CONTENTS
Chapter 1 – STEPS IN PRAYER
Chapter 2 – PRAY YOUR WAY THROUGH IT
Chapter 3 – THE TWELVE POWERS OF PRAYER
Chapter 1
STEPS IN PRAYER
And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?
And they said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.
And ye shall say unto the good man of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples ?
And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished; there make ready.
And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
And when the hour was come, he sat down and the twelve apostles with him.
And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.
For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. –Luke 22:8-21
In the 22nd chapter of Luke, we read about the Feast of the Passover, which means to feast on the bread of life. The bread referred to is spiritual food. “I am the bread of life.” When we raise our consciousness through a realization of God’s Omnipresence, Infinite Love, and Intelligence, we are not only fed enough, but there is a surplus.
Bread and wine are symbols of Divine Substance and Divine Life. The Bread is the God-like thought; the wine is the manifestation of our ideal. We are familiar with the saying that thoughts become things. “God thinks and worlds appear.” The whole world is a thought of God.
The creative form of our thought manifests itself in outward form; as any thought felt as true is always out-pictured on the screen of space: thus the word (man’s conviction) “became flesh” or was made manifest. Another way of stating it is that the bread is the desire; the wine is the acceptance and realization of your desire in consciousness.
By illustration, a girl who wants to be an actress, rejoices in the fact that she is a great actress now. With her eyes closed in meditation, she imagines herself playing the role on a stage before an audience. She lives it, and feels the thrill of this experience; sooner or later she actualizes or fixes the state in consciousness. This lovely mood is symbolized by the eating of the bread or substance of God.
By the universal Law of life whatever is subjectively affirmed or felt as true must be expressed; this is the wine of God or our good manifested. Wine represents animation or the pouring of life into an idea. Drinking of the wine symbolizes a “pressing out” of the oil of joy in you; or as Paul says, “Stir up the gift of God within you.” As you let goodness, truth, and beauty flow through you, you become partakers of the Divine Nature. This is Holy Communion or communing with love, peace, happiness, wholeness, and perfection.
Life has two aspects: namely, spiritual and physical. The spiritual is inspirational; the physical is nutritional; these qualities are represented in the Bible as bread and wine. The life in man is God; his body and affairs are the world.
Some of the ancient legends tell us that the man, Jesus, sang with his disciples; likewise, when we pray, we must go into His presence singing and into His courts with praise.
When we are beset by a problem, or faced with what the world calls an acute emergency, we should never approach it saying, “This is a very difficult problem; a lot of mental work will have to be done.” The way of prayer is effortless; the attitude should, therefore, be one of effortless effort.
The end of all prayer should be: ”It is done ” or ”It is finished. ” These words mean that prayer is a joyful feast in which man contemplates the joy of the answered prayer. It is a spiritual communion; he should feel rested, poised, and calm after prayer. A sense of peace should steal over him, plus an inner satisfaction that God is flowing through his problem, and that there is no problem.
The spiritual man or truth student never takes the problem to God, because God has no problems. On the other hand, the student takes the answer to God, as God knows only the answer.
The first step you take in prayer is to still the mind, and dwell on the attributes of God which are within you. For example, dwelling on Infinite Peace, Infinite Wisdom, Infinite Love, and Intelligence, with the realization that your own consciousness is God, insures the right mental attitude: namely, God has the solution.
The second step in prayer is to climb the hill of Good or God. This ascent may take minutes or hours, depending upon the individual and his development. Under no circumstances should one begin to solve his difficulties from a level of fear and doubt, because this will only aggravate conditions. Consciousness always magnifies! If we give our attention to the problem, it grows and expands. You must detach yourself completely from the problem and contemplate your good; as you meditate on your good, you are climbing the hill of God.
The third step: Your mood of doubt now changes to confidence. Your mood of fear changes to gladness and peace. You are on the mountain top! This is the time to speak the word with absolute conviction. The word that you speak from the mountain top is the conviction, or feeling, that “It is finished”—that your prayer is answered. Your heart beats to the rhythm of God. Your contemplation is His contemplation. Your pulse is His pulse. Your joy is His joy. You say, “Amen,” audibly or silently as you choose.
When you come down from the mountain, you know with an inner certitude that your desire is a fact of consciousness; your heart is filled with gladness. It is the silent, inner knowing of the soul, whereby man knows that he knows; he is unable to give it articulation. It is like a child who bubbles over with joyous expectancy; yet he is unable to voice the mood clearly.
The fourth step: In a little while the mood felt as true within will be experienced without. You must remain unmoved knowing that good is on the way, and the moment you think not, the answer will come with healing on its wings.
The Bible is a book dealing with spiritual truths; all else is purely incidental. The Bible is a psychological drama; the characters, personalities, and events portrayed therein, represent states of consciousness within all of us. In other words, the men mentioned in this chapter represent qualities of mind.
The whole drama of the Bible occurs within man; it is a story of the soul. The Bible can be read in the past, present, or future tense, as there is no time in God or consciousness. We read the Bible in the present tense; it is a story of every man. What good is the Bible if you look upon it merely as historical document? To be able to apply the inner beauty and grow spiritually is the only thing that matters. We must see the inner beauty and transcendent truths contained within this great drama.
