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Edna Lister’s Lectures, 1936
Training Your Memory
Edna Lister outline, January 1936, Buffalo, NY
Teachers in every culture and civilization have used the method of memorization by rote because it works wonders in training the brain and improving the the mind’s ability to remember sets of information quickly and completely. To improve the retentive quality of your memory, you can start by memorizing these quotes from Claudius Ptolemy:
A mind apt in knowledge will discover truth more readily than one practised in the highest branches of science.–Claudius Ptolemy
A sagacious mind improves the operation of the heavens, as a skillful farmer, by cultivation, improves nature.–Claudius Ptolemy
Love and hatred prohibit the true accomplishment of judgments; and, inasmuch as they lessen the most important, so likewise they magnify the most trivial things.–Claudius Ptolemy
I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies, I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself.–Claudius Ptolemy
Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.–Claudius Ptolemy
There are three classes of friendship and enmity, since men are so disposed to one another either by preference or by need or through pleasure and pain.–Claudius Ptolemy
They only who are inspired by the deity can predict particulars.–Claudius Ptolemy
From all this we concluded that the first two divisions of theoretical philosophy should rather be called guesswork than knowledge, theology because of its completely invisible and ungraspable nature, physics because of the unstable and unclear nature of the matter; hence there is no hope that philosophers will ever be agreed about them; and that only mathematics can provide sure and unshakable knowledge to its devotees, provided one approaches it rigorously. For its kind of proof proceeds by indisputable methods, namely arithmetic and geometry.–Claudius Ptolemy
We consider it a good principle to explain the phenomena by the simplest hypothesis possible.–Claudius Ptolemy
Seven Churches of Revelation
Edna Lister outline, January 3, 1936, Buffalo, NY
Improving in Every Way
Edna Lister outline, January 4, 1936, Buffalo, NY
You can improve physically by eliminating bad food; by not eating too much; by breathing plenty of fresh air; by using plenty of water, inside and outside; by perfect diversion and rest by letting in more sunlight, and being outside more; by exercising for health, not only strength; by making hourly declarations for health and strength.
You can improve mentally by learning from others’ experiences; by reading only good books, magazines, etc.; by observing events making for world progress; by discussing your problems only with those who can help you; by thinking only of things that will help you; by “forgetting those things which are past” and looking and thinking forward.
You can improve morally by being honest with yourself and others; by remembering that right is right and wrong is wrong; by helping others (the more you have, the more you know, the more strictly you will be judged); by being charitable (charity begins at home); by avoiding temptation; by living now, not in the past or the future; hopes and plans now.
You can improve financially by working more systematically and intelligently; by deceasing unnecessary expenses; by more closely studying and following efficient methods; by taking advantage of all your opportunities; by making your business so absorbing that all other interests are incidental; by learning what plans are; learning how to plan, learning steadfastness in executing those plans.
You can improve socially by choosing the right kind of friends; by avoiding associates who discourage you; by taking more interest in family, friends, neighborhood; by taking more interest in your city, state, nation and world; by treating others as you would be treated; by loving your neighbor as you love yourself.
Your Soul’s Independence
Edna Lister outline, January 15, 1936, Buffalo, NY
What is independence? The world defines independence as 1. A state of being not dependent; complete exemption from control, or the power of others. 2. A state in which a person does not rely on others for subsistence; ability to support one’s self. 3. A state of mind in which a person acts without bias or influence from others; exemption from undue influence; self-direction.
To the soul, independence is living in the Garden of Eden forever! Where play equals work and work equals play, not play versus work. When work becomes a game, you love to play it. Your “love” for what you are doing is the fulcrum, the balance point between bondage and complete independence of choice and action.
How can you make this work in your life? Place all your soul’s dependence on the Power of God by surrendering to that Power. Your soul-surrender must be active, knowing, conscious, deliberate, complete, eager and joyous!
Out of Darkness
Edna Lister outline, January 19, 1936, Buffalo, NY
Each of the ancient civilizations came up out of the darkness into the Light, then regressed. Yet each time they progressed again they stepped higher. The higher we go the more danger we face because there is more Power at our new height of expansion and development.
This “modern” civilization of ours has reached its high point of danger. {Following WWI, we were on the brink of WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam and the dozens of conflicts we’ve been embroiled in ever since.} We have more power to use, greater power to wield, and humanity as nations and tribes, clans and families, is weaving its own destiny.
I had a dream of a two-for-one sale in which I saw that each soul must choose wisely when weaving its own garment of life. Too little allowance for seams or for shrinkage and the garment won’t fit.
We must build the next world-sphere of Mind, Substance and Power in which we will live, and we must build it wisely for it will pinch if not rounded out evenly on all sides. Collectively, we are always building our future.
Out of our past darkness, we come forth, bruised, even with torn wings, timid even in our eagerness—yet we boldly keep venturing into the greater Light.
Willingness
Edna Lister outline, January 22, 1936, Buffalo, NY, Psalm 37:4-5
“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.”–Psalm 37:4-5.
Wisdom, Love, and Selflessness are absolute abstract principles of the universe. Wisdom is always operating as both the will of God and the will of man. Willingness is listening, hearing, accepting, and knowing the will of God.
Abandonment is the act of surrendering the self and putting it on the altar as a gift to God. Surrender is abandonment of the self to Light under marching orders from your soul. When you abandon self, soul creates impressions on the inward eye upturned to God.
The Father says, “Commit thyself unto Me and I shall bring it to pass.” Willingness allows Power to flow through you to work the desire and will of God. Unwillingness, which is selfishness in disguise, pushes against the Power. Willingness to serve God and to obey Him is the path of glory.
