Religion, Spiritual Growth and Acceleration

Compilations from the original Michael Teachings group transcripts.

• The transcripts of the original Michael Teachings group have been determined to be in the public domain. Any content or commentary added by the author/compiler is copyright: CC by NC-ND and please attribute adeptpath.net.
  

The work of the original Michael group was driven from the beginning by a strong desire to accelerate their spiritual growth.  One of the first recorded questions in a session when the teacher first came through had to do with the nature of the “adept,” or advanced student, on the path of spiritual growth.  Very little if any of this would be imported into CQ Yarbro’s books.  Yet the transcripts we have constantly return to the themes of spiritual growth and acceleration of self on the path.  This compilation pulls together only a few of the available references in order to illustrate this part of the teaching.

On the True Nature of “Religion:”

Dimensions! Magazine, v.2

• All do not grow to appreciate that which is in Essence, but most do experience a nagging pull in that direction. Religion has nothing to do with formal belief in any one particular system. We would have you look upon religion as an ecstatic celebration of the pan-dimensional life of the constant creative force of the universe, of the Tao. We would see you look upon religion as the joy of the liberated Essence.   [June 1975]

[Soleal’s comments about the nature of religion.]

• Please stop associating religion with the church. Religion is the ecstasy of the Logos. In your society, the church is a business in Artificial Space. One is of the Essence; one is not. One is in Real Space; one is not. Preparing an altar for the experience can be third line work of the highest order, or it can be a drudge — or even worse, it can be a mockery. Or better yet, for those in the work, it can be the gift of higher expression.  [02/16/1975 Soleal]

R____ did not call his school a religion; it was a school of consciousness. Ours is a teaching, also, and not a religion, isn’t it?

• The only difficulty in that word [religion] is that it ties into dogma, and that is not religion [in our teaching]. We wish to teach a joyous religion without dogma and so decline to label it. Jesus did not call his teaching Christianity.   [02/03/1974]

 

The Two Aspects of the Teaching:  Hierarchical and Spiritual:

Question:   I have the impression that within our group, the articulation of the teachings emphasizes the static, the intellectual, and the hierarchical. Is this primarily a distortion arising from my biases, or the group’s, or the languages? Or is this an accurate transmission of the teachings?

• In the beginning of this group, the primary concern was in the development of the belief system in the language necessary to explain it to each other and to oneself. This is a necessary step in the formation of any group, but in most becomes a barrier toward further growth and eventually, becomes the belief system itself.
• In this group, there has been evolution of a sort that now points toward continuance in growth. The possibility still exists, however, that you will continue to concern yourselves with the intellectual hierarchical aspects and neglect the spiritual, yes. But you do not have to. You can put this belief system to the acid test and see if it works. Until you do this, yes, you are still trapped in the beginning stages.
• This is where most of the other belief systems remained throughout their existence, including the world’s great religions. The concern remained hierarchical and primarily intellectual, and never got off the ground spiritually. You are right, of course, you are trading one belief system for another; but there is a unity here that has not been before, and there is a trend toward integration that you are capable of verifying implicit within the system.  [10/19/1974]

 

R_____:  They might also need to know that this is an intellectual teaching of discipline.

M_____:   What is meant by “intellectual teaching?”

Group Answer: To translate what you have learned intellectually as knowledge into what you do (being) [a Gurdjieff term]. It’s turning water into wine.

• This is, of course, our teaching also. The discipline, of course, includes going toward balance through concentration, meditation and other conscious[ness]-raising techniques. Also, the understanding and ultimate complete acceptance of all others, leading to the spiritual agape, which is the doorway to true consciousness.  [02/03/1974]

 

The Nature of Spiritual Growth:

M____: I would like to hear your definition of spirituality. (Since no one was ready with an answer, we put it to Michael.)

• That which is born of Essence and is devoid of maya is spiritual.  [01/20/1974]

 

Question:  It seems that I have one foot in religion and one foot in science, and they do not fit together. Could you comment, please?

