The “I AM” Discourses 18

unto the other is most commendable, and this simple thing will open the door, oh so wide! to receive the fullness intended for them.

THE DISCOURSE

I would be so pleased to have every one of the students, just at this time especially, use the Statement, with all the enthusiasm they can command: “ ‘I AM,’ ‘I AM,’ I know ‘I AM’ the use of God’s Limitless Opulence.”

Here I wish to explain that when there is a group of students in accord, working from the same principle, and they use this Statement, they not only bring into their own world and use this Great Opulence, but they bless their associate students with the same thing, because “ ‘I AM the Presence’ in each one.” This is the mighty power of cooperative action which everyone should use.

The students who maintain a loving blessing to each other are really held in the “Embrace of the Great ‘I AM Presence,’ ” and when they acknowledge Its action, they are commanding the same blessing and action for the other students that they are for themselves.

This is the correct attitude to be sustained, and if maintained sincerely in the heart of each one, no one within this Embrace will want for any good thing; but the student who allows any feeling to remain of unkindness to the others will shut himself away from this Great Radiance and Blessing.

Now let us enter into the keynote of what you touched this morning—the simple understanding of God’s Will and free will. God’s Will is the Opulence of Goodwill—the birthright of every one of God’s Children.

When you are reaching to the Light in the use of the “Mighty I AM Presence” with sincerity, it is not possible for you to do otherwise than call for God’s Will to be done. As Children of God the Father—who has given His Children free will that they may choose—they must understand that it is for them alone to decree what shall act in their lives and world.

Having free will, the student must understand that God can only act in his Life and world according to his conscious direction.

God is the Principle of all Life, and each Child of God is an individualized, conscious, active part of that One Great Principle of Life and Love and Power.

God has given into the keeping of every one of His Children this Marvelous Consciousness, which is Omnipresent, eternally elastic, as it were, which can be drawn into a focal point to write with the Pen of Light, or expand to encompass the earth.

Consciousness is always subject to direction through the use of the free will.

The most unfortunate understanding established by the orthodox idea that God acts of His own Free Will in the Life of the individual or a nation, is positively not true. God can only act through the mind of His own individualization, which is clothed with the personalities that you see about you. These personalities are but vehicles of use and expression of this Mighty Individuality—which is God’s Will and your free will—and it only comes into use by your conscious direction.

I say to you that every function of your body is sustained through conscious action, although you are not aware of it; but as you reach deeper and deeper into the Consciousness of the “Mighty I AM Presence,” you will come to understand that it is impossible for any outer action to take place without Self-conscious action.

A simple proof of this is what any of you may test at any moment: I wish to do some physical act. Preceding that activity, there always comes the thought to do it; otherwise the hand or body would not move in action. That which people have chosen to call involuntary action is the thing that has mystified their understanding of their own Being.

The students should take this humble explanation and meditate upon it often, for it will clear the mind of any obstruction. You are Self-conscious, Free Will, Acting Beings.

This is really of vital importance to these blessed, earnest students. I love every one of them, both men and women, even though the ladies’ husbands might object.

In both of your classes this week, the Individualized Presence of Jesus the Christ stood in your midst. At ....... , in the form of “The Tree of Life,” each student being a branch. At ....... , from His “Pillar of Dazzling Radiance,” within which was His Visible, Personal Form. At ....... , His Form was within the “Tree of Life,” but not visible—not to mention others of the Ascended Host who were present. There were also Nada, Cha Ara, Lanto and Myself.

I wish to say to that class of blessed boys with the one pink rose in their midst, that I joyously hold them all in My Fond Embrace, so they may use and inhale the Radiance of My Being. They have Freedom and Dominion within their grasp, if they will hold fast to these Instructions and apply them.

Further, I wish the students to understand that the Stream of Life flowing through the mind and body always comes into them pure and unadulterated, containing within It all the strength, courage, energy and wisdom that can ever be desired; but by the lack of control of their thought and feeling, they are unknowingly requalifying this Pure Essence with the outer ideas upon which the attention has been fixed.

To form the habit every moment the mind is not otherwise occupied of being Self-conscious that: “ ‘I AM’ the only Intelligence acting,” will keep that Mighty, Wonderful Stream of Life from being discolored, and I shall say disqualified, by the wrong conceptions of the outer activity of the mind. This is the simple secret of really all Perfection—if one can but comprehend it.

This Great Life comes into everyone’s use Pure and Perfect, but through lack of understanding, the outer mind is constantly requalifying It with discordant conceptions, and thus human beings change Its otherwise Perfect Action into that which they find expressed in limitation and discord in their outer activity.

This should make clear to the students the simple activity which they should Self-consciously maintain in order to keep this marvelous, Perfect Life that is constantly flowing through their minds and bodies in Its Pure, Fragrant State; for I tell you truly, that those who will follow and maintain this idea will find the emanations from their own bodies becoming rarer than the lily or the rose. Further, in the consciousness of this Perfection which is constantly flowing into their use, they can know It as Perfect health and beauty of face and form, until Its Radiance shines forth like the sun.

O Beloved Students! When it is so simple, requiring so little consciously sustained effort, is it not worth all it requires on your part to enter into the Fullness of this Life Stream and receive Its Fullness and Blessing?

