Below you will find Week 11 of Life’s Word. This is the last chapter and final week of the Life’s Word Experiment. We will be in touch shortly to offer another opportunity to experiment in a group effort.
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http://www.marshasummers.com/innerman/lwworkshoppart1.htm on Marsha’s website.
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In Joy!
Tina, Marsha and Howard
XI
Eleventh Mystery: Death
So appropriately the last mystery is the Mystery of Death. That is the last kick, you know. So I guess we’ll take that one on. You wanna stand up first before we die or do we just . . .
(Let the good times roll.)
Let the good times roll, we’ll just go ahead with it right now. We’re only gonna talk about death this time.
The last mystery is the Mystery of Death. You are one and yet you are three. There is the body, which is a link in My chain of organized formation, and there is the personality which thinks it is the real you, and there is the Spirit, which is Me.
So the body and Spirit is one, and there’s another one in there which is a bunch of not-I’s that’s trying to convince you they’re the ones that’s right.
Heretofore the body has been subject unto death. Yet each body which died was a link in My chain, transforming organization unto higher organization. Each had its influence upon each succeeding generation,
So nobody’s lived in vain in this world. No matter if they were only like the farmers around where I grew up – they worked all summer then with the mule in the hot sun to raise enough corn to feed the mule in the winter so the mule would be alive to plow and raise crops the next year… which is about what they accomplished in a lifetime. But nevertheless, they added something on down, even if it was only “don’t play that game anymore,” you know.
Each body which died was a link in My chain, transforming organization unto higher organization. Each had its influence upon each succeeding generation, living again in its offspring or in the body’s influence by its life.
So everybody’s had some influence on somebody else or some of the offspring or whatever. So nobody lives in vain.
The personality of a body is its self-consciousness,
or sense of a separate existence from Me.
That’s the personality or the not-I.
This sense is useful to the body for a time and is useful to other bodies by its reaction, but is temporary by nature, and subject to death.
In other words, the not-I’s are subject to death; and they will die one way or another. Either the body will die first and the not-I’s have nothing to sustain them and they die, or they can die first if we get the upper hand on them.
You who think you are a being separate from Me shall die,but perchance the body shall live.
Maybe that the not-I, that idea of a separate thing, will die first. Let’s hope so; and then something else can happen.
Now, the body has been more subject unto death than the self-consciousness.
The body has been dying first because they weren’t developed strong enough that the self-consciousness could die first and the body live. So bodies were weakened and they hadn’t fully developed over the ages to the strength they now have, and consequently, the bodies died first, most often. And it says that…
You who think you are a separate being from Me shall die, but perchance…
You know, just happenstance,
…the body shall live. Now the body has been more subject to death than the self-consciousness. Where the body dies first, the self-consciousness lives on for a little while, often continuing to be useful to other bodies by appealing to themas if from another world.
Maybe some of you have been to mediums and so forth, and there are entities that seem to appear that they’re of a body that died first. But the not-I’s live on for a while and they’re just about as smart-ass after the body is dead as they are before, if you’ve ever noticed. If you’ve been to a medium and all these people that do things, why you should be well acquainted with them. They really carry on about the same.
It is well for you if you can hear voices from these selfish personalities.
That’s wonderful, if you’re a medium or a psychic or whatever they’re called.
And yet know that the self-consciousness is limited, temporary, and does not love the eternal. I give it no further wisdom when the body dies, and it soon dies also.
Now “soon” is not an exact time sequence. It may be a year, it may be 30 minutes and in some cases, it may be four or five years. And in some, it may be 50 years. I don’t know. Anyway, they seem to hang around for a little while; but it soon dies also.
Yet it is well if it amuses you to call for the presence of theself-consciousness of some dead body,
Why go to the mediums and holler for ‘em? They might bring you up one, and boy, can you be deluded with them. A not-I tells you just as many lies then as it did when it was around. It says, “Be sure and do this and don’t do that and you’re wrong for doing this and somebody’s going to do you in”, and all this good stuff.
Yet it is well if it amuses you to call for the presence of the self-consciousness of some dead body,
You know – a bunch of not-I’s.
…for I will cause even that experience to develop you. The Spirit in the body is I, Myself. Whether any one body dies or lives, I live on in all bodies. The real Self is reincarnated, not only in various bodies, but in all bodies.
