An address given by the Christ messenger Zodiac through the deep trance mediumship of Miss Winifred Moyes,
at the Zodiac Circle, Greater World Sanctuary on Saturday, on February 10th, 1940.
(Zodiac opened with prayer)
"Beloved children, you have been drawn into this circle of power because Christ, the One who oversees all things, surely knows your need, and the reminder comes that never - so long as life lasts - shall you ever be alone again. Sometimes it seems to you that the guides and helpers draw back. This is but a sign of progress so far as the individual is concerned, for there is much to do while the flesh holds, there is so much preparation that must be put in for the wider life of Spirit, for the great work which lies in front.
"So this night, just for a little while, I am bidden to speak to you on: 'The Birth of Spiritual Perception'. And if it seems that rather you would have a message for your aching hearts, then surely ere we part, the message shall have been given; you will have a little more understanding, an explanation of the daily-lot, the common round; and your part is to go to others who are mystified by the trouble that seems on either side, to strengthen them, to do all you can to bring about the birth of spiritual perception in them as well.
"Never forget the long, long chain of service, stretching from the nether regions up to the Throne of Grace. You are all linked together, there is no separation in the Father's Heart regarding His many creations; but, dear children, again and again comes the call from the One who loves you best: 'Come up higher, so that I may reveal unto you more of Myself'.
"And these gatherings together are ordained specially to bring about growth, to enable the children of the earth plane to throw off their shackles, to cast aside their bondage, to cultivate the long vision whereby they may see beyond the hills of the earth, into the Eternal City where the Sun of Love never sets.
"So, dear children, in this personal way I want to speak to you about the processes of growth, I want to explain why it is that some who are influenced to put their hand upon the plough, again are influenced to take their hand from off the plough, long ere the new furrow is finished by them, long before the seeds can be placed within the furrow to bring forth the Bread of Life.
"In the first place you must remember that in your physical make-up there are tendencies passed on from other generations. But I want to explain to you once again that birth into a certain environment is not a matter of chance, or of the will of God in opposition to the will of the soul itself. You choose your own environment because in that environment there are conditions which will aid your progress, which will act as lessons to curb the unruly will, to provide the planning processes so that when one stage has passed, good results may be shown in the stage to come.
"Yes, you set your own fate; but still, dear children, I want to underline once again that those in your own conditions, those you meet, those who hold out the hand of friendship and then forget, all these are governed by a multitude of influences not fathomed by the mind of the body, otherwise they would be more on their guard.
"True it is that in the environment into which the babe is born, there is provided there the discipline that the spirit desires for its lesser self, but mark you this: The law of God is Love, and discipline can be applied by the highest forces of good, and not necessarily by the lower forces of bondage, as so often is the case.
"You know yourselves that wherever you may be, there is a pain that need not come, there is an unkindness for which there is no justification amongst the children of the Most High. It is not the poverty, it is not the going-without that whips your soul - it is the wish of others to cause you pain, those who betray your trust, those who spurn the hand of friendship.
"And so, dear children, while I emphasise the need for discipline during this short but useful stage of progression, I must underline the responsibility resting upon those with warped minds, those with dried-up hearts, who forget their duty to their neighbour, who find some strange satisfaction by striking the weak, by poisoning the affection of others.
"But one great point must not be overlooked: So oft you in the flesh seem to regard your lives as bounded by those in the body; you do not recollect when you shiver under the lash, that there are the bright ones, the most lovable ones, standing by with arms around you seeking to ward off the worst of the blows.
"Dear children, if your eyes could witness what is going on, if you could see the ones who come to bind up your wounds, laying the balm of their sweet understanding over them so that you may soon forget; if only you could see what God has provided, you could smile at your enemies, you could pass through even an army of those who hate you, protected from suffering by the knowledge of the power, the marvellous power, of the unseen who walk with you, sharing your burden, nay, taking so much of the burden that, could your eyes be opened, it would seem that only one straw was left for you to hold.
"Ah yes, your thoughts pass from your own troubles out to those peoples who are being tortured in very truth, who feel that they stand on the edge of the precipice of utter annihilation, helpless, all unprotected, the young and the weak, the old and the frail. 'Where are the angels?' - some of you may question. They cluster close around, but because God has given unto man the gift of free-will, bonded man must follow his own course until he falls into the pit of his own digging, there to writhe in a far greater agony than his victims could ever know.
"What will be the wages of sin? What will be the wages of suffering? Clear the mists from your eyes, sorrow not too much for those who are struck; your compassion should go to the ones who strike, for in a very little while they will be tortured by the fires fed from their own hands and minds and hearts, burning so fiercely, yet never sufficiently strong to blot out the memory of all that they worked in in the past.
"Think of the fate of those men and women who seem to stand at bay, fearing to look behind them, fearing the next blow which will fall. Be of good cheer, send out your strong thoughts for such as these. The birth of spiritual perception may bring its anguish, but they shall be re-born into an understanding which shall never be taken from them throughout all time to be.