• There is no conflict. Religion is from the Emotional Center. Science must be approached through intellect. If there is Balance, there will be no conflict. Understanding scientific principles is a way to Higher Intellectual energy, just as feeling religion is the way to Higher Emotional Center. It is dogma that comes from False Personality and has no place in this discussion. [09/13/1973]

 

R_____: I have a complaint and comment and a question. I don’t seem to be able to change knowledge into being and I don’t feel any different.

• [Ed. Snip] …Your life is not geared for understanding, just toiling. We know that this is difficult for the two [of you]. However, Jesus was trying to tell this same truth two thousand years ago. We keep telling you: you must choose your path. If that is spiritual liberation, then you must eliminate the distractions of maya. If the goal is different, then the path will be different and you are correct in assuming that we don’t care. We impart the Logos dispassionately. It is yours to accept or reject.

[Ed. Snip of unrelated section]

R_____: That still doesn’t answer my question. Simply in the past, love always was directed toward someone; now what do we do, direct it towards God or Jesus?

A_____:  [Michael] said direct it to yourself.

R_____:  You can’t do that — not a burning love inside yourself.

• A deep sense of spiritual satisfaction is the only reward that we know of. You may call it ecstasy or whatever you wish. Stop a moment and ask yourself why it is that you search and for what.   [10/06/1973]

 

[snipped section of answer to an unrelated question:]

• …We do have considerable insight into individual needs, but then, so do you all. You discuss it needlessly and reach the same conclusions using terminology we would not choose, but the meaning is the same. The choice is your strongest barrier to success right now; or to be more explicit, your denial of the fact that the choice rests always with you. We have suggested to you all various methods by which others have achieved spiritual growth. This is all that we are employed to do. If and when you make the choice to follow this path, the protection is there.

R_____:   What are they speaking of? Protection from what?

• The one who chooses the path toward spiritual growth will be provided for.  [04/14/1974]

 

Question:  What is Essence challenge?

• Spiritual growth, for example; all forms of studious endeavor when undertaken for the sheer joy of the undertaking; some forms of religious pursuit; work that is in Essence [Role]: that is to say, for instance, painting was in essence for the Old Artisan Raphael, and his Essence was not bored.   [06/05/1974]

 

Question:  In the Goal of Growth, does one review all the other Goals? It seems I’m in and out of all of them [with the Goal of Growth].

• The Goal of Growth causes the soul to search, sometimes restlessly, for the answers to questions of a philosophical and religious nature almost from the time the first breath is drawn. In the early Cycles, this sometimes causes grief and guilt, as there is often a split with family members over untenable views held by them. The “review” [of the other Goals] is a phenomenon that we believe to be universal in the older Cycles. We see this in all of you, but far more pronounced in those in Growth. This endless searching often produces both Acceptance and Submission; then when the flash [of insight] comes, the student in Growth often becomes temporarily dominant in order to spread the word he has received. This is entirely natural.   [01/03/1974]

 

T_____:  Question about a temporal-type goal for his life.

• Actually, T_____, you have provided yourself with a lot of necessary skills to bring your Essence to bear on the Physical Plane. Your [Server] Role demands that you supervise the physical needs of many, and thus satisfy it fully. You can do this easily with the ammunition you now have. As for a temporal goal, we will only repeat an earlier question: do you wish for a fuller life on the Physical Plane, or do you desire spiritual growth? If it is the former, then there are many groups geared for this. If the latter, then this teaching is for you and there are no temporal goals. We could, of course, suggest some satisfying activities, but you can and will intuit these on your own. We will not substitute our true purpose in this way, as it is possible to obtain this on the Physical Plane. This is not to in any way downgrade this pursuit. It is just to say that we do not feel that it is valuable in the path toward spiritual growth. The steps you have already taken have helped you immeasurably, but you must allow for the quiet space to look at them objectively.

 

EL___:  Growth doesn’t occur in a vacuum. One must immerse himself in something — relate with someone — in order to grow, right?