So the word is incarnated, not reincarnated. X incarnates constantly. You know there is a new body comes out every few minutes or every few seconds. You got a ticker somewhere in the country that ticks off every time somebody’s born. And that’s runnin’ awful fast. So X is incarnating. Life/Spirit is putting itself in a body to develop it for some purpose.
The Spirit in the body is I, myself, whether any one body dies or lives,I live on in all bodies.
So all bodies walkin’ around, Spirit lies there, right?
Know this, that the spirit is the element of life, and the self-consciousness is the element of death.
The “not -Is” are the element of death. Spirit is the element of Life.
Yet the self-consciousness [not-I’s]is My minister to develop the body beyond the power of death, for the body is not necessarily subject unto death.
Now it didn’t say it wasn’t; it said not necessarily, ok?
The organization of formation is ever developing, and when the body is developed which needs no self-consciousness[not-I’s]–
You can get along without them.
which is strong enough to express Me[Life] –
It takes a bit more energy or a bit more vitality or body strength to express life than it does not-I’s. The intensity is high. Life expresses at an altogether different rate of vibration than the not-I’s do, so the body has to be pretty strong. So get yourself strong – push iron, walk, do whatever; but get strong because the not-I’s can live in a weak body, but X will burn it up. So obviously, it doesn’t make it there until the not-I’s are out.
Then the body which needs no self-consciousness – is strong enough to express Me – then the self-consciousness shall die before the death of the body,
That’s what we’re all workin’ for is that the not-I’s die before they kill the body. That’s a pretty good thing. Get ‘em dead first.
In all the Sufi literature around the world it usually talks about a man tells the year he died. Never said when he was born, says when he died. What it means is that’s when the personality died and the man became immortal. And he now walks without dying off, because the year he died was the year the not-I’s died and the body lived on. So there’s history of any of those guys and are still around after thousands of years and they’re going on about their business. But the book says they died in the year 1230, we’ll say. That’s the year the not-I’s died. The personality got out.
Now, I hope we can all write that all out, one of these days, that the personality died in 1981, ok? Hope we all do it and the bodies can live on.
…then the self-consciousness shall die before the death of the body,leaving the body free to express perfect love without self-thought. And there will then be no element of death in that body and I will live in it forever.
Says X. So, there’s no element of death in the body unless it’s a bunch of not-I’s. They make all sorts of lovely little things that doctors can diagnose. But when they’re not around, there’s nothing there to make all those things. The body is regenerated. I think we went through that one way back down the way.
So that statement is worth remembering: “And there will then be no element of death in that body and I will live in it forever.” That’s pretty worthwhile, don’t you think? Investigate, don’t believe it, but check it out. “Such a body will express my perfect love without desire” – it’s not trying to gain anything. Why should it gain anything? You already have everything then.
Does desire still live in you? If so, well. For each desire is My minister,to prepare the brain for real love without desire.
In other words, you can see that desire, even if it’s realized, doesn’t do what you had anticipated it might do, so you can get rid of it easy.
You cannot give up desire before your time.
That you’re developed.
For if you should be able to give up the present desires in order to have the body attain to the glory of consciously expressing Me, which you do desire, that would be but giving up the lesser desires in order to obtain the greater.
So as long as we’re desiring something, even if it’s to live forever, or to be truly conscious, why we’re still just switchin’ around with desire. We start off by bein’ thankful where we are, what we are, and what’s going on here.
Now every desire that can come to you is to prove you and help you,but they are of the self,
and the not-I’s…
and are an element of death.
That’s their way of expressing.
Do you desire your particular body shall be one to live forever? That desire is an element of death in the body and may prevent its own fulfillment.
Because again, we’re desiring something. Why not be free to die today? What difference does it make? I’ve had a lot of fun so far and if I get out today, it will be pretty wonderful anyway. I can’t say it was wasted.
That desire is an element of death in the body and may prevent its own fulfillment. Do you desire to be humble? Desire is an element of pride!
So, I’ve found people that are working to be humble. Did you ever see that? I had one man tell me that he’s very humble. He used to be very proud, but now he was very humble, and he said, “I don’t think you can find a man in the world more humble than I am.” And I agreed with him.
Do you desire to be unselfish? Desire is of the self alone!
,Always the not-I’s. So the side we call “B” says “You get to be unselfish,” and the other one, “A”, says, “But you gotta look out for yourself.” So the conflict is on.
