THE GREATER WORLD CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALIST CHURCH

THE ZODIAC MESSAGES

"CHILDREN"

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), through the mediumship of Miss Winifred Moyes in the earlier part of the twentieth century

1. "GOOD evening, my children. You will have noticed that tonight, for the first time, I dispensed with the few words of prayer which you say together. I did this for one reason only: I found it advisable to release my child from the physical body at the earliest possible moment. You know, dear children, that at times the prison-house of the flesh seems almost more than you can bear; but I have told you that God never allows the breaking-point to be reached. In some way or other the tide of adverse conditions is turned, and, in the pause, the mind is able to gather together its resources - to meet the enemy not only with courage but with the ammunition necessary to drive it back.

2. "Well, dear children, when anyone has given themselves up to this sacred work for God it is the easiest thing to release them from the physical world; and by allowing the Spirit to rest in this manner it quickly regains its poise and continues its way re-charged direct from God.

3. "I give this little explanation because, otherwise, you might think that the words of dedication - with which you start our little conversation - lest you might think that these words were not acceptable to the Father.

4. "Well, dear children, the time has been rather taken away from us tonight, as it would seem to you (9 p.m.) so I will not dwell unduly on these opening remarks, but would assure you - for I know how much compassion, real compassion there was in your minds - I would assure you that my child is now quite happy and content; and - I am bound to confess it - the chief reason of her happiness and contentment is that she has got rid of that 'incubus' of the body, as some of you regard the temple of the soul. Ah! my little ones, you will never know until you stand with us and look earthwards - you will never know what the same troublesome physical body, what those irksome conditions in the physical world, the irritations, the strain, the selfishness of others - or what appears as lack of consideration of some towards their fellow-beings - not until you stand with us and look over that plane which you call 'the Earth' will you understand and appreciate all that the physical experience has done for you.

5. "Well, dear children, never think because I point out these things to you that I do not understand, that I cannot enter fully into all your lives - what they hold and what has been cast away. Never forget that we are as one; yet only can that at-one-ment be possible because Christ has given you into my care, and Christ's Love has made the link between us. His strength, His power holds them intact, and His mighty understanding foresees everything that might seek to break them in twain.

6. "Christ, the Gentle Saviour is in your lives, in your hearts in a way you little understand. Yet, as time goes on, those grosser layers of physical and material thought shall be cast aside, shall be removed one by one and, as the refining process takes place, so the realisation shall come that the love within for the Tender Shepherd is stronger, greater, more lasting than anything else, and has been from the beginning.

7. "And now, my little ones, there are several things which we will think about together; and tonight I am going to lessen the personal messages in rather a drastic manner, because I am anxious and ever more anxious to teach you and to expand the borders of the spiritual mind, so that indeed the physical shall be ousted out never to return again.

8. "There has been a little said already in regard to the work which the children undertake for the Father, and this evening I rather want to underline the children's side: I mean those who have been with you just a little while and then, e'er the bud had opened, the flower was gathered into the Gardens of the Spirit, there to bloom under the Sun of Holiness, there to bring sweetness and renewal of faith to those who have lived the allotted span.

9. "Children, you will recall my remarks in regard to those who have cultivated their physical minds to the fullest extent. These have contributed more or less valuable and useful information to the world of their day, and also to the generations which are coming along. Yet, dear children, I told you also that physical thinking and spiritual thinking were not connected, in the majority of cases. I put it that way because I want you to understand clearly that the man who trains and schools and feeds the physical mind to the best of his ability and opportunity, that if he were so minded he could carry the mind of the Spirit along with him, point by point. But it occurs very often that the physical mind and its powers - its vitality - is sufficient; indeed it is all-satisfying to the possessor and he is quite content to, as he might put it: 'let Heaven look after itself.'