Mysteries of Ancient Schools
Edna Lister outline, February 10, 1936, Buffalo, NY
St. Augustine wrote, “That, in all times, is the Christian religion, which to know and follow is the most sure and certain health, called according to that name, but not according to the thing itself, of which it is the name; for the thing itself, which is now called the Christian religion, really was known to the Ancients, nor was wanting at any time from the beginning of the human race, until the time when Christ came in the flesh; from whence the true religion, which had previously existed, began to be called Christian; and this in our days is the Christian religion, not as having been wanting in former times, but as having, in later times, received this name.”–St. Augustine, Retractations (I.13.3)
The teachings of the Society of Essenes and the School of Pythagoras at Crotona were simple and significant. Uneducated writers have tainted the record with all sorts of nonsense marring the beauty of the three Degrees taught in nearly all Schools. The Essenes and Pythagoreans were innovators whose ideas have been distorted to suit the needs of those who wished to exploit them.
The first degree in all schools was to “Honor the Deity.” The second degree was “Regard all men as brethren,” and children are all dear to God. The third degree was “All things are of the Supreme Creator of the Universe,” meaning of God’s Mind, Substance, and creative Power. You makes yourself useful to society by your labor and teachings.
At some point between 1500 BC and 600 BC, Zoroaster, taught them thus: “Be good, be kind, be humane and charitable; love your fellows; console the afflicted; pardon those who have done you wrong.” Confucius taught 2,800 years ago: “Love thy neighbor as thyself: Do not to others what thou wouldst not wish should be done to thyself.” Forgive injuries. Forgive your enemy, be reconciled to him, give him assistance, invoke God on his behalf.
Most ancient nations, besides public worship, worshiped privately in what they named “Mysteries,” to which candidates were admitted following a mandatory period of preparation called initiation. The most widely disseminated of ancient worship included the Mysteries of Isis, Orpheus, Dionysus, Ceres, and Mithras. Many barbarian nations received knowledge of the Mysteries in honor of these divinities from the Egyptians, long before they reached Greece. Even in the British Isles they celebrated the rites of Dionysus, taught to them by the Egyptians.
The Mysteries of Eleusis, in honor of Ceres, were celebrated in Athens, and eventually absorbed all others. As initiates filled Greece and Asia Minor, they spread the Mysteries throughout the Roman Empire. The Eleusian feasts combined two sorts of Mysteries, the greater, those that required several years’ preparation, and the lesser, open to all. Clement of Alexandria held that the Great Mysteries concerned the Universe and resulted in the Initiate being able to see things as they really are. The Ancients believed the profane souls were buried in darkness, plunged into successive lives until perfected, but the initiates would reach to the Blessed Isles, the abode of the gods. Plato believed that the Mysteries to were meant to reestablish soul in its original purity, but with wisdom garnered from experience. The Neoplatonist Proclus later held that initiation elevated the soul from carnal impurity, from material, sensual, and purely human life to communion with the gods.
Modern historians do not know exactly where the Mysteries originated. Some suppose they came from China or India by way of Chaldea into Egypt, thence into Greece. Wherever they delved into history, they found them claimed by the Thracians, Cretans, Athenians, etc. The main differences appears to have been in the titles of officials: Some were headed by their cultures’ rulers, king, etc., other Mysteries were officiated by Priests and Priestesses. In short, the Mysteries were not religions of books or creeds.
Philosophy is the great Mystagogue, the expounder of symbolism within the Mysteries. Socrates used the same idea with his interlocutors, calling himself the midwife of those who were birthing their own souls, as he awakened and developed their soul’s memory of what they already knew. Everywhere in the Mysteries, in all the symbolism, the ceremonies conducted by a Hierophant, we find the same kind of mythical personage in whom, like Hermes or Zoroaster, were united human attributes with the divine. Mysteries always embrace the three great doctrines of ancient wisdom: God, Man, and Nature. However, nature was not the object of religious worship, but symbolized aspects of God.
Dionysus, whose Orphic Mysteries the divinely-touched musician Orpheus founded, was the nature god of red wine, or of the blood, the moisture of the life in nature, who prepares in winter’s darkness the rebirth of vegetation. Dionysus is the Light that changes and evolves life’s myriad varieties, the avatar of the God-in-man, as are Hermes, Prometheus, and Poseidon. In the many places where he was honored, no matter his name, his worship remained unveiled by the usual forms of mystery and thus betrayed to profane curiosity the symbols that were sure to be misunderstood. In all their symbolical forms the Mysteries portrayed “The One” infinitely illustrated in “The Many.” Dionysus was not only Creator of the world but the soul’s guardian, liberator and savior, the Son who first wore Joseph’s many-colored mantle. Dionysus’ mysteries typified the spiritual regeneration of man by his rebirth as the offspring of the Highest. The agents and symbols his regeneration were the elements that affected Nature’s periodical purification: The air, indicated by the mystic fan or winnow; the fire, signified by the torch, and the baptismal water, for water not only cleanses all things but is the Genesis or Source of all these notions, which when clothed in earthly earthy ritual, suggest the soul’s rebirth and ascension.
The Mysteries of Eleusis invited only those who were “of clean hands, ingenuous speech,” and “free from all pollution” to approach. At first they were taught merely the simple truths of primitive revelation. Then, as wickedness encroached, attracted by the innocent purity of the candidates, the Hierophants lengthened probationary periods to discriminate among them, and devised greater requirements and tests of candidates. They created schools of instruction and longer probationary periods before opening the mysteries, which they veiled in secrecy and with the pomp of ceremony to heighten their value and importance. Thus the Hierophants maintained their purity for many ages.
