"A Parenthesis in Eternity" by Joel S. Goldsmith

"A Parenthesis in Eternity" pdf file

Chapter 24 - The Master Alchemist

Too many Occidentals believe that the mystical life is not only impractical, but largely a figment of the imagination. In this age, however, the way of mysticism is being shown to be, not something mythical, mysterious, or occult, but spiritual, and a far more practical way of life than any yet devised in the human realm. It changes life from the everyday humdrum human experience with its trials and tribulations and its ups and downs to an entirely different kind of life, one lived from within, and yet not lived by us, but rather lived through us—a life in which we pass from living by taking thought and by our own effort to living by the Spirit.

The Master Christ Jesus taught his followers to "resist not evil," to cease from strife of all kinds whether by the sword or the law, and to give twice as much in return if something were taken from them. Such a teaching sounds very impractical for this day and age, but as a matter of fact, it is far more practical than living a life dependent for its security and safety upon an army, navy, and air force: not only would we be relieved of the staggering expense of maintaining them, but we would also be relieved of any danger from an enemy because in this way of life there are no enemies. It would be as impossible to live with this transcendental Presence and have an enemy as it would be to live with It and then find oneself in danger from snakes, wild animals, starvation, or any other form of physical or mental discord.

This is a very difficult idea for the human mind to grasp. What the unillumined mind sees, hears, tastes, touches, and smells seems so real, and the material and mental universe looks so real, that nothing could be considered quite as ridiculous as to stand before the highest temporal authority of the day and calmly state, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above," or to say, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The human mind is simply unable to understand such an attitude. But that is the human mind. The unconditioned mind, the illumined mind, the mind that comprehends the meaning of the word I, that mind is an instrument for the activity of the divine Consciousness.

When we can rise to the fourth-dimensional state of consciousness, we do not need anything anyone else possesses: we then live not only in freedom from fear, for there is nothing to fear, but in peace, security, and freedom from every discord of human experience. As the Master's consciousness becomes our consciousness, and as we enter that circle of eternity, we too can know:

Within my own being I have the kingdom of God. It is not outside, or in the heavens: the kingdom of God is within me.

In this moment of quietness I hear God say, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. I have meat the world knows net of. I am the meat, and the wine, and the bread. I am the resurrection. 1 am life eternal."

All of this is within me; all of this is embodied in my consciousness. All of this constitutes the Withinness of my own being.

I myself embody the kingdom of God and all that is therein. I do not have to curry the favor of "princes" because I embody my bread, meat, wine, and water unto eternity.

Within me there is a Presence that says, "I will never leave thee. nor forsake thee. I will be with thee to the end of the world. I am thy bread, and thy meat, and thy water."

This Kingdom is already established within me, and I need not look outside my own being for anything

Such a relationship with our Source makes our relationship with every person one of love and sharing. It is literally true now that we do not need anything that anyone else has and that no one needs anything that we have because within our own being is established this infinite Storehouse, this infinity of Good, this allness of God. As we continue to look within, It pours Itself forth as we need It, abundantly and with twelve baskets full left over to share with others.

The key to living a complete and fulfilled life lies in the realization that there is a mystical, transcendental Presence within us that has already provided our infinite supply unto eternity, that contains within Itself our companionship unto eternity, and that has within Itself the power of fulfillment.

What a miracle takes place in our lives when our sight is removed from looking upon a person as a possible source of something and the realization dawns that all that we can ever need of infinite abundance from everlasting to everlasting is within us! What courage and strength are ours! We are no longer living on our intellectual power, our physical power, our inheritance, or by virtue of our business or employment: we now live because we know that there is a mystical Presence called I within us, an I that is our eternal substance and to which we can look to fulfill Itself and to multiply.

But just as we have no way of proving that an apple tree has life, for we have never seen its life, so we can never see, hear, taste, touch, or smell this invisible Withinness. We will always be able to witness Its fruitage, however, just as every spring we see the inner invisible life of the apple tree flowing and manifesting, producing buds, blossoms, leaves, and eventually fruit. Looking at the tree in full bloom, we have little difficulty in believing that that tree has a beautiful and an abundant life, a life that functions even during those seasons when the tree appears to be dead and barren. Life is invisible, and although we never see life, we do see the fruitage of it.

So it is that although we never see the Christ of our own being, nor will we with our eyes ever see the Christ of another's being, the Presence is easily and quickly recognizable in those who live in the constant awareness of Withinness: there shines forth an inner peace, integrity, and joy that are at once apparent. More than that, there is the necessary measure of abundance in their life as well as the health, protection, and security.

At some point in the initiate's progress on the Path, he feels this invisible Presence stirring, and It either speaks to him in the stfll small voice, or in some other way gives him the assurance that It is with him and that It will never leave him:

Live and move and have your being in Me; live and move and have your being in the realization that I am here, that I go before you to make straight the way, and to prepare mansions for you. I go before you to multiply the loaves and fishes.

I go before you to be the cement of love between you and all whom you meet in your business, professional, and family life.

I am He that is your rest and your abiding place.

Be still and know that I in the midst of you am God, an invisible Presence, to human sense intangible, but tangible in expression and practical in life.

When this moment comes — and I would not give anyone the impression that until that time there are not many periods of doubt, frustration, and sometimes even false hopes—and after it comes, there is another period when there are many joys and many successes, and then occasionally in between there are doubts and frustrations because the fullness of the realization has not yet been experienced.

