Edna Lister’s Sermons, 1968

What Happened at Pentecost?
Edna Lister outline, March 12, 1968, Tacoma, WA, Acts 2:1-8, 2:32-4

  “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?”–Acts 2:1-8.
  “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”–Acts 2:32-41.
  These scriptural texts excite two questions: What is Pentecost? and What really happened at Pentecost? Pentecost comes fifty days after Easter, and Christians celebrate it on the seventh Sunday following Easter. The Jews call it the Feast of Weeks and Shavuot, the harvest Feast of First-fruits. To Christians, Pentecost marks the first gathering of one hundred-twenty of Jesus’ followers, after his Ascension, and the visible descent of the Holy Spirit. What do you think would happen today under the same conditions?
  Jesus had just ascended. He had appeared after his Resurrection to different groups of people at least seventeen times that were recorded. The gathering included all the women and men, the followers of Jesus, not just the twelve disciples. Can you picture that room, full of eager people, everyone of them wanting to tell exactly what Jesus had said to them? They were all talking at once, seeking to be heard. This was the first time that women had been given any standing in religion. Jesus opened the vibration for them from the cross. Love, the magnetic, all-inclusive cohesive bond of attraction was established as the leading vibration on this day of the first Pentecost.
  The Ascension had occurred forty days after the Easter Resurrection, but it took them another ten days to reach one common vibration on the Pentecost. I have always wondered why it took them so long to agree. The answer was given to me December 3, 1967. Pentecost revealed that God was seeking man. Until then, man had sought God. At Pentecost, the Jesus of history became the divine Son of living experience, who freed the world forever from bondage to any priesthood. He started a vibration for soul freedom that we are still using today. Jesus’ life provides us with a religious fixed point in time and space.
  The disciples had to elect an apostle to replace Judas Iscariot, so they chose Matthias. They had to decide where they would travel, and to set the keynote for their ministry. At Pentecost, they were endowed with the desire and power to forgive without blame. Until Pentecost, the disciples had given up family and things to follow Christ. After Pentecost, they gave up self to be possessed by the Holy Spirit.
  “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?”–Acts 2:1-8.
  Some speak in tongues today for the same reason as then—the vibration of the Holy Spirit is poured out on all men. Declare, “I repent. I accept. I rejoice. I see God face to face.” The blinding glory is God. What does the world see when it gazes at you? The Light is the Holy Spirit. Let your Light so shine!

Top ↑

Life in the Atomic Age
Edna Lister outline, May 12, 1968, Cleveland, OH, John 14:8-14, 2 Esdras 6:1-6

  “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 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 14:8-14.
  “And he said unto me, In the beginning, when the earth was made, before the borders of the world stood, or ever the winds blew, before it thundered and lightened, or ever the foundations of paradise were laid, before the fair flowers were seen, or ever the moveable powers were established, before the innumerable multitude of angels were gathered together, or ever the heights of the air were lifted up, before the measures of the firmament were named, or ever the chimneys in Sion were hot, and ere the present years were sought out, and or ever the inventions of them that now sin were turned, before they were sealed that have gathered faith for a treasure: Then did I consider these things, and they all were made through me alone, and through none other: by me also they shall be ended, and by none other.”–2 Esdras 6:1-6.
  The atomic age has caused untold confusion in the minds and hearts of men. Speed is the keynote of the atomic age. Machines run ever faster yet the youth still cry, “Faster, faster!” A certain type has reached the point where they must know everything through actual experimentation. They have nothing to look forward to, for they are physically and emotionally satiated before they are mature enough to understand life mentally.
  In the past, conflict has arisen between two social orders, the scientific materialists and the religious community. In rare cases only have they found any common point of communication. Now, our atomic age is changing that. As we study, we find more and more points of similarity coming to light; we find that in many ways scientists are proving that some tenets of faith are facts.
  For example, the findings of the so-called “hard” sciences such as geology and biology are true, based on facts, not on opinions. While science may seek to discover why certain body tissues act in a certain way, religion seeks to unravel when and how words spoken in faith can produce a certain vibration. Science used technology to create a lie detector to attempt to do this, the religious believe and have faith in the power of the Word as Jesus Christ spoke it to heal, even to raise the dead.
  In the past, religion appealed in only two ways, subjective or objective. Under the subjective approach, the individual experienced religion strictly in a personal way, needing no reason for his belief but having blind faith. The objective approach was rigidly formal, with no warmth or room for devotion. If you could prove it, you could have faith in it, but not otherwise. We still have these two approaches, which are devotional and intellectual.
  Mark and Matthew both noted the fact that Jesus spoke with authority. “They were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.”–Mark 1:22, Matthew 7:28-29. To reach such faith as to speak with authority, the embodied soul must have a firm relationship with the past and its source or point of origin. We may read the history of the races in five phases of experience or expression—philosophy, metaphysics, mysticism, psychology and science. These categories of expression reveal their effects in the material world, so to study them you first need some knowledge of scientific laws. This lifts the seeker from superstition and sentiment, but acts like flypaper to the materialist. God has filled the universe with seeming mysteries to counteract this.
  We read in the Apocryphal Book of Esdras that God planted paradise before He formed earth (2 Esdras 6:1-6). From this we can deduce that every physical creation must first be conceived, planned, and formed in the invisible reality. God as infinite Wisdom conceived the idea of the Creation and thought the plan for it, but it came into expression, into being, into physical form only on His first spoken Word: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”–Genesis 1:3. The spoken Word causes a vibration under which you can do the “greater works” of which Jesus spoke: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.”–John 14:12. Doing the great works, however, is a matter of personal choice.
  How do you bring the idea into form? How do you create in the invisible that which you desire to become visible? Enthusiasm is a most important element in your life of creation, and joy triggers enthusiasm. The root of the word enthusiasm comes from an ancient Greek word ενθουσιασμός (enthusiasmos) meaning “to infuse a divine spirit, to be inspired or possessed by God, to be rapt, to be in ecstasy.”

“Hence the same heat of imagination, chastised by reason or experience, becomes a noble passion, an elevated fancy, a warm imagination, an ardent zeal, that forms sublime ideas, and prompts to the ardent pursuit of laudable objects. Such is the enthusiasm of the poet, the orator, the painter and the sculptor. Such is the enthusiasm of the patriot, the hero and the Christian.”–Noah Webster

  Jesus said, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me…He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do…Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.”–John 14:11-12, 19-20.
  Knowing this, are you afraid of life? Do you need more life? Procrastination is deadly. Open an account in the Bank of Faith under the name Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm makes you irresistible. All you can lose is slowness, drabness, weakness, and dullness. Transform the drudgery and monotony into vital immortal enthusiasm.

Top ↑

Life in the Atomic Age
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes, May 12, 1968, Cleveland, OH, John 14:8-14, 2 Esdras 6:1-6

  “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 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 14:8-14.
  “And he said unto me, In the beginning, when the earth was made, before the borders of the world stood, or ever the winds blew, before it thundered and lightened, or ever the foundations of paradise were laid, before the fair flowers were seen, or ever the moveable powers were established, before the innumerable multitude of angels were gathered together, or ever the heights of the air were lifted up, before the measures of the firmament were named, or ever the chimneys in Sion were hot, and ere the present years were sought out, and or ever the inventions of them that now sin were turned, before they were sealed that have gathered faith for a treasure: Then did I consider these things, and they all were made through me alone, and through none other: by me also they shall be ended, and by none other.”–2 Esdras 6:1-6.
  God has solved every problem of evil that man has presented to Him. God veils the truth of reality until we can bear to know what our idle words have done to damage the goodness, truth, and beauty of His universe. The prayers of some are diluted because they doubt God, which others give their lives to the Father to use, to lift the remaining evil into His Light.
  God’s Creation has no beginning, middle, or end. All is One. The atomic age has suddenly unsettled us, and thrown the planet into confusion. After Phineas Quimby wrote Health and the Inner Life, from a scientific basis, Mary Baker Eddy wrote Science and Health, from the viewpoint of religious faith. Both uncovered some laws of life before the cell theory of biology was commonly understood by the nonscientist. Old anchors are seemingly being swept away by modern scientists, and many “facts” that man has accepted as true are being torn apart. For example, we are told that steel is not solid but porous, and some ask how we can depend on that.
  From the cavemen days through early Egypt people have gravitated to religious leaders and personalized the stars in heaven as divinities. Some tribes in the far North believed in a God who forgave their sins. So each spring they could set out on a new round of sinning, knowing they would have a whole winter in which to repent. People still do this. The world depends on the fact that God will forgive them, whether they be sinners, atheists, the “God is dead” believers, or what have you.
  We have reached a point in our so-called “enlightened” civilization where the atheists dare to claim that God does not exist. Why? Because, they say, religion cannot prove He does. Yet the atheist or agnostic is equally unable to prove that God does not exist! To the believer, God exists, and only the sophist or liar claims otherwise. All life operates on a rate of vibration according to its degree and kind, and cyclically. For example, man at first had a blind faith, then he became more devotional about it, then intellectual until stagnant intellectuality and the desire to escape the consequences of his poor choices led man to kill his own faith by denying it out of existence! That man’s religion became “science” and “fact.”
  Evolution affects far more than just the physical species; evolution of consciousness is a fundamental power working throughout the whole universe. Scientists tell us we are living in an expanding universe. They say that suns and planets are moving away from us so rapidly that they are disappearing, and they are right. Science is forced to deal with the invisible world, just as the religious mysteries do. Religion and science both explore hidden wisdom, but science makes the mistake of ignoring or claiming as false whatever it cannot measure and prove by the physical senses.
  Religious beliefs become the tenets of faith when man organizes them into creeds and dogma. People tend to approach matters of faith in one of two ways, intellectually or devotionally. Women tend to worship God devotionally, as a personality. Men tend to have greater faith in God as principle, as wisdom and law, for example. In the beginning, England sent their criminals here, later they were sent to Botany Bay. We have been blamed for and coped with those who descended from those lines ever since, as though we were responsible for having sent them.
  Ask yourself whether you believe in the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. Both are products of an invisible process, and we can see only their effects. How can one who lives on earth in a horizontal position know what the upright knows? The horizontal view insists to see it before it believes it, whereas the upright view lifts the seeker above the level of mere visible effects into the world of invisible causes. Stated another way “Every physical effect has a metaphysical cause.”
  You can speak seven words and change the vibration of your body cells: “This is good. Let there be Light.” The spoken Word can cause either health or illness. Idle words, especially those spoken unconsciously, destroy the harmony and equilibrium of the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of your life. It’s up to you to pay attention and always maintain this interconnected balance. All your life’s dimensions must remain in constant contact with one another; otherwise you cannot ascend your consciousness.
  Everything that happens does so on a rate of vibration, and this is an invariable universal law. Scientific progress is seen to disrupt the social order, and some believe it seeks to do the same to the religious order. Science is studying why and how mind affects cells, molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles. All change occurs under some specific rate of vibration. No matter what they believe or intend, scientists are helping the student of the occult or hidden wisdom, the healer, and the mystic to deal with the results of how spoken words act on substance, health, emotions, and mental states. For example, scientists used technology to invent the lie detector, which measures the stress behind the spoken words when someone lies.
  We’ve come a long way from Leeuwenhoek’s single-celled “animalcules” to electron microscopes, subatomic particles, and the photon, from cell theory to atomic theory. The whole world is now governed by atomic theory. Everything must be fast, fast, fast — including cars, planes, and the experiences of youth. From ages twelve to twenty-one, the youth have experienced more physical titillation than many long-married couples. They misuse their sensory powers until satiated, then resort to pills, drugs, or alcohol. Even ministers have little or no idealism or faith left by the time they leave the theological seminaries.
  The increased atomic vibration disturbs people, and we live in this disturbed vibration. Unless you raise your vibration you stagnate and die. You cannot have new ideas unless your whole vibration is raised. You cannot live in this Christed age without disturbing someone, and when you do they will think you are crazy. Let’s say a woman finds truth, takes it home to talk about it, and throws her family into a tizzy. They think she’s lost her mind. She is forcing her family into a higher vibration, and who can blame them if they object? She has raised her body’s vibration, and her aura overlaps theirs, affecting theirs by irritating them. You cannot live even a day without partaking of the vibrations of those around you. You cannot live in the now without disturbing someone.
  Every new idea originates in the divine Source, and circulates throughout the universe in the River of Life, which is all divine Mind, Substance and Power. Many people perceive a momentary glimpse of an idea’s truth as it flows by, which is why most scientific discoveries are the results of a mental process rather than an instantaneous act of spiritual intuition and illumination. In fifty years, we will work within a substance that is the equivalent of what mind has been. How can this be? Science is penetrating the seventh veil of illusion, with its jet planes and spaceships. They are bringing invisible faith-as-substance into visible substance what was formerly just invisible mind — and we will be able to see and touch it just as naturally as the brain sends the right enzyme from the food you eat to heal the right body parts. Religion is science and science is religion because it is all vibration.
  The seven days of creation are seven great ages. In the apocryphal book 2 Esdras (Ezra), God planted paradise before earth was formed. God is everywhere evenly present and available; this is an immutable universal truth. We dwell within at least three universes, which seems impossible until you understand that the differences are in perception. First is your physical body universe; second is the cosmic universe, the cosmos; the third is the Paradise universe. The idea of more than one universe is no mere fantasy: Shamayim, the Hebrew name for heaven, denotes a component of the cosmos, the other elements being the earth (erets) and the underworld (sheol). Shamayim is the dwelling place of God and other heavenly beings and the abode of the righteous dead. 1

1 Scholem, Gershom. Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and the Talmudic Tradition, 1965.

  God did not give the gifts of spiritual seeing and hearing to just a few, but to all souls. The strength and dependability of spiritual gifts depends on how a soul uses them. Do you want to see the heavenly cities of God described in the Book of Revelation? You can. The universe exists within the Mind of God. Even the planets are inhabited, though not with the kind of life we know. Planets and suns are all made of the original life sparks of God. Those that have completed their life cycles are gradually being absorbed back into the Source, but it will take the earth remainder billions more years.
  Your body is a universe, too. A handful of air, one full breath contains all that is within the Light at the Source. To breathe in joy is to live in glory! If you are negative, you can drain your share of Mind of its love and compassion; you can invert love into negative creations, but it is still the same substance.

  “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” The Father is present in all, through all, and as all — sunsets, bodies, buildings, stars, everything. God is everywhere evenly present and available, so how can you say that anything is evil? All appearance otherwise is just substance forced into the wrong form by some negative creation of man’s. All misused substance must later be gathered into form as physical body cells in order to transform and cleanse it through the soul breathing atomic energy.
  You get nowhere fast if you entertain inner conflicts. You must have the consent of your emotions and thinking to ensure that your statements and declarations hold to the form you envision. Unless the vibration of Mind, Substance, and Power changes, the evil remains. When you are as clear as God is clear, you will look at the soul substance encased in form and know that what appears as black or white is all God’s.
  The biological equipment in the golden bowl, in your brain, can do everything that a computer can do. What will you accept and know as truth? God works now, so you can be assures that no past idle word can touch this new high vibration. When you move up in consciousness, Light raised the rate of vibration in every body cell to become a miracle. You are raised up, into the pure Light of God in which Jesus walked. You are walking with him.
  The Elect can now do the “greater works” that Jesus did because the Power today is 10,000 times greater than the Power that rent the temple veil in Jerusalem at the moment of Jesus’ Christing. The power released by a few people who will stand together in this high vibration, who are not touched by world mind, will heal the world and every soul embodied here. No matter what others say, family, friends, or coworkers, reply, “Let there be Light,” to close their mouths against speaking evil. Light is taking the Power from evil. It is slow because The Elect do not remain high enough in consciousness long enough.
  Someday you walk at the Source as you walk on earth. The same Source Power that fuels galaxies and suns also fills your spherical aura out here. Your task is to keep it inflated. Do not let problems deflate you. “Greater works than these shall ye do.” We see miracles of medicine and psychology everywhere. God’s Light is healing bodies and souls. God is solving all problems, so present all your problems to Him. Stand steadfast and keep Power going through every case of need. Each hour say, “Let there be Light.” Be responsible so you do not drop the lines of Light.
  When you really desire to do the greater works, you do not stop or take time out from your service. Healing can be complete. He who looks at you is looking at your concept of what Father can do through you and as you. They look at you and see the Father. If you are not proud of the shape of the Father you have built, you know what you can do. Keep declaring, “Let there be Light.” Even though you meet delay, remember you are lifting the world and all its families. Say, “Let there be Light.” Father, let our creations take on the beauty of Thee.