In the Oriental activity there was a secret society—in fact, it began in China—maintained gloriously in the Light until the one then in charge at the head of the order, thought, in one of the war ravages, that his daughter whom he loved so deeply, was killed by an Englishman—which, however, was not the case. But it brought about the breaking up of the order, and the pictures of “Fu Manchu,” of which I think there have been four produced, are the picturing of this to the outer world, showing how the “Light” may be distorted by something starting the feeling of revenge.

This one known as “Fu Manchu” was, at the beginning of that activity, a wondrous, beautiful soul; and it shows how sometimes the ravages of war and the lack of control of the thought and feeling in the individual bring about such distortion in the Life Stream.

In connection with the South American Activity, which the present work has drawn joyously to Their attention: until this Focus of Radiation began, it was doubted by most, except Nada and Myself, the possibility of establishing such a Focus in this busy Western World; but They did not know what I did, the fact of our long association not having been revealed to Them. So I said on My own Responsibility:

“I shall try it out.”

Now I have the full cooperation of all who might have questioned. The Master from Venus and Lanto also stood with Us. I said to Them: “The time has come when there are those outside of the Retreats who can be made True Messengers of the Light.” Thanks to you, I have been proven right. Now, of course, I ask you all to stand with Me in the sustaining of this.

It proves that it is possible to establish this Mighty, Active Presence in the midst of a hailstorm. I have always maintained this, and most of the time I have stood alone; but the ability of the students to grasp the use of the “I AM Presence” is making tremendous things possible; and I say sincerely for your encouragement, that with this marvelous condition maintained which has come to this point, it is not impossible to have various Ones of these Ascended Beings sit in your midst—as visible as your own physical bodies—and speak to you.

This is not just a matter of the desire of the students for it, but rather the preparation of the students for it. Until recently, of course, this good Brother has not known it—but for thirty years he has been being prepared for it. Half of that time your (Mrs. G.W. Ballard’s) preparation was going on in the invisible, and it has been a remarkably beautiful thing to all who have observed it.

Q. The other night while in deep meditation, I heard the words: “into the City of Delhi.”

A. Which really means “into the City of Light.”

Q. On Monday, November 29, 1932, I heard, in the morning before the Discourse, and again today before the Discourse, the Words of Jesus: “Ye have been with Me in my sorrows, ye shall now behold Me in My Glory, and see the reward which My Father doth give Me.”

A. And so shall it be in your outer experience. The very Words which Jesus used from time to time, all may use—and will use sometime, somewhere with fulfillment—for the Words He used at all times were “Life’’ and contained within them that Ascended Life, or Perfect Life.

Q. How is the political situation?

A. There will not be nearly so much accomplished by the element that sought entrance as they anticipated. The old saying that if you give a calf rope enough, it will hang itself, is true with certain forces. Sometimes when they think they have won an easy victory, they have sounded their own death knell.

The accomplishment of the past few days drew the attention of many in the Golden City, who, as We projected the Vision and Sound Rays today, came to look and behold the accomplishment. I say this for the encouragement of the students: While We are giving forth the Work today, Those in the Golden City are sending forth to the students Their Glorious Radiation.

It has been a great joy to Me to prove that in the Land of America for which I have worked so long that there were those who could receive what you are receiving and giving forth at this time. There are those Masters from Venus who have seen this with Me for some time. The Kumaras’ Field of Action was in other ways, but They are now observant of this accomplishment.

There is no radiation goes forth anywhere in the Universe except through conscious projection. The Radiation projected from the stars, so-called, to our earth does not and cannot come into contact with the earth without the conscious direction of the Cosmic Being who is the Conscious Directing Presence of that star or planet. This conscious direction is what makes the Radiation from one planet to another reach its destination; but the Radiation thus directed does not carry any adverse aspect to any individual there.

The Universal, Cosmic Laws of the earth, which impel growth through the law of experience, hold within themselves that which you know as resistance. If there were not that which the individual knows as resistance, he would not make conscious effort, and this would make it impossible for advancement in understanding, or the return to the Father’s House from which the children of earth have strayed.

Resistance has nothing whatever to do with discord. Resistance is a Natural Law. Discord is a human creation. There is no discord in the Universe except that which the personality creates.

Take the dynamic consciousness: “ ‘I AM’ the Pure Mind of God in everyone present here.” This shuts out human desire.

Take the consciousness: “ ‘I AM’ the governing Presence of this.” The desire first comes in the mind, and if you take the consciousness: “ ‘I AM’ the Pure Mind of God,” it consumes the thought and keeps the human mind clear from the desire entirely.

When the liquid precipitates in the hand, instantly qualify it as Liquid Light, and it will manifest as That. Give the command for that quality before beginning the precipitation.

One student should not expect to see the same activity as another; the students are not supposed to see or feel alike.

There is not a moment in the day that we do not visualize something, because the power of vision is acting all the time. Keep all out of the mind except the picture you want, for that is all with which you are concerned. Do not let the attention become focused on the seeming emptiness.

BENEDICTION: In great devotion, in the fullness of our Hearts of Love, in the fullness of our adoration to the “God Presence which ‘I AM’ ”—the Ascended Jesus Christ—we pour forth our Gratitude and Praise for the sustaining Presence, the good of every description held within this Radiance of which we are receiving hourly. Thou Mighty Presence! As we find ourselves held within Thy Mighty Embrace, we become imbued with Thy Radiant Intelligence, Thy Marvelous Strength, Thy Invincible Courage to hold constantly within Thy Mighty Light. We thank Thee.