The Infinite Way is a spiritual message based on principles that Joel Goldsmith received as revelations from within. The Infinite Way message echoes and amplifies the message revealed in the original teaching of Jesus, yet Joel’s spiritual discernment enabled him to unveil the inner secrets of this teaching with new clarity in contemporary language. Joel taught that ultimately, The Infinite Way is an experience of God and a way of life by grace, and that The Infinite Way teaching can lead sincere, dedicated spiritual students to that experience. He was very clear that the experience comes only as we seek within ourselves, for “the kingdom of God is within you.”
One writer said of Joel’s work: “Truly speaking, these teachings are an ‘infinite way.’ One never seems to plumb the depth, realize the allness, or exhaust the spiritual wisdom they contain. Joel has a marvelous way of reaching the hearts and minds of ordinary people, those looking beyond the mundane life for a vision, an understanding and realization, of the magnificent promises of spiritual unfoldment given by illumined sages in every century, men and women of all faiths who understood the darkness that blinds our human eyes to spiritual light. Joel presents principles of living that unfold for mankind the mystical experience of communion – union, realization of oneness – with the infinite source of being.”
Joel’s vision was that human consciousness can be raised through the spiritual dedication of those who embrace these deepest principles of mystical teaching and reach the heights of the mystical consciousness, and that the Presence hidden within can come forth universally in Its splendor and glory.
The entire message of The Infinite Way rests on the premise that every individual – saint and sinner alike – is an individualized expression of the Divine. While this truth may not be evident to human perception, and an individual may not be showing forth divine nature at the moment, nonetheless that spark of Divinity, that Presence, is within each one, waiting to be awakened and manifested. The Infinite Way teaches that it is possible for anyone with sufficient dedication to experience this inner Presence here and now in its fullness, and to live by It in peace, harmony, joy, freedom, and abundance. This Presence within each individual is what Jesus referred to when he said, “The kingdom of God is within you” and “I and my Father are one.” While this transcendental indwelling Presence is called by different names, all spiritual traditions agree that It exists and can be awakened. As Joel says:
“There is a transcendental consciousness available to man here and now, which, when attained, results in the ‘dying daily’ of the old man and the rebirth of the new man, the son of God. This transcendental or spiritual consciousness is the power of Grace in the experience of man, freeing him from the ‘law’ and establishing his life under Grace.”
The purpose of the Infinite Way message is to prepare the spiritual seeker for the full experience of this indwelling Presence and the realization that this Presence is one’s true identity. In that state of illumination, there is rest from human effort, and life is lived by the Grace of this Presence.
How does the message of The Infinite Way prepare one for this experience? Joel Goldsmith believed that no one could have this experience until he or she was fully grounded in what he called “the correct letter of truth.” So the Infinite Way message first helps students divest themselves of old conditioning and erroneous concepts about God, man, and the universe, and replace them with the correct letter of truth as it was revealed to him.
The Infinite Way message presents the letter of truth through a set of universal spiritual principles. There are practices that help the student evolve from knowing the letter of truth intellectually to having the full realization of truth. In other words, the practices bring the principles “from the head to the heart.”
Anyone beginning a study of the message of the Infinite Way should know from the outset that in the message of the Infinite Way, Joel uses words such as “God,” “prayer,” and “Christ.” Upon seeing these words, some people make the snap judgment that the message of The Infinite Way is just more of the same old orthodoxy. Nothing could be farther from the truth! As Joel said,
“When you read the word ‘God’ in the Infinite Way writings, do not think for a moment that I mean by that what you think or what you conceive God to be. The word is spelled the same – G-o-d – but we have different meanings, and the same with ‘prayer.’ When you read the word ‘prayer’ in the Infinite Way writings, look in the largest dictionary you can find. Read every one of the meanings that it has there, and then remember that I don’t mean any one of those.”
Joel presents the letter of truth around one core principle: the nature of God. Three other major principles follow directly from the nature of God: the nature of man, or individual being; the nature of prayer; and the nature of error, or evil. Joel says:
“The Infinite Way is a spiritual teaching consisting of principles which anyone may follow and practice, irrespective of his religious affiliation. The Infinite Way reveals the nature of God to be one infinite power, intelligence, and love; the nature of individual being to be one with His qualities and character, expressed in infinite forms and variety; and the nature of the discords of this world to be a misconception of God’s expression of Himself in His universe. These are universal principles based on the message of the Master, Christ Jesus, who taught that man can realize his oneness with God through conscious communion with God, thereby bringing about peace on earth, harmony, and wholeness.”
Those who are interested in the Infinite Way message can learn these principles through Joel’s writings and class recordings. There is a wealth of material in 53 books, and there are over 1250 hours of Joel’s recorded class work. These recordings enable the student to hear the message exactly as Joel presented it, and to learn from the revelator himself.
Intellectually knowing the principles is a first step, but intellectual understanding is not enough to bring one to the experience of the Presence within, the experience of one’s true Self, or the God experience. Joel teaches that the way to contact this Presence within is through meditation, and so meditation is the foundational and essential practice in The Infinite Way, and he teaches methods that help develop the capacity to meditate. Joel’s books Practicing the Presence and The Art of Meditation provide an excellent introduction to meditation as it is practiced in The Infinite Way. Joel emphasizes the importance of practicing the principles, too. This means being ever mindful of the principles and applying them constantly in daily life. Meditation and practicing the principles are the purifying influences that eventually lead to the realization and experience of the indwelling Presence.
