"INSPIRATION AND ASPIRATION"

"God of all power and might, send down tonight in Thy Love the gift of healing; grant that Thy little children may feel so refreshed, so comforted, so uplifted, that the past, as it represents sadness, will be no more.

"O Saviour, teach us how to be more faithful to the stronger self within; teach us how to prepare our minds so that this great Truth, fragments of which we hold now, may be bestowed upon us in something of its grandeur, something of its unlimited revelation...

"Tonight, we come to Thee as children, laying aside the things of the world, the weakness of the body and the frailty of that which represents the nervous system - laying it all aside, we come and ask Thee to use us for Thy work... Just in front the Light which shines from Thee can be seen, and once there so Thy Love, like a cloak, will be folded around us, and peace and confidence and understanding shall dwell within.

"Grant that we may be obedient to that great call which has come to us; that we may be able to disentangle ourselves from the many traps of the shadows, to put our doubts and our misunderstandings behind us for ever more, and to go forward in faith, in trust, certain that our faith and trust will be justified...

"...My children, tonight I have much to say to you, and I want you all to give out that which you yourselves possess - that sympathetic attention which is essential for the unfoldment of the Truth...

"Perchance you ask me why this must be so. Well, my children, it is one of those wonderful laws of the Spirit brought into being entirely for the help and the development of the human soul. The Truth which is of God is there for man to grasp, but in order to make that Truth his own he himself must contribute in turn - and why? Because, dear children, it is not the Father's will that only one should gain here and another there.

"Could you see things as they are, you would know that not one word of Truth comes to you without having strewn blessings all the way. Truth, as you know, comes from the Great Source, and it passes through many channels and conditions, long, long before it is presented to the children of the earth...

"Yes, from each one there must come that which belongs to the Divine within, and if that is absent, though the Truth be bestowed, you cannot take it up; the link is missing, and doubt takes the place of faith, and sorrow follows even as night follows after day...

"Children, that which I teach is simple, but it reflects a fragment of the Mind of God. At this stage you cannot hold more than that; at this stage I have to present to you in simple language - aye, looking here and there lest misunderstanding should arise - present to you in simple language that portion of Truth which you can bear.

"We deal not in suppositions nor in deductions. Those of the earth who have forgotten the Source of all wisdom, they perforce must suppose this and take that for granted; but we, dear children, because we have sought and because we have knocked, we gain direct from God that little which we can hold and make our own...

"Tonight, it is the will of the Holy One that I speak on that which you name: 'Inspiration and Aspiration'.

"And I want you all to think over this great subject with the mind of the spirit; not to be confused by the earth view, not to be led astray by traditional thought, by those theories, those speculations which, as it were, have clouded the beauty and the glory of simple Truth.

"You see, dear children, that when, amongst yourselves, you speak of Inspiration, for the most part you associate it with that which comes under the heading of the Fine Arts; and sometimes in regard to an isolated instance connected with Science, you say that this one must have been inspired, otherwise he could not have put together anything so wonderful and so helpful to man.

"But in thinking again you find, dear children, that the one in question in the first place made the fullest use of the experience of others, and then, calling to his aid that powerful tool of concentration, at last he found that which has enriched the world.

"Inspiration - you know not what lies within that word. If you could see things as they are, if that sight which is sight could be made your own, you would find that every hour of the day and still more so during the hours of sleep, there were those around you trying to inspire you - to inspire you to rise higher, to be brave and not to be fearful, to be strong and not weak.

"And then there is that inspiration which comes to the few: I speak of those who have heard the higher call, I speak of the minority who have laid the things of the world aside and have taken up their cross and carried it for the sake of the God within. That inspiration, dear children, will bring to them and to their fellows not only joy and peace, but an advancement, a development, and an unfoldment, impossible to be explained in words.

"You see, when you are free from the body, influence - all those many who are around you - this is seen in minute detail; and you in turn, when the preparation has been put in, you go amongst others and try and inspire them as well.