Top ↑

What Ascension Means
Edna Lister outline, May 19, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Luke 24:45-53, Acts 1:1-12

  “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.”–Luke 24:45-53.
  “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey.”–Acts 1:1-12.
  Ascension means “to ascend, to go up, to come up, to move upward from lower to higher, to climb.” Revolution means “to revolve.” Every 2,000 years, everything man has hidden comes to the fore. The masses must push up. The world is more a neighborhood now because of faster communication, not more unity.
  You can do the greater works now, yet most of the Elect are not prepared to use all the ability that they have a hand. You have had little or no training in brotherhood or citizenship, yet you cannot have brotherhood without good citizenship in families, organizations, and nations. Citizenship is the art of living with other people. Your elbows may not spread beyond the other fellow’s ribs. You can do this and rein self in under the great power principle of nonresistance.
  Brotherhood is not something that a government can legislate or force—it is of the soul. Only the teachings of Jesus or other really great teachers of the past can train or discipline the self. Brotherhood comes from soul discipline of the self, also under the great principle of nonresistance.
  To some good church people, the heavens are no more than back-lighted pierced brass in a puppet show. They believe in no pillar of cloud by day or pillar of fire by night. They cannot see nor do they believe Shekinah glory is over the altars, no angels’ wings, no recording angels, miracles or mysteries.
  You must ascend, but how? Where do we ascend, when, and why? Nonresistance is the regulator of Power, the storage battery of the universe. It holds the control panel and switches that we must turn for ascension. The master switch is enthusiasm. The root of the word enthusiasm comes from an ancient Greek word ενθουσιασμός (enthusiasmos) meaning “to infuse a divine spirit, to be inspired or possessed by God, to be rapt, to be in ecstasy.”

“Hence the same heat of imagination, chastised by reason or experience, becomes a noble passion, an elevated fancy, a warm imagination, an ardent zeal, that forms sublime ideas, and prompts to the ardent pursuit of laudable objects. Such is the enthusiasm of the poet, the orator, the painter and the sculptor. Such is the enthusiasm of the patriot, the hero and the Christian.”–Noah Webster

  Enthusiasm is the main ingredient of joy, which is another name for the great principle of nonresistance. Its opposite is boring procrastination. To put off action lowers the vibration of the task or project. Nonresistance, the great power principle, is the ability to stand immovable in the face of conflicting outer pressures. When you lay up your treasures in heaven, you make a deposit in your new Enthusiasm bank account.
  Enthusiasm makes your work light and not drudgery. “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”–Matthew 11:30. Wherever you lay up your treasures, declare, “Let there be Light. I am possessed by God’s high Power. I vitalize my creations. I am aware of God as my Father. I know that I must ascend. I am not yet high enough or Light would show as my miracles. Let there be Light. Let there be miracles. Time and space meet in the place of nonresistance, the place of God’s possibilities. My aura is filled with vaporous Light that can condense or expand.”
  When Jesus the Christ precipitates a body vehicle to be with the Elect, his wounds break open, which fuels our urgency to ascend. We teach God as deity but we must also restore knowledge of Jesus’ deity as the Christ.

Top ↑

What Ascension Means
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Florence Waldorf, Irene White, scribes, May 19, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Luke 24:25-53, Acts 1:1-12

  “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.”–Luke 24:45-53.
  “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey.”–Acts 1:1-12.
  Through the Ascension, two men in white robes, who were really angels, stood with Jesus’ followers and afterward told them that he would return. The disciples had been shocked at Jesus’ announcement of his imminent death rather than becoming king of the Jews. His withdrawal from earth released tremendous Light-as-power. The same vibration that took Jesus up in the Ascension is lifting the world today.
  From Palm Sunday to that first Ascension day, the arms of God had reached out to absorb the crystallization of mind on earth, rending the veil of the temple in the tremendous upheaval that followed the Crucifixion. This Easter, storms and earthquakes have lifted evil from earth. The substance misused by evil must be ascended. Instead of rending the temple veil, Light today is rending the veil that hides evil. The tornadoes have taken the power that has been misused as force from marches and demonstrations. Evil has no power of its own; it can only subvert what people give it.

  Right up to the end, some of his followers still thought he would restore Israel in an earthly sense. Jesus knew what was in their minds, and told them instead that the Holy Spirit would baptize them in Jerusalem. The underlying message tells us not to ask God when a miracle will come, but to wait upon the Lord in quiet and confidence that all good things happen in God’s right time.
  Today is the Sunday before Ascension day. Two weeks from today is Pentecost, which celebrates the first descent of the Holy Spirit. You must be in a state of grace, so expect tests of your faith and patience during the next two weeks. All the disturbance in the world is the result of those who have chosen evil and their rejection of God and Jesus as the First Begotten Son.
  To ascend means to climb or go up in consciousness; ascension is an act of faith, and a goal. You cannot believe in Ascension without believing in God or in Jesus as the way-shower. We, the Elect, must restore the true identity of Jesus to the world. Every 2,000 years an upheaval comes with a new messiah, a new message, and all hidden evil explodes into the Light so its effects can be lifted. We are beginning a new 2,000-year cycle. Magnificent power, greater than at Jesus’ time, is being released.
  Every breath you draw is increasing the vibration of cells, glands, and nerves in the golden bowl, your brain, lifting them before Pentecost and the finale of the Holy Spirit’s descent. Thousands of brain cells exploding in larger areas, vibration and stretching up, reaching up of the thousand-petaled crown lotus center for all those who look to God, who deify the Begotten Son, realize that God is to be worshiped. You will have antennae up to a thousand different phases of divine Mind, and receive answers to prayer.
  How high does your faith ascend? How high are you reaching? Reach high enough and God’s Life will possess you. The deeper the sleep of the soul, the more it hurts when Light moves through. “Thank You, Father, that I am coming alive.” You cannot escape this vibration. It is lifting us, enfolding us, and we are going to take advantage of this. Declare a greater love, a greater faith in God.

  We are ending the Armageddon, conquering evil, and absorbing all darkness. With Dr. Martin Luther King’s death, the sheep were separated from the goats, marking a cleavage of evil from good from the inner. In the three days after his sacrifice, the seventh vial of wrath from the seventh seal was emptied. Armageddon ensures that the darkness will be absorbed and evil will not be tolerated. The outer physical effects on civilization include a population explosion, wars and violence as evil resists the Light.
  Every negative creation must be cleaned up. Every last deformity must come into expression among the generations present on earth now. When those who have done evil have repented, they are sent to earth again to lift their own misused life sparks and the physical platelets in the medulla oblongata, which carry the memories of their past doings. Their redeemed substance of the soul is put in the eternal flame to be purified, then they go to schools on the inner. After a Night of Rest and Assimilation, they come forth again with a new identity.
  The number of civilizations already destroyed by evil remains unknown until our conquering is complete. Plato spoke of Atlantis, and other sources mention Lemuria. In all these places, certain descended creator gods fell to the seductions of evil, practiced perversions, and denied God. They are back in the flesh today in our churches, practicing perversions again, tearing down our altars and deluding the people. Even while standing to dispense Communion, they do not believe in miracles or mysteries, and scorn those who do.
  What are we, the Elect, doing about it? You must ascend, for it is the only way to survive. The Elect must restore the idea of Jesus the Christ as the Begotten Son, as holding the scepter of power with the Father. Man must have a deity to worship, God as personality, not just as principle. Jesus said that we would do greater works than he, and we are in this mess because the evil ones believe the truth of his promise more than the Elect do. Modern communication may spread the chaos but it will also make us good neighbors and brothers in the end.

Top ↑

Awareness: Becoming Law
Edna Lister outline, May 26, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Romans 8:16-39

  “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”–Romans 8:16-39.
  Aware means “watchful; vigilant; guarded; apprised; expecting an event from information, or probability; to be conscious through alertness in observation, alert to hidden meanings.” To become means “to pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or condition, by a change from another state or condition, or by assuming or receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new character.”
  The whole world is in a state of change. Everything is exploding. We are experiencing a population explosion, a technological explosion, an educational explosion, a religious explosion and a social explosion. Everything, everywhere we turn or look, is some kind of challenge. Every change is a challenge. What happens to us is how we learn to meet these challenges and changes.
  Tomorrow belongs to you. What are you making of it today? Your response to all these many worldly challenges today determines your future. Some have allowed challenges to tear their anchors loose, leaving them the fearful victims of every new rumor. Two years ago, all we heard was the refrain of Nietzsche’s claim that “God is dead.” Now the atheists and agnostics claim that the churches are dead. They say hope is dead, yet the flowers and trees are all out there, growing and blooming.
  “Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”–Romans 8:15. Now hear this: You stand here today challenging tomorrow. You are tomorrow’s challenge. St. Paul challenged the centuries, not just the months and years. Remember, the disciples, apostles and people of Jesus’ era had no psychology books, no how-to manuals, just faith and a burning desire to become Christ-like. We have received the “spirit of adoption.” Today’s desire for change is an urgency to erase the old fear patterns, to recondition our lives courageously.
  Science, by telescopes, spectral analysis and radio astronomy, has learned that the same kind of matter exists all over the universe. Stars in all the galaxies are compounds of the same materials and obey the same gravitational laws. This idea of all matter being alike has penetrated and permeated the brain cells of those life forms next to the creatures in evolution, so they begin to fight to be equal. The whole of nature is crying to be delivered from bondage. Molecules aggregate into cells and cells cluster to form individuals, and people in turn gather together to form societies.
  We are on the march, but to where? You desire to return to our Source, which is God. From single cells to descended creators, we are on our way home. God has predestined us to return to Him. Destiny is a goal we reach by a succession of necessary events that can be supernatural. Yet the supernatural interferes with the common everyday flow of life and sets aside our planned ways of proceeding.
  The masses can follow only mass plans. God took care of our destiny beforehand. He planned our missions before we came to earth, and calls only those who have come to earth under a planned destiny. When you feel an urgency to become something, you can become and fulfill that role. Even the delays and blocks on your path serve a purpose. Eventually, you all shall be justified. It is never too late, only too soon. The law of destiny justifies, and the miracles glorify us.
  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”–Romans 8:35. This verse lists the challenges we face. You are conquerors, conquering creators who are immortal now. Declare, “I seek the Light first. I stand firm on the declaration that God is alive. I hold fast to my line of destiny.”

Top ↑

Awareness: Becoming Law
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Florence Waldorf, Irene White, scribes, May 26, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Romans 8:16-39

  “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”–Romans 8:16-39.
  To be aware, you must be conscious that awareness is “conscious recognition of everything through observation.” Training in awareness is a personal matter. However, too many truth teachers and some of the greatest Christians become so enraptured with God that they forget the importance of living in the here and now. They walk through life unaware of what others are doing because they are not aware. Awareness is our greatest form of protection from the world. Be aware. Do not spend most of your time unaware, tearing down what you did during the brief periods while you were consciously aware.
  Awareness is supposed to record what is hidden behind the action. To be really aware, to grasp the meaning of what someone has said, prevents conflicts and misunderstandings due to lack of awareness and recognition. To become means to grow — it implies a goal. The whole world is half blind and in upheaval. Explosions are happening in every department of life, yet we have nowhere to hide anymore. We, as a society, cannot get away from the riots and marches and social explosion. What happens to us now depends on how we meet the new world of change. The time was when people got together in town meetings to understand each other. Now we are too busy.
  The religious world, too, is flooded with change and upheaval. Many ministers today are sons of Belial, the father of lies, and they are actively subverting ritual and religious truth. What they are permitted to do now will affect the future of religion. What you and I do now determines what we will have in the future. Every change is a challenge. How are you meeting it? Tomorrow is ours to mold as we desire. We cannot do much about the past. Instead, we must recondition our bodies and the world. Individuals make up every neighborhood, city and state. God can recondition the world and all the people in it through you and me.
  What are you planning for tomorrow? Today is a tomorrow that you made yesterday and perhaps for many days before. You are the challengers, not the evil ones, so stand up in the Light, in devotion to God. The difference in the degree of power-as-Light now is the difference between a camel and a jet. You can challenge darkness with every breath you take — every good thought and deed is a challenge to darkness and causes it to fold in on itself.
  Science, with its radio astronomy telescopes, has reached out light years beyond our computing to measure quasars emitting radio signals. We find the vibrations of other stars are the same as in our galaxy. Science has found similarity out there. Everything is made of one substance, one mind, and one power. Only one God-substance exists, but do you believe this? Do you seek the comprehension of what it means?
  The archetypal idea permeating the universe is to become like God. This idea has penetrated humanity, making them want to be alike, but not like God, causing the demonstrations and riots we see today. They fail to understand that everyone who sets his foot on the path of perfection is different. Those chanting the “Better Red than dead” Communist propaganda are saying that we should become communists rather than die in an atomic blast. The “God is dead” intellectuals, led by nihilist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, say that we would do better without religion. These statements are challenges to change, because the Light moving through us challenges their darkness. The challenge to you and to me is to stand, to become the law, and to walk the Via Christa, the Way of Christ.
  “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.”–Romans 7:15-16. Paul was wrestling with his soul here, with the corruption of the body, as we do ourselves. Modern psychologists now agree that emotions cause physical ills. In the Letter to Romans, the eighth chapter, Paul is writing about the doctrine of many lives (reincarnation) and spiritual debt. Anyone who has a goal is walking his predestined path. My conscience is divine Mind reminding me, “You are under the laws of eternity.”
  Destiny means “a state or condition appointed or predetermined; invincible necessity; a necessity or fixed order of things established by a divine decree, or by an indissoluble connection of causes and effects.” Destiny is a soul goal, and achieving it is your task in life. The river of divine Mind that is constantly flowing through us is the carrier wave for the voice of conscience, the mind that was in Christ Jesus. We also call this the River of Life, which holds the Emanations flowing eternally in cyclic waves. If you do not catch the idea the first time, God sends it to you on a second round.
  The stiff-necked intellectuals and religious alike have taints of opinion and prejudice, and may be fanatics. One who will not drink or smoke has learned his lesson, but pride and rebellion can give him a “holier than thou” attitude. God uses your taints, such as pride, as His hooks to bring you home. God knows His business and takes care of His business.
  “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”–Romans 8:29-30.
  Before God sent us to earth, He planned what we had to do to be enfolded home again. Do you believe we are creators, predestined to return home? The heavenly Council inscribes the memory of your calling on your brain cells. Your destiny is written into your mind. You could not have a high goal unless the way was opened before you came here. However, some souls refuse to follow their calling. The moderns so often do not want to follow law, but to be free of it.
  “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called.” Heavenly Councils only call on individuals on earth who have a plan and goal, with their endocrine glands open to divine Mind. When a sinner experiences the touch of conscience, Light has brushed him. Those who follow their calling had set a high goal before they came here. Those at the level of creature consciousness are challenging the descended creators who do have a mission.
  Nowhere did Jesus say it would be easy. The Via Christa is a narrow path. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”–Matthew 19:24. How will you get your humps through the eye of the needle? Some say that heaven is all joy, music, harps and fluffy clouds. Yet, we always take our self with us as we return to God.
  Under the Plan of Salvation, we work with the people of earth to bring them home. We all work with the Legions of Christ on battlefields at night. Angelic hosts stand over the souls who are crystallized in their bodies, praying and declaring that they are free. Heaven is not a place where we can sit and wait for the growth to come. God never rests. “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”–Psalm 121:4.
  Conquering self is the way of the Christ. We must be alive, alert, and aware to do. Declare, “I am the Light. I am a challenge to darkness. I am possessed by the Light of God, which is the glory of God, who knows all things, which is my destiny.” Surrender to become an ambassador of Light. People may call you names, say that you are crazy. If I am crazy, I am glad. You must be unusual, above the world, not to let darkness conquer. You may not be permissive, allowing darkness to flourish. You can and must challenge evil through declarations and prayer. Shout louder mentally than people can use their voices. “Jesus Christ is standing beside you, and you are healed.” It works.
  Be a Christed challenger of evil. God has control, but could use your help in conquering evil. We must become active challengers to darkness. God uses anyone who will release the Power, be a challenger and shout with the voice of the Almighty. Evil cannot stand the blast of the full Power of God through you. Treat as you go, to challenge and conquer darkness. We are an army, marching back to God. Yet by mentally shouting to challengers of God, we can turn the protest marchers in the right direction, around and back up to God.
  Who can cut the Power of God moving through you? Only you can. Your silent work stands and does not make a mockery of you. Mentally say, “You are a son or daughter of God, and His Light flows through you. You are good. Your words are good.” This is the Power of God doing the work. Declare, “Father, make me an instrument of Thy will, surrendered for Thee to use, to send Power through to save the world.” Our declarations are taking evil out of this world.
  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”–Romans 8:35. Stand on principle. Endure what comes. Hold fast to God. Power will pass through the world according to our ability to release it. The universe stands steadfast and firm. Orbit around the Light. Walk in an auric sheath of Light to protect you from illness, thoughts, and accidents.
  When you experience delay in a miracle, declare, “This is enough delay. Let it come now.” God is behind the scenes doing the work. God does the work. As you become law, you become aware that He does the work. You and I are conquerors, challengers of darkness and creators of a perfect, whole, complete tomorrow. Light moves through us now and uses us to the honor and glory of God, for the healing of bodies and affairs. Indifference is a lack of compassion.
  Awareness is supernatural knowing. All you need is the ability to challenge the darkness mightily, knowing that you are predestined. Only the predestined are called. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”–Romans 8:37-39.

