In Chapter 10 of The Contemplative Life, Joel named eight specific chapters for serious study saying, “In order to build a consciousness of truth, all Infinite Way students should know the following passages [chapters] as well as they know their own names.” Later he said that these chapters are of paramount importance to the serious student because they contain the answers to almost every individual problem that we might face, including family relations, illness, and supply. “If you work with those specific writings;” Joel said, “apply them to the problems of life that come to you in your own experience or that of your family or your patients; if you work with them over and over, they will develop fourth dimensional consciousness.”
The Goldsmith Global Online Tape Group studied these chapters between March and October, 2018. While the recordings for each chapter are no longer available for listening on this website, if you subscribe to the Joel S. Goldsmith Streaming Service, you will be able to listen to all of the recordings there. The additional study material for each chapter will continue to be available here on the Goldsmith Global site.
The Recording We Heard as an Introduction
To begin our study, we heard Recording 453A, from the 1962 Mission Inn Closed Class, “Special Reference for Study and Practice,” in which Joel talks about the value of each of the eight chapters. To view, print or download a summary of this class, click/tap here. To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
The Recording for This Chapter
Since this chapter came to Joel in a dream, there is no corresponding class recording. Joel said that he gave the lesson embodied in “The New Horizon” infrequently. We chose recording 113B, from the 1955 Kailua Study Group, “The Secret of the Healing Principle” because in the class, Joel himself says that this class IS the message of “The New Horizon.” To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
Because “The New Horizon” is such an important chapter, we prepared some additional reference material with quotes from Joel about its meaning and significance. This document includes:
To view, print, or download this document, click/tap here.
The Recording for This Chapter
This chapter is based on one class that Joel gave during the 1953 New Hawaiian Series of classes. It is recording 23B, “God Is, continued.” To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
In the “Wisdoms of The Infinite Way,” which are included in the book The Infinite Way, there are several Wisdoms that focus on “IS.” These beautifully complement our study of the chapter “God Is One,” and any one of them can be helpful as a focus for a contemplative meditation. To view, print, or download a list of these “IS” Wisdoms, click/tap here.
The Recording for This Chapter
No source recording for this chapter is listed in The Compendium. However, the recording we have chosen to use is an excellent fit for the chapter. It is recording 314B, from the 1960 Denver Closed Class, titled “Foundation of Our Day,” and is one of several classes used as the basis for Chapter 10, “Dominion through Daily Realization,” in Awakening Mystical Consciousness. To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
The Recording for This Chapter
The recording that is the basis for this chapter is 241A, from the 1958 Maui Open Class, titled “The Practice that Makes You Free.” To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
The chapter “Break the Fetters that Bind You” includes four contemplative meditations, which are designated in the chapter text by asterisks (*). We have prepared a card with all four of these meditations that can be a helpful reminder to recall the essence of this chapter throughout the day. To view, print, or download the card, click/tap here.
The Recording for This Chapter
The recording that is the basis for this chapter is 369B, from the 1960 Maui Work, titled “Contemplation Develops the Beholder.” To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
The Recording for This Chapter
There is no recording that was used as source material for this chapter, so we have chosen one that closely aligns with the message in the chapter. It is 476A, from the 1962 Princess Kaiulani Open Class, titled “A New Form of Practice.” To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
In the Introduction to Practicing the Presence, Joel says that the secret of all successful living is consciously practicing the Presence of God, daily and hourly. He also says that students always ask the question, “How do I practice the Presence?” The additional study material for this chapter provides extensive quotations from Joel’s writings and recordings that answer that all-important question. To view, print, or download the material, click/tap here.
The Recording for This Chapter
Practicing the Presence was first published in 1958, so the source material for the book was limited to the class recordings made before 1958, and eight (8) different classes were used to prepare this chapter. Since only a small part of each source class was used, no one of the individual classes fully reflects the message of the chapter. However, later in his ministry, Joel gave some classes that presented a more complete picture of the message in “Love Thy Neighbor.” The class we have chosen is one of those. It is recording 390B, from the 1961 Maui Work, titled “The Mystical Life through the Two Great Commandments.” To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
The Recording for This Chapter
Once again, this chapter used excerpts from many recordings—thirteen of them—as source material, so no one of the recordings fully embodies the message of the chapter. We have selected another recording that captures the essence of the chapter more fully. It is Recording 506B, from the 1962 Capetown Class, titled “The Spiritual Bond.” This recording was used as source material for Chapter 5, “The Spiritual Bond” in The Gift of Love. To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
Additional Reference Material
The essence of this chapter reflects a theme that is repeated throughout Joel’s work: “My oneness with God constitutes my oneness with all spiritual being and idea.” Joel says that this statement represents one of the highest statements of spiritual truth, “one which will bring you nearer the realization of heaven on earth than any other.” He calls it a true “pearl of great price,” and he explains it beautifully in the book Conscious Union with God, in Chapter 13, “Mysticism.” This document provides an excerpt from that chapter. To view, print, or download this document, click/tap here.
How many times have we heard Joel say that learning the letter of truth is of little value unless we practice what we have learned? So it can be helpful to ask ourselves, “Am I really practicing what I have learned? Am I actually applying these principles to every situation I meet in life?
Spiritual masters throughout the ages have realized and taught the importance of practice in the development of spiritual consciousness. Consider this passage from James, the oldest book of the New Testament, which Joel himself quotes from time to time:
“… humbly accept the message that God has sown in your hearts, and which can save your souls. Don’t, I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.” (James 1:21-25, J.B. Phillips New Testament)
As a follow-up to our study of the eight most important chapters, we heard several classes in which Joel focuses on how to practice the principles we have learned.
1. Recording 413B: “Building Transcendental Consciousness” (Played on August 4 and August 11, 2018)
The first class we heard in this series was recording 413B, from the 1961 Manchester Special Class, titled “Building Transcendental Consciousness.” To view, download or print a two-page summary of the class, click/tap here. To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
2. Recording 257A: “Remolding Our Lives—The Practice of Truth—The Fourth Dimension” (Played on August 18 and August 25, 2018)
Second in this series is recording 257A, from the 1959 Tuesdays at Halekou, titled “Remolding Our Lives—The Practice of Truth—The Fourth Dimension.” To view, download or print a summary of this class, click/tap here. To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
3. Recording 92A: “The Practice of Truth” (Played on September 1 and September 8, 2018)
The third recording in this series on practice is recording 92A, from the 1954 Northwest Series—Portland,” titled “The Practice of Truth” To view, download or print a summary of this class, click/tap here. To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.
4. Recording 242A: “The Temple” (Played on September 15 and September 22, 2018)
The fourth and final recording in this series on practice is recording 242A, from the 1958 Maui Open Class, titled “The Temple.” To view, download or print a summary of this class, click/tap here. To purchase this recording or the transcript, click/tap here.