"There are men and women there, ordinary men and women, those who would be counted among the mediocre, finding to their own amazement that they possess a strength - the strength of the Spirit - which they cannot associate with themselves. They are able to forget their own plight in the anguish they feel over the plight of the children, or of their loved ones. They are accomplishing deeds of valour that they could never have demonstrated before the great need arose. Why is it that men and women can be transformed in danger? Why is it that their frailty seems to have been thrown off like an old and shabby garment, and that they have donned the garments of Spirit?
"Dear children, when in great danger, when earthly things seem to fail, instinctively, because there is the Divinity within man, there goes out a call to God, and this enables His angels to penetrate the aura of the one concerned. The bright ones have waited, waited for the opportunity to come, and they seize it, and, as it were, their own brightness and beauty are thrown over the earthly child, and trembling limbs tremble no more. 'The courage of desperation' you call it; nay, it is the courage of co-operation - God's will worked out amongst those so sore beset.
"Ever and again I speak of the turmoil upon the earth plane. I have said before that war is against the will of God, but there are many deeds against the will of God that man commits. What of the tortured Father-Heart when He watches masses of His beloved children flogged and tortured, yet innocent of guilt? Keep your vision clear; allow not your minds to be influenced by the subtle reasoning of those arraigned against the Christ. God strives for the release of the strength in man; God sends His strongest warriors to participate in those battles which are to protect the weak; and your part is clear.
"I want you to take fresh heart over the position of affairs, and, again, to steel your will as news of tragedy reaches you from time to time. The birth of spiritual consciousness has been forced on, and because it is an abnormal birth, there are complications and a suffering never intended by our Father and Mother God. But the wages of pain represent power in so many forms that you cannot understand it now; and the wages will be paid in full.
"Then I turn to your own lot, and it seems to you, as I speak, that your troubles have dwindled. Sometimes they obscure the brightness of the sunshine of the Smile of Christ; but this, dear children, is the work of the deceivers; it is only a test to see whether your will is firm, whether you are indeed a disciple, whether you can watch one hour, one hour for the return of the Holy Master.
"Never forget those words. I say unto all who read that which I have given forth by the Power of Christ, that if in their hour of temptation they could slumber not in spirit, the battle would be won. It is the allowing of the dark thoughts to be inspected, to be turned hither and thither, to be pondered upon, the drinking, as it were, of the cup of bitterness again and again; it is this that brings so much pain to souls who would be valiant, which delays the comfort the ministering angels are there to bring.
" 'Could you not watch one hour?' Why did the Master say that? Was it a selfish reproach? We know that when there is Love, that emotion is impossible. It was for their own sakes He argued with them, for He knew the time must come when He must leave them, so far as His physical presence was concerned.
"Man has never appreciated the import of that simple question: 'Could you not watch one hour?' That is for humanity today and throughout all time to be. And I plead with you to pass on this truth to others - that when depression creeps close, when rebellion fills the heart, remind them of the words the suffering Christ gave to save them suffering: 'Could you not watch one hour?' As they pray and struggle with themselves, as they seek to throw off the influence of those around who are impinging upon their aura, perchance at times the will weakens, the forces of darkness appear too strong.
"One hour - that is all that the Master asks. And there never has been a soul yet who has continued the conflict for one hour who has not won peace of heart and mind; but that is not all - what of the unseen in the conditions, the ones who have lost their way into the Light, the ones not ready for the birth of spiritual perception? They watch the struggle with amazement; they try again and again to overthrow the holy forces seeking to influence them. But as the prayers go up, as the sufferer strives to hold on, the will and the strength pass out of the attackers, weaker and weaker still they grow so far as the capacity to harm is concerned. But these signs of grace make a deep imprint upon the mind of the watchers; they would they could forget but they cannot, something has been done, a tiny miracle has been wrought; yes, by the efforts of the struggling one not to betray the Christ without and the Christ within.
"Oh, dear children, by these little means, by these simple ways, men and women have been won back out of bondage into freedom, out of darkness into the light. Think of the position of the straggler when he passes through the narrow gateway into Reality. There are those who are strangers to his remembrance, but they claim him as friend. Who are these who gather so close with words of warm welcome? Ah, they are the ones who watched, and in watching learnt their first lesson of self-mastery; they are the ones who come forward and name him their rescuer, and for evermore in spirit they are his servants, for, all unconsciously, he served them first.
"Ah, yes, a little nearer we approach to truth upon the earth plane. There are masters and men, and in turn each is tempted to betray the other. The servant spurns the master, and the master is unfaithful to the servant - and it depends on earthly power who wins; but only so long as that particular condition remains.
