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 Monday, 8th March, 1925
"O Christ, our Companion and our Friend, gather us all in this evening, and grant that, resting on Thy strength, we may be healed of the pains of mind and body; and thus restored, may go on, not only with determination, but with the inexpressible joy which comes from giving up ourselves into Thy service.
"O God, increase our faith; grant that the shadows may be powerless to throw over the bright future those clouds of grey, which make Thy children hesitate over what lies in front... Grant that the spiritual sight with which Thou hast endowed them may enable them to see the Light and Light only...
"Father of Infinite Love, we, Thy little children, have much to learn, have much to understand, ere we can partake of even a limited number of the uncountable joys which are our own - through Thy tender generosity... Let us be charged with faith, with trust and with that greater comprehension, so that the way may be gladsome indeed, and the past and all its memories powerless to hurt us more...
"Father, we ask all these good gifts, as children, knowing that Thou art always ready to bestow, and will help and guide us... Amen...
"...My children, we must go a little slowly in the beginning, because the enemies of the physical have been rather troublesome today; and, as you know, the effect of these struggles is a weariness of heart and mind, which hampers the spirit a little - in the measure that the physical and spiritual minds are not in harmony.
"You have been told that physical weakness and the vicissitudes of daily life are a source of gain to the spirit; and I would not have you overlook that point. But it is quite consistent to say, that, at the time, there is an adverse effect which such encounters leave behind; and it is with 'the present' I am engaged now...
"Children, there are so many subjects to discuss, that, although these evenings were arranged for in that far yesterday, as you have been told before, yet the events and the thoughts and the conditions in which my fast-growing family is placed, make me hesitate a little in regard to the presentation of those grains of knowledge which I have been instructed to impart.
"You see, dear children, that when we are free from the body and its many restrictions, when we have seen and have heard a few of the many wonders which are everywhere in the Realms of Light - then it is a little difficult to choose just that aspect of the grain of Truth we wish to teach - just the aspect, which, at the time, will be most acceptable to the physical mind.
"You see, I am treating the physical mind as a thing of some importance - and so it is - it is the weapon, the tool, the vehicle of self-expression, which is tangible to you during the earth stages. Comparatively few people ever stop to consider or to analyse themselves - I mean they are quite content with the physical aspect of their lives; indeed, the body and its needs, its desires, its many requirements, provide such an interesting topic for conversation and for private thought that they do not wish to be bothered with anything further.
"Look around you - how few there are who are conscious that, primarily, they are Spirit; how few who realise that the physical body is but a garment to be worn for a little while, until that which is within - having out-grown its use - lays it aside; when, so far as the actual 'body' is concerned, it will be forgotten and unregretted.
"You see, human nature is still in a very elementary state in regard to those higher things of the Spirit - which, however, one day will have to engage the attention of all, whether they will or not.
"I want you to think very seriously about those two instruments of use with which you are provided - I mean the physical and the spiritual minds. And although I refer to them under separate headings, this is entirely and only because man, as a whole, makes the division himself.
"The physical mind is even as a sensitive plate, as you have been told before. It receives countless impressions - and, in its turn, through the vehicle of speech and of action, is able to pass on those impressions to others. You call it: "Influence" and it can well come under that designation; but, after all, what is influence? Influence is the domination of a stronger thought, a stronger feeling, or a stronger vision over that which is weaker; and, as you know only too well, 'influence' can be detrimental in the extreme.
"Now, in regard to the physical mind: That mind, to a certain extent, is at the mercy of its environment. The people you mix with, the books you read - these and a multitude of other emanations from things as well as from people - these being focussed on that which is intensely impressionable, builds up the thought and the attitude of mind which you carry on from day to day.
"It is an interesting subject; but when you come here, dear children, you will see that indeed it has its sad aspect as well. There are so many 'influences' at work, of which the children undergoing their physical experience are entirely unaware. But Our Lord and all who followed in His steps, have ever exhorted mankind to keep close to God - close to the protection which He provides in so lavish a way.
"Can you not understand that it was not possible to tell the people of that generation how the position really was? To tell them that not only those in the body, in their daily life, were influencing and swaying that physical mind not yet closely fettered to the Divine - but there were countless thousands, free from the body, it is true, but, alas, not free from the memory of physical thoughts - and these, dear children, do destructive work indeed.
