Thanks to Stephen Colman, you can also listen to the chapters by going to: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3zd34dd8r8kh3s1/rsBi6noLwx
II
Second Mystery: All Is Good
Again, Life is doing the talking, not some person.
I have developed the body by devious means, that it might be a habitation for Me.
In other words, not every body seems to be a habitation which Life can express itself clearly through.
Generations after generations of bodies have gone before yours, each generation adding strength to the constitution and eliminating some weakness; and now, if you can receive it, the body is ready for the consciousness of My presence.
Possibly it took millions of years or thousands of years, or if you have some other idea, maybe it only took 6,000 years. But whatever it is, that Life is saying somewheres along here that bodies at one time (or a given set of bodies) very few were capable of having the strength and the necessity of saying that, “Life is present here” or that, “Spirit is present here”. And it took a long time and so there’s been lots of turmoil in the times.
through devious…
I’ve had a lot of people object to this word ‘devious’; but devious doesn’t mean unholy or anything. It means by using any and all methods at command to do something. So devious has been twisted around. I think in the English language it basically means somewhat dishonest or attempting to deceive or something. But devious means, as it’s used here, to use any and all methods to construct a human body that could be ready for the consciousness of ‘My presence’.
Through devious means have I brought you, providing every influence that would appeal to you, in order that bodies shall be developed to whom nothing can appeal but My will.
Now we all know that bodies can be appealed to by many things through personality that can appeal to many things that are destructive to it. It says if you get the body so well developed that nothing of these destructive things seems to appeal to it. And I’m sure a lot of people here understand what that means.
Have I not hardened the heart to the cry of the oppressed,
and suffered you to be tempted to sin,
Whatever that may mean. Sin means to miss the mark, incidentally, not doing something that somebody told you not to do.
and have I not fed you on the poisoned fruit of the forbidden tree
of the so-called “knowledge of good and evil?”
The picture we had a while ago, each of those things on there [the six decisions in the Picture of Man] thinks it knows what’s “good” and what’s “evil”. I don’t know what’s good and what’s evil cause I don’t know what’s gonna be the outcome of it two weeks from now, two years from now, or 20 years from now; and I don’t believe that anybody else here does. Do you, Bobby? So how would I know it was gonna be evil, you know? Suppose we had a flood and it washed somebody’s house off tonight? We don’t know what would have happened had the house stood for another two weeks. We don’t know that, so we don’t know what’s good and what’s bad.
Yes, all this have I done that characters might be developed in the formation and organization of bodily frames which would be immune from such poison.
What it seems to be saying is that if the body is so well put together that it’s immune to many of these ideas that it knows what ‘ought to be’ and this is ‘right’ and this is ‘wrong’ and this ‘should be’ and it gets angry and it gets upset… it says if the body is put together well enough, it won’t do that and that Life has been workin’ on those kinds of bodies, bodies that are immune to such things. It’s like gradually people get immune to various poisons that are around because you build up such a well constitution. We’re even told by gardeners that if you raise your plants strong enough, that the bugs don’t eat on ‘em. Ever practiced that any? Good, organic gardening. I don’t know of any other kind; but you know, all gardening is organic as far as I’m concerned. But the healthier the plant is, the less it is consumed by bugs and blights and all these things. So the stronger the human body can be, the better well it’s constructed and put together, and the least we damage it, it gets so that many of these things which have been easily believed by people and so forth can no longer have any affect on them because it doesn’t appeal to them.
Through cycles of time has the false “knowledge of good and evil”…
You know all people know what’s good and evil – in fact, we have been taught it, we have legislated it and everything else, thinkin’ we knew.
Through cycles of time has the false “knowledge of good and evil” poisoned the blood of My people – My bodies.
says Life.
But unto you who can awake from the dream of evil
induced by that poison shall be shown the Second Mystery.
The words of the Second Mystery are known to many, and are used by many to perform wonders; yet you need not pass lightly by these words.
For many have healed diverse diseases with these words and yet have never known their true meaning. On the heart I write these words,
This is the Second Mystery mentioned in this book. And it says
“ALL IS GOOD.”