The Last Supper has been subjected to many interpretations. Every man walking the earth is symbolized by Jesus and his twelve disciples. I Am is Jesus, Consciousness, Life, or the awareness within each one of us. There are also twelve faculties or forces of consciousness within us; these are sometimes referred to as the twelve tribes of Israel or the twelve disciples.
In ancient times the twelve faculties were referred to as the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac. The latter word means Consciousness, or the holy belt of animals. All the animals (animated states of consciousness) are within man, as Infinity is within him; therefore, all tones, moods, vibrations, and ideas are within man; they emanate from him as God is within him.
We will now go on a joyous, mystical feast. You, the reader, will break bread with the writer.
The following is another technique in the art and science of prayer: The Passover is celebrated by the Jews to commemorate the exodus from Egypt; this means the joy in awakening from darkness to light, from misery and pain to the truth that makes man free.
It means passing from one state of consciousness to another; this is what happens in prayer.
And he sent Peter and John saying, Go and prepare us the passover that we may eat. This dialogue refers to yourself in an attitude of prayer. Symbolically, it is the objective, conscious mind talking to your inner or true self—the Reality or subjective Self of you. The passover and the crucifixion are identical stories. The crucifixion represents passing from one state of consciousness to another; it is the transition from sickness to health, from imprisonment to freedom, from poverty to riches, etc. Crucifixion, also, means a fixed, psychological state; it is your inner feeling that your prayer is answered. In order to eat of the passover, you must call Peter and John. Peter symbolizes faith; John is love.
When ye are entered into the city . . . The city is the secret place of the Most High where man communes with God. You first still your mind; then dwell on your own I Amness. When all of the faculties are turned inward and focused on the One, the Beautiful, and the Good, you are truly sitting down with your twelve disciples. This meditative process is sometimes symbolized by the sun moving through the twelve signs of the zodiac. Both the sun and the zodiac are within man. The sun in the Bible is I Am; the twelve faculties of mind or disciples are the zodiac.
When ye are entered into the city, There shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. The man with the pitcher of water is Simon of Canaan; this means your capacity to hear the good news. Simon means to hear, and Canaan is receptivity, the promised land, or the answered prayer. It means that man becomes still, and adopts a listening attitude—as Lincoln listened to the principle of Liberty, Mozart to the principle of harmony, and Einstein to the principle of mathematics. When man begins to give attention to his good or his ideal, he is following the man with the pitcher of water.
Pouring water on the ground represents pouring feeling on the seed or idea. This is a delightful mood which becomes a fixed state in due season. When the mood is fixed, it becomes a subconscious conviction. Water or consciousness takes the shape of any vessel into which it is poured; this in other words means the subjective mind (water) accepts anything felt as true, and objectifies it on the screen of space. The expression is the image and likeness of the tone, mood, or feeling of the idea impressed subjectively.
So far you find that the proper procedure to eat of the passover is to be still; close your eyes; turn away from the objective appearance of things, and dwell on the power and glory of God within yourself. The idea that you have must now be enriched by faith (Peter), and fertilized by love (John). Prayer is a psychological state wherein you feast on your good or ideal.
Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? The guest chamber is the still mind where man turns within to the One, the Beautiful, and the Good. His eyes are turned inward toward the real; he is in tune with the Infinite; his thoughts are God’s thoughts, and God’s power is with his thoughts of good. Now he is eating of the passover which is a psychological feast.
To meditate means to eat of Me. The Me referred to is I Am or God. In prayer we eat of God or our good until we are filled full of the feeling of possession or of being the one we long to be; our wish has become a conviction; we no longer seek that which we have. We must have everything in consciousness before we can have it or experience it in the world. All things flow from the invisible to the visible.
And he shall show you a large upper room furnished, there make ready. No matter what we seek or desire, it already subsists in the Infinite Mind. We cause it to be objectified or precipitated by feeling the reality of the state or thing desired; then the mood that is retained is manifested; we say that it exists. Regardless of what man thinks, it is already a fact of consciousness; all we have to do is make ready; this implies we must be willing to receive the gift. “I am a gift unto you.” Making ready means recognition, acceptance, and conviction. God is the giver and also the gift.
And when his hour was come, he sat down and the twelve disciples with him. The hour means the time you are ready to demonstrate, or you are ready to put the law into operation constructively. To sit down means to be in a receptive, psychic, or passive state of mind; it is a state of effortless effort.
As previously stated, the twelve disciples represent the faculties and qualities of mind within all of us; sometimes they are referred to as the twelve powers of man. They are disciples only when they are disciplined in meditation or scientific prayer. In meditation all of the senses are withdrawn into the deep; your mind is focused on one objective or ideal; this is one-pointed-ness, wherein you consciously direct the subjective mind.
For thought to be effective, it must be consciously, wisely, constructively, and systematically directed. Sitting down with your twelve disciples represents the disciplined attitude of mind; you are now tuned in with the Infinite Power; you are hearing the good news. This is an inner hearing; it is the inner, silent knowing of the mystic.
And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it unto them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” The He is your I Am, and bread is your ideal, or the thing that would bless you. “I am the bread of life.” The true bread is the spiritual food of which man partakes. Bread also symbolizes thoughts of peace, love, and happiness. “Man doth not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God doth man live.” Man may eat of physical bread, but he will hunger again. The bread that he breaks is the bread of life; it is the noble, dignified, God-like state of consciousness.