"I speak most seriously tonight, because, unfortunately, those who are in a sensitive condition of mind, are influenced to an enormous extent, by those others, who never cease to force their evil and harmful thoughts upon those who are out to climb.
"Cannot you grasp what I would warn you against? Yes, there are those among my children who have suffered grievously from these attacks - and sorrow and heart-break and something akin to despair has been their portion as a result.
"Children, if once you could see these enemies of Our Lord and Master, you would spurn them for ever more. It is because you cannot see them, and because you are scarcely on your guard sufficiently to 'feel' the nature of these destroying forces, that you allow them to approach.
"There is so much underlying my warning - and I speak in most compassionate, most understanding tones, especially to the younger ones among you. I entreat you - for the sake of your spirit, for the sake of that God-given happiness which awaits you - I entreat you to meet these enemies as you would meet an enemy in physical life; not to quail, not to cringe, not to ask for mercy; but in confidence, with perfect self-control to say: 'I am linked to One who is stronger than you all!'
"Oh, my children, how I long to help you more; yet if you refuse that unlimited help which is offered to you, what can we do but to pray and pray again? The spirit is held free and untouched by those attacks, but - as I explained in regard to the weakness of the physical body - at the time, there is damage done which we find it very hard to work against. But let me go back. We were thinking of the physical mind - and while I am on this subject, I want to take you a little further in regard to that much-discussed gift which you call: 'Imagination'.
"Now, dear children, as you know, it is against my practice to attempt to destroy any of the many theories, so carefully thought out, concerning these different questions; and when you get on a little farther, you will find that the position is this: That I have destroyed very little that man has attempted to explain. I have merely taken you on from the physical aspect into the spiritual; and it all fits in quite harmoniously; and no blanks or awkward corners are left behind.
"My children, imagination is a gift from God; but, as you are well aware, it can be used by those who are evil indeed. That 'image-making', which those who have studied the question find it quite easy to explain on physical grounds - to their satisfaction, and to the satisfaction of the majority - that word is, purely, a misnomer. Image-making or imagination, is something which is built up by other 'suggestions', influences, and scenes.
"Yet tonight, I tell you quite simply, that imagination - true imagination - has its roots in the Spirit and is of the Spirit alone.
"Children, not only when you are asleep, but for a large portion of your waking hours, the real you is not fettered to the physical world at all; it is wandering in the Realms of the Spirit. And when you say, or you see, that a person is 'lost in thought', it means that the real self is functioning in one of the countless spiritual realms while the body remains on earth, doing its duty, following out its mundane tasks, may be; but only that which is akin to the world remains behind.
"Children, in regard to the physical and the spiritual minds: When you get on a little, you will find that they can be so intermingled that it would be difficult to draw the dividing line. And yet I must explain this, otherwise you will get a false impression:
"Now, the physical mind is the tool, the vehicle, which even the youngest souls bring with them for use during their earthly experience. As the soul evolves, it disentangles itself from that same physical mind, in one sense. Or let me put it another way round: That physical mind is slowly but surely becoming spiritualised.
"And if you could draw a map representing the two gifts, you would find that, as you grow spiritually, as experience is made your own and overcome, so that which represents the physical mind is slowly but surely submerged by the spiritual. And it is possible. It was worked out by those servants of Christ who carried on His ministry - and it has been illustrated, again and again, by the so-called saints and holy teachers of all time. It is possible that ere the body is laid aside, that that which represents the physical mind exists no longer, because the spirit, rising and dominating that which is of the earth, is able to bring about this transition - which appears even as the 'destruction' of that which is associated with the body.
"My children, I want you to get this clear. I want you to realise, more and more, that the physical and the spiritual interpenetrate again and again. It is purely a matter of personal effort - there is no division, so far as the Father is concerned, between that which is of Him and that which is of the world. Your part, during your earthly sojourn, is to take that which is not of Him, and - by prayer and effort and understanding - to change it from greyness into brightness - change it from that drabness which represents the thought of the world, into the Light and the Joy and the Beauty which is of God...
"Never despair, little ones, if, on going through your physical minds, you feel that your task is only just begun - never despair. Because all have been through that stage - all those whom now you long to be like, all those dear ones, the bright ones, the visitors who come to you in this way - they have been through the hard stages too, and many - yes, many, are going through desperately hard stages now. The only difference being that they know - they are certain - that that which is not allied to the spirit, can be, and will be, made one with the Divine within...