The gymnosophist priests came from the banks of the Euphrates into Ethiopia, bringing their sciences and doctrines with them to found their primary College at Meroe. They celebrated their mysteries in the Temple of Amun, which was renowned for his oracle. Ethiopia was then a powerful state, which preceded Egypt in civilization. It had a theocratic
Above the King was the Priest who could put him to death in the name of the Deity. Egypt was composed the Middle Egypt and the Nile Delta. Nile by degrees formed an immense marsh at gulf of Mediterranean; afterward drained by man, formed Lower Egypt. Governed many centuries by Ethiopian sacerdotal class of Arabic origin. Afterwards displaced by a dynasty of warriors. The magnificent ruins of Axoum with its obelisks and hieroglyphics, temples, vast tombs and pyramids around ancient Meroe are for older than Pyramids near at Memphis.
Priests, taught by Hermes, embodied in books the occult or hermetic sciences with own discoveries and revelations of the Sibyls studied most abstract sciences. Discovered famous geometrical theorems which Pythagoras afterward learned from them calculated eclipses. Regulated 19 centuries before Caesar the Julian Year.
1 Theos is Greek for God.
Star Studies: The Constellations
Edna Lister outline, January 21, 1936, Buffalo, NY.
A History of Religion on Earth
Edna Lister outline, February 15, 1936, Buffalo, NY
The viewpoint of the ancients is almost impossible to understand unless you realize that even the most ignorant men of their time had a real and considerable knowledge of stars and planets through long-term observation of the night skies near the Mediterranean Sea. To us, the stars are the vibration of Light, not inanimate senseless orbs with no life.
Truth students and students of the occult are amazed at the power and wisdom, which to the outsider seems only the ingenuity of the Maker. The ancients wondered at the works and endowed it with life, vitality and innate power as a mystery they could not explain.
“It is not possible for us thoroughly to appreciate the feelings with which the ancients regarded the Heavenly bodies, and the ideas to which their observation of the Heavens gave rise, because we cannot put ourselves in their places, look at the stars with their eyes in the world’s youth, and divest ourselves of the knowledge which even the commonest of us have, that makes us regard the Stars and Planets and all the Universe of Suns and Worlds, as a mere inanimate machine and aggregate of senseless orbs, no more astonishing, except in degree, than a clock or an orrery. We wonder and are amazed at the Power and Wisdom (to most men it seems only a kind of Infinite Ingenuity) of the Maker: They wondered at the Work, and endowed it with Life and Force and mysterious Powers and mighty Influences.”–A. Pike
Memphis, in Egypt, was in Latitude 29º5' North, and in Longitude 30º18’ East. Thebes, in Upper Egypt, in Latitude 25º45' North, and Longitude 32º43' East. Babylon was in Latitude 32º30' North, and Longitude 44º23' East, while Saba, the ancient with Sabaean capital of Ethiopia, was about in Latitude 15º North.
The great River Nile, flowing from South to North in Egypt, came from beyond Ethiopia, its source in regions wholly unknown, in the abodes of great heat and fire. Its inundations formed the alluvial fans of Upper and Lower Egypt, which they continued to raise ever higher, and to fertilize by their deposits. At first the inundations, occurring annually and always at the same period of the year, were calamities. Eventually the early Egyptians built levees, drainage canals and artificial lakes for irrigation, and the innundations that had before been awaited fearfully became joyfully anticipated blessings. Annually the farmers sowed their seed on the silt deposit left by the Nile, and the rich soil insured them an abundant harvest.
By contrast, Babylon lay on the Euphrates, which ran from Southeast to Northwest, blessing, as all rivers in the Orient do, the arid country through which it flowed; but its rapid and uncertain overflows bringing terror and disaster.
To the ancients, as yet inventors of no astronomical instruments, and looking at the Heavens with the eyes of children, this earth was a level plain of unknown extent. About its boundaries there was speculation, but no knowledge. The inequalities of its surface were the irregularities of a plane. That it was a globe, or that anything lived on its under surface, or on what it rested they had no idea. Every twenty-four hours the sun came up from beyond the Eastern rim of the world, and traveled across the sky, over the earth, always South of, but sometimes nearer and sometimes further from the point overhead; and sunk below the world’s Western rim. With him went light, and after him followed darkness.
And every twenty-four hours appeared in the Heavens another body, visible chiefly at night, but sometimes even when the sun shone, which likewise, as if following the sun at a greater or less distance, traveled across the sky; sometimes as a thin crescent, and thence increasing to a full orb resplendent with silver light; and sometimes more and sometimes less to the southward of the point overhead, within the same limits as the Sun.
Man, enveloped by the thick darkness of profoundest night, when everything around him has disappeared, and he seems alone with himself and the black shades that surround him, feels his existence a blank and nothingness, except so far as memory recalls him the glories and splendors of light. Everything is dead to him, and he, as it were, to Nature. How crushing and overwhelming the thought, the fear, the dread, that perhaps that darkness may be eternal, and that day may possibly never return; if it ever occurs to his mind, while the solid gloom closes up against him like a wall! What then can restore him to life, to energy, to activity, to fellowship and communion with the great world which God has spread around him, and which perhaps in the darkness may be passing away? Light restores him to himself and to nature which seemed lost to him. Naturally, therefore, the primitive men regarded light as the principle of their real existence, without which life would be but one continued weariness and despair. This necessity for light, and its actual creative energy, were felt by all men, and nothing was more alarming to them than its absence. It became their first Divinity, a single ray of which, flashing into the dark tumultuous bosom of chaos, caused man and all the Universe to emerge from it. So all the poets sung who imagined Cosmogonies; such was the first dogma of Orpheus, Moses, and the Theologians. Light was Ormuzd, adored by the Persians, and Darkness Ahriman, origin of all evils. Light was the life of the Universe, the friend of man, the substance of the Gods and of the Soul.
The sky was to them a great, solid, concave arch; a hemisphere of unknown material, at an unknown distance above the flat level earth; and along it journeyed in their courses the Sun, the Moon, the Planets, and the Stars.
The Sun was to them a great globe of fire, of unknown dimensions, at an unknown distance. The Moon was a mass of softer light, the stars and planets lucent bodies, armed with unknown and supernatural influences.