• EL___, spiritual growth is an extremely active process, but many times, it isolates you from the mainstream — this is what we are saying. Spiritual enlightenment, which is indeed a byproduct, is an ecstatic experience to which nothing can possibly compare.   [9/28/1974]

 

EM___:  If we were together in Rome and we are again now, what is our purpose?

• There is indeed a purpose. This teaching is one of spiritual growth. This teaching was offered to you before and you rejected it, as many did. Now it is up to you to hear it now or wait another two thousand years. It is essential that you complete this Monad. We do not particularly care how long it takes you. We shall be around [as a mid-Causal teacher] for at least that long.   [12/27/1973]

 

ES___:  I would like to ask about the meaning of “synthesis. B_____ has a theory about it and I have the theory that it means putting the knowledge into effect for [spiritual] growth.

• Both are valid. You cannot begin to put this into practice until you fully understand it.  The synthesis will allow you to see the entire systems of ideas as one unified idea — the continuous creative force. Understanding why those around you are like they are will open you up to agape and true acceptance. This will allow you to put personal agendas aside and pursue the path toward communion with the high teachers.    [01/17/1974]

L_____:  What stops [a student] from submitting to love — growth — what is the barrier there for him to the emotional experience?

[Ed. Snipped to last half of lecture.]

• …The barrier between you and the Emotional Center is one that many in this cadre share — you are not alone. The sacrifices, yes, are necessary in yours and other cases, for only through these “sacrifices” will you be able to have this experience. As it is now, there is no good reason, and your personality is well aware of it. In many ways, you and other students are much like the Sunday Catholics throughout the world, who do not have the experience either, because there is no commitment. We would see you all examine your short-term goals with relation to this teaching. That is, what is it you hope to gain from our association. If this includes the possibility of spiritual growth, then we would suggest that you reexamine the steps toward that goal that we have outlined. If you only expect to gain data, then this will surely be a disappointment to you in the long run. Many of you are looking for the experiences you sense the other students are having, but you are unwilling to work for this in the ways we have suggested. You are content to sit back, sigh, and say, “Oh, shit.” This is, of course, an option, but one we do not encourage. How many times have we repeated the steps you must take? Examine the tenets of the world’s great religions and the greatest teachings now extant on this planet. You will find this same advice again and again — perhaps clothed in different semantics, but nevertheless the same — that upon which Christianity was based, that upon which Judaism has survived for the centuries, the pillars of Islam, the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Tao Te Ching. Until this teaching becomes a way of life for you, there will be no experiences for any of you. The only way we know of to experience anything is to live it — whether you be on the Physical, Astral, Causal or the high[er] Planes, it does not matter. Committing yourselves begins the transformation. The concept of “pilgrimage” in some of the best teachings extant on this planet do a marvelous job of stripping, if the pilgrimage is performed in the proper state of mind.

• We have suggested to you something even harder in this culture: that of living together. Some of you would much prefer to walk across the desert from Medina to Mecca [the Muslim pilgrimage] than even to contemplate living together. This is why it would in the long run be valuable. It is perhaps the hardest task you would ever undertake on the Physical Plane, for everything in your culture mitigates against it. The entire culture is achievement-oriented, and this alone implies alienation and competition. Anti-achievement groups are frightening, and therefore anti-culture, and to be eliminated. Financial integrity is the watchword of this culture, and therefore fraught with maya. This can always be easily seen in any culture. That which is held up as the goal of society is the goal of False Personality, and therefore opposed to spiritual growth. Now, we are not suggesting that you plunge yourselves into poverty. We would see that you live well so that there is no struggle to survive, for the main reason that if you must struggle to live, you cannot devote the amount of time necessary for spiritual evolution. This is a lifetime commitment. It is not something that you can work on on Saturday night [when the group typically met] and forget about for the rest of the week. You could not keep it tucked away in some dim, dusky, cerebral corridor and only take it out when company comes.

