An address given by the Christ messenger Zodiac through the deep trance mediumship of Miss Winifred Moyes,
at the Zodiac Circle, 15 Nightingale Square, London, SW12, on Saturday, 31st March, 1928.
"O God, our Father, Thou who hast given unto us the privilege of calling ourselves Thy children, grant that we, fixing our eyes upon the Christ, may become more like the One who loves us best. Oh, grant that we may be grateful that the call has come to us, that we may realise that we have placed upon us that which is the cloak of service, and with that wrapped around the protection is complete.
"Father, these Thy little ones are conscious oft of failure; they know that there is that which must be overcome, yet sometimes they fail to find within the valiant heart and the understanding mind which allows them to grasp the Cross, and to thank Thee for the gift of sorrow because of the mighty gain it brings. Oh, let Thy children, this night, become aware that they are linked to Thee in that which represents the burdens of daily life. We ask it in the Name of Love. Amen...
"...My children, in the surroundings of this little home there is more than the hint of spring, and I want you once more to take Nature as a symbol of your individual lives; to say not to yourselves: 'My troubles, my anxieties seem to increase', but, with faith, to exclaim: 'Although, at this time I am beset by much, God is in command of my life and all that takes place is well'.
"This, I realise, is a high point to reach both mentally and spiritually, but remember you are not merely men and women, you are Spirit, you are the sons and daughters of All-Power, All-Holiness, All-Love; and if you seek to do that which the greater self dictates, then you shall draw around you so mighty a strength that the time will come when you will look back on these days - with their half-light, with their half-understanding - and smile because they presented so difficult a problem.
"Oh, my children, cannot you grasp something of what your Father and Mother God has prepared for you? You have been called out of the valley and you are climbing the hill. At times it seems over steep, at times rebellion seizes the physical mind; but those who trod the way before recollect their own experiences, they chide you not but they come to you in love, and they say: 'Lean on me'. And so another span is passed.
"Little ones, when I talk of the journey of life, what it holds, its many so-called reverses, I am trying to show you what is the purpose and what is the plan; and, this night, under the direction of the Master of us all, I am instructed to speak to you on that which I name: 'The Gratitude of God'.
"There are many still fettered by the mind of the body who will challenge this statement regarding the gratitude of God. They will say to you: 'This verges upon blasphemy; it is we who should show gratitude to our Creator'. Yet, within that argument, lies the key to the truth, but they are held by much, and though they speak the words, the truth within escapes their discernment.
"My children, God - the One who loves us best, the One who has fought for us over time unthinkable, the One who suffers with us and for us when the adverse forces seem too great - that One holds all the virtues, all the high attributes, all the sweetest emotions - aye, in perfection. And so, I ask you to come with me in thought, while I try and indicate the lines on which the Master would have us think.
"All who read the history of the past, who ponder upon the lives, the destinies of those of old, who turn to the Sacred Record and see therein narrations of failures and also of spiritual successes which entirely escaped the consciousness of the ones concerned, all who read the story of the past are conscious that one of the chief things which has held humanity back, which has thwarted its spiritual emancipation, which has cast a blight upon those to come, has been that which you name ingratitude.
"But you say to me perchance: 'That is the ingratitude of man towards his God'. But, I ask you to wait a little, and you will see the end - which is the glorious beginning - to which I am endeavouring to lead your thoughts.
"Those you name the children of Israel - and I refer to them because God manifested Himself in so definite a way to this group of human souls - the children of Israel fluctuated between faith and rank disbelief. At times they worshipped the Lord God Jehovah, but, again and again, oft in secret, they turned back to their idols, giving that which they had erected themselves the devotion of their hearts.
"Yet, I remind you, that if ignorance alone influences any of the children of the earth to worship that which you name false gods - if ignorance is responsible, God takes the obedience, the little sacrifices, as that made unto Himself. But with the children of Israel this does not apply, for they had their prophets and teachers, under Moses, and these for ever strove to draw back their wayward thoughts, because they knew that thereby only could the protection be complete.