It could not fail to be soon observed, that at regular intervals the days and nights were equal; and that two of these intervals measured the same space of time as elapsed between the successive inundations, and between the returns of spring-time and harvest. Nor could it fail to be perceived that the changes of the moon occurred regularly; the same number of days always elapsing between the first appearance of her silver crescent in the West at evening and that of her full orb rising in the East at the same hour; and the same again, between that and the new appearance of the crescent in the West.
It was also soon observed that the Sun crossed the Heavens in a different line each day, the days being longest and the nights shortest when the line of his passage was furthest North, and the days shortest and nights longest when that line was furthest South: that his progress North and South was perfectly regular, marking four periods that were always the same, those when the days and nights were equal, or the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes; that when the days were longest, or the Summer Solstice; and that when they were shortest, or the Winter Solstice.
With the Vernal Equinox, or about the 25th of March of our calendar, they found that there unerringly came soft winds, the return of warmth, caused by the Sun turning back to the Northward from the middle ground of his course, the vegetation of the new year, and the impulse to amatory action on the part of the animal creation. Then the Bull and the Ram, animals most valuable to the agriculturist, and symbols themselves of vigorous generative power, recovered their vigor, the birds mated and built their nests, the seeds germinated, the grass grew, and the trees put forth leaves. With the Summer Solstice, when the Sun reached the extreme northern limit of his course, came great heat, and burning winds, and lassitude and exhaustion; then vegetation withered, man longed for the cool breezes of Spring and Autumn, and the cool water of the wintry Nile or Euphrates, and the Lion sought for that element far from his home in the desert.
With the Autumnal Equinox came ripe harvests, and fruits of the tree and vine, and falling leaves, and cold evenings presaging wintry frosts; and the Principle and Powers of Darkness, prevailing over those of Light, drove the Sun further to the South, so that the nights grew longer than the days. And at the Winter Solstice the earth was wrinkled with frost, the trees were leafless, and the Sun, reaching the most Southern point in his career, seemed to hesitate whether to continue descending, to leave the world to darkness and despair, or to turn upon his steps and retrace his course to the Northward, bringing back seed-time and Spring, and green leaves and flowers, and all the delights of love.
Thus, naturally and necessarily, time was divided, first into days, and then into moons or months, and years; and with these divisions and the movements of the Heavenly bodies that marked them, were associated and connected all men’s physical enjoyments and privations. Wholly agricultural, and in their frail habitations greatly at the mercy of the elements and the changing seasons, the primitive people of the Orient were most deeply interested in the recurrence of the periodical phenomena presented by the two great luminaries of Heaven, on whose regularity all their prosperity depended.
And the attentive observer soon noticed that the smaller lights of Heaven were, apparently, even more regular than the Sun and Moon, and foretold with unerring certainty, by their risings and settings, the periods of recurrence of the different phenomena and seasons on which the physical well-being of all men depended. They soon felt the necessity of distinguishing the individual stars, or groups of stars, and giving them names, that they might understand each other, when referring to and designating them. Necessity produced designations at once natural and artificial. Observing that, in the circle of the year, the renewal and periodical appearance of the productions of the earth were constantly associated, not only with the courses of the Sun, but also with the rising and setting of certain Stars, and with their position relatively to the Sun, the center to which they referred the whole starry host, the mind naturally connected the celestial and terrestrial objects that were in fact connected: and they commenced by giving to particular Stars or groups of Stars the names of those terrestrial objects which seemed connected with them and for those which still remained unnamed by this nomenclature, they, to complete a system, assumed arbitrary and fanciful names.
Thus the Ethiopian of Thebes or Saba styled those Stars under which the Nile commenced to overflow, Stars of Inundation, or that poured out water (Aquarius).
Those stars among which the Sun was, when he had reached the Northern Tropic and began to retreat Southward, were termed, from his retrograde motion, the Crab (Cancer).
As he approached, in Autumn, the middle point between the Northern and Southern extremes of his journeying, the days and nights became equal; and the Stars among which he was then found were called Stars of the Balance (Libra).
Those stars among which the Sun was, when the Lion, driven from the desert by thirst, came to slake it at the Nile, were called Stars of the Lion (Leo).
Those among which the Sun was at harvest, were called those of the Gleaning Virgin, holding a Sheaf of Wheat (Virgo).
Those among which he was found in February, when the ewes brought forth their young, were called Stars of the Lamb (Aries).
Those in March, when it was time to plough, were called Stars of the Ox (Taurus).
Those stars under which hot and burning winds came from the desert, like venomous poisonous reptiles, were called Stars of the Scorpion (Scorpio).
What are Your Assets?
Edna Lister outline, February 15, 1936, Buffalo, NY
“A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”–Psalm 121.
What do you list in your asset column? How do you balance it? It is in your soul nature to be a go-getter, yet all too often self stands in the way.
Shakespeare, a wise poet, wrote of the inevitability of gradualness in his Sonnet 73. A Song of Degrees.
All teachers live day by day, step by step, stage by stage, rung by rung. A prophet put it this way, The word of the Lord will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line.
–Isaiah 28:13.
Are you playing patience to “kill time”, settling for half loaves, taking two steps up and one step back down? You know more about life as you go on, and better learn how to handle your relationships with others.
Humility is based on your ability to see the truth in and about your self. First you must face the old self-centered self, and conquer its attempts to control your consciousness. Then you must see perfection in your new soul-beingness and awareness. Love is the ability to see the truth in others.
The highest degree in your Song of Degrees is seeing the truth itself, clearly. Nothing can stop truth from manifesting and becoming apparent once it is time for its birth. Yet nothing can bring it to pass if it is not yet time. Meanwhile, you wait, work, plan, and pray. When you have effaced the self sufficiently, your reluctance becomes eager cheerfulness.
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day,
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.