"Children, talking thus intimately with you, I take little points here and there, which I think will help you on your upward way; but again I come back to the chief subject, as it would appear to you: What is that illusive thing called 'Imagination?'
"My children, it is at once a complex and a perfectly simple thing. It is memory - pure and simple - memory which brings its responsibility, as well as its privileges. During those periods when the mind of the spirit escapes from its imprisonment, it receives impressions of a varied kind; not only conceptions of things scarce understood by the physical organ - revelations of the wonders and the beauties which lie everywhere in the Higher Realms - but also impressions from those darker planes of thought, which are gathered close round each one in the world today.
"Children, it is very much the same as listening to a complicated and intricate explanation in the form of a lecture - only those highly trained can bring away with them an accurate and comprehensive impression of what has been said. The majority, for the most part, are glad to fix upon given points; and, holding these 'points' firmly in the mind, at leisure, to go back over them and, by that same 'memory', fill in as many blanks as possible.
"There, in illustration, you get a simple explanation of 'imagination'. The mind of the spirit soars out and away. During the sleep state, it is taken on many journeys far, far from the earth plane indeed. So much is acquired, so many sights and sounds and wonders and marvels are thrown upon that exquisitely delicate mechanism of the mind of the spirit, which, by their very spirituality, cannot be transferred to the mind of the body.
"Yet, what happens is this: A thought - an 'Inspiration' - is able to penetrate, but nothing more. Yet from that thought - that inspiration - the busy physical mind starts to build. And, as with the lecture, the individual, remembering a point here and there - by the aid of the Spirit power which is all around them - is able to conceive something which is harmony of sound, of beauty, or of structure.
"And there you have the explanation of 'genius', whether it relates to the fine arts or whether to that greatest gift of all - the gift of understanding a little more of the things which are of God...
"Children, this is a vast subject; and I want you to give me your full attention tonight - I am seeking to make the tangle straight, to give a clear and lucid idea of the processes of the physical mind and its relation to the mind of the spirit.
"In regard to 'imagination' - and, of course, all the great 'masters' of art, in every form, have this gift in great proportion - in regard to imagination it can be a gift of God, or it can be turned into a wicked gift - as one of those so 'inspired' has put it (Tennyson?).
"Here you get your warning - here you see the sign-post: Those who are sensitive in the degree that they retain the 'memory' of what they have seen, what they have experienced through the mind of the spirit - those so sensitive have their choice. They have their choice as to whether they will walk in the Fields of Holiness, or on those lower planes of thought and feeling which have been built up by the thoughts and feelings of men and women during their physical lives...
"Now think you of this as it stands: It is possible for you, or for anyone, even during your waking hours, to send that mind of the spirit - which is free to wander where it will - to send it into conditions which are intensely harmful.
"Children, free-will is never interfered with. And although 'imagination', so-called, is a gift of God, yet, because of that freedom of will, it is quite possible - indeed it happens more often than not - that that which is so free wanders in planes of thought which are destructive to the work which the spirit has set itself to accomplish. And here you get the desecration of art, here you get 'genius' used by the evil indeed.
"Children, there are many in the material world who, under the name of 'art', do much destructive work. They concentrate on the things which are of the earth, on that physical body which, as I have said, is but a garment to be laid aside and forgotten. Under the name of 'art', thought-influences which are dangerous to others go forth. And I would warn all those who read my words against this great mistake: Because that which is impure comes under the heading of 'art' - it does not make it pure. And, in God's sight - that which is built, that which is created, that which is portrayed which appeals only to the lower emotions - in God's sight, that is enemy work indeed.
"Children, never allow yourselves to be persuaded that because thoughts which are impure, thoughts which are destructive to the spirit within - that because these are presented to you as 'art' - never allow yourselves to be persuaded that this is excuse enough.
"So characteristically, so terribly characteristically, man concentrates on the body, on that which is physical, on that which never becomes anything more than physical - ignoring the quest of the soul within, ignoring the fact that although the body in which it is encased may be beautiful according to physical standards, the spirit - which is of God - is lovelier, far lovelier in every sense there could be.