Top ↑

The Holy Spirit on Pentecost
Edna Lister outline, June 2, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Acts 1:1-15, 2:1-8

  “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples...(the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty).”–Acts 1:1-15.
  “When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”–Acts 2:1-8.
  Christianity was founded by one hundred and twenty faithful people. After the Ascension, the disciples and other followers returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Pentecost falls fifty days or seven Sundays after Easter; Ascension and Pentecost are ten days apart. Jesus appeared many times during the forty days before his Ascension. Jesus had told them not to depart from Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost had descended on them.
  What happened during these ten days? At age twelve, I began asking why it took them so long to reach the golden silence. They were busy. What do you think would happen today under similar conditions? Here they were, in their first formal meeting after the Resurrection and Ascension. Their first order of business was to replace Judas, who had killed himself. And they knew they needed twelve bishops.
  Jesus had appeared to them, and had instructed them several times. Each was eager to tell what he or she had heard, and to compare notes on what Jesus had said before the Crucifixion. They were all talking at once, hoping to be heard. They decided where each disciple was to travel, and how to present Jesus’ teachings. Peter gave his first official talk. They opened the Christian church that day. They freed religion forever from bondage to a priesthood.
  Jesus’ life, especially the Pentecost story, provides us with a fixed religious point in time and space. Until Pentecost, religion revealed man as seeking God. After Pentecost, man added something to his search—the idea that God, the Father, is seeking man. Before Pentecost, the disciples had given up all the trappings of their outer lives to follow Jesus. After Pentecost, they gave up self to be possessed by the Power of God.
  “When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”–Acts 2:1-8.
  When the disciples reached one accord, a mighty rushing wind filled the house and cloven tongues of flame sat on them. They spoke with tongues. Every nation was touched with this vibration, preparing the way for unity and oneness today. This vibration of the Holy Spirit is still working today. The Elect speak in the universal tongue of love. Everyone can interpret love in his or her own tongue.
  We need three attitudes, I repent, I accept, I rejoice. I repent means I turn away from one thing toward another. I accept all that comes to me as mine to lift or to use as a lesson. I rejoice to increase my glory of illumination, wisdom, and abilities. When I repent, I choose Light. I accept that if this lesson was too hard, God would never have sent it. Most people believe God would never treat them this way. I must treat my own self. God cannot break through my whine, or the crust it creates around my aura. When I rejoice, it makes me pliable so God’s Light penetrates, and permeates my soul and body.
  What does the world see in you? Do others see radiance, brilliance and light?

Top ↑

The Holy Spirit on Pentecost
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Florence Waldorf, Irene White, scribes, June 2, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Acts 1:1-15, 2:1-8

  “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples... (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty).”–Acts 1:1-15.
  “When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”–Acts 2:1-8.
  Today is Pentecost, the most important day for healing in two thousand years, the greatest Pentecost since the first in Jerusalem. We opened the healing vibration last Pentecost. Today’s Power release is the greatest since Peter gave his first sermon, or when Christ converted Paul. God is all that is. Today, our faith encompasses all faiths because it will take the whole of earth to release the Power and Light. We have watched as our declarations have aided God in removing Power from evil’s grasp. Today, God will send this Power through those ministers who work to subvert religion.
  The world is largely indifferent to Pentecost, yet the churches still operate under the great rituals that release Power. Atheists and agnostics care more about tearing Christianity down than in saving their own souls. Yet in using God’s name, they make God the keynote of their lives. A line of Light lassos him who curses God, and he cannot escape.
  “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”–Acts 1:8-11.
  This Ascension Power is yours to contact and apply. From the Source of Power, you could stare an atheist in the eye, and the Power would strike him dumb. It depends on your ability to ascend in consciousness to the Source and speak the Word.
  His followers were shocked that Jesus did not save himself from the Crucifixion. Then he rose from the dead and ascended in their sight. The two men in white, who appeared at the Ascension, were angels who had precipitated visible bodies, just as rain or snow precipitates from the invisible atmosphere.
  Pentecost means fifty, and always falls fifty days after Easter, the Sunday after Ascension Thursday. One hundred twenty people gathered together in an upper room. Imagine yourself as having seen the Ascension and talked with Jesus. Many were still chuck full of questions and opinions. It took nine days to get all the talk out of their systems and let the eleven take charge. When you go to hear a sermon, go to listen and be illumined. Do not let the self clog your brain cells.
  They had to vote on a new bishop, and who was to take Judas’ place. Matthias, one of the seventy that Jesus had sent out, won. They needed twelve bishops, one for each universal division, equal to a sign of the Zodiac. They discussed which phase of Jesus’ teaching they would present to the world. They settled on God, the ever available, infinitely loving Father, and Jesus, in his love, mercy and law, as the only Begotten Son and the Messiah.
  Then they assigned different cities and regions for the apostles to hold as their ministries. Some remained in the upper room, praying all night. The next morning, the Holy Spirit descended as a rushing wind, and filled the room with cloven tongues of fire that sat on each of them.
  This has happened repeatedly since then, and some people still speak with tongues. I have seen the Holy Spirit o’ershadow a dying one as he returned from the brink of death. I have seen those tongues of fire on a person’s shoulders as Spirit healed him. When instantaneous healing occurs, the cloven tongues have touched the soul.
  Doctors are God’s children, doing the greater works with medicine and surgery, but the Holy Spirit lifts a person from the ice to the vapor stage, where he is healed. The Power of the Living God can consume any darkness. You can speak the universal mother tongue of love, which everyone may interpret into his own language. When the original twelve bishops spoke in tongues, each spoke the language of the people in his own sign. Thus, the vibration of the Holy Spirit went forth to all nations.
  You need three attitudes to follow Christ’s Pentecostal Way—I repent. I accept. I rejoice. Repentance is penitence, “to feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do, to be contrite, to regret past conduct and to change one’s mind regarding it, to change for the better as a result.” Repentance is completely believing to see. “I repent” means to return to the high place in consciousness. The prefix “re-” means “to go back to.” You do not leave your sin behind, but take your repentance with you. Unless you conquer, you face the same lesson repeatedly and must repent repeatedly.
  Acceptance is “taking what is offered, whether as a pleasure, a satisfaction of claim, or a duty, to take or receive willingly.” To say, “I accept” means to ascend in consciousness to God, to lift all the little petty irritations of earth. People say, “I overcame this last year. Why does the same thing come to me again?” If you go through the same experience a thousand times, you have fallen from the realm of Spirit a thousand times.
  God cannot get through the crust of your whining, but you can ascend in consciousness until the Holy Spirit melts the crust. God is as determined to have you back home as you sometimes are to defeat Him.
  Rejoicing is the expression of joy, which is “a vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction, the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted, exultation of spirit, gladness, delight.” To say, “I rejoice,” opens the way to healing mind, body and affairs. A day of rejoicing lets the Holy Spirit permeate you from head to toe. Most people, however, only rejoice enough for the Spirit to reach their waist, so their lower extremities hurt, hips, knees, ankles, fallen arches, corns and bunions.
  The Holy Spirit brings its own beauty. You can make every day a Pentecost with Power flowing through your creations. Declare that the communists are healed. Do not admit that anyone can be dark. When you use words of propaganda against the Light, you work with the communists.
  Present your pay-on-demand drafts on the Holy Spirit for healing. Right now, present the demand drafts for Spirit to lift all dark ones. Declare that Light shatters, absorbs and destroys darkness among all those who have denied God. The Power of God can move through and heal you on a deep breath.

Top ↑

Conversion and Mysticism
Edna Lister outline, June 9, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Ephesians 3:1-21

  “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”–Ephesians 3:1-21.
  To convert means “to change or turn into another substance or form. To change from one state to another. To change or turn from one religion to another, or from one party or sect to another. To turn from a bad life to a good one; to change the heart and moral character, from enmity to God and from vicious habits, to love of God and to a holy life.”
  You can experience a conversion in any department of life. Last Sunday was the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. After Easter, the church calendar provides several contemplative Sundays but none following Whitsunday, which we call Pentecost. Trinity Sunday follows Pentecost. The Trinity of the church is comprised of God the Father, God the Mother, and God the Son, or the Holy Spirit.
  Twenty-seven Sundays follow Trinity Sunday, making twenty-eight Sundays. The twenty-eighth Sunday falls on the Third Advent Sunday, two weeks before Christmas. Advent Sunday, is December first. So, the Holy Spirit is supposed to strengthen you in the weeks approaching Christmas. The twenty-eighth Sunday is the Sunday of joy. The Episcopalian calendar numbers these twenty-seven Sundays after Pentecost as the first Trinity Sunday, etc. They did so because they believed they needed a constant reminder that the Holy Spirit descended every seven days when everyone is worshiping the one God.
  The “unsearchable riches of Christ” describes a mystery. Here, the writer is using the term Christ as meaning all substance, open for all. The mystery converts the word fellowship to brotherhood.
  We are so young as a nation. Descended creators founded the United States, the nation destined to become the New Jerusalem. We declare, “The nation and plan shall not perish. Let there be Light.” We have had mercy without wisdom, and still need time to mature. We cannot and will not fail because we are founded on faith, honor and justice. The Elect have reached the place where they must have faith in themselves.
  The 1st Century Christians faced a hostile, unbelieving world. In our world today, we still face hostile, unbelieving, mocking atheists and agnostics who work hard to tear down our Christian beliefs. Jesus was the only asset the early Christians had, and remains our only asset today. Our fortitude comes from knowing Jesus the Christ. The atheists are really hedonistic materialists who believe only in pleasuring the undisciplined self.
  People need time to grow up and mature. Jesus taught soul discipline of the self. We must, in turn, train our children in obedience to God’s law. Trained obedience is the secret of living by the Holy Spirit. The recent descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost released unlimited Power on the world.
  The original sin is to believe that man can be separated from God. Further, if you separate Mind, Substance and Power, the force you create by so doing blackens them, as soot films the glass of a hurricane lamp. Every sacrifice converts the force, the blackened Substance, misused Mind and Power back into Light. President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy are all examples of sacrifice that lifted the world.
  “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.”–Ephesians 3:8-10. This passage from the Letter to Ephesians contains the mystery of the Pentecost as it applies now. Today, we must make known the principalities and powers in heavenly places. This was one of St. Paul’s greatest prayers.
  Force must move through a body to be lifted. The Master absorbed the clouds of blackened Mind, Substance and Power and lifted them with love. God can use anyone who devotes himself enough to be available for God’s use. As quickly as the masses of earth learn to become brothers, we shall begin to see the fellowship of the mystery made manifest.

Top ↑

Conversion and Mysticism
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes, June 9, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Ephesians 3:1-21

  You can convert anything in form or recondition into something else. Any mystery is just something you do not already know. After the mystery is revealed, it is no longer a mystery, but just an ordinary fact. The Bible tells us to rest on the seventh day because we need to be in a state of receptivity and to release God’s Power to the world. We know the significance and importance of this background. Last Sunday was Pentecost, and the universal descent of the Holy Spirit was greater than when they crucified Jesus. Today is Trinity Sunday worldwide. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, we praise the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  Twenty-seven Sundays, counting today, precede the Advent of the birth of Jesus, the first Sunday in December. The churches have named the Sundays between Pentecost and Advent, but have never formally prepared for extending the descent of the Holy Spirit. They have lost much symbolism and meaning in slighting this ritual. We are preparing now for the descent of the Holy Ghost at Christmas. Its descent will increase every seven days until the third Sunday of Advent, two weeks before Christmas. The Episcopal Church still carries the ritual of these Trinity Sundays to remind people of the constant descent of the Holy Spirit. When you consider that the Holy Spirit descends with more Power each Sunday, you can see the constant expansion of Power.
  God does not work from a “less and less” but a “more and more” plan. Ascension is mind and soul expansion and thus is greater than descension to less mind and a weaker soul. When God sent us here, we descended from our heavenly home on a contraction vibration, which is how we built successively heavier, denser bodies. Ascension requires that we expand out of this dense state of mind and matter to go home to God.
  “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”–Ephesians 3:9-21.
  In Ephesians 3:3, Paul speaks of the mystery of the grace of God and the mysteries of Christ. All the mysteries are enfolded in the Christ. When we speak of the Christ, we speak of the principle of the Son—the Father of Wisdom and the Mother of Love are combined in him. Jesus the Christ reveals the family of personality. When you become a Christed one, you have ascended to the point of being worthy of the mysteries. All mysteries deal with acceptance, discipline and obedience.
  Every race and creed has believed and searched out the riches of the Christ. The Three Emanations, which come through the Trinity, are the riches of it. The fellowship of the mysteries is the secret of what is happening in our nation today. We are a young nation and our founders based our nation on faith, honor and justice. From the beginning, other nations banished their evil ones to America as indentured servants and slaves.
  Our founders built this nation on faith, honor, and justice. New Jerusalem shall not perish. We shall last forever. Our founders were descended creator gods who came because they desired freedom and to stretch their soul wings. They were sons of God, androgynous beings, begotten at the Source, who descended and took on outer form at the beginning of life on earth. They founded this nation, Manasseh, under God. Jacob crossed his hands and blessed Ephraim (symbolic of England) first and Manasseh (symbolic of America) second. Manasseh became the thirteenth tribe.
  Much of the symbolism of the U.S. is based on thirteen, which is the Master’s own number and symbolizes his 13th Path of Glory, the Via Christa. If you fail, you fall off and pay. How could we expect to mature as a nation in only two hundred short years? We opened our arms to those who needed us. The whole world suffers from a lack of brotherhood. We must have fellowship, which is a great phase of the love of God.
  The early Christians faced hostility to the Christed expression of truth they had received. The same thing is happening today. All the sons of Ishmael are in the flesh and are again working against the sons of Christ. We, as a nation, have had mercy without wisdom and are cursed by the whole world. We are experiencing growing pains. We cannot escape our national creed, for we are the New Jerusalem. All thirteen tribes are gathered together here. The Father regulated this by removing the priestly tribe of Levi from the sign of Sagittarius and dividing the priesthood in the other tribes. Manasseh was placed in rulership of Sagittarius. One hundred forty-four thousand is the symbolic number of the Elect, the whole of the first life wave, representative of spiritual and mental unity. The Elect descended, twelve thousand gods from each of twelve Golden Cities of God, to rule earth.
  Three cataclysmic shocks have brought us to this Trinity Sunday. God has sent forth enough Light to conquer evil. Our nation is internationally criticized. The question is, why does God not stop this mess? He did not create it. We did. He is now reaching out His hand due to the prayers of the Elect. Since 12th Night, the prayers of the Elect have called forth enough of Christ’s original substance to form a great sphere of fire into which clouds of darkness were drawn in. Since Ascension Thursday, these clouds of darkness have been absorbed by the sphere of fire. Our prayers are answered.
  The first of the three great shocks was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. His sacrifice was great enough to release half the Light that consumed darkness at Pentecost. He opened the Gates for others to follow through. Every nation was represented at Kennedy’s funeral in Washington Cathedral, bound in reverence, a fellowship of devotion. His passing marked the opening of the brotherhood of the world. This had nothing to do with any negative side. It was the transition of a President of the United States.
  The second great shock was the assassination of Martin Luther King. King was slandered, libeled, reviled and called a communist among other names. He loved God and had a dream, ust as Moses has, but in wanting to do it himself he opened himself to trouble. He did not see where his good intentions in Memphis could lead. When he discovered he’d been exploited with Communist money, he was shocked that he had exposed himself. He made the sacrifice of his life to save his vision of the Promised Land. His sacrifice separated the sheep from the goats, the remnant wrath of the seventh vial was poured out, and the sons of Ishmael were separated from the sons of God. What would you do if you were the government, knowing he had used Communist money? Would you destroy his memory, which holds millions of Blacks together? Stop the negative words and let God work in a nonviolent way.
  The third great shock was the assassination of Robert Kennedy. He also opened the Gates of Light and took with him all the lives lived in evil, all the lies and floating propaganda. The first two assassinations gathered the black ones together, a move great enough to incite the assassination of Robert Kennedy. It required these three openings of the Gates of Light for God to encase the remainder of Belial’s clouds of darkness.
  The “original sin” is the separation of Mind, Substance and Power, which is the trinity. If you misuse Mind to think evil, to force, you bring down the Mind, Substance of the Holy Ghost to move right and left—it goes out as a gray cloud. Your anger goes forth as a black cloud. Declare, “Let Light surround this cloud!” and Light will absorb it.
  The force referred to in the eighth chapter of the Book of Revelation is still out there. When Robert Kennedy was shot, his body and family sacrificed to shatter and lift the force that had been collected in these dark clouds. His passing brought the world together again in fellowship and brotherhood; his was also an international funeral. This is the meaning of Ephesians 3:10, “Principalities in heavenly places might be known in manifold wisdom of God.” The mysteries are being revealed to us.
  As fast as we learn to become brothers, the whole world can be brought into the fellowship. God can use any devoted soul. After the first shot was fired at Robert Kennedy, everyone cried, “Oh, God!” The name of the Almighty went forth. We are marching with our banners raised on high. Let us pray and hold fast to God’s Light!