I would say, without saying that it’s good or bad, that it’s all “all right for now.” I don’t know any better way for it to be; it’s ok. So we have a great tendency to feel that everything ought to be “straightened up”, “fixed up”, “all people ought to be straightened out” and everything, but it’s all right like it is. Really, it’s doin’ ok. Because all of the resistance that we make every effort to see that there isn’t any resistance. You know, that’s what’s called improving and developing the great society and so forth, is to have one where there’s no resistance – I guess that’s what everbody’s workin’ at a little bit. Now we know that resistance is absolutely essential for life to evolve, develop well. If you never did anything but laid in the sack and had somebody come turn you over every now and then so you wouldn’t have any effort to move any muscle at all, you’d turn into a blob of Jell-o after a while and you wouldn’t survive. The more you’re challenged… maybe you go to a gym and push iron or whatever. That’s the way you get strong. You don’t get strong from resting. You get strong from challenging and doin’ things. You see lots of people out, at least where I live, jogging. They’re gettin’ stronger, you know, by doing that. And you go over in another place, and you see a lot of people movin’. I read the other night in a book that we had the only society where anyone who really worked like a dog was doin’ it for sport. Now, if you really go out and put out some effort, you’re doin’ it for sport. You don’t have to do it to make a living anymore. That right, Mack? You don’t have to work hard to make a livin’, do you? So if I ever see you doin’ something, it’s sport that you’re exercisin’ your muscles, or movin’ or doin’ anything, it’s strictly for fun, isn’t it? Isn’t that funny that we’ve got to the place where the only way that you can exercise is by havin’ fun or sport? But that seems to be necessary for bodies to get strong.
So the Second Mystery is that “all is all right; it’s ok just like it is.” Now let’s respond to ‘what is’ instead of fighting with it and deciding how we’re going to improve the situation so there would be no resistance to anybody.
Say you herein is no mystery?
Yet you shall see Me when you see that “all is good.”
You will see Life for what it is when you see. And you will recognize you are Life when you really see that “all is good”. Now a lot of people say it. Last Saturday we went to a… quite a little thing. I won’t tell you about it. I wouldn’t want you to know I went there. But nevertheless, there was a lady who was propounding a lotta great and wondrous things; and she’s saying this world wasn’t fit to live in. Now I haven’t been to any one I’d wanna live in other, have you? She was gonna leave and go to some higher realm, but she had already said a few minutes ago that she was bringin’ in some great, exalted beings, and that this world was going to be one “joy-pool” very shortly. And she’d get crossed up on this every once in a while. She doesn’t want to be here, but then, well now, they’re comin’ and everything’s gonna to be all right. I think it’s all right like it is today. I find it’s quite all right to live here. I have food, clothing, shelter, transportation, interesting things to do, delightful friends and companions and everything is goin’ on all the time. Now what do you add to that? It feels good, lovely people around you. Here we sit in a room with a bunch of very delightful people. I’ve been here before and they were very delightful the last time. So it’s not “put on” or show. It’s real, it’s genuine – cause it’s always the same. I been here a lot of times. So what else you lookin’ for, huh? What are you lookin’ for? Is it all right like it is, or does everything need to be changed? What about it?
I am God. I live in all bodies and am omnipotent. You cannot find any so-called evil place, but I am there. I, and only I am there, developing My body by devious ways.
Some of ‘em looks a little rough sometimes.
In every impulse I live, conforming to no rule.
You know we’re the only ones that make rules. Life doesn’t make rules. It says, “Well, let’s adapt to that.” If it’s real wet one year, the tree adapts to that, and if it’s dry the next year, it adapts to that and so on down the line; and it goes on age after age—Life goes on doing the adapting. But we think we ought to change everything so no adaptation would be required. Is that right, Brother Mack? If we could just get everything straightened up, we’d never be disturbed at all. Then we could just sit here and turn into Jell-o. Most of us are already there.
Think you that I conform to ANY rule or ideal or standard? That I must need work My will on the same patterns in another body that I have fixed in you?
You know, it don’t work the same in all of us. Having one time been involved in the practice of medicine, I know that a drug will have one affect on one person and the next one have an altogether different affect. You know that about food. One of us can eat it and just feel wonderful; and somebody else eats it and they don’t feel so hot and so on down the line. We’re all a little bit different and sometimes a wholelot different. So it says it works on each one different. So don’t be fiddling about how the other one’s worked on.
In you I fix a mental pattern which finds fault with My Life in another body.
You know, we all see other people doin’ things we think they shouldn’t be doin’.
Yes, I call with all voices that each body may differently obey,
for all obey My will in the end. When you behold My work putting to blush the mental ideals and sense of fitness, do you say in the heart, “Such cannot be God’s will”?
