"THE NEARNESS OF HEAVEN"

"This day, instructed by the Master, I would speak to you upon: 'The Nearness of Heaven' - even in your mundane lives, in your homes, and in the wider field of toil, where sometimes it seems to many there is nothing but strife, that the weed of jealousy is crushing the sweet flowers of the Spirit.

"But I remind you that by Divine Law, Heaven is very close; and if you respond to all that provided by God through His angels, you can indeed feel the nearness of Heaven, although your earth-life may be stained with the marks of so-called purgatory through the treachery and weakness of others.

"Think of what constitutes Heaven. There is not one here who would not say to me: 'I would give much for real happiness!' That is a spiritual instinct, but sometimes men and women upon the earth plane are deceived by worldly things, they think that earthly treasure or earthly fame would bring them happiness. But I ask you to look out over the world. Can you say honestly that those whose names ring through the continents are happy? Are they instruments used by God or by the destructive forces?

"No man who falls into temptation and responds to the enemies of the Christ, can be happy. He may think earthly honour will compensate, but soon the realisation is forced upon his mind that only heavenly honour brings lasting happiness. For when a man turns from God's laws, sooner or later there sets in the decay of the best within him.

"You know, dear children, that what is wrong with this world is that some are seized by a love of power; some want to be first, they must be leaders, they choose the first tools at hand, paying no attention to the fact whether they are clean tools or not, and the effect is shown on this world, and much suffering has been brought about in this same wise.

"I turn to the young, because the young feel that happiness is their right, and I answer their thoughts: It is true God intends His children on earth to be happy; but make no mistake - unless there is peace within, which comes only by right doing, the happiness of the earth will be turned into something representing a blight on a lovely flower.

"Oh, I appeal to the young, for are they not to be the ones to frame thought in time to come? Let it be, my children, you clear your vision of the fog of this earth. Spirit vision can be made your own - and the finest form of Spirit vision is seeing a shining Cross lighting up this dark plane. There is no clear vision more precious than this.

"So we turn from the thought of earthly knowledge - that which man has given out in the literature of his time - and as we look back over the past, we find that very little of this literature has been able to hold the attention of readers over the generations, if the writer left God out. It is the same with Science; it is the same with many inventions. The mind of man can be blessed by God, but so many have used their high intelligence for themselves, or to bring about the destruction of their neighbour.

"Yet God is not mocked, and the wheel of time turns, and those who once were in high places are brought down and down. It is no use for a ruler to say to his body: 'You shall not die!' It is no use for an intellectual man to say to his mind: 'You shall be my servant throughout my life!' These things are beyond their jurisdiction. There is that which you name accident, which in a moment of time can destroy the finest physical mind ever possessed by any man.

"There are those dark forces which congregate around the ambitious man who is out for earthly fame, and the time comes for him when the body shows signs of disease. He has reckoned on the things of the earth alone, yet the Hand of Retribution slowly descends upon him, and in spite of his protests, in spite of his fears, the time comes when he must pass into another state, and read the record of his own tarnished past.

"But I come this day with a message teeming with hope and promise for the toilers, for those who have worked over the years, and yet feel that perhaps protection has sometimes been missing. There are some, uninstructed, who feel that trouble represents lack of Divine Protection, but I say to you: Go back to the life of the Master Jesus, think of what His followers endured; can you not read there, comfort for your own aching hearts?

"Trouble, dear children, can be man's best friend, for if you have not been through sorrow, how can you console another? If you do not know the sting of loss, your sympathy to one who has lost is meaningless, being of the lips alone. Cannot you see how impossible it would be for God to use you in His Divine Purpose if you did not drink deeply from the cup of sorrow?

"And I want to impress upon you that in the dregs of the cup of sorrow, there is healing for the mind and heart and soul, but so many taste of the cup and fling it from them. Rebellion holds their being, and they never know that in the dregs there is life, there is power - the Christ Power, passed on to them by God the Father, God the Son.

"Brothers and sisters, workers in the same vineyard, indeed I would throw around you the cloak of reassurance over your lives, over the pains of the body, over the future.

"There are those who say: 'What will happen to me in old age?' And I answer: What will happen to them will be caused by their own past. If they have been selfish and inconsiderate towards others, they will find others selfish and inconsiderate towards them. If they have been faithless to a God of Love, they will find they have built up barriers between them and Heaven, and peace will be far from them.