Top ↑

Knowing, Being, and Doing
Edna Lister outline, June 16, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Hebrews 11:1-3, Matthew 16:13-19

  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”–Hebrews 11:1-3.
  “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”–Matthew 16:13-19.
  For nearly a century we have had two lines of debate between the Darwinian theory of evolution and different kinds of Creationism. Darwin’s theory pushes a mechanistic interpretation of the universe, and of mankind. It does not account for the soul. Creationism, on the other hand, demands the introduction of the supernatural. Some Creationists deal with Creationism as an act. Literal Creationists believe that there were seven days in creation of twenty-four hours each.
  Scientists must work out the processes of creation by experimentation and what they consider as proof. To scientists, creation of the universe represents the passage of eons of time. The Darwinian theory postulates an earth inhibited with life before the beginning of evolution. To the Creationist, the mind of man must be wedded to cause an effect. They wanted to know where the planet came from in the first place.
  At the beginning of the 20th Century, science had devised two theories of creation, the superdense state, 1 and the steady state theory. Cosmologists have since dropped the steady state theory. The Big Bang theory holds that six billion years ago, all the matter and energy of the universe was gathered together in one high-temperature mass of particles. At some point, the mass exploded.

1 The super-dense theory is now called the Big Bang.

  In the subsequent cooling process, the mass shrank and became denser. Its speed increased as its centrifugal force increased. Centrifugal force reacted against centripetal force and caused a state of equilibrium. Cosmologists believe that part of the same process is still occurring. Astronomers can now (1968) see objects that are three billion light years distant.
  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”–Hebrews 11:1. A scientist does not call this faith. Instead he poses a hypothesis based on some assumption.
  Our Bible theory is this: To accept the Bible, we must move from time into eternity. What we know outside time, we can know only through faith. A literal translation of the Hebrew Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning He created….” In the instant God created, we moved from eternity into time. We live in space, but have time to fit into our space. To do this, we must be receptive, flexible and balanced. Only faith can bridge the abyss between time and eternity. Only faith can cause our time to fit into our space.
  A people of faith, we believe that all things were and are made from the Word, according to our faith. God inhaled condensed substance until an explosion formed the worlds. Do you believe this? Is your faith conscious or unconscious? You must be like Moses who lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Today’s wilderness is the world’s confusion. When you lift up the serpent, you lift the world, everything material—cigarettes, criticism, gossip, bodies, organs, eyes, ears, tongue. Lift everything to a cloud continent of light, hold it in the Light and pay no attention to self. You just ignore it. For example, to lift a smoking habit, lift self up to God, declaring, “You are so good, you are so beautiful, I love you!” Do this straight down the line. Darkness falls away because it cannot exist in Light.
  Peter grasped the one great key to the kingdom when he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). This marks the pathway of the Begotten Son of God, the path of faith, whose walls are love. The door at the end opens into eternity and immortality. Keys are important symbols. The flag flying over the dome of the Vatican pictures two keys, gold and silver, crossed and flying high. The keys represent the pineal body and pituitary gland. The silver key represents the whiteness of milk, while the gold key represents honey and the golden apples of the Hesperides, the apples of immortality, a labor of Hercules. He had to gather which were guarded by lions.
  When your faith fully awakens, you learn that what you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven. When you love enough, you lift the serpent high enough to free the soul from earth’s bondage. You can overcome all delay by increasing your fervency. Say to the delay, “I say, thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” You have been given the keys to the kingdom, so use them. Declare, “This is good. Let there be Light.”

Top ↑

Knowing, Being, and Doing
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes, June 16, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Hebrews 11:1-3, Matthew 16:13-19

  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”–Hebrews 11:1-3.
  “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”–Matthew 16:13-19.
  A great controversy rages between the Darwinian evolutionists and the orthodox Biblical creationists. The Darwinists have pushed their theories of evolution and survival of the fittest so hard that they have mechanized everything, refusing to recognize the living soul. The Creationists have demanded that a supernatural being and Source of All be added, hence the controversy.
  Darwin said life and some activity existed on earth before evolution began. The Creationists accepted that, but they asked where earth had come from. Scientists stepped in and formed various cosmological theories, which seemed to back the evolutionists concerning the seven days of creation. For example, Creationists argue among themselves about the length of each day. Both scientists and Creationists are right.
  The sufficiently evolved substance from the animal kingdom, for instance, is always placed in upright bodies. As the brain and consciousness develop, the living soul enters. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”–Genesis 2:7.
  Some cosmological theories did not last too long, Cosmologists form and discard them as they make scientific discoveries. One theory said that within about six billion years, all mass was brought into one place and exploded, sending superheated particles into space. As the plasma fog condensed, the particles whirled faster and so became suns and planets. Centrifugal force met gravity force and equilibrium was established, according to the cosmologists.
  Mystics tell of three Emanations going forth for “three days,” which is as long or as short a time as it takes for a miracle to manifest. Great androgynous beings came forth and hovered over the condensed mass. The evolutionists fail to understand that group souls watch over the mass. For example, a group soul urges wild ducks to migrate. We came to teach the masses of humanity how to become gods.
  Several cosmological theories are still around. Science requires a process of manifestation. The planets are under a process of evolution, but the creationists wanted an instantaneous act or miracle of manifestation. We are still asking and get angry if God does not come through with an act. The creationist theory follows the orthodox Bible story. Those who added scientific theory lifted the truth up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. The serpent represents both wisdom and intellect. Intellectual darkness is evil and wisdom is the tempter of life. The wilderness is world confusion. The serpent is a tempter. Everywhere is here and we are everywhere. Think on this in lifting up the serpent.
  When you lift up your personal serpent in the wilderness, you give up all opinions, prejudices, negative traits and habits. To give up a cigarette habit, bless it and call it good and beautiful. Bless every cigarette advertisement. If you light one, declare that it is self-consuming and self-absorbing, and burns up the habit and evil in the world. You do not give up a habit, it gives you up because you lift it into the Light and everything negative or evil hates Light. The ones who hate the cigarette habit and curse it do more to keep the habit going than do those who indulge. “Good” people can keep the world in bondage to evil through their intolerance.
  When you study the Bible, you move from time into eternity, which requires that you live by faith. Faith is the substance of Light, the evidence of things not seen. Your ascension goal is to live suspended in space between time and eternity. It is difficult to relate outer time to inner eternity and unite them in space. When you live on both sides of life, inner and outer, your whole mind and soul function as one. Conscious mind takes care of outer details in space. It is the liaison between time and eternity and our reminder. When you relate time on the outer and eternity on the inner, you enjoy frictionless days in space when all details click. Creationists believe to see; that is their faith. The scientist does the same thing, but will not admit to faith, so he calls it “making an assumption.” Nevertheless, it really is faith.
  Time and eternity must meet at one point in space for you to be flexible and balanced. “In the beginning, God created” means God moved from eternity into time, and brought them together to meet in a miracle of manifestation. You must enfold time in eternity to produce a miracle. To receive the keys to the kingdom, you must lift up the serpent of degraded wisdom. To lift up the serpent, reach for the stars, the Source of all Light. If you dream of a serpent, you are misusing wisdom by trying to drag time into eternity.
  Every time you raise your hands and breathe deeply, drawing in a pool of Light, the creative fire ascends the spine and you raise the serpent. Since millions of keys exist to unlock millions of doors, one divine key must open eternity: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” is the key that opens the door to your special eternity, your life and afterlife. This is your Master key, which will unbind everything for you.
  The two keys of Peter are gold and silver. The gold is the key to the pituitary, and the silver is the key to the pineal body. The gold and silver keys represent the gold and silver apples of Hercules sought in the labor of the Hesperides. The pineal body’s sand-like hormone secretion is white, while the pituitary gland’s secretion is golden, representing milk and honey flowing in the Promised Land. The golden fluid flows down and empowers the thyroid gland to life. These keys open the door of Paradise. The original Paradise gravity of the Source is drawing us all home.
  By raising your hands in praise and prayer, you lift the serpent and integrate time into eternity. This is God in action. What you bind or loose on earth, you bind or loose in heaven. Curses about a habit close a veil of illusion and bind the habit. This goes for all negative things. Lukewarmness and indifference also fill an empty space, yet keep it empty. This is why you must call everything good. Agree with your adversary. Say, “You are filled with Light,” and go about your business. Keep your flag of glory flying. Let the world see your keys of golden intuition and silver illumination. Add a third key to your flag—the Master key of Jesus Christ as the only Begotten Son of God.

Top ↑

From Slavery to Winged Glory
Edna Lister outline, June 23, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Psalm 91, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”–Psalm 91.
  “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”–2 Corinthians 3:17-18.
  We live in a world of change, which seems to be whirling ever faster. What ails the world today? You are called to be a layman. Because most people prefer all their information second-hand, you hear “That’s the pastor’s business,” as a common cry. A desire to be Christian is only a beginning. Most folks end there and expect their minister to do everything else. They use their minister, pastor or leader as escalator on which to ride along, leaving them free, with little or no responsibility.
  We are living in a brainwashed world. The original Christian prayer treatment of making suggestions to a child at night while he sleeps, has been appropriated and perverted into an enslaving practice of evil. The brainwashing continues from nations down to television commercials. Brainwashing is creating confusion in man’s mind, the latest being civil rights. Before the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert F. Kennedy, the word Christian had a different meaning.
  Life is a gift from God to every person on earth. Most people, if they have room for religion, keep the religion compartment in their daily living segregated from the rest of their lives. We the Elect must return to the electrifying immediacy of Jesus the Christ’s invasion of earth. His teachings disrupted the complacency of rulers. He came, changed history, and gave men a new direction and control over their lives. They accepted divine forgiveness and eternal life as a gift from God.
  Jesus called all men to be laymen, and he chose his disciples from among the laymen. The first Christian martyr was a layman, as was the first evangelist. St. Paul had been a tent maker thus, he was able to earn his living wherever he went. We are supposed to hear the call to become laymen, to step up and out of our slavery to worldly fears and doubts. When it comes to faith in Jesus the Christ, we must give him our service first, not to any worldly boss. We must do for God as if we were doing to Him. Christianity is everyone’s business. As a result of deliberate evasion of personal responsibility we have weakened our Christianity, allowing it to fade.
  Psalm 91 is a call to arms. The first two verses challenge our fears. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”–Psalm 91:1-2. Truth is a twelve-pointed star on the breastplate of Almighty God. If you allow idle words and fear to enslave you, darkness steals our Light, leaving us in the half-dark. This makes you a second-class Christian. Psalm 91 shows us our reward for dwelling in the Light.
  You can be a slave to the doorbell, a phone call, a neighbor, the TV or newspaper headlines {your cell phone or social media}, or you can use your secret weapon, the spoken Word. Christianity is based on faith in the declaration, “This is good! Let there be Light!” Declare this until you mean it!
  I make decarations all day long, and I hope you will, too! “I am the most common layman in the world. My boss is the strongest, most powerful God overall. I am protected by my God. I am His beloved ward and protege. I dwell within His walls of Light. Everything else fears His Light. I hold this precious hour in my hands. God breathes the breath of life into it, fills it and expands it. I am expectant. I am triumphant because God has wiped away all chains of slavery. I no longer cheat myself of His full life. Truth is my shield.” Jesus’ works live on. My present desire is to dwell in the house of the Lord. My prayer pattern is that I set my love on God, my ultimate goal. “Beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord,” I am changed from glory to glory.

Top ↑

From Slavery to Winged Glory
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Florence Waldorf, Irene White, scribes, June 23, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Psalm 91, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”–Psalm 91.
  “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”–2 Corinthians 3:17-18.
  Two thousand years ago this planet was invaded from above. Jesus the Christ descended and his message disrupted the priesthood of the known world. He touched on all that was evil and revealed it. He called to the laymen of the word, who heeded and accepted his message of divine forgiveness of God that they could become like the Father if they so desired.
  For centuries laymen heeded. Paul was a layman, the evangelists who followed were laymen. We have proven their truth. Jesus the Christ and Christianity have touched every country on earth. Centuries later Jesus is still a most controversial figure. Ritual had become a formality and ceremony during Jesus’ time and after. Those who came to America first knelt in prayer when they touched our shore.
  Civil rights were their keynote: God created everyone free and equal. Later, countries sent their worst over here and we have had to agree and adjust, coordinate the good with the bad, rich and poor. They marched to the West Coast, conquering as they went. We now must agree and adjust with greater quantities of everything. After we reached the Pacific coast, it, too, became overcrowded. My grandfather pushed on north to Tacoma, Washington. Our country is so large that even the early circuit-riding ministers decided they could not do it all, so they called on laymen to help preach the word.
  Most people do not hear God’s voice calling them to service. Some, of course, do. We have grown faster in material things than we have in brains and solutions to the problems of living. On the whole, the world’s religious life has not had enough brain power to use effectively. The majority is unable to understand science. We have moved so quickly from red flannels and long johns to nylons, from Victrolas we cranked to stereos, from horse drawn buggies to sports cars and jets.
  The Catholics and the Protestants have taken ritual from the churches, which prevents the congregations from being open to spiritual o’ershadowing. “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” refers to the higher creative center, the secret place.
  Incessant electron charges speeding through the near vacuum of space strike your brain cells day and night. We live in a brainwashing era—if you listen to the radio or watch television, you hear constant propaganda and advertising messages. Close the outside vibrations from your home; this includes listening to your neighbors’ noise.
  The soul records contain all your thoughts, words, and actions. Place your misdeeds and those of others on a cloud continent of Light, declare shafts of Light descending to absorb them, and wipe them from the memory of everyone. You are privileged to do this, and it works. Some folks think the power of evil as great as the power of God! We are still conquering evil today and taking the power from evil, though plenty remains.
  Truth is your shield and buckler. When you call on the Almighty, the available God, countless legions of angels work for you. Ask for divine protection. Put on the breastplate with its twelve stones; each is a power to absorb poisons, idle words, and curses. Lights from these stones shine into the person or situation and erase the soul’s negative memories.
  Your shield is your truth. Do not be a slave to headlines or the news. Put up your shield and direct Light to the horrific story. Do not feed your subconscious garbage, but turn Light inward to wipe out any you have taken into your mind. Rumors, news and gossip are the arrows that fly by day—believe and know that the Light can consume any bacteria or viruses. For instance, if you must take shots to go abroad, say, “Pure spiritual Light fills this shot.”
  When life cuts off a dry branch in your awareness, you cry out, not wanting to part with that which you no longer need. You should read Psalm 91 daily for a year—it shows you where your taints are.
  My prayer pattern is to put on the breastplate, the whole armor of God. The ultimate goal is to let the Power of the Living God, which is using the United States, lead us to liberty and freedom. The poor, the hungry, the weak all have the right to qualify.
  As you serve, you behold the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same image, from glory to glory. This confounds your enemies, who cannot touch you when you wear the armor of God. Fill your home with the idea that you are growing in soul from glory to glory.

