Edna Lister’s Lectures, 1962

The Fourteen Stations of the Cross
Edna Lister, April 3, 10, 17, 24, 1962

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How Did I Get Here? outline
Edna Lister, May 8, 1962, Cleveland, OH

  Everyone is exposed to the concept of God. You have only to look at the stars and planets and all physical phenomena. You can raise the vibration of water to steam, or lower it to ice which is, itself, a Godlike ability. See how the seasons recur for thousands upon thousands of years. You have the greater works of science.
  Most of us “believe” in God because we have been told about God. Through unconscious instinctive intelligence we apply certain laws be cause we believe in God. Man is Godlike in quality because of this instinctive intelligence, through which he knows and understands. He applies what he knows and hears about until he moves into a full comprehension. This is a Godlike quality given only to mankind. Even the atheist and agnostic have an unconscious desire to believe in God. They want to believe, and be convinced that God exists.
  Every creation of God turns again to the Source, from an unconscious to a conscious faith, through becoming aware and accepting Jesus the Christ. This is the Via Christa, the Way of the occident, the west. When you follow Jesus the Christ all the way, you are never neutral; you are either actively for or violently against.
  We are always actively growing and climbing when the Christ is our Way. Without God there is no accounting for earth, the planets or differences in mankind. There is no argument to prove that self is greater than God, so the best way to prove that God exists is to let your Light so shine. Walk softly, speak gently, maintain wise silence, and use only golden speech. Let the other fellow do the talking. There is only one goal, and that is to make yourself good and the other fellow happy.

  In the moment you were born, drew your first breath, and cried, it created a pattern called a horoscope, an “hour chart,” that serves to indicate the timing of certain events and developmental periods in your life on earth. It’s not a plan to live by, but it does reveal the broad outlines of experiences you may encounter. You might hear someone say that a chart is “bad” or “hard” or “good” and “easy,” but this sky-chart is really just a snapshot of the future experiences and lessons the soul has come to earth to learn. You are capable of handling any experience life presents to you, and you can have the answer to any question if you are willing to pray and wait for the answer to come.
   The horoscope is a round map divided into twelve segements called Houses. A second round overlay is also divided into twelve segments, but these are the Signs of the Zodiac. Zodiac means “circle of animals,” which is fitting since animals represent most of the signs, e.g. Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull, etc.
  The Myth of Prometheus tell us of how he brought the gift of fire to mankind, thus lifting man above his former creature-like existence into developing a civilization. Bringing fire to earth symbolizes materialistic or physical fire. No air means no inspiration. No water means discouragement, no ideas, a form of aridity. Earth represents to give up, sacrifice.

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A Triumphant Soul outline
Edna Lister, Truth Forum and the International New Thought Alliance, September 29, 1962, Southport, England, James 1:17

  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”–James 1:17.
  Do you know and accept this? Everyone is interested in and searching for security and identity. The quest for assurance leads us to ask two questions: Who am I? What is going to happen?
  Since the beginning of time, man has known Mind, Substance and Power as great unchangeable principles, which are always there and dependable. Those who live by truth, find their personal identity in them.
  We have a Source, something greater than the world. Everyone must find his relationship with the Source, whether he calls it God, the Father, Christ consciousness or divine Mind. No stable relationship with the world or with people is possible without it. All else is confusion.
  You can know what will happen because you know that divine Mind reigns now. Light is perfect and can absorb the darkness of the world. God is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is deathless ageless and abiding.
  The faith of God is. You have no lasting identity without faith as your anchor in the Light. You have no security without the faith of God, not faith in God. The full faith of God must possess you now.
  You must belong to faith, not faith to you. Some belong to churches, to houses, to lands, to money and to things. Faith is something you become. You transform your life by living the truth, which causes a transfiguration of your body, emotions and mind.
  Transformation is a change, a reconditioning that results from letting divine Mind direct you, by letting God's Power fill and use you. You become the servant of all Power by knowing the life of God, as substance, recreates you every day.
  Transfiguration is the "Father of all lights" shining through until you let your light so shine. The truth does show through you.
  Use a sphere of Light to fill your home and office before you leave, so you will enter Light the next time. Make every door an entrance to Light, cars, buses, trains, elevators, buildings and homes.
  You must let perfect Mind use you. Let perfect Power use you. We are building a new world through Christed consciousness. We do know what will happen, because our faith is unconquerable. Our identity is established in the love of God. Our security comes from the same Power that brings spring to break winter's hold. Behold! I have become unconquerable.