So that whatever you do desire, the very desiretherefore tends to prevent you from attaining.
So if you really think that you might have enough ability, why don’t you be thankful for trying to be loving? You won’t be, just go on and love what you can and forget the rest of it. You know, all these desires imply the existence of an ideal. Do they not? If you desire somethin’, it implies the existence of an ideal state.
Now, everybody here has all attributes in the world. So there’s no chance for you to improve. Now, you may not have actualized every attribute, but you have it. So you can’t improve upon it, so you just leave it alone. And the very act of leaving it alone allows it to actualize.
You know a plant does better if you don’t fiddle with it. Now you can go out there and poke on it, pull it up everyday, see how the roots are doin’, stick it back in the ground, and poke on it here and pull it out and check it – stick needles in it and see what’s going on, that plant’s not gonna do very well. If you just let it alone, it grows good. Did you ever notice how wonderful weeds grow? They’re let alone, nobody worryin’ about ‘em.
And herein is the Mystery of Death, that when you are willing for the body to die, it shall live, and I will live therein, and the self-consciousness shall die.
That is the Mystery. When you are truly free to die, you have a chance of really being alive because now you’ve given up all the elements of death.
Now somewheres back up in here, we had one of the mysteries was that “I’m free to experience whatever may arise in my way today.” So if you’re free for death to arise in your way today and it’s all right with you, and you wouldn’t panicville and all that stuff, then you’re not havin’ very many desires, is that about right? You’re free to be dead. And that one’s the one that hangs most people up and that’s why they go on and die. The body dies first in that worry. I know people who worry if they had a pimple – that means they’re gonna die. And this and this and this. And they worry constantly about dyin’ all the time. And they die thousands of deaths before they really destroy the body. But at least the person who don’t give a durn if they’re gonna die, only dies once – if he does. And he has a chance of not doin’ it at all. So I think it’s kinda worthwhile just to be free to be wiped out.
So here is the Mystery of Death.
I think it’s very worthwhile to listen to it again.
That when you are willing for the body to die, it shall live, and I will live therein, and the self-consciousness [or the not-I’s] will die.
Cause see, they’re all interested in keepin’ everything goin’ and they’re gonna be important and everything. So when you’re perfectly willin’ to die, you’ll cease to put any value on the not-I’s, right Miss Marcy? Okay, let’s kinda see if we can do that. Might be a little difficult, but I think it is the key of the whole thing. So we will put number ten up. It, obviously, is going to have to be in another color. We’ll use orange. Orange. Number 10: “I am free (see, we talked about freedom while ago, now we’ll find out what it really is) to die” now or any other time. And that possibly is the approach to immortality. Now this is nothing new. If any of you read the New Testament, you’ll find that the Christ said 2,000 years ago—“the man who laid down his life will find it”. Lay it down for his friend – who cares, so he’s dead – and that man would live, and live forever. And I think he demonstrated it.
Through many trials do I bring the body, even through the sorrow of bereavement.
When your loved ones pass away and so on.
For your sake I brought forth the body which I have visited with death. Do you say, “A happy child at prayer was stricken; why do the good die young?”
“Why,” I think we’ve told that to you lots of time. But “the good die young”, we’ve heard, and so everybody gets upset about that.
Yet I rule all. I have placed in the heart that sense of sympathy which condemns Me for not keeping some sweet little child alive. Another perchance cries, “Oh God, why did I not die as a child so I wouldn’t have to suffer all these agonies?”
That was my mother’s favorite song: “I don’t see why I didn’t die when I was a child.” I said, “Well, I’m glad you stuck around for a little while anyway – I got here, even if you didn’t like it.”
Have you not faith to know that whom I see fit, I keep alive; and whom I see fit, I let die? This is the Last Mystery, that death is My angel. The child-body whose formation will not stand the great trials of the world, I relieve of those trials.
Now what’s so horrible about that? You know, it hasn’t got the constitution to stand up under this yap that we’ve all been through, and it’s better that they just went to sleep somewheres.
One of my dearest little friends about three-years-old, passed away not too many months ago and the family were very dear friends of mine and little Monamee did not have the strength to face this world. And so I couldn’t think of anything more wonderful then that little Monamee went to sleep. And after the folks thought about it for a while, and we talked about it, they said likewise.
The child body whose formation will not stand the great trials of the world I relieved of these trials. Such a body is not tried with strong tendencies, hence, you call it “good”.