• We have spoken to you many — no, countless — times about what you and we choose to call a “trust level.”  This trust level is, of course, essential to agape or a spiritual love. The personality can never experience this. The personality cannot trust, therefore cannot love. If this trust level is to develop, it must develop in an environment of almost constant exposure. If agape is to develop, it must develop in an environment where students observe each other in all facets of life, not just when the students are on their good meeting behavior. It is easy to love most of you during the weekly comings together of this cadre. We doubt that this would hold true twenty four hours a day without much work. Most of you trust each other only superficially. Not one of you feel the bonds that we would foster in this cadre, but the ability is there, and a start has been made several times. However, when it becomes frightening, it is quickly aborted and the subject is changed rapidly over to something less scary. We have recently decided that this will no longer be the case, at least where we are concerned. We will no longer go along with the whims, the capriciousness, of various students who do not wish to face their barriers. Perhaps then we should say, the winnowing has begun.

Anything else?

• Only that the choice is still yours. You can walk out of this teaching now or you can stick around for the excitement.   [12/14/1974]

 

Acceleration of Student Growth on the Path:

Discussion of the nature of “acceleration of growth” occurred often for the original group.  Very often the key was “on the path” or “when you are in a teaching.”

 

P_____: Where am I?

• You are a Sixth Level Older Soul.

E_____: Just to make this situation round, there are two other people present who haven’t asked, one of them being myself and the other being ES___. Before we go straddling the universe, I think that it’s proper to define us, too.

• E____ has seen two previous Levels as an Older Soul. ES___ is now in the Fourth [Level].

E_____ to Sarah Chambers:  Do you remember the Levels?

Sarah Chambers:  Yeah, well you spend approximately seven lifetimes in each Cycle.

R_____: That’s sort of the median. Some people spend more, some people less.

Sarah Chambers:  Michael told us we could make it if we worked hard enough. 

[Ed. Snip to later in the session]

P_____:  Can someone, in one lifetime, go from a Mature Soul to being an Old Soul?

Sarah Chambers:  [Michael] has said so.

[09/18/1973]

 

R____:  Usually when a teacher dies, the teaching dies, but here we could go on for generations as long as you wish or we have a medium. This teacher cannot die.

• That is a true perception, R_____. There are many mediums who will come and go. I can talk through anyone in this room when the time is right. The young physician present, heals and hears with me, but does not admit to hearing the words. They are there. R____ can explain to you what it feels like to have me in your presence. You will all need to join in and listen. There is no end to a teaching. It is not necessary to be physically inactive in order to grow, R____. It is necessary to meditate and be inactive for periods of time, but not all day every day. The work brings about frictions and growths like new grass in the forest after a rain. Your growth will be accelerated because you will be working from Essence. That is what matters, not just doing work or not doing work.   [11/20/1973]

 

E_____:  I’d like to ask about a recurring dream.  I’m in school all the time and I can’t find my books. Finally I take a test and I’m not prepared. I haven’t studied well. Next dream, I am better prepared and I am going to pass the test. One thing, I’m learning to fly. In the sequence of dreams, I float up and fall. Last night, at will, in the dream I levitated. I was also prepared for the test. 

• You are now ready for the next step. We see much acceleration occurring. We sense in you a new willingness that has not been there before to let go of the rational and explore new areas.

E_____: What is the next step?

• Contact with us on another level.  [01/20/1974]

 

[Ed. snipped answer from unrelated question:]

• …Also, in smaller groups, there can be greater control of subject jumping. A whole evening can be spent on one subject without covering everything. We are seeing much growth in the entities in our group, and also see the need for smaller meetings like tonight, for further advancement at an accelerated rate.  [12/14/1973]

 

A____:  I would like a comment on a conflict I see in my husband and myself, that whenever I come up with new directions for myself (E___’s group, teen-parent thing at EST, electronic music course at DVC). He always tries to talk me out of them by saying he doesn’t see how they would do any good.

