Secrets of Life
Disclosures about important questions of life
- Chapter 18 -
THE WORLD OF THOUGHT
25 November 1872
I HAVE told you many things about My creation, let you take many a glance into the most profound secrets of My spiritual nature, revealed to you the reciprocal action between spirit and matter and explained to you the importance and necessity of the great central suns, as well as of the minutest infusorian. I have shown you the correlation of everything, how, originating from Me, it forms a chain down to the last indestructible atom. However, the fundamental explanation of all this is still missing, namely, the foundation stone as well as the corner stone of My creation, of Myself and of you. This corner stone or first motor of all there is, which always was and will be, the First Cause of everything, is the thought, from which all other threads originate. This thought, and the whole world of thoughts as purely spiritual factors, shall now be displayed before your eyes, like a grand panorama, from where you can gain a strictly spiritual view over the whole of creation, over all there has been and will be.
For without a thought, no spirit-realm and no material world would have come into existence or been created. Indeed, if I wanted to show you My essence spiritually, I would have to do so in the context of infinity. For only this thought wholly characterizes Myself, Which is infinite as to time, space and might.
If you would put yourselves back into primordial times, when no star shone in the firmament, no sun orbited around another, when even the spirit-world had not been created, it is that very time when only My thought, I alone, had My being, shone and existed.
Around Me, everything was dark, lifeless and rigid; only I was alive. As a living, eternal Thought, I alone shone in the whole of creation or, in other words, only I was aware of existing, where the thought living, and life light, as stimulator of life, alone existed.
You see, there the world consisted only in one Being, one Thought in infinite ether with all its dormant elements, finding its expression through its indwelling center, Myself, alive and existing.
There, I alone knew: I am, I live. And if you want to understand this condition in the least, compare it with yours, who are aware of being a complete whole within the entire creation, where everyone is aware of what it means: I am, I live.
You say: "I am," yet thousands upon thousands of other processes are taking place within you, without your being aware of them. You call out: "I am!", and the spiritual garment of your soul, extending to the capillary nerve endings of skin, comprises your whole Self without your being aware of the dimension or extent of the human body.
Thus is, and once was, also Myself. I lived, My whole Being comprised the infinite ether, and it required only a stimulus from within to incite this far-flung, never-ending external aspect of Myself into animating activity.
Thus the thought preceded the action, it was the thought that first created the Spiritual, and then the Spiritual in the material.
Without the thought, nothing stirred from the center, Myself. Therefore, it was the world of thought which, at first vividly expressed in all details, gave My spirits placed outside of Me, and My material world the impulse to come into being, exist and maintain and perfect themselves.
And so you must understand the world of thought as a spiritual, abstract world, in which the thoughts are the first stimulators, assimilators and preservers of all that is called the invisible spiritual and the visible material world.
My first thought in creating the world and wishing to see My consciousness reflected in the spirits and living beings, where the relation always remained that existing between light and reflection, was: "Let there be", and with this, everything originating from My innermost Being, down to the last atom, was given life. Spiritually and later, materially, the assimilation of that which was compatible began. And what the functions in your body effect even in the minutest fibers, can be applied also to Me:
From one thought of "let there be", millions upon millions of consequences developed, as the result of cause and effect. Everywhere the thought was the inciting principle, its further development being the following success. Thus, finally, from a thought held by Me, as infinite God and Creator, the great spirit-family and the great material world came into being, which are eternal, just as I am. Likewise, My creational thoughts, their progress from their origin, their development and perfecting, everlasting or infinite, always advancing and one thought developing and continuing from another, are eternal.
I had to tell you all this beforehand in order to convey at least a remote idea of thought, its spiritual dimension and importance. For the spontaneously evolving thought can finally create a world full of thoughts, so that in the end all that exists is merely the visible envelopment of an invisible spiritual world of thought.
I had to say all this in advance, for you are usually quick to deal with the idea of a word without bothering to penetrate to its deeper, spiritual core. You often speak about thinking and thought in such a thoughtless manner that it is amazing how you, as intelligent beings sprung from a spiritual Being such as Me, can have such superficial concepts of that which sets you apart as denizens of two worlds - an infinite spiritual and a forever self-regenerating material world.
I have proven to you that the thought is the essential component of all that is created, and explained the further developmental factor which, having evolved spontaneously, exerts a spiritual influence on the matter enveloping it. Let us now return from our spiritual sphere of creation to more narrow spheres closer and more comprehensible to you, because they partly touch on your own life and partly even wholly constitute your spiritual and material life, forming, maintaining and perfecting the same.