And everybody thought little Monamee was the sweetest thing in the world, and she was. But her little body wasn’t strong enough to bitch; you know, make noises like most people do. So everybody says, it’s “good”.
The coming and passing away of such a body is for you, in order that you may be tried with the fire of affliction. And the sense of separate personalities shall die and pass away. But unto the bodies of those to whom the self has died do I give eternal life. And herein is this mystery, that he who would save the Life of the self shall lose the life of the body.
So if you want to keep all the not-I’s in good shape and doin’ well, just pamper ‘em; so you’ll save them and the body will die. That seems a little perfect as far as I’m concerned. “And he who gives up the Life of the not-I’s, the self, saves the body.” I think that’s pretty good.
Behold generations after generations of My bodies have passed away, but I am Life and cannot die, and I live in you and the I that lives in you shall never die. That I which dwells in the body now, has lived from the eternal beginning of all things.
Life has no beginning and no end. It doesn’t get born and die – it just activates bodies.
To it, there is no death. It is the creator of all things and lives eternally, radiating its supreme essence of love and power. Fear not death, for it has no power over you, but is the servant. You are a king; the crown is Life and the scepter is death. You have always been guided by My Life within you, and you need not fear that it will forsake you now.
It’s been around a long time and seen you had food, clothing, shelter and transportation, interesting things to do and all these things all these years. You think it’s gonna give up on you today? I expect it’ll be there in the morning.
And the Mystery of Death and suffering is this—that if one of my bodies shall suffer shame and pain and death, another shall hear of that shame and pain and death—it shall be unto their minds a development; and it shall so work on their minds that they shall obtain to the development of character which they would otherwise have had to themselves suffer to obtain. And that development shall be a salvation unto their character. Therefore I show you the mystery of vicarious suffering and salvation thereby, that you may know the truth thrice blessed is he who suffers, for I will cause the suffering to be a blessing unto others.
If you want to read that carefully over by yourself sometimes, I think you’ll see that that relates to the Christ very accurately and the crucifixion and so forth.
Are you willing to suffer and to die that others may be blessed? Yea, you may suffer shame and pain and death of the body, but if you are really willing, and the self-consciousness has passed away, then I say unto you, that the body is immortal and the grave cannot hold it.
I think that has also been demonstrated.
Now this writing is inspired by Me, Life, as all things are inspired by Me, whether spoken, or written or acted. And this writing shall have the affect I choose upon all to whom it shall come, whether it causes them to bless or curse, to scoff or to pray. For all alike are inspired by ME.
Ok? Is there any questions or any comments – anything you want me to talk about? Okay, clear as mud. Okay.
(There was a section here you read about ‘the coming of special bodies’ is for us “in order that thou mayest be tried with the fire of affliction”. Does that mean that we’re tested?)
No not tested, but that you get stronger when you can tolerate something a little bit. You know, there’s some things you have to go through. Now obviously, none of us would choose for one of our loved ones to pass away. Is that right? But if they do, as of necessity you’re gonna live through it anyway and you’ll be a bit stronger that way. Ok? It doesn’t mean you’re tested and tried out cause it doesn’t say that. It says all the way through, that you’re only given what you can handle at this moment, is that right? You may not like what you can handle at this point, but no more will be given than you can handle. And, of course, the theme is that when we’re willing to die, that that kills the not-I’s; that goes against ‘em. That’s the only way really you can get totally rid of all not-I’s is to be really willing to die cause that kills those little devils.
(I thought that the not-I’s, the only thing they agreed on was that you should kill yourself.)
Right, but you see that’s only when you’re in turmoil and trying to be non-disturbed, honey – not when you’re growing. They wanna convince you, totally under their power, that if you would just get yourself dead, you wouldn’t be disturbed anymore, and it’s so pathetic. So that’s an ultimate expression of self-pity they lead you into – not to be willing to die, but to want to die to get out of a little pain or a little hassle that might be going on somewheres, that right? That’s quite different, isn’t it? Yes, ma’am?
(Yes. Is procrastination a sort of a not-I or something?)
Oh, it is not a “sort of” one; it is a full grown one. Procrastination. Never heard of it!
(Is it always ok?)
Oh, it’s all right to procrastinate because that’s one of the biggest conflicts you run into, and it hurts so much, you’ll finally get over it. It gets you into it where it’s better to not do it than put up with the agony, isn’t it? You procrastinate pretty well?
