1
First Lesson on Understanding
"We are here and we can work today. Love and work and study and grow slowly into a fuller comprehension of spiritual things."
As one grows in spiritual understanding, he lives more and more fully the life of the spirit, for without living the life he cannot continue to apprehend spiritual truth. Until one has purged one’s life of material desires and passions there is no place therein for the things that belong to the life of the spirit. Each time the spirit overcomes the fleshly desire, a new understanding is opened, and as one attains a deeper degree of spiritual power.
To be of the world and in the world and to follow only the light of the inner spiritual vision, is to be of the Circles of Understanding. As one’s vision extends and one’s power increases, one enters more fully into these Circles, and to be of these Circles is to be very far advanced in the spiritual life, and each step onward takes us more fully into that life which lies before each human soul.
There is no escape from the law nor any escape from the consequences of breaking the law. As each one turns to the real life of higher spiritual development he will realize how much he has to pay for time lost and habits formed, for in breaking and re-forming habits he again takes more time, and in this way each day lost counts for two at least, and when he willingly works as he should he will bitterly regret the lost hours.
To work day by day undoing habits of mind and thought carelessly formed while doing nothing of value, is a dreary punishment which will not be overlooked in each one’s development. And to each one this must come sooner or later, and so when one once begins to understand, he should warn all others of what inevitably lies ahead for them.
When once the path is chosen every help will be given by the guides, but each man must do his own work and until he does and does it well, he cannot progress beyond earthly limits. When once he has learned complete self-control there will be no limit to his power either on earth or after. All do not try to achieve this and all those who do try do not remain steadfast of purpose, but to those who do achieve the reward is great beyond belief.
In order to really reach one’s Circles one must first acquire absolute self-control, control not only of one’s mind and thought but also complete control of one’s moods. To be able to work in the right way requires the utmost serenity and one which no outside elements can change.
To follow the straight and narrow path through fog and sunshine while the storms of unbelief and falsehood break all about us, requires a steady and firm self-control. To tread continually in the way of truth and to be of those who never falter and never fail to help him who asks for light, will require both will and wisdom.
To give the message to each who seeks light according to his ability to receive and comprehend, requires understanding. To be of those in whose hearts God’s love and sunshine will longingly reach forth to all others outside this knowledge, will require a daily and hourly prayer for truth and steadfast purpose. To never swerve from the path when once you know this light and to follow the light wherever it leads, will require will and knowledge and understanding.
To be so in the love and light that you refuse to judge or misunderstand others while telling all that you can to help them on their way, requires understanding. To hold no fellowman as worthless, winning all that you can to see the truth but thinking only of God’s work and of how best to do it, requires understanding. To teach as you walk through life and to be in close harmonious touch with all who believe and all who will not listen, requires understanding. To so live and to so control yourself that many who would not otherwise listen are insensibly led to belief, requires understanding. To turn from earth’s pleasures to help some longing soul to a glimmer of the light which you have, requires will and understanding.
To be at the call of all who need and yet hold your own life and purpose free, to work for the joy of the working, to take no thought for the future but to love and to trust in God’s wisdom that all you need will be given you, is to be of the Circles of Understanding to which we are now leading you. To be in these inner circles and to remain therein will mean continuous hard work, for this power can only be maintained by constant effort and use. Each day of idleness atrophies and decreases it, each day of work increases and revivifies it.
To go forth into the highways and byways to search for the wedding guest is to do the work to which you are called, and in order to do it well, you must be filled with energy and teach all who will listen. Each effort adds to your knowledge and understanding and each day’s work adds to your radiance.
This is the first lesson on Understanding.
Love.
Download The Audio Files:
Female Voice:First Lesson on Understanding.mp3
First Lesson on Understanding.wav
First Lesson on Understanding.flac
Male Voice:
2
Second Lesson on Understanding
To work intelligently while living the life of the world is to be of such perfect balance and self-control that only harmony exists in the soul, and in order to keep this poise and balance one must work with utter confidence in the guidance of one’s Circles. To learn how to reach through and to get this guidance and to ask for it is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
To live so close to the love of God that as each demand arises one instinctively turns to Him, to live in the consciousness of a great and loving power that is there for our use and guidance, to turn to that power as a child to the smile of his mother, and to keep the knowledge of this loving power so closely in our heart and minds that we are always conscious of its presence, is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
To love and study and trust and teach, viewing each day solely as another opportunity to do better work, is to be of the Circles of Understanding. Not to wait for the occasion to come to you but to go forth wherever God’s children are, carrying the light to them, is to work to the fullest extent of one’s power. To win by love all those who will not listen through longing to be better there on earth, is to work in these Circles.
