"FAMILY LIFE IN THE SPIRIT"

"To Thee, Father and Mother God, we commend ourselves, and we ask Thee to make plain to these Thy little children gathered here, that indeed the present and the future is under Thy Divine care. Oh, grant that each one may feel that they can come to Thee as a Father and a Mother. Let them forget that which the world holds out, that which the physical mind would insist; rather give unto them faith and the gift which only faith can bring - illumination and confidence in the working out of Thy all-mighty plan as it touches their individual lives.

"Father, we pray that we may be used to help others; we pray that Thou wilt extend the scope of our actions, and that each one may not only minister to those in their surroundings, but, by their dedication, send out on the vibrations holy power, tender thoughts, compassionate understanding, and that this charged with Thy grace, may reach those in twilight places, those, who, at this time, are working out the follies of the past.

"Oh, let us ever remember that we are one under Thee our Great Parent; that all are linked together, that each one is brother or sister to all humanity; and because of this so those who are strong will give of their strength to these who are weak.

"Christ, teach us, guide us, and make it possible for us to demonstrate something of Thee in our daily life. We ask it in the Name of Love. Amen...

"...My little children, all so dear to me, what think you of this gift which has been given into your possession? I mean the gift which is common to all - the ability to stretch out and to contact with the things that are of God. What think you little ones, as to this - that you are sufficiently conscious to desire to contact with holy things?

"Ah, it would be impossible to explain in words the depth and the breadth of the deep meaning which underlies the impulse, but tonight, by command of the One who loves us best, I am instructed to, as it were, lift the edge of the covering and to show you what lies beneath, but only that which is next to the surface.

"Yet, as time goes on, as you prepare yourselves, and as the real self within desires to understand more and more, so it is the will of God that you shall learn, aye, not only in this little stage but for generations to come you shall learn, you shall probe a little deeper and a little deeper still into those glorious truths which it is the Father's will each one should make their own.

"You know full well why it is that man today walks in something resembling spiritual ignorance; you know why it is that the gifts of the Spirit seem far beyond his range; you know that the words of the Saviour, the direction given to those named His disciples - that this has been turned from over the past, so that in this same time the individual has lost the gifts which were possessed when the Master walked upon the earth.

"The years have sped - the time seems long to you, but the fact must be faced: In the period since the bestowal of the Holy Spirit in definite form upon humble people, in that period, instead of the gift becoming universal as was the Father's will, so, over the years, only the few - the very few - have desired to follow in the steps of those who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and left in the records of the past examples of faith for others to put into action.

"Oh, my children, cannot you see how much has been thrown away? That the individual, because he forsook the path laid down by the Saviour, has surrendered his birthright for a mess of pottage. Today - again I say it - only the few are willing to prepare themselves and so wrest back that which the Creator intended should be their own.

"I speak thus, dear children, for you, each one, desire to purchase - and you are willing to pay the price - you desire to purchase the gifts of the Spirit, and to give of those gifts to others, to those who, as yet, walk in the twilight of misunderstanding.

"God has blessed you; and because each one has brought love and sympathy not only for those they found here, but love and sympathy in a measure towards humanity as a whole, because these conditions have been built and you have contributed your mite towards that so generously bestowed by the Father, so, little ones, it has been ordained that I speak to you on that which I name: 'Family Life in the Spirit'.

"This night, only a few words of Truth can I pass on, but having direction, you can open many channels of thought for yourselves; and those who love you, free from physical restrictions, they will guide your thinking and safeguard your conclusions.

"Children, there are many who read the Word of God who gain but little of its inner meaning, and such as these would exclaim if you stated with conviction that family life after physical death is a glorious fact.

"There are those, bound by the conventions of this little world, who would be horrified if you told them that love - in the sense of family links, that which represents husband and wife, mother and father, children and brothers and sisters - that this not only went on after physical death but was expanded, enlarged, beautified and strengthened; yes, many would turn from you, accusing you of blasphemy or desecration.

"Yet, this evening, our Father and Mother God instructs me to pass on that which is the Truth for your comfort, your spiritual education; and remember that what you know, what you have learnt, some time you must pass on to others. I explain so that when others come to you, you may say with conviction: 'I can answer that question, I can make clear that which troubles you, for once it troubled me'.