10. "Well, dear children, when such as these pass out of the physical body they have to leave that same physical mind behind, in the sense that memory only is taken with them. Mark this clearly: I have told you that during the sleep state and times of meditation you pass out of the physical plane into one or other of the spiritual realms, and I said it was 'memory' which allowed you, sometimes, to bring back a faint impression of what you had been witnessing. Now dear children, when you are in the spiritual body you are again dependent upon memory in precisely the same way in regard to events on Earth - for physical facts, for those things which are not connected with the mind of the Spirit.

11. "But affection, compassion and tender recollection of the kindnesses of others - all those gifts which have been acquired and used while undergoing the physical experience - these are carried over with you...But let me go back. It was necessary to give that little explanation, otherwise you might become confused.

12. "When these highly trained mental characters leave their bodies and the physical side of their minds behind they feel strangely lost - lost and bewildered - just the same as if you awoke without preparation and found yourselves in a Chinese village. I use that illustration because there are no words which can express the sense of bewilderment and, in some cases, childish apprehension with which the highly trained mentally, but not spiritually, meet their new conditions.

13. "Well, dear children, such as these - unless they have kept a definite place in their heart and mind for those attributes associated with God - these are very difficult to help. You cannot spend the greater portion of your physical life teaching others, laying down the law, producing facts and statements which you affirm cannot be denied - you cannot suddenly throw over this attitude of mind - and so it is that although they are confused by their new conditions, yet they resent any little explanation which others would make in order to help them...

14. "But after a little while, after the bruised feeling resulting from the dim consciousness of being betrayed - or, as some would say 'let down' by the physical mind - after that bruised, sore feeling has passed then they are more approachable; but still great tact is required, and here it is that the children are invaluable. The little ones just dance into their lives. Their youth, their innocence, their purity catches the attention of these world-worn, somewhat hardened travellers, and it would delight you to see how, from the most trivial little thing, a friendship springs up. First of all it is an attraction by the eye: the children are very sweet to look upon, and the colours which are the emanations of purity and simplicity are exquisite indeed. Later on, when the trust between them has been cemented, then it is that the children commence to teach them something about the wonders of the Love of God.

15. "I want you to try and visualise this: A child when she has found a treasure is always anxious to show it to others - to disclose the little secret spot which she thinks she has chanced upon in her play. Now I want you to understand that the children over here are children; they are not precocious, not the 'old heads on young shoulders' which perhaps are rather in evidence in the world today. That is entirely 'physical' and, for the most part, on the destructive side. No! the little ones here are children, children in every sense that you could think of, with this exception: Very soon after they are gathered into the Realms of Light the harmony and the love and the beauty - well, that overrides any little naughtiness or wilfulness that may remain; also the force of example has its influence in a way which those on Earth cannot understand.

16. "So, dear children, I want you to realise that when the little ones take under their care those who have excluded the things of God from their physical lives, they teach them as a child would - by showing them their little treasures, by a simple description of something they have seen, which, because of their childish frankness, convinces the older one that it must be true.

17. "And so it is that the children work for God, work in their own way, I mean. And love, of course, plays an enormous part, for when the older ones begin to see and begin to try and understand something of the gigantic plan in the Father's Mind, then they are overwhelmed with humiliation and self-reproach. At these times no one could help them except a little child. They, as children, would see that something is wrong, so their little arms go round the sufferer's neck, and in that sweetest of all links the real man is able to emerge and to grow stronger.

18. "Children, there are many, many aspects of this particular work, yet I am bound to stop at this stage because tonight I want to emphasise particularly that what was said in prophecy regarding Our Lord - 'A little child shall lead them' - applies to the Spirit of every child who has taken on physical existence. Yes, a little child shall lead them out of the winding paths of physical thought, out of all those thickets of deduction, out of the twilight into the Light, when those so bound by the capabilities of the mind of the body will realise that those capabilities, which they prized so much, were gifts direct from God, only they had put them to a use which was never in the Father's Mind.

19. " - 'A little child shall lead them!' - There are countless thousands in the Realms of the Spirit who never would have reached the Light of Holiness had it not been for the children, had it not been for the little thoughts, the tender fancies and the exquisite simplicity of the infant mind which was under the direct influence of He who blessed the little ones.

