Divine Love Divine Truth
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Soul Development
January 19th, 1916
I am here, Your Old Friend, G_____.
I desire to write to you tonight upon a subject, which I think will be interesting. It is so late now I hesitate to do so.
Well, as you think it will be all right, I will do so. I want to write on the subject of the soul's progression, as I have experienced it.
As you know, when I first came into the Spirit World, I was an unbeliever in things pertaining to the soul, except that I thought that the soul, which in my then opinion was the equivalent of that part of human, which survived death, would continue to exist, and progress, as the mental qualities of the human should be developed. That the mind was the great and only thing in the Future Existence, and as the mind was developed more and more on Earth, the condition of the human in their progression would be determined.
I had no conception of the soul, as a distinct and independent existence from the mind. I thought that all the qualities and attributes of the mind were those, which belong to the soul, and that I had none others. So, I say, I entered the Spirit World, and did not change my beliefs until a long time after I became a spirit.
As I continued to live in the Spirit World in this belief, I found that the mental faculties, and their development, did not bring to me the satisfaction, which I had anticipated. Also, I met some of my friends of Earth, who had preceded me by long years, humans of great mental acquirements. I found that their condition were not as satisfactory a nature as I had led myself to believe that they should be. For many of these friends were only in the Earth Plane. Some were in darkness, which was wholly contrary to what they should be, if my theory of the allness of the mind was True. All this caused me to think, and in thinking, I commenced to realize that there might be something wrong in my theory, and that the soul might be a distinct thing from the mind, in its Nature and functions.
I did not find that these intellectual friends of mine had any very great happiness, nor were they satisfied with their conditions. Yet they could not, by the exercise of any mental progress, get out of their condition of darkness. Of course, they were engaged in pursuing studies of one kind or another, and such studies gave them considerable happiness and satisfaction. Yet, notwithstanding all this, there was some restraining force that prevented them from going to Spheres, higher than they were then living in.
I found that there were Higher Spheres, where the mind was developed to a much greater degree, and where many spirits who believed in the supremacy of the mind, lived and enjoyed the pursuits of their studies. At times, some of these spirits would come to our Plane and tell of the wonderful development and happiness in these Higher Spheres, and urge us to make the effort to progress and become inhabitants of them. You may be assured we were willing and anxious to make such progress. But try as I would, and as my friends would, the efforts produced no visible effect. We continued in darkness.
Being of an inquisitive nature, I sought for the reason of our inability to get out of the darkness. At last, found that the mind was not everything, but the development of the Moral Qualities were necessary to enable us to progress as we desired, and that in order to develop these qualities, something more than the mere exercise of the mental faculties were required.
Conscience must be satisfied. Our recollection of evil deeds on Earth must be gotten rid of. Our qualities of soul, which determined our position and condition in the Spirit World, must be so adjusted to the demands of the Laws of Harmony, so that we could be able to advance in our progress, to that place which such adjustment would entitle us to occupy.
I further found that the darkness, in which we lived, was not created by any defective condition of the mind. For many spirits, whose minds were highly cultivated, and possessed of unusual knowledge, were in just as much darkness as were many spirits of very meager mentality and information.
All this Knowledge came to me, and caused me to seek a way to improve my Moral Nature, and to get rid of the recollections of those things, which tainted and darkened such Nature. I sought very diligently. But it was slow work, and the efforts required were great. But some progress was made. If I had continued long enough, and used my will powers in urging the cultivation of kind thoughts, Love for the True, and affection, etc., I would undoubtedly have progressed from darkness. This had been the experience of many spirits, who believed as I did, that the mind was the thing, and depended upon their own will and exertions to bring the desired results.
While in this condition of struggle and slow progress, I would occasionally meet spirits who seemed to be of a Higher Order, and more beautiful than was I. Naturally, I wondered what the cause was. Although, strange as it may seem to you, I never made the inquiry, until one day I met some of our folks, who had this beautiful appearance, and seemed to be so Perfectly Happy.
Naturally, in our conversation, I asked them the cause of their happiness. When they told me, I was so surprised that I gave very little credence to what they said. Because, what they told me was so similar to what I had heard on Earth in the orthodox churches, that I supposed that these friends had brought with them their old orthodox faiths and emotions, and were deceiving themselves as to the cause of their appearances, and that the probable cause was that they were more moral than I when on Earth. Hence, their recollections of Earthly sins were less, and conscience was not so severe on them, therefore they had gotten out of their darkness into Light, with the resultant appearance of beauty and happiness. I would not, at first, accept their explanations of the cause of their conditions, and continued for sometime longer, in the effort to improve my moral condition and advance in my mental acquirements.
