Self mastery

You must master yourself. You must control your body and your mind. It is more difficult now than it was in the days of Jesus because there are more things that tempt you, lead you astray, to distract you. In the olden days people only worried about controlling their inner emotions, their actions towards others, their thoughts, and other things, which were natural. Now you must control the influences of things you partake. Food, for one. Before, food was not as plentiful, and so control was not as necessary, at the most. Now there is an abundance of food, especially in the Western nations. And there are other substances. There are the illegal controlled substances; there are the legal substances, which affect your state of mind. And, of course, there are influences, which bombard you day by day, such as from television, radio, and the media sources, which arouse in your mind a certain tendency to want to react. These influences may pressure you to buy things, to do things, which are not really necessary for spiritual gain. Keeping up with the Joneses so to speak, maintaining an outward appearance, which is more than is necessary. All of these things - I'm sure there are more - but these things require control. You must put them in perspective.

How to do this? You must think of the Paradise goal, values of which are needed for survival. You must live with your aim far head, although you must maintain some perspective of what you are doing here in this material world. You must not let material values take priority. Prioritize your actions on what you must accomplish in this life. Set your goals. And make those actions, which will actualize those goals, a priority.

This does not mean that you must be a hermit, or a person that renounces the pleasures of day to day living. No. Enjoy what you have, and partake of the bountiful fruits of which your ancestors have worked so hard to attain. But do not overindulge. Do not unthinkingly participate in the wanton splurge of those things, which are now so plentiful. Do your work, and when you are finished reward yourself with certain pleasures. Delay your gratification on a day-by-day basis until you have finished with your priorities, and then you may enjoy life's beauty, take pleasure in it.

Then, in matters of service and relationships with others, always master your responses to a sometime negative reaction of others. Control your own zeal. Do not shine the truth that you know so well so that it will blind others who are not so familiar or not so developed in their knowledge.

But control means more than the negative aspect of limiting yourself. Sometimes you must know when to let go of your zeal, let that knowledge shine brightly to those who are ready for the light. And also, when others are sometimes negative, depending on the circumstance - sometimes a person may require admonition; they may require some sort of fate like scolding. These are not outside the realms of personal relationships. You must know when to do what. This is control. This is self-mastery.

And in mastering yourself you must know certain aspects of yourself. The more you know yourself the better. This does not mean self-analysis. This means just to take a look inside yourself and realize who you are, what strengths you have, and make use of those strengths. Do not be self-cautious; do not think that you are not worthy. Realize that each and every one of you have aspects which are very beneficial to others. Use those parts of you to do good to others. And your weaknesses.

You can strengthen your weakness by sometimes going ahead and doing those things, which you thought you were not capable of. Try, strive, to better yourselves. But if you know that you cannot, upon the proof of many trials and errors, then avoid those circumstances, which will cause you harm. Do not place yourself in undue jeopardy if you know that it will be destructive to you. As you progress, you may become stronger in that aspect of yourself. And you may at one time be strong enough to confront those things, which at one time you could not. And this is accomplished by - once in a while - facing that very thing which frightens you.

When one's physical organism is hurt, when one has a wound or injury, if someone places a finger upon that injury that person will yell or scream because of pain. There will be commotion because everything is not right at that spot. Look into your own selves, and put the finger of your mind upon certain places, especially the places which hurt. Just gently - do not hurt yourself. If there is a twinge, that means that part of you is hurt. There is a wound there, an injury. You must bring that part out. Have faith. Pray to The Father, and shine the light of self-knowledge upon that spot. And realize, what is this that hurts you so? If it is a very sore and painful spot then you should leave it alone for that moment, but you should be aware that there is something wrong with it. And when you have gained strength, go back and gently approach that spot. Little by little you will focus light upon that grievous injury, and day-by-day what was once painful will become less painful until it will be healed and your probing will not cause any pain. Then you will know that you are completely healed.

Doing this frees yourself from reactions that you might show when spots like those which were painful are touched upon by others, and this way you will be master of yourself when others talk or when you talk or communicate about matters regarding that spot or part of you which had that injury or wrong. We all - even I - have places within us which we are not completely comfortable. I have seen and realized all my parts of myself, which I was not comfortable with, and I have shone the light of The Father upon them. You must do that. Be free of anything within you, which might make you react in a way that you would not want to head.
There are still other ways of self-mastery.

Question: You were talking about both physical and spiritual self-mastery. Is that correct?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And on the physical side, I think I understood you to say that we should take physical care of our
bodies, is that correct?

Answer: That is correct. 

Many individuals live daily in the desire of only understanding surface level ideas. They see the truth as cold and brutal. Many fear the truth for they fear its power over them. Truth does have power, but only if positive results come from it. If we fear truth, and are set in our ways, we are not advancing. We are not free. God is complete truth, and when we fear truth, we are inclined to fear Him. We are putting walls up between us and His divine essence.