I’ve had people say, “Well, there couldn’t be a God let have wars…” but you know, if you wanna play a game of war, I guess it’s all right, go play it. Maybe it has an effect. Maybe you get stronger or something; but, at least, maybe we’ll finally wake up and see that’s a senseless way to do things. I don’t know, but it seems it’s got some value in it. I just don’t want to get involved in one; that’s my business.
When you behold My work putting to blush the mental ideals and sense of fitness, do you say in your heart, “Such cannot be God’s will”?
You know, I saw a big banner across the town about two years ago I was goin’ through over in Arizona and some man was in town putting on a revival campaign. And he had a big sign strung across there, “What does God think of Tucson?” I don’t think He gave it a second thought, myself, or the first one either. I don’t think he knew the damn place existed.
Or do you say, “If such is God’s will then he’s no God to me?”
“A god that will let little children die, will let pretty ladies have this and that and so forth, is no God; He’s cruel, there can be no God!” I’ve heard these good folks say, “We know that if there was any God, he wouldn’t let this and that happen.” You know they base their frame of reference on that the only way things can be all right is when we’re totally non-disturbed. That is what we call not-I’s talkin’. I wouldn’t want to live if there wasn’t some challenge, would you? Or would you like to be pampered away?
You know, they have a thing – do they have ‘em around here anywheres, probably in Dallas or Houston, where you have sensory deprivation tanks? Hmm? They’re very big in California. You go down and lay in a pot of salt water in a closed tank so you have no sensory. The water is so strong in salt you float so you can’t even feel your skin on a bed or anything; totally deprive you of all senses. That’s supposed to really be wonderful. Now there’s a lot of people here that used to do it with another method, is that right, Clyde? You used another method to deprive yourself. Huh? (laughter) If you could get a big bottle, you could get almost the same thing. That’s “tanked”. That’s why they call that bein’ tanked, wasn’t it? It was ahead of its time.
Then it is still well with you, for behold it is I that live in you
prompting the speech! Until you are ready to live consciously as Me,
That’s quite a little statement—“until you’re ready to live consciously as Me.” Living Life, not trying to fit somebody’s standard, some ideal, be some “goody good two shoes” or anything else; that you’re ready consciously to live as Life and Life doesn’t have any rules by it.
it is well that you should conform to the ideals which you have set up for the self. Until you are moved by inspiration and love,
it is well that you should be moved by conscience and desire.
You know conscience is one of those things says, “You shouldn’t have done that.” That’s a not-I. There’s one that says you should do it and then as soon as it gets you to do it, it runs and the other one says, “Now you’ve screwed up. Now you’ll pay for it forever.”
If you have a desire in the heart laying down any rule of action for others,
You know that’s easy. We can sure set ‘em up for other people.
wishing them to be what you call “good” and to conform to the thought of “right” or of “duty”, or of that which they “ought to do”, then you will say, “Can such things be God’s will?” when you see all My works.
Because, “I know what ought to be; and if this is going on, it’s sure not God’s will.”
I have no desire. But unto you, until you are ready for My glory, I give all desires which the form of the mind can accept. Whether you do desire for the self or for others or for both the self and others, whether you do desire possessions or “goodness” or that others shall be “good”; in all cases these desires are sent unto you by Me, in order that the body shall gain strength toward expressing that joy of Life which I am,
and which is beyond desire.
Now, desire does put a terrific strain on the body as you might know. It’s kinda like lifting weights or jogging five miles or ten miles or mountain climbing or something. Having a desire puts a heavy strain on. Now of course, the only way we get stronger is having strains, is that right? Could you get stronger, Mack, by sittin’ and thinkin’ positive? Or by pumpin’ iron? You better believe it. So it’s well that the mind is strengthened or the Awareness is strengthened. The inner being is strengthened by havin’ all these desires which gives us a lot of strain – because that’s the way we get strong. I think there’s other ways more fun but that’s all right. That’s one way it’ll do it.
I justify all things.
It didn’t say “we” justified it. Life said, “I justify all things.”
I justify all things. Let all who use the sacred words, “All is good”, and work many cures thereby, know that these words justify every separate body and act. I am Truth.
