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MESSAGE THIRTY-THREE
ON HOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER ONE IS IN A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE STATE
May 3, 1982
The following messages have been received today from the Most High.
It would be useful to realize and remind oneself today about the
following important facts.
How does one go about establishing whether one or someone else is in
the positive or negative state, process and condition in one’s Earthly life?
After all, such a determination is a most important issue because on it
depends the true quality of one’s life.
As pointed out many times in previous messages, it is advisable that
one examine and search oneself on a daily basis in regard to one’s
motivations and intentions behind any activities, thoughts, feelings, will,
behaviors, etc., in one’s everyday living.
Some people may complain that such explorations on a daily basis are
too time consuming. But is it not time consuming to eat, drink, think
and/or talk about irrelevant superficial external events having no lasting
value, and to waste time on similar matters?
Why is this necessary on a daily basis if some former spiritual
authors, including Swedenborg, thought it sufficient to perform such
self-exploration and self-examination once a month at Holy Communion
or three or four times a year? The reason it is advisable to do so daily is
because one is being assaulted and flooded by the negative state
twenty-four hours a day. (Swedenborg meditated daily for hours at a
time.)
Being incarnated on planet Earth, where the negative state is in full
activation and domination, means that one is exposed to continuous
direct contact with the negative state in one way or another. This
necessary contact (by the choice of being incarnated on Earth) is a source
of subtle and less subtle contaminations, pollutions, impositions,
influences, forcefulness, etc., which are being exerted without any
cessation upon one’s thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions, behaviors,
motivations, intentions, and style of life, very often without one’s
conscious awareness. This happens on an everyday basis. In recent
years, as the human era is coming to its fruition, such assaults, floods,
contaminations, pollutions, etc., of negative forces are manifoldly
intensified in a much more sophisticated, effective and pronounced
manner than in the past.
If one fails to perform daily self-examination and self-exploration for
the content, motivating factors and intentions of one’s thoughts, feelings,
desires, will, actions and behaviors, one is in danger of a geometrically
progressive accumulation of the destructive effects of the negative state’s
assaults, contaminations, pollutions, etc.; or one is simply in danger just
being on Earth where the negative state dominates.
Such a geometrically progressive accumulation gradually, in most
instances without one’s conscious awareness, begins a process of shifting
one’s thinking, feeling, willing, acting, behaving, etc., from positive to
negative, cunningly suffocating the awareness that one is doing anything
wrong or inappropriate. One may find oneself suddenly so engrossed in
one’s everyday living in various material, outward, selfish, superficial
and similar activities and matters that no time remains for anything
truly productive, creative and beneficial for all from the standpoint of the
spiritual principles of everyday living. The danger of this situation is
that one may find oneself believing and accepting such a situation as
normal and appropriate. This, in turn, leads one toward accommodation
to, identity with and approval of material negativity. When one arrives
at this point, one stops feeling that anything is wrong or that one needs
to change or make modifications in one’s everyday living. The negative
state is a master at leading people in such a direction.
This is one of the reasons why one is so strongly advised to do
self-exploration and self-examination on a daily basis. In so doing, one is
able to catch and to quickly eliminate any influences, impositions,
intrusions, etc., of the constantly assaulting and flooding negativity of
the Hells. One concentrates daily on discovering within oneself, with
one’s Inner Mind and the Most High in it, if there is any contamination
and pollution which intruded itself upon one’s thoughts, feelings, will,
motivation, intention, activities and behavior. As one becomes aware of
the negativity, one proceeds with the process of purification and
cleansing from it, and from any adverse intent or motivation. One of the
many ways in which such a purification and cleansing can be
accomplished is by active inward visualization, thinking, feeling,
hearing, willing, sensing, etc., (by whatever mode of perception one
prefers or feels comfortable with) brilliantly white and pleasantly warm
light coming from within one’s Inner Mind from the Most High,
penetrating the essence and substance of one’s being and existence, of
one’s spirit, soul and body, and taking out, discharging from one’s spirit,
soul and body and from all their elements everything of the negative
state. One does so by repeating this process of purification and cleansing
several times during one’s meditation, exploration and self-examination.
The reason the brilliantly white and pleasantly warm light is utilized
in this process is because of its corresponding spiritual meaning. It
evokes an important spiritual and universal state and process — the
state and process of love and wisdom, good and truth, which is a
protection and a safeguard. The white or radiant part of the light
corresponds to the Divine Wisdom and Truth which knows the best
possible ways and procedures for combating and removing anything of
negative origin. The radiant warmth of the light corresponds to the
Divine Love and Good which accomplishes effectively the process of
purification and cleansing from anything of negative origin utilizing the
knowledge of its Wisdom and Truth. Thus, in combination, unification
and oneness of love and wisdom, and good and truth, which is the source
of all positive, protective and safeguarding powers from the Most High in
one’s Inner Mind, and which corresponds to this white, pleasantly warm
light, one can find a potent antidote and tool for self-protection and a
safeguard against continuous assaults, floodings and contaminations of
the negative state and its forces.
