Read by Andre Walters
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In our seeking after Truth - that is, in our attempt to attain to the consciousness of the Presence of God as a reality, I think one of the most difficult things for the student to understand is guidance.
Many people come to me and tell me that they have prayed for vision, for understanding or for guidance but when the answer came they could not distinguish between the three and were never sure which one was being given to them or what action they were being encouraged to take.
On the face of it this seems strange, but actually it is not so bewildering. Most of us listen to what I would term "wishful thinking"; we hope to receive the reply that we want to hear. It is as though, seeking the fulfilment of some desire, we set out after it in a Northerly direction and then tried to impose our own choice of route on Omniscience as being the correct one, when in fact our quickest and best way would have been to travel South.
What we have to learn is that God - our own particular Life within us - speaks to the individual in a way that is distinctive and personal to him. It does not necessarily follow that the line I take, which produces for me my good, will do the same for you; we are all differently constituted and the presence of God within all of us - which is an integral part of each of His body-temples - will unfold in everyone in the way best suited to the understanding of the person in question.
I often have to ask myself which path to take and as I want to do the right thing I do not rely on my own fallible human mind but instead I put it up to God. I want to move knowing that the Divine Mind, omniscience, that constitutes me will make me take the right road to His successful accomplishment through me; and after I have attuned my mind and heart to the spirit within I leave the whole matter with It and forget all about it. I do not look for indications or wait for some emissary from God to knock on my door and give me instructions. I let go, and wait upon Him.
Some time ago I asked a question that was very important to me and to the people who come to see me and, between the prompting of my mind and the inclination of my heart, I could not decide what was the right thing to do, so, as I never take any step unless I am completely sure that in so doing I am completely in tune with God, doing what He would have me do and not following after my own wishful thinking, I turned this matter over to Him and dropped it entirely from my mind.
At about 4 o'clock the next morning I had a most peculiar dream. I saw before me a very rough, tempestuous sea, and riding the breakers was a motor launch, full of Children, and I thought to myself "that is a very dangerous thing for them to be doing," and as the boat passed in front of me for the third time a terrific wave struck it and it capsized.
My immediate reaction was that I must go to the rescue of those who had been in it, so I plunged in, but found that, try as I would, I could not get through the turbulent waters. I went through all the sensations of being drowned as I was swept up to the surf and hurled back upon the beach. As I got up for the third time and prepared to make another attempt, a man, wearing a swimsuit, and gown said: "Don't worry, I will go and save them," so I stood still and watched him and he appeared to be reaching them without making any effort at all! I had always felt myself to be a pretty good swimmer and I thought, "How queer, he is not experiencing any trouble."
And then, after he had brought out the youngsters one by one and landed the last one on the sands, I woke up, and immediately the name of someone, who had asked me for some specific information in relation to Truth (the answer to which I could not give) came into my mind and in about five minutes I had interpreted the dream, and then I had it! It seems a strange way for God to answer, does it not? Spread out before me there had been the Sea of Life, the terrific waves, the opposition, my own fear when I found myself unable to help those people being battered by the storm, and then the man. I could not find the connection between him and the rest of the episode until, like a flash, inspiration came, and I knew that I had nothing to do with the spiritual dream that had been given to me, it was for the person who had asked the question.
He was going through a terrible experience, being buffeted by circumstances, and it was he who was in difficulties and unable to reach the shipwrecked people. In actual fact he had a tremendous step to take, and had passed on the responsibility to me. It was made clear to me that I was merely an onlooker; I had nothing whatever to do with the matter, even though I had been through all the emotional experience of that scene, yet in the unfoldment that came to me on awakening I received the guidance I was seeking, which uncovered for the man what he had to do.
It seems singular, does it not, that God - if He is Omnipotence and Omniscience - should not give a straight answer saying, "Do this" or "Do that" instead of resorting to symbols. However, though He does not appear to speak plainly, He does talk to us in a way that we can understand.
For many years I have been working spiritually upon the interpretation of these symbols that constitute the universal language of God and he gave me the information I needed in a way that I have learned to understand, so that this knowledge, passed through me, might help the man who had come to me for aid. This, however, does not suggest that he will speak to you in the same manner for you would not understand Him if He did; He will talk to you in some way through which He will be able to get into your consciousness.
How many of you are there who feel that you can unburden yourselves to this spiritual Power, can hand over to God whatever problems you have, whether of a spiritual, mental or emotional nature, and then with full trust in Him, forget all about them?
Do you not tend to give them to Him with one hand and to take them back with the other? Are you not apt to deny the lying condition and to affirm the reality of God instead of relaxing completely and giving the matter no thought at all? You are not really letting go. After all, the ability to do that comes only with much experience and constant, persistent work with the spiritual Truth that is God and that constitutes every human being under the sun.