"It is inspiration which goes before that wonderful power of creating which is housed within the soul of man - the power to bring into being that which is beautiful, that which is Holy; the power to create strength not only for his own use, not only for his own protection, but to create strength for the weaker ones, for those who for many a long year must be weak themselves...

"Aye, the messengers, those servants of God - they surround you, they surround those in the twilight planes, aye, even those in conditions where the darkness of ignorance reigns - seeking ever to awaken, and, when the awakening has come, to inspire the individual with courage to fight and to overcome.

"The 'inspiration' of the world, which puts it within the power of men to draw to them the plaudits of the crowd or the treasures of the earth, this, dear children, passes away with the earth life and leaves no mark behind except for this: There are many who can meet failure with steadiness and resource; there are few who can associate with success and remain untouched, unsoiled by the contact.

"This is the aspect presented to those who are free from the body and the restrictions of the physical mind. So, my children, you will hesitate ere you long for that which once represented so much.

"To be inspired, to be influenced, this is impossible to escape. To be tempted and to fall, to throw around yourselves those iron bands which not only check your progress now but which fetter you ten times more when the body is discarded - all this has to be faced, all this has to be met, if not by the individual concerned then by those who work for God.

"You are inspired to pass on comfort, you are inspired to seek God and to endeavour to live the Christ-life; you are inspired to forsake the things of the world and to cleave to the things of the Spirit. Aye, but many prefer to hearken to those who point to that which seems the easier road, who lay out before the mind of the body the disadvantages of struggle, the pangs of persecution; who say to them in so reasonable a way: 'The heights are not for you; keep to the level road; better not to strive than to strive and fall'...

"Children, could you see things as they are, you would be amazed at the power of influence, at those you attract to your side; aye, and those who are attracted to you and who seek to thwart God's purpose on earth.

"Therefore, in thinking of this and in considering that, take into consideration your companions - those who are helping or hindering you in your thinking, and, instinctively, out of the strength of the spirit within, focus on Christ. Those of the world led astray by their companions, have said within themselves: 'Which is the right path, only show me the right path and I will follow'. But when the answer comes, they are confused - and why? Because in the asking, so a reservation was made, and that reservation has stood between them and the direct response from Christ: 'Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world'; but, alas, there are others who walk with you as well, and they, taking advantage of the circumstances of your physical life, have come between you and the One who loves you best...

"And then, dear children, I want to show you for a few minutes how aspiration not only affects your own spiritual career but has the power to influence the career of others.

"You see, dear children, if the physical mind could he emptied of all those unnecessary waters which are associated with the past, all that rubbish of the earth, all that misunderstanding which has arisen because those of the world have preferred the world's solution instead of the solution offered by Christ - if the mind of the body could be as a clean slate ready for those who are around to write upon it, so you would find - because love is stronger than hate, because good is so infinitely stronger than evil - you would find that your aspirations soared far away, not only from the things of the earth but from the thoughts of the earth as well.

"You would, as Spirit, commune with Spirit; you would, as the children of God, get your direction from Him with nothing to intervene. And then, inspired by those who aspire to that which Christ came to teach, so, my children, those thoughts, those ideas which would flit through your mind and which you would be enabled to hold for the use of others - these would represent something of the wisdom of the Spirit, something of that knowledge which God holds out to all.

"Those who work for you, who have striven for you over the years, these, dear children, want to give you that which shall represent not only development here, but, when you are free from the physical, a state of growth entirely beyond your imagination now..."

"...My little children, to continue our conversation: I want you to try and get the Christ view of that which you name: 'Inspiration and Aspiration', to try and realise that in your vibrations - wherever you are, however sad, however out of touch with the things of the Spirit - that in your vibrations there is Christ: The One who is not disturbed - except that you suffer - who is not disturbed because you seem to find it difficult to hold fast to the thought of His companionship; the One who surrounds you with an overwhelming care and forethought; the One who would gather you into His Arms, protecting and shutting you off from the storms of life. If, my little ones, you could once grasp that, sorrow, the pangs of the heart, all those distracting thoughts, would be powerless to enter into your vibrations and to bring you that grief which follows as a result.