20. "Yes, dear children, there is a lot which arises out of this subject, and tonight I will just touch upon the little ones who are everywhere in your midst today.

21. "You see, dear children, that it was the Father's intention that not only should the children in the Spirit impart to the older ones something of the things of God, but that those same older ones on Earth should learn from the examples in their midst a little of the beauty of purity and simple faith.

22. "A child's life is a great responsibility. Some of you, I know, have exaggerated that responsibility, until it has grown into an apprehension of ever taking on the responsibility yourselves, but that is not right. Yet, dear children, I admit that it is true that many parents regard their little ones as requiring from them far less thought than a business transaction; indeed, in the planning and construction of a house in which to live, a hundred-fold more thought and care is bestowed than in contemplating that little house of flesh in which something of God is stored.

23. "We will try and get this matter a little clearer. So many theories there have been, and are, in regard to the upbringing of children, and as the centuries go on you see the swing of the pendulum. One generation, perhaps, shows signs of harshness to those so entrusted to their care; then the next generation goes to the other extreme, and the result is rather damaging to God's plans for lifting the children of the Earth above their environment.

24. "Now, dear children, the reason why these mistakes are made - and you see them constantly on either side in rather a bewildering way - the reason is that comparatively few parents reward their little ones in the way God intends.

25. "First of all get back to the purpose of physical life. You know the Spirit within each one is of God - a part of Him - which has started off on its long journey in order to make purity and holiness its own. You know that the Spirit chooses certain conditions in order to bring out those higher qualities, or to eradicate those characteristics which hold them back; and the homes in which the little ones arrive are chosen entirely as a background for the working in - and the working out - of the experiences which that which is Divine within the body intends to undergo.

26. "So you see, dear children, that after all, when a mother or a father is particularly proud of the appearance, or the cleverness of the little one they have brought into the world, it is taking upon themselves rather a lot. They are, as it were, appropriating that which belongs to another. It also shows you the fallacy of comparing one child adversely, or favourably, with another.

27. "You have been taught by me that many of those who come into the physical world ill-equipped bodily - yes, and sometimes mentally as well - that these are the strong souls, these are the ones who were inspired to do as much as they could in the shortest time possible.

28. "You see where I am trying to lead you. Real parents, intelligent parents, in looking at the beauty, or the health, or the ability of their little ones, first tender thanks to God, and from that point realise their responsibility begins.

29. "The gifts are there: will they be detrimental to the progress of the Spirit within, or will they add a little to its store? And this explains why it is that some mothers - especially mothers - have such a wonderful love for the child who is deformed, for the little one who comes into a rather sorrowful world even more restricted by the physical than the majority. The mother's heart, her spiritual instinct - although she may not know it - but that spiritual instinct within tells her that the little maimed form in her arms represents a strong Spirit indeed, one who is allied to God, one who, out of love for Him, throws aside all those attractive possessions of the body and intends to fight through without them.

30. "Again I say, you see where I am leading you. Get these things into their proper place in your mind and think them out for yourself.

31. "The gift of a child is a responsibility indeed, but not in the way in which men and women on Earth regard it.

32. "The child mind - the tiny physical mind which is so gradually unfolded - to what does it unfold itself? Is it to holiness and truth, or is it to the soiled aspects of a material world?

33. "Don't you see that during those early stages much can be done? The undeveloped physical mind, gathering in, in the vaguest way, impressions - mostly through the eye or through the touch - that tiny mind is like a clear garden. And what are the seeds that you are to sow therein?

34. "Yes, I know all about those discussions which come under the heading of 'Heredity', and I intend to deal with that subject as opportunity occurs; but I say that the influences, that the vibrations of thought focussed around the unfolding baby-mind are of such transcending importance that no words can be found to express it.

35. "And remember this: That when both stand free in the Spirit - the father and the daughter, the mother and the son; not in those terms of relationship, but as spirit and spirit - then those who had the training of the younger physical life will, in many cases, recoil with horror to find how they were used by the evil to harass and hinder and retard those in their care.