The most difficult truth to bear is self truth. Inadequacies or short comings are fuel to the ego's fire. When we recognize something unpleasant about ourselves, it is difficult to look at that and say, "I am that. I desire understanding so that I may correct or improve." Many mortal responses would rather be, "I am that only because somebody made me that way." Blaming is casting God's light off of yourself and remaining in
ignorance.

To become aware of an unpleasant self truth is not to cause shame, but to stir the divine energies within. To admit this shortcoming is the first step in asking for help from the divine. Look not outside for others to take responsibility for your faults. Allow God's Spirit to turn you inward and listen for divine assistance. The world will become better if only one individual at a time can improve upon a dark spot in their behavior.

To face your faults is spiritual bravery, not something to shame you into striving for personal betterment, no. To bravely face personal defects is removal of an obstacle upon the path to Paradise. It is our Master's job to place the truth before us, and personally speaking, He is gentle beyond my own understanding. To know Him is to have steady growth. Admitting to Him you recognize a personal fault is asking Him for a new and better way to live, asking Him to remove an obstacle upon your eternal path.

Even the citizens of worlds settled in Light and Life take the recognition of personal faults with a rejoicing attitude. They are so happy to have awareness and be able to take action towards correction. They have not
difficulty turning inward with an open mind and bravely facing what could very well be a personal flaw.

Allow the Master to guide you inward to a place of complete truth, a beautiful realm in which there is not embarrassment, nor shame, nor the knowledge that everyone will know of your faults. Let Him guide you to a place of spiritual light. Lay out your self-recognition of shortcomings and view it honestly from the Master's perspective. Confer with Him. He is your counsel and friend — not a judge.

This week focus on the Master's presence. Should self flaws come to mind that you believe would be helpful in removing obstacles upon your path, then by all means, take it and go before the Master, confer with Him. Be aware of the ego's denial, for the ego believes the path is just fine how it is.

In this arena of life there are no scripts passed around beforehand that may be studied to prepare oneself for the event, but rather we must improvise as we see best according to our understanding of what the stage and the setting are representing. This task of improvising, being on the spot as you step out on the
stage, is made vastly easier for you through your attempt to discern the patterns to be expressed through practices such as stillness. In stillness we may be granted an overall view of the action to be played out before you and with you. Having been granted this overall perspective, it is far easier to come up with the right line to facilitate the script that will play out among all the individuals engaged.

There may be many times when you find that the spotlight may be shined directly upon you as if to cue you that it is your turn to be engaged. You may find yourself with a lump in your throat and an uncertainty as to how to proceed with your part. You may recognize that you have a part to play and that you are engaged in the acting out of an overall plan, but the actual lines, the details, are left to your creative imagination. You stumble forward; you project as you think most appropriate, and you receive confirmation that you spoke in turn, in line, and adequately represented the vision you have of a part you are to play.

The more time you allow yourself in preparation, in stillness, in communion, the smoother your prompting becomes and the more accurate you become, as well.

There are no incorrect responses to be made on this stage set before you, rather, there are learning experiences provided when inappropriate responses are communicated, helping you to more clearly define your character and your relativity to the others on the stage. This is a process that takes a great amount of practice and trial and learning. But with diligent effort you find great rewards in the success you experience when you are right on the money with your cue at the right moment. Then when the great spotlight of life sweeps around and fixes you, you are confident and are not distracted by the sensation of all eyes being fixed upon you and your line having been forgotten.

A key aspect of your performance in this arena is leaving yourself aside so that the spirit of the Father may work through you and relying on the force greater than yourself to accomplish the task at hand. This is what a truly great participant on stage will master. When it is in your court to make response, to avail yourselves of the higher response which is always at the ready, to not see this spotlight as illuminating your
person but rather your beautiful, bright, and shining Indwelling Spirit; this is a truly great participant in this process.

Learning the mechanics of this process will provide the greatest success and benefit while being engaged in the process. Now is the time to perfect your skills so that when you find yourselve being called to walk out onto the stage of live and deliver your lines, you feel prepared for the task, not that you are prepared alone to undertake the task, but that you are prepared to form a partnership to undertake the task. This is how the task gets done in its most divine form.

Student: I've been reading about Jesus and it says Jesus learned to master his mind. I know it's a big question, but exactly how do we master our minds?

Elyon: There is at play in the function of mind many factors, and it becomes quite complex, for it entails the physical engagement of brain and body as well as the spiritual impingement of circuitry and spirit ministers. Primarily, however, the mastery of mind is the ability to choose and to choose with strength, to
have power in your selectivity, your decisiveness. In your reading perhaps you have pondered the times that Jesus spent making his life decisions alone in the hills with the Father, what it must have been like to mull over those significant questions and life-directing decisions. He assessed the influences that were bearing upon him. You all have these same influences: the urges of the physical nature and your longings from your spiritual nature.