–William Shakespeare, Sonnet 73
What is Intuition?
Edna Lister outline, February 22, 1936, Buffalo, NY
What is intuition? Is it the voice within? Is it a guide? Is it the voice of reason, warning or impelling? Is it immediate insight?
What is unselfish service? How is it rendered? What is added responsibility? Is it demanded or given? What is service? Who is all service given to and for?
What is tolerance? Has everyone the right of private judgment in religious matters? Why should one’s liberty to uphold ones’ religion, opinions and forms of worship ever be subjected to the will of another? Is any harm ever done by intolerance? What?
What is self-discipline? How far has it taken you? Who would prefer any other discipline? Self-discipline is the surest and best there is. Does anyone discipline you? Yes, one whose experience and performance is greater than yours. One who disciplines and annoys you is not your trial, but your teacher.
A friendly attitude: Are you friendly to the elderly and to subordinate or inferior ones? Do you have friendly feeling toward those who have hurt you? Remember, no one can hurt you unless you accept it. Are you friendly to criticism home? Your personal home is your best teacher. Do you lift and pray for those whom you dislike?
Temperance: Are you temperate in all things? In your eating, drinking, and personal indulgences? Are you temperate in your speech and remarks about others? Are you temperate in your likes and dislikes? Are you temperate in your behavior?
Developing courage: What is courage? It takes a great deal of courage to live right, and to be a good friend because you must stand on principle always. Once you make a stand you have to stick to it; never be lacking in courage as Judas was. Anyone can fail, that’s easy! It takes effort to progress and live right.
Love and empathy: What is love? What is empathy? Empathy is the strong hand to uphold the weak. The empathetic soul does what their right reasoning prompts them to do for the weak and afflicted in times of stress. Do not weep with them, but illustrate how the law of God is being made manifest to help them to a clearer understanding.
The true value of money: What is money for? It is to store away to make scarcity? Is it for compensation for work rendered? For what work? Whose work? Whose money? What employer? Whose field do you work in? Do you complain about your wages?
Conduct: Are you modest in your conduct? Is your conduct becoming to your state of living and to God’s grace? Are you living to draw attention of others? Are you trying to out do the Jones? Are you living in harmoniously relationship to your home and honoring the Unseen Guest? “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”–Hebrews 13:2.
What is personality? Is your personality like a subtle perfume, permeating all you say and do? Or are you crude, course or cruel? Personality means “quality of sonship.” “Per” means “by,” “son” represents the Master’s “Sonship,” and “-ality” denotes the “quality” of it.
Will power: What is will power? Do you use will power over anyone else? What can you accomplish by personal will? Can you overcome conditions, diseases, etc. by use of will power? What have you done by the use of yours? Give graciously wherever you so desire.
The Golden Silence
Edna Lister outline, March 9, 1936, Buffalo, NY
1. Keep your silence one hour daily. You may divide it into four quarters, but you must keep it.
2. If you choose to remain in the silence for one straight hour, lie flat on your back, arms stretched out for the first 15 minutes; breathe easily and deeply, preferably with the window open.
3. Start with your feet, concentrate on perfect feet, perfect leg motion, and move on when you have seen each part of your feet and legs as being perfect. Next, work on all your internal organs—intestines, liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach, lungs, heart, and throat. End with your head, with extra focus on your five senses.
4. Stand and cup your hands, palms forward, at your sides and slowly raise and spread them wide above your head (\0/), gathering and lifting all embodied souls on earth while declaring that all illness is being cleaned from mankind. Declare that they are now healed and held high on a cloud continent of Light, free from all bondage to earth.
Let all embodied souls now on earth be gathered together in the Father’s great Arms of Light, and let them all be lifted to a cloud continent of Light to be healed and made whole, free from all bondage to earth now and forever! In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!
Edna Lister outline, March 16, 1936, Buffalo, NY
1. Have you kept your Silence? Of Vows? Of interference? Of quiet?
2. Have you treated your body as a Temple of the living God?
3. Have you instantly held every thought, emotional desire, imagination up in the Light?
4. Have you instantly turned on the Light for all darkness?
5. Have you kept your 40 days, those already passed? Given them to God at night as they were given you in the morning?
Seven Breaths in One
Edna Lister outline, March 28, 1936, Buffalo, NY
We breathe universal Light as Spirit and substance, which are all one and the same essence in different degrees of being. God as the three—Wisdom, Selflessness and Love—fall into the four elements—air, fire, earth and water—which are involved in matter, the four outer lower planes of existence. The 5th, 6th and 7th degrees of breath are universal and illimitable. You inhale them all in one breath, with nothing left out.
The 1st degree of breath is elemental and automatic, a rhythmic respiration of molecules on the lowest inner plane, the Astral Plane. Pulsing of molecules against the outer physical frame by repercussion causes function of outer breathing. Example drowning etc.
The 2nd degree of breath, pulse, rhythm or substance is modified and colored by the will and desires of the creature man. This is the substance we use to build, destroy or retard nature. Pure or pollute 2nd breath with images or pictures, negatives, blueprints, a pattern.
The 3rd degree of breath enables us to give form to our desires and ideas. Every “seed idea” is made of this third breath substance, which allows the process of thinking to go on as a succession of flashed pictures, images of forms on the inner sensorium of the brain.
The 4th degree of breath is the negative breath, the respiratory rate of balance between higher and lower planes of being. It is the breath of mediumship, for example, one person in a room, breathing consciously, can raise or lower the breathing rate of vibration of all other persona in that room. The 4th breath breathes the Light of Intelligence in all things, creatures and man. The 4th breath breathes the Knowing Principle through being receptive to impulses of the higher or 5th breath. An animal creature has instinctive desire, instinctive intelligence.