When man feasts in this manner, he will not hunger again. Some men live to eat, and they hunger for peace of mind, integrity, happiness, security, love, and companionship. All of the real things of life are intangible; therefore, the bread spoken of is the bread that cometh from heaven, which is peace, happiness, and freedom; the latter are the urges of the Spirit or God within him; hence they are called bread from heaven.
This is my body . . . The body means your pictorial image or your ideal. When the ideal or image is impressed on the subconscious, it is made manifest in the exact image and likeness of the mood that entertained it.
For example, if your ideal is to become a great artist, this ideal inflames the mind and generates a delightful mood or feeling; this mood conceals the body or form of your ideal. The mood is the Father which generates its likeness on the objective plane. “As within so without.”
A similar example is the acorn that contains the oak, or the mustard seed in the ground that brings forth the mustard plant. Within the mustard seed is the body or form of the mustard plant.
This do in remembrance of me. When we remember, we reassemble all of the parts that complete the whole; we realize the Oneness or wholeness. “We are all parts of one stupendous whole whose body nature is, and God the soul.” To remember means to become one with God. The ultimate meaning of remember is to awaken to the all-good that is everpresent now. The body of a thing is the pattern which we fashioned, moulded, and shaped in our own minds. Man’s body is a pattern of his subjective state of thought. The subconscious thoughts and beliefs fashion and shape the body.
Likewise, also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. The new testament means to testify to a new state of consciousness. “I come as a witness.” A witness testifies to that which is. When you have prayed successfully, you become a new being. You are transformed; you testify to a new state of consciousness. You have changed your name or nature.
If, for example, you were crippled and you now walk, this is the new testament in my blood. Blood symbolizes life. The cup means the cup of wine; the wine symbolizes joy. So it is the happy, joyful state of mind, wherein you pour love and feeling into your ideal, and contemplate the joy of the answered prayer. You enter into a great, psychological feast of peace and happiness. You contemplate the reality of the thing desired; in other words you behold the joy that would be yours if you now received your ideal, or if you now were the being you long to be.
If you continue to feast on the accomplished fact, the moment comes when you can eat no more; then you say, “It is finished,” or “Amen,” or “It is done.” These words of confirmation refer to the finished, psychological state in consciousness; you subjectively know that the thing prayed for is a fact in consciousness. This is the silent, inner knowing of the soul; it is a fourth dimensional feeling, whereby you know that you know. You do not have objective proof as yet, but you are not waiting for results, because you know that the moment you think not, the manifestation or demonstration will appear. You remain unmoved in the absolute conviction that the solution felt as true within must be experienced without.
Behold, the hand of him that betrayed me is with me on the table. This quotation symbolizes the last process of prayer. Judas betrays Jesus. Judas represents limitation, or your problem. The opposite of your problem is the solution, or Jesus. Your limitation or Judas betrays or reveals Jesus, the solution. Every problem contains within itself its own solution in the form of a desire. It is necessary for Judas or limitation to commit suicide. The suicide referred to is the turning away from the problem, and placing the attention on your good or ideal. By feeling the reality of your ideal, you bring about a fixed state in consciousness followed by a sense of peace and happiness. The acceptance of your desire in consciousness is true prayer; it always brings rest, peace, and happiness; this always results in the death of Judas or limitation, and the birth of your new concept.
In John 17:12, Judas is called the son of perdition, or sense of loss or guilt. In the Book of Acts we are told that Judas purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and that he died as the result of a fall. In the Book of Matthew, we are informed that he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple; departed, and hanged himself.
The Bible gives conflicting stories as to what happened to Judas. It is significant that we know that we are not dealing with a man, but we are concerned with a mental attitude of lies, fears, and unholy beliefs. Judas is the personification of the adversary, or our negative thought which comes from the world around us; in other words, Judas is our false belief. Also, Judas is the type of man who believes power and honor are in worldly possessions and supremacy over others.
We must die or commit suicide to these false beliefs. Realize that the only peace and the only source of supply and power are from God. We must give complete recognition to Him. “I am, and there is none else.” When we die to the belief in disease, there is only health. When we cease believing the lie, symbolized by Judas, God or good is revealed. This is the reason Judas reveals or betrays Jesus. Jesus symbolizes the solution or the realization of your desire.
For example: if you now desire an apartment in this city, the belief that it is difficult to get one is Judas. Judas must die; then the apartment appears. Desire, without fear, is manifestation.
Satan or Judas tempting Jesus means that man is tempted to sacrifice his spiritual growth for material possessions, such as, worldly power, pomp, and ceremony. Many prefer to live the lie rather than accept the truth.
“I die daily,” says Paul. We die to the old state, and live to the new; in this way we go from glory to glory.
The last supper takes place every night as you drop into the deep of sleep. Your last waking concept of self—prior to falling asleep—is the last supper for that day. Man should always go to sleep feeling successful, happy, and prosperous; then he has supped with God or his good. Inasmuch as the conscious and subconscious mind are joined every night in sleep, man carries to the deep all of the reactions of the day unless he changes them before going to sleep. These reactions of the day are etched in consciousness, and expressed on the morrow as experiences, circumstances, and events.
By constant feasting on the One, the Beautiful, and the Good, we will finally die to all fear and doubt; then we will be back in the garden of Eden or paradise. When we have died to all false beliefs, we give birth to the Christ-Consciousness; this is the ultimate meaning of the Last Supper. Now man awakens and goes back to the glory which was his before the world was. He has found the All. There is neither time nor space, now nor then; neither he nor she. There is only the ever-flowing Reality flowing on forever!