In the meantime, however, your efforts are not wasted for you are building up within yourselves a knowledge of the reality of God, denying the outer circumstances, acquiring the consciousness of vision, or understanding, but there is as yet no inner freedom. That comes later as you travel along the path with a growing consciousness of expressing love.
I see so much of mankind's struggle in the lives of those who come to visit me or call me up. So many look for indications, ask me when and how it will come to pass, yet when you have really reached the consciousness of trust, or faith, there is such an awareness of the Presence of God, of His Omnipotence and Omniscience, that you can afford to forget the problem and consequently cease to look for signs. There is no longer any sense of separation. It is this feeling of division that causes people to run backwards and forwards from one teacher to another, but when, at last, you really believe that before you call He has answered there is no need to look for signals, proofs or evidence because the knowledge that it is done is within yourselves.
The Spirit of God speaks from the inside. Even if the spiritual guidance comes through a fellowman, the contact still has to be made within, for the one spiritual Life that constitutes you, constitutes also him, and his voice is the Voice of God and your ears, when you hear understandingly, are the Ears of God. You will grasp this if you will spend sufficient time realising within yourselves that your bodies are the temples of God; you will discover that the Kingdom of spiritual Ideas necessary for your well being, is within you, that you are permeated with His Life because He is Omnipresent, that He is nearer to you than hands and feet, closer to you than breathing; and that it is true that in Him you can live and move and exist and that He, the Spirit of Life, the Spirit of Intelligence, lives and moves and exists through you and, moreover, that before you call He has answered.
Why, I wonder, do we complicate Truth? Why do many of us who have an extensive knowledge of God, continue to seek our good from outside, believing that it has to come to us by way of other people? It has to come through us, for it is the very Presence of Love, permeating us, that releases the spiritual ideas - the expression of Life in our bodies as health, and the spiritual concepts of prosperity through our brains as affluence, and That becomes, in us, the fearlessness that makes us openhanded.
The one thing that every Truth student must ultimately understand is that he cannot afford to keep his hand closed. It is what constitutes his safety valve whether it be used in the giving of love, joy or happiness, or of encouragement, prosperity or faith. Can the supply of these, which are God, be depleted, if He IS us? Can His attributes within us run out? If this could happen, then we are sunk, for we should be dependent upon economic conditions, governed by the actions and reactions of people, but the Christ never recognised any lack in God. On the contrary, He was so confident - thanks to His consciousness of the Presence of God - that He said, "Ask what you will, and it shall be given unto you," but we can only "ask amiss" if we are entirely cluttered up mentally and emotionally inside; if we are concentrating our whole beings on negation, for we are then so confused that we cannot possibly ask for the good.
My own experience over half my lifetime has been one of goodness, of love, protection, wellbeing, peace and prosperity, and I would share these qualities with you. I would have you discover the Substance of God within yourselves, I would like it to become true.
Many people have said to me that only the wealthy go to our lectures on Sunday, and I have accepted that affirmation gratefully and graciously for our members. I would wish it to become materially manifest, I would like to be assured that every one of our students has built up this consciousness of affluence and knows God to be his prosperity, his happiness, his health, wellbeing and protection, and realises furthermore that no man can interpose between him and the Presence that is his Good.
The more you understand of Truth, the simpler It becomes. Life runs more smoothly, God is nearer for happiness is your daily companion. There is no more rushing round in a state of tension, with the whole mind and brain stretched out trying to produce in manifest form some quality of good. There is instead a peace, based on the realisation that your good is all that constitutes you and is manifesting here and now, in you, through you and for you according to God's purpose.
I would that Truth were something tangible that I could handle and pass over to you saying, "Here It is - experience It, feel what It is like to know that God is Love. That does not censure, criticise or condemn, but cares for His body-temples and desires to produce in all things only the good that He has promised. Did He not say, "I will make all things NEW"?
If you will but think of ME - turn your minds away from lying appearances, be they things, conditions or people; if you will come to Me I will renew your minds, bodies, hearts and affairs with My spiritual Substance of Perfection. You and I are a majority, you and I are the Universe; with me you can do all things.
Is not that a wonderful thought? It is something that I have recognised, realised and grasped and it has become my experience. When I know my heart is right with God, it does not matter what people say or do, I know I have nothing to fear. If my love is one with his, He is my banner of protection, over me, around me and about me, the Source of all my good, Its inlet and Its outlet.
This state of things can be yours also if you will seek Him with all your hearts, your minds and your might; and there is no material thing, no physical thing, that can take the place of this awareness, that can replace this consciousness of the innerness of Spirit, the closeness of Love. These can never be depleted, shut off or taken from you. They, and they alone - whether you know it or not - are what you are seeking; the knowledge that God-in-the-midst-of-you is mighty, mighty to heal, mighty to lead you out of life's wilderness up to his Pastures of shining Peace.
Nicol C. Campbell © The School of Truth Source p. 261, Oct / Nov 2008 - The Path of Truth
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