36. "You see again, dear children, where I am leading your thoughts. No one in your world, nor in those many planes beyond are free from this responsibility. Whether a child was committed to their charge during the physical stages, it matters not. Here or in the Beyond each spirit has to go through the same experience, the same training in regard to helping the younger ones to grow into maturity. And I say there is no anguish compared to this: when a mother or a father sees the effect of their thoughts, their interests, their lives upon the tiny mind opening to the world in which it has chosen to learn its lessons.

37. "When you look at it in this way harshness towards a child, or that deceptive 'spoiling' - each falls into its place; or, rather, both are submerged by the truth, the truth as to the real position between parent and child.

38. "I want you, as much as you can, to put others on their guard; to try and induce them to regard their little ones in this way: as souls which, unconsciously to their physical minds, are struggling and striving to make the Divine within their own possession. To point out to the older ones that this Earth's experience is even as a training school. You know how it is in school life: that if you do your best to learn your lessons quickly - why, not only is life easier and you escape many punishments for evasion, but also, by application, you pass on from stage to stage, eventually emerging into that freedom when school days are no more, and, perhaps, you begin to teach others in your turn.

39. "That is how physical life should be regarded by the parents, by those who have been entrusted with the privilege of helping another soul on its upward climb. Therefore, my dear children, you will see at once that by influencing the little one towards the gifts of the Spirit - and it can be done from the earliest stages, by ever and again showing to the little flower-mind how much beauty there is in the Father-Mind, and by instilling in it a love for growing things, using nature as an illustration - imperceptible though it may be to you, yet you are providing for the opening out of that physical mind the environment which is the highest and the best.

40. "Yes, when you come here you will see how malleable is the mind of a little child. I do not say its 'will' because - well, the majority have come up rather abruptly against the baby-will, and they consider it a question that has yet to be solved. But don't you see that in influencing the thoughts, unconsciously to the little one, you are bending the will God-wards, drawing it from the attraction of the Earth side and physical things; and, later on, that will, strong as it may be - well, then it is strong for good, and that is what it was given for.

41. "In regard to the subject of the children's part in the Great Plan of Creation, you will find, all of you, that the importance given to the young is, on the one hand, exaggerated, and in an unwise way as well. Yet, on the other hand, God's side is, for the most part, overlooked. It hasn't been sought for, it hasn't even been thought about amongst the many other things of daily life.

42. "To the mothers and the fathers who so love their little ones I give a special word: I say that when they see things in God's way they will find it hard to forgive themselves if, on looking back, they see they delighted only in the love and companionship of their children and did not give to God in return; and you know that the only way we can give to God is by helping others to get a little nearer to Him. It is the only thing that we can do for the Father; and if you would remind me of 'love', then I answer at once that, over here, love is translated into 'service', and so you have the thing complete.

43. "Then, dear children, there is another subject which I should like to refer to tonight, and that is in regard to daring much for Christ.

44. "I have in my mind at this moment the little story of Peter - Peter who left the safety of the boat and tried to reach his Master.

45. "Well, dear children, the mind of man, to a certain extent, has misinterpreted that little incident. So often it is told as a warning against lack of faith, and you are reminded that Christ Himself said to Peter: 'O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?'

46. "Now I have been commissioned to unveil, in the little time at my disposal - to unveil to you something of the love of God, something in regard to His attitude towards the children that He has created; therefore, my little ones, when this passage comes up I want you to interpret it thus:

47. "As you know, there were others in the boat with Peter; but when Peter saw Our Lord walking on the waters, within his heart and mind unconsciously to the lesser self - there arose that great spiritual ambition to go to Him, and, disregarding the physical conditions and the obvious danger which lay between him and his heart's desire, he threw himself out of the boat.

48. "Now, dear children, think with me awhile. From the world's point of view, from the so-called practical point of view, Peter's act would have been considered not only foolhardy, but lacking in even the elementary principles of commonsense.