Until such time as that fullness dawns, we have the benefit of teachers and the companionship of one another, and then in the dawning of that fullness a whole new life opens, a life of dedication, filled with new joys and new experiences. Hidden capacities and hidden talents come to light as this realized Presence opens up a new pathway in life and new vistas of experience.

Until illumination takes place, we do not live a full life or even a God-protected life because we are living separate and apart from God — not that God is absent from us, but if God is not consciously known it is just as if He were not there. It takes the experience of illumination — darshan or satori — to awaken us to the invisible Presence and Power that will live our life for us, instruct, teach, guide, direct, support, maintain, and sustain us. This is not accomplished by our directing or ordering the Presence, but rather by relaxing into that Presence and letting It make the decisions as to what direction we are to go, or in what capacity we are to function, and when and where and why. This entire activity remains on the inner plane without taking conscious thought, and yet the fruitage appears in the outer life.

At this stage of our life we come into what might be called a life of prayer, a praying without ceasing. From early morning to night, and sometimes in the middle of the night, we are living constantly and consciously in the realization:

Thou within me art mighty. Thou within me art the presence and the power in which I rest. Thou art my bread and my meat; Thou art the inspiration of my life, and its fulfillment.

There is a constant communion going on with this inner Grace, and before we know it, we are bearing witness to experiences in our life that we did not consciously set in motion and which we recognize to be the result of Grace, an act of God brought into our life without any human volition or human will. When this begins, our faith and confidence deepen; we relax our fears about tomorrow, next month, or next year in the assurance, "What more can I have than the divine presence of God Himself within me, the Source of all, the Creator of all, the Maintainer and Sustainer of all? And all this is walking around within me!"

Such an assurance would enable us to look every man, woman, and child in the face as much as to say, "You will never have to fear me. 1 have access to a divine Source that you know not of. I have meat the world knows not of. Keep what you have; enjoy what you have: I have no designs upon it."

The miracle is that we would never be called upon to say or even to think this because now that we have this infinite Source within ourselves, no one could ever come into our presence without feeling that he does not have to put up a mental wall of protection against us. Lines of anxiety and concern disappear from our face: it shines with the confidence and certainty of our own abundance, and with our willingness to share. Our eyes are pure: no longer does desire look out from them; no longer does fear haunt them. Our whole bearing testifies to the fact that we have found Aladdin's lamp.

"Aladdin's Lamp," usually placed in the category of the fairy tale, is really the truest story in all the world, built on truth, but written in such a way as to conceal the truth from those too gross to perceive it. This is the story of I, the I that is within our own being, the son of God, the Presence which is the power of resurrection unto our body, business, home, and family. Whatever temple in our life has been destroyed, the I will raise it up again. This I that is within our very own being, this is the Aladdin's lamp—and we do not have to rub it; we do not even have to tell it our desires. It knows our need before we could possibly utter it, and it is Its good pleasure to fulfill it. Our only part is to remember that we have the hidden Aladdin's lamp; we have the power of alchemy.

Every one of us has a Master Alchemist within his own being, and Its name is I. This I will take the dross of human nature and refine it. This I will take ignorance and provide the necessary knowledge in its place; It will take the grossest, most material human nature and evolve it into the Christ; It will take the lowly fisherman or the tax collector and make of him a spiritual disciple.

Ponce de Leon went out searching in time and space for the Fountain of Youth, and all the while he was carrying it in his own breast. There is no greater fountain of youth than I AM: I is the fountain of youth; I is the fountain of life eternal.

Did not the Master say to the woman of Samaria at the well in so many words: "If you knew who 1 am, you would ask me, and I could give you water that would bubble up into life eternal"? And I can — this I that is in the midst of us, if only we know who I is, and what I is. If we could know the I that is at the center of our being, we would have the wellspring of life eternal, the fountain of youth, within our very own being.

The mystical life has to do with the secret of our true identity. "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? . . . Whom say ye that I am?" If we have risen to the spiritual level of a disciple, we will respond with, "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Thou art the beloved of the Father. The Father is in you, and you are in the Father, for you and the Father are one, even as I am in the Father and the Father is in me. And you are in me, and I am in you, and we are one in the Father."

This completes the circle. When we realize that because of this I that we are, because the I within us is one with God, and because there is only one God, and therefore only one I, we aTe one with every spiritual identity in the world of the past, the present, and the future. We are one with all spiritual identity, whether on the level of the saint, the human being, the animal, the vegetable, or the mineral.

We are one with Infinity by reason of our oneness with the I that we are. The I that I am is the I that you are, for there is only one I, the Father in heaven; and He is your Father and my Father; He is the I of your being and the I of my being. Therefore, when I am one with my Father, I am one with you, one with your spiritual identity, with your love, with your life, with your truth, but not only with you who are human beings, but with you of the animal world, the bird world, the vegetable world, and the mineral world. We all know one another because of our oneness with the I that we are.

There is nothing fictional about alchemy, the turning of dross or base metals into gold. That is not fiction: that is fact. When this alchemy takes place in us, when that catalyst, the divine Spirit, touches us, It transmutes the base and useless part of our nature into the gold of our spiritual nature, into the purity of divine Consciousness, and then in some degree we are less human than we were, and more divine.

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