Mind mastery is not so much that you become master of your mind but that your mind is a master re-director of your goals and longings for yourself and for your life. Your mind becomes the clearing-house, the exchange, for the incoming and outgoing influences upon you and those that you create. It is a process of ordering, of noting the relative value, of every influence that comes into your conscious arena; valuing them, and therefrom acting accordingly.

The human being, while yet housed in a physical form, is blessed by the adjutant circuitry of our Mother Spirit. These entities function naturally. Michael, knowing as he grew in his understanding of his true origin being a Creator Son, was able to have an accelerating effect upon this circuitry. As you have spoken of today in your discussion, he did undertake the study of human nature, and he spent much time with his Father. These two life-long endeavors greatly contributed to the working of the adjutant of wisdom and the adjutant of worship, the two highest circuits for the human being.

When the mind becomes the great cooperator with spirit, then has the human personality mastered the mind. But again I must repeat, it is not a mastery of dominance. It is a mastery of synchrony and order and efficient working, a mastery of skill.

When the physical drives of your animal origins confront you, it is the mind that must place value and meaning upon these urges and choose subsequently. The mind is never swept away by these impinging forces, but it is the director of the incoming and the outgoing forces and actions.

Each one of you is undertaking this same mind mastery as has the Master. You are accelerating this mind developing by applying all the lessons you receive. All this mind-work must proceed from your personality, for it is the personality that gives the charge that fires the circuits of the mind. It is what you choose in the depths of your being that will modify and alter the direction of the mind. The mind is your servant — and a great one, indeed — for it is the very orchestrator of your choices.

As a personality, you can be likened to the producer of a play, the one who decides what is necessary to bring about the event. Your mind is the director who actually places all the ingredients on stage that you may dramatize the desires of the personality/producer.

Student: The mind influences our choices, and our choices influence our minds. It works both ways.

Elyon: Yes, and the Master came to understand this dynamic in his attainment of mind mastery.

There is great value to your mortal experience. You cannot make spiritual understanding out of just existing. No. It is necessary to live these experiences and take what you can from them.

Some experience difficulty with the emotional aspects of these experiences. However, console your mind in knowing that these emotional flare ups will decrease as your mind becomes more spiritized.

Michael's Spirit of Truth is a compass that points the planet into the direction of Light and Life. The betterment of one becomes the betterment of all. Self-mastery is the key. The exposure of character flaws leads you to find healing and liberty from them, correction, if you will.

It is difficult to know where to begin when making effort towards improving upon self-mastery. The mortal experience is priceless in learning to exercise self-mastery. Though these shortcomings may be difficult to bear, they are helping to bring the planet into a new and better age. Self-discipline is difficult in a world of self-indulgence. So many seemingly empty souls indulge daily in things that would appear to bring fulfillment.

In the days of old self-discipline was somewhat forced, but with technology the minds of men and women have become ease seeking and put their faith in things material. Mortals find it difficult to go without when their neighbor waves their good fortune in their face. Self-indulgence has been looked upon as normal, as the popular thing to do.

A child who is always carried does not learn to walk. A child who is always indulged expects the world to owe him, to cater to him. A child who is taught 'no' early on learns that he needs to be responsible as a citizen in society and do his share — minister and be ministered to.

I do not speak here of self-denial, but self-discipline — being able to master the self and strengthen the divine connection. The Master could go a great length of time without food or water. He took no note of an emptiness in His bodily system. His mind was quite full and centered upon God. You can say when the soul is nourished the body, or things material, becomes secondary.

Does not the mature adult learn to save his fortune for the better quality things in life? You know that today's self-gratification does not secure tomorrow's bread. Today's self-gratification does not secure the good of the whole. What is self-discipline but a redirecting of focus. Where is your focus? Can you nurture the soul and know that the material emptiness is just temporary? Yes.

The Master could be found from time to time dashing the hopes of His fellow apostles with the reality of the Kingdom. The apostles hung their hats upon a material hook and the Master would chastise them, and even though His words were seemingly harsh, this chastisement spoke to their souls — it redirected their focus.

Is self-chastisement acceptable? Certainly, to a point. Self-chastisement serves when your focus is redirected back towards the spiritual Kingdom. It is not self-punishment or self-denial. It is not causing a well of hunger for other things. It is a closeness with Father and a trust that said, "I will wait upon the word of the Lord." Many can say, "I am too weak to practice self-discipline. I am only made more desirous of material things. I am only further separated from my God." This is old thinking.

The new way should focus on the participation in leading this planet further into the stages of Light and Life. "I can have self-discipline for it serves the world. It brings the reality of the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God into focus." Is refraining from flying into emotional upheaval self-discipline? Yes. Is being observant and staying clam, while waiting on the word of the Lord, self-mastery? Yes.

I know these things are difficult when in the flesh. But I can promise you as you begin these practices the logic and practicality will become apparent. It will become as if there were no other way. This week define self-discipline and self-denial. What is the difference? What is self-chastisement? Note your self-indulgence versus self-discipline. Does the nurturing of the soul minister to your material needs?