Messages of Encouragement 2008
On a
regular basis a few Diary entries are sent by e-mail to friends on the HTG
mailing list. In
the last year or two I have been prompted to send an
accompanying message, usually with any information pertinent to the
spiritual transformation events taking place with all humanity at this, the
most exciting and important moment in the history of mankind, under the
leadership of he who incarnated and we all know as Jesus of Nazareth, who is
empowered and authorised for being in charge of this Great Rescue
Programme from the Creator Spirit, to
Whom Jesus refers as our Heavenly Father.
After receiving enquiries about matters covered in these e-mailed communications, it seems logical to make them available on the website, for ready reference by all at any time.
Because they are written on an impromptu basis, as moved by inspiration from Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit, no particular order of subject matter is given, and instead, they are shown according to the date on which originally e-mailed, starting at the top with the earliest, and with the most recent at the bottom of this page.
You may notice that certain aspects are repeated at various places in one week or another and in one way or another. Because of the enormity of the subject matter involved — the restoration of humanity to awakened awareness and remembrance of their true home in Eternal Oneness with Papa God — repetition can be most serviceable in the assimilation of such important matters into our comprehension, so that the meaningfulness of the statements can take their full and rightful place in our understanding.
More messages will be added to those shown below on a regular basis. If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail me.
May you be uplifted, inspired and encouraged by what you find here,
Brian Longhurst
Please scroll to the bottom to see the most recent posting
January 2nd 2008
Dear Friends,
On Monday this week, as I took my walk in the hills, I said to the Master Jesus, “Why did you take the route of incarnating through an Earthly mother, the illusory, ego-made mechanism for manifesting in ego’s illusory realm, when you could have simply created the appearance of a body, just as Arten and Pursah did for their appearances to Gary Renard?”
He immediately spoke in response, with the obvious answer (aren’t answers always so obvious once we have them, even though they are invisible until then?):
So I could overcome from within egoland, and could demonstrate to my brethren still under its yoke that it is possible.
He continued speaking but I asked if we could wait until I had returned to my desk, so that I could write the rest of his reply. Being the perfect gentleman, he of course agreed, and an hour or so later he carried on:
Overcoming appears to be hard, and most in the dream world perceive it as impossible for them; that it is possible only for ‘exalted,’ ‘special,’ ‘highly favoured’ beings, without wondering how such perceived beings attained to this ‘status.’ This is, of course, not so, for if one can overcome, all can overcome, since we who appear in the dream as many are, as you well now know, in truth, one.
All appearances to the contrary are misperception, which I am empowered to correct for all my beloveds, so that we may be restored to oneness in Papa, as each becomes ready and willing to freely receive the At-onement (
See Message of Encouragement dated December 20th 2006).This empowerment is available to all because it is the birthright of all. And all who are willing to receive it shall receive it, even though they may have mistakenly believed they disinherited themselves. It takes commitment; one-pointed commitment to the truth about themselves, to the exclusion of the lies of guilt and sin and fear. Such commitment comes from perceiving at first what may be but a tiny fragment of truth, and holding fast to it with the certainty that comes only from one’s own within.
You, my beloved, came into the world with such a level of commitment, engendered by events chosen by you in a former time, though awareness of such was withheld from you until the moment was right, when you drew into your presence your beloved mentor; the keeper for you of the door that opens unto the Light of Eternity; she who patiently awaited your presence, so that she could instruct you in the Way of inner quietness and attunement. It is this one-pointed commitment that has brought you to this place in your remembrance, your awakening, by your faithful following of my leading. And it has been my joy to lead you. You have sought first the Kingdom of Heaven and all else has indeed been given you.
All are free to choose such one-pointed commitment to getting Home with minimal delay, though only few will so choose immediately. It matters not; have no concern over this, for all are well within my care. Nevertheless, my faithful friend, I have chosen you to sow a seed, a kernel of truth, that it may lie dormant within their hearts, until it germinates and grows at the season of their readiness. All will come to this according to the hour appointed aforetime for them, just as it came to me. Then comes the moment of Self-assessment (for Papa tests no man) for the chosen task ahead, each according to the path thus far travelled. As with all, my path was of my own choosing, for in Heaven there is no compulsion. (This clearly tells us that he was not sent by God to be His once and for all blood sacrifice for the 'sins of the world.')
I so longed to save my beloved brethren that I had to come and experience their condition and overcome it from the desire of my own within. This is why I went alone into the wilderness, for my final confrontation with the enemy – ego – that I might be sure of my readiness to choose the Way of Eternity and not the path of expediency. Ego knew very well how great was my desire for the Kingdom to be restored to the awareness of the little ones of Earth-mind misperception.
I was faced with the choice of establishing an Earthly kingdom of peace and righteousness there and then (so great was my desire to hasten the Kingdom for my beloveds, for so great was their distress). But I had seen, and knew, that this could not last, from the example of my brothers, David and Solomon, because it was not free choice for all, so had to run its course and come to the end of its time and place cycle, ending in further separation. The same would have inevitably happened again, regardless of the mechanisms that could have been set in place in attempting to counter such backsliding. I knew then, as you know now, that the Kingdom of Heaven is within, and that is the only place from which it can truly, lastingly, eternally come to the awareness of all; until we are, once more, one.
Whilst from within the illusion of time and place, it was the greatest Self-assessment available to me (because of my earnest desire for my brethren), yet because I had remembered my Identity as One with Papa, it was, in reality, no test at all; yet I had to be certain with all the certainty of experiencing the opportunity to transform adversity into fulfilment, because I had come to overcome, so that I could be the Way-shower for all in overcoming. So has it been for you, that the Self-assessment has been no test at all, because under my leadership you were lovingly and gently prepared – made ready – for it, and the timing was perfect, just as it must, and shall, always be for all.
Love is the only way there is; total, unconditional love, and knowledge of its certainty, regardless of any temporal appearances to the contrary. So, my beloved, take heart; take strength from the certainty that all is well, all fulfillment is assured. Because I have overcome, all shall overcome and all truth and righteousness is already accomplished.
