Infinite Way Letter: December 1958
from: The Heart of Mysticism
By Joel S. Goldsmith

The Christ, although It is ever present, is not available to the worldly man until that man has risen above dependence on that which is visible or tangible to human sense and has learned the meaning of the transcendental, that which is invisible to sight, inaudible to hearing, and yet real, strong, and powerful. Our work is the opening of consciousness to the Christ. As the Christ is realized, we find ourselves coming into greater harmony of mind, body, business, purse, and home. We, likewise, find that we are able, even as the Master and the disciples were, to bring a measure of that healing to all those who are receptive and responsive to It—not to all people, however, because there are those who seek only loaves and fishes, only better physicality, and although some of them are healed, we do not accomplish our best work with them.

Healing is of paramount importance in the work of The Infinite Way because, although healing is not the object of our work, healing is the sign that follows the realization and demonstration of the Christ. As you, through study, reading, prayer, meditation, and communion with God, bring yourself to a state of consciousness in which the Christ becomes a reality—becomes tangible—you will find that the Christ takes over your life, literally going before you to make the crooked places straight, literally walking beside you, invisible yet so tangible that you know this Presence is with you and you feel Its effects in your life.

It is this Power, recognized and realized, which does the healing work: Healing work is not accomplished by knowing the truth, but knowing the truth is a preparation leading to healing, leading to that state of consciousness in which we become receptive to the Christ. The healing work, however, is only accomplished in that split second when the Christ is made evident, when that feeling of awareness or release takes place within us. The Infinite Way form of healing does not involve telling the patient to be other than he is, that is, it does not involve telling him to be more loving or more just, or more moral or more anything. It takes him right where he is, accepts him as he is, and permits this Christ to enter his consciousness and do the transforming rather than making the healing contingent on the patient’s efforts to be a better human being. There is nothing wrong with making an effort humanly to be better, and we are always doing that to some extent, but no amount of human effort to make one’s self better will transform a person’s life. To bring this about, this greater Power, the Christ, must find entrance into consciousness. Then, and then only, does the transformation take place.