"Drawn out from a hardship, a slavery impossible for you to grasp, from a tyranny, a cruelty beyond my powers to portray, at first a great, great thankfulness filled their being. Yes, they spoke with gratitude, always in tones of praise for the great God who had thus released them, who had taken them out of the bondage which held them so fast. And then, because the spirit within was still fettered in a thousand ways, because the chains of the past bound them as prisoners to their lesser selves, so gratitude slowly but surely gave place to complaint.
"They had the necessities for the body, yet they were not content; and they called to the teachers and the prophets in tones of fierce complaint; and God - because He understood that these were as children in their spiritual development - He gave them that which they desired. Yet, it brought not thanks, except for the passing moment; and again they demanded other things, less wise, less fitting for the life which must be led. And when God hearkened to their voice because they were importunate children, so that which came brought its punishment both to the garment in which they functioned and also to the mind which they used.
"Little ones, this is but an illustration of what has happened since the beginning of that which you name creation. Protection in full and that which was sufficient to sustain, this was a gift from God when you and I started off on the long journey of experience. The traveller who takes long journeys across this little world, he knows that the wise one travels light, that he does not burden himself with non-essentials.
"Yet, since that period when the soul first turned from God and chose self-will in preference to the will of the Most High, this has happened, and it has brought a penalty which even now we are working out. Aye, those in the far past, out of that which was the rising up of the lesser self, the desire for power, they drew to themselves that which indeed proved a hindrance - serious then, and still more serious as their involution went on.
"Yet, think not that this night I come to speak in any tones but those of cheer. I am sending your minds back over the past because there lies the key to what is your lot and the lot of humanity today.
"Long before this little planet was brought into use, so the individual sought that which was beyond the necessities for its need; and in that fact lies the root of all the sadness, all the suffering which has followed us since that first time when we were not content with the protection of God, with the sustenance necessary for the garment worn at that stage.
"We cried out for this and we demanded that, and God - understanding our weakness and having bestowed the gift of free-will - God, though He sought to save, had bound Himself by His own laws, and so the damage was done; and the damage is being done today in the same way and its effect is beyond your comprehension, for, alas, it will take many stages for the individual to realise where the trouble lies.
"And so, my children, you see - and it is all so plain - that part of man's lot is caused by that which you name ingratitude, man's ingratitude to His God.
"But now I would turn to the other side of the shield and give a small portion of the view-point, the attitude of the Most High. In the first place, dear children, when God created you and me in the likeness of Himself, that creation came, as you are aware, from the strong desire housed within the Mother and Father Heart of God to have children, inheritors of that which He held Himself.
"Yet, God could give of Himself only as a gift. Experience - that which you name individuality - was absent. We were just part of the great Godhead, we were that which was Himself, not that which had the power to think, to do, to build individually, if drawing strength from the Great Source.
"And so, my little ones, although, perchance, it seems strange to you, I want you to remember that within the Bestower of all Life lies gratitude in perfection: Gratitude towards His children when they love Him; gratitude towards His little ones when they arise in strength and endeavour to carry their cross; gratitude to you, gratitude to us all when we, in our blundering way, seek to raise another more bound than ourselves, seek to pass on courage and endurance. And remember that only by the release of the greater self within can the individual love his Creator and long to draw closer to Him.
"And then, my little ones, that brings me to something which seems to have touched your lives, perhaps with one here and there in a great measure. I speak to those who have tried to lead others out of the twilight of misunderstanding into the light of realisation. You remember that which causes you pain. Ah, how many - how many - when they had got that which they desired, still held to the path, still put forth the effort?
"In their time of trouble they turned to you, for help they must have, and in your way you tried to show them the meaning of sorrow and loss. They responded in part and they vowed to you, and they vowed to themselves, that thenceforward they would try and be better men and women. Some kept their word but many forgot.