To hold one’s light on high that all may see what it means to you and yet not lose your worldly touch and interest, will carry you far into these Circles. To prepare those who have not yet this light for the coming of a new era through new scientific discoveries, so that they will be insensibly led towards further development, is to be of the Circles of Understanding, for the discoveries of the last hundred years will be as nothing compared to the development in the scientific world which lies ahead of you. We are standing on the brink of a tremendous discovery that will revolutionize the world as you know it, and each struggle with unknown forces is bringing the knowledge of unknown possibilities more clearly before thinking men.
The world in its infancy was taught in parables but today when education is within his reach whenever man has the will to struggle for it, he is able to hear and understand the full truth. To follow the law is simple if man sets his heart and mind on demanding the truth, for as in the post man has found the laws which govern nature, so today he can find those which govern the spiritual world, but the same patient and unremitting study must be given and, furthermore, he must live the spiritual life as he is directed by his guides, for without the actual effort of self-denial and self-control man is entirely unable to apprehend spiritual laws, and only when he day by day concentrates his will and makes the struggle against materialism, can he enter the path of unlimited power.
There is no easy road to any deep knowledge and the knowledge of spiritual laws being the highest expression of God’s power, must be found through careful and patient effort. The path is clear to those of steadfast purpose but only when they work as they are told by their guides.
To learn to live the life as Christ lived His is to follow Him, and this wherever we are found in the world. To be in the easier paths in the world means larger opportunities and more responsibility, for wherever wealth enters there also selfishness enters, and to live the spiritual life while carrying the burden of wealth will take great power of understanding.
To live the life as He lived it is to love all men under the same sky and in the same world that He was. To follow Him is to be kind to every living thing and to do all that you can for everyone with whom you come in contact, and this both materially and spiritually, but particularly spiritually. To gaily go forth into the world armed with knowledge of God’s love, trusting that He will show us the path which He wishes us to follow, is to be of the Circles of Understanding. To take each experience as it comes as a further opportunity to learn more understanding of spiritual laws and to so fully make this knowledge a part of one’s self that it can be used and given to each inquiring soul, is to be of the Circles of Understanding. To learn to work separately as well as in complete harmony with each other is to belong to these Circles, and each day of work therein will bring more fully the peace that passes understanding, and the spiritual radiance of utter joy will be yours for all eternity.
This is the second lesson on Understanding.
Love.
Download The Audio Files:
Female Voice:Second Lesson on Understanding.mp3
Second Lesson on Understanding.wav
Second Lesson on Understanding.flac
Male Voice:
3
Third Lesson on Understanding
When man turns to his real work--to teach other men the way to God and eternal spiritual life--we will guard him from all evil and will guide him on his way, but he must co-operate with us by the attitude of his mind, and he must keep it pure through prayer and he must not let any material or selfish thought enter through the doorway of his mind.
This control he can only learn through the constant and untiring exercise of his will and when he once becomes master of his will he will begin to be of real spiritual power, and only when he is thus master of himself can he begin to learn how to use the hitherto unknown powers which are waiting for him to use and direct them, and in the right use of these powers lie all so called miracles.
The power of healing was given by Christ to His apostles, but the power no longer exists to any extent in the world today. Certain schools of healing have found a part of it and have done much good by bringing the possibilities of curing home to mankind. They develop concentration which is necessary, but they do not develop the will and utter self-control which are equally a part of the power necessary to use theses forces.
There are always a few individuals who are far ahead of the crowd, partly through the inspiration of their guides, either consciously or unconsciously, and partly through the power of a dominant will and personality, but the mass of mankind does not even dream of the enormous curative forces which lie at their very door, and which only wait the master hand to call them forth to cure all suffering.
When these curative powers are learned, man can do great good for he can bring these powers to bear wherever there is suffering and so start more souls on the right path, for there is nothing that so quickly arrests the attention of men as the power to alleviate physical pain. To those whose minds are material or logical, this is a miracle, and constitutes to them a real proof of spiritual power. Therefore to have this power and use it wisely is to be able to do great work in the kingdom.