Ego has those of us who toil under its spell convinced that by making our life a one-pointed commitment to the Kingdom of Heaven we are giving up something, and in a realm where apparent scarcity already causes more than enough fear, anguish and mayhem, to voluntarily give up something more (whatever little we may appear to have in time and place) has us thinking it seems like a bad idea. Jesus reminds us in ACIM as follows, which can help to set us back on the path of right thinking:
The ego is trying to teach you how to gain the whole world and lose your own soul. The Holy Spirit teaches that you cannot lose your soul and there is no gain in the world, for of itself it profits nothing. To invest without profit is surely to impoverish yourself, and the overhead is high. Not only is there no profit in the investment, but the cost to you is enormous. For this investment costs you the world’s reality by denying yours, and gives you nothing in return. You cannot sell your soul, but you can sell your awareness of it. You cannot perceive your soul, but you will not know it while you perceive something else as more valuable.
The Holy Spirit is your strength because He knows nothing but the spirit as you. He is perfectly aware that you do not know yourself, and perfectly aware of how to teach you to remember what you are. Because He loves you, He will gladly teach you what He loves, for He wills to share it. Remembering you always, He cannot let you forget your worth. For the Father never ceases to remind Him of His Son, and He never ceases to remind His Son of the Father. God is in your memory because of Him. You chose to forget your Father but you do not really want to do so, and therefore you can decide otherwise. As it was my decision, so is it yours.
(T-12 VI. 1-2. My emboldening, for emphasis).
The Great Rescue Programme continues to unfold unceasingly and bring our moment of awakening ever closer. Every occasion or event on which we choose to co-operate with this Process (such as in practising true forgiveness, expressing love, understanding and compassion), thereby helping the Holy Spirit (which is our own higher, big, true, Christ Self) to collapse time, we thus bring that moment forward. And we are positively, actively contributing to ever greater joy, peace, love and happiness for ourself and our fellows while we wait.
Here’s to a truly happy New Year!
Brian Longhurst
January 9th 2008
Dear Friends,
At the beginning of the last Vignette in SFGS (entitled “The Master in bedrock hell fastening the escape ladder to the floor”) it says:
1This wondrous experience/event can best be described by copying the record of it from two successive Communion services in early 1997:
Holy Communion February 16, 1997
2At the beginning I saw a ladder/stairway stretching from highest Heaven to darkest, deepest ‘hell.’ It disappeared out of vision into the light above and the darkness below. Our Communion Sanctuary was like a ‘staging post’ about halfway up the ladder. I felt as if the words concerning the Lord’s eternalness and His great God-mission for all mankind were being broadcast down to all levels and, as if we were an amplifying/relaying station, via what we do and our commitment, into the depths below.
3Later I saw the Master, at ‘bedrock’ of Hades (after his death on the Cross and descent into hell). He had his right knee on the ground and the other knee up by his shoulder, in the absolute darkness of this place. I could see him and what he was doing because he was radiating light from his own within. He looked just as he would have looked as the Galilean carpenter in the long ago. There was no indication of any effects from the brutal torture and execution he had just experienced. He was securely fixing the base of the stairway to a solid, black-as-coal rock floor with large nuts threaded on to sturdy studs set into the floor. It was clear that this fastening was intended to stay and would be immovable by an enemy once he had completed his task. It was also clear that this man knew exactly what he was doing and was working with the ease and accomplishment of great experience in his trade.
4He looked up at me standing close by watching him in amazement, smiled quizzically as if to say, ‘Why are you looking puzzled to see me doing this?’ and then actually said, “I was a carpenter!”
5Master, I love you and I rejoice at this revelation.
The third and fourth sentences of paragraph two (above) say:
Our Communion Sanctuary was like a ‘staging post’ about halfway up the ladder. I felt as if the words concerning the Lord’s eternalness and His great God-mission for all mankind were being broadcast down to all levels and, as if we were an amplifying/relaying station, via what we do and our commitment, into the depths below.
Then, later on, in paragraph 15 it says:
Our sanctuary of Mystical Communion with Christ was placed on a circular platform through which the ladder passed on its way up to Heaven. The Angels I saw were not descending and ascending using the ladder (as in the Jacob’s ladder narrative) but were flying around the ladder, guarding or watching over the souls who were, in response to our broadcast invitation (in the Lord’s name) from the staging post, beginning the long ascent from the bottom of the ladder. It was one-way traffic only: up!
Every detail of a vision such as this is for a purpose; to tell the person experiencing the vision (and others) something particular. For over 10 years I have pondered the meaning of the communion sanctuary being about half way between Heaven and hell, and why the escape ladder passed through it on its way up to Heaven. Now I have the answer. Here goes.
As we all now know, we are eternal, indestructible spirit, created with all the attributes of the Creator. However, we are at free will to believe whatever we choose and in the illusion known as the separation, everything is perceived as upside-down; the exact opposite of our true nature and our true Home. So, we perceive ourselves as limited, separated into billions of individuals, stuck in a body that is destined to die. We have believed this since the beginning of time, otherwise known as the beginning of the separation, so for us, deluded by the misperceptions of ego-dominated mind it has the appearance of truth, so it is ‘truth’ for us – until we awaken and see it for the illusion that it really is. Jesus told us this 2k years ago but we have still not fully ‘got’ it; but that is all according to plan – the GRP – and during the third measure of meal we will be gradually getting it, so that by the end of the Aquarian age we will have all got it and returned to the Oneness of the Sonship in Eternity with Papa, having remembered the truth that we do not die (because we are not a body any more than a chrysalis is a butterfly).