"The secret of buying authority - that authority which you must have in the World of Spirit to do God's work - the secret lies in serving, serving your neighbour while upon the earth plane. You see, dear children, how the laws of God reverse the laws of the earth. Many a master serves his servant by being just and honourable and understanding; many a servant fails to serve his master by shirking, shelving his responsibilities. How plain it is. The wages of suffering once more lie before the earnest soul.
"So tonight, in this quiet calm, with the power of the Holy Spirit all around, I speak to you personally regarding the birth of spiritual perception. There are countless births, even as you have had countless lives in other worlds, and will have countless lives in that great Eternity about which you know so little.
"Think of it, dear children, that day by day there are, as it were, the nurses and the doctors waiting for another birth. A little longer vision, a little greater sympathy, a little more firmness over things which are right, a little more loyalty, sometimes pushing aside loyalty to those on earth in assuring loyalty to Christ - cannot you see that day by day the nurses and the doctors are waiting, waiting for another birth of spiritual perception for you, because they know that as these births take place there will come greater peace, a striving to sacrifice, a rising of joy, a throwing off of the things that hold back.
"Let it be, dear children, that you co-operate with those who watch. You must do your part. These processes of growth depend so much upon the one concerned. Sometimes a birth takes place, and because there was a looking back, a false step, a tumble - ah, that which has come to pass is deformed; it was meant to be beautiful and strong. The possessors weep. So much thrown away in the way of effort, so little more required to bring the creation as God intended; but they forgot, they could not watch one hour for the return of their Lord.
"Dear children, should it seem to you that I speak in tones which are stern, I would banish the thought. Who is your true friend? The one who flatters and deceives, or the one who is willing to sacrifice personal affection so that there shall be a birth of spiritual perception? Love, to us, goes so deep that no earthly words can ere express it, but it is not the love that takes; it is the love that desires to serve, to fight and struggle for you, so that when this short stage is o'er, you will look back and know that the transition has brought not only a birth into another condition, but an uprising, a greater freedom, a fuller power for the bringing about of the Divine Plan.
"Be strong in this sense: Buy not the love of others by withholding the word of warning in due season, for the time will come when you will look back over the past, and the friendship that you prized will not be beautiful then in your eyes - there will be some strange disease covering its brightness. You had not the courage to put to the test true love for another striving soul; you wanted to please, you wanted their kind looks, their eager welcome? So human, yes; but forget not you are Divine, and you are here on earth to gain release from the human side in so far that it binds, to release your wings, so that when the cumbersome body is cast from you, you can soar. But you cannot soar, dear children, until within you there is released spiritual perception.
"There are so many upon the earth plane preferring the valley paths; they want the world, they want the things that pander to the body. If they were placed in one of God's bright lands, they would be lonely, out of their own environment, longing to get back to people more familiar, to those bound as they still are bound.
"So I come to you this night with an overwhelming love, understanding all your troubles, the many trials, the tests on patience, the feeling you are caged, and I remind you to watch in your time of temptation for one hour - one hour - when your Lord shall be felt once again by your side, and the struggle will be finished.
"And now, dear children, I leave you for a little while. At these sacred gatherings we have pledged ourselves to put self on one side; we work for humanity, for the release of many who are strangers to the physical mind of those encabined in the flesh; but in the messages that will be given, surely you shall find a gift of a flower for you, something sweet and comforting. It is your own, it is meant for you. Therefore to those who speak, give out of your love, and thank the Father that the bridge between the two worlds, built up by anguish over the past, shall never be broken down. The price has been paid, and the wages are security for evermore.
(Messages were then given by the spirits of Dr. Barnardo, Queen Victoria, Ernest Meads, and 'Old Kate' of the London Shelter.)
Zodiac returned and continued...
"Now, my children, I gather up the threads, and I want you, in thinking over this sacred evening, to realise not only that all life is one, but the marvellous opportunity provided by the Father to each one in equal measure, to contribute golden threads to the great tapestry which represents the plan of Immortal Life.
"So I take my leave, blessing you all, knowing that the words which have not come through the medium will be given direct to the seeking spirit within each soaring soul. Words? Yes, the children going through the earth stage must have them; but the time is coming when, by the birth of spiritual perception, you will be able to stand with no props at all, looking to the Christ with the perfect understanding that whatever you do, wherever you go, His Presence will guide and uphold you.
"Another inch of the furrow has been opened this night. It is a long, long furrow, and many seeds have been put in, yet we must go on, and on, not only through the physical stage, but through the life to come, until at last our work amongst those created now has been accomplished. And, having co-operated thus with God, willingly we shall co-operate with Him again in creating new life, for Heaven cannot be filled, so wide is its area, so overwhelming the Love which set it into being.
"Hold fast to the thought of service with perfect joy and freedom, emancipated, freed from the past, loving your work, going on until, at the foot of the shining Cross, the crown of service at last is made your own.
"Peace be with you all, dear children. Holy communion with those who have passed into spirit conditions, holy communion.
"Farewell, farewell!"
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