Top ↑

The Heavenly Mysteries Unveiled
Edna Lister outline, October 20, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Matthew 6:14-23, 6:33

  “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:14-23.
  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”–Matthew 6:33.
  Mystery deals with the secret worship of a deity, unexplained or unknown, as a mystery of life. Every law that Jesus taught and expounded is the source of a mystery. Mere acceptance of theology does not reveal the mysteries of religion. The mysteries are never revealed except through the seeker’s obedience to law. Everything is based on your first acceptance of the purely spiritual universe. You must be so convinced of this that you go beyond reason, beyond theology, dogma, or creeds to find the source of truth.
  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”–Hebrews 11:1-3.
  One approach to God is through the principle of faith. Everything everywhere is composed of God’s substance as faith, planned by His mind and made by and through His power. All man’s physical science applies the science of divine mind. Living on and by faith is applying the science of mind to your life. It gives you a personal identity with your Source. The greatest mystery overall is that all is from the Light and all is Light. Study reveals that the purpose behind all mysteries is for your step by step ascension to do the greater works. The mysteries can reveal this purpose only through the soul’s obedience to law.
  The principle of faith is God’s hold over you. First grade metaphysics teaches the need for resurrection from old patterns and ways. Yet ascension takes you into a higher state of consciousness, a faster rate of vibration. Ascension assures your contact with your Source of Light. Then, through that live wire of omnipotence called faith, pure life comes pouring down through the spiritual dimension into the mental, emotional and physical portions of your earth equipment as life eternal and immortal.
  We call the path of the mysteries unveiled the Via Christa, the Way of Christ. Our basis and proof of this is, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”–James 1:17.
  How can you go someplace when you are already there as Light? If it is in the world, Light has formed it, and God’s Light cannot be changed. All you may do is to close the doors and shutter the windows to Light. “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:23.
  Five main Bible mysteries conceal the main laws that every soul must eventally accept and obey: 1. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”–Matthew 6:33. 2. “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him.”–Matthew 5:25. 3. “What is that to thee? follow thou me.”–John 21:22 4. “Abstain from all appearance of evil.–1 Thessalonians 5:22. 5. “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.–John 12:32.
  To seek first the kingdom of heaven is to seek the Light first. These laws are tough ones in conquering self, but the main ones in unfolding the hidden mysteries. Remember, a mystery is but the hidden high meaning held within every law, which will open the veils of illusion. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.”–James 1:17. How can you be obedient to this law? You must become Light, and the first step is constantly to declare, “Let there be Light.”
  Becoming the Light is a slow, difficult process at first, and you discover that mere words and lip service are not enough. You can envision Light, but how do you hold to that vision moment by moment? Your process must become an instantaneous act, and to succeed you must involve that great faculty, imagination. First, build a great sun center of Light above your head by visualizing it, then step into it. Practice makes it real, instantly. You can step into its enfolding warmth between the ring of the telephone or doorbell, and answering it.
  The second law is to “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him.”–Matthew 5:25. Agreeing ends your slavery to any self-proclaimed enemies, and you remain undisturbed, untouched, unharmed, and unhurt by what they may say or do. Give him Light to exalt and praise the so-called enemy. Give him what you desire. Ascend on the would-be enemy, using his provocation as a step up in consciousness.
  The third law is, “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.”–John 21:22. Lay off the automatic judging and criticizing, knowing you never have any excuse to judge another unjustly or self-righteously. Everyone has soul debts to pay for interference in another’s life, and for unrighteous judgment.
  The fourth law is to “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”–1 Thessalonians 5:22. When you fall from your own high vibration, you become vulnerable, sometimes even dissolving your own sun center of Light. This is the source of all false-gods-worship, idle words, and gossip. When you repeat gossip, you take on and must pay the other fellow’s soul debts.
  The fifth law is “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”–John 12:32. When you are lifted up into a high state of consciousness, you reach illumination and comprehension to open spiritual seeing and hearing. To draw all men to you means to lift all their soul debts into Light, and all that they are—good, bad and infifferent. One law says, “Only mine own can come unto me,” which includes all the debts that you have avoided paying. Your present lesson is just to lift, not to take it in first. “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”–Romans 8:28.
  With your every declaration of “Let there be Light,” your sun center of Light grows larger, with rays of repulsion flowing from it to protect you. Nothing can come against you successfully because any any evil is consumed by the glory of Light.

Top ↑

The Heavenly Mysteries Unveiled
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes, October 20, 1968, Cleveland, OH. Matthew 6:14-23, 6:33

  “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:14-23.
  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”–Matthew 6:33.
  Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines mystery as “a profound secret; something wholly unknown or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder. In religion, a mystery is any thing in the character or attributes of God, or in the economy of divine providence, which is not revealed to man. A mystery is that which is beyond human comprehension until explained. In this sense, mystery often conveys the idea of something awfully sublime or important; something that excites wonder.”
  All religions are based on mysteries, yet the ordinary untrained person does not know how to unfold the mysteries. Each soul feels a compulsion to seek a source of being beyond the self. We want to know who we are, where we came from, and why we are here. Every law that Jesus taught or revealed has a mystery hidden within itself. The secret of beig able to unveil a mystery lies within the soul’s obedience to law.
  Death and destruction result from the soul’s disobedience to God’s laws, which is why the dark ones, those who choose to do evil on earth cannot tolerate the truth contained in the mysteries and revealed by unfolding them. Even the Elect have always resisted the mysteries. Yet we must rise above religious creeds and dogma to reach the heart of the mysteries.
  Your God-given mind operates on a vibration greater than any computer vecause you have access to the mind that was in Christ Jesus. God has equipped you with your own computer terminal–your brain within the golden bowl inside your head. You have 144 mental and soul faculties awaiting development, although most people only use about four at a time. You must awaken these faculties through study to receive the added mental potential for illumination from divine Mind. To tap this potential, you must study and ponder, not just sit around waiting for illumination to strike.
  Mental laziness is the great stumbling block of the world. Most persons use little of their brain power consciously, but you must awaken all your brain cells to open the personal soul records stored in your midbrain. God designed us to be creator gods—when will we, the Elect, choose to pursue this and become the creators of the good that He destined us to be?
  Your mental receiving set equals the illumination you can receive, and to increase that capacity, you must open new brain cells. You must bring everything you have learned in past lives through the veils of illusion for use in the nere and now. To begin you must believe, you must know that God created the spiritual universe with the fiat, “Let there be Light!”
  How do you gain access to the universal Mind of God? First, you must burn with the desire to unveil the mysteries. Start by lifting your hands in prayer and praise to be filled with Light. The Bible holds many references to lifting your hands in prayer. Why? Because your are offering your prayers to God. To place your hands on your knees or in your lap while you pray or meditate holds your seeking soul down in the Land of Egypt. This is a disobedience to law and prevents illumination.
  As you study, remember that two elements are essential in unveiling the heavenly mysteries. First, you must comprehend that the overall spiritual universe is a universe of Light. To comprehend this, you must understand the mysteries of creation contained in the Book of Genesis. Second, you must rigorously obey law—but without forgiveness, you can get nothing. To forgive means to give love for, to give Light for what another brings you to lift. This is obedience to law, and you must remember to obey law. Finally, you must believe in the spiritual universe of Light because you—soul and body—are made of that Light. You need some background to comprehend this.
  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”–Hebrews 11:1-3. Faith is God’s hold on you. Faith is an attribute of God and therefore of all that is—Mind, Substance, and Power. Faith is the power of the Logos, the spoken Word that created the universe. The Word still creates for you when you speak it. Faith is new, untouched substance from the Source that permeates soul from the mental to the emotional to the physical life.
  To fully comprehend faith, you must contemplate it in the goldens silence of the soul in communion with God. To contemplate something is to meditate on it, to revolve it in mind so as to view it from every angle. Most forms of meditation are nothing more than “skull bumping”—they take you nowhere. Hatha yoga emphasizes breathing, and you do draw life into the body through breath. However, controlling the breath brings little or no enlightenment.
  You can learn to fully inflate your atomic mental body with one deep breath to explode atoms for greater available energy. How? Faith permeates the soul first, then the mind, then the emotional life, and finally the physical. All life originates in God. When you breathe, breathe deeply while knowing that you are inhaling life, and you will fill your atomic body with billions of atoms that you can explode for greater life and vitality.
  “Every good and perfect gift cometh down from the Father of Lights.”–James 1:17. These are lights from above. Your soul vision will show you a universe of Light, but how do you reach it? If the universe is all Light, your body is in and made of Light, and you have no place else to go; you are standing in the Light now. You are already there. Yet you must convince your appetitive self of the truth of a spiritual universe. To do so, use your great tools of creation, desire, thinking, and imagination.
  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”–Matthew 66:33. To go up in Spirit is to “seek first the kingdom” until you obey His law. You become the law by obeying it, yet this gives you no right to demand obedience from another soul. Never let any intolerance touch you. When you are tolerant, you do not know that you are tolerant.
  Metaphysics starts you on the path by teaching you of the need to resurrect your mental and emotional life, by emphasizing doing the “greater works” to change your old ideas, reactions, and former life pattern. All this is good, but little has been taught about the Ascension of Jesus, which is a greater mystery. To ascend is to move upwards, to proceed from an inferior to a superior degree. You may consider ascension to be the means to get your feet off earth—an expansion above and beyond your former position in life, as an ascension of consciousness into the Light. Since we know that every perfect gift comes from God, the Light, this serves as the basis for our belief here. You can resurrect your pattern for living life and make it greater and more dynamic.
  The last chapter of Luke records that Jesus was taken up into heaven before their eyes—he ascended. You need not worry about getting to heaven, for how can you go to where you already are? God begot you, created your, your soul with Light. You are immortal this very moment, and can ascend in consciousness in this body of Light you wear. “This is good. Let there be Light” is your first declaration. But if declarations were all you needed, you would be a shining star already. Declarations are only part of the ascension of consciousness. You must apply five laws to ascend and unveil the heavenly mysteries:
  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”–Matthew 66:33 deals with your desire. “Agree with thine adversary quickly.”–1 Thessalonians 5:22 relates to your speech. “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.”–John 21:22 applies to your thinking. “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”–1 Thessalonians 5:22 refers your conduct. “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”–John 12:32 concerns ascension.
  Who are you to merely tolerate others without lifting them? You must become law, no matter what they do, and the only way is to obey law yourself. Meet everything life hands you with, “This is good. Let there be Light.” Take a deep breath before you speak. The same Power-as-Light that shines through a lampshade also moves through you and out to the whole world. Mind acts on Power as you speak the Word, to transform substance into miracles of lifting and healing. Mind must act on Power to move it from its potential state into being actively kinetic. This is difficult to visualize with a weak imagination, so you must use strong soul vision to succeed.
  Mind acts on the faculty of imagination, the eyes of mind, to enable you to see spiritually. You see things with your physical eyes, but the vision we speak of is a soul faculty. Imagination is a mental-spiritual faculty on which divine Mind acts. Desire, thinking, and imagination create a sphere of Light above your head as your personal “sun center.” Use your imagination to create a glowing sun center just above your head. Declare, “Let there be Light,” step into your own sun center, and encase yourself in Light to create your desires. “Let there be Light” is your contact with the Source. Take a deep breath, then declare, “Let there be Light,” and you contact your Source.
  The sun center of Light you create is made of the substance of faith. Its warmth enfolds you and brings the form of your desire to pass. You are now become faith personified. You enter that Light that you already are. You cannot be hurt or touched by anything anyone says. You stand serene and invulnerable in the world, no matter what happens. For example, water is just water at first, before it becomes steam or ice. Just so with imagination–the “seen” is the substance of faith and the principle to which you cling. Faith gives you your identity with God.
  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”–Matthew 66:33. Come into that Light, which you already are. This is seeking first the kingdom so all miracles become yours in the Light.
  “Agree with thine adversary quickly.”–1 Thessalonians 5:22. To agree makes you untouchable to the outer world. Do not be self-righteously smug or holier than thou, but be subtle. Not to be a hypocrite “of a sad countenance” requires that you wash all self from your face. To agree quickly means right now. This gives the adversary all the credit your little self would like to take. Praise is the secret of agreeing and adjusting with any adversary. Seek a point of praise for the adversary: “I think you’re wonderful! Wanting to make me better is so good of you.” You do not need any adversaries. You can neutralize them or turn them into friends, if you so desire.
  “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.”–John 21:22. What business about the other fellow is yours? No one has the right to judge another unjustly, self-righteously, or from the viewpoint of self. How do you know what the other fellow thinks or whether he regrets his mistakes? How can you really know all the facts in a case? Only God knows all the facts.
  Everyone is here, paying on their soul debts from other lives. You may have been instrumental in pushing that fellow off the path in a previous life. Do not blame him, but recognize that he is paying his debts. Do not interfere with the other fellow’s spiritual lessons. His Guards may be trying to get his lessons through to him. Put him in a sun center of Light and broadcast, “Name, pay your spiritual debts.”
  “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”–1 Thessalonians 5:22. This law goes much further than just meaning crime or evil. It means not using idle words, not repeating gossip or slander, which are idle words used to recreate past incidents. Do not recreate the past to build a soul debt for yourself and a double debt for the one who started it. Your idle words can erase your own sun center of Light!
  Abstain is a stronger term than “avoid.” Avoid ever telling about illness. Put your words into Light and leave room for a supreme miracle. Say as little as possible, for only your “own” can come unto you. When you abstain from evil by not repeating gossip, you pay your soul debt. To avoid some action is to control the urge, but to abstain is to conquer the soul taint.
  “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”–John 12:32. To draw all men to you means that you are responsible for lifting the other fellow. Do God’s work whenever and wherever it comes to you. You cannot lift another even an inch higher than your own state of consciousness. When someone or something comes to you for lifting, give it to the Father, to lift it to where it belongs.
  When you ascend, the Power comes through in glory. Your sun center is a container for God’s substance for instantaneous miracles. You then fill your aura with Light, which becomes rays of repulsion to darkness. Rays of repulsion cleanse a person or thing of you and your interference because you enter your sun center and condense the Light from above into the spoken Word of lifting and healing.
  The law of accountability states that “Only my own can come to me for lifting.” When you truly accept that whatever comes to you is yours, you will know you are being used as an agent of the Almighty. Remain in your sun center of Light, to focus the great Light coming forth for the universe. Step into your sun center of Light and remain in the Light. This is the mystery of all mysteries: To ascend into the Light always. Let there be Light.