Chapter 2
PRAY YOUR WAY THROUGH IT
This Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
–Isaiah 61:1-3.
In this wonderful chapter of Isaiah we are told about the purpose of Truth. To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of prison doors to them that are bound. “The captives” are those people who are bound by the chain of false beliefs, error, and superstitions. Man creates his own hell and his own heaven by his beliefs about himself, people, and the world in general. He blames the world, circumstances, people, and conditions for his hard luck, misfortune, and sickness. When he sees the Truth, he is set free, because he realizes he is master of his own destiny and captain of his fate. Man becomes that which he contemplates; his thought and feeling control his destiny.
In the story about the laws of life, man learns this simple fundamental truth taught in all ages, and found in all the sacred scriptures of the world: As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. The word “heart” is an old Chaldean expression meaning the subconscious mind. Any thought or idea felt as true becomes subjectified (heart), and the subjective state of thought or conviction becomes manifest in man’s world. (A man’s “world” refers to his health, companionship, finances, and home life—in fact to all departments of his life.) Man’s dominant feeling or conviction about himself governs all the departments of his life; on this depends his success or failure.
When man learns the Truth, he proclaims the day of vengeance of our God. The word “vengeance” in the Bible means the vindication of Truth, or the victory proclaimed by man’s dominant mood. For example, if man is expecting failure, he is in the mood of failure; moods create. Knowing this, he is able to change his mood to one of success. He now expects only the best, and his mood is one of confident expectancy; this proclaims “the day of vengeance of our God”—it is the day of victory for his good, or the manifestation of his desire.
Divine healing is based upon the supposition that we speak from an absolute center—the I AM or first cause. The treatment is unconditioned by any element of time as the past, present, or future. It is not conditioned by anything that has ever transpired. It would not be possible for a metaphysician or spiritual healer to do effective work, if he judged according to appearances.
In the chapter of Isaiah we are instructed to give Beauty for Ashes. The ashes symbolize the old, worn, shrunken state, or the diseased condition. We must not see this negative state, but we must see beauty in our consciousness; then beauty will objectify itself on the screen of space.
If, for example, a person shows an ulcerated arm to a practitioner, and begins to tell him all the details concerning it,—the many remedies applied, the failure of the many dermatologists to effect a cure,—the listener must so condition himself that he hears the opposite. At the same time he must see an arm that is complete, whole, and perfect. He is giving Beauty for Ashes. In the silence the practitioner imagines a perfect, whole arm with beautiful skin, and he feels the reality of what he sees within himself. When he does this with conviction, that which he felt as true within will be seen in the without—”As within so without.”
To comfort all that mourn—”To comfort” in the Bible means to practice the presence of God. If you see a person, who looks sad or feels sorry for himself, instead of commiserating with him, or sympathizing with him, you should lift him up in consciousness. You see the God in him; that is, you see him radiant, happy, and joyous. You visualize him as he ought to be, and you enter into this spirit or feeling. When we give sympathy, we allow ourselves to go into the quicksand with the other, but when we lift the other up, we are standing on firm ground. One simple way of helping the other is to decree feelingly within you that His Life, Love, and Truth fill the mind and body of the person now, and all is well.
The oil of Joy for Mourning, is interpreted in this way: We must teach all men that they should never grieve or mourn for loved ones. By radiating the qualities of love, peace, and joy to the loved one, who has passed over to the next dimension, we are praying for the loved one in the right manner. We are lifting the other up in our consciousness. This is truly giving the “oil of joy for mourning.” We rejoice in their new birthday, knowing the Presence of God is where they are. Where God is, there can be no evil.
If a thing is true, there is a way in which it is true. Recognize the fact that there is no death. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Why seek ye the living among the dead. In order to pray for the so-called dead, we realize that the loved ones who have passed on are dwelling in a state of beauty and love; then we are lifting them up, because they feel our prayers, and thereby they are blessed. We make them happy by our scientific prayer. Instead of feeling that they are dead and gone, and that their graves are where the bodies are, by an inner mood let us see them dwelling in a state of indescribable beauty. We must never dwell in the mood—or feeling—of lack, limitation, or regret.
The writer has been out of his body several times. He knows that man is not his body, and that he can exist apart from his body. When man is outside of his body he has a vision apart—or outside —the body which enables him to see his own body, and all of his environment. Wherever man’s attention is directed in this new dimension of mind, he is. For example, he may be in New York, but when he thinks of London or South Africa, he sees everything he wants to see in London or South Africa. Vision, when one is outside the body, includes not only three dimensional space of everyday life, but it embraces things in the fourth or higher dimensional planes in which man finds himself. When you are out of your body, you may see other people talking to your body on the bed. They may try to arouse you from your trance state. When you are outside of your body, you have another body; you see and hear everything. You try to communicate with those in the room, yet they do not hear you. The only means of communication in this fourth dimension is thought. You know that you are alive, and that you are not your body. You know that you are immortal.
The ancient mystics, who saw through time and space, advised all of us to “give Beauty for Ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” They knew there was only Life, and that each one lived forever.
