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THE GREATER WORLD CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALIST CHURCH
THE ZODIAC MESSAGES
"THE USES OF ADVERSITY"
An
address by the celestial messenger 'Zodiac' (the unnamed scribe of
the Bible and a teacher in the Temple of Jerusalem at the time of
Christ), given through the mediumship of Miss Winifred Moyes
-
"MY little children, I would say in the first instance
that the purpose of this gathering to-night is a great
and important one. I would tell you also that long
before the physical garment was donned so this night
was shown to me, for indeed it is part of that laid
down by the Saviour for the furtherance of the plan.
Oh, listen to my words and cast them not aside, for
I say that all gathered into this room are as tried
tools, the ones who will not shrink when the test comes,
the ones who will not fail when Christ calls to them
individually to arise and leave all and follow Him.
-
"I am back in the past and I see a tiny knot of
men. These had many misgivings, doubt held their hearts
and minds; but they were entrusted with the message
brought by Truth Itself, and through the grace of God,
so humanity as a whole has been lifted up, and in this
day it is possible to say that sufficient preparation
has been put in for the first rays of revelation to
shine upon mankind.
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"Children, this is a night of work; the desires
of the heart take second place to the desires of the
Spirit, and under the command of the One Who loves
us best, I would speak to you as to the Uses of Adversity;
aye, I would impress upon the physical consciousness
that the uses of adversity are manifold, and each one
represents a direct blessing from the Most High.
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"Think you as to this. I go back upon the childhood
of some who are in the body, and what I say applies
to vast numbers who have gathered in - now free from
physical restrictions - but held, in part, by the weakness
they could not overcome during the earth stage. There
are some gathered here who during the hours, the days
and the months of childhood, took, unconsciously they
took, and they gave back little in return. Sunshine
was around, there was love of parents, there was tender
care.
-
"Oh, little ones, cannot you see to whom this
applies; that those fair days - fair from the earth
point of view - sowed few seeds of those blossoms which
bloom in the life to come?
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"Again, I am back in the past of others and I
see even from early childhood the shadow of so-called
sorrow. I see in the home disharmony, clashing of wills.
I see in the heart and mind loneliness, a stretching
out for something that is not there. Youth went and
was gladly forgotten by such as these. 'Yes, the joys
of childhood passed me by!' But what are they saying,
what do they mean? Cannot you see that they have scarce
disturbed the surface which hides reality? Oh think
you and let illumination penetrate the physical mind.
It was not God's will that the little child should
be so beset; not God's will that the body should represent
something which they longed to forget; not God's will,
but the will of those of His children who missed the
signpost that led into the peace which cannot fade.
-
"But I say unto you that although man may fail
his greater self, though the laws of the earth may
work contrary to those of the Divine, God takes the
wreckage, takes the destruction, and by the miracle
of His Love builds that strength, that endurance, that
stability which not only shall save the individual
in time of test, but indeed shall throw out on the
vibrations strength and endurance which others, less
well equipped, shall grasp, and through that provided
be saved uncountable years of suffering when the physical
garment is no more. Oh, sweet are the uses of adversity!
-
"I would take you back into the far past as it
seems to you, and I would speak to you as to the home
life of the Master. Once again I would fetter your
thoughts to the surroundings, the environment of that
One Who has cast light across not only this little
plane, but through countless conditions which, aforetime,
were swathed in the darkness of self. Chained by the
past even as prisoners, so those who dwelt within mourned
over what they had lost.
-
"Children, before me as I speak I see the Child.
Oh, gracious was the Child! Something was around that
little One which tugged at the heart, which arrested
the mind. Have I not told you that the Child in the
humble home from early years had much to contend with?
That Child saw in the mother's eyes consternation,
apprehension, and a defencelessness no words can portray.
Have I not said that the women in those days trod the
hard path? Have I not told you that the women - those
whom you love and revere through that narrated in the
sacred record - that such as these in their own time
were considered of no account? They were, literally,
the chattel of another; literally, they were the bearers
of the burdens in the home and in the field.
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"Mary looked out upon life without rebellion.
That one (Joseph), her guardian, was master both of her body and the
conditions of her life. Yet Mary was free in spirit,
and as she looked upon the Child - her Child and yet
not her Child - so something of comfort was wrapped
around her. The Child saw the tears, aye, and worse,
the Child saw that one, so dear, in agony most extreme;
and yet, as a child, held by a child's limitations,
could do naught but kiss the hand which could make
no response to that caress.
-
"Oh, little ones, poverty in our time bore so
wan a face. There were those around who 'shared', but
what had they to share? There were those, like-placed,
who mingled their tears together, but the children
cried for food and the mother's body ah, she responded
only as a mother can...But the Master is here and bids
me pause.
-
"Think not, little ones, that I drew this picture
for any purpose but that of consolation and illumination
as to those things which must come to pass. The Child,
the Boy, the Man faced every form of anguish, temptation
and trial which it is possible for the earth life to
hold...