"So, dear children, in thinking again of inspiration, call out to those who are working for God, demand their presence, and you shall see that they will not fail to respond. Indeed, my little ones, all they ask is that you should bid them take care of you, that you should ask their help in season and out of season, that you should turn to them as you would to a devoted parent, certain that they will give and give again...

"And then, keeping that thought in mind, you will see what is your part towards those in your vibrations; aye, and towards those whom you call strangers. Living as you do in a physical world, now and again the enemies of the One True Light get an advantage. The body is out of repair, the nerves have been strained by much work, and the mind, swayed hither and thither by worries, that mind is an easy tool which the shadows seize and use, so they think, entirely as they will.

"But, my little ones, God reigns supreme, and when it concerns those who have tried to do their part, when you, His children, want the very best and yet fail to reach that exalted position, then it simply means that for a time there are those who are able to frustrate the plans. But, lo, that phase passes, and God's Love is shown not only over your lives, but is shown in something of its mighty power; and you, little ones of my heart, you take up the spade again and you start to dig and to sow, and in God's good time the flowers of the Spirit shall flourish in all their glory...

"Children, perhaps I seem to have departed a little from that which I named your part, but in my words you can read your direction. Your part is to help, to sustain; your part is to put your whole weight on the side of Christ, and then you will see - as illustrated tonight - that all, all is well - well, dear children, in a way you cannot grasp.

"And oh, read in this commendation the high and holy aspiration which belongs to the spirit. The physical mind suffers over these battles, the mind and body grow very weary of these tussles which must take place; but the spirit within, with vision, looks beyond today and sees the radiant tomorrow when you, free from that which binds, shall look back and find that your aspiration - though checked and hindered and assaulted by those who sought to wreck - that your aspiration has been achieved; that you worked through as well as worked on, and that the pattern under your hand has been finished as God intended.

"And then, dear children, I want to underline once more that which you name Influence - those companions, those adverse companions who so easily, so it seems to you, play upon the nervous system; and the nervous system, writhing under the treatment, is unable to retain that poise which the stronger self desires should be its own...

"You see, dear children, that brings us back to that which you call: 'sensitiveness'. And there are many who have devoted their lives to God who have been rather appalled at the way in which they are at the mercy of others. In the old days, they could throw off the darts which came if not from a foe, then from those who were lacking in the kindness associated with a friend. In those days they could laugh, could remain untouched, and very often they threw back something of the same nature as that directed against themselves.

"But since Christ has been taken into their lives, lo, a change has come, and they find it difficult to refrain from flinching when those antagonised from them - either in opinion or in their method of living - send in their direction the little barb that stings.

"To these I speak with a mighty understanding. I say to them: You have changed your companions. In those old days you chose those who also were of a coarser fibre; you selected - by that 'selection' which only is accurate in reality - you selected by attraction those who, though not bound by a physical body, yet were still held by the chains of the physical mind... Aye, and this was worked out too amongst those in the body whom you called friends. They were of a different type to those chosen today; to match your own, the sieve of the physical mind was somewhat coarser; you, and they, were less responsive to the finer vibrations of thought...

"So to the sensitive the explanation comes. Because you yourselves have been refined by your love for Christ, so too you attract to your side those who are holier, those who are wiser, those who have seen a little more of the wonderful mind of God at work.

"Then such as these will ponder within; they will see that instead of it being a disadvantage it is a development; it is that which signifies a stage further on. And so, remembering how much more sensitive still the Master was when He too wore a body of flesh, they will gain comfort, the reassurance will come that the extra suffering is for the sake of the Divine within - in itself it is a sign of release.