Meanwhile, we still believe we are a body and that, assuredly, ‘dies.’ Then the false beliefs most of us (who have - either now or in previous acts - come under the sway of the so-called Christian church) have held about our soul say that we will go to hell if we have fallen short of the mark (sinned) in the sight of the vengeful god of religion and not accepted in our heart and spoken with our mouth that Jesus died as the propitiation for our sins (regardless of whether we have ever even heard of Jesus!) Hell, in our perception, can be anywhere from a place of burning brimstone, with fire consuming and tormenting us eternally, or a place of ‘outer darkness,’ or some dark and dismal, barren wasteland, depending on our individual imagination. All have in common one property: hopelessness.
Those who do not accept such fear-engendering prospects, because they have rejected them and the religious/cultural mythology that promulgated them, or perhaps have never heard such myths but still have no knowledge of, commitment to, or enlightenment about Eternity/Heaven, are likely to enter a somewhat more pleasant state of awareness in the etheric realms that are the counterpart of the Earth ‘physical.’ Some people refer to this as ‘The Summerland’ because it is comfortable, there is no duress and the sun shines warm and bright.
But there is no opportunity for progress from anywhere between the Summerland and the hottest or darkest hell, and because of unconscious guilt – actually caused by the belief that we are separated from God but taking the symbolic form of unresolved karma, all such souls eventually have an irresistible compulsion to reincarnate, to create conditions for the healing of relationships broken throughout repeated incarnations. This is not understood by almost all of humanity, but the process of repeating the opportunities, albeit in differing circumstances, is automatic and inescapable, until we finally become fully enlightened, remember the Truth of Eternity and break the cycle of birth and death, returning to our true Home forever.
Now, the rescue of humanity – the Sonship – from any of the unenlightened places as described above can only happen in stages or degrees because the Truth of Eternity is too big a step to take all at once from a place of deep sleepfulness.
The stages will depend upon how deeply asleep, or how far down into ‘bedrock hell’ each individual believes he has slid. All this is well within the care, ability, understanding and empowerment of Jesus/Holy Spirit, Who are freely available to each of us for protection, guidance and enlightenment, at any moment we choose to ask for that help.
In order for all ego-ensnared souls to undo that snare and find their way (or, more accurately, be shown the way) out of the wilderness of forgetfulness they need some relief from the distress, fear and bewilderment of time and place (even if they have left their Earth body behind but not their Earth – ego-dominated – mind). This, one could describe as ‘stage one’ rescue work, such as that in which Steve, Theresa and I were engaged during the late 1980s and early 1990s (as described in SFGS). This level of rescue gives some relief to the rescuee from the immediate distress and of equal importance, enables them to become trusting that help is available, rather than betrayal, lies, fear. It does not get them all the way Home; rather, to a ‘half-way house,’ a respite from ‘the pit of hell’ from where they can be helped to see more clearly how to progress toward Home in Eternity.
The clue about the Communion Sanctuary being like a staging post half-way up the ladder actually lies in the next sentence: I felt as if the words concerning the Lord’s eternalness and His great God-mission for all mankind were being broadcast down to all levels and, as if we were an amplifying/relaying station, via what we do and our commitment, into the depths below.
In the same
way as the imminent arrival of a major event or person calls for a
harbinger, or herald (such as John the Baptist to announce the first arrival
of the Christ-Mind in the form of Jesus), so a herald is serviceable to the
commencement of the second and final return to full Christ-Mindedness – in
all of us - rather like traditional town criers
who for many centuries have been employed by town councils to make public
announcements in the streets.
With this in mind, then, in paragraph 15 (above) it says that the souls who were in the places far from the Light of Eternity were, in response to our broadcast invitation (in the Lord’s name) from the staging post, beginning the long ascent from the bottom of the ladder.
Jesus speaks often in ACIM about collapsing time, or foreshortening the time taken to get Home, by true forgiveness and, broadly speaking, by other Kingdomly acts such as blessing, loving, caring, compassionate endeavours toward our brethren in the Sonship. This vignette gives a graphic demonstration that this really works: I saw those on the ladder make a sudden and rapid move upward, as on an escalator, as my heart filled with love and blessing for them at the offering of the wine of Christ Love.
It also says that the angels were flying around the ladder guarding or watching over (ministering to) the souls on it. Although most of us have no conscious awareness of such, this is actually happening to us all right now, as we make our ascent on the ladder so lovingly provided by Jesus, who, as so amply demonstrated by the allegory in this vignette, truly is our saviour, so that we in turn, can also be, with him, saviours.
The Communion Sanctuary staging post is (only) ‘half-way up the ladder’ because it is not at our final destination: Home. But it is strategically placed to be a message-relaying mechanism, to those who participate and to all who respond to the invitation, ‘All who truly seek after God, and earnestly desire the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven upon Earth, draw near, and let us commune together upon the Bread and Wine of Eternal Life and Truth revealed in Jesus, our Lord.’
The central message of ACIM is that whatever we say, do, think about/to our fellows, we do to ourself. If we judge them we are in reality judging ourself; if we forgive them we are actually forgiving ourself; if we invite them to join with us to commune together upon the bread and wine of eternal life and truth, we are assuring our own place at that same banquet table.
We are all freely invited to that banquet table, not at some indeterminate, ‘future’ time; right now. I look forward eagerly to meeting you there.
With love and blessings, always,
Brian Longhurst
Evil can't get close to you,
harm can't get through the door.
He ordered His angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they'll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
(Psalm 91:11-12 - The Message)
January 16th 2008
Dear Friends,
When we forget something, we are usually grateful for a friendly reminder. That, then, should be no less the case, surely, when we have forgotten everything!? That is what has happened to us in this multi-act dream realm we call the world. We have forgotten everything. That is demonstrated by us all as we emerge from the womb. Yet it is not actually true, because our true, Big Self, has not forgotten anything.
Due to this unconscious belief that we have sinned against our Creator and are on the run from Him because He is out to exact retribution, we believe we are separated from Him. Because the Creator is, by definition, everything, if we believe we have separated from Him, we must believe we are separate from everything. This manifests as billions of separate beings, separate from each other and from all the rest of the creation we see with our Earthly sight and other sensory perceptors.