"My children, in regard to family life, some of you today perhaps are conscious of lost ties. You look back and you remember such happy intercourse, the home was home indeed; and when sadness creeps close you are inclined to sigh for that which has passed away.

"Oh, are there not many in this same position? They have parted from those who meant all in all to them, and in the heart there is an aching pain which, perchance, dies away at times yet ever revives, for they cannot forget. The family circle has been broken, the one who meant so much has taken another path, so it seems, and the love-thought goes out to meet their love-thought, and, if the individual has faith in his Father and Mother God, so then that one is certain that the two love-thoughts contact, and this is the will of God...

"My children, there are many in this little world who have ceased to value that which represents the home and family ties. Responsibility is irksome, the daily task no longer appeals to that which they name their mind; they say to others and they think that they convince: 'I have grown out of these things; I want a wider life, a bigger scope'. And they call it 'emancipation',

"Children, in the measure that the home and the links in the home are no longer treasured, when that one passes out of the density of the physical world, so then they will search far and wide and suffer much before they can win back the precious gift of a home and loved ones in it.

"But, little ones, although I emphasise the importance of keying yourselves to home vibrations while in the physical body, yet I pause not there; I would take you on, in thought, to what takes place when you are in a body less dense than the one you wear now, with faculties more acute, with a sympathy more real, with a love that is more unselfish; for then, dear children, by that wonderful law of attraction, you will find in that which is a brighter world, a home that not only holds the sweetness of the one you remember, but a home that is a home, having some resemblance to the ideal home - which our Great Parent has prepared for us all.

"Oh, think you about this: Upon the earth plane, many, many are conscious of a loneliness that is profound, but I have explained that God's Love dominates their circumstances. When sleep claims them, instantly they are in that home which holds the love they miss so sorely during their waking hours. But that is only the first step of the great and mighty stairway of mercy which God has built up out of His unfailing Love for you and for me.

"Children, I want you, as it were, to leave your own conditions and what concerns you at this stage, and to lift your thoughts to the highest point of all - to God the Creator. In that mighty Heart there is, for each one, not only a Parent's Love but a Love which no language could portray. The great God, the One who brought into being all things - oh, think ever of that One, first and foremost, as a Parent with perfect Love for His creation.

"You may say to me: 'Can it be possible that God, the All-powerful One, has overwhelming parental love for me?' And I answer, because it is an immovable truth, that the King of kings, the Lord of lords, is, first and foremost, your Mother and Father. From the great Source you draw that fragment within of parental love, love for your home, tenderness towards children - a fragment from the great Source. Yet, as you know, if separation is threatened, oh, the anguish, the terror. But that sacred emotion is only as a fragment from that which is an unending Source...

"Think of God, and then try and portray to yourselves how that One has sought to teach His little ones how to be mothers, how to be fathers. Many - though they may have passed through great experiences, as it seems to them - many still remain as a child, not in the God-sense but with that childishness which prevents them from either taking on or understanding the gift, the privilege of parenthood - aye, the gift, the privilege of being a mother or a father.

"Keep the thought of the great Parent in your mind and then put, side by side, with that, the cold teaching of the earth - that which is falsity itself - that when the physical stage is o'er those love-ties will be found unpleasing to God.

"Little ones, I have told you before that creation, in its physical form, is but a symbol, an illustration of a great and glorious fact. When you pass hence, by that which is the law of attraction, so you will find your home, and in your home the ones you love, and more than that: In the measure of your release, so you will long for more ties, for greater responsibilities; and through the love of God, by your holy desire, so you will draw to you that which represents a family in the spirit sense...

"My children, those you name the holy ones, many of these gave up home and those they loved, and took the lonely way for the sake of the Master who went in front; and there have been others who also have sought to follow their example.

"I would recall to your minds that these sacrifices are taken by God in the way that the individual desires, but think not that any man or any woman passes through the earth journey, without those closer links, without children, without protectors, without the tender companionship of those with the power not only to comfort but to inspire. Each one, when upon the earth plane, had those ties, and when they passed into sight, lo, awaiting them was a home in something of the God-sense, a home bearing a resemblance to that which our great Parent holds out to us all.

