incarnate at different times, at different places, for the purpose of equipping the larger soul for its work.
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Would it be that the individuality is part of the personality, or is it the other way round?
It is the personality that is the fragment of the individu-ality.
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If we all belong to group souls then we enjoy the experiences of others and also suffer the consequences.
Yes, it is a wise experience because we all realise that we can contribute to the whole.
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So what I suffer now is not necessarily my own fault?
If that brings you consolation you are welcome to the thought. I will let you into a secret. The more knowledge you have the less choice you have. Increasing knowledge unerringly dictates the part that you must play. Those of us who have volunteered to serve must serve until our missions are accomplished. You have chosen, therefore you have no choice. Knowledge can only come when you are ready to receive it. That is how the law works. I was asked to perform a mission and I undertook to do so. The fact that you have invited me to come and talk with you shows that to some extent I may have succeeded in relaying the wisdom of others whose mouthpiece it is my privilege to be. There is a spiritual relationship that endures when the physical relation-ship has ended. The spiritual relationship is eternal. What binds is not matter but spirit. Matter is ephemeral, spirit is eternal.
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We must gird up our loins and continue the task to which we are dedicated, bringing more and more into the orbit of the love of the Great Spirit. We must help the souls who come our way to forge those magnetic links with the spirit that will bind them forever, and enable them to be the recipients of this divine power which, when it burgeons, brings untold blessings. This is part of the task on which we are all engaged. Never let us forget the principles, the funda-mentals, for when we strive to ensure that these are attained then we are fulfilling the purpose of our being.
SILVER BIRCH
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