The 5th degree of breath is the first inner spiritual breath that touches the one Mind and Power of God direct to cause action in every cell. This is the breath touched in Christian revivals, ecstatic Voodoo dancing and all other forms of mass hysteria and insanity. The four lower outer breaths transform this substance down, so it produces no harm on the lowest earth plane. This substance is pure ozone, a fiery essence which will burn up the lungs if it is breathed in undiluted. It can burn up the lung cells in an unprepared person.
East Indian fakirs live on the 5th breath when they are buried alive. As the first spiritual breath, the 5th breath touches the universal Mind of God direct, and is the breath used in prayer by the Mystic. It causes action in every cell because it is “in all, through all, as all!” This is the breath used in all lifting and sublimation. The fifth freedom: Mastery. Animal organisms have four lower breaths. Minerals express on the 5th or inner breath. We have a central canal between the ventricles, the brain’s spaces, which are centers of action for the inner spiritual breath. This breath draws the physical inward and upward toward higher Realms. It burns up the physical dross, raising the vibration, making the body light Knowledge and control of the 5th breath creates Mastery.
The 6th degree of breath is the essence of abstract form, the spiritual breath breathed into man which made him a living soul. This is the Creator’s spiritual breath, the substance animating all things in manifestation, and its opposite in matter is the 4th breath of the creature. We use the 6th breath when we travel at night. The seat of power of Imagination, the kingly faculty of man, is in the 6th breath, the Substance we use when our breath and desire become one to produce miracles. The 6th breath is attuned to the Great Breath, for Desire is Omnipotent. Lower desire cannot vibrate on the plane or in the realm of the 6th breath. When one is still prey to lower emotional desires, one has no command over breath. Uneven, or long-short breathing belongs to the 4th degree of breath. Disorders and limitations dissolve and disappear by control of the 4th breath, and deep breathing. By deliberate quiet, control we correlate ourselves with the 6th breath on its own plane of force and consciousness, and the result is a balanced state, inner calm, tranquility, poise, and peace as the whole body breathes in unison.
The 7th degree of breath is the auric Holy Breath of God, which is everywhere evenly present and available. The Holy Breath has no organ of action, for every cell, molecule and atom breathes with the All. When the 7th breath is active in every cell, molecule and atom, they all breathe in unison with the great Breath of Life, and all breaths are coordinated. As the Master of Life, man is one with the Divine, able to feel the breath in each place, and send it through each organ.
The Laws of Spirit
Edna Lister outline, April 8, 1936, Buffalo, NY
The laws of the Spirit are the laws of Christians, the laws that Christed ones apply to govern their actions. They cover the full range of soul expression, from thoughts to actions, in obedience or disobedience.
“As [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.”–Proverbs 23:7. The first law of a Christian involves what you are thinking about. What you think about, in turn, creates your life, beautiful or otherwise.
“According to your faith be it unto you.”–Matthew 9:29. The second law is of the Spirit. Your degree of freedom of Spirit ranges from absolute to the merest fraction, depending on your comprehension, which is according to your faith. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”–Matthew 25:40.
The remaining laws of a Christed one all deal with how you choose to apply the laws of Spirit to what you do.
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”–Matthew 5:19.
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.”–1 Thessalonians 5:22.
Healing is All the Added Things
Edna Lister outline, April 15, 1936, Buffalo, NY
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”–Galatians 6:7-9.
An ancient adage says, “As ye sow so shall ye reap.” Prosperity is a state of consciousness. Money, clothes, things, God—all are elements of your consciousness. Everything the Father has in store for you is waiting now, just as next season’s harvest is the potential in the earth awaiting preparation. Wheat represents good seed reserved for planting. When you sow the seed, you expect a harvest, not less, but more.
If your ambition is to have a salary of $15.00 a week, you are thinking that you are unworthy of more, deserving only $15.00 a week. You are planting this idea in the ether, twenty-four hours a day. Plant $100.00 a week salary.
Sowing rich seeds creates expectancy. "I am now ready to serve in a new position. I am now receiving a new position, a new salary. I am now receiving $1000.00 each week.
Healing the Self
Edna Lister outline, April 22, 1936, Buffalo, NY, James 1:19-20, 1 Peter 2:19-24
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.–James 1:19-20.
“For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”–1 Peter 2:19-24.
We have only one example to follow, Jesus the Christ, even to the baring of our bodies on the cross. Yes, sometimes the pain we must suffer really is physical. To suffer grief through devotion and service is commendable, a cause for thankfulness. When you are chastised for your faults and take it patiently, it works for your good healing.
What credit do you receive, what glory in suffering chastisement? If your service and devotion, well done, bring grief and suffering, yet you patiently accept, you experience real glory, and receive real credit. Each must light his own candle, or a torch to bring Light to his own spiritual darkness for lifting and cleansing. Light is the healer now and evermore.
Declare, “I am now accepting my great service. I am now accepting my great position. I am now accepting full responsibility for my own Light. I am a good shepherd. Thank You, Father. You always say yes.”
The Laws of Spirit
Edna Lister outline, April 28, 1936, Buffalo, NY, Proverbs 23:7, Matthew 5:19, 9:29, 25:40,1 Thessalonians 5:22
The laws of the Spirit are the laws of Christianity, the laws that Christed ones apply to govern their actions. They cover the full range of soul expression, from thoughts to actions, in obedience or disobedience.
As [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.
–Proverbs 23:7. The first law of a Christian involves what you are thinking about. What you think about, in turn, creates your life, beautiful or otherwise.
According to your faith be it unto you.
–Matthew 9:29. The second law is of the Spirit. Your degree of freedom of Spirit ranges from absolute to the merest fraction, depending on your comprehension, which is according to your faith. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
–Matthew 25:40.
The remaining laws of a Christed one all deal with how you choose to apply the laws of Spirit to what you do.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
–Matthew 5:19.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
–1 Thessalonians 5:22.