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The Power for Rebirth: Seven Breaths outline
Edna Lister, November 27, 1962, Cleveland, OH

  Adherence to Neophyte vows is necessary for Rebirth. You must observe the regulations concerning breathing, diet, water, rest and exercise, and maintain balance in all things. Do not fast, but eat the proper amounts of the right foods to maintain good health. The body requires at least eight large glasses of water a day to keep it functioning properly and to eliminate body wastes and toxins effectively. This aids the atomic body in its functioning. You need eight hours of work, eight hours of rest and eight hours of recreation.
  The atomic breath lifts. It draws from the toes to the crown and does not stop anywhere. It whirls and quickens the whole atomic body. There are seven degrees of creative breath: Rhythmic, tamping, cleansing, right nostril, left nostril, spiritual-atomic Mind of God, and the creative Substance and Power of God, inhaled in the golden silence. Proper preparation of the physical body, the outer sheath, is an absolute necessity. You need 100 percent physical efficiency, for without this, your brain cells become vague in clarity, fatigue sets in at the emotional and mental levels, and poisons build up in your body. You must know yourself in all phases of consciousness.
  Metabolism is the complex of physical and chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism, some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while the body synthesizes other substances, necessary for life. The subconscious mind is the head of all physical chemistry. Catabolism is the metabolic breakdown of complex molecules into simpler ones, often resulting in a release of energy. Anabolism is the phase of metabolism that synthesizes simple substances into the complex materials of living tissue. Do not go overboard on the Neophyte vows, but be aware of their importance. The body is a laboratory. Give it the proper care, then forget it.

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From Concentration to Comprehension transcript
Edna Lister: Ruth Johnson, Irene White, Ross Whitehead, scribes December 3, 1963, Cleveland OH