"But, dear children, I must not leave you there, for in connection with that same sensitiveness, the nervous system plays a very great part, and so it is that I want to put you all on your guard. I say that the destructive forces - men and women who, when in the flesh, forgot their responsibilities; men and women who have not taken God into their life, who, though free from the body now, still find themselves fettered by their earthly desires - that these, on mischief intent, very often are able to use the delicate nervous system to hinder God's plans, to frustrate His holy purpose.

"And here it is, dear children, that personal responsibility comes in once more. How often it has occurred, even with the strongest character, even with those who have dedicated their lives in all sincerity to Christ - how often a chance word, even a look, has been misinterpreted by the physical mind, and through that same sensitiveness, suffering has come.

"They are, as it were, completely misled by the suggestions of those who are antagonised from the light of Truth. How often have these - who one could think were entirely on their guard - how often have they been drawn into the gloom of the wood of misunderstanding, and have shivered at the lack of that sunshine under which so easily they might have sunned themselves... For God's way is freedom, is happiness as well as Light.

"Then, my children, I want you to think for a minute or two on that which you associate with aspirations to get away from the world's point of view, even in its highest aspect, and to look at things under the illumination which comes only through the release of the Divine within.

"Children, noble thoughts are constructive in rather a wonderful way. Those great comprehensive thoughts which seem part of the mental equipment of some, these create strength, they create a power which is not to be underestimated; but I want you to think in the Christ way. A great and noble thought, if uninterpreted in words - when it has the capacity perchance to influence others - that great and mighty thought to us is only half created.

"Think you like this: Children, when you pass hence, you will enter into an activity which will amaze you. Then on looking back over the earth life, it will seem to you that the human organism was very slow, very cumbersome, very inarticulate in working out its purpose or in building the thing it desired. Yes, once free from the body, 'slowness' seems to illustrate the life upon the earth plane.

"Many today exclaim with distress at the rapid rate at which humanity lives - the rushing here and the rushing there; but, dear children, when spiritual sight is your own, you will not judge by the restless running to and fro, or the craze for getting from one point to another in the shortest possible time; for very often those on earth take many steps, many journeys, many hours to accomplish that which could be done in a much more limited space of time. They are caught, as it were, by the whirl of things, and the whirl of earthly things does not produce so much as you might think...

"You see, dear children, the things which stand after the little earth life is over, are those which had God in them. But confuse not my meaning: Sympathy, any desire to help, the wish to do the task well, the thoughts behind the work which very often include the protection of others - all that stands permanent for ever. But the things which were fruitless from the spirit's point of view, the things which were done just for the sake of doing something - these leave no sign behind, not in a concrete way, although their influence is reflected in the next body of the one concerned.

"So you see, dear children, that 'slowness' is the word which only expresses the earth life. When you are free from that which binds, you will step into conditions where definite construction is going on all around, and then you will stand with me and sigh over the past; for you will see that now and again, here and there, you wasted some of that precious power which had been provided for God's work - by which I mean the release of the Divine within yourself and others. And the nervous system plays a very great part in this.

"Therefore, dear children, in regard to 'aspiration', throw out your thoughts towards those whom you name the holy ones, the messengers of Christ, the missionaries of God who are working on earth. And in thinking of them, say not to yourselves in despair: 'I cannot reach those heights', but remember that they must point to the ideal - they dare not present to you anything below the best.

"There have been those in reading these records who have exclaimed that they are as impossibly idealistic as the Sermon on the Mount. That connection is praise indeed. Who are we, representing our Master, who should point to the easy course? Who are we, representing All-Purity, All-Love, who should say to you: 'This will do and this is good enough'. So, my children, you belong to God, and the God within you will never be satisfied until its aspirations are realised in very truth...

"Oh, remember this: That there are those around you, longing, aye, pleading with you, that they may be taken into your confidence, that they may be used to fight with you the many enemies which assail the path of all who intend to climb. And then, holding that thought, to realise that the real self aspires to the very best; and though noble thoughts may reflect God, noble actions express Him ten thousand times more.