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"Oh, Master, so we bow before Thee and take of
the radiance of Thy Love, for sweet are the uses of
adversity!
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"Yes, out of the pangs, out of the going without,
out of the sharing of the sorrow of others, so the
strength came, so the freedom of the Spirit was made
His own; and so it was that He could stand before His
accusers, before those who had the gifts of the mind
but no gift of the Spirit, and could confound them
with the very simplicity of His statements and His
answers. Think you, my children, as to this: In the
measure that the individual suffers, so only can the
release of the Divine within be brought about. Oh,
sweet are the uses of adversity!
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"I would take you back once again to your childhood.
Was it fair? Then haste to retrieve the precious time
that was cast away. Was it full of that which you wish
to forget? Then clasp your gifts and thank your God
that out of the sorrow something has come from which
you can never be separated throughout eternity. I look
around the world today. I see on all sides those who
shrink from the wilderness and I see those who, trembling,
have crossed out of the delectable city into the shade
of the desert, the desert which must be crossed before
understanding and revelation can be made their own.
What as to these? Think of the careless ones, the ones
who seek and find the things which wither and die away.
Think of those others who are as travellers. These
are restless, there is something within which bids
them go on, persevere, find out the truth. At first
they are as those setting forth on a quest which shall
bring interest and amusement. They cry: 'Oh, I will
study this, I will go through that, I am out for proof
of something!'
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"Aye, the cloak of the traveller has been donned
unconsciously. They approach the edge of the wilderness.
There are many who pause, they would go back. They
look around. There are the familiar ones taking of
the joys of the earth, and they question within: 'why
am I here?' And some say: 'I will return.' But they
find, through the donning of the cloak, that this is
a difficult matter; or if they return, they speak another
language to those on pleasure bent. But the wilderness
affrights them; it is a strange country, there are
unknown enemies. And the world cries: 'Fool!' and the
mind questions: Am I wise or am I foolish? But the
cloak of the traveller has been donned.
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"Little ones, how many, think you, who have crossed
that which divides the careless life into the shadow
and shade of the desert, how many are prepared for
what lies there? And oh, forget not that the desert
must be crossed! The so-called clever ones, they call:
'Take care, beware!' But by them also the desert must
be crossed. Within its shade enemies are entrenched;
as it were, above them stretches darkness, and the
stars are absent. Beneath their feet, so it seems,
is shifting sand, and something akin to horror seizes
their mind and fear touches their heart; but once the
desert has been entered there is no way out but God's
way. Oh, praise the Father for that!
-
"Now listen and learn, for each one here has penetrated
that which is the wilderness, and I say: Thank God
there is no way out but God's way - the way into revelation,
the way into the realms of peace.
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"So, my children, through the fears and the shrinkings,
the misgivings, the reluctance and the pangs that rise
from this condition of mind, the traveller slowly changes
within and without; and after spiritual hunger, after
agonies of thirst for the waters of life and healing
which seem ever beyond his grasp, after the despair,
after the sense of being forsaken by God, so upon the
individual the cross is marked, and to others no longer
is he a traveller but a pilgrim on his way to the City
of God.
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"Now think you, does the one concerned know of
the change; does he feel upon his brow the Cross of
Christ? Nay, little ones, if this were so, where could
the test come in? How then could further endurance,
further stability be built up? How could the Divine
within shake off its last bonds, free itself from its
lighter chains? No; while the wilderness stage goes
on, so it seems that the child of God blunders and
fails, so it seems to such a one that he betrays the
Christ within, that indeed he is as a mockery of what
he hoped to be for the Master's sake.
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"Think of those of old, think of the one who stands
by me now - Paul with the many gifts. Can you not follow
in thought the pathway which Paul trod, the length
of the wilderness? But think not that God has not made
due provision for those who take the lonely way. As
Paul emerged from the traveller stage into that of
the pilgrim, though the body tortured, though the mind
seemed to fail, yet the darkness of the night held
him not. The stars gave forth their light, and looking
up from that which bound and held, so, from the light
of the stars, not only strength was passed down but
illumination; for Paul looked, as it were, into the
stars and saw the Master controlling the lives of men,
aye, working in that which was the holy plan.
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"Little children, I put this into earth language,
for so oft the physical mind misunderstands. Paul and
his brethren knew what it was to seek and seek for
that honourable toil which should establish them in
the eyes of their fellow-men: Paul and his brethren
knew what it was to be turned from this portal and
that; Paul and his brethren knew hunger and thirst,
knew weariness of body and deep anxiety of mind, aye,
looked into the eyes of those who acclaimed themselves
as friends yet were traitors...But the way of the wilderness
led into the City of God.
-
"Oh, ponder on this and spread the news, give
out facts to those so blind and bound. Think of the
poor, the workless, the toilers who can find naught
on which to expend the energy within. Think of the
masses of people who look forward to the coming winter
with something akin to despair and hatred of others,
and give them explanation.
