Dear Steve,
As you will have realised, I have been through some rather trying times health-wise. It's really interesting to me to realize how the state of one's body impacts on both mind and spirit. I went through a long period where I just did not have the energy for anything. It even knocked my relationship with my Creator into a dark corner where I felt that the mainstay of my life... my sense of God's constant presence in my life... simply slipped away, leaving me in a kind of limbo.
I missed being hooked on Spirit very much and it has taken time to come right. Edwin Woods of the School of Truth said it's probably the drugs prescribed by the doctor that have that effect. That might be true, but it's also more than that. A sound mind is dragged down by an unsound body and it takes greater effort to stay in touch with Spirit.
Of course, the word "effort" is not right. We both know that effort takes one nowhere in Spiritual matters - simply because we, of ourselves, can do nothing. More of "letting go and letting God", is therefore what I really mean. I learned a lot in the process, never really having been very ill in my adult life before. I have been thinking, also, that it's great practice for staying close to God when going through the process of dying, which, in my case, I sense is still a long way off. But when that time comes, the lessons I have learned through the recent difficult times will stand me in good stead.
I am 99% better now and getting on with life with almost the same degree of energy as before. The good thing is that I lost 20 Kg in the process! Also, my voice has been restored and I am working hard again.
Blessings
andre
Dear Andre,
Thank you for your earlier reply. We spent the weekend in Canada so I'm a bit late getting back to you.
Health challenges are often the ultimate test of a person's faith - and I have faced a few myself so I can identify with the insight you shared. Sometimes it is a very minor problem that snowballs out of all proportion as we allow our minds to distort spiritual perspectives.
Back when I was an active Divine Science Practitioner I was sometimes called upon for prayer support in assisting someone overcome a health issue. Occasionally I was even called upon by DS ministers - individuals whom one seldom envisions needing to ask for assistance, particularly since all ministers are also trained practitioners! Ultimately they knew the root of the problem, and believed they knew what was necessary to overcome it, but I found they placed too much emphasis on 'theory' and not enough on 'action'.
Since your blog offers prayer ministry you might find the following of interest: Rev W John Murray, an early Divine Science minister, taught that "all desire is prayer" - whether offered within a religious context or not.
He noted that: "While reading the fifth chapter of John we feel Jesus standing by the pool of Bethesda, the ancient Lourdes, the healing waters, and we find one brought there. Year after year he had been taken there and borne away again with no visible sign of improvement, and his only explanation for it was that when the angel came to trouble the water, there was no one to put him into the pool. And Jesus said, after listening to this, 'Wilt thou be made whole?'
The man's view of healing was very circumscribed, as is ours today. We limit it to some particular thing; if not a pool of healing water, it is a glass of hot water in the morning. If it is not one thing, it is another, and always external and mechanical. There he was, waiting for the troubling of the water when, all the while, the great healing, cleansing, purifying, energizing water of life was ready to flow through every artery of his being, to cleanse and purify and invigorate him.
"And so Jesus sought to instill into this man's mind a great truth. But first he must get the man's consent, or co-operation, for the only way the individual can co-operate with the universe is through the will, and Jesus knew this. 'Wilt thou be made whole?' Christ was not saying: 'Do you know the truth and feel the force of the truth?'"
Rev Murray writes an interesting lesson. It has been my experience as a DS practitioner that the more 'advanced' the student is (i.e. the ministers who requested prayer, for example, or long-time followers of New Thought) that healings often take longer for more practices DS people than with newer students - the latter being more into the 'basics' and more eager to commit to "healing through a desire to get well" instead of relying more on the theoretical aspects of the teachings.
I found myself in this same position many years ago. I decided to rebuild my understanding of Truth from the ground up - starting with each step of the basics and continuing, slowly and methodically, up to the level I had attained previously. I even practiced the early exercises - simple stuff like rejoicing in the weather - even if it was raining and spoiled my outdoor plans! It worked wonders.
Blessings,
Steve
Dear Steve,
As always, you have given me much food for thought.
You touch on one of the things I find hard to deal with in talking to people. Almost salaciously, people seem to want "Spiritual Secrets" to be "revealed" to them; occult keys that will magically allow them to unlock the door to Spirituality. They seem disappointed when I tell them that Truth is simplicity itself, not hidden at all, but there for all to see and use in their lives. They seem reluctant to accept this simple fact as the key they are really looking for - to know that Eternal Law ensures the inevitability of results following actions (or mindset, as I call it), whatever those actions might be - positive or negative.
I get the feeling that people want the Truth to be complicated, difficult to achieve and requiring great effort – a spiritual Mount Everest that they have to climb. Somehow, they feel that if it’s easy, and for free, it's not worth having; that it can’t possibly have value in their lives.
This, I feel, is exactly because so many people need to be reassured by the "theory" of spirituality, to which I think you refer. And, as you imply, it is "Theory" that blocks the flow of Spirit simply because it clouds the power of excitement and spiritual desire. (As in when you say that the more "advanced" one is, the longer it can take to be healed.)
For many people the hardest part to accept, it seems, is what you refer to as "action". They want the action to be strenuous, while in fact The "Action" needed is just to let Go and let God in the simplest, most trusting way possible. It’s about "selflessness" which does not need to strive, but simply "is" within enfolding Spirit, filled and surrounded by Love, the most reassuring and powerful force in the universe.
