"THE SEARCHERS AND WHAT THEY FIND"

"O God, Thou who art our Father and Mother, we offer up ourselves to Thee once more, craving that Thou wilt take the weakness and turn it into strength, craving that Thou wilt take that which is so fragile in ourselves and make it unbreakable, inseverable, because we are linked to Thee and all that Thou hast promised...

"O Christ, we realise we have much to learn, much to circumvent, much to overcome, but we are conscious that through Thy most precious Love we shall arise, and not only think good thoughts, strong thoughts, but do good deeds, those actions which reflect something of the Divine within.

"With thankfulness, in deepest gratitude for all Thou hast revealed to these, Thy children, so we commence our work, certain that this night has been ordained by Thee, and that what takes place is according to Thy Holy will and for the furtherance of the Divine purpose...

"Christ, lift up our hearts, set us free from the physical mind, and grant that the true self may function during this short time of converse, through the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, so generously bestowed. Father, we thank Thee. Amen...

"...My little children, you have met together, as I have said, because it is the will of the One who loves you best. I want you to consider within yourselves the position in which you are now, according to that which I name the spiritual progress of the true self. Where do you stand? What are your gifts? How much preparation has been put in?

"These are questions which must be answered - and answered faithfully - before the traveller can be named a pilgrim. For, as you know, there are many who cover much distance from the earth point of view, and take in for consideration that which has been drawn out of the minds of others. They are seekers, but for what do they seek? That is the point.

"Around you, in this little world, on all sides there are seekers. Some seek for pleasure, some for that which they name happiness, many for power, and a still greater number for the treasures of the earth. They are seekers, but at this time their bondage is great.

"Yet remember, that the mere fact that they have sufficient energy to work and to strive for those things which they long to make their own, that this is an indication that the greater self has, in an infinitesimal way, obtained freedom from the blindness and the darkness of the long ago. Make no mistake. Those who search for things material are squandering their vitality and their gifts, and one day they will mourn, for what they had was put to a purpose never meant by God.

"But I want you to consider this: The slothful, those who are content to allow the days to pass without showing anything of effort, whatever that effort may be expended upon - the lazy ones, the ones who ever dream and allow others to work - these are spiritually a grade lower in their emancipation than the ones who strive, even if their efforts are to obtain that which to them seems so fair.

"The energy, the concentration devoted to attracting things which, in themselves, must provide burdens in time to come, this however, is an indication that one day - when sight or a measure of vision is made their own - that one day, they will turn their energies into the channels which the Divine within intended from the start.

"Little ones, in a country far from this, there are, as you know, millions of living souls; some are less developed than yourselves in a spiritual sense, some - by the fact of what they have taken on through the spirit's choice - who are a little nearer to that perfection which each one, in time, must represent.

"These are your brothers and your sisters. For what are they seeking? Is it for that which brings to them ease of the body and comfort to the mind? If so, out of your greater understanding, pray for them, for they need your prayers, and the way into the Light for some time is blocked before them - blocked by that which they themselves have brought into being.

"But the many toilers, the ones who, so it seems to them, are thrust down into conditions against their will, who are under the heel of others, to whom life represents a struggle from their early childhood until old age falls upon them - such as these, my children, by that which they are enduring, are sending out strength to you and many others. For you cannot suffer, you cannot strive - even if the suffering and the striving is forced upon you by the circumstances of your life - without sending out on the vibrations, for the use of others, spiritual strength, patience and endurance...

"Think of such as these, and in your heart thank them, for through that which they endure or have endured, they are friends of yours; and you, because you think upon them and because you send out tender thoughts towards them, you are friends of theirs under the greater Friend of us all.

"And then, my children, I want you to go in thought to the great cities where the rank and file, as well as those in authority, are concentrating on drawing out of life that which, when the physical stage is o'er, will seem to them as rock - aye, more solid than dust; for what they cleaved to, fought for, and betrayed the Divine within to make their own - these things, though they may be physical and material, they cannot be shaken off with the garment of flesh; they must be worked out through the years to come.

