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THE GREATER WORLD CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALIST CHURCH
THE ZODIAC MESSAGES
"FALSE PICTURES"
An address given by the celestial messenger 'Zodiac',
(the unnamed scribe of the Bible and a teacher in the
Temple of Jerusalem at the time of Christ), at the
Zodiac Circle on Sunday, 25th January, 1925.
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"O GREAT Healer of the heart, the mind and the body,
we present ourselves once more before Thee with faith,
with trust and with confidence; and we know that, as
we wait, so the blessing descends upon us, and we are
recharged with vitality and with those needs of the
body which must be there in order to carry this work
on without hindrance.
-
"Saviour Christ, we know that Thou art always
more ready to listen than we are to pray: yet because
Thou knowest the frailty and the weakness of Thy children
so Love steps in, taking our wish to be even as the
accomplished thing, Thou leadest us on out of the desert
experience into the Summerland of understanding.
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"Give us this day our daily bread - that food
for the soul, that inspiring of the physical mind -
so that we may start anew, each day beginning anew
to work out that which Thou hast ordained, forgetting
yesterday and not anticipating to-morrow, just starting
each fresh day with renewed courage and determination,
realising that we are following the guidance of the
Holy Spirit. And so guarded and protected, nothing
can go amiss, and all will be shown, in the happy years
to come, as threads in the Great Pattern on which we
have been privileged to work for the redemption and
the raising up of mankind.
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"Father God, we thank Thee, and we ask Thee that
we may be taught how to be truly grateful - how to
be truly grateful in an understanding way for all the
gifts which Thou hast showered upon us. Teach us, O
Father, so that we may teach others, and they, in turn,
may pass on the glorious message of hope, of cheer
and joy - that perfect joy which comes when close communion
with Thee is once firmly established. Amen".
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"GOOD EVENING, MY CHILDREN, and once again we meet
together in great peace. Sometimes, my little ones,
it seems to you that peace has slipped a little over
the border, but if you could see things as they are
you would know that this was but a misrepresentation
on the part of the shadows who, as I have told you
before, spend much time and effort on building up FALSE
PICTURES: and the children of earth, in ignorance,
think that these travesties of the real represent life
as ordained by the Father.
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"When, however, the children get a little older
they are not so easily deceived, and when such mental
pictures are presented before them they say: 'No! before
I accept this I am going to get down to facts!' So
with a will, point by point, they compare the features
of the counterfeit picture with the details of their
life at the time; and if this is carried through faithfully,
before long they discover they have very nearly been
tricked again.
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"My children, in this there is a warning for you
all - for all those who are going through their earthly
experiences. In regard to my own children, I am as
it were, the guardian of their happiness - for this
glorious quest on which we have embarked is the only
true happiness there is - and I, as guardian of their
happiness, bid them take care. It is only just, when
two points of view are brought before your attention,
to analyse them both with equal patience and thoroughness.
It is no use taking the one and agreeing that it is
accurate and refusing to examine the other side of
the shield. Sunless days upon earth have a way of lowering
the vitality of the body, as you know, it is a disadvantage
which has to be fought against. But I say this tonight:
Is it wise to shut out the sunshine of the Vision Splendid,
and so add to the darkness of the physical world the
twilight of the Spirit?
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"You see, dear children, I have a great responsibility
in regard to you all. I have called you out of the
beaten track: I have urged you to try the sharp, steep
road which leads into the understanding of the Greater
Wisdom; I have bidden you forsake much which the majority
rightly consider an integral part of daily life - all
these things I have done, and more. I did them deliberately
- I did them by instruction of my Master, Christ. But
in no sense does that lift the responsibility from
me, and I say tonight that I am conscious of this -
I accept it down to the tiniest detail or portion.