But Big Self, Who is always closer to us than our own breath, and is, indeed the Holy Breath that is our life, our very Being, knows this is not true. Yet the separated, split-off part of our mind that believes it is allowed to believe it because we are endowed with freedom to believe illusions (otherwise known as lies!) if we so choose, even though Big Self does not believe anything; Big Self knows the truth, which, also by definition, is everything and when we (truly) know something, belief does not come into it either. I call that spiritual knowing, rather than intellectual ‘knowing,’ which is actually assuming rather than true knowing.
Many might ask, well, if we know the truth with our Higher Mind, why doesn’t It put us straight, down here in our little self mind, scrabbling for survival in the mire of despond, where lies, disinformation and misperceptions are endemic? The answer to that is, in the big (or complete) picture, It is putting us straight. The difficulty, as perceived by us in our little-self, upside-down, separated mind, is that we are incapable of seeing the Big Picture; because we have elected not to believe it, so we don’t see it; so, being upside-down, it says, ‘I don’t see it, so I don’t believe it.’ Sounds like ego, doesn’t it? Two guesses at that are one more than we need.
The little picture that we see (and then, in line with ego’s disinformation service, wrongly believe is the big picture because we have telescopes and microscopes, and archaeologists and historians, and scientists and researchers, and prognosticators) tells us that we live in a chaos universe, where everything is a chance event, and it is impossible to foretell the final outcome, because there are too many variables. Yet Big Self, which is who we really are, knows what is the final – and inevitable, unstoppable – outcome. That is because it has already happened! Yet, little self does not see that because it is focussed in the wrong direction: time and place. And believes time and place is all there is. But that is entirely the reverse of reality (see how upside-down everything is ‘here’?) Even ‘here’ doesn’t exist because that implies there is also a ‘there’ – in other words, separation; and of course, there is no separation.
We could continue indefinitely with this round of postulations based on misperceptions, and that is exactly what ego wants us to do. The only way to break that endless loop is to take a leap of faith, to reverse the attitude that says, ‘Show me, then I will believe,’ and substitute it for ‘I choose to believe, so that I may then have my true vision restored to me; the vision of Eternity and Who and where I really am.’ That is how we can re-establish contact with our true, Big Self. Then we will begin to recover our memory, see past the illusions and get Home. Of course, here is another big – the biggest – misperception, because we are already Home, have always been, have never left, and all contraindications are a dream, illusion, fantasy that never was reality, and was over the moment it started.
Nevertheless, because we believe the illusions are real, they are, or have the appearance of being - for little-self us - real, and it is this illusory perception from which Big Self is awakening us. Those misperceptions are so deeply embedded in the upside-down, separated part of our mind that it is taking what appears to be ‘time’ for this awakening process to take place and be completed.
For those who continue to demand ‘proof,’ there will be some more circuits of the carousel, and that is fine, because it is, after all, only a dream. As Jesus says in ACIM, ‘…those who seek controversy will find it. Yet those who seek clarification will find it as well. They must, however, be willing to overlook controversy, recognising that it is a defence against truth in the form of a delaying manoeuvre.’ (C-In.2:1-3). Yet, as Big Self, otherwise known as the Spirit of Truth, or the Holy Spirit, or the Voice for God, continues to whisper His loving, gentle, tender, all-knowing reminders into our slumbering mind, with His infinite patience (because He knows the end from the beginning, and thus has no concern about the outcome), so are we gradually emerging from the depths of sleep, to be restored to the fullness of wakefulness and remembrance of who we really are.
Those who are ready to awaken are awakening and becoming empowered with the birthright that is and has always been with us (as demonstrated in so many ways by Jesus of Galilee). This awakening process is in only its relatively nascent stage of manifesting at the Earth-life level of awareness, so it can still be denied as happening by the ego-dominated, slumbering establishment, who control the money, the media and the misadministration of egoland.
But, with every sincere act of forgiveness, blessing, thanksgiving, loving, remembering - by every person who appears to be here - time is collapsing. For us all. Because we are one; so if it collapses for one, it collapses for all. This means that what would have taken more millions of years than anyone would wish to count - or even imagine, without the help of Big Self - will be reduced to just one more, final, measure of meal. Two measly millennia. A snap of a finger. A blink of an eye.
As each generation comes and goes, each nothing more than a shadow in a dream world, so there is becoming - the more so since the dawning, in the last few decades, of the age of Aquarius, or the final phase of the GRP – an exponential increase in the number/percentage of awakening souls, bringing ever more reminders and manifestations of that Sonship empowerment. So, with each passing generation - already becoming ever more clearly detectable, even now in 2008 - the ground for clinging to the old order by the establishment and the sceptics is shrinking.
So, a sceptic in this generation, who will inevitably have to return to egoland in a ‘future’ generation, will find it harder in each successive act to remain as dyed-in-the-wool an unbeliever (slumberer) as was possible in former acts. And so it will continue with every next act, until he is ready for Big Self to make Himself known, within the heart and mind of the gradually awakening slumberer. And when that happens, whenever it happens, he will receive help, because he, along with us all, is deeply, totally, unconditionally, passionately loved, and cared for.
Of course there is only one of us, so that one will become – is becoming – with each generation, more like the Way-shower, Who is already fully awake and restored to Big Self-ness. Until that is Who we will all, once more and forever, have become; and little self will have ceased to appear to be, and all his little-world dreams will have been shone away by the Light of Eternal Truth.
Come; collapse a little time with me!
Brian Longhurst
January 23rd 2008
Dear Friends,
Those of us who are not fully restored to remembrance of who we really are – in other words, awake, or enlightened – because we have not undone all the guilt and fear in our unconscious by the mechanism of true forgiveness (and that, of course, at this stage in the GRP still means the vast majority of us) - will have to re-incarnate, at least once more, perhaps numerous further times, depending on where we are, or how far we have progressed on our ages-long journey back Home to Papa. This is to provide ourselves with further opportunities in time and place to heal our broken relationships, undo, or dispel, ego from the upside-down, split part of our mind, restore our wrong-mindedness to right-mindedness and in the process heal our split mind back to normal, unified functionality.
