An address given by the Christ messenger Zodiac through the deep trance mediumship of Miss Winifred Moyes in the earlier part of the twentieth century.
(Note: This message was edited for a more general readership)
"MY children, all so dear to me, how can I portray to you why I must for ever turn your eyes to the Cross, to the steep hill, away from the valley, away from those things which represent the inclination of the lesser self? Why, dear children, do I tell you to take the hard road? Because I know - for I have travelled that road myself - that the hard road holds the joy, the peace and the revelation which is of God. Aye, when I come into your presence and speak thus, I am conscious of the lot of every one, and could you see things as they are, you would glory in your difficulties, in those things which seem impossible to be surmounted; for in the measure that pain is exacted, in that measure you can be certain that the road you have taken leads safe home to your Father and Mother God.
"Tonight, my little ones, speaking under the direction of the One Who suffered so much, I would talk awhile on: "The Preparation of God's Instruments" for His holy work. Now think you as to this. Once again I send you back over the Holy Record. There you find that which I name direction; you see that there were some - only a few - but some who were willing to lay aside all and obey the Voice within. You stand, as it were, far from them, and by the fact that such as these lived in a long past day, so you can get a picture in true perspective of their lives and of the lives of those who surrounded them; and you feel with an intense relief that in the hour of test, in the time of trial, although they faltered and although perchance they seemed to fail, yet they arose after what had been, and in their little way fulfilled God's will on earth.
"Children, again and again I call to your mind symbol and illustration. Why? Because only so can I teach you, can I warn you, can I prepare you; for I say that in God's sight each and everyone is wanted for His most holy work; but the only way to fit yourselves, the only way to be a useful tool for Christ, is the hard way, the way that the Master took Himself.
"In my own time there was that around us which was an hourly challenge; aye, mark you this: in those days the Law which should have governed our lives was put aside, ignored, circumvented by those who wished to follow that which was the desire within.
"In my own time there was much to draw the mind hither and thither. True, there was the prophet John, but that which he gave forth was for the mind of very few, for John, coming to grips with himself, decided to take the hardest road of all. He departed out of that which brought comfort to the physical garment and delight to the physical mind, and in the silence and the loneliness of the wilderness amassed that power which, my children, prepared the way for the Master, and indeed was used by the Holy One to arouse the slumbering heart of man.
"Now think you as to the preparation of John, aye, and of what John worked in for Love's sweet sake. Those of my day having heard of John, having listened and having passed on, they were sufficiently aroused to be caught for a second or two by the sweetness of the Master. In such a way John prepared the road for the followers of the Saviour Christ, for had it not been for the seeds that he had sown, then those who had to endure so great a test would have been unprepared, unwilling to do that which the Spirit within directed.
"Little children, why do I speak thus? Because I see that which must come to pass. Little children, why do I, when the beauty of this little earth calls to you all, turn your attention from that which is the earth beauty to the beauty of the Spirit? Because, little ones, I see that which must come to pass, and my part it is to prepare the instruments which God desires to use. Oh, think not that I would bring a sense of dismay; I am holding out to you the greatest gift, the highest honour that can come to anyone. I say that with your faults and failings, with the bondage which still holds you, God has called you nevertheless to arise and demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in your daily life.
"And now I would take your thoughts to another aspect concerning the preparation of instruments.
"Children, in regard to that which you name Nature, I would for your instruction take as simile, as symbol, that which has happened so recently in your midst. Oh, think you of this. When the spring in all its glory banished the thought of the barrenness and the chill of winter, lo, one and all rejoiced in the coming of new life, in the beauty that slowly but surely was unfolded before your gaze, and many made plans for this and for that.
"Forget not that those of the earth, keyed to the earth vibrations, regard Nature and its produce entirely in a material sense. They fail to see the lesson, the purpose, the meaning of the coming of fresh life, of the new blossoms, of the passing away of the waiting time and the blessing of beauty in its many forms. Nature to such as these is their tool; but when they pass hence they will find that in their midst was an instructor, one who could have taught them much; one - because the life belonging to it was culled from God - who had the power to express God in a thousand forms. But they, so bound, gathered the flowers, took of the fruits, and only in the measure that these satisfied the requirements of the mind of the body were they content.