There was one other thing, I noticed. That is, that while these beautiful friends had not the mental development, apparently, that some other spirits who had progressed out of the darkness into the Higher Spheres of Light, yet the beauty, and seeming happiness, of these friends, were so much greater, and of a different Nature from the happiness and appearance of those more highly mentally developed spirits.
Again, I thought, and concluded that even Moral and mental development could not explain the cause of the difference between the appearances and happiness of these friends, and those of these more mentally developed spirits. So I again determined to seek the cause. As a consequence, I sought these friends, with the intention and desire to listen more seriously to what they might tell me, and to open my mind to the secret as it was to me.
Well, I listened to them. They told me that their progress and condition was caused by the Soul Development, which they had received in seeking for, and obtaining, the Divine Love of the Father. That the soul is the great and important part of being spirits. That the condition of the Soul Development determines the position, appearance and happiness of the spirit. That the spirit body and mind are both subordinate to the soul, and whenever the mind submits to the control of the soul, and the will of the mind, as you may say, to the will of the soul, that then, the progress to the Highest Sphere will commence. The spirit who is thus progressing, will show the state of their advancement, by the appearance of their beauty and happiness.
They further explained to me the Nature and Power of the Divine Love, and Its great developing potentialities. The absolute necessity of Its entering into, and possessing, the soul, in order for it to make its greatest progress. That, as this Divine Love became more and more a part of the soul's possessions, the soul took on itself the Divine Nature of the Father. All these things which had a lodgment therein, and which tended to make it dark and sinful, disappeared. As these things disappeared, the soul mounted to Higher Spheres, and became happier and more beautiful. The spiritual body correspondingly manifested this happiness and beauty.
All these things and many more, these friends told me, urged me to seek for the Divine Love of the Father, and offered in every way to help me. At first, I could not understand what seeking this Divine Love meant. They took great pains to instruct me, and told me that only through prayer and Faith would it come to me. That while this Divine Love was waiting to fill the soul of every spirit, and anxious to do so, yet only by earnest, sincere, seeking would It enter the soul and fill it with Its Great Essence.
At last, they persuaded me to pray to the Father, and then prayed with me. It was hard to have Faith in that, which my mind did not understand and could not grasp. But they said, the soul has its faculties, and is not dependent upon the mind for this Faith. Upon my exercising these soul faculties, would depend the question of my receiving this Divine Love, and this Faith. For as Divine Love came, Faith would come also, which Faith was not a mere mental belief, but something greater and different.
Well, I continued to pray for this Divine Love. After awhile, I felt a sensation, which I had never felt before within my soul. As I prayed this feeling increased. Faith, in a small degree, came to me. I realized that there was a Love possessing me that was never with me before. I continued thus to seek and pray, until at last, this Great Love came to me in great abundance, flooding as it were, my whole soul. Happiness unspeakable came to me, and as these friends said, Light and Beauty also.
Well you can imagine that my longings and desires became insatiable. The darkness disappeared. My recollections of the evils of my Life became fainter and fainter. Suddenly, I found myself in the Third Sphere, which then appeared to me to be the very heaven of heavens, and the very fountainhead of beauty and happiness.
Now during all this time, and it was not accomplished in a day, I gave no attention to the development of my mind, or to the acquiring of knowledge of the material things, as I might say, of the Spirit World. When I found myself in the beautiful Sphere that I have mentioned, it seemed to me that my mental faculties had expanded beyond all possibilities of belief, and knowledge of things that I had never before heard, or conceived of, came to me with wonderful clearness.
The soul, not the mind, was the thing! And Love, this Divine Love of the Father, made happiness mine, and everything beautiful and satisfying. They who seek only the development of the mind, and lets the soul slumber are poor indeed. But they who seek the development of the soul, finds that as their soul develops, their mind does also, and rich they are beyond compare.
Well, I continued in this Soul Development. In the increased happiness, and the attainment of great brightness, and more than all, the possessions of this Great Love, until I passed through the Fifth Sphere, where everything was much more beautiful, and Divine Love so more abundant than in the Third Sphere, and entered the Seventh Sphere, where I now am. I will not attempt to tell you the glories of this Sphere, for I feel that words are inadequate to do so. Then in a faint, unsatisfying way, have I attempted to rehearse to you the Soul's Development, and the wholly sufficient thing that it is.
My advice to all mortals, based on my own personal experience, is to seek with all their might, and earnest efforts, the development of the soul, and that of the mind will follow. This they can commence while yet on Earth. They will find, that progress after they have crossed the Borderline, will be much more rapid and easier.