"But I want, this night, to prepare your minds in regard to those who have 'gone', so it seems to you. The children who passed out in tender years, the babies, as you would call them, each one is not only gathered into a home to receive love and care from those more experienced, but the children, by the holy instinct implanted within, at once endeavour to build a home themselves.

"This instinct is illustrated - in a stifled manner - in the little ones upon the earth plane; yes, that to us is but a pale reflection of the holy desire within, yet it urges them to collect around themselves that which represents a little family.

"Each one who passes out of twilight into Light, they are linked to those most suitable to provide the necessary experience for the stage they have commenced. You may call it wedlock, yet indeed it is a faint illustration of that final linking up of the two - the individual two - who were created by God in the far past and sent on the journey of life.

"You have had it explained to you that the next form of development beyond the purely masculine and the purely feminine is the combination of the two in their mental equipment and in that part of the stronger self which you name the emotions. The man with the two-fold mind can enter into the woman's point of view; the woman with the two-fold mind can help the man in a way impossible with the solely feminine, the woman who has not emerged out of that which represents, in many, the prison-house of sex.

"So, my children, although there are some who are able to commence this development during the earth stage, yet that development, of necessity, is only in its first stages. After physical death, with larger sight, clearer understanding, so the boy, the girl, the man, the woman, is drawn into a home; or, if they are sufficiently freed from the restrictions of the past, they form the home and draw others less developed into that sacred circle.

"Therefore, if your loved ones come back speaking through an instrument in this way, and tell you that they have ties - children, that which represents a wife or a husband, then say to yourself: 'It is for the purpose of extending that which is the twofold mind'. Never forget that the two-fold mind in its mighty ramifications of development, that that is but preparation for the three-fold mind - the Christ mind, which you and I and all humanity one day must make our own.

"We are called to perfection but the journey is long and difficult, and, it seems, beset by many pitfalls. But again, I bring you back to the home, for that which is represented by a room occupied by those who love each other, those who are sufficiently unselfish to deny themselves for the sake of the other, that, dear children, is the first stage in the development of the three-fold mind which is perfection.

"Oh, think to yourselves in this wise: 'My life upon the earth plane is blessed by much. Those I love, perchance, have been taken from me so far as the physical garment is concerned, but they are in my home; and, what is better still, many hours of each day, so I am in that home which they have built up for me and others; and, when I pass hence, out of my love of home and the clinging to family ties, so I shall be a little more fit, and a little less unsuitable for the home conditions which abound in Spirit Realms.

"Yes, my little ones, there are those in your little world who have denied themselves - through the bondage within - of this greatest privilege of all. And there are those who are childless through no fault of their own, but through the misuse of the physical garment by others in the past. Some of these have listened to the Divine instinct within, they have sought the child of another and bestowed upon it love and care; but a far greater number have withheld from doing this, for they fear that trouble might result. They explain to others that, in the adoption of a child, much risk is run, undesirable tendencies might develop, and they would then regret they had taken on such a responsibility.

"Children, when these pass hence they will find, to their intense anguish, that by turning from the lesser risk they have risked their home. There are countless thousands who wander for years after physical death without a home of their own. When it was within their power to build a home, they wanted it not; when they pass into Reality, they find that they cast from them one of the most rapid forms of development which God has put into the hands of His children.

"Indeed, my little ones, there are those who pass out of earthly life, and find, to their great amazement, that although the past held many follies all is not lost. Though they turned from the Father and showed indifference over the things of the Spirit, yet they had the parental instinct, they cared for the little ones who came along, it seemed to them, so quickly; the home was a home in spite of the fact that the Name of God was never mentioned in it.

"And because the Creator is our Father and Mother, so, out of that instinct, the one who was so careless of his future, finds to his joy that he has something which will stand, a foundation for his advancement and tools with which to sever his chains.

"Cannot you see how foolish are those who turn from the responsibilities of home and children, preferring to live where there are others to wait upon them and where they are free - so they say - to develop their bigger 'selves'. Oh, foolish ones and blind. They have thrown from them their essential weapons; they have forgotten that perfection is represented by our Father and Mother God, and they stifle even that spark of parental instinct which had survived the past.

