Infinite Way Tape Transcript Excerpts

Excerpt from 1957 First Halekou Closed Class - Symbolism, Concepts -
Master #190 - Tape 4 - Side 1

"Lean not unto thine own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all thy ways."

And so it is, that as we have in our homes or on our walls, some symbolic representation of a religious idea or ideal it can serve to remind us that we must think of God and spiritual things more often, and turn us more often to our realization of God, our demonstration of God. But if it goes beyond that to where we would accept any of these [religious icons] as really imaging forth God, or representing that which God is, we would then lose our demonstration because, first of all regardless of what degree of spiritual illumination you may attain, you will still not have the fullness of the Godhead bodily as your demonstrated mind. Now that doesn't mean that God the infinite isn't your intelligence, but at no time in your career can you embrace that infinity or you would be infinity itself. And therefore, any concept of God that you would entertain must be something less than infinity since you cannot embrace infinity.

Now, when you realize that, you come very close to being ready for the God experience. Certainly, you will never come to it before you realize that there is no possibility of knowing God. And that regardless of what you have read or heard, what you may think you know about God, it cannot be that. In the Infinite Way we talk a lot about the nature of God, and that's something quite different than talking about God. For instance, we do know the nature of God by the effect of God. In other words, after you have had God contact, you can know what the nature of God is by its effect upon you. But knowing the nature of God, and knowing God, these are two different things.

To prepare for the God experience it is necessary in the earliest stages to close one's eyes. And let us realize here and now, "If I could name it, it isn't that. If I could think it, it isn't that, because all I can think is something less than myself, and certainly I am not that."

Now, since I acknowledge that I, Joel, do not know God, and that with my thinking mind, my reasoning mind, I never can encompass God, for I'd be encompassing the infinite in the finite. Now, in acknowledgement of that, I open myself and say, "Father, I cannot know you, but you can know me. I cannot encompass you, but you can encompass me."

True, I and the Father are one, but the Father is greater than I. And that's a mystery that you understand with the very first God experience.

"I and the Father are one, but the Father is greater than I. Father, reveal thyself. Speak Lord, thy servant heareth."

And now, having completely cleared yourself of all concepts about God, all beliefs about God, all theories about God, or superstitions, concepts, symbols -- you learn to sit receptive, awake, alert -- as if you actually expected God to walk right into your consciousness. And it isn't impossible. And that still doesn't mean that you will know God or be able to describe God, but you will be able to say, "I have experienced God. I have felt the presence. I have felt the power." And you can know it by its effects.

Now, in our work in the Infinite Way, this is a necessary step because it leads to some other steps which in their turn lead to the ability to heal. Because if I do not know God, and who can with this mind, and I agree to that and I am receptive, I will sooner or later receive or have an experience which will satisfy me that God has either spoken to me, or revealed Himself to me, or made the presence and power available. There will never be any doubt once it happens even though there may be a dozen near experiences before that which may make you say, "Now was that the experience?" It probably wasn't. Because usually when it comes, it comes with such distinct force or power or gentleness or realization that you know it so, but you know it so thoroughly that it becomes sacred and you don't mention it, it's secret.

If you find yourself talking about it then be assured that that wasn't it. Because nobody who has the experience would risk its loss by casting a pearl before swine -- casting their greatest demonstration before the unprepared thought. No, there is nobody ever, who has had that experience, who will talk about it, unless they find themselves in the company of those whom they know by the demonstration of their lives, have also attained.

In other words, as you travel here and there you will recognize a mystic or you will recognize a God realized person. You won't have to speak to them and they won't have to speak to you. Before you separate from them there will be a look in your eyes and a look in theirs and you will instantly identify yourselves, and then at that time or some other time you will find yourself in the position of exchanging experiences. But other than that you could no more be tempted to talk about it than you could be tempted to talk about the most intimate details of your own life.


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