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IMPERSONALIZING EVIL AND GOOD In his 1959 Letters he says this: never look upon anyone as a sinner or regard any person as the source of any form of evil, such as greed, lust, mad ambition, or some form of personal sense indulgence… if we personalize error in any form, we become the victim of it and are the blind leading the blind. That is why it is incorrect practice to admonish a patient or student to be more loving, to be more forgiving, or to be more grateful is personalizing the error. If we find that a patient is not loving, kind, or gentle, that is, not spiritual, then let us relieve that patient by realizing that these qualities are not personal. They are a nothingness… it can not use a child of God as an avenue, as a channel, or as an instrument. It has no presence, no power, and no law with which to sustain its activities. We do not deny non-loving actions and their discordant results, but they were happening not due to the personal fault of the individual. They were but claims, suggestions, hypnotism, mesmerism, illusion, and error. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science called this invisible entity the carnal mind. You can see how even a small measure of understanding the principle of impersonalising negative qualities can help us to love others and ourselves and to forgive others and ourselves. In the Bible, Jesus personified this principle when he said of the lady caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee, but sin no more” and when he said of those that were about to crucify him, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” But not only does Joel bring out the importance impersonalising negative qualities and acts, but he goes further, and this may be even harder to grasp: the impersonalization of good. We can never take credit for being good, just, benevolent, moral, honest, and faithful. Whatever such qualities we possess are God-qualities and represent God expressing itself as our individual qualities, characteristics and nature How wonderful to give the first fruits to the God within and not to ourselves! What joy to glorify the creator for all the good we see in ourselves, others, and nature. This moves us into a state of beholding and witnessing the good. We experience the love of God and feel grateful. SPIRITUAL HEALING A very high method of spiritual healing articulated by Joel is by the awareness of the healer of the infinite invisible Spirit of the recipient through spiritual discernment. It is to be able to realize the scriptural truth of “Judge not by appearances, but righteous judgment.” It is to be able to pierce through the veil of humanhood to discern the real man of God’s making. From his book, “The Art of Spiritual Healing”: Treatment is always the recognition of the nothingness of the condition and deals only with God and the qualities of God-God as infinite good, the infinite All, the infinite presence, the infinite effect. Finally, the realization is achieved that God is really all-in-all, and besides God there is none else, and by that time, you have come to see that there is not such a thing as patient, because there could not be a person, personality, or individuality apart from God, nor could there be a condition or circumstance apart from God. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Joel gives many in suggestions that are very practical in daily living to those on spiritual paths, whatever that path be. As to problems and decisions, he suggests that often the best thing to do is not to solve the problem or make the decision at the level of the problem. Relax, and allow the infinite love-intelligence of the universe do the work. On my refrigerator, I have this quote: Good Morning this is God! A favorite Biblical reference is: “He performeth that which is appointed for me” As to patience in whatever is your spiritual your quest, his talk on peeling the onion skin, can be helpful. Many times I have been discouraged with my practice because I haven’t had epiphany experiences in my meditation and not enough times of feeling God’s presence, power, and love. While we may not realize dramatic effects from our practice or enough progress, the onion peels are imperceptibly falling off. We can take heart when we notice that our diseases are gradually less and our relationships more loving. One of my teachers has said that we know we are moving on the right track when we see ourselves gradually shifting from the “C” sea level to the “Ozone” level. The C level is criticism, condemnation, and complaining. The “O” level is omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. Joel talks about the discipline of waiting: Most of us are unwilling to wait until a decision is necessary… instead of waiting until the actual moment when the decision is required, and then letting God…reveal what action should be taken…with patience and practice, we develop the practice of a beholder, of waiting on the Lord… only we could wait, we would find the miracle of a divine presence going before us. |