A: Uh-huh … see how that follows up that last question—“without getting into the mental plane.”
Well, you can see from what I’ve said that hypnotism isn’t going to get you out of the mental plane, or suggestive therapy isn’t going to, and so the one thing that will bring the greatest experience, the revelation of one’s own identity, is reading or hearing and then pondering. I call this “contemplative meditation”—when you take a statement of truth, whether it’s a scriptural passage or some other principle of The Infinite Way, and take it into your meditation and ponder it, contemplate it. For instance:
“He performeth that which is appointed for me to do.”2 He … “He perfecteth that which concerneth me.”3 Who is this “He?” What is this “He?” He perfecteth. He performeth. Yes, “He that is within me is greater than he that is in the world.”4 “He” again—He within me. Anything that is in the world—any problem, any matter, any discord, any inharmony, any injustice, anything that is in this world—He that is within me is greater than it. “He” again. He. Who? “The Father within me, he doeth the works.”5 That’s who “He” is—the Father within me. I can of my own self do nothing; the Father within me doeth the works. The Father …the Father … what is that? It’s a “He.” It’s the Father. He doeth the works; the Father doeth the works.
Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ.”6 Christ doeth the works. “He” is Christ. Christ is “He.” The Father is Christ; Christ is the Father … He … and all of this within me. Father … Father … Father—not a male parent, but Father. Father—a presence maybe? A power? It must be a presence. It’s referred to as “He.” It must be a power—It performeth; It doeth.
There is a presence within me which is also a power, and It performeth that which is appointed for me to do. It perfecteth. It bringeth to perfection, to conclusion, that which is given me to do, that which concerneth me. This problem out in the world—I can of my own self do nothing. It, the Father within, the power within, the presence within, It performeth that.
You see, as I contemplate a statement of that kind along this way in this manner and continue it, all of a sudden a release comes within, a feeling that “Oh, that’s true. There is He. There is a Father within. I can rest. The responsibility …” Ah, there it goes! The government is not on my shoulder. “The government is on his shoulder,”7 and all of a sudden, I find it possible to relax, to rest, to let go, and to let It take over. “It performeth. I can do all things through Christ. I live, yet not I, Christ liveth. Christ performs through me. I can of my own self do nothing. The Father doeth this thing.” And then I’m let down. I’m released. I’m free, and I feel something take over, and I remember such a thing as “a presence goes before me to make the crooked places straight.”8
Now, that is not hypnotism. That is not taking statements and grinding themselves into your brain until they register. That is using your intelligent discretion and discernment to ponder statements of truth, scriptural passages—contemplative meditation—and just continuing it until you arrive at that place of release, and then get up and go about your business because now you have left it to the Father within to perform. You can’t just go around and affirm, “The Father within me doeth the work, so I’ve got nothing more to do.” The Father within must be experienced by you before it comes into action.
That is why a reliance on metaphysical truths, statements of truth, or scriptural passages can be fatal. Just walking around and saying, “God is love” is really going to do nothing for you. God is love, but it does not operate for you until you’ve had an awareness that God is love, an inner feeling, a release from responsibility. Then you’ll see something performed and you’ll really say, “It’s true. God is love. God experienced is love. God realized is love.” All those statements would be better if that word “realized” were inserted. God realized is the only power in this world. God realized, Christ realized, is really demonstration.
So it is…and we’re going to come to that later, because there’s another question along this line—how we go further to that point of identity. But the first step in it is contemplative meditation, the ability to take passages of Scripture and ponder them until a feeling of completeness comes. Then rest, relax, and let it operate. If necessary, take another passage two, three, four, five hours later, ten hours later.
1 This excerpt is from Recording #208, 1958 First Chicago Closed Class, Side 2: “Mysticism.” It is posted with kind permission from the Estate of Joel Goldsmith, which holds the copy protection on the recorded classes and the copyright on the transcripts. The full transcript of this recording is available at www.joelgoldsmith.com or by calling1-800-922-3195.
2 Job 23:14
3 Psalm 138:8
4 1 John 4:4
5 John 14:10
6 Philippians 4:13
7 Isaiah 9:6
8 Isaiah 45:2