Depending on how close to awakening we are at the time of our laying aside the body we have been with, the arrangements for re-incarnating will vary, but with one constant feature always in operation: there is never any external compulsion.
Those who are still deeply asleep (spiritually) at the time of their passing, and have perhaps arrived at some of the lower ‘mansions’ of the etheric realms, where there is little or no light and little or no discernment of eternal realities, will be functioning on autopilot in terms of the processes of re-incarnating, motivated by their basic, ego-driven instincts, with no conscious understanding that re-incarnating is for the purpose of going forward, providing opportunities for the Good Husbandman to grow us spiritually.
They will gravitate toward prospective new parents according to their desires for re-experiencing that with which they are familiar from previous acts, because ego does not like change, and keeps those within its thrall going round in circles. Hence the observation that history repeats itself. The reason for this is that those who tend to make the news, and therefore history, are still deeply engaged with the illusion of time and place. Without the assistance/input/contribution of far more enlightened souls – here and in spirit - truly the world would be on a downward and backward spiral into darkness.
Many observe that this is happening anyway and from an Earth-mind perspective it does appear to be the case. But this is the chaos time, the changeover phase between two epochs, when leaven from the second measure of meal is being taken to mix into the third measure, until the whole is leavened. Although it appears to be chaos to our Earthly senses, it is inevitable and is firmly within the GRP and entirely under the control of its Chief Executive Officer.
Those who have laid aside their body and returned to the place which resonates with their state of greater spiritual discernment, but are not yet fully Self-realised, awake, enlightened - and thus will still need one or more further acts in which to undo all remnants of unconscious guilt, fear, ego-mindedness, and heal all brokenness in their relationships – are sufficiently aware of what is happening to be able to plan their next (and if they have the one-pointed desire for and commitment to, the Kingdom of Heaven, their final) act.
They are also sufficiently aware that they need help for this, to ensure they get the details right, such as parents, cultural setting and environment, that are the most serviceable to the objectives of the upcoming act. Fortunately, there is plenty of help and guidance freely available in all the Halls of Heaven, and whosoever asks always receives. That help, of course, is also always freely available – and given – to all of us who perceive ourselves as being here with a body. If only we can ask, believing, we can receive that help; for ego would have us believe, falsely, that not receiving means it has not been given.
Now being the time of the beginning of the fulfilment of the GRP, the help and guidance for planning our acts is of inestimable benefit in the collapsing of time, so we can all be restored to oneness in the Sonship with Papa by the completion of the leavening of the third measure of meal.
That guided planning, of course, takes place in the etheric counterpart of Earth, after we have laid aside our body from the previous act, and have had a chance to review the events and progress of that previous act and how we can move forward from that place in the next act. This provides the continuity of progress from one act to the next, and ensures that we are able to provide ourself with the opportunities (so often perceived as adversities) that can facilitate their transformation to fulfilment. That is, in this context, the healing of relationships that have been broken over perhaps many previous acts, as a result of ego ensnarement.
Those who have voluntarily placed themselves within the guided planning process, under the tutelage of an enlightened being (Jesus is fully qualified and freely available to all comers for this undertaking!) then proceed to take a body once more, through the parents selected for the purpose. There will often be a ‘history’ of previous familial relationship with those parents. Of course the process of reincarnating entails moving through a phase of forgetfulness, although that is becoming less the case as we progress through the GRP and more and more souls who are remembering more of who they are - Indigo and Crystal (Christ-all) children - are incarnating.
Such souls are capable of remembering more of the realities of Eternity, quicker, than has historically been the case. Further, with each passing generation there is becoming more material/evidence/information about Eternity (Heaven) available here in the Earth, for all who so choose to remember quicker why we are here and begin the At-onement process earlier in their sojourn in time. This speeding-up will now make an exponential rate of increase with the aid of ACIM.
Having to go through the amnesia phase can seem rather wasteful of time and also rather scary if we think about it from only an Earth-mind perspective. However, time is an illusion, so it makes no difference to the outcome of the objectives of the new act. As for scary, well, we are totally loved, totally cared for and we are eternal, indestructible spirit, so any appearances to the contrary are also illusions. Fearful-appearing events/circumstances are called into our own presence, and will often (hopefully, preferably) achieve their objective of getting us to place ourselves (once more) within the care of a Higher Power than our little self is initially aware of with its sensory perceptors. It hardly needs to be said that that Higher Power is the Holy Spirit.
Ego, which does not want change, does all it can to stop us from venturing beyond its domain of control (time and place) so would have us believe the ‘unseen’ reality that is Eternity/Heaven is to be eschewed as fearful, dangerous, a place where ‘monsters and dragons’ roam, ready to devour us if we dare to set foot there. For the comfort and reassurance of those who are fearful, at the prospect of staying here or seeking eternal truth, Jesus reassures us in ACIM:
You are part of reality, which stands unchanged beyond the reach of your ego but within easy reach of spirit. When you are afraid, be still and know that God is real, and you are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Do not let your ego dispute this because the ego cannot know what is far beyond its reach as you are. (T-4.I.8:5-7)
He also says:
Of your ego you can do nothing to save yourself or others, but of your spirit you can do everything for the salvation of both. Humility is a lesson for the ego, not for the spirit. Spirit is beyond humility, because it recognizes its radiance and gladly sheds its light everywhere. The meek shall inherit the earth because their egos are humble, and this gives them truer perception…
I will substitute for your ego if you wish, but never for your spirit. A father can safely leave a child with an elder brother who has shown himself responsible, but this involves no confusion about the child’s origin. The brother can protect the child’s body and his ego, but he does not confuse himself with the father because he does this. I can be entrusted with your body and your ego only because this enables you not to be concerned with them, and lets me teach you their unimportance. I could not understand their importance to you if I had not once been tempted to believe in them myself. Let us undertake to learn this lesson together so we can be free of them together. I need devoted teachers who share my aim of healing the mind. Spirit is far beyond the need of your protection or mine. Remember this:
In this world you need not have tribulation because I have overcome the world. That is why you should be of good cheer. (T-4.I.12,13)
He has said to me many, many times over the decades, in response to any expression of doubt, uncertainty, trepidation, ‘Have no fear, for I am able.’ Assuredly, we are in safe hands, and we are as near to the Kingdom as we choose to be.
