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Edna Lister August 7, 1934 Berkeley, California Today, as never before, we are concerned with our relationship to "things" on the one side and that unseen Power, which we call God or Spirit, on the other. The solution to financial worries must include this idea of relationship, which we have known as Unity, in a broader sense than man has ever used it. We must sweep aside for all time, the idea of each of us being a separate part. We must become unified parts, working with and for each other. We must understand ever more of the Laws of Being that bring forth from the invisible into the visible. We must understand how the Master increased the "loaves and fishes," and be able to apply the process to our own needs. The first step always consists in having our needs met at the time. The second step is to have just enough to meet our needs before we really need to use it. The third step is to have the "twelve baskets left over" to share freely after we fulfill our own needs. Let us consider four ideas concerning these Laws, which we must use to complete any needed manifestation. The old method was to "concentrate" or to "demonstrate" supply of abundance. We sat in the Silence, concentrated upon our empty purse, and knew that the Divine Infinite would fill it. If, while we were concentrating upon our supply, Billy came home with some claim of illness, we had to stop concentrating upon supply and concentrate on Billy. If other needs presented themselves, we had to concentrate upon them. Meanwhile, our purse grew empty again. Concentration is a mental power and comes by using Will. We can use the power of concentration only in one direction at a time and upon only one thing at a time. Therefore, it will not do for manifesting supply. We need something that will do all things at once. We find this in our ability to surrender ourselves completely to the Power of Love. We concentrate harder than ever before, but only upon keeping ourselves completely surrendered to this Power, concentrating upon keeping our eye "single" upon releasing this Power. We speak the Word of Truth about everything in our lives, and the Power goes forth and does the work. When we surrender to the idea that the Power is doing the perfect work, when we surrender ourselves to become a perfect instrument through which it can work, when we become a mouthpiece directing it to that spot where it is needed, only then can we be sure that our lives will be perfect. As an instrument we release the Power, and as a mouthpiece we control its direction, the two perfect halves of a perfect whole. The second idea is visualization. If we see empty space anywhere, we will not have any results worth mentioning in manifesting supply. If we are seeing empty cars, empty houses, empty stores, empty rooms, empty cupboards and empty purses, they will never be filled. We must then see everything as filled with activity, or some outer forms. Yet, it isn’t enough to see our own purses full of bills and gold, for the Law is "Give and ye shall receive." We can overcome this by mentally reaching into our own pockets and purses to fill the purse of our friend or anyone whom we meet upon the street. We can always give from this invisible supply — just as Elijah left the widow with the "barrel of meal that wasted not and the cruse of oil that failed not," so can we use this great Law of Visualization to increase our own supply. That which we give, we shall receive. We may have nothing visible to give away right now, but we can surely give from the invisible Substance that occupies the whole universe — right where we stand this moment. Everyone can see Niagara Falls. Anyone can see the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. We do not leave our bodies to go there, but use the faculty that we all possess: We can "visualize" anything if we try hard enough. Some have this faculty well developed and others must develop it. However, everyone has it to develop and use. The main idea to keep in mind about visualization is that we must have an unselfish, universal reason for the Power going into action for us. If the "gimmies" bother us — give me this and give me that — it will not work for us. It is only when we give that which we ourselves desire that God can release it through us. We have also heard the cry, "I do not care for money!" Indifference never brought anything to anyone — and it cannot be true at this present stage of development, for we all must use the symbol of God’s abundance, which we call money. No one can get material to make clothes without money. No one can get food without money. No one can ride in cars or on buses without money. If we do not earn the money that we pay for these things then it is true that someone else is doing it. Someone is earning money for the things that everyone wears and uses. Therefore, no one can honestly say that they do not care for money. Back of that statement is pride that we are not "as other men are." Usually back of that is still another wrong emotion — hatred of the situation of lack and limitation. Are we to give all our time to thinking about money? Are we to use all our time visualizing money? Most assuredly not, but being indifferent about money — prideful about not caring — or letting someone else do our "worrying" about it is just as negative as it is to be too eager about it. Underestimating it is just as definitely wrong as it is to overestimate it, and undervaluing it is just as wrong as overvaluing it. We have had God and joy, God and pleasures, God and houses and lands, God and clothes, God and money, and God and all sorts of things. Now we have One God in all, through all, as all. We have no false god we call money. Money now takes its rightful place in our lives, and we use it without stinting, knowing that it is only the outer symbol of those Inner Riches that are ours to draw upon. We know that we are entitled, through our inheritance from the Kingdom, to all that we can possibly use. "All that the Father hath" is mine to use. We free ourselves from all ideas of it not being the Will of God that we have all that we need. Any good idea is God’s idea, and it is a good idea for us to be free to grow, unfold and take care of all our obligations. The fourth idea in which we have gone wrong