"Think you, my children, as to this: The sweet days of spring gave place to summer. The sun, the life-giver, the life-bringer shone down upon the earth; and then, so the worldly thought, Nature betrayed. The sweet soft rains were not forthcoming to do their part, and that which once was beauty slowly passed from beauty into well-nigh wreckage.
"In this, my little ones, there is a symbol of spiritual life, but think not I speak in tones other than of hope. In time, lo, the clouds descended in the form of the rain that refreshed and replenished the soil, and in a few days Nature readjusted itself; and so those around have the peace, the benediction, the glory and the fragrance of this sweet gift of God. Cannot you see where I am leading your thoughts? Those who choose the harder path, they, each one, illustrate this again and again.
"And so I speak to the trained instrument, to the one who has sorrowed, to the one who has withstood the enemies in the past: Not only take hope for yourself, but give forth the good news to the others; go to the one who is weaker than you are, go to the one who cannot find the strength within to withstand the tests of daily life, and cheer, encourage and comfort; bid them turn to the illustration of Nature, its pangs. How few consider the pangs of Nature, of the little seedling which struggles so bravely to the surface and then, as its glory is put forth, perishes so far as earth life is concerned. Some, a few, send compassion to the little seedling for so much effort cast away, as it seems, to doubting man.
"Oh, I would take you in thought out to the countryside, to the hedges, where the wild flowers, the weeds and the thistles struggle for life. Here once more is a symbol of the way man has to go. By the hedges, exposed to the dust, growing amongst the tangled grass, a little flower symbolises the mind of God. What is the fate of the little flower? What has been the history of that which is so weak and frail? You know it not and it is not mine this night to teach as to the long past of the little flower which struggles for life in the dusty, matted wayside; but I say to you that each one who indeed would be a child of God by desire, must go through the same experiences as the little flower.
"Think you as to this: The instruments of the Most High are called to place themselves where the warfare is fiercest, where the struggle is hardest. The instruments of the Christ must be prepared at times to be overwhelmed by the coarser vibrations of physical life. And forget not there may be those with careless hands to wound, but only for a while; these things are governed by God. Never forget that the flower that grows amongst the tangled weeds not only demonstrates God but indeed has the power, when the mind of man is sufficiently released, to inspire. My children, I know that there are some who have not yet taken the hard road, but I say, because I see what lies in front, that when the call comes from Christ to give up that which is the desire of the lesser self, so through the strength now being put in, they shall rise and claim their divine inheritance, the privilege of taking the hard road for Christ's sake.
"Little ones, again I bring you back to Nature with its many meanings, its symbols, its revelation. Oh, look you in mind out upon the green; how many shades, how many colours. 'Ah', you exclaim, 'how wonderful is the Mind of the Creator!' What does it teach you? - the universality of God. Now consider this. As I stand in your presence, gifted by a gracious God with spiritual sight, I am looking far beyond this little room and I see there a multitude; it is uncountable yet not one in the multitude is alike. They stand listening to my voice and I send out my love to them all. I say to them: 'Even as the shading colours of Nature in this little world, so is each one expressing some portion of the road of the greater Life; each one is demonstrating the mighty Mind of God, for God understands each one.'
"And the message of the Christ is this: 'You are Mine; within you is all-power, all-wisdom, loveliness itself. Seek, and you shall find.'
"So the Master teaches us and we seek to understand. So the mighty God has prepared that in the surroundings of each and every one, there shall be symbol of praise, illustration of illimitable hope; yet, underlining all is the keynote of pain. The little flower has suffered and must suffer; the weeds around it have suffered and must suffer; aye, and the animals in the field and the man who holds the plough.
"Oh, little children, how plain it is. Only through the pangs of the lesser self can the greater come into its own, only through the pangs can the bondage of the past be cast aside. I seem to speak in tones that are over-anxious. It is because I know that not only do you shrink from pain yourselves, but, because of the release within, perchance you shrink more over the suffering of those around. Yet I must remind you that should you be led by compassion to say to anyone: 'The road is too steep, too difficult,' then remember that if they listen to you, then when you pass out of these things intangible, so, alas, as you go back over the past you will find to your exceeding anguish that the road, the steep road, still lies in front of them, but through you they are shackled, chained to the past.