(Yes.)
Isn’t it miserable? Miserable isn’t it? You know you get a bill and so you say, “Well I should write the check now. Well, I’ll do it tomorrow.” You feel upset all night. Well, tomorrow, “Why not put it off another day?” Pretty soon the thing’s past due, got an interest on it and so forth, and you can really be all rattled up over that thing, is that right? So procrastination is intentional suffering.
(Self-inflicted.)
But it’s all right to do it, because it will finally torment you enough that it gives you more strength. It’s like exercise and liftin’ weights, you see. Okay? We have no… Life, in this book, gives you no “you shoulds” or “not to’s” if you have noticed. There wasn’t a one time through it, it says, “You should do so and so”, or that “you should not do so and so.” Not once. And of all books I’ve ever read that were spiritually directed, it’s the only one I can say that about. Has anybody ever read one that didn’t have some “should’s” and “ought-to’s” in it? Have you, Marcy? That you can recall right off the top of your head? Well if you look it up and find one, send me the name of it. I’d like to add it to the list.
(I’m thinking of one, but I’m not sure. I’ll have to check it out.)
Check it out, would you please. I’ve never seen one of them. And I have read two or three of them anyway, through the years, you know. Through the years I’ve read a few of ‘em and they all give you some “should’s and ought-to’s and have-to’s and musts,” and so forth, and if you don’t do this, all kinds of bad things are gonna happen. Not one in here. The only thing is if and when you are free to die, then the personality would die first and the body could live on and X would express and operate the body instead of the not-I’s. And that is quite a difference, okay?
(Yes sir. What is your opinion on “the redistribution of the spirit”?)
I don’t have any. I’ve no opinions. I don’t know, and what I don’t know, I don’t know. So, redistribution? I don’t understand that word, but even then I wouldn’t have an opinion. What do you mean by redistribution? Where does it go when it gets here? It don’t go anywhere. It’s like the light. You turn the switch, the globe goes out. Where does the light in the room go to?
(It’s redistributed in the darkness.)
Now you don’t know, so let’s just leave it there. I don’t trouble myself with that.
(It’s an involuntary conversion.)
Maybe it is, I don’t know. It may not be converted, I don’t know. It seems to me that Life IS, and it doesn’t matter whether it had one body or ten millions or ten trillion bodies, it wouldn’t make any difference. It’s just like we have cells in the body and a slew of ‘em die everyday, and I don’t think anybody pays any attention to it. We cut off fingernails, cut off hair, skin sloughs off everyday, cells inside it. We don’t pay any attention to it. Life goes on, ok? So I think probably in the overall view, each of us is a microscopic little cell in the body of somethin’ called Life. So one cell more or less don’t matter. Yes?
(Does it take a stronger physical body to express Life than it does to express a “not-I”?)
Oh yeah, that’s very true. Yep. That’s right. Not-I’s can fiddle around with any old sick carcass. Life would burn it up. If there really lives Life in it, without the not-I’s would burn up an awful lot of bodies floatin’ around on the street, and you’re a strong cat, so perhaps you could stand it. Ok? That answer your question? Ok? Any other questions?
You said you were gonna have a service at 9:30 in the mornin’. At 11 we will have the usual Sunday service. Right? I will talk on – it’s already been requested by my friend over here – so he asked me to experiment and I’m gonna give it, ok? I one time gave this for a Catholic priest. And when you do it for the priest, it’s called a “homily”. It’s not called a sermon, it’s called a homily. So I gave a talk. And they’re never the same but they cover the same stuff. And he said he wanted me to go with him everwheres to give the homily cause it was the only sermon he ever heard worth a durn. So we will give it tomorrow and see if it’s any good. The Roman Church priest even approved of it, so who knows…may be a Methodist will someday.
Ok people, it has been a wonderful marvelous day for me and I hope you have tolerated it fairly well. We will see you in the morning at least at 11:00. I have fulfilled your request to talk on the Word of Life, Life’s Word. Everything you heard out of Life’s Word today, you have heard many times over or have read it many times over in scripture, etc. All I did was try to bring it down into present day language and I did make a few comments on it here, there, and elsewhere, as I saw fit to do so. Ok? Let’s all see you in the morning. Have a lovely, lovely evening. And I’ll see you if you’re not here in the morning, I will see you one of these days along the way somewheres, ok?