• This often happens in long-term relationships. When the soul in Submission decides to alter this goal, it is quite a shock to those around it and you must be prepared for resistance, sometimes disguised and covert, but sometimes the pot actually boils over. R_____, you should be able to see this in yourself and resist the temptation to pull (her) back. This is an interesting reaction and invariably happens even in situations where one soul has been urging the other to grow. When the growth movement occurs, the resistance is virtually automatic. This creates some fascinating paradoxes, in that sometimes the rate of growth in the one altering seems to accelerate rapidly, leaving the other temporarily behind. Many broken relationships stem from this period of relative acceleration. Many are not willing to ride out the storm, and see where the evening-out begins.  We would point out to you at this point that there is a vast difference between spiritual growth and “enlightenment.”  We would expect all of you, without exception, to grow from this experience. We would not expect you all to achieve “cosmic consciousness.”

R____:  I would like Michael to comment on his last statement about “cosmic consciousness.”

• We see in one student the desire and ability to become an occult adept in this lifetime.  [01/27/1974]

 

[Ed. snipped answer from unrelated question:]

• …Loving is [from the] Higher Emotion[al Center] and that requires Balance [of all Centers]. The person who is “conscious” is not a doer anyway. Most who have reached that exalted state of physical being prefer not to do. They are content merely to be with the present. (That feeling you have glimpsed when you were in those states briefly — paraphrased).  This is something we have asked you to consider before: what is it you wish to do, learn to be more fruitful and happier in life, or go on to spiritual enlightenment? The goals are very different, and the methods of approach, therefore, would have to be quite different. Living in life requires what you are calling self-image and ego strength. Spiritual acceleration does not require this. It requires negation of the cultural facade. Those who defined the ego and ego states thereof were not, after all, conscious beings and were observing only the personalities of others with their own personalities. The Essence, separate from this, has an innate strength of its own, and can survive if the body is prepared for the surge when it comes. Disintegration only comes when the personality is lost and the Essence is freed prematurely, such as in some psychotic states. Otherwise, those on the path find the surge exhilarating and liberating and are prepared for it when it comes, but this only comes after the groundwork has been laid. Those tools we have given you are at your disposal.  [09/14/1974]

 

A discussion was held about helping.

• To help someone else, you must, of course, know the truth about yourself and you must know that which is false in them. This is why Mechanical Man fails so in his efforts to help. He does not know truth in himself, let alone in others. Balanced Man can certainly accelerate the growth around him, and those on their way to Balance can impart that which is truth in them to others. Yes, adepts are followed up the rungs of the cosmic ladder through no efforting on their part, because telling the truth is not an effort. Telling lies is.   [01/30/1975]

 

E____:  Was Milarepa an Old Soul? Did he shortcut many lifetimes?

• We know of no soul who has achieved transcendence in one lifetime. There is insufficient stores of experience to do this. The “way of the Fakir” is not a recommended path for your culture. It is only rarely successful, and requires more of its proponent than is necessary. This is successful in accelerating.

What is the SRG on Milarepa?

• This man was at that time a sixth level Old Priest, yes, a Stoic in Acceptance, and yes, Moving Centered, in the Passion mode.

R____: First students of Milarepa — were they on the astral plane?

• Not students, but interested observers.

E____: Was that his last life?

• That was the last time he was on the Physical plane, yes.   [06/25/1974]  [Ed. Note:  Jetsun Milarepa  (c. 1052—c. 1135 CE) is generally considered one of Tibet’s most famous yogis and poets. He was a student of Marpa Lotsawa, and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu (Bka’-brgyud) school of Tibetan Buddhism.]

 

1976-1977, the Core Group and the Study of “A Course in Miracles.”