"The preparation of God's instruments must not be hindered. I say not to you that if temptation comes you prove yourselves an imperfect instrument; but I say, because it is God's truth, that only through the temptation and the trials can you ever become an instrument which Christ can use for His most holy work. Then shrink not for yourselves or another, but when your hour of darkness comes, be certain that God will send the light, that in your surroundings there shall be one who has courage for a space. And thank God that when their hour of trial overtakes them, you, through the sufferings of the past, shall - again for a space - have the courage to cheer them on, to inspire them to higher and better things for the sake of the God within.
"Oh, my children, would I could show you the joy that comes from suffering, the sweet compensation for tears; would that I had the power to portray what earthly disappointment builds up in your next home, what self-denial, what patience, what the effort to disregard the call of self - oh, could I portray what these things create for yourselves and others - then as pilgrims of the Christ you would rejoice in that which goes so hard. The voice of the tempter would stay you not, the voice of the friend who fears for you would have no power to make you hesitate. It would be upward and onward, through the days and through the nights; upward and onward with joy within over the pangs, and not that deep sorrow which for a space obscures the radiance of the love of God.
"Think you like this. As the preparation of the instrument becomes sterner, so, my little ones, by a mighty provision of the One Who understands us best, strength is built up around; nearer and nearer comes the Christ. Remember that in your dark days so Christ draws close; in those hours when that which you name injustice flogs and wounds, there is Christ, healing, reviving, a perfect Companion, One Who never turns from the least of His little ones, One Who understands so well the steepness of the road. Christ in the dark hours, Christ in the hours of failure, Christ when the individual feels certain that God has forsaken or forgotten his plight.
"Little ones, again I draw your thoughts above the clouds to the sunshine of God's love, and I bid you pass on to others this message of reassurance and I bid you stand fast by those others in their hour of trial. When the hopes of the earth seem as the tender seedling, withered under the rays of the earthly sun, oh then, my children, do your part, give out of yourselves for Christ's sake; for remember that your hour of trial and test must come in turn, and in the measure that you failed the greater part, so then, though the comforters may be around, by your act you have sent them a pace from you and they cannot minister to you direct.
"The prepared instrument for Christ's use must recognise that the way is difficult and long; the instrument, the tool of the Holy Spirit, must be prepared, according to the strength within, to fight the enemies of the Christ. How else can the instrument be found trustworthy?
"The vessel is taken and placed within the oven; before the process of the fire the vessel is unfit to carry that which takes the refreshing waters to others. So plain it is, my children, when you look at life and what life holds under the radiance of the love of God. And forget not that by your holy desire, by the dedication and the wish to serve, so from time to time those with the sight, those with the wisdom bestowed by God, they shall come to you and give you explanation, dress your wounds, pass on the courage won by similar experiences, and all will be as God has planned.
"So, my children, read and re-read the narratives concerning those of old, and out of that legacy which they have left for you, let illumination enrich the mind. And take comfort in the thought that in the far future so others, in hearing of the road you travelled, shall be recharged with power, shall gather from that which has been your lot their slipping endurance; and again God's will on earth shall be done in His sweet way.
"Over the past the children of the earth have wandered hither and thither, piling up around them the rocks of torture which must be scaled ere peace is made their own. Had there been those who had taken the hard road, those who had listened to the voice of the Spirit, such as these out of that purchased, could have sent their voices among the careless ones to forewarn and warn. And they, aroused to a sense of what the present must produce, would have left their toys even out of that most childish instinct of getting what they might need in time to come.
"Yes, my children, speak to the masses and warn, bid them ponder on the law of consequences, bid them heed that the reaping must follow that which even they have sown. For forget not that each one in turn must be an instrument of the Most High, each wayward child; and in the degree that preparation, minute though it may be, is put in, so you have done your part. Christ has used you and in the future can use and use again.