49. "Between the boat and The Master there were the waves and the dangers they represented; and yet Christ, standing there, seemed, by His love, to urge Peter to try. And so it is that, now and again, there are men and women in the world who rise above physical thinking, above all those thoughts of caution - those destructive thoughts of caution - and they defy that which is of the Earth and, from the strength which is within, gain, anyhow, sufficient courage to attempt the seemingly impossible.

50. "Children, from an outside point of view this is a fairly adequate illustration of the position in regard to this Truth. You have the arguments of the logical mind: 'If you attempt to cross the waters of the river of death, then you are asking for trouble, and, probably, will meet with utter destruction'. Yet Christ, the Light of the World, stands on those 'dangerous' waters and, by His love, beckons you to His side.

51. "And then, dear children, I come to this: I ask all those who read these records to try and interpret The Master's reply to Peter's effort in the way in which it was said and meant.

52. "I take you back to the little child - the little child which the mother is trying to induce to walk alone. The little one, urged by the love and the desire in the mother's heart and voice, attempts what is soon proved to be impossible. And what does the mother do? After the first faltering steps, e'er the child falls, the mother has clasped it in her arms, and she says, as a mother should: 'Oh! why were you afraid? Mother is here and she would not let you fall!'

53. "You see, dear children, what I am trying to impress upon your minds: That those words of Our Lord were never intended to imply reproach - they represented Love, exquisite, tender, understanding Love.

54. "Think then of it in this way: Peter, with a courage greater than the others could find, Peter throws himself into the water; and then, being in a physical body, bound by the restrictions of physical thinking, he feels that he is on the point of sinking. But Christ catches him e'er he goes down, and with an out-pouring of love for the one who tried to show his love for Him, He says: 'O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?'

55. "It is the Mother-heart of God stretching out and gathering in the child who is not yet strong enough or experienced enough to walk alone.

56. "Yes, dear children, these thoughts of ours go very deep, not only in a physical way but in that far better way which belongs only and solely to the mind of the Spirit. Think you of these things, and when there are those who would say to you, in regard to this work: 'Isn't it a dangerous undertaking?' then answer them with faith: 'Christ is there to hold me lest I fall; and because He has passed through physical death and proclaimed that life is everlasting, so I too will do my best to meet Him where He bids me come.'

57. "Never go back on the thought that Peter failed. Peter's 'failure' was a success that the others could not rise to. You see my point: Here and there there are those who will attempt; and these, called by that which is Love itself, shall, in God's good time, see for themselves that even though they seemed to sink, yet e'er the waters closed over them the Master had them fast, and with gentle - yes, and playful tenderness He says to them, to you and to Peter: 'O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?'

58. "You see that you have got to look at things in God's way if you are to make any progress towards the Higher Life. You have got to readjust these statements in your Sacred Records, and to regard them by the Light which shines from His Love. Over and over again, what man has interpreted as censure was but as the loving assurance which a mother - a devoted mother - would give to her little child whom she is watching, guarding, tending and trying to teach the rudiments of physical life, so that the limbs, the mind and the Spirit may grow as God intends.

59. "The true Mother reflects more nearly the Mind of God than anything else in the physical or spiritual worlds - the true, unselfish, far-seeing, spiritualised Mother, spiritualised by her love, is very close to the ideal - that ideal which interprets to us something of the heart and mind of God.

60. "And now, my children, I will leave you. There is one who would speak to you tonight; and then, as the evening is slipping by, I think we must draw this time of sweet Communion to a close - but that is as the Father wills".

GIFT

Instead of having to connect to the Internet to read the wonderfully revealing Zodiac Messages on this site, it is possible to have them on your computer. A setup file installs the Messages in a folder of your choice, and can be given as a gift simply by clicking HERE. Then a message can be read at anytime giving immense inspiration, guidance, reassurance and spiritual renewal.

Other highly recommended reading...

“Life Beyond The Veil”
“Paul and Albert”
“Spiritual Realms”
“The Ministry of Angels”