"My children, I emphasise this again and again, and I bid you, out of your love for humanity, to speak with boldness to those within your surroundings; to explain to them that the road to God must be travelled by all in one stage or another, and perfection - that perfection which they must represent some time - perfection comprises the three-fold mind: The highest in the so-called masculine, the highest in the so-called feminine, and the purity and trust of the little child.

"And now, I bring you back to these evenings. There have been those who have questioned in regard to the written word which is sent far and wide, whether messages intimate and personal should be chronicled, whether they hold interest for others.

"Can you not see that I am governed by a spiritual law? If I represent the parent, what is a parent without his children? If those you name the holy ones represent my brothers, my sisters, has not each one who comes, to learn how to be a parent, a brother or a sister, in turn?

"Oh, I entreat those who read the records of these sacred evenings to enlarge their vision. Strangers though the speakers may seem to them, by their presence they are illustrating a spiritual truth. Aye, and more than that: Each one who comes - whether they speak or whether they are silent, whether they belong to the plane of Light or whether they are attracted out of twilight conditions by the brightness that is here - each one, bound or free, is as their brother, their sister, their mother, their father, or their little child.

"Once out of physical restrictions, parenthood is shown in its true meaning. The one with the greater experience, the one with a fuller release of the Divine within, is the parent; and the other, more bound, is the child. But remember that God's way of mercy operates from the highest to the lowest; and the one who is less free acts as parent to the one who is still more fettered, and so on, to both ends of the glorious chain to which we are all linked.

"So, my children, try and take in from these fragments of truth which I pass on, try and take in something of the gigantic nature of family life in the Spirit. Never forget that you and all are Spirit. The coverings may be many; with some they represent now that which is an unbreakable mould, but the Divine is within, and by the ministrations of others working from without, in time, the real self, by suffering, is able to, as it were, thin the mould until at last it crumbles away; and the man or the woman, bearing some resemblance to its great Parent, is able to function as Spirit in Spirit conditions...

"Family Life: The subject is unending, it has many aspects and its influence is unlimited. So I entreat everyone who reads my words to ponder on this. There are some who have asked as to the children free from the body who attach themselves to those on earth. I answer: It is God's mercy. These little ones are trying to teach you what parenthood, some day, must mean. Those who have something of this holy instinct, to these the little ones gather close to learn from them how to be mothers, how to be fathers, for they know that each one must learn that lesson for themselves.

"And the 'lesson', my children, goes on and on, increasing in beauty, opening out to a power and gladness impossible for you to grasp at this stage.

"So thank your God for the love which you have at this time, and never forget that each one, because of that love, is not only a parent now but is preparing themselves for that greater parenthood when the physical garment is no more. The highest conditions which are God's conditions, are represented first by the great Parent, and then by the perfect home prepared by that Parent as an example to all, as an illustration of that to which each one must attain in time to come...

"Children, I will leave you for a space, but I must go back on this subject many times, for I feel, this night, so little has been said that I am denying the ones I love so well, that I am keeping from them the joy, the exquisite bliss of which I myself partake, under the grace of God.

"But oh, let that which you name your imagination roam far and wide; draw out of the greater memory within recollection of that beautiful home in which you function during the sleep state; aye, that home which shall grow in its loveliness as you yourselves seek to create upon the earth something of a real home, and something of that same instinct in those around...

"I leave you with great regret, yet I am comforted by the thought that, as the days go on, so your comprehension will grow and grow regarding those things prepared for you by our Father and Mother God - symbols of His great Parent-Heart, illustrations of His unlimited Love.

"...Greetings from one out of the past. As a stranger I come into your presence, yet my name is known by all; and this night, after much waiting, so the Master, as it were, has opened the door, bidding me speak to you in tones of reassurance. I hesitate to give a name so familiar to you, for I look back on the incident narrated in the Sacred Record, and I shrink with shame, yet I feel the love-links all around...

"It is the one you name Nicodemus, and your love has called me into your presence.

"I would go back on the past and make one thing plain to all. This man had the possessions of the earth; that which was recognised as power was in my hands. I was a master of Israel and the Jews were as the dust beneath my feet. Yet, something stirred within; and on my visits to the Temple, which I made as custom directed, there I met the one you name Zodiac, and I listened to his words. Straight were his eyes and piercing, and the man within oft shrank as from a whip. So it chanced that when the great and holy Prophet was near at hand, I sought Him by night.