Top ↑

Five Important Questions
Edna Lister outline, October 27, 1968, Cleveland, OH, John 14:5-21, 1:12-13

  “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 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. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”–John 14:5-21.
  “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”–John 1:12-13.
  Throughout history, when man has questioned some facet of reality and found no ready answer, he has named it a mystery. A mystery is simply something that is not yet understood. God implanted a cosmic compulsion wuthin the soul, a curiosity to know what makes things tick. We are always seeking a beginning, a point from which to understand a process or a construct.
  Nietzsche’s so-called “God is dead” theory is a queer sort of agnostic/atheistic seeking for a secure foundation on which to stand. It does not deny that God is, but implies that there was a God, though now He is gone. And, as usual, nothing comes from nothing, which is all the faithless have—nothing.
  The mystery of the ocean is that you can depress its surface with a finger, yet it can carry 80,000 tons or more afloat in a tanker. Science aims to discover the secret forces at work in nature by experimentation and observation so that man may gain control of them. This aspiration does not alter man’s wonder about how these secret forces were at work centuries before the first scientist noticed them. When science discovers and documents the “how,” it still will not have answered the questions of “why” or from “where.”
  All this is why we must study the five most important questions, which are all mysteries: The mystery of God, the mystery of personal identity, the Immaculate Conception, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. Our most imperative need is to have a beginning, and religion is the overall name for this quest. Religion is a personal matter—you may practice your religion with faith or be faithless—you may accept or reject.
  Everyone lives by faith in something. You may have faith in your parents or teachers, for example. Or you may choose to live by rejection and have faith in that. Some souls seem to arrive on earth riding a wave of rejection and repudiation. To find a real and eternal faith, you must first accept the Bible as your textbook for life. God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, the prefix omni- meaning “in all ways, in all things and of all places.”
  The Gospel of John, the fourteenth chapter, illustrates the Father as a personality. God is both principle and personality. God is the Source of all Light and universal Mind. He is all power, all substance and all energy. You may reject and repudiate these statements, but you cannot change them or what they mean. You cannot change God. No matter what you do or say, God is still there as all that is—the stars, the planets, the seasons.
  The Light is always there, and science accepts that. Science can use force to change the state of substance or energy, but it cannot add to or subtract from that substance or energy, but can only cause it to change states of being. You must believe in, accept and have faith in God to have Him as a foundation. When you know that God is the foundation of all that is, it is no longer a mystery.
  The second important mystery is your personal identity: “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”–John 1:12-13. The secret of your identity unfolds itself when you accept that you are of the Light. You are the immortal sons and daughters of God now.
  You can easily understand the third mystery, the Immaculate Conception, by applying simple scientific facts. Rays of Light are always pelting earth, each and all under their own specific rate of vibration. When the two seeds of life (sperm and egg, or ovum) are bombarded by focused rays of Light, a physical conception can happen, just as TV waves produce a picture. All this occurs naturally as the result of your first acceptance of God as personality and principle, which prepares the way to accept this on faith.
  The fourth important mystery is Resurrection, which means to be lifted up and out of the old into a new spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical condition. The physical bloodstream is the source of physical life, which the soul inhabits and controls through the platelets. All that died on the cross was a body. Rays of Light lifted Jesus’ soul from his body as it died on the cross. He called his electronic sparks of life to himself after the tomb was closed. This was the Resurrection.
  The fifth mystery is Ascension to a higher state of consciousness and being. You may ascend and descend easily. Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”–John 14:16-17.
  The Father also adds another Comforter, a new soul portion, whenever you make a new sacrifice of the self. The secret is to be receptive, flexible, and balanced. You must be receptive to new things. When you are flexible, you find it easy to agree with God and adjust to mankind and the world. You cannot hurry time. You can but use time or lose it, redeem it or waste it. Yet you are always operating under God’s Power and the temptation of choice.
  Choice is your challenge and your tempter. You are always powerful, yet you must learn to shift mental gears speedily to hold your balance on the hub of the wheel of dynamic Power. You may brood and yearn, hunger and thirst after God, or repudiate and reject Him. Yet, eventually, your high choice brings glory and ecstasy to give you triumph.

Top ↑

Five Important Questions
Edna Lister transcript, Ruth Johnson, Lotus Landis, Irene White, scribes, October 27, 1968, Cleveland, OH, John 14:5-21, 1:12-13

  “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 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. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”–John 14:5-21.
  “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”–John 1:12-13.
  This scripture releases such a tremendous Power—it is so great. God has created us with the cosmic urge of divine curiosity. Within us is the need for a genesis, a beginning. You need this point of origin every the morning, or you flounder because you have established no starting point for the day. Ministers and the pseudo-intellectuals who subscribe to Nietzsche’s “God is dead” theory have rejected God. When you reject your Source, you lose your point of origin and thus begin and end with nothing. “God is dead” is now being preached by sects and churches that should give the faithful their point of origin in God.
  God sent His creator gods, the eternal Elect, to earth to lift the masses and to establish science and religion. We have accepted and rejected this, and the rejection has caused confusion. Contentious objectors accept only themselves. You must choose all day every day; you labor under the law of choice all day. Everyone is born under faith just as an infant is born breathing, which is an expression of faith. You have lesser expresions of faith in parents, teachers, and even traffic signals.
  Science is under this same compulsion to unveil the mysteries—everyone follows this compulsion through life. The desire to know is even the basis for wondering where or why a neighbor moves. Science cannot reveal “when” or “where” the universe began. Knowing the point of origination comes only through accepting the intuition of a spiritual universe that is operating all the time, beyond the appearance of things, in the realm of absolute reality. You can know your source of being only by accepting the mysteries, not by rejecting them.
  The first, most fundamental mystery is knowledge of the Source of All Light as God. The second fundamental mystery is your identity with that Source to explain who you are, why you are here, and where you came from. The first two mysteries give you balance. The ascending Elect must accept religion as a Word of God, not the mere opinions of theologians about it. With your acceptance of religion, you accept God as the Creator and the Bible as your primary textbook. Other fundamental mysteries are tenets of the religious life: The Immaculate Conception, the Resurrection, and the Ascension.
  In accepting the spiritual universe, you must accept God as the Creator. He said, “Let there be Light” and there was Light. The scientific approach to religion is found under the philosophical principles of God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Omni- means “of all things and of all places.” When we speak of an omnipotent God, we mean God as principle, God as all substance, God as all power. God is all that is.
  Science has admitted that the universe consists of one substance in a fixed quantity, to which nothing can be added or subtracted. However, you can change the form and renew substance. This is how you can produce miracles once you have established your choice under the law of acceptance or expansion. If you have rejected religion in the past, today you must accept and be certain to apply the absolute faith of God, not just everyday faith in God. A vast distance and difference lie between the two views, which are really degrees of a truth.
  “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”–John 1:12-13. Accepting God as principle satisfies intellect but does not answer your questions or establish our contact with God as the Source of personality. In the Gospel of John, the first chapter, John establishes Jesus as our identity contact with the Father. To believe on his name is to be born of God. These verses refer to the begotten and created gods, the Elect.
  How high is your Christing? How deep are your faith and love of God rooted? Do you realize that you look at the Father as you look at each other? How much of the Father do you see? How much do you express? The Christian trinity is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—we call this the trinity of Father, Mother and Son.
  Many symbols of the hidden Mother are carved on walls in excavated cities all over the world. Whether she is known as Isis, the Virgin Mary, Cerwydden, or Buddha’s mother, she appears throughout the ages. In accepting the hidden Mother, you are also accepting your identity with the Father of all life. The mother of evil is called the black queen, because she was the mother of cruelty, perversion, and fornication and the Light was taken from her. Women such as Hagar and Jezebel were parts of her.
  “If you ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him: but you know Him; for he dwells with you and shall be in you.”–John 14:14-17. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter. At certain great initiations, the Father endows you with a cloud-like portion of Mind, Substance, and Power combined.
  Last October 20, the ascending Elect received a new endowment of the Oversoul, which comes from your soul’s star. This endowment is the indwelling Comforter that gives you added ability to contact divine Mind. This depends on your choice — you accept or reject, and the quality of your spiritual life depends on your choice. Those who reject refuse to accept responsibility for becoming like unto the Christed One. We all look the other way at times, but of course you wouldn’t (spoken in an ironic tone of voice).
  The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived free from all stain of original sin. All souls were. However, this has a greater and more mystical meaning. Under Immaculate Conception, you breathe Light from the Source and the Breath of Life fills you. The magnetic currents of earth arise through your feet, the etheric currents descend through the top of your head, and they meet at the solar plexus. An explosion, which occurs every twenty-eight days under the lunar phases, forms two seeds of life that o’ershadow both the father and mother seeds (sperm and ovum). The child born of such a union can be a genius. A cosmological theory states that when two stars conjoin, a new baby star is born. If you accept the spiritual universe, you can accept this. To accomplish the original immaculate conception, God filled Mary’s ark of the Mother with Light and the divine seed of the Father fertilized her.
  Resurrection is the Christian doctrine concerning Jesus’ rising again on the third day after the Crucifixion, or the rising again of the dead at the Last Judgment. Every change of mind or change in your plan of life comes under the principle of resurrection, which lifts you up and out of the little self. Jesus lived in a mental body held together by divine Mind, but he had a physical bloodstream as well. When the soldier pierced Jesus in the side on the cross, he had already drawn his physical blood platelets into the pons of the medulla oblongata. His bloodstream was drained and divine substance was poured in to replace it. Despite the appearance of outer form, all they ever laid in the tomb were the life sparks that Jesus had gathered into his ascended body. Resurrection is the simplest thing in the world—a raised rate of vibration of substance that is part of the “greater works,” which include levitation and acceptance.
  Ascension is the Christian doctrine concerning Jesus’ bodily rising into heaven on the fortieth day after his Resurrection. You ascended this morning when you came here. You ascend every time you have high thoughts or do good deeds. Ascension means accepting responsibility and letting others see something of the Father in you. Acceptance leads to flexibility, which creates balance. Accept all new things as good and part of God—and watch your words! Flexibility means learning to change your mental gears in a hurry. Stand on the hub of the Wheel, not its rim—stand with the Children of Israel, the Elect, in New Jerusalem.
  Accept everything as good, do not reject anything. Each thing is right in some way for someone. All is a matter of choice. Choice is your challenge through life, your tempter: the choice of acceptance or repudiation—ice or steam. Mesh your mental and emotional gears in balance so they will not grind with resentment and rejection. This is the mystery of the Father as the Source, God as personality and principle. You shall travel a pathway of triumph as sons and daughters of the IS-ness and DO-ness of God. Be responsible!

Top ↑

What Reward for Sacrifice?
Edna Lister outline, November 3, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Romans 8:16-39

  “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”–Romans 8:16-39.
  To those who walk the Path of Ascension, sacrifice is the giving up of self and its appetites. The whole of the Letter to Romans, the eighth chapter, is about sacrifice. To be called is to be predestined; to be predestined is to be justified, and to be justified is to be glorified. You cannot escape your destiny with God. When you have been called up in consciousness and ascension, you must then wait upon the law for justification. You may not ask for justification, but must stedfastly know that evil falls of its own weight. None of us has ever yet known such rapture as to be glorified.
  “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.”–Romans 8:31-33. You must be willing to sacrifice everything of earth for the honor, loyalty, and integrity of God. Doubt, fear, prejudices, opinions, lukewarmness, and indifference are nothing important, just low vibrations of worldly concerns.
  You may never possess people or things. Possession of another soul is the blackest of evil. As the ascending Elect, we know that all things are ours, given of God to be used lavishly. Ours is not a stingy God. We are His custodians, His caretakers here on earth. We conquer self and take care to sacrifice all self’s darkness to stand in the Light.
  The Book of Revelation, the second and third chapters, record seven promises God has given His Elect through His Begotten Son: The first promise: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”–Revelation 2:7. The second promise: “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”–Revelation 2:11. The third promise: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”–Revelation 2:17.
  The fourth promise: “He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.”–Revelation 2:26-28. The fifth promise: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”–Revelation 3:5.
  The sixth promise: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”–Revelation 3:12. The seventh promise: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”–Revelation 3:21.
  Finally: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”–Romans 8:35-39. These God-given promises are your rewards for sacrifice. You are triumphant conquerors in Christ!

Top ↑

What Reward for Sacrifice?
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes, November 3, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Romans 8:16-39

  “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”–Romans 8:16-39.
  Sacrifice is a giving up of the whole world with a single thought of “I give up.” Declaring a sacrifice gives you a consciousness of something higher, an expression of your portion of the mind of God, the mind that was in Christ Jesus. This chapter of Romans speaks of sacrifice:
  “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”–Romans 8:16-18.
  “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” We, who are destined to bear the first fruits of Spirit, groan while waiting for redemption of the physical body. The life sparks, redeemed from infirmities, which you draw off from the outer physical ascend to fill your spiritual body. Thus, “everything works together for good,” which is the source of our declaration, “This is good. Let there be Light.” If we wait on Him and declare all good, God justifies and glorifies us.OH.
  The phrase “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate,” shows that God planned for us in His great Magna Carta to walk in the Path of Light. The goal of all ascension is to become perfect. We are among “who are the called according to His purpose,” thus we, as do all the Elect have had some contact with idea of life beyond this earthly existence. The “God is dead” people, the followers of Friedrich Nietzsche, have actually turned more people to God than they have alienated from Him. This is how Light as power uses evil to promote God.
  What is sacrifice? God never wants you to give up anything good. You must pay your soul debts to clear the way before you. The divine Magna Carta declares that you were on your way back home from the moment you left heaven, even if you must back up the road to get there. You must give up doubt, fear, opinions, prejudice, self-pity and all other soul taints, earthly appetites, and weaknesses. These are the sacrifices of self that ascension requires.
  The rewards of sacrifice are revealed in he promises made to the seven churches in the Book of the Revelation. You are taken before an inner Council to be made aware of these rewards and of your personal progress in conquering self to attain them. An “overcomer” is a soul who conquers by overcoming the appetitive soul.
  “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”–Revelation 2:7. The sacrum plexus at the base of the physical spine is the root of love on earth. As that vital center whirls it circulates the breath of life through the whole body. The breath of life is contained within the three higher degrees of breaths, and you need it to purify the four lower degree breaths. Not all pollution is outer; much more comes from polluted minds. Sacrifice the earthly stupidity and lukewarmness the you have allowed to penetrate your protection.
  “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life…Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”–Revelation 2:10. The crown of life is the 1,000 petaled lotus at the crown of your head, which forms an impenetrable protective sheath around your golden bowl and the higher creative centers within it.
  “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”–Revelation 2:17. The hidden manna is a mystery: When you open the higher creative centers—the pineal body, the pituitary, and the gland-like parathalamus structures, you will feed on the Christ mind of God which circulates throughout the universe as the emanations within the River of Life.
  “He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”–Revelation 2:26-27. The mystery of power over nations is revealed in how the twelve physical glands and plexus centers will respond to the higher degrees of breath and bring you into harmony the the Allness of God.
  “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”–Revelation 3:5. When you are clothed in white raiment Light fills your auric sheath. The keynote is acceptance, agreeing with God that this is good and adjusting to your fellow man. Your acceptance of God’s good builds a protective magnetic wall around you. You must first become aware, then accept, and obey God’s laws. Your loyalty and love of God are all-important, for then the divine principles come through to fill you. You are then compassionate, all-comprehending, and loving.
  You can treat others for integrity of soul this way: Stand on the integrity of your own soul. Declare that the Light of God permeates the one who curses God so that his misused substance is finally restored to him. Continue doing this repeatedly. Finally, when you approach the throne and the Father asks how you have treated those whose lines He has placed in your hands, you can say that you have done your best.
  “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”–Revelation 3:12. A pillar in the temple is a soul through whom the Father can send the greatest healing Power and Light as complete strength.
  “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.throne of Life.”–Revelation 3:21. The throne is symbolic of your crown lotus center: You must sacrifice all selfiness and base appetites on outside and see only good to get there. Remind yourself of this truth: If God is for me who can be against me? What are you declaring about our nation? This is the cradle of the coming race of supremely conquering souls, the Elect standing on the sea of glass, the spiritual leaders of earth.
  When you see or recognize evil, name the place and speak the Word. God then releases doubled Power for good wherever evil is declared. Ascension releases the optic nerves from merely physical muscular holding, direction and control until they serve the mystical third eye of your soul acceptng the divine commands of the computer mind of God. This degree of ascension begins when you open the sun center in the sixteen-petaled lotus above your the heart. Roots from the vital center descend radiate from this, pointing to neurons in the midbrain cortex.
  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Are you allowing anythng to separate you from God? Every time you overcome even the slightest taint of self, your victory wipes out clouds of force. How completely are you persuaded that nothing can separate you from love of God that is Christ Jesus?