"I speak of those who seek for the possessions of the earth and forget the brotherhood of man. I speak of those who train the minds of the young to look after the physical self and to hesitate not to deceive those who have a claim upon their love and consideration by ties of blood, by ties of friendship.

"These children wander in darkness - the darkness of the physical self. They strive for possessions, and for a little while, so it seems, the gifts of the earth are showered upon them. But the more awakened ones lose that which they had, and often pass out of physical life in the poverty in which they commenced their physical career. Blessed are such as these, for they are sufficiently awake to retrace their steps and, in a measure, to make good that which the past has held.

"Misunderstand me not: I have told you that the possessions of the earth - that which you name its treasures and its jewels - these can bring the direct blessing of God if the one who holds remembers that he or she is a custodian of those possessions, under Christ.

"That is the point, that is the dividing line between the travellers and the pilgrims. The travellers seek and sometimes find, and in the finding they hold and share not. The pilgrims seek and find gifts, perchance, of a different kind, but they know - for the true self within instructs - that those gifts are for the use of others, for the drawing of the curtain, for the opening out of the path, for the linking up hand in hand and passing out of the things of the earth into the things of the Spirit, holding the thoughts of the Spirit until the individual is strong enough and wise enough to put those thoughts into action...

"So, my children, I come back to you and I pass on a fragment of the truth which is of God. I warn you to take care as to what you seek, for peradventure you may find, and in a time to come that which you found may prove to be the block between you and the joy which is of the Spirit.

"I entreat you to seek wisely and always to be on your guard; and when this or that comes across your path, not to grasp it without first asking the Father's will, for the Father's will is the will of the Divine within, they are of each other; and, in a measure, the Christ within follows the example of the Lord God of all. 'In the measure' because you, little ones, and all the many who have been created, are as fragments, while the Father is the Source. We are the children, but God is the Parent of every living thing in all conditions. Yet we, in our degree - that fragment - can be perfect, but we are just as a spark from the great Fount of Light...

"I want you, my little ones, to think seriously within yourselves, for you have been told that things will happen, that troubles will take place; for the world, as a whole, has reached that point of illumination when it has the strength to grasp the cross for the sake of the resurrection beyond.

"This is the attitude in which to face the future as well as the present; and I bid each one quail not nor tremble, but to recollect ever and again that the ones who suffer over the tribulations, they, in measure, are conscious of what lies ahead. The physical mind may bind them so long as the physical garment holds, but the spirit within has cast off something of the bondage of the past and is cleaving to that which shall remain.

"When you hear of the suffering of this one and that, say at once: 'The strength within has conquered the weakness without'. Yet, dismiss it not in this wise alone, but ponder again, face the truth: 'Could I produce the same strength from within? If trouble comes to me, shall I be able to cling to the rock, or will the torrent of self drag me down and break my faith?'

"Those who meet the present and the future with a steadfast nerve and a valiant heart, they are examples of something of the Christ-spirit, for indeed they reflect that which the Master showed in perfection.

"Again, I bring you back to the Saviour of the World, and I put before you His portion, aye, how He met His enemies, how they poured upon Him humiliation and scorn, and His patience, His unfailing love. The world today - yes, and over the past - has laid down certain standards for itself: 'This one we honour, that one we despise; this one is worthy of our regard, that one is of no account'. And, those who are scorned, suffer altogether out of proportion to the blow inflicted.

"For think you, dear children, of the Christ and how the world judged Him. Cannot you hear an echo of the past? 'This one is a deceiver, ignorant and vain; this one is of no importance; can good come out of Nazareth? Think of His upbringing, where is His power, possessions He has none'.

"How the past is echoed: The world's view, those with the tools of the mind, the so-called clever ones, they stand condemned by themselves as the most foolish of all. They had eyes to see and minds which would work; they had the prophecies of the past and the indications in that which was the present; but, when God stood among them, they despised and rejected Him. For what? Because, dear children, He did not come up to the earth standard of respect, He had nothing to show which those of the world recognise alone as greatness and power...

"Oh, think you. Down the ages, before the Holy One came, and ever since, the world has judged, and in its judgment has demonstrated a blindness, an ignorance, and a foolishness not excelled by those you name the imbeciles of the race.