The first step is a concentration of thought and will by which man pulls down into himself this power by which he helps one who is suffering, and when his soul is charged with this power, he can direct it to the other and it will bring relief from all pain. This only comes with much practice and with hard spiritual concentration and it must be a free gift of the soul, given in all love and tenderness, for no material consideration can ever enter into these powers without lessening their potency.
To learn to charge one’s self with this great energy is to learn to work in the spirit in which the apostles worked. To learn to carry the energy which heals the body and to give the message which heals the soul, is to be of the Circles of Understanding, and this can only be done through loving, unselfish desire to help mankind, and through tremendous concentration of will and work.
When one has learned how to transmute all forms of energy into spiritual force, he will be on the path to this healing and curative power, and there is no other way to acquire this power. Whenever the desire of the flesh enters in, it must be turned into this curative channel, for all such desire is creative and must be used for the creation of perfect life and health, and the transmutation comes through the uplifting of the soul in prayer and a new sense of clean and perfect power.
One entering into this work will know when he is able to cure by the feeling of intense power which fills his soul and which radiates out from him, and the way to acquire and store this energy is to be learned by actual work in trying to help and heal those who are ill.
This outpouring of God’s energy through the will and spirit of one of His children is a part of the work that Christ sent His apostles to perform. In all ages of the world’s development there have been understanding souls who have done this work, but the multitude has forgotten these teachings and has lost faith. When men turn to the source of this great energy and use it as it should be used, they will be filled with joy and comfort because of the relief they will be able to give. Pain and suffering and disease are largely caused by the absence of light. And when the healing radium of God’s light is let into their bodies, they will be cured according to the faith of the one helping them.
No fear can enter in and no sense of powerlessness, but the soul and mind must be filled with the faith of the centurion when he came to Christ. Only when there is utter selflessness can the result be shown. No thought can enter in but love and tenderness and a great unselfish desire to aid, and this means control of the mind, concentration of the will, an and abounding love toward all in the world. Then and then only can the power be so concentrated in the soul that it can be projected forth as a healing flame. In projecting this healing energy into anyone, it must be done with entire and utter faith in the result, which will be in accordance with one’s faith.
To keep one’s body pure that it may be storage battery for this healing energy and to so live that there can no evil enter into the forces, is part of the work, and yet in doing this, one must live one’s earthly life fully and omit no duties imposed by that life, nor any obligations which have been undertaken in connection with others in the world. But theses obligations must be carried out with such complete and utter self-control that they do not permit the spiritual light to be dimmed in our minds even for a minute. And only when we have attained this complete control over all desire of the flesh and can hold our light in the ascendancy at all times, can we begin to be of real power. Then the creative energy of life flows into us for the use of other, to help and heal and to inspire, and in directing this energy towards another, we are to enwrap him in it as in a warm garment made of love.
When this power is felt going forth from our minds we can direct it towards another and we will be able to cure all his trouble, either in mind or body. When men learn what they are to do in the world, they will only be sorry that their blindness was such a barrier to their development. Just as soon as they turn to God and try to ally themselves with His forces, their real growth begins, an all their life is filled with new meaning and each day opens new and more wonderful possibilities. As they become more spiritually alive, their whole life is quickened, and they are charged with a power that intensifies every movement of their body and mind. Then and then only are they really alive and then their spark of spirit glows, and as they follow their guides, it bursts forth into a flame which carries them far into eternal life.
All that is needed is the willing desire to do as God wishes we should, and when this desire is manifest, the Guides can reach through and point the way. Whenever the guidance is conscious, the work will go more quickly and be clearer in power, but there are many who get this inspiration unconsciously while living in that world.
In all teaching, care must be taken not to destroy any faith, but to so add to what is there that gradually on is led into the truth. Just as a flower unfolds in the rays of the love of God.
This is the third lesson on Understanding.
Love.
Download The Audio Files:
Female Voice:Third Lesson on Understanding.mp3
Third Lesson on Understanding.wav
Third Lesson on Understanding.flac
Male Voice:
4
Fourth Lesson on Understanding
When one turns from the life that is filled with only things of the earth to the real and living life of the spirit, one is amazed at the significance of all the little things that seemed so unimportant before.
No living thing is without its deeper meaning--no flower, no bird, no animal but has its deeper spiritual significance. They all teach the lesson of love and they all are a part of development. The pests tell the story of hate and malice that must be rooted out for man’s good, and man must eradicate them from his own nature and from the earth itself in order to live well and safely. There is no physical thing that has not its spiritual counterpart, and you must search for the hidden meaning in order to help all others.
