Recording 493A, “The Fourth Dimension,” is the basis for Chapter 11, “The Fourth-Dimensional Consciousness” in Consciousness Is What I Am.
To download or print these study suggestions, click/tap here.
Previous Sessions in The 1962 Manchester Closed Class
In the first session of the 1962 Manchester Closed Class, “The World Is New,” Joel taught that to bring the Christ into our experience, we must consciously open our consciousness, seeking only to have the Christ “enter in,” or seeking to consciously realize the Christ that already indwells us and is our true identity.
In the second session, “The New Man,” Joel taught that there is only one true God, and Its name is “I Am.” That “I Am” dwells in every individual as the Christ. But to come into the full consciousness of God as “I Am” and be reborn as the “new man,” the Christ, we must die to our human, mortal sense of self.
In the third session, “Infinite Way Healing Work,” Joel carried forward the theme of realizing the “I Am” through the lens of healing work. He taught that we develop a healing Christ consciousness through the constant practice of two principles: first, there is only one power, and second, all evil is impersonal.
In the fourth session, titled “Attuning Ourselves to Our Christhood,” Joel built on the heightened awareness of the Christ within developed in the previous sessions. He taught spiritual practices that enable us to be in conscious attunement with our Christhood, so that It shows forth in our daily lives.
Having drawn us deeply into the awareness of our own Christhood and shown us how to attune to it, in this fifth session, Joel lifts the veil on Christ Consciousness—the fourth-dimensional consciousness. He explains how the fourth-dimensional consciousness manifests in our lives once we attain it, and he teaches us how we can develop that consciousness.
We Heard This Class When We Studied Consciousness Is What I Am
From May to October 2024, we studied the book Consciousness Is What I Am. Our recording for the next two weeks is the same one used as the basis for Chapter 11, “The Fourth Dimensional Consciousness,” in that book.
The study options for that October 2024 session provide a helpful summary of Recording 493A and its corresponding chapter. To access those study suggestions, click/tap here.
Additional Study Suggestions
For this session, we offer several additional suggestions for activities that might help reinforce the message of this class. Choose any that appeal to you or let them inspire you to come up with your own.
1. Review Your Spiritual Journey
Take some time to reflect on your life since you came to The Infinite Way.
Such experiences are signs of the Christ consciousness unfolding within you—evidence of progress toward fourth-dimensional consciousness. It’s important to pause and recognize them; otherwise, they can easily be overlooked or dismissed as ordinary events instead of the result of a developing consciousness.
As you work with this class and chapter, take note, mentally or in writing, of any experiences like those listed above. This practice can help you become more attuned to the activity of Christ Consciousness, the fourth-dimensional consciousness, unfolding in your life.
2. Stand in the Illumined State
Think of a challenge you are facing. Imagine yourself as someone who already has the spiritual understanding to meet this challenge easily.
Try to shift your consciousness to that state and hold it there for a few minutes. What happens?
3. Practice Seeing from the Fourth-dimensional Perspective
Whenever you see or read about a discordant human situation or news event, instead of getting caught in the drama, step back and bring to mind what you know about the nature of error. For example, “Error is a universal belief in two powers and has no real substance and no law to sustain it.” Then ask, “What is the spiritual reality here?” Can you reach a point where you are able to easily disregard the appearance and at least catch a glimpse of spiritual reality?
4. Stretch Your Perception
Go for a walk with the specific intention of appreciating the “invisible Something” behind every visible thing. On the walk, you might contemplate a beautiful flower, a tree, an animal, or even a harmonious interaction between people. Instead of just looking at the form of the object or event that you perceive through the senses, consciously acknowledge the Invisible that brought it forth. What do you experience?
Variation: Choose an experience that relies on the senses (e.g., listening to music, looking at a piece of art, tasting food). Instead of just experiencing it through the senses, try to perceive something beyond the five senses. If you are listening to music or viewing art, try to feel the consciousness of the composer or artist. If you are tasting food, try to feel the life force that brought it forth. What happens?
5. Practice Recognizing the Presence in Your Daily Work
Before you start any task, pause for a moment and acknowledge that the Presence “goes before you.” Surrender your personal will and effort, inviting the Spirit to function through you. As you engage in the activity, stop from time to time to let the Presence make Itself known. Then resume the task.
6. Shift Your Identification
Remind yourself of what you have learned about the Christ of your being. Then, take a specific period of your day (twenty minutes, an hour, or a morning) and consciously practice living from the Christ of your being, rather than from your personal sense of self. Whatever occurs during that period, try to live as you understand the Christ would live. Then reflect:
Scriptural Passages
This lesson may shed new light on passages in Scripture that reveal the nature of fourth-dimensional consciousness—passages we may have read before without seeing them in that context. For example:
As you reflect on the message of this class, what other passages come to mind that you now see as pointing to this higher consciousness?