The garment of praise, means the joyful, happy, confident mood. In other words, “praise” in the mysteries is the exalted mood. It is said that St. Thaddeus walked the earth with his head and neck covered with oil; “oil” is symbolic of the joyous state. It is said he walked the earth with “the praise of God forever on his lips.” We should raise people up in consciousness by realizing that God is prospering them in mind, body, and affairs. We must know that whatever they do, it is God in action; this is how you “give the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
Sometime ago a woman came to see me, and she said her son was a cretin. He had been taking large doses of thyroid extract and other biological, glandular products without avail. The doctors considered his case hopeless. Her heart was heavy; she was despondent and dejected. She gave her son the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. She meditated this way twice a day: She sat still; closed her eyes; and imagined her son as he ought to be; that is, he was a perfect, radiant, intelligent, and happy son. In this meditative state she imagined that her son was telling her that he received high marks at school, and that he was growing tall. She also felt within herself that the Wisdom and Intelligence of God were welling up within her boy, anointing his intellect, and that God was speaking through him. She felt the thrill of this feeling. Five months later the boy confirmed everything she had felt as true. She remained faithful to the end. He who perseveres to the end shall be saved.
We must see all men, “as trees of righteousness.” This means that we must see all men growing righteously by seeing them as they ought to be. The essence of this Truth teaching is that man should fill his heart with Love; he should have compassion for humanity. This is why the Bible says give “Beauty for Ashes.” Jesus never attended a funeral; he broke up every funeral he ever saw. Jesus said: “The damsel is not dead!” “Maid arise!” “Lazarus come forth!” He could not see the dead state; he could only see Life there; he gave, Beauty for Ashes.
We must remember that our loved ones, and all of those whom we knew on earth, are still living in the next dimension. For instance, a little child who perhaps died in the mother’s womb, or lived for a day, is a grace note in the celestial symphony of the spheres. Through Love the child is one with its mother, brothers, and sisters. We are all one; the many, apparently separate, human beings are the notes and chords of the Eternal Symphony of creation.
Let each one of us realize that our loved ones who have passed on still live, and will live forever. They are functioning fourth dimensionally. Through Love you are one with them. You now give them, Beauty for Ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning, by knowing that they are immersed in His Holy Omnipresence, and that Jesus, Moses, Paul, Elijah, Buddha and other great Conductors lead them in the symphony of all creation.
Never the spirit shall die.
The spirit shall cease to be never.
Never the spirit was not.
Birthless and deathless and changeless—
Remaineth the spirit forever.
Death hath not changed it at all.
Dead though the house of it seems.
Chapter 3
THE TWELVE POWERS OF PRAYER
The twelve signs of the Zodiac, the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve months of the year, the twelve hours in the day, the twelve powers of Hercules, the twelve Tribes of Israel, the twelve gates of heavenly Jerusalem, the twelve pillars of the temple of Heliopolis, the twelve altars of Janus, the twelve shields of Mars, the twelve mansions of the moon, and the twelve apostles symbolize and portray the twelve powers of man or the elements of consciousness. These powers must be disciplined and purified before man becomes Jesus the Christ. The twelve sons of Jacob are the twelve disciples. Their names and meanings are as follows:
Genesis 29:32; 30:6,8,13,18,19,35:18
Reuben—perception
Simeon—hearing, conviction
Levi—Joining, love
B enj amin—faith
Gad—power, perseverance
Joseph—imagination or add to
Asher—denial
Issachar—reward
Dan—judgment, clear seeing
Judah—praise
Zebulun—dwelling with
Naphtali—wrestling, detachment
Matthew 10:2,3,4
Andrew—perception ,
Peter—faith, hearing, good news
James—righteous judgment
John—love, atonement
Phillip—persistence, lover of horses
Bartholomew—imagination
Thomas—understanding, disciplined denial
Matthew—gift of God, desire
James-the-less—discernment, clairvoyance
Thaddeus—praise, exalted state
Simon of Canaan—leads to promised land, zeal
Judas—detachment, death of limitation
It is our mission and purpose in life to discipline these faculties, so that a God-like creature will appear on earth; then like Job we can say: . . . Yet in my flesh shall I see God. Job 19:26. Job, too, asked this question: Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the cornerstone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4,6,7. This is not a question asked of God by Job, but it is really a question asked by man of his Higher Self. We have forgotten who we are, and we are trying to remember. Original sin has nothing to do with the physical, sexual act; it is man believing in the wisdom of the world, opinions of man, and using his intellect destructively.
He has forgotten his divine origin and accepts the opinion of man as the truth; consequently, he sins or errs because he does not know that his own I Amness is the God that he seeks. He dwells, therefore, in the land of many Gods and the belief in many powers.
The man who loves Truth and practices the Presence of God is like a magnetized piece of steel. The man who is asleep to God is like a demagnetized piece of steel—the magnetic current is there, but it is asleep within him. When we dwell in the presence, the electronic and atomic structure of our body reforms and vibrates accordingly.
Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Job 38:32. Our concordance gives us the key to this. Mazzaroth, the twelve powers or disciples, is in each of us. If we can call our disciples forth, and fully discipline them by prayer, by treatment, and through mystic visioning, we can answer all of these questions propounded in that favorite chapter (38) of Job.
When man is completely purified consciously and subconsciously, the distillate brought forth is the Christed state of consciousness. Let each one determine for himself if he is calling forth these faculties.