By 1976 the original group had broken up but some sessions did still take place for the core group.  Gene Trout tells us that sometime in 1975 he received the first drafts from the Noetic Society of “A Course in Miracles [ACIM]” and that several of the group (himself, the Briggs, the Hannahs at least) were studying this work.  Gene told us that it continues to be ACIM that carries through for him, and for Louise Briggs it is both ACIM and MT.  This section is placed here to demonstrate that spiritual growth continued for the members of the core group beyond the ending of the formal study group.  The teacher works with the expanded awareness of the students and is able to translate between their own teaching vocabulary and that of another Source.

The evening began with talk about A Course in Miracles material, and we shared thoughts about the difference between false goals and true goals.  Must we give up life goals?

• All must realize that the term “holy spirit” [which often appears in A Course in Miracles] does in fact refer to the Essence — that within the self which is in contact with the Tao. To contact this Holy Spirit, then, requires only the quieting of the Overleaves to the extent that the Essence can be perceived. The perception is often brilliantly elucidated during a so-called “spiritual experience,” when the personality is temporarily inactivated by the powerful input. Drugs will often facilitate this, but are not necessary; environment is more important. Without this perception, all of this [teaching from us] is simply another barrage of words. Only the knowledge of one’s own essence is convincing. We cannot emphasize this too much. It can be explained by the timeworn cliche, “seeing is believing.”  There is no other way that one can be certain that planes beyond the physical exist, other than experiencing them. The same can be said for the perception of one’s own Essence. When this is accomplished, the power of the experience drowns disbelief. Then, of course, it is still entirely up to you which course you wish to pursue. It is doubtful, though, that one would choose to continue with purposeless activities. False goals are those which are largely unattainable, as they exist only in fantasy. True goals lead to the awakening of the Essence and its breakthrough. This is indeed possible for those who wish it, and without great sacrifice upon the mountain top.

Mention was made of rituals and practices designed to bring about enlightenment.

• We simply speak of various asceticisms that are unnecessary. Rituals do help the uninitiated, but only in the preparatory stages. These serve to quiet the mind. It is interesting that the left cerebral hemisphere is unable to allow this perception (of the Essence). Many times persons sustaining brain damage in the left side do experience their Essence for the first time. (“Facilitate” would be a better word than “allow.”)

• The Intellectual Center cannot perceive God. The Intellectual Center is not interested in this perception. It does not count it as a loss. Only the Higher Centers long for the Tao, through the Emotional Center. The desire for human closeness and exclusive relationships derives from this. It is the substitute that the Overleaves accept, but since it lacks perfection it does not satisfy. The Essence seeks the perfection that it is. The Essence loves. This is the only emotion it is capable of. It loves all which is self, and all there is.

• Try an exercise if you wish. The next time you are involved in a hostile exchange with someone with incompatible Overleaves, create within [yourself] the quiet space: face this challenge squarely, and attempt to acknowledge to that other person, “Thou art God.”  This does not have to be said aloud, but said [often and strongly within] enough to become reality [by reprogramming or wiping out the tapes]. It does not even have to put an end to the hostilities — it is merely acknowledgment that is important. If you are able to achieve this, it will be the Essence that does the achieving. The Overleaves may very well go right on spitting. This is the same principle as the “steward,” and we are asking that you create a corridor through which your Essence can pass.  We would cease use of the word “detachment,” as this is misleading. You are already detached from that which you seek.

We talked about efforting, not getting anyplace — just getting into deeper and deeper trouble with life. It seems there should be no effort. (I did not get the specific comment that brought about this next response.)

• What you are experiencing is passion. This is a gateway to agape if used in the proper perspective. The man Jesus was passionate. The transcendence to agape took place only when the Infinite Soul began to manifest. But this is not to say that agape cannot be experienced by those untranscended — it can, but only through the Essence. The Overleaves cannot experience agape. The Overleaves cannot even experience passion most of the time. True passion has sustained many great teachers throughout their physical lives. False passion would better be called greed, for this is what determines most of the emotions which you now associate with the word passion. [Ed. snipped]  [12/12/1976]

 

Question: Asked for a comment concerning “A Course in Miracles.”