in the past is that we think deep down within us that God probably cannot trust us with money. If we had an abundance of all good things, we might be inclined to forget who God really is, or we might get off the Path, which we have held to with such great difficulty. Everything from the outside seems to try to carry us into other ways. Our friends seem to lead us far afield. We have already left the Path so often to pick a few beautiful flowers, which soon fade, to chase a few brilliant butterflies. Perhaps we are determined to keep our feet planted upon the straight and narrow way, fearing that if we have too much ease and comfort, we will again fail to study and grow. Now, if we cannot trust ourselves, how then can we imagine that God can trust us? If we are really afraid that we may fail, then how can God release the necessary Power through us? While we have the fear that we are not ready to be trusted with everything that the Universe can supply in the way of abundant riches, just that long will we keep ourselves out of the Kingdom of Riches. God cannot trust us with anything that we cannot trust ourselves to handle. When we reach the point in our development where we can stand up and say, "Send forth through me enough of the Power of Love to fulfill all the needs of my family and myself. You can now trust me with the wealth of the Kingdom to distribute to the world. I am now ready to be used to release this Inner Abundance that shall relieve the whole of humanity. You can now trust me to use all that I need for myself and send the rest forth into the world." When we can also tell God that we are ready to receive the courage to stand steadfast where we are, that all we want is the Power to lift everything given to us daily to lift, that we no longer want to run away from our responsibility but desire to pour out enough love upon it to make it perfect, that we want to be responsible for all our family — all the "lives of them that dwell upon our ship" — when we do this, then and then only will God send forth through us that release for all about us. Then we discover that He has only been waiting for this one thing — our own sense of ability to stand amid all outer challenges, calm and unmoved, steadfast and sure. We may even have thought with the rest of the world that because a few men have cornered vast wealth, we could not have very much. When we started upon this great adventure of life, God sent with us all that we could possibly use or need through the whole of our period of living. When we stepped into this visible form, we had to leave it just at our fingertips in the invisible. You and I are invisible to the world. All that the world sees is that radiance, which is Spirit. If we have not used the vast supply, which God gave to us, then it is still waiting to come forth for us. We are here to learn how to be Master Creators — how to Conquer this Invisible World. No one else of earth can possibly touch or bring into visibility one particle of that which vibrates only with our own vibration. It waits the magic touch of our spoken word to become! What? That which we desire and need. This invisible substance, which we call supply, what is it? How do we know that a radio wave exists? Because we have to breathe invisible substance, and we tune in and hear a radio wave. Our scientific instruments measure, compute and tell us that these things are facts, then we must accept them and use them. Countless thousands of fruit trees stand idle and bare during one season of the year. Later they put forth tiny leaves, buds, flowers, and then produce the countless tons of fruit that we use. Where has the fruit come from? Out of the invisible into the visible! The tree is larger each year, and no hole is left in the ground. Countless acres of wheat fields, endless acres devoted to vegetables and berries, lay empty for months, then suddenly stalks, leaves, and later tons of berries, wheat and vegetables spring up. Where has it all come from? Out of the invisible into the visible, and no hole is left in the ground after the harvesting is finished! Farmers have used the fields for centuries and still they retain the same old level — the hills are still hills and the flat places are still flat. Countless sheep grow wool, which we shear each year and make into garments. Where does it come from? From the invisible into the visible, and the sheep grows no smaller! Our paper money was once wood pulp, made from a tree that came from the invisible into the visible. We dug our gold and silver from the hills, which nature made from single cells that extended and expanded — from the invisible into the visible. When will we really see it and know? When will we stop fussing and work to use that which is our own? When will we accept our own responsibility to create from this invisible substance of which God formed the whole earth? It is ours to use, ours to bring forth, ours to make and create into any outer form that we choose or desire. We cannot destroy gold. The hotter we heat it, the more we purify it. The more we burn it, the greater its value. As we put it in the crucible and heat it, the dross comes to the surface and we take it off, leaving only the purified and perfect substance. The refiner knows when it is perfect, for he can see his own image reflected in it. When fires of life purify us until God can look at us and see His own Image and Likeness reflected in us, then and then only will we have become Masters of Life. Then and then only will we have become Conquerors of the Inner Kingdom, bringing its perfection into the outer realm. Whenever we decide to live by this Perfect Godly Gold Standard every hour of the day, we shall be able to create the outer and visible sign of wealth. Whenever we lend ourselves to the purifying process, through which all gold must go, then we shall be allowed to use all that we can imagine ourselves enjoying. "I am now ready to accept my own Inheritance." "I am now ready to create my own Abundant wealth." "I am now ready to surrender to this Power which works through me." "I am now ready to release all that Love which belongs to me." "I am now accepting everything that comes to me as fire to make me perfect." "I am now being made into perfect and pure gold of Spirit. |
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