"Yes, it is on the active plane that those who love God must always live. It is not only the thinking, not only the wishing, not only the hoping - it is setting to work again and again and again, to do, to build, to construct - and if a passing traveller strikes at your little erection and scatters it to the ground, then, with renewed faith and determination and trust in God, build anew, yes, build anew.

"I have told you oft before that there is no temptation more subtle than that which points out that it is better not to strive, than to strive and fail. Oh, the greater you within aspires and aspires, and the lesser you, inspired by those who are stronger, one day - yes, one day, dear children - shall be merged into the greater self, and the aspiration of that greater self no more will be something to be longed for, something far beyond your reach, it will be yours, worked for, striven for, aye, and suffered for - for only by suffering can we make the things which last our own...

"And then, dear children, before I leave you, I wish to explain in regard to the little break which occurred when last we met together in this way.

"Children, though the physical body of my child has been somewhat weakened (by a cold) yet you have seen, again and again, that I have been able to triumph over physical weakness and to carry through the evening to a successful conclusion - by which, I mean, as God intended. But on that evening, the enemies had been around, and playing on that sensitiveness, that highly-strung nervous system - which, remember, is essential for this work – so, had I proceeded, damage would have been done to the instrument under my care. As it was, dear children, I refrained, and then, so typical of the physical mind, that damage was done by the useless regret which followed...

"Yet, this evening, I speak with a heart full of thankfulness to God, that in spite of the damage self-inflicted, in spite of the enemies of the body, tonight we stand charged with power, gifted direct from the Father. For to the Father you are His children, and if the child of your heart had caused herself an injury, either through ignorance or through the ignoring of a previous injunction, would you not instantly snatch her up in your arms and do your best both to stem the tears and to relieve the pain?...

"That is how your Father and Mother God feels towards you. I did my best to reassure you all that the plans had only been hindered and not betrayed; but the physical mind of the child I use, beset by the enemies of the body as well as those who would destroy God's work, brought an amount of suffering entirely beyond anything which the cause justified or condoned.

"So, dear children, tonight I pick up the threads, and I say to you all, especially those who are engaged in this most sacred work: Take care in regard to that sensitiveness, those highly-strung nerves. They represent a further development; let them not hinder you on the path, let them not betray the Divine within...

"The time is coming when the child I use is going to have further protection from the trials and anxieties of daily life. I say, directed by the Master, that the time is coming when there will be those in her vibrations who will have it in their power to provide that which is required, both protection and understanding, both the will to do and the will to give, for the realisation will be there that God's work comes first. Yes, God's work comes first, and those who are His instruments must be preserved.

"And now, my children, I am going to leave you for a little while. This evening will be continued exactly as it would have been if I had forced conditions when we met before. Quietness and confidence - that is in the vibrations tonight. Let it not only remain, but predominate over everything else. So, as we part, we shall take joy with us, and joy shall companion us as we continue our daily way... And now I go..."

"...By the power of the Cross I come. Friends it is Manning, and I have been sent tonight to speak to you on a subject which very soon will hold the attention of the majority. But first of all, I would remind you that in this room I was seen by one who has clear vision, I was seen and described, but there was no one who could complete the description by giving me a name. Drawing from the power of others, I was able to build up that model of myself when on earth, even to the scarlet cape... So God's grace is bestowed upon us.

"But this evening, dear friends, it is in regard to Remembrance Day that I want to gather in your attention. You have been told, and I do not intend to labour it tonight, that the Day of Remembrance represents a most valuable tool and gift to us. We prepare for it by a training impossible for you to understand. Everything on our side is as ready as work can make it, and in that word 'work' prayer is included, for, as you have been told before, prayer with us is immediately translated into effort.

"Tonight, I speak to all those in the many Churches, and I entreat them, for the sake of the crucified Christ, to prepare, in turn. Not to be content with what they have done before, but to use their minds in thinking for God, in constructing for Him, in bringing into creation some of that power which is so desperately needed for the restoration of man to his God...