This is only one of many ways possible for such an accomplishment.
One is advised by the process of selfexploration to determine within one’s
Inner Mind and the Most High in it which is the best possible and the
most effective way for that one to accomplish such purification and
cleansing.
Now, to go back to the original question posed at the beginning of this
discourse — how does one determine whether one or someone else is in
the negative or positive state, process, condition, etc.? What must one
look for in order to determine this properly, correctly and justly as to
one’s or someone’s situation without harm to anyone?
First of all, one is advised to proceed with extreme caution in judging
other people’s condition. People’s inward motivations and intentions,
regardless of how good or bad they may seem to be from the standpoint of
outward manifestation and observation, are never properly discernible
from the outside. Two people, for example, with exactly the same
outward behavior, may have diametrically opposing intention or
motivation for exhibiting this particular behavior.
One can go only by certain outward signs that may or may not be
indicative of the right motivation and intentional factors of people’s true
state of affairs with regard to their preferences for being in the negative
or positive condition.
It is somewhat easier to determine these factors for oneself than for
others. This is done, as mentioned above, by the process of
self-exploration from one’s own free will and by one’s free choice.
However, one is not permitted to enter other people’s minds for the
purpose of such an exploration. Even if this were possible or permitted, it
would be in violation of their privacy, freedom and independence.
Everyone is permitted to be the way one wants to be and no one is
allowed to impose on people’s own ideas as to how they should be. Such a
desire is a gross spiritual arrogance and immodesty which is a sign of
being in, or at least siding with, the negative state.
One can change only oneself. The ability and willingness to change is
a sign of the positive state. The need to change others without the need
to change oneself is a sign of the negative state. If one changes oneself,
one can be a good example and a positive motivating factor for others. So,
if one wants people to be, for example, happy, joyful, healthy, productive,
satisfied, good, peaceful, considerate, wise, sharing, etc., one must first
be that way oneself in order to provide a good example and demonstrate
that anyone can change in that direction. There is no other way to truly
influence people’s behavior and lifestyle. It may appear sometimes that
people are changed by outside imposition and duress (a good example of
such a situation is living in Communist countries), but such a change is
wrongly motivated (by fear, for example) because it does not come from
within one’s free will. In such instances, there is no change inwardly. The
change is only outward for the purpose of appearance (to avoid rejection
or punishment, for example) and this is no change at all.
This is another reason why daily self-exploration is of such great
importance. It contributes, in an ultimate sense, not only to the
improvement of one’s own life, but also to the improvement of all
Creation. Being an integral part of the whole Creation, one, by improving
that part — oneself — is improving the whole. It is impossible to improve
on anything in the whole without improvement of its parts. However, one
cannot be any other part but only the one which one is. In order to be
able to improve any other part, one would have to be that other part. By
being that other part, one would no longer be one’s own, but instead one
would become totally the other part. Such a situation is an impossibility
because one cannot abolish oneself in order to become someone else. In
order to do that, one would have to start with a double abolishment —
abolishment of oneself for the purpose of becoming someone else, and
abolishment of someone else for the purpose of becoming that someone
else. If this were possible, it would be equal to the abolishment of all
Creation as a whole.
This is the reason why it is impossible to change anyone but oneself
and why people have to initiate any changes from within themselves by
their own free will and by their own freedom of choice if they really
desire to be a part of the positive state.
One of the signs for determination as to whether one or someone else
is in the positive or negative state is by establishing within oneself or by
inquiring of others the stance toward the Absolute Source of all Life —
toward the Most High, toward all principles of spiritual homogeneity (as
defined on April 3-4, 1982 in Martinique), and toward all other spiritual
principles of life and everyday living as revealed and defined in
“Fundamentals of Human Spirituality” and throughout these “Messages
From Within”.
If one denies the existence of the Absolute Source of Life — the Most
High — and has no consideration for spiritual principles of any kind; and
if one’s behavior is consistent with such a denial and lack of
consideration, then one may cautiously conclude that there is a
possibility that one is in the negative state, or is a part of the negative
state.
However, the acceptance, consideration for and the outward living
and behavior congruent with these spiritual factors does not necessarily
make one spiritual or on the side of the positive state. This is why one
must be so extremely cautious in arriving at any conclusions about
another’s spiritual state, since one’s outward confessions and behaviors
are not reliable and valid proofs of either situation — be it for the
positive side or the negative side.