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"On the other hand, you must remember this: that
in calling you out of the busy, careless crowd I did
not do so without good reason. In the first place,
I saw that you would listen to my voice, that you would
heed my guiding care. Then I saw the next stage and
the next - the strain, the weariness and the struggle;
and what was more I saw (and I told you at the time)
I saw the fierce battles which must come as an inevitable
part of the journey - the battles with the evil forces,
which have shaken older and stronger pilgrims than
my little children here tonight.
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"You see I am keeping back nothing - I kept back
nothing from the beginning if you will consider my
words - but God's gracious goodness threw a veil over
their meaning, in the sense that He would not allow
you to live through those troublous times in anticipation.
The Father knew that when the test came you would want
all your courage and endurance - that you would also
have to fall back on those resources which had been
gathered together by the many years of preparation.
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"Well, dear children, from an outside point of
view, it would seem that I have played rather a cruel
part. I led my children away from their kind; I induced
them to give up the few toys which remained in their
possession, and I started them on a very hard and difficult
road which I knew held determined enemies - I will
not say 'dangerous' because I have told you from the
beginning that the protection is complete.
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"Ah! my children, it sounds rather a sorry story;
and yet it is the brightest and the best and the most
beautiful that could be imagined. For, remember, I
saw too the enemies overthrown, the sadness despatched
forever, and joy and gladness and unity on every side;
my little charges my longer bent beneath their burdens
but rejoicing in the brightness and the sweetness that
is all around. It was necessary to speak on this point
tonight, because we have reached a stage in our journey
when it seems to those gifted only with half-sight
as if darkness lies before even as it lies behind.
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"So you see that I, as your loving companion,
as your guide, as the one who, in Christ's Name, calls
you on, I am sensible of my responsibility; and I want
you, as much as possible, to forbid the dark days in
your world to cast a shade over that part of your mind
which, of necessity, is in an extremely sensitive condition
just now. These encounters, dear children, leave their
mark for the time being; and there are those among
you who are only conscious of the wounds, and the sense
of victory has been obliterated by the weariness of
the contest.
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"I speak to all, for each, in a different way,
according to the point they have reached, have had
their struggles and, in proportion, they are suffering
from a sense of shock. But oh, dear children, isn't
it wonderful to think that in comparatively so short
a time we have got so far? Isn't it glorious to think
that we can mark off so many of these encounters as
that which has taken place, and not that which lies
before us? Yes, I think, viewing things in the broad
way - in the way of the Spirit - it must impress you
that you have every reason to rejoice, and that really
at this stage mourning is a little out of place.
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"I want you to consider, dear children, one thing
more, and that is the generosity of our Father, God.
Put it to yourselves: Just suppose that there were
friends who loved you well enough to undertake a long
and dangerous journey - dangerous so far as physical
well-being was concerned - that you heard that these
dear ones had started. And you were in the position
of witnessing, although, apparently, afar off, their
many trials and vexations; then, as they proceeded,
the real suffering which came as an inevitable result;
and, again, those treacherous passes, those sharp rocks
on either side - that from your point of vantage you
were able to witness their sense of dismay, their wondering
how it would be possible to proceed. And then you noted
with pleasure that after a little consideration, and
perhaps delay, they went forward braving the anticipated
dangers and certainly enduring both weariness of mind
and body.
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"Well, I think as you watched your friends advancing
and as you saw how strong was the love within their
hearts; how anxious they were to see you - well, dear
children, wouldn't it be only natural that you would
look round and see how you could welcome them in a
way that expressed something of what you felt.
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It is a crude illustration but it must serve. Of course
the great difference between you and Christ lies in
this way: that the Saviour never watches merely, but
shares: that the Saviour is never afar off but at your
side, and that the Saviour does not wait until the
journey's end to show His love in an outward and visible
way, but, step by step, as the pilgrim progresses,
so are the gifts of the Spirit found on either side.