Now, people are always wanting to find truth. Well, what you’re trying to find is Life. It’s not all that big a deal, you know. It’s sittin’ right here. Did you ever notice that? Pinch yourself and see. Now you don’t really have to hunt for it. I had a friend one time, he went onto the Happy Hunting Ground. He was always saying he had spent his life searching for truth. He looked under lots of rocks, but all he ever found was worms and bugs and grubs; and you know he never did catch on that Life was sittin’ right there all the time. He finally departed this world without ever realizin’ that Truth and Life and Love are synonyms and that they all exist in us at all times; but we go looking to the ends of the earth for it. I know people who buy tickets and go to India lookin’ for truth. I know some who go to Scotland to look for truth. I know people who go to all sorts of places to look for truth. Truth is another name for Life. Is that right, Mack? Where would you look for it?
(Dallas, I guess.)
Well, I saw it here this day. I saw it in Houston. I saw it in San Diego this mornin’. I saw it all the way from San Diego to Houston, and I saw it from Houston up here and I see it here. Now what do we gotta hunt for truth for? It’s here. You been a truth searcher, Marcia? Where’d you look?
(Every place but right here.)
Every place but Life, is that right? Well, if you ever wanna see truth, why, you look up and see something alive and you’re watching it at work. That’s too damn simple, isn’t it? That takes all the fun out of it, doesn’t it? Huh? The mystique.
(It’s not there.)
Well naturally, it’s not there; I don’t know why I was looking for it. It’s like the guy who went to look for a schmo, but he didn’t know what a schmo looked like. So he looked everywhere and he couldn’t find a schmo. You don’t know what truth is. Truth is Life and if you don’t know what truth is, you’re just running around asking people’s opinions, is that right? We can get lots of those, can’t we? Somebody will tell me something any day.
I am truth. There is no truth but that which IS. All of that which IS, is truth.
And all that really is, is Life. Okay?
Have you a conscience?
That’s one of those things that bugs you at night, you know.
Have you a conscience that says unto you that you should do this and not do that?
Most of us have one of those cats. You had one of those, Mack?
(You better believe it.)
I had one when I was six years old. I lived back in the hills of Appalachia, and it was a horrible sin to fish or play ball or something. Well, one time a bunch of kids come by and we went down to the creek and one of ‘em tied a twine string around a bent pin and give it to me and I thought I was fishin’. And that was just so much fun. Until I got away from the creek and then this came up about that and, oh, that was terrible. And I suffered agonies all week. I knew I’d committed the unpardonable sin, hell-bound for glory, you know. Oh man, that hurt. That was terrible. But about two weeks later those same kids come by and we wound up again down at the creek and again put me in there and that time I didn’t feel quite as bad. And then the third time they did it about another two, three weeks later, it didn’t bother me at all. So I sit down to think about that. That was so terrible – that’s such agony. I couldn’t sleep; I couldn’t eat. That was terrible. I was sick. And after I did it three times, it didn’t hurt a bit. So I figured anytime that that conscience started acting up, run do it twice more right quick and go with it. (laughter) I told the preacher about that one time and he said that was called “searing the conscience with a hot iron.” And I said I thought that was the only thing to do with one. Sear it with a hot iron and get it out of the way quick, because it’s nothing but a nuisance.
Have you a conscience which says unto you
that you should do this and should not do that? I’ve given it to you!
He laid it on you so you’d get stronger.
I have given you a conscience on every point that the form of the mind can receive.
You know we’ve got different ones, according to how much stuff we got.
Unto you I reveal its purpose, and in due time you will see My purpose
not only in giving you a conscience, but in giving each of My bodies a conscience, each differing from every other.
You know, isn’t that nice that you can feel guilty about something and somebody else can do the same thing and not feel guilty about it at all? And they can do something and suffer with agony and you say, “Well, how could that be?”
Used to, several years ago, before things got changed, Catholic folks could not eat meat on Friday without committing a mortal sin – unless you lived in New Mexico. That was always exempt. That’s true. I found that out plenty. But several years ago they changed the rules. Now then, you can eat meat anytime; Friday isn’t all that holy, you know. It’s everyday now. So look at all the people who felt so guilty back in those days. And then somebody who wasn’t a Catholic said, “Why, I don’t see how he could feel guilty about eating meat on Friday.” You know, they just couldn’t understand why somebody’d feel terrible about it; but they hadn’t been taught it.
Now, if you had been taught that you never allow anybody to see you eat – it was shameful or bad in some way or other – you’d feel very guilty if you went around eating. It would be rough on the restaurant business, but you could have been made that way, couldn’t you? All they had to do was tell you so. You coulda been taught anything was right or wrong when you was a little kid and then you’d have felt guilty about it if you did otherwise. So all it was what we were taught. But it was handed down. So that develops the organ of the mind that finally some day you’d want to check it out and say, “That’s a bunch of stuff – I’m not going to feel guilty about nothin’.”
