visualization, this experiencing of there being those activities, the body—as everyone—is able to send, or direct, or create an environ—to such an one to whom the thought is directed—that is helpful, hopeful, beneficial in every way.
281-15
Q-12 … To bring a desired thing or condition into manifestation, is it advisable to visualize it by making a picture or just to hold the idea in prayer and let God produce it in His own way without our making a pattern?
A-12. The pattern is given thee in the mount. The mount is within thine inner self. To visualize by picturizing is to become idol worshipers. Is this pleasing, with thy conception of thy God that has given, “Have no other gods before me”? The god in self, the God of the universe, then, meets thee in thine inner self. Be patient, and leave it with Him. He knoweth that thou hast need of before ye ask. Visualizing is telling Him how it must look when you have received it. Is that thy conception of an All-Wise, All-Merciful Creator?
705-2
The answer to the question of the role of visualization in meditation may lie in the observation that two different functions are being described above. In the first passage (281-15) there is a clearly understood spirit or awareness that the meditator seeks to awaken; and the use of imaginative, visualizing forces is a tool for the desire to awaken that spirit. In the second passage (705-2) the focus is on the condition, form or materialized manifestation that is desired. In this case, the readings strongly recommend that visualization not be used, since the meditator is creating an image or pattern (remember, thoughts are things) and, in a sense, worshiping that image rather than the spirit of love and oneness.
The experiment for this line from the Search for God text asks you to try the first approach: Get in touch with your desire to awaken a particular spirit (i.e., love or harmony) and then allow the imaginative, visualizing forces to operate in response to that spirit. This experiment is only for the preparatory period of meditation; when you move to your affirmation in meditation, try to hold the spirit of the affirmation in silence without visualizing.
Experiment: As a preparation for the period of silence in your meditation, take about a minute and recreate in your imagination some way that you have seen love or harmony manifested in the past day (either by yourself or by another person).
“May our united efforts go through the ages to those yet unborn, regenerating them to that awakening which makes the souls of men safe in the knowledge of Him who made all things …”
The concept of reincarnation opens up a whole new way in which we can see our life’s work in the earth. We need not feel cut off from the future we are helping to build. We will likely be a part of that new society in another incarnation. This kind of perspective may help us deal with the frustrations of our present society (concerning educational practices, governmental decisions, etc.). For lifetimes we have helped build the world we now experience.
However, the same principle holds true for the work of healing our society, a work that we are now doing—our efforts to build a culture in which the awareness of spiritual reality serves as a basis. We should consider what kind of life experiences we want in our next incarnation and build toward that now. We build first by changing ourselves, but also by working constructively to create understanding and change in the world at large.
The readings suggest that we also keep the awareness of the continuity of life, not becoming frustrated if the changes we want fail to come immediately.
Then, know what thy ideal is; of the spiritual, not of the temporal; not that around which there may be put metes and bounds, but rather put thy ideal in those things that bespeak of the continuity of life; the regeneration of the spiritual body, the revivifying of the temporal body for spiritual purposes, that the seed may go forth even as the Teacher gave, “Sin no more, but present thy body as a living sacrifice; holy, acceptable unto Him, for it is a reasonable service.”
969-1
Experiment: Take time to consider and write down the kind of world that you would like to come into for your next incarnation. Select one quality of that futuristic world you imagine and write down ways that you could be helping to build that right now, even though it may not show fruits in this lifetime. Work on manifesting those things that you could be doing now to make the world a better place to experience for your next incarnation.
Example:
| quality: | everyone meditates |
| what I could do now: | meditate daily myself; make a special effort to share my books or understandings about meditation with friends who might be interested. |
 | 3Know Thyself |
“Within each of us there are certainly great storehouses of abilities and capacities which we have never used. If they were manifested, we would see ourselves in a different light.”
There is an important psychological principle that says that we tend to form a self-image based upon the way that we affect others. This principle can be used in many different ways, depending upon one’s understanding of the nature of man. Some theorists have claimed that we are all seeking to gain power over others and that our self-image depends upon how much of this power we can accumulate. However, a theorist who starts with the assumption that we are all spiritual beings, equal in the sight of God, might use the principle differently. For him it is the act of sharing abilities and capacities with others that awakens a deep and meaningful self-image.
The question we all must face is, “How do we want to see ourselves?” There are certainly capabilities and memories stored within the soul to facilitate any self-image we imagine. If we want to see ourselves as powerful and important people in the world, we can build that. If we want to see ourselves as seekers and servants, we can find the necessary tools within, as well. What is important is the act of specifying the light in which we would like to see ourselves. By writing this down we take the first step toward realizing our aim.
Experiment: At the end of each day take time to review your experiences. Be aware of what you have thought of yourself at various times during the day (e.g., I thought I was really incapable of doing something; I had a self-image of being very knowledgeable; I had a self-image of being really foolhardy). You may feel that some of these self-images are not consistent with the highest spirit you know—they aren’t really helping you grow. For each of these, imagine a different light in which you would have preferred to have seen yourself in that incident. Write that down as a possible replacement. And if the opportunity arises, try out the replacement self-image the next day.
Example:
| self-image: | I thought I was really incapable of doing something |
| replacement self-image: | I am an adventuresome person who is willing to try something new, even if I do fall flat in the effort. |
“Christ, the Master, said: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
The power of the spoken word is referred to in many spiritual teachings. The readings mention the vibrational quality of speech; the Bible uses “the Word” to represent the Christ; in Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism. Lama Govinda calls speech “the vital expression of the human soul.”
… for the voice nerve center is the highest vibration in the whole nerve system …
341-4