Well, it is late. I have written long enough. I wanted so much to write to you tonight upon this subject of the Soul Development, as I see its vital importance to the future happiness of human, and to their Immortality.
So with all my Love and blessings, I am, your brother in Christ, G ____.
Soul Development
October 11th, 1916
I am here, St. John.
I merely want to say, that I have been listening to your reading of my message. I heard your comments on the same. You are correct in what you and your friend said.
There is scarcely a greater error in the beliefs of humans that retard the development of their souls, than the belief that at sometime Jesus will come, in all his glory and power, and take humans into his heaven just as they are, in body, soul, and spirit. This belief has, for a long time prevented many humans from seeking to develop their soul qualities, either as to the Natural Love, or as to the Divine Love. For, as a basis of their faith, is that saying in the Bible; "that whosoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved". Many, thinking that they have this belief, are contented therein. Further, believe that because of that belief, they will be carried into the heavens of Jesus when he comes, even though in the meantime they may have given up the Earth Life. It is deplorable that humans should believe these things, and live and die in this belief, which, of course, is wholly intellectual.
Such is the fact. We spirits, who know the Truth, have for all the long centuries, been so anxious that humans should know the Truth, and have been working among humans, by means of spirit impression, and sometimes by Revelation, to help them learn not only the Truth, but the errors of their beliefs. As our efforts have not been very successful, we concluded to use the means that we are now using, to Reveal to Humankind, in our own words and thoughts, the Truths of God, as regards human, and all things connected with Him.
Here I want to say, with all the emphasis that I can, that you, and your friends, must believe that the communications that you receive, as to these Truths, are written by us, in our own words, and that your mind does not supply a thought, or suggestion, and that you are used only as a medium to convey our thoughts, and lend your physical organs to facilitate our expressing in our own language, the Truths that we desire to convey.
So, no matter how improbable some things may seem to you, you must accept them as True. For nothing but the Truth will be written. Further, we will not allow any spirit, who is not in our band, or who has not this Divine Love, to write on any of the Truths, that are necessary to be Revealed to the World.
I thought this the proper place to say this, as I desire to assure your friend of the Reality of the messages, and the source from which they come.
I will not write more now, and will say goodnight.
With my Love to you both, I am, your brother in Christ, John.
Soul Development
February 19th, 1919
I am here, John.
Let me say just a word. I was with you today when you were talking to your friend. I heard your conversation, and saw the utter want of comprehension on the part of your friend, as to the Truths of the Spirit World, especially, of the Laws that divide the mere Perfect Human, from the Divine Human, or spirit. He is so engulfed in the conceptions that he has of these Loves, arising from his experience in Life, that he can only see the existence of one Love, the Natural. His mind is not capable of seeing the other (Divine) Love. Of course, his soul has not that development, which would assure him of the Reality of the Divine Love.
The mind itself is capable of informing him of the existence, and workings, of the Natural Love, as this is the only means that he possesses of understanding what Love is, he cannot possibly understand this Divine Love, and that soul, developed to a degree by the Very Divine Love itself. He may argue, to the extent of the capacity of his mind. He will never be able to comprehend the Divine Love that requires a perception of the soul (developed in the Divine Love itself). He may remain satisfied, and convince himself, that the Natural Love is the only Love, and that when it becomes developed to a certain degree, it becomes the divine love. Then find that that he is far away from the Truth.
He must know, I mean it is necessary for him to know, that only those who have the Divine Love, to some degree, are capable of knowing that the Divine Love is a thing of itself, not the development of the Natural Love, and has in it not the qualities of that Divine Love. The one (Divine Love) is of God, that is; partakes of His Very (Soul) Nature, while the other is also of God, but does not partake of His (Soul) Nature, but is only a Creation, intended to make human happy, and Perfect in their Condition of the mere Perfect Human, the merely Created existence.
I thought that I would give you these short comments on your conversation, in order to show the grave and important mistake under which your friend is laboring. He will not easily believe these Things of Truth while in the flesh. When he comes to Spirit Life, the difficulties will be just as great. It may be that he will always be content to remain the possessor of this Natural Love only. I wish that it might be otherwise, that he might let go his intellectual belief, and hearken to the call of the soul, which when not trammeled by these beliefs, is continually longing for this Greater Love.
Believe that I am your friend, and interested in you, to an extent that you cannot now comprehend, which someday you will understand and wonder that such a thing could have been.
Goodnight.
Your brother in Christ, John.
Soul Development
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ph: 303-587-4013
brotherd