At this point I emphasize that, just as in the great space of creation the worlds formed and evolved through the animating thought, your earthly material garment, or the outward expression of your inner psychic man, forms and evolves in accordance with his inherent world of thought, which then imprints its type on both the outer form and the innermost Spiritual.
Thus you will see that this great world of thought is in fact the sole true spiritual world, according to which one day everything will be judged and classified. For with Me the thought was the first causative element, and so it is also in every living being the factor which one day, evaluated, will imprint their full face value on the actions and deeds following it.
When I sounded the first thought into the vast expanses of space, prompting the entire visible and invisible world into existence through the "let there be", everything began to take on form according to My Being. Since I, as God, am infinite and as Being am only love combined with infinite vision, only capable of creating Spiritual or material similar to Me, also the worlds and even the spirits were created in accordance with the Creator of love and wisdom as such. They were all perfect, without fault, in conformity with divine laws regulated to maintain and perfect themselves, thus conforming to the great aim held by Me, the Creator.
What I did at that time, and the way My works correspond to Myself, as Creator and eternal Being of love, applies also to you, as spiritual beings:
Your outer appearance is the faithful reflection of the innermost. However, in your case, you cannot read in each other's face what the soul in hieroglyphic letters often has imprinted on it. Only sometimes does the eye, the mirror of the soul as you call it, whether you like it or not, betray what shines from the interior.
That science which once a zealous defender of truth and love (J.C. Lavater, Zurich) tried to establish, physiognomy, has not been pursued for the benefit of mankind, and the world would be a different place if everyone could see immediately what kind of person his fellowman is.
How this happens I will also explain to you, so that you may see how analogous everything is in the whole of creation and that a permanent law applying on a large scale is applicable also on a small scale.
I have just told you that the awareness of being alive fills the whole human soul and, with it, the natural physical exterior, in the same measure as My great universe is filled by My divine lifeconsciousness and constitutes the true reflection of the same.
Everything in My creation forms according to My divine laws and can only bring forth what is divine, sublime and beautiful since all creational elements originate from the center, Myself, spreading to the remotest spaces wherever a world can shine. Everywhere they strive after the same principles and everything created is the reflection and expression, in various images and creations, of Myself. So without your volition, the world of thought within you acts in the same way, exerting a greater or lesser influence on the various organs necessary for the execution of the thought. This is carried out by a mechanical process, where the skin or other integuments of various organs faithfully reflect and mirror outwardly what in the inner psychic man constitutes his pet thoughts.
It is through thoughts, or the world of thought, that the mechanical life-process is accelerated, retarded or even destroyed. Depending on the stimulating effect of the thoughts on the nerves, the latter affect the organs that they serve as conductors. Thus also health, sickness or even death are not a direct result of the disruption of the functions in the human body, but the causative factor behind a healthy or sick body, the maker of a beautiful or ugly exterior, is the fleeting, invisible thought, which makes the nerves tingle and accelerates the processes of elimination or the metabolism. Since most passions are the result of thoughts nurtured with love and leave their traces in the human countenance, beautiful or ugly facial forms are the reflection of the inner soul-life.
You can see what joys, what sufferings originate for man from this imperceptible, yet incessant activity of the inner spiritual life; conversely, how disturbed vital functions react on the spirit, even clouding it, so that man judges the world, the general situation and himself in a totally different way from how it should be, the consequences being sickness, suffering, stiffness, or even premature death.
All this originates in the world of thought that in its reaction on the body, where the body in turn reacts on the spirit, influences man to form other conclusions, commit other actions. Since everything is spiritually linked, this world of thought exerts an influence on other people, families and nations, where the spiritual results are of a farreaching effect, particularly when people in power, spiritually sick, bring misery and suffering over whole nations, who do not know why this is so and are oblivious of the fact that a pet idea held by their ruler is undermining his health and forcing him to wrong conclusions, thus spreading untold misery. Then I am usually blamed, whereas all I have to do with it is to turn into good the evil caused by spiritually and physically sick people.
When you thus contemplate the whole invisible world of thoughts, what a surging to and fro, a profusion of thought towards good or evil issuing from a single person often spreads to thousands and millions of others; how a stone thrown into a still water forms circles upon circles around it until this movement disturbs the stillness of the water in far distant spots where the smaller denizens of these distant shores are unable to understand or surmise that the reason for the destruction of their dwellings and the death of their young is a stone often wantonly flung far away from them.