  Psychology and metaphysics, which are categories of expression, both offer a limited insight in the process of ascending in consciousness from concentration, through meditation, and into prayer. Metaphysics reveals that concentration is an intellectual act of will; therefore concentration is the process of moving from the inner subconscious to the outer rational consciousness. Psychology would describe this as a process of unfolding from the creature consciousness of appetitive soul to creator consciousness—moving from the physical to the spiritual focus. You ascend from self to soul, where you gain soul vision, access to divine intelligence—the mind that was in Christ Jesus—and a consciousness of your own eternal identity with God.
  Wisdom, Love, and Power are the trinity of absolute principles that manifest as Mind, Substance, and Power in time and space. These principles operate within man as will, desire, and imagination, which the soul must ascend to open its full empowerment of the Mind, Substance, and Power, which God grants to all souls according to their sublimation, surrender, and conquering of self. You apply these lesser principles of being on the outer to apply divine Mind, Substance, and Power.
  Crucifying the self-centered will is necessary. Concentration uses the great faculty of will, but is not a nerve relaxer. You must give up concentration and lift desire to mate with will so it becomes the Oversoul I AM consciousness. Desire then activates the pituitary gland and will activates the pineal body to function for soul ascension. The Light shines on the optic thalamus and through the soul who now walks in Light. This is how to surrender to the Power for its Light to use you. Light shines through according to your conquering, and records every experience on the silver cord and in the 1,000-petaled lotus.
  Concentration is an act of will, but how can you sublimate desire and will while still concentrating? If you concentrate three times a day, you are creating a potential boiler-maker explosion caused by the force of will. No one can enter the kingdom of heaven by force. Evolution of consciousness progresses from animal propensities to instinctive intelligence to desire to the conscious use of the faculties. Conscious meditation is a deliberate use of thought to fulfill a specific purpose. If you make demands you are using force. Meditation of this sort may give temporary peace but no healing. These are merely steps that are good according to degree and kind.
  Every ascension candidate must crucify his or her self-centered will by laying it on the crossbar of the Master’s cross of Crucifixion. All true mystery schools teach this. When you ascend into the Light and I AM consciousness takes charge, desire opens the compassion of God Himself, and all the virtues. The pineal body opens the faculty of illumination and the pituitary gland opens intuition. The thyroid provides active energy and is the motive power behind physical life.
  Some teachers say to concentrate upon a word or a statement for meditation, but this is purely intellectual. Trusting to intellect keeps you standing still. Whenever you still your conscious thinking mind, the subconscious mind can take control of the pineal body and pituitary gland. Outer schools teach two types of meditation, reflective and receptive. Reflective meditation creates ceiling bumpers who rise no higher than the tops of their heads. This can be good for those who have lived according to instinctive intelligence, from the creature to the Son of Man stage. This is how they can achieve a personal God consciousness. Receptive meditation moves you up to the highest point of receptive illumination. Statements are all words, a mere mental act, and they are also apt to be demands. Such a demand may materialize, but it returns with all its original force.
  Affirmations and statements are like a slow leak in a tire. You’re always having to pump them up because they deflate whenever your consciousness lags and sags. Affirmations satisfy ego. These approaches are the reverse of principle and God as personality. When an affirmation begins “God is all …” it begins great prayer. Then you can step up into the place of true surrender and worship of God. The first act of creation was “Let there be Light!” Greater and more numerous miracles result from saying, “This is Good! Let there be Light! Let the Light move through!” Let this be the song of your soul!
  Petition prayer has more Power than statements or affirmations. There is no use of force or placing of demands. Know that all the Power of God is open to you if you surrender self and let the Power use you. Raise your arms and say, “Here I am, Father! Let there be Light!” Instead of an hour, this takes only a moment and you contact God directly. It doesn’t take as much time and effort as do meditation and concentration, but it does bring miracles!

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The Power to Ascend outline
Edna Lister, December 18, 1962, Cleveland, OH

  We all have the freedom to achieve, to do, to conquer, to climb. To believe this is the unconquerable attitude of an ascending soul. If you live in Light and center your desire on perfection and following Jesus the Christ, any habit you are trying to overcome will fall away from you. Ascension is returning to your original Source after accomplishing your mission, so your goal is even greater than the mission that brought you here and will take you Home.
  It takes rigid discipline, following all laws, belief in the greater works that Jesus did to ascend his body, to "Take up your cross and follow me," and to do the greater works that he told us we would do. So, we are under a solemn obligation to ascend our body, to redeem and draw our life sparks in and, like Jesus did, to stand on the Mount of Transfiguration and become invisible. For example, you must become lighter than water to walk on it.
  The ultimate aim of your work is ascension of body, mind and soul. You cannot ascend your body by thinking of earthly things. Instead, surrender self and live in the Light. All old habits must fall away when they no longer mean anything to you. Use temperance to conquer, remembering that Jesus said it did not matter what goes into your mouth, but that what comes out of it may defile you.
  Breathe deeply, drink plenty of water and follow all your Neophyte vows. Cleanse the subconscious mind and always love God enough to stand in Light. Ascension automatically leads you into extended vision, for which every gland in the head must be awake and active. You clog your glands with idle words. You can create as great a block in the desire body with nerves as you can in physical body with indigestion.
  Your ascension must be fourfold: Ascend the body through diet, ascend emotions by lifting them, ascend your mental life by permitting only high thoughts, and ascend your spiritual life by keeping your mystic eyes on the Light.

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