"These searched, and for what? They came to view the Holy One, and they found not that which they called evidence that He was indeed the promised Messiah. They were searchers - searchers after the things of the earth; and they found them, to their great tribulation, in time to come.

"But there are those who, over the ages, have struggled - and none have struggled in vain - to raise their minds from the earth view and to gain that which is the Truth.

"So, my children, in your daily life - and your past and your future lie open to me at this moment - take care how you judge, take care how you act towards those within your vibrations, and, still more, towards that which is passed on as the Truth. For there are teachers and preachers in this same day, as in every generation, who, though they use the name of Christ, have forgotten the actual symbol of the Lord God of all, have forgotten His Life with all its humility and hardship, which for ever is an example to those who follow after. When the preachers and the teachers comfort by the withholding of the truth, those who seek for power, those who seek for riches, pray for such as these, for indeed they are as the false shepherds, and they direct into a fold which, literally, is surrounded by enemies.

"Seek ever for Christ and hold in your mind His simple statements, and, still more, keep vividly before you that All-Wisdom, Perfection, was scorned by the so-called clever ones, by the world which He entered to save. And remember always to pass on to others this most glorious promise of God: That to those who seek, so the door shall be opened.

"But recall to their minds that this Spiritual law relates to everything, both physical and material, as well as spiritual. Those who seek shall find; those who seek to protect themselves at the expense of others, those whose thoughts fly to that which shall comfort or explain away the temptation which is around, those who fix their desires on having that which is fame - aye, that their names may be upon the lips of the populace - these may find, but the time comes when this, in itself, becomes a wound, something that cannot be forgotten. They sought and they found, and, in finding, they have fettered themselves to that which they sought.

"So the direction comes from the One who loves us best - the Saviour, the great, great Missionary of all peoples - once again, He sends through the vibrations an entreaty to those who are of Himself: 'Seek the things of the Spirit; knock and the door shall be opened; work and by your efforts you shall enter into the glory which is of God'...

"Long before the Master came in a physical guise, so the Lord God Jehovah sent the same entreaty to those who were even the children of His heart. Some listened and others forgot; some strove, and they cast Light not only amongst the peoples of their time, but you, today, stretch out and feel upon yourselves the Light of the prophets of old, that which they proved by experience and left as an example for others to follow.

"They sought for the God they knew so little about, and they found not only their Father and Mother God, but in seeking, by the pangs endured, by the dedication of heart and mind, so the Divine within was made free from its bonds, and the individual, through the God within, was linked up not only to the Most High, but to all that mighty work of building and constructing, of saving and retrieving, which must go on and on until all are gathered in...

"So, my children, I bring you back to the present, and I remind you once more that the past has produced the freedom you now enjoy, and the present is a preparation for that gigantic work of saving souls, which is the only thing that matters once sight is made your own.

"So you get your direction: Seek for those who have strayed away from the steep hill into the darkness of the valley. Seek naught for yourself, for in fighting the battles of others, so every possession that is of worth comes to you by the law of God. Struggle with the sad, strengthen the weak, and help by your own efforts - your hands and your minds - those who are over-burdened by the toil of physical life. 'Bear ye one another's burdens': does it not explain, does it not reveal? In lifting this one a point higher, instantly you yourself are that much nearer to the God to whom you belong.

"In praying for yourself, in working for yourself, in seeking for gifts or qualities to make your own, so, my children, you lose. The way of progress is the Christ way and the Christ way alone.

"The Master sought far and wide, and He has sought since the beginning of' creation and will seek through the aeons to come; but the Master sought for others, the Master delighted to give that which He possessed to those who were without; the great, great Seeker laid down - and it is preserved in the Sacred Record - that the way into the Light is the way of service, thinking not of your own salvation, not of the preservation of those spiritual gifts which you prize so highly, but of the release, in others, of the tiny desire to get closer to holy things, the little effort drawn forth from the once wayward child. That is the way of salvation, so-called, the way to make sure the protection and the freedom of the God within.