Reuben or Andrew means behold the Sun or God! Andrew means spiritual perception and is the first faculty of man. Spiritual seeing means understanding, illumination, and comprehension. This is not three dimensional seeing, but it is seeing the Truth about the outer fact. The spiritual person sees the law of cause and effect operating everywhere, and he knows there is a subjective pattern behind all manifestation in his body and affairs. He knows the realization of his desire is the Truth that sets him free.
We look at the atmosphere and we say that there is nothing there; yet it is teeming with life. We look into the heavens and we see stars, but when we look through the telescope, we see countless stars not discerned by the naked eye. Which is right, the telescope or the eye? Many think the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, but spiritual seeing or understanding knows that this is untrue.
If someone is sick in your family, how do you see them? If you see them unwell, you are not disciplining Andrew. Your spiritual perception or knowing must be a perfect vision of their health or happiness.
Do you resist, resent, or fight conditions in your home or office? If you do, you are not calling Andrew to discipleship. If you detach yourself from the problem and focus on your good, you are on the way towards mastering this power.
Peter is the second disciple or faculty of mind. Peter symbolizes the rock of Truth—an immutable conviction of good. Peter is the faculty of mind that reveals to man: Thou art that Christ, the Son of the Living God. John 6:69. It reveals man’s own I Amness is God, the Savior. Peter is faithful to the end. He is faithful every step of the way, knowing that Omnipotence is moving in his behalf, . . . and that none can stay his hand, and say unto him, what doest thou? Da. 4:35.
Do you say to the ideal or desire murmuring in your heart that I am too old; I do not have enough money; I do not know the right people? Do you say, for example, that due to conditions, inflation, the present administration, events, or circumstances, it is impossible for me to realize my objective? If this is so, you are not disciplining Peter, but you are actually robbing yourself of the joy of experiencing your ideal. The faculty of faith (Peter) knows no obstacles, and recognizes no master or Lord, except his own I Amness. Do you pray for a little while; then give up, and say, “I tried it, but it does not work.” If you do, you must begin now to call Peter to discipleship, and you will realize the cherished desire of your heart.
James is the righteous judge. My judgment was a robe and a diadem. Job 29:14. This means that when we begin to discipline the faculty called James, we decree wholeness, completeness, and perfection. Our judgment (conviction) is as the robe (Truth) and the diadem (beauty and perfection). We ask ourselves, “How is it in God and Heaven?” Our inner realization is the Presence of God where the other is; thus our verdict or decree is Harmony, Health, and Peace.
Do you now condemn, criticize, or dwell on the shortcomings of others? If this is true, you are not calling James to discipleship, but you are actually building these negative qualities within yourself. We fulfill that which we condemn. Look around and you will see ample evidence of this.
Are you incapable of hearing unpleasant things about another? Do you hear and realize only the good for the other? The student of Truth disciplining James never gossips, reproaches, or finds fault with people. If he hears gossip and it is true, the student rejects it mentally and never breathes a word of it. To imagine evil against the other is lie. Zec. 8:17. Let us all call this faculty to discipleship.
John is the embodiment of love. Love is the Spirit of God in action; love is also an emotional attachment. It is an at-one-ment with your ideal. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Rom. 8:28. Are you loving God now? God and good are identical and synonymous in all sacred scriptures. When we fall in love with these qualities and attributes, such as honesty, integrity, success, peace, forbearance, and justice, and when we love Truth for Truth’s sake, we are loving God or Good.
Are you afraid of the future? Are you worried about your family, friends, or business? In short, are you unhappy? If you are, you can rest assured that you are not loving God or Good. You are loving limitations. Are you afraid of failure? If you have this fear, you will succeed in being a failure.
Do we hold a grudge towards any living being? If this is true, we are not controlling John. We must forgive the other, otherwise there is no love in our hearts. Love the other by rejoicing that the person you say wronged you, is living joyously and happily. Claim that the law of God is working for him, through him, all around him, and that peace fills his mind, body, and affairs. Can you now rejoice in hearing good news about your recent enemy? If you cannot, you are not in charge of this faculty. If you have failed to embody your ideal, you are not disciplining John.
Phillip means, metaphysically, a lover of horses. A trainer of horses is firm but kind; he does not beat the horses; yet he lets the horse know he is master. The trainer is persistent; he has that quality which so many of us lack, i.e., stick-to-it-ive-ness. Phillip, therefore, is the faculty of mind within us, that enables us to use the power we have through love; thus we conquer any situation.
At a rodeo you see a horse which is unbridled and untamed; no one can stay on him longer than a few seconds; this is the way with many people. We contemplate a new idea; we become enthused about it; a delightful mood is engendered. However, someone may sway us or we may hear some unpleasant news which throws us off the horse (the mood).
For example, a girl was contemplating a beautiful trip to Florida during the war time. She had planned to visit some relatives near Miami. In the meantime she heard some girls remark: how awful conditions were; the food was very bad; there was no possibility of swimming and the prices were outrageous, etc. This resulted in the cancellation of the trip; later, she discovered she had made a great mistake. Since she had contemplated a delightful trip, and had lived in that joyous expectancy,—as within, so without,—a wonderful trip was in store for her. She permitted the negative suggestions of others to throw her off the lovely horse (mood) that she was riding.