Now the organ of the mind which will afterwards express My Freedom can best be developed by the struggle against bondage; therefore, have I sent unto you all the bondage of conscience which you can accept.
And that’s what it is, it’s a bondage. So you really only get free when you kick all bondage off.
Because the organ of the mind which shall afterwards express the sweet consciousness [not conscience] of Me can best be developed to that end by the oppressive self-consciousness, have I sent you all the self-consciousness which you can stand, working in you to prepare the mind to be wholly Mine, and wholly controlled by the breath of My inspiration.
Now if the mind isn’t controlled by conditioning, it’s possible for Life to use it. But all the things that we have been conditioned that was “bad” because somebody told us so, wasn’t it? Huh? And some of the things that we said was “good” was because somebody told us. And, “You shouldn’t do this”. You know, if you happen to be a Mormon, you shouldn’t smoke a cigarette or drink a cup of coffee or have a glass of wine. If you’re Episcopalian, you can do anything. And so on. I recommend most people be Episcopalian. It’s better, if you gotta have one. It’s a good place to be buried, get married and have the babies christened and all that; don’t put too much of a load on you. Ever been to an Episcopalian church? Did you get much load, or was it all nice and light? You just did your duty by going there on Sunday mornin’ and listen to the mass and drop a little in the box and go through the ritual and walk away, is that right? There’s nothin’ wrong, nothin’ good, one way or the other… except don’t come to church and don’t put money in the box. That’s bad.
…have I sent thee all the self-consciousness which you can stand,
working in you to prepare the mind to be wholly Mine,
….says Life.
…and wholly controlled by the breath of My inspiration.
So I say unto you that it is well that you are controlled by conscience,
…that thing that hurts.
and desire,
…which makes you anxious all the time because you haven’t got it.
until the mind is grown and you can become conscious of Me –
thereafter to be controlled by inspiration and love.
And I do know that it is possible for a human being to get to that point. I didn’t say I had, but I do know it’s possible – that Life can run the whole being by spontaneous response, not by a whole bunch of little rules that somebody laid on you that “it’s good to do this” and “it’s bad to do this” and so forth. So now the Second Mystery is that all of it is ok. Now, I know that an awful lot of people before mornin’ will know of a lot of things that should be straightened out and a bunch of people that should be straightened out. Is that right? You know a bunch of jerks that ought to be kind of straightened up a little bit. Huh? You know any of ‘em that ought to be kinda straightened out a little bit, Bobby?
(Not at this moment.)
They’re all, all right – right now. Incidentally, you know people call about healings and so forth and generally about the only thing that you have to do for a healing to take place is to realize clearly and without any qualification that everything’s ok with that person. But as long as you know, “Well, the poor thing sure needs it; Lord, get with it and fix him up,” they’ll be worse off in the morning. So you better keep your mouth shut. But if you know they’re all right, so what? It’s ok. Now you can’t do it against their will, but you can do anything if they’re willing for it to be. Can’t you, Mary? Are you perfectly willing to feel good Mary?
(Sometimes.)
Oh, you’re getting so you don’t mind quite so bad. Mary used to have some of the most horrible problems in all the world. Nothing was like it really should be. She was so terrible. All Life was pickin’ on her, but only for one purpose, Mary.
(I know.)
To put a little pressure on you so you’d have enough strength to enjoy being good, enjoy feeling wonderful and enjoy being, okay? Simple. It’s pretty nice to just enjoy being without trying to become this or straighten everything out. So that is two mysteries. I think there’s something like twelve in this book. So we will go through each of ‘em. As I said when we started, that maybe one of ‘em will appeal to you. I’m quite sure that at least one of them will and that one is the only one that you ever need. The rest of ‘em are for somebody else. And they will eliminate all your troubles – not all your challenges.
Okay, is there any questions anybody wants to ask tonight or any comments you want to make before we depart for the sleepy time? Clear as mud. Okay, we will not hold forth any questions. Do you want me to continue on this in the mornin’ or you want me to take off on my usual jokin’? I will still stay with Life’s Word if you want me to, all day tomorrow. Anybody have any objections, or you want it to continue, or what? You want to continue. Ok, all all right. The rest of you will tolerate it to those that want it. We will continue with Life’s Word tomorrow, attempting to understand what Life is saying to us. Now, some people have asked me how this book came into existence. We printed it.