One can never be sure, based on an outward observation, confession
or behavior, as to the real internal motivation and intent for denial and
inconsideration or acceptance and consideration of such important
factors of spirituality in one’s life. Such a knowledge can be acquired only
by self-exploration and self-examination. There are no other effective
ways.
One can confess and accept all these important spiritual factors and
behave in accordance with their requirements and prescriptions, and yet
one may do so with some ulterior motivation and with a negative intent.
One does not do it from the Most High in one’s Inner Mind, but only for
some external or selfish reason, or because it is advantageous for one to
be and to behave that way in order to acquire recognition, a certain
position, entrance into the Heavens, etc. In such a case nothing truly
spiritual can be appropriated to that one because one does it from
oneself, apart from the Most High within oneself, and not from the Most
High within oneself. This is a deceptive mode of living which leads one
toward the negative state.
One of the most fundamental spiritual principles of life states that
the true motivation and spiritually intentional factors is to do things
from the Most High from within oneself. Swedenborg says that one does
things as if from oneself but realizing and admitting at the same time
that one does them from the Lord. If one does so in this way, one is
appropriated all positive factors by the Most High, and they truly become
part of one’s personality and one’s life.
The only other way anything could be appropriated to anyone, based
on doing it from oneself and not from the Most High, would be if one
could be or were the source of one’s own life. This would mean that one
would have to be uncreated, unoriginated, and, therefore, absolute. But
because there is only one Absolute — the Most High — one cannot do
anything from and by oneself, but only from and by the presence of the
Most High in one’s Inner Mind. This is a true spiritual principle of life.
This is what spirituality is all about. Recognition, acceptance and
application in one’s life of this fact, as pointed out previously many times,
makes one truly spiritual and, thus, places one into a positive state on
the positive side. Denial of this fact, no matter how good or positive one’s
outward behavior, makes one non-spiritual and, therefore, negative.
If one denies these spiritual factors and rejects their validity from
one’s heart, from one’s own free will and by one’s own free choice, no
matter how positive, good and nice one seems to be from the standpoint
of outward observation, nothing of that goodness, positiveness and
niceness can be appropriated to that one. It cannot become an integral
part of one’s personality because the true source of all goodness,
positiveness and niceness was denied and rejected. In this case, one
appropriated to oneself something which does not belong to that one.
This is a stolen principle of spirituality. In this case one is in constant
deception of others and deception of oneself. One lives a life of lies. All
atheists and materialists who identify themselves with their materialism
and atheism from their own free will and by their own choice are of such
a nature. Therefore, they are from the negative state and of the negative
state.
However, once again, one must be extremely careful in assessing
atheists and materialists, or any other people who claim to be religious
and spiritual regardless of their religion or spiritual direction, who think
they are of such a nature because of certain life experiences and/or
imposition of externals with which they identified by an outward force or
temporary circumstances, or who are of such a nature because they
simply were born into such circumstances, accepting and feeling
obligated to follow the line adopted by their environmental philosophy.
Such people may or may not be truly atheistic, materialistic, religious or
spiritual, and, thus, negative or positive. Some of them, inwardly, may be
very spiritual or atheistic, longing for discovery and application (or
rejection and denial) of real truth. These kinds of people, though, will
find many life opportunities for change and revision of the stance
imposed on them by the negative state. Usually, they very happily and
gladly utilize these opportunities and recede successfully from their
previous negative state.
On the other hand, if such positive opportunities for change and
recession from the negative state are not being utilized, and if they are
totally and completely neglected and disregarded despite the fact that
they are being continuously presented, it may signify that such people do
not want to change and they like to be the way they are; they want to
remain on the negative side by their freedom of choice and by their own
free will.
However, before rushing into any judgment and/or conclusion, one is
advised to take into consideration the following fact. Different people
require a different pace, time span and circumstances under which they
can initiate their change and recession from the negative state. In some
instances it takes a long time (in human terms) and many various
circumstances to bring this desirable change. If this is the case, it means
that a quicker or more rapid process of change would be damaging and
could bring one more harm than benefit. On the other hand, some
people’s pace is much faster in comparison with others, and it does not
take that long (from the standpoint of Earth’s linear time) or that many
opportunities to initiate such a change and recession. For these people
any procrastination or delay could be very harmful and damaging.
Therefore, one is advised to be very patient, endurant and
perseverant, giving oneself and others enough time and circumstances
for change before drawing any final conclusions about anyone’s state. It
is good to remember that there is nothing final in the Absolute State and
Process of the Most High who constantly creates new things and initiates
continuous changes throughout all Creation. It is also useful to
remember that it is a sign of the negative state to see things in finalistic
terms. One will also be very wise if one never generalizes and analogizes
anything because there are never two identical cases.
This is all for today.
Source: MESSAGE FROM WITHIN
