Now do you see what the mystical life is? In the mystical life, the Father within us is our food, is our clothing, is our safety and our security. There is no God to send us these or give us these; our God is these. Our God is freedom; our God is security; our God is joy and peace.
And it only is necessary to live. Oh, a few moments in the morning, a few moments at noon, a few moments at night, inwardly like this with the world shut out—until the very feeling of God’s presence is there. And then take no thought for anything in the external world, for all things will be added unto you.
Be careful, never speak of this to anyone, not to your closest relatives, not to your closest friends, until such time, as your own life bears witness to the fruitage of this, and then they come and seek it. And then don’t give it to them until they have proven their readiness for it, their eagerness for it, their desire for it.
Because, you will find that your pearls can be trampled upon, and you could lose them. It is a strange thing to say, but there are those who have found this and lost it in their over-eagerness to give it, to share it. And the reason is that to speak this ordinarily is like hitting a ball up against a wall—the wall doesn’t receive it, it just sends it back to hit you.
And so it is, as I voice this to you, you accept it, you receive it in your consciousness. It goes out from me, it finds lodgment within you, and then it comes back up to me in a wave of love. But the moment that I try to tell this to someone who is not receptive or responsive, it is as if it hit up against a wall and came back and hit me—instead of coming back gently, sweetly, lovingly.
You will find, that when you find someone who is seeking God, has shown by their life some measure of dedication to it, that when you share this with them, it doubles itself in you. But the very moment that you try to cram it down someone’s throat, the very moment you try to give it to someone who doesn’t want it, then you find you deplete yourself.
Many do not realize that when the Master was teaching the multitudes, he was often depleted. The reason was that he was giving out this fullness of the Spirit, and it was merely bouncing back, lying at his feet.
Very often, when we have a lecture, afterward there is a feeling of depletion, as if you had given out all of your good and left yourself blank. But this never happens in a classroom. Never! On the contrary, I have never known a session of a class, that didn’t leave me more elated, more uplifted, more filled with the Spirit than the beginning of the class.
The reason is: those who’ve come to the class, come with open consciousness, receptive. They have indicated in their lives. Well, they wouldn’t be in the room if they weren’t dedicating themselves to a higher awareness, to a higher consciousness. And so they are receptive and responsive, and they receive and they give back.
“The Father within me”—this is merely a term. But each one discovers for themselves that which God is to them. Each one feels within themselves—whether God is the Father within, or whether God is love, or God is life. Some find the Spirit of Christ dwells in them, some the spirit of love, the spirit of life. Each one finds this presence within themselves, and the presence assumes an identity.
It is perfectly natural for some to feel that this is the Father within me. It is perfectly natural for Abraham to feel, this is my friend.
Sometimes the question is asked of me, why it is that “Dear Friend” is such an important part of my life. My letters start that way, even the monthly Letters—always, “Dear Friend.” And the reason I tell you is this that God is to me as a friend—God is to me.
When I say “Dear Friend” to you, I am recognizing my Father in you. When I write, “Dear Friend,” it is this presence within me to whom I am speaking, and it is this presence, this friend within me—who is speaking through me, to you.
But again, there are times when it is as if it were the very presence of love in me, or the very presence of life. But whatever it is, it is the presence. It is the presence, and it is the power. And that is why in The Infinite Way, our entire basis is—that God alone is power.
There are no powers external to us, there are no powers of evil, and there are no powers of good—for the only power there is, is this presence within me. It is the only presence; it is the All-presence, and it does not have to contend with other powers. It does not have to fight other powers or overcome them—for there are no other powers. This that I feel as the Father within me, this that I feel as a loving presence is the only power.
And that is why in The Infinite Way, there is no reason to live by might or by power; there is no reason to struggle to heal disease; there is no need to struggle to overcome sin—there is a presence within us, which does the work. And the work isn’t fighting or overcoming, it is almost as if it were dissolving a picture, and nothing more nor less than that. It is not a power in the sense of doing anything to evil. It is only a power in the sense of maintaining and sustaining Its own divine creation.
“Whither shall I flee from Thy Spirit?” And so, when temptation tells you that you are facing a problem, regardless of the name or nature of the problem, regardless of its depth or height or width, regardless of its seeming power, just ask yourself that question: “Whither shall I flee from Thy presence?” Thou art here, Thou art here. Whithersoever I go, Thou goest; wherever I am Thou art.
And rest, rest in that presence, and let It perform Its function. If it is a disease to be healed, let It do it. If it is a sin to overcome, let It do it. If there is something in the nature of supply to be supplied, let It do it.
Don’t send It out; don’t make It your messenger; don’t try to empower It—rest in It. Feel the presence; rest in It, and then realize: regardless of what devil stands before me, this presence will dissolve it, and this presence will reinterpret it.