Soul and Body

SOUL AND BODY

SUDDENLY THE REVELATION CAME, — -like a shaft of lightning striking a powder magazine. When the explosion of discovery was over, I realized for the first time that we, as a race of “truth-seekers” have been working in reverse.

Strange too, — since we have followed to the best of our ability the precepts laid down by Jesus Christ. But there has been such an appalling sense of failure in prayer. And such a tendency on the part of man to compromise, — first for the half loaf, — then for the slice, — and finally finding himself under the proverbial table eating the crumbs.

And then the torrent of words, — pro and con, — as to why the prayer was not answered. And the beseeching and begging and agonizing before a supposed Deity, — the groveling in the dust of human thought and words, trying to curry the smallest favor from God. All of this in spite of the fact that man has been told to “Come boldly before the Throne of Grace”.

In spite of our best efforts, God seemed more human than Divine, — and at times a very “spoiled” human, whose most important activity seemed to be laying traps in which to ensnare humanity, — then gloating over the slow, tortuous punishment. Yet Jesus made it plain that God is LOVE, — and is concerned over the fall of a single sparrow, though four of them could be had for a farthing.

Everything worked for Jesus, — though at times it may have seemed that it was a special power which He alone embodied. But to counteract this idea, He invited all to “Go thou and do likewise”, — and “even greater things”, — greater than He had ever performed.

Well then, — why don’t we at least approach in some minor degree the works He did two thousand years ago? True, — from time to time a so-called healing or miracle takes place, — but an occasional healing is no indication that a definite law is underlying it, — no more than the very occasional working out of a problem in mathematics. In mathematics we demand a hundred per cent efficiency. Is mathematics, then, more certain and definite than God? The Power which Jesus used was certain of definite results.

There is no currying of favors in mathematics. The humblest wretch, the worst sinner, the most lordly prince, all have an equal chance. There is no limitation as to the use of the law. It is not bestowed upon man as a reward of merit. It just IS, and must be accepted and entered into before it becomes alive. And in this respect, Jesus also made it plain that “God is no respecter of persons” I was listening one day to the radio, to a very prominent singer who had become almost an institution during the war years, so appealing and warm was his voice. The natural comment was, — “That man has a beautiful voice”, — but suddenly I realized just the reverse was true, — that voice has a beautiful body through which to express. The song was singing him, — singing his body, — expressing through every cell and atom.

And then the LIGHT flared, — and I saw that this is exactly the difference between the manifestations of Jesus and the attempteddemonstrations of man. Jesus “went within and shut the door”, — and became a soul with a body through which to manifest.

The unintelligent mass of atoms called the body and named John Smith or Mabel Jones or Jesus, has been attempting to establish its power in the body, — attempting to make a singer, a dancer, a writer, a healer of John Smith, — and with mighty poor success.

But when the idea is glimpsed, — this revelation of Jesus Christ, — then man is seen to be a soul with a body, — and whatsoever he then designates the soul, that the body performs. Jesus knew that the John Smith could do nothing, when He said of His Jesus body, “I can of mine own self do nothing”, — and He stopped there as far as making Jesus perform. He went within and identified Himself with Soul, — and whatsoever He designated that soul to be, that did Jesus perform, — whether speaker, healer, financier, baker or vinter. He was a soul with a body, — and not a body with a soul.

This subtle change in consciousness causes one to see the infinite possibilities. It is then easy to understand the so-called illusive financial demonstration which comes through the “no-time no-space” idea, — and to understand, too, how healings automatically take place through this recognition. The revelation of the soul as the healer releases LIFE through the Jesus with one hundred percent success. If the soul is designated as a speaker, the unintelligent body of Jesus or John Smith will speak, even though he has never learned how to speak. He draws on the infinite resources of the ALL.

“Then went He in and shut the door, — and WHATSOEVER He told the Father in secret, that was called from the housetops.”

Having admitted that He could of Himself do nothing, — that the unintelligent body had taken unto itself a mass of human beliefs, none of them true and most of them evil, — Jesus made His escape from this thought congestion, into His soul. Then WHATSOEVER He designated the soul, became true, for it had a body, a perfectly pliable body, through which to express, — with no resistance, no opinions, no beliefs to hinder.

Now it is not difficult to see how “IT searches the joints and the marrow”, — how it is the soul with a body can and does naturally disentangle the snarls of human thinking with its patterns of evil, poverty and disease. The body becomes the servant of the Lord. Hence, when the soul is specified as any given thing, this soul then holds the body in its grasp, causing it to manifest the desire. The body, though wholly incapable of performing of itself, does the thing it could not do, — and in less time than it could be done, — with greater success, — a sustained success.

This is the resurrection of the beseeching sinner man, — worm-of-the-dust, — born-of-woman, — full-of trouble. He leaves the pig-sty of human thinking, becoming a LIVING SOUL with an unresisting, unintelligent body through which to express. There is no argument or quibbling now from the body, — it is in its right place, — sitting at the feet of the Master.

When the body with a soul attempts to work out a problem, he runs the gamut of human emotions, from humility to hatred, — from the making of many affirmations to high powered psychology, — none of which work, even though he may have gone through a hundred courses, all of them guaranteeing positive and definite results. And this in spite of the admonition, “Be not like, the heathen, who think by repeating many words, they will gain the ear of God”.

If nothing happens, he compromises, — and then, if nothing takes place, he begins to “work’) things on the outside. The ignorant John Smith, never having had a consciousness of substance, does not know what money is, and is only fooling himself when he tries to imagine that he is wealthy. He has no capacity to accept that which he does not understand.

Jesus had no great earning capacity as a man. His trade was lowly, and in a small town, — and yet He became a master financier when needs be. He knew that the “Jesus” could not afford to feed five thousand men (not counting the women and children), — and yet, He did just that.

“Then went He in and shut the door”, — became the soul with a body, — and WHATSOEVER He designated from that elevation, the Jesus-body carried out without comment, speculation or effort.

Every financier in the world today works through his body intomanifestation. Physically, his body may not compare favorably with yours. If he had to use the body to earn a living, he would fall far short of the millionaire. But he is the soul with an unintelligent body which does not know how to make more than a bare existence, and then is in danger of having that taken from him at any time.

And to the financier is given success, — and more and more money, although he may not need it, because the law states “to him that hath (consciousness) shall be given“, in like kind. The power of this “SOUL-consciousness” causes the otherwise sick or poor body to be suddenly transformed.

The moment you know you are a speaker with a body, you will speak in eloquence and with a fluidity hitherto unknown. When the soul is designated as any given thing, it not only brings that into manifestation, but all else that goes with it, — and automatically. Therefore the soul who designates himself a speaker, will find his audience, his hall, his success, — and the flow of the Bright Substance called Wisdom, pouring through him into manifestation. If he stays upon his point, he will see his words take actual shape before his eyes, — he will see the word HEALTH become embodied in well-being, — and WEALTH in the substance of things hoped for.

If the club-footed girl who wants so to dance, would recognize that she is soul, and that soul a dancer, she would find the body would move with such rhythm and beauty as to prove the “height and breadth and depth” of this thing called God, whenever it has half a chance to comethrough into expression. The hard, opaque walls of human thought give way, and the body becomes plastic to the touch of the soul, — and expresses in a way hitherto impossible.

If you will but grasp the idea that you are a soul with a body, and that soul is awaiting the announcement of the capacity it is to take on, then you will understand all— of the demonstrations of Jesus Christ. You will see why He invited you to partake of the same power, — so that God may be seen before men, instead of this awful human thing, born of Adam, filled with nothing but evil and death. Small wonder then, the insistent commands of “Awake, thou that Sleepest” , — “Awake, and arise from the dead”,”Arise and shine, for thy LIGHT has come”.

Yes, — with the recognition of this wonderful truth you will arise, for the unintelligent body is now obeying the command of the soul and will carry on into expression “whatsoever you ask in My Name (nature)”. WHATSOEVER! What a word! No beginning, — no ending! WHATSOEVER!

So overpowering is this revelation that at first you may well cry with Monte Cristo, — “The world is mine”. But why possess the world or attempt to horde the riches of unintelligent matter, — when

within you is the ALL to be brought forth at your command? Long since you have washed your garments white of the greed for power, place or thing, — and so you may have them all because now they are for the Glory of God, — and not for your own vain-glory.

The pictures cast forth disintegrate the moment they are released. This is why Jesus said, “Loose him and let him go”. Now for the first time, working from the elevation that you are a soul with a body Upon which to cast your pictures, you can understand how it is that a picture of paralysis can be “loosed” and “let go”, — and all the thought-congestion of disease slip into oblivion.

When Jesus went from His body to soul and identified Himself with this Permanent Identity, He immediately recognized that everything which Jesus desired already existed. “Body” cannot understand how it is that “before you ask, I will answer, and while you are yet speaking, I shall give it unto you”. Jesus never posited a problem and then try to work it out. He started always from the answer as definitely established, — and the LIGHT of this knowledge ran through the human, limited thought, — replacing the false appearances with the manifestation of the soul.

Whenever man (body) relinquishes his preconceived idea that he is a body with a soul and takes on this NEW elevation, he will find that “whatsoever he asks” is already taking place, — and that the old voluntary action is replaced by an involuntary power which carries on without the thought or suggestion of the John Smith body.

Jesus counseled, “Be absent from the body and present with the Lord”. He knew He was an Immortal, with a body through which to express, — a body which He could lay down and pick up at will. Operating from this level of consciousness, it is easy to understand the miracles.

Centuries of identification with the body has caused man to accept it as an intelligent organism, which calls upon something outside of itself for help. When it is discovered that the body is but a handful of malleable clay, formed of the dust of the earth, — then it is simple to grasp the power which Jesus said He had over the body-temple. Whatever He desired to be, He became in soul, — and the unintelligent body obeyed, without comment and offering no limitations or beliefs. And so the musician who realizes that he is a musician with a body, will find the body performing effortlessly, beyond all its former limitations.

“Then went He in and shut the door” This is the key to the Kingdom of Dominion. The body is the unintelligent screen upon which the soul throws its desires and truths.

Many people attempt to demonstrate finances or health or position by working from the “body” standpoint, — demanding, affirming, declaring that God is the thing they desire. And the success is sketchy, at best. But when the Immortal YOU makes the designation, the body will of necessity carry out the details “by a way ye know not of”. You stand in the place of the Christ instead of under the hypnosis of John Smith, and call upon the LORD with the knowledge that “before you ask, I will answer”, — and “Thank you, Father, — -I knew this was already done”. The body, John Smith, doesn’t know, and thinks something has to be done.

In MY Name! What name? God has many names, — infinite angles of expression. So when you approach the Deity through the Immortal BEing of you, the answer already is, — whether it be decision, — acceptance, — agreement, — – appropriation, — or any one of the various Name-Natures of God.

Whatever NAME-Nature you designate comes into being through the unintelligent body John Smith. At last he (John Smith) has been divested of his power apart from God, his knowledge of both good and evil, — and comes under the benign influence of having had the seven devils cast out of him. So he relaxes, seated at the feet of his Divinity, clothed in his right mind.

The movement of this Immortal YOU, divinely indifferent to the beliefs of John Smith and his thought world, is always in the dimension of success. It does not try, — -it does not work for it, — it is an indigenous quality. Whenever there is an expression of this Immortal YOU, success is assured without effort and thought.

Intelligent, then, is the command, — “Take no thought of the purse, the script, the body”—and so on. Now we see why, — because operating from your Immortal Self, you do not create, or come under the laws of limitation. You release the unseen power into manifestation through the temple-body, — and John Smith, if a cripple, leaps into the air, praising God, — or he opens his blind eyes, — or he is prospered “by a way he knows not of”.

 

Walter C. Lanyon