Top ↑

The Secrets of the Soul
Edna Lister outline, November 10, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Psalm 27

  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not Thy face far from me; put not Thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”–Psalm 27.
  What is the soul? We have so many different words meaning almost the same thing, sometimes used interchangeably, it’s no wonder that confusion results. The terms “spirit” and “soul” are oft used examples of this. Spirit may refer to God overall, or as a part of God, as in There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.–Job 32:8. Spirit refers to the Source, and is supposed to give us our identity, but the term is too ambiguous. Soul is the personalized spirit, to which God has given the right equipment for incarnating in the physical world.
  The more esoteric psychological terms for soul describe the three as one, in the body. The subconscious mind is the creature soul, the conscious mind is the rational soul and the superconscious mind is the Oversoul. Soul is condensed substance, containing all parts and attributes involved, then placed in a body, its equipment. The golden bowl, our head, holds our personal computer terminal in the brain.
  Soul is open to all divine Mind and can function every potential power provided in the Magna Carta of God. Our first imperative is to accept law and the necessity of our obedience to it. Legend leads us into fact. Implanted within us is a universal compulsion to see our own identity, something greater than we are.
  The Legend of the Soul of Man: The devil had finally spread out over earth until he believed he was strong enough to take earth over completely, as his kingdom. Yet, he knew he needed one thing to be able to hold it. He called a conference of all his high counselors, saying, “I have decided to take over earth as our kingdom. I need but one thing: Give me man’s soul. I shall then hide it where he can never find it again.”
  They pondered till the devil said, “I know, I shall hide it in the depths of the sea. Man can never find it there.” His counselors replied, “No. They will build boats for undersea travel. Man will surely find his soul if you put it there.” Again they pondered, until the devil said, “Well, then, I shall hide it in the depths of the earth. Man will never find it there.” The counselors said, “Not there–man will learn to dig for wealth. He will find it if you hide it there.” They continued with greater pondering. Then the devil said, “I have it! Give me man’s soul and I will hide it deep within the depths of him. He will never look for it there, so he will never find it. It is the last place he will ever look.”
  The first great secret of the soul is learning your identity with your Source, which is God as both personality and principle. This relationship, once established, opens the next great secret: You are a creator now. Here you either accept, or repudiate the truth, if you fear or want to avoid taking responsibility for your own life. However, you still must obey the laws, and you face the need for acceptance, sacrifice and obedience, no matter whether it seems too hard or the path too long.
  So, eventually you have to turn from seeking some easier way and accept your identity as an immortal creator. This opens your creative tools of desire, thinking, and imagination, which you use these tools to contact all Mind, Substance and Power, and to fashion the form of all your heart’s desires.
  Mystics have called imagination the kingly faculty and it does rule the faculty that governs visualization. You must turn imagination upward to contact high soul vision so that it can become vivid enough in the Light to build molds that will hold enough condensed substance to become your “added things.” If you grow lax or lukewarm, your molds grow thin and leak substance until you can have no miracle.
  Thinking feeds information into the golden bowl that holds your computer mind, the brain and your access to the mind that was in Christ Jesus. You must remain steadfast in thinking high thoughts because you have to play the hand you are dealt in this card game to receive the right answer. Make up your mind to stand and hold onto your burning desire.
  The third secret of the soul is now revealed, and it causes all your difficulties: Self-control versus soul conquering of self. Self-control can and will betray you into self-exaltation, excuses, self-justification—and that little self, the master of idle words, has a grand vocabulary of excuses for every occasion.
  Letting little self be in charge of your mind leads to worship of false gods, and betrays the soul’s highest moments. For example, one woman was afraid to make a declaration of truth for fear she might be wrong. So she said, “God, let the Power create this success, and if I am wrong, slap me down.” She was utterly shocked when I told her that was why rivals were slapping her in the business world. She said, “Why, I’m only talking to God!” Yet her words did not know what she intended, so they issued an invitation and challenge for others to slap her silly.
  Never attempt to bargain with God. Stand on your soul principles, make a declaration as a creator, then praise God that it is so. But do not qualify your declarations or statements. This is the difference between acceptance and repudiation. “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.”–Matthew 5:19.
  Some seekers never uncover the third great secret that you are immortal now. This spells out your soul’s desire: One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.–Psalm 27:4.
  You may have perfect faith in these verses: “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.”–Psalm 27:5-6. The psalmist also tells us “When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”–Psalm 27:8.
  “I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”–Revelation 20:11. All references to the face of the Lord refer to the Father as personality.
  Read the first and last verses of Psalm 27 to build your faith in God’s Power: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?... Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”–Psalm 27:1, 14.

Top ↑

The Secrets of the Soul
Edna Lister transcript, Elizabeth Barnes, Ruth Johnson, Irene White, scribes, November 10, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Psalm 27

  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not Thy face far from me; put not Thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”–Psalm 27.
  God is Light, and Light is all that is. “God is Light, and in him is no darkness at all.”–1 John 1:5. “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”–Psalm 27:1. What is Spirit? What is the soul? People use Spirit and soul interchangeably, but what do these terms mean? First, remember this dictum: Spirit is one; soul is many. Spirit is One as the universal Wisdom, Love, and the Logos, the Word. Soul entails the many, meaning that it includes all differentiated personalizations of soul, unless a single or a select group of souls are under discussion. Spirit is Wisdom, Love, and the Word as One—functioning as One, as Mind, Substance, and Power.
  For example, one may say that Spirit is Power, but it needs divine Mind to direct and control it, and Power must act upon it to move Spirit. The Substance of Spirit is the very Breath of Life. Thus, “the Many are One,” meaning that God—the All That Is—is of One Mind, of One Substance, and of One Power, no matter how many ways the One chooses to express as the Many. Man’s various opinions about God through the ages have not affected the Godhead as principle, nor the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as personality.
  In the beginning, God created—Light as Eternal Wisdom breathed an unimaginable amount of life sparks of Light into one pool of substance, concentrating it until it condensed to create a triple explosion of Light that filled the space that Wisdom had conceived as the universe within itself. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”–Genesis 1:3. This was and ever shall be the Creative Fiat, the Word spoken by God to embody spiritual substance within a myriad of forms.
  Then God took a portion of this most rarified Light as life sparks, which were and are God as Spirit, and begat the first group of souls, who were each later given a golden bowl of Light to hold mind apportioned to them as individualized beings. All ancient records admit that there is a sun center at the Source containing two stars symbolizing the first precipitation of Light into form. Divine Mind has always been, as has the golden bowl. We are lesser creator gods begotten from the Whole, given a golden bowl by God to know Him through our mind, which is one with our soul. We are each an original, potential creator-in-the-making. This is how God the One becomes God the Many.
  Light is all that is, both animate and inanimate, from the Source of All Light to the densest rock of earth. Since God, the Light, is all consciousness using some degree of mind, all Creation is conscious in one degree or another—from the life spark of Light, through every phase of Creation, returning to the Mind of All That Is. Experience teaches, and every life spark constantly adds its share of experience-lessons, what it learns, to the Mind overall. This holds true as the life sparks of soul substance progress through the animal kingdom, through the creature stage of consciousness, and through the child of earth stage where instinct rules.
  Soul substance may have form, but only God can breathe a living soul into that form. “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”–Genesis 2:7. Man could not become a creator himself without the divine spark of life. The first recognizable vehicle the newly begotten gods occupied was a spiritual body of electronic “fire.” The soul’s degree of descent into matter determined the kind of body it needed, proceeding from electrons to atoms to molecules and finally into cells.
  Each soul is given the power to incarnate and thereby to learn what and who it really is. Thus, God has implanted an inner compulsion within every living soul to seek a Source greater than itself. This holds true from the lowest to the highest form of life and mind. Inspiration, acceptance, and devotion combine to create the compulsion that drives even the creature to seek God, whether it be a false god or the true One. As you breathe Light, Spirit fills you with inspiration to seek and find, the power to accept whatever comes to you, and to remain devoted to God as your Source of All Being.
  All souls must abide by several imperatives: Because the soul of man is always seeking, you must seek your true eternal identity as a child of God. You must have a conscious identity with God for you stand before Him, made in His image and likeness. So, first, you must seek your identity with God. Second, you must accept that you are a creator, made in His image and likeness, and this is the point at which you must either accept or repudiate Him. Worshipping God is the first sacrifice of self. Here you find that divine inspiration has led you to seek and find, to accept and to sacrifice self, to worship the Source of Being in devotion, and to shepherd His Creation with full responsibility.
  You are immortal now. You are as immortal now as you ever shall be. Take up and faithfully discharge the responsibility of being immortal now. Turn your imagination up to the Light and let it become soul vision. Don’t let the walls of the creative prayer molds you’ve created grow so thin they cannot hold the Light you must release for God, as His agent. Keep them strong for God’s Light as substance to bring them into outer manifestation. To do this, you must stabilize your thinking until it is perfectly steadfast. Your soul’s desire has to burn white hot, but it must follow the path you see as your highest ideal in imagination, which you choose by your thorough thinking and planning. To control these three tools you must first control the self until soul completely conquers it. Idle words are self-expressions and soul conquering lies above that. You cannot qualify the article of your soul’s covenant, or bargain with God.
  There are three great Secrets of the Soul: If you must challenge God, say, “Let this be the lesson of all lessons.” If something negative happens, you can lift it immediately and say, “It never happened”—thus, declaring it melted, dissolved, and absorbed into Light. In the moment of need, declare, “It is good to be hidden in the tabernacle of the Lord,” and He fills your aura with Light. Stand upon the rock of the Lord. Tell God you are good for something and ask for more. Today, we have entered a new Age, here and now. Ascend into your sun center and into the midst of that Light, then read Psalm 27.
  When a door is closed to you on the outer, stand before God and say, “Father, please, let room be made for me!” If you can have a little miracle with two or three standing together as creators, think what a hundred together can do! Let God’s Light as Power entice you upward. Wait upon the Lord. Never repudiate the Light. Keep moving up into it! Only in His Light can you truly comprehend the three Secrets of the Soul: Your identity with God, your co-creatorship with Him, and your immortality now!

Top ↑

Three States of Consciousness
Edna Lister outline, November 17, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Hebrews 12:1-13, 2 Peter 3:9-13, 2 Esdras 3:6, 8:52

  “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”–Hebrews 12:1-13.
  “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”–2 Peter 3:9-13.
  “And thou leadest him into paradise, which thy right hand had planted, before ever the earth came forward.”–2 Esdras 3:6.
  “For unto you is paradise opened, the tree of life is planted, the time to come is prepared, plenteousness is made ready, a city is builded, and rest is allowed, yea, perfect goodness and wisdom.”–2 Esdras 8:52.
  Consciousness is a state of awareness, of being mentally awake, alive and alert to everything around one. Consciousness is “the knowledge of sensations and mental operations, or of what passes in ones own mind; the act of the mind which makes known an internal object. Consciousness of our sensation, and consciousness of our existence, seem to be simultaneous. Consciousness must be an essential attribute of spirit. The internal sense or knowledge of guilt or innocence, and certain knowledge from observation or experience.”–Webster’s American Dictionary
  Mystical wisdom teaches that to be aware is to be alive and alert on three distinct levels—physical, mental and spiritual. Consciousness also means to be observant. Yet to be truly observant, you must add all you know of the past to today’s awareness, for success in life consists in your ability to make comparisons. Unless you integrate yesterday’s experiences, you cannot meet today’s needs in balance. If one episode leaves you confused, you consequently misunderstand what happened later.
  All your experience, past and present, is instantly available to you now. It resides in divine Mind, in the River of Life. Out there, in the universal record, everything that has ever touched you is stamped with your soul’s number and name. You can never disown it, for it is yours.
  “And thou leadest him into paradise, which thy right hand had planted, before ever the earth came forward.”–2 Esdras 3:6.
  “For unto you is paradise opened, the tree of life is planted, the time to come is prepared, plenteousness is made ready, a city is builded, and rest is allowed, yea, perfect goodness and wisdom.”–2 Esdras 8:52. In a time to come, paradise will be opened again. Earth will again enjoy beauty. According to Plato, the true earth is now just above the outer visible earth, in the high substance of the invisible ether.
  According to Esdras, a “time of threshing” precedes the “time of refreshing.”—“By measure hath he measured the times; and by number hath he numbered the times; and he doth not move nor stir them, until the said measure be fulfilled.”–2 Esdras 4:37.
  God gives each soul three phases of mind to become three states of consciousness: Subconscious mind, conscious mind and superconscious mind. These states of consciousness correspond to three phases of soul: the appetitive soul, the embodied rational soul and the Oversoul. Mind is not different from soul; they are the same.
  Psychology describes God, as the principle of mind, as states of consciousness in mankind. Psychology describes God, as personality, according to phases of soul. The conscious mind is always looking out, taking in the world of things. The conscious portion of soul is always looking up, taking in divine Mind. As Oversoul, the superconscious mind, uses you, you pull in outward attachments and pull everything upward. Thus, a three-way conflict of tension is always operating within each soul.
  The subconscious mind is filled with the memories and experiences from all incarnations, everything from the world. All its propensities (the natural inclinations or tendencies) are rooted in the self, the appetitive soul. However, despite its propensities, the subconscious appetitive soul is forever seeking to give itself up to side with conscious rational soul and superconscious Oversoul, which we call “conscience.” Conscious mind is subject to the world-mind’s influence and is often very willful, full of “I’m right.” Oversoul is forever conscious of its identity with God, and is always pulling the embodied soul upward in seeking, while self pulls it down.
  The battle, the struggle, the conflict between self and soul is constant. The subconscious battles the superconscious and the conscious mind stands between, seeking to ignore the struggle while moving higher in consciousness itself. The battle goes both ways because conscious mind may proud of everything intellectual: “I know. I think,” until it surrenders to Oversoul to become an ambassador of Light. Hebrews 12 tells the story of this conflict: “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”–Hebrews 12:4. You need repentance and contrition, but you must repent while on our way up in consciousness to God.
  “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”–Hebrews 12:11. It is never joyous to pay your debts, yet a glory, a lightness of Oversoul descends. “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”–Hebrews 12:12-13. Unless you make a straight path, the silver cord may slip off the spinal vertebrae, slowing your physical ascension. To walk a straight path is to be healed.
  Eventually, you must burn away the silver cord, replacing it with the golden cord to ascend. As the highest level of your Oversoul awakens under your sacrifices of self, your silver cord moves up to meet it. This requires perfect desire. Are you holding out any single element in your desire to be perfect? Have you sold everything, every bit of the subconscious mind taints, to obtain the pearl of great price? You must lift everything, not allowing a phone call, a letter or a word to condition your life or consciousness.
  “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”–Matthew 5:48. You must be lifted up in consciousness to ascend. First, you must forgive yourself to climb the path, the golden way. Then you must take up your bed and walk, meaning that you lift your desire above your head. All you need is the desire to be perfect. Chastening is good for you. Take up your cross, which is the self, and lift it until you dwell in heavenly triumph and victory!