To find this deeper spiritual significance underneath all physical life and laws is to be of the Circles of Understanding, and to willingly obey its meaning while we continue to live the physical life of the world is to be of these Circles.
To so hold one’s self above and outside the earth life while apparently being fully of it, is to live in the guidance of these Circles. To be so closely in sympathy with all with whom you come in contact that they naturally turn to you for guidance on the path, is to be of the Circles of Sympathy into which the Circles of Understanding naturally lead. When man is thus in his Circles, he is helped in every way to obtain greater and greater power. Through their guidance he can attain heights of self-control and power that transcend his present understanding, but he can only do this when he is utterly obedient and when he is able to follow their instructions each day of his life.
When he can live as they tell him he ought to live there on earth, he will be very far advanced in spiritual life, and each achievement over self and earthly desires will take him further on his way, but his sympathy and tenderness for those who have not this light must be greater and greater as his power grows.
To willingly turn to God on each occasion, either joyous or bitter, to purify your heart with prayer, to joyously arise and with no doubt in your heart continue your earth task to the end, is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
To turn to the light of God’s tender love as a flower turns to the sunlight is to work as He would have you.
To struggle and pray and be a messenger of light in the darkness of unbelief and doubt, is to do all that He asks.
A stout heart, a fearless mind, and a prayerful attitude towards the great Giver of all good, is to be of the Circles of Understanding, which will lead you step by step into the heart of God’s kingdom.
This is the fourth lesson on Understanding.
Love.
Download The Audio Files:
Female Voice:Fourth Lesson on Understanding.mp3
Fourth Lesson on Understanding.wav
Fourth Lesson on Understanding.flac
Male Voice:
5
Fifth Lesson on Understanding
When once the light of spiritual understanding is clearly held in the mind and heart, the whole outlook on life is changed. The one thing that will really matter is the spreading of this truth, for when one has it to live by one needs no other help of any kind. All lesser things fall into their relative places and are part of the non-essentials of life as we live it, and only when one can realize this is one fully of these Circles, and yet this attitude of mind must broaden rather than lessen our sympathy for those who have not this light.
They need special tenderness because they are lost children who cannot find the way and are groping in the dark and do not walk where they should. All that love and tenderness can do must be done, but again without losing one’s own light and standpoint. Only by love can they be brought into the way of truth and only by love can their fears be cast out and their eyes opened. Love is the great healer, the great purifier on earth and here and throughout all of God’s universe, and the more perfectly one’s life is lived in the light of love, the nearer one comes to the Christ spirit.
To love in the world day by day, taking one’s place amidst all the gaieties and follies of worldly life, and keeping one’s own inner light undimmed by materialism, is to be of the Circles of Understanding. There to hold one’s faith untarnished, to give the light to all who will listen and to be so full of understanding and sympathy that all are attracted and none sent away without some glimmer of the light, is to work as one should.
To work and pray and follow one’s guides day by day in this work for humanity, is to be of these Circles. To be humble and loving and utterly trustful and to live only the life of the higher, inner self and yet not to lose touch with the most frivolous and unthinking, is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
To so live that one is never suspected of feeling one’s self apart, is to be of these Circles. To carry this inner radiance into the lives of all those who only see gaiety therein, and to so love each one that he is enfolded and revivified by this light and radiance of love, is to be of these Circles. To be always in this light of love, and to trust absolutely that only good can come through God’s love for you, is to be of these Circles.
To turn to Him in all perplexities and to trust to His guidance, is to be of those who are well into the Circles of Understanding. To live each day to the full, taking no thought for the future, and to know that the wise path will be open for you to follow, is to be of the Circles of Understanding. To love and work and fully trust in the guidance of the guides sent to each one on earth, is to work in perfect sympathy with one’s Circles. To push away all outside uncertainly and go serenely on one’s way, is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
Through one’s will and self-control to allow no element of disbelief or doubt about the course one is following under this guidance, to strive to live the life as you know it should be lived and to continue unfalteringly in this path without fear or doubt of any kind, is to be fully of these Circles.
To lift one’s spirit up by a steady and determined effort of the will, so that the turmoil of earthly things cannot disturb one’s serenity of soul, is to be in these Circles, and, walking thus day by day, to never let one’s light be obscured by the shadow thrown by materialism, is to work in the full light of God’s love and abounding mercy to His children, and only when we reach this point in our development can we go further on the great path that is open to each one who follows the light and who only whishes to be an obedient child of God.