"The time will come when that which they regarded as beauty - that grace of form or of feature - when they will turn from the remembrance of that with loathing, because it signifies the state of bondage they were in, and how that 'imagination', how that 'memory', illustrated the journeys the mind of the spirit undertook - using that term 'spirit' purely in the sense that it signifies that within which is free, free to wander where it will outside your limited earth plane.
"My children, the responsibility towards the real spirit, in regard to these journeys, is terrific. Cannot you see that yourself? The Father gives you unlimited freedom - except so far as that little which is 'physical' is concerned - the Father gives the 'real you' that wonderful freedom to roam where it will. And, more than that: Helpers and guides, trained servants of our God, wait to take you into those higher realms where holiness abounds on every side. Yet the freedom of the will cannot be interfered with; and so it is that during the hours of sleep many wander, not in planes of evil, it is true, but in those destructive planes of sadness, where 'the past' and all the 'questionings' are held.
"Children, cannot you understand? Think of the countless thousands who have lived and had their day - their regrets, their repinings, their backward thoughts, their prayers against the Spirit. These 'influences' stand, remaining until the soul within humanity has grown sufficiently strong to destroy them - and in these planes of twilight many wander during their daily life, as well as during the hours when sleep claims them.
"I want you to look at things in a practical way. Life - physical life - may not be easy for many; it is difficult, indeed. Yet, in addition to grappling with the inevitable strain - unconsciously though it may be - the lesser self sends the greater self through those planes where misunderstanding has built up an atmosphere of sorrow and depression.
"Oh, my children, let it be your part not only to control your own thoughts, but also to warn others of the danger which lies so close at hand. At will - mark you, at will - that which is free within can soar into the spheres where darkness is unknown; but you must send it thence deliberately and with intent. And then, dear children, I can promise you, and I can promise them, that the 'imagination' - that all those thoughts which float through the mind, coming from you know not where - all these shall bring a reflection of the brightness which the real you has left behind - left behind because you could not grapple with, or bear the Joy, which is the keynote of those conditions which are of God.
"Yes, as I said, enough brightness to gladden your lives and to change the whole aspect of your point of view. This you shall bring back to the mind of the body - and then no more will the days seem long, no more will time pass on leaden feet, because, though imprisoned in the flesh, you will be living and acting and functioning, and even seeing, in the Spirit - the Spirit which is all around, ever more pressing, ever more persistent, and, by its magnetic force, pushing further and further away - or, if you will - covering more closely, more effectively, that which still remains 'physical' in the minds you use.
"Children, after all, I have been able to say very little. There is, as you can understand, a variety of aspects in regard to the physical and spiritual mind, which must be understood either in your world or in those conditions hereafter. But I want you to think over what I have said: I want you to give that gift of 'imagination' its rightful place, and also to control its going out and its coming in - to allow yourselves no latitude in that direction...
"The fields of Light, those realms of holiness, of beauty and of power, are open to you in a way you little dream. Then send the mind of the spirit upward and ever upward, and close the door for ever on that which is destructive indeed.
"My children, I will leave you now, but I must return to this subject again in the days to come. Prepare your minds so far as you are able, and remember what I have said: That if you could once see, with the eyes of the body, those 'influences' who masquerade as 'holy sorrow' and 'rightful grief' - if only you could see them, you would shrink from them in very truth - 'shrink' because you would know they are allied to that which is of darkness, using their powers solely to strike the Tender Heart of God. Because, remember, when you suffer, He suffers too; and when you grieve and when you feel the journey is over-long, then, because you are His own, so that which is Love Divine is hurt and hurt again... And now I leave you..."
(After others had spoken, Zodiac returned and continued...)
"...Well, my children, I think we will not strain things too much tonight. God has been so good - has vouchsafed so much power, that we have carried through the evening with very little strain, except on the vocal cords.
"Now, dear children, you often wonder, amongst yourselves, how it is that sometimes I can control - or, rather, produce the voice of the one I use - and yet, at other times, that same voice seems in danger of disappearing altogether.
"It is a little difficult to explain; and yet, of course, all these things have a perfectly simple explanation, because they relate to those spiritual laws which are in evidence right through physical life, as well as through those conditions of Spirit, which you are even now learning a little about.
"Children, I have told you that although unlimited power, drawn direct from God, is at my disposal, yet there are times when I refrain from using that power, because of the strain, in a physical sense, on my child.