Top ↑

Let Your Light So Shine!
Edna Lister outline, November 24, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Matthew 25:1-13, 5:14-16, 6:22-23

  “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”–Matthew 25:1-13.
  “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”–Matthew 5:14-16.
  “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:22-23.
  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”–Matthew 5:16. How do you let your light so shine? To let means “to permit; to allow; it expresses desire or wish; hence it is used in prayer and entreaty; it implies permission or command; when applied to things not rational, let implies allowance or concession.” Thus, let sets the keynote for surrender to the will of God. So means “thus it is; in a way or manner indicating a greater degree.” Thus so is used to emphasize a point or the extent of our desire. So is also used as an exclamation of disapproval or triumph.
  Where does the command to “let your light so shine” originate? In the proclamation, “Ye are the light of the world.” This light that you are is integral to every creative act and to the formation and construction of the universe.
  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”–James 1:17.
  “God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”–Genesis 1:3.
  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”–John 1:1-4.
  “Ye are the light of the world.”–Matthew 5:14. Do not hide your light. Do not seek credit for what that light does through you, but give the credit to God.
  The first step is surrender: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:22-23.
  “Thine eye” cannot mean the physical eye, left or right. It refers to the mystic third eye that you use for soul vision. When you notice darkness and evil, you see darkness and evil instead of Light.
  “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:23. If your eye is single, that is, focused on the Light, your whole body will be full of Light.
  This is all great theory and sounds good, but how do I reach this Light? How do I make it a practical activity, working every day? Above, in the atmosphere, lightning needs no vehicle. Two forces clash and explode, creating a havoc of fiery light. You clash with the forceof self-will from others in the world, sometimes creating similar ruin and havoc.
  Your mind must direct and control your every effort to reach the Light. Mind needs a vehicle, an instrument, some material object through which to operate. The ten virgins are a perfect ensample of this. Virgins are innocent, equal and at the same starting place. It takes ten to spiritualize personality, to perfect the soul.
  The parable of the ten virgins has practical, metaphysical and mystical values. The ten represent the five senses, five pointed into the outer to induct from the world, and five pointed upward in consciousness.
  The five senses directed into the world become the foolish virgins, while the five focused upward become the wise virgins. All the senses remain foolish unless we lift them up in consciousness. You can do this by lifting desire to mate with will and become the I AM of the superconscious mind and Oversoul. We call this initiation the Christing.
  The ten virgins—already feminine and masculine, negative and positive, dual in nature—ascend and touch the cerebellum and pons of the medulla oblongata, at the base of the skull. They divide there, five to the left and five to the right, five added to the pituitary gland as intuition, five added to the pineal body as illumination. They are equal in power and vitality to this point.
  Personal choice enters here. The senses take turns at inducting from the world, then from above—they also work together to awaken the pineal body and pituitary gland. As long as the senses work together, spiritual illumination continues and all ten are wise virgins. If five remain focused down into the world, they squander their oil and must ascend to receive more from the pineal body and pituitary gland in the brain. If they have no oil, they have no vibration high enough to lift what they sense.
  You cannot awaken the gland-like parathalamus bodies in your brain unless the ten virgins are alive, alert and aware, and have enough oil to fuel their lamps. God’s powerhouse never breaks down or closes, so you can always find oil (Light) for your lamp. The foolish virgins are always starting over, taking a break, ignoring the deadline, and are happy to wait for another day.
  You begin choosing your personal plan of salvation before you leave the inner for earth. An agent in charge of the Light powerhouse asks you how much Light you want to take with you to earth. People give many answers: Enough to be a good father or mother, a minister, to have wealth or fame, or to help the world.
  When you first balance love and wisdom within yourself, you open the pineal body and pituitary gland. Love is watching and seeing. Wisdom is listening and hearing. You must cultivate these glands to provide pressure to push you up, not to squeeze or shrink you. Stop being a slave in the tower of Babel and start being a servant in the tower of God! You can stand in a tiny niche or move into unlimited spaciousness when you step off the wheel of fate and onto the path of destiny.
  The ten wise virgins open your spiritual seeing and hearing to the full Light above. Then your senses are alert and aware of everything, above and below. You can easily lift everything into the Light. Just let your Light so shine while watching and listening for the bridegroom.

Top ↑

Unwaveringly I Stand
Edna Lister Prayer Circle newsletter article, Washington, D.C. James 1:17

  James tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, or shadow of turning.” The available, potential powers of God work through each of us as Light from above.
  Light moves forth as substance to become whatever our statements, decrees, declarations, or prayers form as our spoken Word. When you speak your Words from an inner conviction so deep and firm that nothing from the outer can touch or disturb you, you speed up the laws of vibration, and call the result a miracle.
  One moment’s wavering or turning to the shadows of earth can cut your new vibration, puncturing your mold, allowing the substance being lowered into visibility to dissolve and sublimate again into pure Light, from which it was being formed.
  Until you learn the lesson of obedience to this one law of constancy and steadfastness, you will be doing your work over and over again. When you are unwavering in your work, you take advantage of the Light-substance now being released from the new Star of Bethlehem, which is reaching its arms of glory down to earth to lift all people and nations back to their Source.
  We are creators, each of us, endowed from the beginning with three creative tools—desire, thinking, and imagination—waiting for us to use under law on invisible substance to bring forth into condensed form all the desires of our heart and mind—new positions, new friends, and everything we need for our daily expression.
  As the Light moves forth for your creations, it also forms a shield or aura around your body, a sphere of Lights, that same Light that formed the chariot of fire in which Elijah was caught up into heaven. It becomes a chariot of fire for you, too, if you so declare it, and lifts you into your new heaven or Mount of Transfiguration.
  When you step into your chariot of fire as a creator, exercising both direction and control, you harness your three creative tools, imagination, desires, and thinking—the powers that are ready to draw your chariot.
  You place imagination, the most important of the three, in the center, with thinking on the left and desire on the right, and divine Mind as guardian and protector. Then, no barrier earth can produce or erect against you can prevail. It is only when you forget that you must be constant in standing and holding fast to your goal that there is confusion and delay in your plans.
  As sons and daughters of God, we are formed of Light by divine Mind, dwelling in this physical body-form, do establish ourselves under divine law to be obedient to the constant laws of the Creator. Let us now partake of the full glory of the Christmas love and giving that God sends to earth at this season as rays of pure Christ Light.
  Under the Light from above as divine Mind, we gather up the lines of our creative tools, vivid imagination, steadfast thinking, and a flaming, burning desire. Now stand firm in your chariot of love’s fire, holding unwaveringly and with no shadow of turning. “Unwaveringly I stand and hold as I am filled anew with the Christ Light from above.”

Top ↑

Let Your Light Shine!
Edna Lister Prayer Circle outline, December 1, 1968, Washington, D.C. James 1:17, Matthew 5:14-16, 6:22-23, James 1:17

  “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”–Matthew 5:14-16.
  “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:22-23.
  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”–James 1:17.
  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”–Matthew 5:16. How do we let our Light so shine? “So” represents “a way or a manner, the extent of desire.” “So” qualifies any statement to a high degree. “Let” means the “degree of” and sets the keynote for surrender. Where does it come from? “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”–James 1:17.
  “Ye are the light of the world.”–Matthew 5:14. This verse describes our relationship to the world. We do not hide our Light, neither do we seek credit. We let our Light so shine. What is the quality of our Light? Have we added other commands in Jesus’ teachings to let our Light so shine?
  Are we servants of all the Power? Have we surrendered to be possessed by the Light? Are we so overflowing with that joy of knowing that we are filled with God’s Light that it does shine forth to glorify our Father God? Do we give God all the credit for shining His Light through us for the world to see? So, these three verses show us what we must let the Light do.
  A second set of verses set the keynote of our relationship with God: “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”–Matthew 6:22-23.
  This passage cannot refer to the physical eyes, left or right. “If therefore thine eye be single” must refer to the mystic third eye of soul. Vision that is dark or clouded is cut off. Do we picture evil? If we review the past week, did we see, hear or speak of darkness? In the past three months, can we claim never to have had a dark thought, heard gossip, seen the headlines or spoken wrongly? Have we lived even one day when our whole body was full of Light? How do we get to this Light? How do we make it a practical thing?
  Above, lightning clashes as two opposing forces, and explodes. This is how Jesus spoke the Word that withered the barren fig tree. On earth, our out-flowing vibration hits a world vibration, clashes, explodes and causes trouble. If we think this is impossible, we are mistaken. If our vibration or the world’s carries force, the result is an explosion of force. The only way to avoid force is to remember these laws: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”–John 14:6. “What is that to thee? follow thou me.”–John 21:22.
  We must lift the five senses until they take in pure Light from above. This is how we may transform our pattern for living. It is our choice whether we remain slaves to any outer thing. Yet divine Mind must direct and control our lives and choices. We begin our process of choosing before we leave for earth. Plato’s legend tells of an Order of Archangels in charge of God’s powerhouse, who ask us how much Light we wish to bring to earth with us. People usually answer that they need enough to be a good parent, businessman, minister, or to help the world. God’s powerhouse never shuts down. You must become and remain aware of your Source of Light, and alive and alert to all needs below. Let your Light so shine!

Top ↑

Your Mount of Transfiguration
Edna Lister Prayer Circle, December 2, 1968, Washington, D.C. James 1:17. Hebrews 11:1

  “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”–Hebrews 11:1. Transfiguration means “to be changed, to ascend.” The whole purpose of life is to ascend. Ascension is earth’s final high initiation. To reach your Mount of Transfiguration, you must apply two laws, acceptance and obedience. Every law you learn enfolds a mystery within itself. When you respond to the law in obedience, your soul responds by moving upward with the Light.
  You approach the Mount of Transfiguration through and by the principle of faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”–Hebrews 11:1. All substance everywhere is faith, for faith is Light. “Let there be Light” released that original Power of faith. The science of mind teaches you to apply what you know to what you do, to practice. To reach up with our live wire of faith reestablishes your identity with your Source.
  Ascension means a higher state of consciousness. The prefix, “trans,” means “over.” Transfiguration resurrects you from old “figures” or patterns. Light then pours through your soul and into the depths of self, cleaning and erasing all old ideas, and patterns. When you stand in the Light, you have it made. You are in! Light fills you, and Power uses you.

Top ↑

What is Shekinah Glory?
Edna Lister outline, December 8, 1968, Cleveland, OH, Exodus 34:27-35, Matthew 17:1-9, Luke 9:28-30, James 1:17

  “And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”–Exodus 34:27-35.
  “After six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. “– Matthew 17:1-9.
  “And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, [Jesus] took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias.”–Luke 9:28-30.
  Shekinah means God, present as Light, the earthly presence of God. It is derived from the Aramaic and Mishnaic Hebrew noun meaning “to dwell, a dwelling.” Glory means “exalted renown, honorable fame, special distinction, bless; splendor of heaven, resplendent majesty, beauty, magnificence, effulgence of heavenly light, imagined earthly beauty, state of exaltation.” A gloriole is a halo of glory. Glorious means “possessing glory, conferring glory.”
  Shekinah is the radiance of the glory of God, manifested in the storm cloud, the cloud and fire over the tabernacle in the wilderness, over the ark of the Covenant, the shining cloud on Mt. Sinai’s summit, the divine fire of the burning bush, and the eternal flame in Solomon’s Temple. When any three sit together to judge evidence, the Shekinah glory sits with them. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”–Matthew 18:20.
  Anywhere in the Bible, Old or New Testament, where “dwelling, sanctuary, glory or shining” is used, we may substitute or add Shekinah as the name of or descriptive adjective to glory. Shekinah is the glory that washes away sin.
  In Exodus, God ordered Moses to build a tabernacle, the ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat and all the furnishings, candles, robes, etc., to carry with them on their journey. God gave Moses two tablets of stone, laws written by the finger of God, for the tribes, the children of Israel. While Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the Law, the people grew impatient and demanded that Aaron make them a visible god, a god that they could see, to worship. Aaron took their gold and ornaments, threw them into the fire, and out came the golden calf.
  As Moses descended from Sinai, he heard the music and sounds of revelry and dancing. When he saw them worshiping the false god, he threw down the tablets and they broke. After talking with the Lord again, he called them to pitch the tabernacle far from camp. He called the sons of Levi, the priests and oracles, to services of repentance to pay the debt. When Moses went by, the people watched in awe, even those who had doubted and blasphemed when he disappeared. The instant Moses entered the tabernacle after the priests, a pillar of cloud descended before the entrance and they heard the Lord speaking to Moses.
  Orders were given about the Laws. Moses was told to hew two stone tables like those he had broken. The law is that when you repudiate a gift, you must then make or earn the next one through hard labor of both time and energy. Moses went up the mountain early. He remained in retreat for forty days and nights. He had to inscribe these tablets of the Law himself, whereas God had written the first set. When he returned to camp, Moses called the priests to him, and they assembled the people. He read all the laws to them. Moses’ face shone so brightly that he blinded them. The begged him to wear a veil.
  The glory of God filled the tabernacle. Even Moses could not enter when the Shekinah glory filled the tabernacle. Later, whenever the cloud of glory covered the tabernacle, the children of Israel did not travel. They went onward when the cloud lifted. For as long as they traveled, a cloud of glory led them by day and a pillar of fire by night.
  The first record of the Shekinah glory in the New Testament was its descent at the Mount of Transfiguration. To transfigure means “to change the figure or form, to change in appearance, to exalt or to glorify.” Jesus had prepared his disciples. He had fed the 5,000 with loaves and fishes. Then he had told them, “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”–Matthew 16:25.
  Jesus chose Peter, James and John to attend him on the Mount of Transfiguration because he knew they could “believe to see.” His face shone as the sun and his clothing shone with Light, white and glistering. They saw him with two men, Moses and Elijah, talking. When the disciples heard the Father’s Voice, they fell on their faces and were afraid. When Jesus touched them and told them to arise, no one else was there. He said, “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.”–Matthew 17:9. Jesus did this so that when he appeared after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, they would remember and believe.
  When you pray, the Shekinah glory covers you. When you build a figure of inner substance, a prayer mold, the Shekinah glory fills it. You become a mirror in which the other fellow seem himself reflected. Usually, he calls you what he sees! Often the first thing one sees in such a “magic mirror” is evil, which the Light reveals. This is good, for when you declare that Light absorbs the evil, it is gone. It is as though it never happened.
  Hold to your goal, which is God, and lift all things, even the life sparks in a match or a letter. You are descended creators, and this is how you qualify to create. When you lift your hands, the white prayer wings of the Christ descend with the Shekinah glory to protect your golden bowl, your head. Then the colors of your lights become brilliant, scintillating with Shekinah glory!

Top ↑

Enfolded in Light
Edna Lister outline, December 15, 1968, Cleveland, OH, James 1:17, 1 Corinthians 13

  “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”–1 Corinthians 13.
  The whole world is now being forced to face the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. Each who desires to return to his own Garden of Eden must face God and choose for himself what path he will follow. Good people are forced to face evil, to hear about it and to see evil in action. Obscene words are shouted from the housetops. What are we to do?
  In the February 1966 issue of Look Magazine, Episcopal Bishop James Pike said, “I’ve jettisoned the Trinity, the Virgin Birth and the Incarnation.” Also, he rejects the idea of God as a Supreme Being, the idea of prayer, the idea of the deity of Christ, yet he remains a bishop in the Episcopal Church. Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud attacked the idea of God and religion. Some, quoting Friedrich Nietzsche, want to hold onto the term “Christian,” yet loudly proclaim the death of God. They want an ethical, moral teaching of Christ while rejecting God as the Source. They wish to be rid of God while retaining Jesus.
  Jesus taught, “I and the Father are one.”–John 10:30. We could have no Jesus without God as the Source.
  The world is climbing back into the Garden of Eden, and choosing Light. You must know evil to be able to choose the good, the Light, the Creator. The thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians covers everything you need to know, not only to enfold you, but to be able to hold onto the Light once you have it. It tells you how not to do it, and how to do it–how to climb from the Land of Egypt into the Garden of Eden. It warns of the pitfalls and promises the rewards.
  All this is contained in thirteen verses. The thirteenth path is the Way of the Christ. Charity is a word with seven letters, signifying the number of the Priest Degree. Love, the other translation of “charity,” has four letters and is the number representative of your fourfold foundation in service.
  The first three verses apply to the self. We shall use love in the first verse. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”–1 Corinthians 13:1. This describes the silver-tipped tongue, the voice of angels.
  “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”–1 Corinthians 13:2. You can have “all” or everything, but without love, you have nothing. “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”–1 Corinthians 13:3. You can give up everything, but without love, you are empty, and have nothing.
  “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”–1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Love does not envy, vaunt itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, does not seek its own, and is not easily provoked. You must polish all these facets of the self to awaken the thousand-petaled lotus in the crown center of the head. Then you fully open to faith hope and love. Faith is your private telephone line to our Father, your hotline of life. Hope eternal springs from your honor, loyalty and integrity.
  Ten verses of this scripture are devoted to soul conquering. Faith is your lifeline. You derive hope from your loyalty and integrity. Love is the substance you give God through your praise, gratitude and devotion that return to you as a life annuity of Mind, Substance and Power. Meet life’s challenges with praise, prayer and singing. Christian Larsen said, “All things respond to the call of rejoicing. All things gather where life is a song.” You must live now and you cannot read the answers in the back of the book. Tomorrow’s answers are easier to read when you work today’s problems today.

Top ↑