There is no specific recording that goes with the chapter “Introduction” in Practicing the Presence. Recording 476A, “A New Form of Practice,” from the 1962 Princess Kaiulani Open Class, is a very good fit. Recording 476A was not used as source material for any book. This recording was posted through November 25, 2023, and is no longer available on this website. If you subscribe to the Joel Goldsmith Streaming Service, you can listen to it there. You can also purchase the recording and/or the transcript from The Infinite Way Office here.
To download or print these study and practice suggestions, click/tap here.
Clearly the very best practice we can do during our study of this chapter is to amplify our efforts to practice the Presence throughout the day. The following suggestions are merely enhancements to that practice.
What Joel Said About This Chapter
In the recording that we used as an introduction to this study series (453A), Joel said this about the Introduction to Practicing the Presence:
“Now, in the Introduction to Practicing the Presence, you have one of the most powerful chapters in our writings, because it explains the reason for practicing the Presence and how to practice the Presence, the function of practicing the Presence. And you see, whatever touches our lives has to touch us through our consciousness, and that means through our knowledge or through our ignorance. Whatever it is that we’re ignorant of cannot benefit us in our experience. Whatever truth we know helps to make us free.
“And so it is, The Infinite Way has really reintroduced into the western world the actual experience of practicing the presence of God and meditation. Now, none of these are new; none of these did I invent. These were all given to me in inner experience, in revelation, and in being given to me, I was also shown how these functioned through the mystics of old in the experience of those who embraced them. Through my own experience, I quickly learned that in proportion as I practiced the presence of God, in that proportion I lived and moved and had my being in an atmosphere of God, and the world did not penetrate it. The hates of the world, the fears of the world, the discords, the dishonesties of the world, these did not break through into me, because I was abiding in the Word, abiding in God, consciously having God abide in me.
“It’s all an act of your consciousness. You have to perform it. You have to understand why and how. It changes your life, because you’ll understand what the Master meant when he said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’
“Well, if you were going to continue to live in this world, to have a night’s sleep, get up in the morning and have a bath and breakfast, and get out into your work, you’re in this world, and you’re going to get some of the good of this world and some of the evil. You, individually, must come out and be separate by an act of your own consciousness, and the question has always been ‘How?’ And we have at least two answers in The Infinite Way: by practicing the presence of God, and later by meditation.
“And so this Introduction in Practicing the Presence is really worth the whole book itself, because without that Introduction, you hardly grasp the nature, the reason, really the story of the rest of the book.”
What is Practicing the Presence? How Do I Practice the Presence?
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. And in the excerpt referenced above, he says that students always ask the question, “How do I practice the Presence?”
In the optional study material for our 2018 program on the eight most important chapters, we provided a document that includes excerpts from Joel’s writings and recordings that explain practicing the Presence as well as the “why” and “how” of the practice. You might enjoy reviewing it. To view, download, or print the latest version of that document, click/tap here.
Also, recording 476A, which we used with this chapter, is a master class on how to practice the Presence, specifically when we are beset by a problem. Joel gives very clear instruction, and he encourages us to practice the technique, in spite of the fact that it is difficult. You may find it helpful to listen to the recording again to fully understand the practice he suggests.
Some Key Points from the Chapter
Joel said that this chapter is “one of the most powerful chapters in our writings.” Here are a few of the key points that bear out that opinion.
Bible Quotes
Joel cites many Bible passages that point to the discipline of practicing the Presence. Others may come to you as well. When we take them collectively, it is easy to see that the Bible has always been teaching this practice. Any of these quotations would be ideal to use as we engage in practicing the Presence throughout the day.