"Little ones, there were others who turned upon you; they rendered you neither gratitude nor love, and in your absence some showed treachery towards you; and you suffered; you said to yourself: 'I tried to help, I was thinking of them, and now see what I have reaped'.
"My children, these tests and trials are part of the journey. Think of the Christ, how amongst His friends and followers He gave of Himself, how He denied Himself rest and that quietude which every sensitive so sorely needs. Yes, they gathered to Him, listening to His words, taking, taking, taking; and then, when His hour of trial came, one and all they forsook Him and fled.
"Cannot you see, dear children, how these experiences link you to Christ? And forget not this: That although those you tried to help turned upon you and did that which they could to hurt and wound, you had the gratitude of your Father and Mother God, a gratitude so wide, so extensive, that it escapes you altogether.
"This is the truth, and the Master stands before me as I speak. When, in His loneliness, He faced death - and that which was ten thousand times worse, the hatred of those He came to save - through His pangs, through that which He endured, so, little ones, when others use you and forget their obligations, then the gratitude of the Master is around you, closing you in.
"I speak upon this theme tonight for, indeed, each one who is a missionary under Christ must face that experience if they have not been through it at this stage. And I warn them so that when that time comes, they may keep a steady faith and turn to the Source of gratitude, and glory in the Love that God expresses.
"For think you like this: There are many who say: 'I do this and that for others but I seek not gratitude'. Little ones, there is a wide, wide span between that most beautiful emotion of gratitude and the ingratitude which is the companion of treachery. And so I ask you all to steady your nerve to meet that which you name ingratitude as you go along trying to do God's will, as you seek to raise those upon your own plane, or, during the sleep state, you endeavour to bring light into conditions which indeed represent darkness itself.
"And in this respect I would instruct you, for many of my children and many of those who love the Father and seek to do His work, are conscious that all is not harmony around. During the sleep state, each one of you - under the guidance of those more experienced - give up your rest in the planes of Light and take of your gifts to those in horrible bondage.
"My children, how can you expect that these, so bound, should be grateful to you or should even appreciate that which you seek to do? There are many who indeed, as it were, bite the hand that seeks to draw them into safety; there are countless numbers who, as you would say, stab you in the back, and yet you have given your little all to bring them peace and sweet content.
"I speak upon these lines, for some of my children have suffered sorely in this same way. That which is upon the physical plane - the taking in time of trouble and the forgetting when things go well - that is but a faint surface indication of what goes on in the real life, when the consciousness is not bound. You, on your journeys through the dark planes, literally take your happiness in your hands; but forget not the gratitude of your God.
"When the Master of us all passed out of the physical tabernacle, He went from that which was a 'hell' of hatred upon this earth into other 'hells' of hatred (1 Pet. 3:18-20, 4:6), and He sought to save those who were there, to give them back that which they had lost. Out of suffering into suffering. Do you think that those so bound were grateful to their Saviour? Little ones, they turned upon Him even as His accusers and those who crucified Him on the Cross.
"This must be faced because within this truth lies explanation - explanation of the sadness, aye, that deep, deep sorrow which sometimes walks beside you and shuts out the Light of God. Cannot you see that in the measure of your release - of the release of any individual - so is the measure of their gratitude?
"And thus it is that we find gratitude in its highest form in God. No words of mine can portray the gratitude of our Creator when we go among His children and seek to draw them out of the shadows, to teach them, to indicate the joy that lies in front. Are we not doing that which is nearest and dearest to His Heart? For the great longing holds the Father that His little ones shall be brought back to their high estate, shall be made ready for their great inheritance, shall be able to take of those gifts which He so desires to bestow.
"My children, when you feel gratitude to God that is not in the nature of a duty, indeed it is the link between you. Duty, so oft, is a matter of will - this is entirely one of the heart; and when you thank Him for blessings, when you thank Him for your friends, when you thank Him for the gift of this great truth, you are that much nearer to Him.