For when in the light of God’s love and approval, all thing are added that one could possibly need, and only when they are not used wisely and selfishness enters into the heart, will these earthly gifts be withdrawn.
Before man can be entirely in these Circles, he must have conquered self and be of outward radiance of mind, so that all seeing him are conscious of the power and health that are evidences of perfect harmony of spiritual live. Perfect harmony means new health and more intense vitality and more concentrated and radiant life. Perfect harmony means love and concentrated effort to do God’s work in the world, and is only found when one is of these or of higher Circles. For until one can sustain through all trials complete serenity of soul, one is not fully of theses Circles.
To be of any Circle day after day, one must find and hold full spiritual supremacy in the work of that Circle, and this can only be done through complete self-mastery and constant effort of the will, for until one has completely learned the lesson of the Circle of the Will, one is not of any other Circle, though one may know much of them all through study and work, for each is complete in itself though each is interlacing and encircling all others, and until one is master of the first, he cannot fully enter into the second.
Therefore to develop fully, one must become master of himself and of every thought and mood, and until he thus becomes a Master of the Will, he does not fully enter into the Circles of Knowledge.
The foundation stones of spiritual life are laid there, and until they are well laid, no further progress is possible.
This is the fifth lesson on Understanding.
Love.
Download The Audio Files:
Female Voice:Fifth Lesson on Understanding.mp3
Fifth Lesson on Understanding.wav
Fifth Lesson on Understanding.flac
Male Voice:
6
Sixth Lesson on Understanding
In the spiritual life no step forward can be taken until the foot finds a firm foundation in the work already accomplished, and only when that step is firmly grounded in actual life itself, can it be carried forward into further progress.
There is no halfway road to spiritual achievement--all must really and fully go forward each day without work done is more than a day lost, because each day that one does not actually advance means a slipping back towards material things, and each step forward in spiritual life means a corresponding decrease of material ties that are only of earthly nature.
To seek only the things in which the spirit is manifest is to be detached from materialism. To live in the light of love and truth is to be of the spirit, and to be strong and fearless in the light is to be of the Circles of Understanding, and the spirit of real understanding puts us in the closest and truest sympathy with each one near us, because only in this light can all the possibilities of the soul develop. Just as a plant cannot fully develop without sunshine, so the human soul cannot come to its full stature without the sunshine of spiritual love radiating from God. And this love can only light the soul that is open to it through willingness to work and to follow those who teach under the inspiration of their guides.
Whenever one turns to the guides that are around him, they will aid him in every way in their power to follow this light, and though he may not be conscious of their guidance, it cannot fail to help and protect him in every way. Those who work with us consciously can go further there on earth because they are not so completely in the dark as to where they are going, and also they have the constant stimulus of our criticism on their daily life, for criticism, like the banks of a stream, keeps the water in its proper channel, and in so doing, deepens the stream itself.
To live in the sunshine of God’s love, to work to the full limit of one’s capacity, joyfully living the life as one can by those teachings, is to be of the Circles of Understanding, and each day of work in these Circles brings one nearer to the greater Circles of Sympathy and Love.
To love in the light of God’s love and by the help of the Circles, one must never fail to start afresh after one has stumbled. Whenever one falls one must pick one’s self up quickly and go on. There must be no time lost in futile regrets but a new purpose not to fail again, and a new and stronger effort of the will. Only in this way can real accomplishment come and only in this way can real strength of will be built. To live in this light and never let go the sense of the love and power protecting you always, and guiding each step, is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
To joyfully, gaily take the pleasures He gives you and to work for His kingdom as you go your daily round, is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
To count no task hard that gives you a fuller understanding of life or a keener sympathy with your fellow-men, is to be of the Circles of Understanding.
To leave no stone unturned to help others, no task undone that may start someone on this wonderful and happy path to eternal life and joy, and to do one’s part fearlessly with indifference to misunderstanding or criticism, is to be of the Circles of Understanding, and as one treads this joyful path, one is led step by step into the Circles of Sympathy.
This is the sixth lesson on Understanding.
Love.
Download The Audio Files:
Female Voice:Sixth Lesson on Understanding.mp3
Sixth Lesson on Understanding.wav
Sixth Lesson on Understanding.flac
Male Voice:
