June 20, 1985

• Content of messages more important than words used

• Approaching transition

• Suggested format for this group

We your guides and the warmth and love of God are indeed a part of your gathering at the time.

You cannot absorb what is given you without thought, without being challenged to look for interrelationships in these messages. That is natural. It is best to keep those issues which create difficulty in some form of practical perspective. It is the content in general which you must focus on, not so much the words. There is nothing magical about words. It is just that the use of words is our only means of reaching you as a group.

We reach you also, as you know, individually and in most cases nonverbally. Certainly, each of you has experienced a sense of real peace, a sense that you are really a part of God’s existence, of the reality of God’s presence. There have also been times when such assurance has not been evident. That, too, is a kind of conflict, for either you believe that God is constantly present or you do not believe it. You cannot affirm that you are always within the view and care of God one moment, and then later feel you are separated from God. That simply is illogical, and yet despite this illogic, you do experience such discrepancies.

It is not important, therefore, to resolve the issue once and for all in your feelings, because it is not natural. There will always be times when you feel more distant and times when you feel the immediacy of God. Such conflicts are a part of life. When you feel God’s presence, your guides assist, but when you feel somehow separated from God, your guides are still there. They are still trying to assist, and no matter how much you may attempt to accept the permanence of God’s presence, you will still sense the frustration of feeling somehow slighted and alone.

And so it is with these messages. The discrepancies, the inconsistencies are natural, and they are not to be dwelled upon.

You are all concerned about your friend who is nearing the end of her life. She has expressed her anxiety and concern about her future. She feels unprepared to move forward, unprepared because of a sense that she is not worthy to move on. She expressed the hope of not having to live another human life, and yet she showed anxiety indicating her uncertainty as to whether she had done enough in this life.

The voice she perceives to have heard was her guide. She recognized it immediately and it was very real. She is very sensitive spiritually or she would not have heard her guide. But being notified of her future transition to our side does not imply “immediately.” Timing cannot be measured. Even we have no view of how soon she will join us. What is important is that she is giving careful thought to the meaning of her life and to the implications of her next life. There is much that she wants to share--not only much to learn, but much to say.

As she reaches out to many of you in this gathering, it is important that you support her with a quiet and loving attentiveness. She feels a great need for this group now. It is indeed a rare opportunity you have, each of you, to respond in this manner, to one who is approaching the future consciously with thought and with growing faith. There is much you may do for her. There is even more you may learn from her. Seek out opportunities to reach out and embrace her life in yours. She, of course, is not alone in her awareness of life’s transitions, but she is close to you all, and you must grasp the opportunity to help her growth and also to nurture your own. You are each gaining a sense of life’s continuity, but it is a difficult concept to fully understand. Each step along the way, therefore, is important and should be accepted willingly and joyously.

Her guides have noticed a change in the dynamics of this group, and it presents some concerns. It presents concerns because at times the strongest feelings are ones of frustration or defensiveness, rather than a gathering at the feet of God. There is no problem in expressing differences, but you know that you’re all equal in the eyes of God, and you must make an effort to reflect that equality—to nurture that equality if it is necessary before turning your attention to how we can help you by reflecting God.

You are a close group. You cannot help but be so after being together for so long. When there is such closeness, there is obviously more sensitivity to differences. Some gatherings have lacked the real peace which we seek for you. It is occasionally as if you pull away from your activities almost reluctantly, and then immediately return thereafter. We wish that you would organize your time as a group in a manner which focuses your attention on the real purposes joining you together. It is not so much a change in what you do as it is how you do it (your approach before the meeting.)

We suggest that you would find greater peace within the meeting if you spend some moments at the beginning in prayer. It would set a tone. It would really focus your thoughts on the higher purposes which unite and keep you together. It would also help us become more active participants in your discussions. We mean that quite literally, for what you offer in a meeting is not just what you happen to think, but may often be inspired by your receptivity to our response in the discussions. Just as prayers help us to be more effective in communicating with you at this time, so will those prayers help us to be more responsive in your open discussion.

We also suggest that perhaps at the conclusion of the receiving time that a very brief period be reserved for individual shared response. Often you have a reaction to what you have heard, and there is no opportunity really to respond within a prayerful environment. Perhaps this would help to keep the focus.

We offer these suggestions not as specific requirements but as possible aids to assist you in your growth, in your deliberation on our reflection of God. That is why you are here. You are here to learn about God and to understand how to apply what you learn individually, among the group members and among all others. It is all right, of course, to feel that it is a social occasion, and we don’t mean to imply that there must be only solemn thoughts. But our concern for your development is real—not our worry but our concern, our interest. We are here to serve you, to help you grow, to guide your lives. These suggestions would certainly make our tasks easier and make your understanding deeper.

We learn also. We have our guides, and we approach them seriously and only with prayer. Such activity does not occupy all of our time but a great portion of it. You continue to grow; we continue to grow. Such growth is almost without ceasing.

What a wonderful opportunity you provide yourselves in gathering as a group and reflecting on God! Even the mere act of putting other activities aside and devoting your efforts, however briefly, to the search for understanding presents each of you with enormous growth potential. Take hold of these opportunities. They do not occur nearly enough. Make the best of them.

Our efforts on your behalf will never cease. We love you as God loves you. We are concerned for your well-being as God is concerned for your well-being. We support you as God would have us do. There is no moment in all of your existence when you are without your guide. We are constantly present. Bring us into your lives more abundantly. Reach out for our help more consciously. Ask us more often to provide peace within. Actively seek our help as you proceed through life. And above all, have faith in all that we do, for our charge is given us by God. Our efforts are in turn guided as well.

We bless you with God’s enduring presence, with God’s love, and with God’s assurance of your increased strength and deepening awareness of goodness.

Amen.