"And forget not God's gratitude as you strive to become more like your Father and Mother, and His gratitude is expressed in a million forms. The Father-Mother God is grateful to His children when they are willing to tread the pathway of life without all those unessentials, without all that pandering to the mind or the physical body in the way of gathering comforts, that which indeed presents a hindrance to His work. The Father is grateful to His little ones when they say: 'I do not mind'.
"Oh, think you: Cannot you understand? If you had a child of your own and he had few toys, few pleasures, how joy would chase through your being if the little one came to you and said: 'I do not mind; I love you and that is all that matters'.
"God is our Parent; the instinct in the Mother, in the Father, and in the child, is expressed in perfection in the great God of all, for it comes from Him. Think you of those who companion you, those who have worked for you. When you are grateful to them you are expressing a fragment of the God-Mind, you are demonstrating that you are a child of God, that you have inherited some of His characteristics... What a comfort lies in explanation!
"So, my little ones, although I have but touched upon this subject - and indeed it is as a mature tree with countless branches and still more leaves - though I have but indicated something of the wonderful truth expressed in the gratitude of God, yet I think I have opened, as it were, another gateway into understanding.
"And I want you to pursue the path in front, to think to yourselves as the days go by, as you work for Christ, aye, as you minister to the physical needs of others, that around you there is the gratitude of God; and when you think of that, oh, my little ones, the chains which hold the gratitude within will be snapped, and, indeed, in miniature, Divine gratitude will be your own.
"And so I pass from you, but I ask you all to lay this truth upon your heart. If your lives hold hardships, overwork and sorrow, why, the Light of the Love of God is streaming upon you, and you clasp your gifts, for realisation has come at last. Now I leave you for a space. We have work to do under the guidance of the Master, and those who speak in these conditions are controlled, constrained, by that which is of Him..."
(After others had spoken, Zodiac returned and continued...)
"...My children, I do not intend to keep you longer this night, I have in mind, as I speak, something so beautiful that I long to pass it on to you. Around you, each one, there are those who took the journey upon the earth plane in the long past. There they stand, representing something of the freedom of the Spirit, something of the Love of God, and they bid me speak to you in this wise - yet, when you hear, you will push the thought away and say it should come from you:
"Those who have gathered in thank you for that which you have given unto them, they thank you for your help in the work they have undertaken, they thank you for allowing yourselves to be used as instruments in the dark planes, and they say to me: 'Oh, impress upon them that as they strive, as they cling to faith and banish despair, so they are giving to us that which otherwise we should be without'.
"And so, my little ones, hold in your minds the thought of the glorious chain. The weakest, as they gain their first supply of strength, they express gratitude to the givers; those who are strong, they, again, draw strength from others nearer to the Light which never fades. These send their gratitude to those who are weak because they make the effort to take, and, again, their gratitude goes to God for the generous bestowal of the power.
"Right up the scale this law is put into operation; and forget not Christ, our God, the joy which comes to Him when those He is seeking to draw back into security are willing to be led. And each one of you who is helping another to rise, who is giving sight to the inly blind, each one has won for themselves the gratitude of God, for you are His little ones and the Father Heart yearns over all. And in the measure that a child aspires, so indeed is there joy in the heavens, for, again, the blessing passes from Source through link after link, and the blessing is never exhausted, the power has no end...
"So, my children, enlarge your minds, open your hearts, and remember that when you feel grateful to another for the help they seek to give you, you are expressing something of that which is in perfection in the Mind of God, your Creator, your Father and Mother, the One who loves you best.
"So I bless you with illumination, with a greater imagination regarding the Mind of God and all that which He has prepared for you. As you love Him, so indeed you can take the blessing of the Christ, the peace of the Holy Spirit, and the confidence which the knowledge of your great Parent brings and builds up for you...
"Farewell, my children, and let not the future cast a shade over the present, for both belong to God. Farewell."
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