Let us ride the mood, which means let us sustain it, and we will reach Jerusalem (the city of peace) within ourselves. In other words it is the sustained mood that creates. Be faithful every step of the way to the end. You are master! You have been given dominion. Can you now be swayed or made to change your mind?
Can negative suggestions, ridicule, and criticisms of others throw you off your horse? If this is true, you are not disciplining Phillip.
Does the death of one of your dear ones cause you to feel despondent and gloomy, or do you rejoice in their new birthday? If you feel dejected and gloomy you are not calling Phillip to discipleship.
Bartholomew means, according to the Concordance, son of the furrowed, or son of the plowed, i.e., prepared for seed; metaphysically, it represents imagination. This faculty has the power to cast every idea that man can conceive onto the screen of space in substance and form. The disciplined imagination (furrowed land or son of the furrowed) is capable of picturing only lovely states and delightful moods. Imagination and faith are the two pillars in Masonry; they lead to the Holy of Holies.
We call Bartholomew to discipleship when we imagine the reality of the fulfilled desire, and feel the joy of the answered prayer. If you are told of some evil prediction, it frightens you, and you begin to imagine and conjure evil; you have not called forth this power. Do you imagine evil for another? Do you imagine that your son will fail in his examinations, or that something bad will happen to members of your family? If you have these negative patterns, you are failing to call this great faculty to discipleship. Let us imagine only the lovely, the beautiful, and the good qualities. Let our ideals be uplifted and let our judgment be as the robe and the diadem.
Thomas means jointed or conjoined. In the undisciplined state, it represents the double minded man, the doubter. It represents the understanding faculty of man. Get wisdom and with all thy getting, get understanding. Prov. 4:7. Wisdom is the knowledge of God; understanding is the application of this knowledge to solve our daily problems and grow spiritually.
Our reason and intellectual perception of the Truth becomes anointed by the Holy Spirit, and we go from glory to glory. The man who disciplines this faculty, Thomas, knows that his own consciousness or awareness is the God of his world and the seat of causation. He rejects, therefore, all rumors, lies and suggestions that are unlike God or the Truth. He will contradict, reject, and refuse to accept any rumors of suggestions that oppose that which he knows to be true. How is it in God and Heaven?
Does the polio scare that is given wide publicity disturb or frighten you? Do you send your children to some remote spot to escape the so-called peril? If this is true about you, you are full of fear; your faith is not in God or Good, and you do not believe in the Omnipresence of God. If you are calling Thomas to discipleship, you know that God is where you stand. He walks and talks in you. You are the very garment which God wears, as he moves through the illusion of time and space. Let us discipline Thomas; then we will touch Reality and know that God is.
Matthew means the gift of Jehovah, given wholly unto Jehovah; in short, Matthew means your desire. It is the cosmic urge within you seeking to be expressed. Every problem has within it the solution in the form of a desire. If a man is sick, he automatically desires health. The desire (Matthew) is already knocking at this man’s door; the acceptance of the desire is the answered prayer.
Do you say: “I am too old; I lack the intelligence; it is too late now; I have no chance?” Do you accept the verdict of the doctor or the race belief, or do you go within and say, like many of old, My soul doth magnify the Lord? Luke 1:46. Yes, do you go within in the silence, and magnify the possibility of realizing it? If you do, you are calling Matthew into discipleship. When you reject your desire, the gift of God which would bless you and the world, you are not calling Matthew to discipleship.
James the Less Matt. 10:3, Mark 15:40, signifies the faculty of order, or a tidy mind. Order is heaven’s first law. When we are at peace in our minds, we find peace in our home, business, and in the rest of our affairs. This faculty of the mind is also called discernment or discrimination.
Quimby, the father of New Thought in America, had this quality of discernment highly developed. He was able to diagnose and interpret all of the causes behind the ailments or maladies of his patients. He told them where their pains and aches were, and the mental patterns, behind them. We go to a doctor and tell him all of our symptoms, their location, etc., but Quimby did the reverse; he told the patient. They marvelled at this great capacity; he simply tuned in on their subconscious minds, and subjectively saw their mental patterns. His explanation was the cure. Quimby was clairvoyant. When this clairvoyant faculty is fully developed, one sees the Divinity behind the form, the Truth behind the mask. He contemplates Reality and sees the Presence of God everywhere.
Do we blame the Government, external conditions, family, employers, etc., for any problems or limitations we may be experiencing? It is easy to blame others. Are we capable of interpreting that which we see, or do we judge according to appearances? Objective appearance is not always true. Let us call James the Less to discipleship, and let our judgment be as the noon day—noon casts no shadow. I stand on my shadow; therefore, nothing comes in my way to deflect me from judging righteously. No shadow must cross our path—the world of confusion shall lay rejected. Our judgment shall be righteousness, which is: wholeness and perfection—perfect God, perfect man, and perfect Being.
Thaddeus means of the heart, warm hearted, and praise. Thaddeus represents the exalted mood, the happy, joyous state. I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:32. This is the attitude of the mind of the man who is disciplining Thaddeus.
We lift others up, by rejoicing that they are now possessing and expressing all that we long to see them express.
You can praise the flowers in the flower pot, and they will grow luxuriously and beautifully. Ask the plant to bend over and kiss you; it will; it will grow towards you so that you may kiss it, just as a dog will jump on your lap as you indicate you will pet and fondle him.