-
"True, the wilderness and its darkness holds them
fast; true, they cannot see the stars, those symbols
of God's love; true, they seem as those forsaken; but
the way of the wilderness leads into the light which
never fades, leads into that sweet companionship which
only those who have suffered in like manner can give;
leads into wisdom - the release of the Divine wisdom
housed within when all the past will seem so clear,
when the Cross will be shown to them in its true light:
protection, God's protection. And in that time the
traveller and the pilgrim, these in turn give place
to the child of God in love and understanding, and
such are named the angels of the Most High.
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"So I say to each one and to those many whom I
have gathered in: Oh, sweet are the uses of adversity!
Why should fear creep so close? Where are the roots
of anxiety? - placed in the earth alone! What of the
past? Gather up your gifts and go forward, thanking
God that you, each one, can indeed be used by Him for
the redemption of others.
-
"I speak to you individually and I impress upon
you once again that adversity, as you regard adversity,
must come upon this little plane, but sweet are the
uses of adversity. Out of the tears, out of the pangs,
out of the broken hearts, so a fairer city - something
nearer to God's most holy plan - will be made possible,
and the cleansing of the hearts and minds of men and
women will bring peace upon earth and goodwill amongst
men.
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"Before I pass from your presence to-night, I
am instructed by Love to speak to my brothers present.
I say: What of the night? and again I say: What of
yestere'en, what of to-day, what of to-morrow? Oh,
is it not plain? The call has come for volunteers!
Shrink not from the call but claim it as the privilege
it represents, and thank your God that you are sufficiently
free to hear the call, for there are countless thousands
for whom the sweet Voice of the Spirit has no meaning
as well as no sound.
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"Volunteers are wanted. The work you have done
is but the preparation, it is as a fragment of the
whole. Then tighten the cloak around you, the cloak
of the traveller. The time comes quickly when as pilgrims
- pilgrims in the God-sense, warriors at heart, the
ones who shrink not - when pilgrims will be wanted
to spread this truth amongst those who know it not.
In that time no longer will it appear only as something
pleasing to the mind, something of mental interest,
something which can give guidance over the trivial
things of the day.
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"Nay, in that time men and women will forget their
bodies, their comforts and their cloying desires and
work for Christ in the way that the Master laid down.
Yes, they will work, not merely think; give, and not
take; pursue the humble way, the way of suffering,
the way of toil, the way of going without. In that
time, the hearts and minds of men and women will be
sifted - and God help those who can show no gold amongst
the earthliness which is theirs.
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"So, my brothers, I speak to you, for indeed we
must press on and there is no retreat. Behind the enemies
are thick. If in front they seem overwhelming, what
of that? The Master once again leads the way. Then
up, and let fear fall from you never to return. Go;
forsake that laid down by the physical mind of man
- the serving up of truth upon a platter, garlanded
with earthly flowers; go, give to the masses the bread
of life which the Master provided through the pangs
endured, through the loneliness, through the pain,
through the partaking of the suffering of others -
oh, pass on the bread of life which the Master gave
and bade us eat in remembrance of Him.
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"Foolish ones, and bound! They take of the meal,
they take of the corn, and give to the people. They
have not understood what the bread passed on by the
Master represented. 'Take, eat; this do in remembrance
of Me.' Oh, go back, go back over the past and read
the signs. Let not blindness hold the mind, nor those
of the world obscure the sight. Great things are coming
to pass and the starving multitude will turn upon their
teachers, and the teachers will stand shamed, shamed
as to their barrenness, as to their weakness, as to
their misunderstanding of the Master's words: 'Follow
me!'
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"Brothers, take the hard road, the way of the
wilderness, the garden and the cross, which leads on
to the Eastermorn - the new birth, the new life, ah,
freedom from that which binds, affinity with God! Hold
fast, hold fast to that which, by the Love of the Master,
I have passed on through this instrument; hold fast
to the truth and give out of the bread of life to the
starving masses.
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"Around us as I speak, so I see the angels of
the Most High, and they are sending down to you that
which you recognise as lines of light - power, healing,
wisdom, guidance. It remains with you whether you respond,
or whether their gifts fall and are scattered by the
materialism of this little earth. Each one in Spirit
has made a compact this night, under the radiance of
the Cross. Let naught of the earth, naught of the mind,
naught of the heart turn you from the fulfilment of
that which you have undertaken, for you have been blessed.
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"So once more I call up your courage, call up
your faith; and as I speak so indeed a little freer
is the Divine within; as I speak so the Holy Spirit
rests upon each one, and I leave you with these last
words. The time for work in man's way is past. The
time for work in Christ's way has commenced. Revelation
is at the outer door. Go forth to meet it with faithful
hearts and vigilant minds, and you shall see, in God's
good time, that you contributed to the cleansing of
this little earth. I bless you with courage. Farewell!"
©GWCSA
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