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"You see, dear children, that when I talk to you
everything is so beautifully simple, so straightforward,
so exactly like Love Itself. And so I would remind
you of the picture, the false picture which evil builds
up so eagerly, hoping that it may catch your eye. Tonight
I am presenting the truth as it stands; and I think
you will allow that it is only fair to view both the
real and the unreal and to see to which your heart
responds the most.
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"Once you can get firmly fixed in your physical
mind the companionship of Christ - that intimate, personal
companionship which is never absent from you for one
second - If once you could get a grip on that then
I should not have to point out the glories and the
beauties of the quest on which you are engaged: and
it is that great comfort which the shadows are so determined
to prevent.
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"But, children, as you have been told before,
in everything there are two voices - one the Voice
of God and the other the voice of the world. If you
listen to the second you cannot hear the first: and,
again, if you listen to the Voice of the Spirit its
sweetness blots out any other voice there could be.
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"Oh, it is not so hard; it is far easier than
man understands, but the first stages are difficult,
I own. Once the tests have been put and accepted; once
evil has been faced as evil and overcome, then, dear
children, comes the dawning of that harmony of the
Spirit, and its influence is so great, so attractive,
both to the mind and heart, as well as to the soul,
that the struggle is o'er. The real self within yields
itself up to the Divine counterpart. It is, as it were,
as though for a time something had come in between
two great forces - the force within and that all-enveloping
force which you call 'the Spirit'.
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"But I tell you - and this applies to all, although
with some the breach indeed seems great - I tell you
the force of the Spirit is of so dominant a character
that that which is within - its counterpart in miniature
- must be reunited, must go back to its Source. And
though all the powers of evil may concentrate on preventing
this, yet because that which is within belongs to God,
nothing can prevent the unity in the end. The Father
stretches out His Hand and the soul, waking from its
sleep, gets one glimpse of Beauty - nothing more at
that stage. But that revelation of Beauty - which can
be made its own - so rouses within the desire for the
highest and the best that it is only a question of
time.
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"And here, my little ones, once more I bring in
the exquisite patience of our Father, God. It seems
to you sometimes that you make so little progress;
that, in going through your own heart and mind, you
see so many weeds and the flowers are delicate indeed.
But, children, have I not told you that the first thing
a gardener has to learn is patience? And so it should
not be difficult for you to grasp how your Father feels
- He Who is patience itself; patience in a way that
can think of aeons and aeons of time and build for
the future, knowing that although man may stray far
from His loving guidance, yet His care can reach to
the furthest point. And though the guidance has been
rejected, yet His Love, at last, shall turn the steps
of the wanderer home.
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"Oh, my little ones, do not lose heart. I am in
rather a difficult position: If I tell you not to grieve
over your limited spiritual resources then I am blocking
your progress; yet. dear ones, if I say to you that
you should have done better, then I am not representing
the Father's attitude towards you at all. Keep these
two points clear: The Father calls you on and on because
He knows that safety and happiness lie in front, because
He knows that once past this difficult stage you are
protected from sorrow, as you regard sorrow, for evermore.
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"But, at the same time, the Father understands
that to children the road is heavy indeed, and though
the call rings out again and again, 'Come up higher
and I will show you the things I have prepared for
you,' yet even as the words go forth, the Father understands
that it is difficult to hasten the pace; and His love
and protection and companionship are with you every
step of the way. There is no blame in the Mind of Love
because the steepness of the road brings forth your
sadness; nothing but perfect understanding of the child's
view towards the unknown.
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"My children, tonight I am most anxious to comfort
you in every way I can, I am so anxious to bring into
your midst - nay! into your hearts and minds - some
realisation of God and His unlimited Love. It is terrible
to us - we who have seen and who know that Love - so
far as we are able to take it in - it is terrible to
us that the little children of the earth find it so
hard to get the 'personal' aspect of the Love of Christ.
'God so loved the world!'
(St. John 3, 16)
Yes, but even that statement does not convey the personal
side, which the Father has tried, is trying, and will
never cease to try to force upon the physical minds
of His little ones on earth.