When we go into a restaurant, and the waitress takes a long time to serve us, do we criticize her or suggest that she should be discharged, or do we lift her up in consciousness and see her as she ought to be?
Do we see men as beggars? If this is true, we have clothed them in rags. They are Kings walking the King’s Highway! Let us clothe them with the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness. The beggar will be transformed; he will not be at the street corner tomorrow. This is an example of calling Thaddeus to discipleship.
Praise radiates and gives glory and beauty to the inner powers of man. Let us emulate St. Thaddeus and walk the earth with the praise of God forever on our lips. Another disciple is Simon of Canaan. Simon means hearing, hearkening. It means one who listens and obeys the voice of the One who Forever Is. When we discipline this faculty, we look for and expect spiritual guidance and illumination direct from the fountain-head of God. We become still and listen for the still, small voice, the vibration or tone within us, that wells up, and says, This is the way, walk ye in.
Simon of Canaan may be summed up as receptivity to the inner voice of wisdom, truth, and beauty. This leads us to the land of Canaan—the promised land—the realization of harmony, health and peace. We hear only the good news about ourselves and others; we expect the best. The man who disciplines this faculty of mind lives in a state of joyous expectancy; invariably the best comes to him. The word of God goes before such a man as a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night Ex. 13:21.
Do you now gossip; dissect others; criticize them, and indulge in back-biting? These negative qualities would prevent you from controlling and disciplining this important faculty of mind. Do you hear and feel only the best for others? If you can, turn not aside; faint not; the Truth shall lead you to a land of plenty (Canaan) flowing with the milk of life eternal and the honey of unblemished wisdom.
Judas means limitation, the sense of need, desire, or the irredeemed life forces. We are all born with Judas, because we are born into a world where we are conscious of boundaries, time, distance, and other limitations. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. Ez. 29:13. Yes, we were in a desireless state! Now we are born into a three dimensional world; we have desires. Our failure to realize our desires, cherished hopes, and ideals is the cause of our frustrations and discord. Lack of understanding has caused men to lust, hate, and be greedy for other people’s property, territory, possessions, and land; so it is said Judas carried the bag of money (sense of need, limitation). When we discipline this faculty, it is one of the greatest of all the disciples, as it reveals the Christ or the Truth that sets us free.
We are told Judas betrayed Jesus. If I betray you, I must know your secret; the secret is Christ or Wisdom. Betray means to reveal; every problem reveals its own solution in the form of a desire. Judas is necessary for the drama; as through our problems we discover the Christ within—the I Am, our own consciousness—to be our Savior. The joy is in overcoming our problems. When we accept our desire, symbolized by Judas (desire) kissing
Jesus (act of love), Judas dies or commits suicide, and the savior (our answered prayer) is revealed or made manifest.
As long as we have the desire, we have not realized it. The moment, however, the desire dies by our acceptance or conviction of our good, a sense of peace steals over us; we are at rest. In the ultimate sense when man dies to all false belief, fears, superstitions, racial prejudices, creeds, and color, Christ is revealed, because the distilled essence of man is Christ; then he is calling forth Mazzaroth. Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth? Job 38:32. The Judas (sense of limitation and bondage) in us is transformed and redeemed when we die (detachment) to all sense evidence, belief in being of a certain race, age, nationality, etc.
We discipline Judas when we surrender ourselves to the influx of Divine Love, and consecrate ourselves to a purity of purpose. Divine Love overcomes all problems and transforms the sense man into his pure, original state. The Holy Spirit anoints us; we are resurrected, and Christ Jesus is displayed.
Have we any religious or political prejudices now? Do you like to retain your prejudices? If this is true, you are not disciplining Judas, because Judas means detachment, which is a Divine indifference. Indifference is the tie that severs.
Love is that which binds us to our good, which means that we take our attention away from that which we do not want, and focus it on our good or our ideal. Love is wholehearted attention and devotion to the Truth; we must love no other power. We must kill Judas ourselves. When we die to all false beliefs, we are back again in the Garden of God. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. Ez. 29:13.
Yes, truly you are the Christ, In him there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female. Gal. 3:28. We were one with God when the foundation was laid; this foundation is Christ. The only begotten Son is every man, because each man is begotten of the Only One. We must awaken to our true being and discover who we are—sons or expressions of God walking the earth.
You, the reader, represent Jesus, and the twelve disciples. As the sun moves through the Zodiac in its cycle, in like manner, symbolically speaking, must our sun (the Holy Spirit) move through our twelve faculties inspiring and breathing into them the Light and Life of He who Is. As we discipline these faculties as outlined in this book, we consciously become God’s radiation dissolving barriers between men.
We must paint the true picture of the ideal man—Jesus the Christ, and not the hideous picture painted over 2,000 years ago of a man of sorrows, bleeding on the cross with a crown of thorns. Let us tell the youth of the nation the true psychological story of Jesus; then all boys and girls will want to emulate the victor. No boy wants to be the victim. We have been searching for “the lost word” not knowing and not realizing that when it is discovered, it would be in our own manger, surrounded by the animals, and marked by a blazing star or burning bush.
The blazing star is I Am. You can find it and become Christed or awakened to your Godhood here and now, and go back to the Glory which was yours before the world was. I have glorified thee on the earths, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father; glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. John 17:4-5. Before the world was I AM. Before Abraham was I AM. When all things cease to be, I AM.
The End