"Friends, when we are free from the body, our creeds and our doctrines, our violent opinions and our tenacious interpretations, all these fly away, they are swept back into those conditions which we have left, and, if we will, we stand free to work for God in the Christ way...

"But here you get the responsibility which rests upon us all. I said that our opinions and our theories and our doctrines were swept back into those conditions which we have left behind, but our words live after us, as our deeds, as our thoughts; and here it is that the anguish comes. Sight - we have the Truth - that portion which we can bear is spread out all around us, but the past has forged its chains, and we work and we wait, and we wait as we work for release...

"To the representatives of God, whatever they may call themselves, to whatever body they may be linked - to all who read these records, I send out a message from one who has left behind much that he has not yet wiped out. I say to each one: From my example take warning. Do not lend yourselves to the thoughts of the earth or to the opinions of the majority. Rise higher, hold on to the Christ principle: Do unto another that which you would they might do unto you.

"And remember that when you are free, you will see that the desire of the spirit was to have constructed something which God could use to free those of His children who are bound by their weakness and their ignorance...

"This Day of Remembrance presents an opportunity, a priceless opportunity, which can be used with very little extra effort by all. On that Day, they can help God to break down those terrible barriers which have been erected by us all over the long past. On that Day, they can give to countless thousands in the Spirit just that added influence which they need to break off those chains which have bound their loved ones on earth...

"Oh, from the depths of my heart I entreat the servants of the Lord God to do their part. During those few hours, using the suffering of the individual, using those terrible pangs of physical separation, the Lord God of all has provided the way. But it remains for those on earth to put that opportunity to its rightful use; not to speak of the dead but to proclaim the living, even as they proclaim not a dead Christ but a living God. He who is All-Pure, All-Holy, promised that those who loved Him should never see death. Hold on to these words of prophecy, and out of the strength within preach Christ and His message..."

"...Well, my children, I think you will agree with me that we close on a note of joy; we have triumphed over the weakness of the physical body; we have triumphed over the doubts and misgivings as to whether this evening could be carried through to a successful conclusion...

"Just one word more and then you shall rest. Children, when another is ill or overtired, and your desire is to put your arms round them and to give them of that strength which you possess - that, dear children, is the Christ-spirit. And I speak to my little Margaret particularly on this point.

"You, dear child, have chosen to give out of your strength to the instrument I use, and tonight I will show you the power of love. In this lies commendation and a little warning as well: When you put your hands on my child before the control was removed, your instinct to help, to give out of yourself - that protected her from a great danger. You see, dear child, what pure love, unselfish love has the power to produce.

"Yes, and I speak to all... There have been many who have been inspired by God to draw into their vibrations one who was ailing, one who was distressed in mind. Through a provision of God, they are able to pass on into that one both physical and spiritual strength, by the desire to serve...

"Keep that point clearly in your minds. The desire to help allows you, or anyone, by placing your hand in that of another, to transfer vitality, both spiritual and physical. And when in illness the sufferer has a desire to clasp another, that is instinct - it is putting into action one of those many laws of the Spirit. And the mere fact that the strong one is able to help the weak one, does not mean that they themselves cannot be replenished; for lo, there are others, unseen, with their hands upon the helpers shoulders, sending through the physical vehicle strength for themselves and strength to replenish the lack in the other...

"So, my children, once more I show you that in what seems a physical inclination - to hold another in your arms - in that you can not only do God's work, but you can express the Christ-spirit. Yes, if your love has been purified by the desire to help, to relieve, to make good that which is missing.

"Another time, I shall return to this subject, and I will show you that 'little' things, as they appear to you, are charged with a spiritual significance... Little things reflect great and mighty truths.

"And now, my children, I bless you with peace, with reassurance, with happy hearts; passing on, by the grace of God, that strength which He represents in perfection... In His Name I bless you, and in His Name I claim you as His children for ever and for ever...

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