Peace be with us all,
Brian Longhurst
January 30th 2008
Dear Friends,
If we were in a building that is about to collapse, or going up in flames, we are not likely to argue or procrastinate when the security man says, ‘Follow me, I know how to get you out of here.’ Unless someone else says, ‘Don’t worry, the building is quite safe; it’s not going to collapse and the fire is under control. Look, I’m staying, and if there was any cause for concern I would be leaving, wouldn’t I?’
Well, that is a fair assessment and analogy of what is happening. The ‘building’ seems to be okay; yes, it has been around a long time and it creaks and leaks, and shudders in the wind and bits fall off, and there seems to be a lot of squabbling about which bit belongs to whom. That squabbling turns into fisticuffs from time to time and sometimes a lot of us get hurt. But, hey! It’s all we’ve got, so let’s look after it a bit better, and be nicer to each other, fix it up a bit and keep it going.
Yet the security man, who is there for our wellbeing and protection, is saying he has actually prepared a better place for us; one that bears no comparison with this one. It is shining, comfortable, Architect designed for all our needs, is free for ever, with no ground rent or utility bills, peaceable and we will never want for anything; the Landlord is a philanthropist whose abundance awaits us, no strings attached. All we have to do is be willing to trust him and follow his lead and he will take us there. How reliable is he?
Some say he knows what he is talking about, but the janitor, whose job is to stoke the furnace, who has been around since the building first came up to let, pooh-poohs all that, saying everything is fine and dandy just where we are, so ignore any crackpot, Utopian ideas of a rent-free, idyllic place to chill out; there’s no such thing as a free lunch. That janitor has a smooth, persuasive line of patter, but things don’t always work out as he says. So, who to trust? There’s merit, some say, in the maxim ‘better the devil you know than the One you don’t know.’
But now, the security man has created a manual to show us once and for all that what he says is true. All we have to do is follow what he says in the manual and we will begin to see for ourselves that the janitor has been joshing us; hoodwinking us; prestidigitating us. This old building is not just about to fall down around us but is actually nothing more than a smoke and mirrors exercise, sleight of hand, and he can help us to see right through it for the confidence trick that it really is. And once we have seen through it, it will actually disappear, because in actuality it was never really there in the first place. That ole janitor has had us mesmerised and we fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
The problem is, this manual, so carefully, incisively, comprehensively, expertly and lovingly put together, seems, to our inexpert eyes, highly technical; and even though it uses words we think we understand, it is very long, in three sections and so many bits of it just go right over our heads, especially if we lose concentration. And that pesky janitor is hurtling around making a hullabaloo and hugger-mugger, distracting us from what the security man is telling us.
Nevertheless, the security man is truly our friend and has no intention of just dumping the manual with us and leaving us to try to make sense out of it on our own. He knows, all too well, how good we are at misreading and misinterpreting meanings (largely with the interference of that ubiquitous janitor) and then going off in totally the wrong direction, ending up down a blind alley and getting in an even worse fix. So he has sent his Assistant to explain it to us carefully, one bit at a time, so we can understand it more completely. It may seem to take a bit longer but at least we can be sure of getting there safe and sound in the end. And, since he tells us time is an illusion, it really doesn't matter. Furthermore, that Assistant has also instructed more assistants, and is instructing ever more assistants, to spread out amongst us and take us, one step at a time, toward clarity.
The manual is in three parts and has two objectives. One is to help us to learn how to ignore the janitor; to tune him out, so that all his clamour and clatter and spurious promises have no effect on our focus on the prospectus for our new and shining Home. The other objective is to tell us so expertly and comprehensively about our new Home that we will fall in love with it before we have even seen it, and get so excited about it that we cannot wait to get there. The security man knew it would have that effect on us so he has included into the route he has marked out for us a short-cut that will actually collapse the time it would otherwise have taken us to get there if we didn’t use his guide-manual. That will massively more than make up for the extra time we think it may take us studying the manual.
The great thing about the manual is that even though there are bits that seem very hard to understand, there are plenty of bits that are really straightforward and easy for even manual-o-phobes to understand. So instead of getting dis-spirited at the bits we don’t initially understand, we can get inspired by the bits we do understand and that lift our spirits, so we will then be eager to read some more.
And when we ask the Assistant to help us understand bits that we didn’t understand at the first, or previous reading, astonishingly, we find that our grasp of the message increases each time. And, even more astonishing, we begin to actually see through the smoke and mirrors and have real, visionary glimpses of our new Home. And even more astonishing, we begin to remember that it isn’t actually new at all, but has always been our true Home, but we had somehow, foolishly, forgotten about it.
And then, lo and behold, we begin to glimpse the Landlord that the security man has been telling us about; and we recognise, once our vision has cleared some more, that He is our beloved Dad, and has been waiting with infinite patience to welcome us back.
In fact, He is so overjoyed at our return that He has prepared a humongous banquet feast for us all, the likes of which the world has never seen. What have we been waiting for!? It turned out that the security man knew about this all along and had come to the rickety old structure we thought was ours to bring us the good news of our real Home that we had abandoned back in the mists of time.
Needless to say, when we realised that, he became the hero of the hour. But he simply said someone had to do it; he couldn’t just leave us in our state of bewilderment. Nevertheless, as far as we were concerned, his Way-showing was seen as some heroic deed and we loved, honoured and thanked him profoundly for it.