• The only direct comment that we could make is that this study is as effective in its own [way] as are those other courses of study that we have discussed. The language is different and the exercises are designed to produce an identical result: that is, an Entity Fragment in touch with Essence and free of the distractions of the Physical Plane such as guilt, vanity and the like. This does not mean a zombie unable to respond emotionally, but a soul with heightened response to everything and far more appreciation than is available to you in your present state. This is all one can ask from any teaching.   [09/03/1977]

 

A discussion on many subjects, including Spiritual Evolution and Love.

[Ed. Snipped to last half of lecture.]

• Closeness physically with another compatible Fragment can sometimes produce an environment suitable for spiritual evolution, primarily because if there is considerable honesty, and therefore trust, between those involved, the vigil can be relaxed. Positive Poling [Overleaves operating in the positive poles] is required for this relaxation to occur, and in most physical relationships there is too much Negative Poling [Overleaves operating in the negative poles]. For instance, spiritual evolution cannot occur in the presence of jealousy, envy or greed. As long as the Chief Feature rules you, there will be no change. Perhaps you may wish to look at the way the Chief Feature rules each of you in this room.

• Please do not underestimate the importance of the state of vigilance that the Overleaves maintain. This is perhaps the most important concept that you as students must absorb. You must verify this in your own Overleaves and begin to consciously relax this vigil before any evolution can occur. The process of seeking the King is not synonymous with changing Roles — it is rather an inner seeking of the highest spiritual value. Within each of you is the potential of kingliness. To seek this is to seek the throne, which is, of course, euphemistically describing that state of enrapturement or agape. Because of the peculiar religious values of your cultural experience, that expression is simply a little more palatable, as is “the devil” a more readily accepted term for the allurement presented by the culture.

• Let us reemphasize that spiritual evolution is anti-cultural and therefore threatening to the majority of all, not only on this planet, but in all the universe as well.  If one feels the presence of the God spirit, why does it matter whether it is within or without? For that matter, when this presence is truly felt and acknowledged, there is a oneness that can no longer be destroyed. There is a knowing at that point and the student then enters “the kingdom,” which is freedom.

• The transition between believing and knowing is incomparably difficult. There is nothing more difficult, believe us. We have made much of that transition, for in order to “know,” you must abandon your beliefs and that is the most painful of all abandonments. They are what hold you to the Physical Plane. We have never told you that this is anything but difficult. You pay a magnificent price for that freedom that is enlightenment. It is freedom in the truest sense of the word.

• Paradoxically, all human life yearns to be free, while it expends tremendous energy developing mind prisons for itself. The yearning for God is that same state. It is sad. It is wistful and to those of us who no longer yearn, it is tragic, for the tendrils of frustration and anguish traverse the entire physical universe. If any one of you could hear the screams of all the thousands of civilizations, you would abandon many of your personal dilemmas, for you would realize that life problems are largely insoluble, and this is a part of the drama that you are starring in. Each frame that you play creates a new opportunity for you to tire of the charade, but seldom is this recognized and the play goes on. Within this room is gathered a group that at least can be angry about its imprisonment.

• There is danger in the stuckness that the Centers provide, for most of you are enamored of the particular Centering from which you operate. This happens over and over again, for the desire for enrapturement is strong in all of you. It is only your objects that get you into trouble — especially your “love objects” — for these are loved mostly by your Centers and therefore, reinforce the notion that your stuckness is right.

• Love from the higher Centers cannot even be made by the part of the lower Center from which the Overleaves operate. It can be glimpsed in those rare moments when the Overleaves are vanquished, either by mind expanders or by religious ecstasy or by application of the work — that is, either through meditation or concentration that is diligently pursued.

• The group high that is experienced by the student is, oddly enough, an excellent stepping stone. This is why this Entity emphasizes group work rather than solitary struggle. What you are seeking, dear students, is a high and it is the highest high that you can possibly imagine and however you get there is not nearly as important as the thing itself. What do you think that word (agape) means? Agape is the highest high.   [09/30/1977]