Healing the Sick
Edna Lister outline, April 29, 1936, Buffalo, NY
The husband and family of a woman who was “sick unto death” asked that I attend her to comfort and aid them all to accept the very recent diagnosis of a terminal illness. Though the cancer had ravaged her body, she had the face of an angel—she made no complaint, nor did she cry or whine. Her family was not yet so accepting and their fears and grief were evident.
In such a case I had been trained and knew to follow the fundamentals of healing, which begin with simplicity in approach. You must not react to or be influenced by the family’s fears or emotions, which will only increase the woman’s burden as she makes her passage into the eternal life of soul.
So you surround everyone with Light, beginning with the family, then reaching out with arms of Light to include all other friends and loved ones who may visit, and further to the entire neighborhood, to lift it and everyone in it.
Next you address the specific treatment for this woman: You must make declarations that do more than just assuage her pain and suffering; the goal is to make her passing pay dividends for her and for everyone involved. You may use such declarations as:
“Elaine, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we declare that you and your whole family, your friends and all who love you are now held in the Comforter’s arms, which are all-healing Light. All suffering, pain, and sense of loss shall become the joy of victory as your love, Elaine, releases the love of God that heals you, your family, and all your loved ones.”
The negative emotions, fears, grief, sorrow and anger that people can and often do experience with the loss of a loved one can cause stagnation in the lives and affairs of those involved. Stagnation in a pool or stream creates a swamp of quicksand and traps. In fact, all illness results from some previous stagnation in the soul’s stream of life. That stagnation becomes concentrated in a final illness. To free everyone, it is necessary to declare the proper “letting” statements of God, such as:
“Let the free-flowing life of God make perfect Elaine’s body and affairs. Let the free-flowing substance of God quicken Elaine’s body and affairs. Let the free-flowing substance of God now become abundant supply in every area of Elaine’s life including her finances. Let the free-flowing life of God flow through Elaine, into her affairs, her mind, her spirit, her soul. This free-flowing Power of God moves unerringly through Elaine’s life, and shall inevitably heal every imperfection—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spritually. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ this is Truth and it shall so manifest.”
All these statements may also be phrased as my/your body and my/your affairs.
Twelve Gates to the Holy City
Edna Lister outline, May 2, 1936, Buffalo, NY
“The holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…had twelve gates…On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.”–Revelation 21:10-13.
What we refer to as the “outer rim” of manifestation, which is the body of the Creation, is similar in appearance to the apparent “rim” or circle of stars that form the Zodiac. The Zodiacal rim separates our solar system and its inhabitants from the rest of the universe.
We are on earth for the purpose of gaining physical experience and perfecting our soul’s expression. Impulses and inspiration pass through twelve Gates, each of which is a channel for Light and the subordinate cosmic energies. This is how the
| Trinity | Sign | Dimension | Element | Atomic # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | Aries|Leo|Sagittarius | Spiritual | Carbon | 6 |
| Air | Gemini|Libra|Aquarius | Mental | Oxygen | 8 |
| Water | Cancer|Scorpio|Pisces | Emotional | Hydrogen | 1 |
| Earth | Taurus|Virgo|Capricorn | Physical | Nitrogen | 7 |
The “wall” of an atom is only a magnetic field that high-energy particles can penetrate. Each penetration releases one or more photons from the atom’s “Holy City.” Each manifestation, large or small, is a “Holy City,” a whole and complete “universe.”
Why do we speak of “gates” in a “wall?” The boundary of a “magnetic field” differentiates its “inner” from the “outer” finely enough to still appear as a solid wall. In comparison, the surface of a table appears as solid as a wall though it is nothing more than the solidly visible expression of a magnetic field.
God, desiring to make mankind, brought life sparks of spiritual substance together to create all the necessary cells to form man’s physical body according to His will. Man uses spiritual substance already in form as wood for planks and iron for nails, to build the form of a house and fasten it together, all with products of his desire and will.
Why a magnetically closed field, not an open field? Because energy coming from “outside in” and giving from “inside out” can presumably either “enter in” or “exit from” in clumps that physics calls “quanta.” These “quanta” behave accurately yet symbolically in a way that we can call “gates,” which open and close rhythmically, like the valves of the heart. The magnetic field surrounding earth is punctuated by “Gates of Light.” Light comes through the “gates” in regular cyclic currents. Thus, “gates” form a controlled system of releasing God’s Light as Power.
Using arithmology, which is the study of the religious symbolism of numbers, we may consider the twelve gates this way: 12 = 1 + 2 = 3, which symbolizes the Trinity. The "3 falling into the 4" creates the magnetic point that attracts each of the 4 elements 3 times, equalling 12. The 4, on any plane, forms a perfect unison of “one.” The 4 must become “One” before it can be absorbed into the 3 in One. How does this happen? The 4 minus 1, becomes 3 as “One.”
Earth is the symbol of man’s material consciousness. Experience gives the soul increased persistence, patience, perseverance. Material plane = “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust”
Water symbolizes desire and man’s emotional life, the positive and negative capacities to desire anything.
Fire symbolizes the burning power of Spirit, which is the Light that burns out the negatives of spiritual, mental, emotional and physical dross.
Air symbolizes the intellectual capacity of mind, the vibration of the mind that was in “Christ Jesus.”
As the elements carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen are united on the physical dimension, the four triplicities are united in Spirit as the soul becomes one with the Father. As you climb, you increasingly realize that you must live by the Rule of One, which is the Golden Rule, the Golden Key. “The Father and I are One. Here I am Father! Move in and possess me. I am now the Servant of the One Power.” This is the clarion call to perfection and glory.
“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”–Matthew 18:3. You cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless you become as a little child. What is the nature of a child’s real self? Eagerness and expectancy head the list, followed by complete devotion to its current interest and unwavering constancy when the child makes a stand.