The interesting thing was that once we were back on track toward our new Home, guided and led by the security man, it all started to take on a feeling of familiarity, so that by the time we got there we realised it really was, and always had been, our true and only Home, just as our visionary glimpses had indicated. Truly, a glorious affirmation that the security man was entirely trustworthy. And as for that janitor; well, he just disappeared with the rickety old structure and was never given another thought.
Meanwhile, here is an extract from the security man’s manual; the guide for getting us Home. It’s easy to see just from this short piece, in which he casts his light of clarity for us, how the janitor’s stories had us bamboozled and tied up in knots:
My mind will always be like yours, because we were created as equals. It was only my decision that gave me all power in Heaven and earth. My only gift to you is to help you make the same decision. This decision is the choice to share it, because the decision itself is the decision to share. It is made by giving, and is therefore the one choice that resembles true creation. I am your model for decision. By deciding for God I showed you that this decision can be made, and that you can make it.
I have assured you that the Mind that decided for me is also in you, and that you can let it change you just as it changed me. This Mind is unequivocal, because it hears only one voice and answers in only one way. You are the light of the world with me. Rest does not come from sleeping but from waking. The Holy Spirit is the call to awaken and be glad. The world is very tired, because it is the idea of weariness. Our task is the joyous one of waking it to the Call for God. Everyone will answer the Call of the Holy Spirit, or the Sonship cannot be as one. What better vocation could there be for any part of the Kingdom than to restore it to the perfect integration that can make it whole? Hear only this through the Holy Spirit within you, and teach your brothers to listen as I am teaching you.
When you are tempted by the wrong voice, call on me to remind you how to heal by sharing my decision and making it stronger. As we share this goal, we increase its power to attract the whole Sonship, and to bring it back into the oneness in which it was created. Remember that “yoke” means “join together”, and “burden” means “message”. Let us restate “My yoke is easy and my burden light” in this way; “Let us join together, for my message is Light”.
I have enjoined you to behave as I behaved, but we must respond to the same Mind to do this. This Mind is the Holy Spirit, Whose Will is for God always. He teaches you how to keep me as the model for your thought, and to behave like me as a result. The power of our joint motivation is beyond belief, but not beyond accomplishment. What we can accomplish together has no limits, because the Call for God is the Call to the unlimited. Child of God, my message is for you, to hear and give away as you answer the Holy Spirit within you
T-5 II.9-12.
Love, as always,
Brian Longhurst
February 6th 2008
Dear Friends,
As I sat quietly at the keyboard, attuning with the Holy Spirit, I became aware of Him, the Voice for God, speaking silently inside my mind. It seemed to be in the form of a letter, so I began typing what I heard. This is what emerged:
Dear Brian,
It is that time again, for you to share of the joy of the Kingdom with your friends, and encourage them with reminders of it being the one, true home of all. Is there any aspect of that that you feel moved, drawn, inspired, to share, and encourage them with?
Dear Holy Spirit,
My journey in time and place has been so greatly blessed with wondrous leading, guiding, counsel, inspiration, encouragement, and so many more of the realities of Eternity that have been revealed to me, and I long to share them all, because they are such joyous and uplifting blessing. You know me; ‘Lord, grant me patience - but hurry’ is such an apposite maxim.
Hang in there just a moment; you had to start your journey – this act, I’m speaking of – knowing (or remembering, strictly speaking) nothing, and it has taken decades for you to arrive at this place. And the journey has been, for your own benefit, very much a one step at a time event. Now, all of a sudden, you want everyone else to be presented with a mountainous heap of information, all in one lump. You know this would not – could not - have worked for you because it is only possible to assimilate small amounts of ‘new’ data into an upside-down mind at a time without feeling as if you are being turned on your head.
I look back on the last 40 years and marvel at how infinitely patient the Master has been with me. Not just patient, but loving, gentle, caring, solicitous, fun, unthreatening…
…And that won your confidence, your trust, your relaxation, your peace and tranquillity, didn’t it?
I was very trepidatious in the early years; nervous of how to be in his presence, even though I was sure he was capable only of beneficence. Nevertheless, I felt I surely must have to ‘mind my Ps and Qs’ in his presence…
Even though he never said or did anything to cause you to feel threatened?
Quite the contrary; he always put me at ease. He was never ‘high and mighty;’ always so, well… as I said, unthreatening, easement making. Even when he first manifested to me in that basement room in 1967. It was as if he was standing in the midst of the sun, but this Light was his own radiance from his own within; I knew that instantly. His knowledge and wisdom and overriding, all pervading love were so powerful the way they radiated out from that sphere of light and even though I was totally overwhelmed, a quivering jelly, it was not from fear, but from love; from being loved totally, personally, intimately, universally, in every way, that is utterly beyond comprehension in Earth-mind terms or experience. The impact it had on me was so intense, yet so peaceful, and has remained with me, alive and real. Whatever else happens, that will always be with me as the certainty of his reality and his personal love and caring for me.
And you know that that is how he feels for all his brethren, without exception.
I know the very idea of any exception is laughable; absurd; meaningless; well, sad, really. That kind of love is the only real love, and anything less is only a pale shadow of love, which is all most of us know about or experience in dreamland here. It is as nothing compared with it. It is my consuming desire to share the experience of the real, living Jesus with anyone who is prepared to listen.
Why?
Because he won my love, because he won my trust – dispelled the anticipation, the misperception I had, along with so many others, about the ‘Lord of all mankind’ being someone of whom to be fearful - with his unassuming, ‘normalness,’ his humour, his obvious delight in surprising me. I was nervous at first, but he always put me at ease, and after a while I was totally at ease. He is my friend, and friends – real friends – are easy to be with. And amazing to me, in the early days, was that he so clearly wanted me to be his friend. He really, really did want that. Well, most of us in this life believe that such an idea is beyond the pale. Why would Jesus, the mighty Lord, want us to be his friend? A ludicrous, arrogant presumption. It’s all that that I want to help everyone else to be able to accept, understand, know, experience. We have to dispel the fear from people’s minds. Most of us are afraid of our own shadow, though very few would be willing to admit it, because it might make them appear weak.