"Oh, anguish lies in these words. Does it not express the man of power, he who was a master of Israel? Oh, the mockery that such a one went by night in the darkness to seek out Truth. Yet, I am restrained, and as I speak so garment after garment of joy is folded around me, for the wise and noble one in the Temple not only showed the way, but ever and anon, paused to call to this same one. And time was when no longer the master of Israel sought Truth under cover of night, but he laid aside the chains of self and took the way of suffering, which led into the brightness of eternal Life.

"So the gladness comes, yet I fain would send a message out to others, for there are those bound even as I was, those who seek Truth under cover of the darkness of the night. Many there are who know that this great gift is within the possession of man; they use the gift, aye, some hold the gift, yet when others speak regarding the gift, lo, they are dumb.

"To these so I am directed to pass on that which was and is the Truth. When we are bound by the world, cowardice holds our hearts; but when we have sought and found the Christ, then something of the courage of the Master is made our own. I was a man with authority yet without government over my lesser self; but the time came when, shamed by the one in the Temple who sought not Christ by night, I took my stand with him, and, side by side, we passed along the road that led to the death of self. The pangs of the body brought light, the stripes and the beatings and the imprisonments - these rent the veil asunder; and when the garment was torn from me, I found Christ under the dazzling light of a day which had no end...

"Thus I come and thus I leave you. Within my words lies warning for all. You who are gathered here seek Christ and that which He holds out, in the daylight of the physical world - symbolical of much. To those secretive ones who fear the scorn and judgment of others, to such as these one word: Think on that which was Nicodemus and beware. Yet, by the mercy straight from the Father's Heart, Nicodemus drew strength from All-Strength and passed out of dimness into a revelation which has no ceasing, to which there is no end.

(After all had spoken, Zodiac returned and continued...)

"...My children all, I want you to take away with you this one grand thought - that tonight, by your presence here, by your attention and dedication, you have not only added to the beauty of your own conditions but you have shown to many homeless ones that, in time to come, that sweetest gift of all shall be made their own.

"Around us far away stretching into the distance, as you would say, so I have gathered in those who have forfeited the privilege of a home. Think what this night has meant to them. They have seen - indeed it is all above us - the power of love, the beauty of service; and inspired by that which they have seen and heard, so, in the little tomorrow, they will have made for themselves that which represents a tiny home, to be enlarged and enlarged again.

"But the only way to build a home, and the only way to people that home, is by love; and love means giving out, although as a natural result it draws back treasure in return.

"Never forget that you, day by day, are building up the next place in which you will dwell, and more than that, by your attitude of mind you are supplying that strength, that power, which, passed on to those who are without, shall give unto them the will to strive and to create for themselves.

"So I bless you in the Name of our Father and Mother God, and I entreat you to pass on something of the inner significance of home and home ties, realising that in so doing you are portraying to others something of our Eternal Home, of that unlimited joy provided by our God.

"In the Name of Love I bless you with love; in the name of peace I bless you with the gifts of peace; under the power of the Holy Spirit so I bless you with realisation as to the great destiny which lies before us all - Perfection - to be once more in the image of All-Holiness, All-Wisdom, All-Love...

All rights are reserved and may not be used or reproduced, neither in whole nor in part thereof, in or on any form of media, including the Internet. The providing of direct hyperlinks to Greater World website copyright material is welcomed, thereby fulfilling any intended aspirations for anyone concerned whilst maintaining the integrity of the well-intentioned, deeply-considered and long-standing ideals of the Greater World.

The Greater World has sole copyright for the Zodiac Messages and came into existence as the Greater World Christian Spiritualist League in 1931 (U.K. Registered Charity No. 212369). The Greater World was originally established purely because of the Zodiac Messages and their introduction into earthly life by the Christ Messenger Zodiac and the further revelations of the Christ Mission expounded therein. The inception of the Greater World was for the preservation, as received, of the Zodiac Messages and the prudent dissemination of the spiritual philosophy, consequently perpetuating the incorruptibility, distinctiveness and uniqueness of the Zodiac Messages and the teachings contained therein.

Download 9 chronologically-ordered digital books of earlier Zodiac Circle sittings (1923-1928)

Listen to a reading of this Address