"Never a man or woman who lived a holy life has been forsaken materially or spiritually in their old age. It cannot be. God's Laws are immovable, and His protecting Hand is upon them through the valley paths of old age, until they reach the Shining Gate, when indeed they see for themselves how mighty is the Love of God, how generous His gifts.

"Dear children, I would come amongst you, for I feel that there are those here who can be helped by further contact with the Power of Spirit. I feel there are those here who are waiting for a message from the Spirit World. Heaven appears so far from them, the things of the earth so close. They are worried by this, they are anxious over that, and it seems it is a long, long journey still, until the Better Land is reached.

"I understand the sorrows of old age, I know what the weariness of the body can represent, and its pains. I was an old man before the Master called me Home, and I thank Him that I endured the weariness of advanced years, otherwise how could I understand how some of you feel, and how you long for the time to come when God will open to you that true Home He has prepared with so much love, so much thought, so much understanding?

"Heaven is close around you, dear children. In your darkest days there are ministering angels seeking to soothe; when poverty seems to be too persistent, remember this: In place of earthly things, there are heavenly gifts. If your eyes could be opened, you would see your home full of lovely flowers, little children bringing presents to each and everyone, and the older guides seeking to implant in the mind of the body a consciousness that all is well. And surely in your dark days all is well, for if you had only sunshine, how could you go to those in the darkness of suffering, and comfort them in turn?

"I would that I could force upon the mind of man the wonderful gift of experience: Of knowing what it means to fight against the pains of the body, and to find the courage to go on; what it means when hope seems to burn low and faith revives it, and trust in God holds firm; what it means when the mother tends her ailing child, when the father works for his little ones. Heaven draws very close to such as these.

"Yes, the home is indeed the citadel of the soul, yet so many turn it into a little hell because of all the warring thoughts, the jealousy and the misunderstanding, because the Gentle Christ is not welcomed in and given the keys of their hearts.

"Oh, I plead with you, dear children. You know that there is trouble on all sides. Give out the message that I have brought this day, sent by the Master Jesus. Let it be that those who are going through so much, have that great wave of reassurance; let it be that you yourselves stand as examples of faith and trust in God. I say to you that although the body may fail at times, although it seems that you are shut in by material conditions, Heaven is closer than breath, and if your eyes could be opened, you would see the Master ministering direct.

"After all, the earth life is so short. You have had countless lives in many worlds, and immortality lies ahead. Why then, do these things matter so much? You know that every adverse experience overcome with faith brings you one step nearer Home. Does it matter so much? Surely the real self within answers: 'No, I will see the battle through!'

"That is what the saints and martyrs did in the time of long ago, and you today are drawing strength from them, enjoy Spirit consciousness because of the early pioneers; you today, in turn, are called upon to contribute your part. You too can be as the saints and martyrs; and in time to come others will be able to look back and realise that through your patience, your courage, your determination, you created Spirit Power from which they could draw, until in turn they are strong in the strength that is of God.

"Heaven is not some far fair land; Heaven is within. And hell as well. When you love, when others love you, do you not touch Heaven? When your hearts are full of disappointment over one who has betrayed, you know a little of hell.

"Heaven is meant for man, but even God cannot prevent His children entering hell, because He has given man freewill. Man must go his own way, until at last, through suffering, the real self within is free; and then, because he has paid dearly for the price of knowledge, he shall be used to warn others, and save them from making the same mistakes.

"So, my children, can you not say to me that the call has come to you this day, as well as in the past? Oh, be up and doing, the Master's work waits for pioneers, waits for those who can cast aside self in its many forms, and become disciples in His Holy Name.

"I bless you, dear children, bless you with the consciousness of the nearness of Heaven; bless you with the will to hold firm to the Golden Cross; bless you with sufficient strength within to cast aside the wonderings of the earthly mind, to go forward with a valiant heart, thanking God that He considers you worthy to carry a heavy burden, because you know that through the heavy burden you have won the yoke that is of Him, and He shares and shares alike.

"So your sorrows can be turned to joy, so your weakness of body can be turned to strength, so your faith can blaze the trail for others - and many in time and in turn will remember your example, and thank God that you lived upon the earth plane.

"Peace be with you all, and a joyful heart for the great and glorious Campaign that lies ahead for Christ and His Kingdom.

"Farewell, dear children, but in the sleep state many of us will meet again, and learn a little more concerning those things which never pass away.

"I thank my God for the power He has given, and the power He will always give, where there are those who meet together with earnest hearts, wishing to render unto Him the things that belong to the Creator.

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