Anything else?
The obvious extension of that is that Papa is the same. For countless ages people have had the idea drummed into them that we must be ‘God fearing.’ Bunkum. Piffle. Poppycock. Balderdash. God is LOVE. Jesus is like Papa, so we can be sure – certain, actually - this is true. How could the emissary from God - who has come to lead us back to Him - be love, gentleness, humility (true humility, that is), if that was in any way different from Him who sent him? And vice-versa?
You’ve convinced me. But then, you know, I don’t need much convincing J So, where do we go from here?
Funny. You know very well, ‘cos You are the central part of the Plan.
Humour me.
Well, it was always a Plan, from day one, though of course I didn’t know it at first.
The same is true, dear friend, for each and every living soul, without exception.
Yes, I know that now and am busting a gut to help others to see that, know that for themselves, with all the certainty that I now know it.
Don’t bust a gut for it; that would be most unserviceable. Yes, yes, I know; it’s just a figure of speech. Tell me about the Plan.
I can only tell You – or anyone – about the plan from my perspective.
Of course. Good answer. Let’s go with that. We can move it out from there.
Well, it all started with me in a previous incarnation, back in the 1600s, when I had what seemed like a pretty ‘heavy’ experience that woke me up to the fact that the church and religion is definitely not the Path back to oneness with our Creator. I am aware of those events because Theresa and I had a series of visits to the Akashic records; just enough to help us understand why we are here this time round. Religion is about fear and control and…
Don’t bang that drum too loud, or too long; we’re trying to keep positive here.
Okay, I know; thanks. The point was, it woke me up to the fact that there had to be a better way. So, I said to the Lord then that when I had finished that act, when I got back to the etheric realms and could have a clear, unadulterated, undistorted line to him, I wanted to have a long discussion with him, about how I could help to set the record straight. I actually wrote some detailed journals during those last few years back then, setting out these new understandings about who we are and our relationship to our Creator, Eternity, and how utterly distorted and wrong the religious perceptions were. But they had to be kept pretty secret, and shared only with those very few I knew were entirely trustworthy. Those were very dangerous times; people were burnt at the stake, beheaded, hanged, drawn and quartered for heresy, blasphemy, dissension…
I hear the sound of a distant drum - again. Can we stick to the Plan please?
Thanks for reminding me. So, I (I was ‘Paul’ then, not Brian, of course) asked the Master what I could do to have another shot at setting the record straight. Thanks to his wisdom and counsel, a Plan was set in place.
Go on; this is starting to get interesting J
You know only too well that when we reincarnate, we forget what has happened between incarnations; in fact we forget everything before that.
That’s not entirely true, not for everyone, anyway. You had some interesting links to your Source when you were a boy on the farm on Ashdown Forest. In fact, you were known and closely watched over every moment, and there were some useful reminders at various stages during your childhood and adolescent years. All just to keep the pot simmering, of course, ‘Lest we forget.’
Thank You. Your closeness and inspiration well me up.
Don’t get all blubbery on me now, Dear One. Let’s lighten up and enjoy this. This is supposed to be a message of encouragement, not a wake.
Right; back to the thread, before I lose it. I met up with Olga and she and I had been around the block together a few times (so I only very recently realised, thanks to our dear, mutual friend the Rector). She and I clicked from day one and she fired up - re-kindled - my love for Jesus. When he came to me that night in ’67, that was it. I was totally and irreversibly hooked and committed to following him. He told me many times over the years, ‘I lead; do thou follow.’ There followed the years of checking, giving me the opportunity to demonstrate to myself, that I was willing to follow; that I had one-pointed commitment to him and his GRP (though I was pretty vague on just what the GRP was. In recent time that has become much clearer and shows he withholds nothing from us if we are willing to stay the course).
What do you mean by stay the course?
His parable about the sower says it all. Some are interested until the going gets tough, then they fall by the wayside and bear no fruit for the Kingdom. In modern parlance, they get easily distracted by the glister and/or the troubles of this world. Those who see past the meaninglessness of glister but rather, have a deep and unwavering commitment to the Kingdom of Heaven, will stay the course.
Throughout those years he gave me so much encouragement and imparted such a sense of the reality of Heaven to me, but he also told me many times that all that was simply preparation for what lay ahead. He said that that with which I was engaged was an operation of hiddenness, in which he was preparing me for when it would become an operation of openness.
We’re getting right up to recent time now, yes?
As well you know. All this time he knew exactly what was the Plan. He’s very, very good at multi-tasking! He has a ‘big GRP,’ for us all, and in amongst that he has a kind of ‘mini-plan’ for each of us individually. When we respond to his knocking at our door, he commences the implementation of that mini plan and he runs it in parallel with his big Plan. Of course, with him having been a carpenter, the big Plan and all the mini plans dovetail perfectly. Seamlessly in fact. The big Plan has been well-rehearsed here - in previous pages - and is covered by the three measures of meal parable, as described in chapter 11 of SFGS, from paragraph 35, so we don’t need to go into that again now.
Slight correction there, Brian. The mini plan is implemented from the moment it is agreed, before reincarnating. When anyone responds to his knocking and invites him into their life, they begin to become aware of the first stirrings that there is a mini plan for them.
Okay; we’re cutting to the chase now, are we?
I see you keep well up with modern parlance. I wouldn’t want to lose you along the way.
As if.
Well, after years of preparation, the operation of hiddenness was suddenly switched to an operation of openness by the Caterpillars and the Butterfly allegory…
Which I suppose you know he gave you.
I didn’t need two guesses for that.
Go on; go on!
A few months after the switch was pulled and the curtain went up (if you will allow me to mix a metaphor or two)…
What, and change the habit of a lifetime?
I was introduced to A Course in Miracles via Gary Renard’s mind-blowing book, The Disappearance of the Universe…
Why was DU mind-blowing? Surely you were well prepared for it by all the years of journeying with Jesus?