Another problem I ask your thoughts about, is this: having found this jewel of great value, this exhilarating understanding of the simplicity of the Law, having become "more advanced", as you say, it is very hard to keep that initial excitement and desire from fading in one’s life. As that wonderful transport fades, the acolyte may fear it implies that his faith is also fading. How does one deal with that? How does one keep the fires burning high?
Thank you so much for your stimulating email!
God Bless
Andre
Dear Andre,
You wrote:
> You touch on one of the things I find hard to deal with in talking to people. Almost salaciously, people seem to want "Spiritual Secrets" to be "revealed" to them; occult keys that will magically allow them to unlock the door to Spirituality. They seem disappointed when I tell them that Truth is simplicity itself, not hidden at all, but there for all to see and use in their lives.
The truth is simple. When Jesus spoke "the common people heard him gladly" - but it was the religious intelligentsia (Scribes and Pharisees) who rejected the teachings. Modern times are no different. When it comes to religion and spirituality I find that the more letters a person has after his name (Ph.D, DD, MA, etc.) the less he knows.
> For many people the hardest part to accept, it seems, is what you refer to as "action". They want the action to be strenuous, while in fact The "Action" needed is just to let Go and let God in the simplest, most trusting way possible. It's about "selflessness" which does not need to strive, but simply "is" within enfolding Spirit, filled and surrounded by Love, the most reassuring and powerful force in the universe.
I want to cover the subject of "action" a bit further as I am using it in a context not widely used in New Thought circles. As a Divine Science teacher I was one of the only ones (if not 'THE' only one) who taught a "5 step" realization process. This is what was taught by Rev Murray and includes the additional 5th step - omitted by teachers in almost all of the New Thought groups. (It's really a crucial step - and its inclusion has brought results in cases where its prior omission had failed.) The 5 step process is:
1. Desire
2. Visualization
3. Recognition of God as Principle
4. Faith that the desire will be fulfilled.
5. Action
Most schools of New Thought use a combination of steps 1 thru 4. "Action", however, is what the student does to begin the manifestation process. It is the catalyst or igniter that gets the ball rolling - without which there is no guarantee that the process will begin.
Let's look at some examples:
* A person who seeks employment can follow the first 4 steps but unless he follows through with action (such as filling out job applications and/or making his desire for work known to others) he may never secure a job.
* A person in need of friends can follow the first 4 steps but unless he follows through with action (placing himself in social situations where he can meet people) how will he acquire friends?
* A person who eats only sweets and cakes, and who is unhealthy due to poor diet, can follow the first 4 steps in a bid to regain his health.
But unless he takes 'action' (by changing his eating habits) he is destined for disappointment.
In the above examples the failure is not on God's part - it is because the student failed to do 'his part' (action) to begin the manifestation process. It is an example of faith, as Nicol often states, when we "Let go, and let God" but this does not relieve us of our obligation to do our part in furtherance of the Divine plan. I guess my point is that I find that more advanced New Thought students neglect action - in contrast with newer students who are more likely to take an 'active role' in their own healing or transformation process. This is why it can take students who have practiced New Thought for many years much longer to change their health or circumstances.
> Another problem I ask your thoughts about, is this: having found this jewel of great value, this exhilarating understanding of the simplicity of the Law, and as a result having become "more advanced", as you say, it is very hard to keep that initial excitement and desire
from fading in one's life. As that wonderful transport fades, the acolyte may fear it implies that his faith is also fading. How does one deal with that? How does one keep the fires burning high?
Nicol Campbell refers to Truth students as "students" - even if they have been members for 40 years! He considered himself a student too, even though he was The School's founder. There is always something new to learn, spiritually, and so it is important to never perceive your quest for Truth as being finished. If we do this then the fire starts to fade. Keep the fires burning by being 'about your Father's business' - sharing Truth with others and helping them through prayer and teaching, such as your activities via the internet - plus renewing your relationship with God through joy in everyday activities.
I think that a quest of this nature is not exclusively a learning process - it is also the key to enjoying life in all its aspects.
Peace and blessings,
Steve
Hi Steve,
Thank you so much! You have no idea how you have stimulated my thinking.
I don't have any formal religious or DS or any other kind of training. All I know is that Spirit leads me to insight and your words about "action" were really interesting to me. I would add just one more point..as a 2b, perhaps: "passion". Passion, (or Feeling, Excitement), provides the God-given energy to turn the spiritual wheel through your 5 points around to end in "action".
Mere "Visualisation" without passion is no more than day-dreams. Day-dreams remain only in the sphere of "desire" and they cannot lead to the logical conclusion of "action".
Passion combined with visualisation, turns faith into mega-energized Trust in God, the Principle.
Dear Andre
Thank you for your suggestion of 'Passion' as an additional point in the realization process! This is an important aspect and I will include it in subsequent lists.
I might also add that the necessity for 'action' is Biblical. Recall that Jesus said "Seek and ye shall find" - the act of 'seeking' being the key to discovery. (How does that old saying go - "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"? - this is another (more proverbial) example of the necessity for action.
Peace and Blessings,
Steve
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