There’s always been a debate between the availability of spiritual material and its cost. Can you put a price on illumination? People want salvation – however that word is comprehended, and the idea that the rich can buy it and the poor cannot has caused schisms in the great religions of the world for centuries. Today, the pursuit of illumination has left the churches and meeting halls empty. It has jumped from the pages of books and landed in the wide-open world of cyberspace. Not long ago the person who wanted to gain spiritual insight had to make an effort. They had to buy books or attend classes, all of which led them outside the confines of their comfort zone, and demanded some type of commitment. They had to spend money. They had to decide how valuable the spiritual pursuit was in relationship to their other activities. In one sense they all followed the command of the Master to “sell all that you have… and follow me.”
Those who distribute and facilitate spiritual wisdom have a responsibility to maintain the value of what they offer. On the one hand it is a gift beyond price that is freely given. But without a degree of commitment, without making spiritual realization the most important part of one’s life, what is gained can turn to ash.
Two generations ago Joel Goldsmith gave his message to the world. It was a gift of love, and the dedication and work that went into his teaching of presenting the nature of spiritual union, brought him great reward. He taught that the words on the page were “yesterday’s mana,” and that the lessons on the recordings were his demonstration. Everyone must have his or her own demonstration of the Truth. No one can live on someone else’s revelation. So how do you take possession of this universal Truth? How do you make it your own? You put everything you have into building your individual consciousness of truth. And the only way you can do that is through giving.
Sacrifice is not a popular word in today’s culture. Neither is patience. Society’s infatuation with the Internet and social media has only increased the desire for instant gratification. But without giving up one’s attraction to the world of material sense, none of the fruits of the spirit can be demonstrated. It takes patience to wean one’s self off of the pleasures of this world. For many this is a sacrifice. It is so only because people desire the manifestations of the material forms of good rather than the source of that good. When one realizes the infinite nature of Grace within them, the sacrifice changes into gratitude, into the realization that the abundance of life is not personal, and is never something an individual can possess. One is not giving up anything of value by turning to the Truth. In Joel’s book, “A Parenthesis in Eternity,” he says, “Living in the fourth-dimensional consciousness, we seek nothing from the dream.”
So how does the serious student relate to the volume of Truth available on the Internet? Have pearls been thrown before swine, to be trampled? Those who seek this way of life to be healthy and rich will find neither wealth nor a perfect body. Those who realize “I can of mine own self can do nothing… but the will of the Father which has sent me,” will find that God’s will is that we have abundant life. The secret to an abundant life is gratitude. So we come back to the value of Truth. To make what you gather from the web effective in your lives, there must be a cost. It is not imposed upon you. It is not a requirement to participate. But without it you cannot reach the depths of consciousness where you can “take no thought for your life.” It is your choice. Freedom in body, mind and soul is in direct proportion to the gratitude you tangibly express.
One Response to The Value of Truth