"Oh, my children, cannot you see how many of the teachers have blocked the path, all unconsciously to themselves? I have told you ever that the Christ way is the only way. There are countless thousands who read the words, yet the meaning penetrates not beyond the mind of the body; and that which they so fondly regard as the 'saving' of themselves, in some cases - aye, in many cases - represents a bondage in part, a chain that still has to be broken; for self came before others though they knew the Christ, and could follow Him in thought through the Garden to the Cross itself.

"This is the Truth. I bid all take care. Those who seek to save their life must lose it, for life to us means the freedom of the true self. Those who seek to cleave to that purity which they have built over the past, and forget to cleanse the hearts and minds of others, lo, when the body is no more, that so-called purity is grey instead of white; the grey of self has spoilt its beauty, and they stand shamed by another who thought not of that which they themselves expressed, but went to this one and the other, and, by the love within, represented, in tiny part, the love of All-Purity, the perfect One, who mingles not only with imperfection and impurity, but struggles and strives with His bonded children until a measure of freedom is made their own...

"My children, deceive not yourselves nor allow any to deceive you. The Christ way, the Christ thought, the Christ action, the Christ life, that is the only road to God, and it takes you direct into a gladness, a sweetness, and a peace which the physical language cannot portray.

"Thus I leave you, yet, I entreat you, if your thinking has been awry, to revise the details of your life, to rearrange the sequence of your thoughts, to go back to the ancient Record and to try, in the measure that you can, to place your feet in the Sacred Footsteps. You may stumble, you may seem to fall, but the promise of God remains for all time; and when the physical life is o'er, you shall see to your delight, although you stumbled and although you fell, that the way you took has led you home to God..."

"...It is Cecilia, and I think my presence here tonight is rather in the nature of a surprise, but I want to speak to all, and especially to the child who is under my care.

"Friends, you may ponder upon the lives of the so-called saints. We smile at the word, for in looking back it seems to us so little we did and so much we took. But in one thing we contrived to keep close to the injunctions laid down, for we worked and we worked again.

"Perhaps this gives a wrong impression. In my own case, my days - well, there were very few hours of night; and I want to tell you - because these little experiences linger in the mind when other parts of the messages are forgotten - I want to tell you about those early hours in the morning before the light could struggle through the open window into my little room.

"It was my custom to greet the day by dedicating myself to my God, and when the hour struck three, I arose and washed the body, and prepared myself for getting into what you call the Silence. Some of you have questioned whether those prayers - those hours given up to the contemplation of holy things - whether these were acceptable to God.

"I would explain: As I see things now - and I am borrowing vision from the great and glorious ones around - as I see things now, those hours could have been better employed; but forget not that God is our Father, and, according to my desire, so I found that precious gift of communion with the One who was all in all to me - the Christ, the great Controller of all Life.

"One morning, so there came to me that which was a symbol. As I speak I am back again in my tiny room. It is twilight, and the chill is all around. I am preparing for my communion - communion with the Holy One. There is my little stool, and as I knelt down wondering if the hours of the past day held many grievous wrongs, so a bird flew through my window and perched upon my stool. For a second my attention was distracted. Within my mind arose the desire to caress the little stranger, yet discipline prevailed, and I knelt in prayer. But the intruder would not be denied, and upon my hands so it fluttered. I gently threw it from me, but again it came, and so tame it was that at last it crept within my hands and I was conscious that it needed the little heat I could supply...

"I fell asleep with the bird within my hands, and a vision glorious was mine. It seemed to me that I walked along a dusty road alone, yet strangely contented within; but, as I came to a certain portion, the road branched off, and I paused, uncertain. Out of the vibrations, so it seemed to me, a stranger came. It was the one Jesus loved, and he reasoned with me thus:

" - 'Little sister, if thou takest that road, so thou shalt be preserved from the enemies of temptation; if thou chooseth this one, so, step by step, they will fall upon thee, they will rob thee, and it will seem that they will break thee. Choose aright!'

"And then he vanished; and in my dream I considered, and at last illumination came, for I recollected that the one so bright and pure came himself from the dangerous road, and, again, disappeared in that direction... I raised my voice to God: 'Where Thou art, fear is not; where Thou walketh, so protection lies'. And the struggle was o'er.

"Since I have been free, I have gone back over that little incident of the bird, and I know now that it was sent as a warning, and had I denied that little creature the warmth of my hand, I should have been denying my God. You see how subtle is temptation? At first, I pushed the bird from me, for the desire was within to stroke its tiny coat; but God, in His wisdom, gave me a second chance, and all was worked out according to His Holy will. That is for you all - a parable in which lies immortal Truth..."

"...Well, my dear young friends, it's Longfellow, and I've come tonight for a purpose, as you can guess. I want you all to regard me as a man who also has learnt a little and has still a mighty lot to make his own. But tonight as old friends we meet, and I think I can say that each one has paid me the compliment of reading the words I strung together. What a gift!

"Now think, what does this mean? There are those who come into the body, who have the privilege of being used by someone wiser than themselves. Yes, and there are those who have the same chance, who, believe me, are used by someone more ignorant than themselves. But I was lucky in the spiritual sense, and I thank God with a gratitude that cannot be talked about, that He allowed me to send out into the world those lines which have brought to thousands a measure of peace, and perhaps a little faith as well.

"But, what I have come for, is to speak about the Hiawatha. It seems a long time to you (1925), that I told you that you were wise to love my Hiawatha, because I found, when I stepped into Life, that there was a Hiawatha, though he was called by another name.

"Yes, I found - with an exhilaration, an ecstasy, which has got to be experienced to be understood - that these people of the past (N. American Indians), were in the Light which never fades, and supplying Light to those who thought they had made a corner in it.

"Now, my children, in regard to the Hiawatha - and he is beautiful within and without - I want, on his behalf, to explain that when the white man came, and, as you say, robbed the brown and the red of their little tracts of land, that the victims, through the suffering - what the suffering brought and left behind - that the red man and the brown, well, they thank God for the coming of the white man, for without the white man, the red and the brown would not now be in the Light which never fades...

"Don't you see? In our blundering way, we go here and we go there. Amongst the pioneers are the deceivers and the traitors; yet the very deceptions and betrayals are used by God, and the individual thanks his Maker for the sufferings of the past.

"Hiawatha and his band, as I found to my great delight, were children of Nature when upon the earth plane. Primitive, perhaps some might call them, but they were clean in thought and in action, and so I prefer to call them children of Nature under their Father and Mother God.

"They suffered, they went without, but rebellion was far from them. They knew that something had happened, that the whole trend of their life was changed, but why it had happened or what had made it happen was hidden from them. Like children they were punished, but they did not know why the punishment had come. They had kept the law of their tribe, they had followed the precepts of their teachers, yet the cloud came and burst. But, after the cloud, came the sunshine of another world, which welcomed them in...

"I'm afraid I've got rather far away. The Hiawatha has a way of taking me into other realms, but what he did for me during my earth life, and what he has done for me since, cannot be portrayed in words. But tonight, I underline that these people in their ignorance and with their childlike faith, they were under the wing - the protecting wing of God; and what they lost they gained, and what they bore, so it was marked on the garment into which they stepped...

(When all had spoken, Zodiac returned and continued...)

"...My dear children, we part this night with happiness in our hearts. Forget not that God's way is the glad way, the sweet way, and the way of peace.

"To each one, individually, I have the best message of all to give. Oh, remember how you have been blessed, remember that in a measure you know God. Never forget that whatever your life may hold, His love changeth not. Push from you sorrowful thoughts, and stretch out and claim the joy which is of Him. Say not to yourselves: 'I have failed and the past is full of mistakes'. But in place of this exclaim with faith: 'With the help of God, I will conquer my weaker self; through the power of the Holy Spirit, I will arise and go to my Father and ask Him to do that which I cannot do myself'...

"So we part in gladness, and when we meet again once more I will call out of the vibrations the sweetness of the love of God; and you, heartened and encouraged, shall go on, fearing nothing, because you are linked to the Rock which never fails.

"So, in the Father's Name, I not only bless you with greater vision, but with trust in the working out of the Divine purpose, trust in the One who has fought for you and protected you over aeons of time. The blessing of God, the courage of Christ, and that purity linked to service which is the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God grant that you may be able to take that which He so lavishly bestows... Farewell, but forget not my words this night."

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