No, there is no Infinite Way organization, although there are untold numbers of individuals and groups around the world who study and practice the principles embodied in the message of The Infinite Way. Joel believed that organization “put the veil” on messages of spiritual truth and obscured the original teaching. During his entire ministry, he adamantly insisted that there never be memberships, obligations, dues, dogmatic codes, or structured leadership for the Infinite Way message. He believed that every individual should be free to come and go as they are led on their spiritual journey. To this day, there is no organization, membership, obligation, or formal leadership associated with the teaching. Spiritual seekers somehow find the message on their own when they are prepared for it. While those who follow the Infinite Way teaching may enjoy meeting in classes or tape groups, their core practice is individual study, meditation, and practice of the principles.
Those who want to study the Infinite Way message have books, recordings, classes, and “tape groups” to support them.
Books
Beginning with the timeless classic The Infinite Way, Joel Goldsmith’s books span the years of his worldwide teaching ministry and beyond. Some books were prepared from Joel’s class work around specific themes. Others are collections of the monthly Infinite Way Letters that Joel sent to students. After Joel’s transition in 1964, his editor Lorraine Sinkler continued the tradition of sending a monthly Letter to students, and she prepared the Letters using the vast library of Joel’s recorded classes as source material. Some books are collections of these Letters prepared after 1964.
There are more than 50 books by Joel Goldsmith available in both print and e-book editions, as well as many pamphlets. The Joel Goldsmith Books website allows you to browse the books and pamphlets and read thoughtful descriptions and information about each one.
New students often ask, “With so many books, where do I start?” Joel’s recommendation was to start with Living the Infinite Way and Practicing the Presence, followed by The Art of Meditation and The Art of Spiritual Healing. Then you are prepared to go on to any other book that interests you. Another way to begin is to browse the books, and if you find a title that resonates strongly with you, start there.
Recordings
Starting in 1950, most of Joel Goldsmith’s classes were tape recorded, so that even today, students can hear this timeless message exactly as Joel gave it to students around the world. There are over 1250 hours of recorded class work available.
For each of Joel Goldsmith’s books which use material from Joel’s class recordings, the Joel Goldsmith Books website provides a listing of those source recordings on the book detail page. Every e-book also includes the list of recordings used to prepare that book. They are listed as “Tape Recording References” in the Table of Contents. Some books have no recording references, since they were prepared from Joel’s early classes that were not recorded.
There is a complete catalog of all recordings at www.joelgoldsmith.com. Recordings can be purchased online at that site in CD, or MP3 format. CDs are sold with two “sides,” or two one-hour class recordings. MP3 recordings are sold as a single “side,” or one one-hour recording. In 2020, the Infinite Way Office introduced the Joel S. Goldsmith Streaming Service, a subscription service that provides access to all of Joel’s class recordings.
Recordings can also be ordered by writing to or calling:
The Infinite Way
P.O. Box 8260
Moreno Valley, CA 92552
U.S.A.
Telephone: 800-922-3195
Fax: 951-656-1951
Email: info@joelgoldsmith.com
As with the books, students who are new to The Infinite Way often ask, “With all these recordings, where do I start?” From time to time during the course of his teaching ministry, Joel himself gave several recommendations for study with the recordings, including a recommendation for new students. These are detailed under Joel’s study recommendations.
If you are reading a book or chapter that particularly interests you, you might want to order some of the recordings that were the basis for that book or chapter, so that you can hear that particular message as it came forth in Joel’s classes. The recordings carry the consciousness of the class, and can be a valuable complement to reading the book.
You can also peruse the entire catalog of recordings at www.joelgoldsmith.com, and if you feel drawn to a specific class, you can start there.
Classes
Because there is no Infinite Way organization, there are no “official” Infinite Way teachers. However, some longstanding Infinite Way students have been led from within to teach the principles and message of The Infinite Way from the perspective of their own deep spiritual experiences. These teachers give classes in the United States and internationally. Often if a class experience is something that will support a student, he or she is led to the teacher who can best serve them.
Tape Groups
Infinite Way students started “tape groups” in the 1950s when Joel Goldsmith began to record his classes on reel-to-reel tapes. Because the tapes and the tape players were very expensive, local student groups shared the expense of the equipment and met in private homes or study centers to hear the recordings.
The tape group tradition has continued even as the recordings evolved to new formats that made them accessible and affordable for individual study. While the core practice for Infinite Way students is still individual study and meditation, students also value the experience of joining with others on the path to meditate and hear the classes as Joel Goldsmith originally gave them.
Many tape groups follow the format that Joel recommended. They begin with a silent meditation as a preparation to receive the message in the recording. Then the recording is played, which usually runs for about one hour. Following the recording, there is a short meditation to contemplate what was received in the class.
Tape groups meet locally across the U.S. and around the world. Some, like Goldsmith Global, meet online. An Internet search may help you find out whether there is a tape group in your local area.