this initial effort to be true to yourself and the highest that you know.
“Let us dare to see ourselves as others see us … It is well to know what the other fellow thinks of us. We must, without any feeling of shame or humiliation, be willing to be measured by the standard that we have given him the impression we hold.”
In a society that teaches “Do your own thing,” these words from A Search for God might be accused of being old-fashioned: “It is well to know what the other fellow thinks of us.” And yet, this approach from the readings is perhaps much more in keeping with the spirit of the New Age than one that recommends lack of concern for how others respond to us.
The great discovery that emerges in the New Age is the extraordinary capacity of the mind. We are discovering not only the fact that there are many levels of consciousness within the mind, but that it has incredible creative power (e.g., “mind is the builder”). Let us consider as well that one of the central teachings of the Search for God material is taking responsibility for the fact that there is a oneness of all life (i.e., I am my brother’s keeper). And so it is not surprising to find that this material suggests that we are responsible for the way in which we influence others in their thinking and mental creations.
Being concerned over what the other fellow thinks of us does not mean we compromise our actions so that he will like us. It is such a misunderstanding that has led to the reaction of “Do your own thing no matter what anyone else thinks.” Instead, our responsibility is to live in such a way that others are able to recognize what our ideals are. We need to be aware of how other people see us, not because they are our judges and we must live up to their expectations, but because we create through our own actions and through the minds of others who watch us.
Experiment: At the end of the day review the things you have done with others. Try to step outside yourself for a moment and imagine how other people understood the things you did. What would they likely have assumed your ideals or standards are from having observed your actions? Write down the ways they might possibly have perceived you. Work each day to let your actions express to others what your ideals really are.
“If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me.”
Our understanding of this beautiful statement from the Psalms of the omnipresence of God can be extended as we realize that we are more than just physical beings. God is not only in every place that our bodies might take us in the world, He is also in every place that our minds might take us in consciousness.
One of the real challenges to spiritual growth is to retain a feeling of thankfulness in periods of pain or confusion. One of the first things the spiritual seeker finds is that “there is no birth in consciousness without pain” (C.G. Jung). We can expect periods of being troubled in mind and spirit as we let go of old patterns. Can we recognize God’s presence in these times of difficulty? Can we see ourselves from another perspective that allows insight into the purposefulness of trying experiences?
In his book The Ultimate Revolution, Walter Starcke suggests that we must learn to have a sense of appreciation for our lows, for they serve a part of God’s purpose in revealing Himself to us. He uses a word coined by Robert Heinlein and begins by defining it.
“To grok something is to understand it from all levels: to see it, to comprehend it, to understand it both spiritually and physically, to experience it, to identify with it, and, above all, to discern what it is ‘for’ …
“In the past, we just wanted to escape from lows as soon as possible, to get rid of them, and that was all. Now we see that we must grok the lows. They have their purpose. So when we have a low, let’s not be cheated. Let’s experience it. Look at it. See what it has to tell us. Probably when we have grokked it, we will never have to experience that kind of low again. It will have served its purpose.”
(Starcke, The Ultimate Revolution, pp. 42, 44)
Experiment: When you are feeling low or troubled, affirm that this is just a part of a larger growth process, that since you have set a spiritual ideal, your pain is but a part of a new self being born. Look for ways to appreciate the down times and listen for God’s presence in the midst of them.
“… that we—as lights in Thee—may give the better concept of Thy Spirit in this world.”
Mankind’s concept of God is in a state of evolution. Historically, there have been periods in which God was seen as being vengeful and jealous and at other periods as being judgmental. Jesus came to give a new concept of God. He taught that God is merciful and that He can be met within ourselves. Jesus’ work was not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it—to make it more full of understanding, for mankind had interpreted the Law and God in a very narrow way.
Undoubtedly, the message of Jesus has undergone some misinterpretation during the past two thousand years. The exciting thing about current times is that the depth and beauty of this new concept of God once again finds a significant portion of mankind receptive. The renewed interest in our world for information concerning the nonmaterial, the psychic and the spiritual offers us a special opportunity. The movement that asserted that “God is dead” has virtually passed away, and many people are now searching for a better concept of God and their own spiritual nature. What do we want that new and better concept of His Spirit to be? How will we help express it in the world?
Experiment: Take time to consider your own concept of God and His Spirit. List the ideas and thoughts that you have (e.g., I think God is responsive to sincere prayer, I think God’s Spirit is within every person). Choose one aspect of your concept of God and write down two or three specific ways that you could work on expressing this in your relationship with others over the next few days. Work on giving this better concept of His Spirit to the world.
Example:
| aspect of my concept of God: | I think God is responsive to sincere prayer |
| specific ways I can express this concept: | 1. have a prayer time each day2. share my enthusiasm for the power of prayer with those who are receptive |
 | 4What is My Ideal? |
“Our ideals are ever present; they are either consciously or unconsciously the bases for the motivating forces in our lives.”
An ideal is not merely a metaphysical concept; it is something that we live with each day. It is the direction in which we are moving in consciousness. Even a person who is blindfolded and is wandering about aimlessly is facing in some direction at any given moment. Similarly, the person who is just wandering through life has, at any given moment, a direction. Unfortunately, for many people that direction is continually changing or dependent on circumstances and the opinions of others. If we think of an ideal as a life-direction, then we can understand what the readings mean when they say that everyone has ideals, even if they haven’t consciously set them.
Each individual entity, whether aware of same or not, sets before self an ideal in the material world, in the mental world, in the spiritual world.
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Often it is something of which we are unconscious that motivates our attitudes and behavior. We might prefer to believe that we are firmly in control of our lives with our conscious minds; and yet, psychology has repeatedly demonstrated that there are motivating forces in our lives of which we are unconscious.