Thus the ocean of thought is forever surging and flowing,. In all living beings thoughts are fermented which rise like bubbles out of still water. Everything thinks, feels, seeks to improve its conditions, its life, everything builds, destroys, makes endeavors, tries to extract from the known the unknown. Therefore, this great world of thought is actually the main factor of My creation. For this world, like Mine, is unlimited, eternal and, if circumstances allow it, infinite.
Therefore, endeavor to keep a tight rein on this spiritual world of thoughts, strive to think only as befits My children. For the thought is the creator of your exterior in this life, and your mark for the beyond. There you will arrive with the result left by the thoughts held by you on your earth. Here it is hidden from you and others; not so there. The exterior is secondary to the innermost, the outward expression being a reflection of the innermost. There no pretence is possible nor is there any secret before others; every one reads the thoughts in the other and, accordingly, the moral worth or worthlessness of the individual.
This world of thought, as the spiritual carrier of matter, is so powerful because it untiringly creates, builds, destroys, changes and transforms, in this way forming a chain. But, seen as a whole, it is of the utmost importance, for, depending on the circumstances, the faint rising and evaporating thought is followed by the deed, the consequences of which are no longer borne by those who think it as individuals, but by the entire spiritual and material world.
One cannot visualize infinity better than by imagining it as a world of thought. For all known velocities, all distances and spaces of time disappear when compared with the velocity of thought, with its might and effect, particularly when it is endowed with the former and helped by the latter.
Therefore, My children, take good care to walk in the great realm of the world of thought as people worthy of Me. Whenever a forbidden thought steals upon you, blot it out or watch it carefully. For it is only a short step between thought and action, and its consequences press heavily upon you, as the originators of the thought.
Do not flatter yourselves with the idea that "they were only thoughts and far from being realized!" This is not true; by this you deceive yourselves. For as I just said, if the opportunity arises, the thought turns into action that, although repented, cannot be blotted out. It stands as a fact, as a pillar of thought on your life's path and you can then either rejoice at it or be ashamed of it.
I did not give you this word in vain. Everything has its Why, and a great Why is also at the bottom of this, for I know only too well how you make light of the thought process and how you consider that which actually is strongest to be weakest. For the thought is a spiritual potency, and such forces are not to be trifled with.
I must enlighten you, thereby rendering the scales of your conscience even more sensitive, for you belong forever to My spiritual realm and only for a short time to the material one.
Learn to think independently! Learn to think logically! Learn to think morally! You must become conversant with these three ways of thinking and you will find it easier to unravel the future, evaluate the present and to build your spiritual Self in preparation for the other life.
In the surging ocean of thought of millions of beings, strive never to lose the grip on the steering wheel of your spiritual man; the thought either blesses or condemns you. This is your inner worthiness that is valid now and forever.
What good is it if the people idolize you while you must recriminate yourselves for your weakness, your fickleness. One day you will have to pity the idolizers on account of their delusion, as well as your own Self.
The world of thought, as a ledger of your Self, is your manual accompanying you, your safe conduct here and your passport for eternity, where all your distinguishing marks are entered which will decide your future course.
Strive to avoid empty pages in your ledger, as tokens of wasted time, but also thoughts written on those pages which, should they be open to scrutiny, would make you feel ashamed of yourselves.
The thinking man is your living photograph, painted by the light of the spirit. Strive to make it a success that shows you how you shall be if one day you wish to be called "My children".
In a photograph taken of a person the material sunlight does not hide any flaws but renders everything relentlessly onto the paper receptive for this light. Likewise My spiritual light of truth shows to the man arriving in the beyond the human form built by his inner thinking man during the course of his earthly life. Happy he who passes this thought-test and presents, apart from a few flaws due to unintentionally committed faults, an image conforming to the rules of beauty, love and wisdom which as a first thought I had laid into the whole world and into all beings!
So much on this thought. Recognize and ponder My words! Time, the all-consuming time, robs you of minute upon minute. Life passes like a dream and an awakening is in store for you in the eternal light of My spirit-world where thoughts, imponderable things in this life, weigh heavily on the scales of moral value. For there, spirits weigh what is spiritual and designate for everyone his spiritual course anew.
And so you are given this word that it may show you the bridge leading away from matter. You have been given it already here so that you may attain to the citizenship of a world that you have once inhabited and to which you must return again. Having once been there, as divine offshoots of My creational ideas, you shall soon return there as purified spiritual human beings, drawing ever nearer to Me and My spirits! Amen.