"Thus my message is one of cheer, is one of confidence, is one of perfect understanding. I say to each and every one: 'When the enemy attacks, though suffering must be your lot, by the thought of Christ safety is secured.' And I bid you never forget that in your efforts to help another, to save another, to protect another, yea, according to your striving you are demonstrating God, and God has claimed for you and preserved for you that which is His own.
"So, little ones, I bid you, in the name of Christ, take your troubles and temptations to your God; and, in the measure that the provision is there, to your Friend, to your Companion; for it is God's will that His children shall help each other, that His little ones should not judge each other, that His beloved should, according to their release, draw each other out of the darkness of misunderstanding into the realms of light.
"This is God's truth; oh, take and make your own! Cast aside all exclusiveness and spiritual aloofness. Train yourselves so that you may go to the weakest and the frailest and say and mean: 'I understand,' for only in this wise can you be tools used by Christ; for that is the Christ-way, the Christ-manner, the only direction illustrated by the Master when upon the earth plane.
"The Master passed among those of His children in a bondage terrible to behold. Their hate beat upon His tender heart, their venom pierced beneath the outward and struck the vital self: but when those in bondage turned to Him a shower of His mighty love fell over them and raised them up. For think you again of the gentle rain from heaven with its power to release the blossoms of the earth. Aye, as a shower over us, as I am speaking, is the love of the tender Christ, and the sweet blossoms of the Spirit within shall through this evening have gained still more life.
"So I pass from you, but I entreat you all - those who have taken the rough road and those who when the call comes will arise and take their stand by Christ - I appeal to all to spread that which I teach through the power of the Holy Spirit, to spread it far and wide, for only through the Truth, the Christ, can wayward humanity be drawn back into the safety of the Father's love.
"God holds out to each one of His children the greatest gift of all - communion with the Holy Spirit. How many attempt to make this gift their own? How many are there willing to be tested in order to be so blessed? How many are there who will lay aside the things of the earth to grasp the things of the Spirit?
"Little ones, you cannot bargain over these matters. There are those who say 'I will do so much but no more.' There are others who think they have found the easier path, the shorter way to attach to themselves the gifts which are Holy. What do they find? For a little while all seems well; for a little while there are those who proclaim their gifts to others; for a little while approval and appreciation are their own; and then, because the preparation was not put in, so the enemy strikes and this Truth is hindered so far as others are concerned. You cannot make a bargain with God, God is so generous; God says to you and to me 'All that I have is thine'; and because His gifts are so manifold there are many, like children, who seek to grasp them all and in taking too much drop those which are most valuable.
"So the way, the only way, to fit ourselves for His use is by plodding on, by praying on, and, above all, by working on. Oh, think of this. At times the enemy is so close that you cannot pray, the words pass from your lips but they seem as a mockery to yourself; yes, at times you feel entombed in that which you have experienced. The only way in which to break down the walls of your tomb is by work, God's work, by helping this one and that, when presently, lo, the gift of praying has returned.
"Never forget that whatever may be your mental or physical condition, that by work and through work you can make the past almost as nought. God has provided this wonderful outlet so that no one need despair. And remember in that which you do, that which you give out of yourself so, through the effort, you are making it possible for God to use you. Even when the darkness and the density of material conditions hold you fast you can demonstrate God in your dungeon. If you remain in that dungeon over long, still you can open the prison doors for others and at last - again through God's most merciful provision - at last you emerge yourself and give thanks for the brightness which awaits you.
"So, my children, I bless you, bless you with consciousness as to the why and the wherefore, as to the purpose and the plan; bless you with hope, bless you with love. Oh, forget not this: Love each other, for only in that way can you express something of the God-love which is caged within. Farewell!"
Download Nine Volumes of Zodiac Messages (book-form PDFs)
Download nine printable PDF books of Zodiac Messages containing unaltered
chronologically-ordered scripts from the Zodiac Circle before the first public appearance
(New Revelation, 1923-1928)
Download an executable file of every Zodiac Message on this website to read on a computer
(ranging from 1923-1957)