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"The 'universal' Love of the Father presents one
element of danger, from our point of view: In saying
that 'God so loved the world', it conveys to the mind
of many unconsciously, a generalisation rather than
the personal aspect, which is literal fact. Say then
to yourselves, dear children: God loves me; Christ is
my
Saviour; the Father has
me
under His direct care! This is not selfishness. I put
that in because to some minds it may read thus. But
what humanity is crying out for today is a personal
Christ, a personal God an individual Father, and until
we can force this on the physica1 minds of men and
women so will the mourning and the grieving and the
misunderstanding go on.
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"Because God is the Father of the world, of the
Realms of the Spirit and of all those states and conditions
which are far beyond your range, it does not alter
this Divine truth: that from the highest to the lowest
and from the lowest to the highest, so far as spiritual
attainment is concerned, God is the personal, individual
Father of each one; that He is the Christ, the Saviour,
the Redeemer of each one, and you are bound to Him
by that strongest tie of all - you are of Him. Because
within there is that emblem of God, that aspect of
the Godhead, that priceless part of the Creator - within
you is the Holy Spirit, which is God - and in recognising
your kinship, your sonship, and your daughtership,
you are only acknowledging that which is your own.
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"My children, it has been difficult to convey
my meaning - difficult because your language is so
limited, your conception of Love so limited, your understanding
of the Father so terribly limited as well. But just
try and take from my words something of what it means
to be a child who wants to love God; something of the
happiness, the harmony and the infinite joy of - when
you are free from the body - meeting your Father 'face
to face' and receiving from Him the 'kiss' which a
Father bestows upon one whom He has cherished and guarded
and watched right back through those long periods of
time which entirely escape your imagination.
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"There I must leave it. I pray God that greater
understanding may come, that the joy - which you have
worked for - can be taken - taken as your right, taken
as an inseparable part of your physical daily life
- and in so making it your own you may get some reflection
of the illimitable Love behind it.
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"Well, my children, we must close now because
the time has gone, and nearly - but not quite - my
child's strength as well. Now that's just a little
point which is so often overlooked.
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"I want you to remember this always: that although,
at times, you feel that your strength is going, God
will always step in before the last stage is reached.
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"This is speaking of an extreme case. But I am
ever mindful of that 'suggestive' work of the shadows,
and so I am referring more to the times when, in imagination,
you feel that the last straw has been laid upon your
back, and that nothing remains but to bow under the
load.
-
"Now, dear children, I am not laughing at you
- not a bit of it, because I understand so well. Yet
I do want you to get things into their right proportion;
to realise that this is opposite to Love, and that
instead of the Father allowing burden upon burden to
be thrown upon His helpless children, even as the days
go on the burdens that are there are being lightened,
they are being sorted out, and those which have served
their purpose tossed aside.
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"Perhaps you haven't thought of things like that.
Yet, my little ones, go back on the last few months
and you will say: 'Zodiac is right!' And Zodiac, because
he speaks by the direction of his Master, is going
to be right all through.
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"That which God has ordained will come to pass.
And in His good time, as was promised, wildernesses
and deserts will give place to gardens of the Spirit;
and in those gardens are beauties and sweetnesses and
joys too great, too near to God, to be put into words
by me.
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"Rest then, dear children, in the thought of the
Father's care. Hold close the gift of a personal, individual
Christ, and say to yourselves: 'God is my Father and
I am safe' - God is your Father, and you are safe indeed.
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"The peace that we found here has grown, and has
gained such power that I think you are conscious of
it in a way that perhaps has not been possible before.
The peace of God and the strength of the Holy Spirit
have closed you in, far from the world and its noisy
unrest . . yes, closed you in, binding you fast to
Holiness - the Holiness which you have set out to find,
and which, in God's Name, I can say you shall find
in very truth.
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"Goodnight, my little ones."
©GWCSA
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