"Now, there is another little point: There may be those who think that considerable strain is put upon my little secretary (Dorrie) in the taking down of these records. I am not denying that, but - and this has been demonstrated over and over again - that which is given out at these gatherings is the direct tool which I am able to use in order to protect her from undue strain during her daily work...
"I want to make this clear: When destructive forces are at work, my power, and the power of the many who love and would wish to help her - that power is limited in the degree that we can only just bring her through. Now, my child, I want you to try and take the comfort which is offered so freely. You have been told, again and again, that you work for God - and I can say that you do it willingly and to the best of your ability. And if you would have it so, the hours of effort given in this sacred way could protect you from those many attacks which the shadows - yes, I must say it - which the shadows concentrate upon inflicting. The time spent in this way, could protect you from the sorrow which such conflicts evoke in the physical mind...
"You see, dear child, that even here I was hindered; showing once more how my power is limited. Unlimited from God's point of view, unlimited from my point of view - limited only by that unconscious act of free-will on your part.
"My 'little secretary' - yes, I love to speak of her thus. My little child is protected from all real harm. But it is not a happy sight for us to see, that when hard-pressed by physical conditions, instead of opening her heart to us, she is inclined to close it and to let the love go by.
"Never fear, my child - we shall bring you through - but we want to do more than that. We want to lift you, as you go, high above those destructive - to happiness, I mean - those destructive influences which are growing in strength; we long to lift you high above them into that which is your own - your own by steadiness of work, by the wish to do as God would have you do, by all those spiritual thoughts which have passed through your mind, but half-understood by the physical. These things - and many more - allow me to say, with so much happiness, that the joy of the Spirit is your own - only do not turn from Love - grasp it and hold it tight.
"My children, I have allowed myself to be slightly diverted from the little explanation I wish to give regarding the question of the vocal cords.
"Here again, you get a distinction. The conditions and the weakness of the body directly affect those cords, in an entirely physical way. On the other hand, there are emotional influences which have also to be taken into account. You have noticed that when some are speaking in this way, that the voice drops almost to a whisper. You must remember that during the time another inhabits the body of my child, their feelings - to a limited extent, it is true, because of the protection - their feelings act directly on the organs they are using.
"For instance: You have had those who have wept, or, at any rate, have shed tears; you have those who have laughed; those who have struggled - successfully or unsuccessfully - with memories of past emotions. Just as the effect of feeling is noticeable at once in your voice, so the same is worked out - in a perfectly practical, feasible way - with the instrument that is used.
"You will notice now, although it is the end of a long evening, that the voice is strong and shows no sign of failure - and why is this? Not only because we are happy together, not only because I am in full control, but, as the evening went on, the spirit was able to rise above and forget the physical conditions of the day, and, as it were - again perfectly naturally - to join hands with me. And so, doubly charged, we emerge out of apparent weakness into definite, greater strength.
"If I have not made this clear, I will go back on it on another occasion.
"My last words are these: That the test which was applied so recently (probably referring to the meeting on Sunday, 1st March, 1925: 'Zodiac's Life on Earth'), has brought forth not only blossoms, and that which is beautiful from a spiritual point of view, but it has done this: Children, in order that a plant may grow and flourish, its roots must expand as well. Lovely though its flowers may be, if the roots have not sufficient soil - have not sufficient space in which to spread themselves - then the flowers above soon droop their heads and die.
"And so it is with us all. In the matter of tests, the gain is twofold. Not only are the blossoms there to sweeten your earth's way, but, more important still, the roots - those firm roots which mean faith and action - they have also gained in strength and in fibre.
"It is but a crude illustration, yet it serves. I want you to visualise this and to keep the image in your minds: That each effort put forth, each thought of holiness, each prayer for strength - adds beauty to the blossoms, and strength and life and capacity for further growth, to those roots which are in the Spirit - those roots from which the nourishment of mind and body must be obtained, that as you grow, so must the roots grow; and as you fight and overcome, you will see - within your own mind, within your own heart - that because the roots are strong and healthy, so the flowers are fair indeed...
"And now my children, I leave you.
"The Tender Father of Love bless you and comfort you and raise you up, giving you courage and faith and confidence - confidence in Him - confidence that because you are doing His work, so you will go forward, and so the Truth will spread... Goodnight, my children."
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