As an adult, you know that eagerness is for life itself, its experiences and excitement. Yet you are expectant of what, good or bad? What and how have you chosen? Is your devotion to things or to principle? On what stand do you focus your constancy?
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”–Philippians 3:13-14.
No matter what poor or questionable choices you may have made, you can forget your past failures as you reach forth and press on. What things lie behind? What must you forget? Where are you reaching and for what? You are pressing on, but into what?
Do you choose to continue taking pride in self or to admit the errors you have made? Choose humility of soul over the arrogance of self.
Love and Praise
Edna Lister outline, September 16, 1936, Buffalo, NY
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”–John 14:12-14.
“Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”–Matthew 18:2-4.
Love and praise are the forms we recognize as substance and power. The mystics of old said that the world’s wealth of gold came from a single golden egg. Truth is the contents within that golden egg. Truth is truth, as invaluable and indestructible as gold. Eventually, every soul must accept truth, believe truth, and surrender to truth.
No one can tell you what to do, what you can be, or what you can have in any dimension of life. The truth is that what is yours will be yours. When you stand and know the truth, when you love and praise God as the truth, you become converted and as a little child. Then all divine substance and power shall be yours.
Faith in God’s Power
Edna Lister outline, September 29, 1936, Buffalo, NY
“When he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”–Mark 6:41-52.
Immediately after Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes, he constrained his disciples to board the ship and sail to Bethsaida while he dismissed the huge crowd of people. To constrain means “to urge with irresistible power, or with a force sufficient to produce the effect; to compel.”
Jesus then went to pray alone, planning to join them later. He saw them, from the shore, struggling to row against a contrary wind, and walked toward them across the water. The disciples, with their hardened hearts, has already forgotten the miracle of the loaves and fishes, in which they had just participated. Distracted by the contrary wind, they did not consider that it might be Jesus walking toward them. Instead they thought a disembodied spirit was walking on water, and cried out in fear.
An ancient story tells of Earth being at the bottom of an etheric ocean of energy, so you traveled either by floating or dragging along. This story symbolizes that faith is buoyant, but fear is heavy. Peter, when joyously faithful, could walk on the water, but sank when he feared. Water represents emotions, and fish symbolize understanding all passions and selfish desires. Here we all are 2,000 years later, and we must ask ourselves, Am I like Peter in faith, or in fear?
Today, Peter is acknowledged as the most steadfast of all the Master’s disciples, chosen to lead the others despite his doubts, fears and betrayal of the Master just before his trial. How about you? You can do better than to cry, “Lord, save me!” from your self, your resentments, your creations.
When, despite the outer appearance of failure, you find your hope renewed, your resolve strengthened and your courage restored, you have heard the Master say, “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid!” The glory is in the attainment of the goal for which you strive, and you must learn how to walk on water or on thin air. This life is a school, and you are being trained for great stations in high places. So arise! Let’s work!
Desire Plus Devotion
Edna Lister outline, September 29, 1936, Buffalo, NY
What is desire? The world defines it as “to long for, longing, wishing and craving.” In short, too often desire is an unsatisfied appetite. A higher definition of desire is needed: To wish or long for; be solicitous for; have a wish for; to desire another’s happiness; to desire the good of the common wealth; to desire wealth or fame.
What is devotion? The worldly says devotion is “an enthusiastic addiction to, loyalty to; devoutness.” You are always devoting yourself to one goal or another.
“Our creed is love. Our path is service. Our goal is God.” To pray, you make a request of God; you pray and entreat Him to answer, but you may command only your self.
To gain any goal, to attain any desire, you must devote yourself to it. To devote yourself to God means that you must consecrate and dedicate your life to Him. You must do this daily! Finally, you must give up the world to devote yourself to God exclusively.
To begin, your desire must be so great, so all-encompassing that you desire to surrender self completely until you are possessed by the Power of Almighty God. Your dedication will then lead you to give your whole life in selfless sacrificial service. Then shall you walk earth as heavenly royalty, bowing low before the Master and our Father.
Seeking God’s Kingdom
Edna Lister outline, October 7, 1936, Buffalo, NY
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”–Matthew 6:33. What must you seek? The kingdom of heaven and righteousness in your choices and actions. What is your reward? Everything you need, “all these things,” shall be added to you.
“Seek ye first the kingdom.” When is first? Right now, whenever you see a need. Where do you find the kingdom? You can’t unless you first ascend above the world in consciousness.
When you seek the kingdom first, “all these things shall be added unto you.” The two words, “seek” and “added” reveal the agreement or disparity in degree between your eager desire and possible indifference. Taken together, the elements of this verse paint a perfect portrait of the living Christ consciousness that abides in and above you.
Sufficient Unto the Day
Edna Lister outline, October 21, 1936, Buffalo, NY
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”–Matthew 6:34.
Each of you came to earth with a certain set amount of soul substance originally apportioned to you, which is now apportioned according to how you live, on a fate line where you merely live and existence, or on the Path of Destiny by which you ascend in consciousness. When you have used your allotted amount, you must leave.
However, if you choose to step onto the Path of Destiny, a greater amount of your soul substance account in the universal bank is then opened to you. You can use your substance as Light, or as darkness.
Self-pity, rebellion, willfulness, criticism, condemnation and unrighteous judgment all misuse your soul substance as darkness. You can release substance as Light to melt and dissolve what you have crystallized, and that will be sufficient—unless you continue to crystallize.
Like cleaning out a clogged ditch, it’s hard to start because only a small amount of water can pass through at first. As you increase the flow, the cleansing becomes easier and faster. Cleansing self with Light makes room for the soul to receive nourishing Light and to grow.
.
Edna Miriam Lister
1884–1971
The original Pioneering Mystic, Christian Platonist philosopher, American Idealist, Founder, Society of the Universal Living Christ, minister, teacher, author, wife, and mother.
Reference
The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV).