Extending the Kingdom Within: None Shall Be Excluded

By Brian Longhurst

With this, his sixth book in the Kingdom series, Brian Longhurst continues your journey by extending the Kingdom within. Become enlightened to the understanding that we can be in this world but not of it; that we can rise above the battleground of separation and conflict to the real world of peace, joy and unconditional Love, as Brian openly recounts his own deeply personal visionary experiences with the Holy Spirit and Jesus--often with a dash of light-hearted humour. Brian puts it this way:
"Arriving at the place of readiness for extending the Kingdom within means we are one step closer to our Destination. It focuses us on all the qualities and attributes of our true Being as Papa’s beloved, unified, all-Loving Son, and thus, inevitably, away from the ego’s relentless pull onto a downward spiral into the abyss of outer darkness, brokenness, conflict, oblivion – the carousel of birth and death."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Six Degrees Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781942497516

Brian Longhurst

Author of "Seek ye First the Kingdom..." One man's journey with the living Jesus and the popular Messages of Encouragement, Diary of a Christ Communicant and a Forum page, available at his honest2goodness.org.uk web site, Brian has been aware of the reality of the spirit realms since childhood.Born in England, Brian moved to Canada as a young man, where he began what was to become an enduring personal relationship with Jesus, who manifested in glory to him when Brian was 22 years old. Jesus told him he had come to lead him back to God. From then, his personal encounters with the living Jesus began in earnest, with a decades-long journey of spiritual awakening.After marrying, Brian returned to live in England. He now resides in Gloucestershire with his wife, Theresa.

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Praise for

Extending the Kingdom Within

"Brian Longhurst has a most beautiful, poetic, heart-lifting style of writing. His dialogues with Jesus and the Holy Spirit are profoundly inspiring. Extending the Kingdom Within feels like One of those events to expand and extend my connectedness with the One. In chapter 16, Brian explains that all the while we believe – thus perceive – we have disempowered our self by pretending to be separate from Him, we are unable to fulfil our one and only, true function: Extending perfect Love. And how do we do that? The answer is, of course, in Brian’s book — "Teaching is not doing, it is Being: Being Who you Are." The synchronicity between Brian’s book and my learning of A Course in Miracles is breathtaking. May we all Be who we are, shining the Light for others as we journey Home to ‘Papa’. It is with the help of books like Brian’s that this message extends further for all."

—Alison Gray, Berwick-upon-Tweed, England

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"What an amazing relationship Brian has with the living Christ. In Extending the Kingdom Within ~ None Shall be Excluded, the sixth book of his Kingdom series, Brian’s words once again offer this unique relationship to us all … none of us is excluded.

"Chapter 7 caught my attention: True Communication is Holy Communion. I think the church I went to as a boy would disagree with this, which, of course, is why Brian has so many enthusiastic readers. Is this not because he communicates heart to heart?

"Most people do not communicate, we talk ‘at’ each other, or in the direction of each other. For me, True Holy Communion with another person is when you are listening to your own words … and feeling them within the heart/soul of Self. You are then communicating with All humanity … even if no one is listening!

"Congratulations Brian . . . another profound masterpiece of truly inspired writing."

—Michael J. Roads, Author of From Illusion to Enlightenment

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"Again, Brian has brought us a very clear map or where we can be headed if we apply ourselves spiritually, moment by moment. Why should we take this path? Because we are driven to be and do what is our highest capacity, to draw from that Divine nature we all have to not only be our best selves, but to lift thought to what is eternally real, and not remain in what is only temporal illusion. We can dispense with the dream of separation from the Creator Spirit and be in the Kingdom of Heaven right now; and we are blessed to have this Kingdom series of books available as a very helpful guide." —Renee Tilworth, Devon, England

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"To successfully navigate our changing world we must embrace a deeper awareness of the Divine. Organised religion is falling short of what we truly require as spiritual beings. Our depression and despair are often no more than our deep disconnection from our soul. In Extending the Kingdom Within, Brian’s decades-long, intimate relationship with Jesus takes us on yet another quantum step in our journey of the heart, our journey back into Wholeness.

"This book ignites deep inner-knowings, enabling the reader to merge with the Love and Truth of Jesus, allowing him to penetrate, saturate and permeate the depths of our Being. We become beacons of Light, where ‘none shall be excluded’ simply by allowing him to work with us and through us we choose to move from darkness to Light. Reconnecting with our Divine Truth is the next stage of our spiritual Awakening, and this book, as have his others, guides us on how to walk with Jesus on a path of Divine Love. Bravo, Brian … another great contribution to uplifting the consciousness of humanity!" —Carolyn Roads, Queensland, Australia

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"Brian Longhurst may not call himself a mystic but I will. His newest book, Extending the Kingdom Within ~ None Shall Be Excluded is definitely a spiritual gift. He has obtained the Divine connection with the Living Jesus and has shared it with us. I can only compare the book to purchasing a rare antique chest. When the key is finally found in a secret compartment, it unlocks each drawer to reveal a precious gem. Similarly, each chapter of Brian’s book unlocks and reveals beautiful mystical secrets and Divine truths." —Connie Lysko, Ocean, New Jersey, USA

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"A stunning collection of essays that are all deeply, mystically interconnected and concentrate on the practical means of discovering our true, unified, One Identity. I can feel Brian’s robust faith on its pages, as well as his joyful exuberance in shining Light on the Path. The spiritual journey can be difficult at times and Extending the Kingdom Within gives constant reassurance and profound support. A beauty of a book!" —Susan Oliver, Northumberland, England

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"Extending the Kingdom Within is the next, invaluable addition to Brian’s Kingdom series, and a book which I feel takes us ever deeper into what it is to be a truly helpful, all-Loving participant in the Great Awakening, being our collective journey Homeward to Oneness in God. Throughout this latest book I found treasures to be pondered, savoured, and applied, with each being received as a precious gift from Brian. His reflections and teachings are beautifully written, but more than that – and most importantly for the reader – they are infinitely practical, offering well-reasoned suggestions that can be utilised in one’s own daily life." —Andrea Matthews, White River, South Africa

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"Extending the Kingdom Within - Book Six in Brian Longhurst’s Kingdom series- fills my heart with warmth and light; the words are like peony flowers opening and extending their fragrance; they offer a Vision of Reality, evoking endless joy. I see and feel the meaning of every statement in colour and aliveness, music to my whole inner awareness – melodic and harmonious.

"Although the subject matter is deeply esoteric and mystical, it is easy to read, and the simplicity of his explanations facilitates a comfortable resonance. This book really spoke to me, lifting me from seeing with my physical eyes to connection with, awareness of, the reality within. There is nothing contentious – only ever extending Love, Peace, Joy and Light.

The clarity of Brian’s writing touches our very essence, however closed and darkened we may think or have thought we are. Jesus’ words, through Brian, light the touch-paper of the questing mind, causing the Light within to become ablaze with desire and intent to know Who we truly are: the One Son of God, united in our Father. —Linda Down, Northamptonshire, England

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"As a faithful reader of all of Brian’s books of his inspiring walk with Jesus, I have been changed from fearful to hopeful; and now, at last, renewed in the certainty of a joyful faith and trust I never knew was possible. Brian guides the reader through many deep, mystical concepts, and this, Book Six in the Kingdom series, has dived deeper than his preceding five books, to a point where the words have become alive and healing in all my relationships.

"Brian, through our brother Jesus’ loving help, leads the reader to a new level of existence, eloquently explaining what Jesus really meant 2,000 years ago, providing profound insights into the relationship we can ALL have, right now, with the living Jesus. I have also found that my understanding of other books, like A Course in Miracles, is so much easier for me to grasp with the groundwork I have learned from this latest book. Brian is truly a Light, illuminating the path for all his brothers and sisters forward into the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth." —Jolena Pourner, Houston, Texas.

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"What a wonderful book. Brian is a guide, a mentor, and companion in our journey toward Wholeness. Each short chapter is a roadmap packed with wisdom to guide you on your way, ending with a personal conversation he has had with Jesus. Brian speaks to you and encourages you as a valuable partner in the Great Rescue Program, explaining how effortless and fulfilling it is for any and all of us to extend the Kingdom within." —Rev. Barbara Sharpe, Dallas, TX

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I’ve known Brian for about a decade now, have read all his books, and have always considered him one the most open-minded people I’ve had the opportunity of meeting. Nothing is off limits. He listens, he understands, he explains with clear reason and ease of intelligibility. And in a seemingly outer context of constant change, his message remains as steadfast and as accessible as ever. I wholeheartedly recommend his books to anyone looking for a pillar of truth within a world of seeming chaos. —Philip Chowney, Geneva, Switzerland

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"Brian’s writing flows beautifully, straight from the heart and soul. Extending the Kingdom Within is a wonderful guide to help our journey homeward, and the exquisite connection Brian has with Jesus is deeply uplifting and inspiring. If you study A Course In Miracles, Brian’s book helps clarify some of its more challenging principles with kindness and love. As with all of Brian’s books, reading them is a joyful, spiritual experience, and one that I would recommend wholeheartedly." —Helen Bailey, Woodford Green, England

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"It has been my distinct pleasure to have read all Brian Longhurst’s ‘Kingdom’ series of books – from Book One and now to Book Six, the penultimate in the projected seven-book series. Each successive book has taken the reader a very purposeful further step forward and upward, from the hell of separation from our Source and our true, Whole, unified Self toward our Destination: Eternal, ineffable Oneness.

"This, book takes us a palpably, powerfully greater stride beyond its predecessor, definitely indicating we are but one step away, in this expository Kingdom series, from completion of our journey. The ease of recognition of the Guiding hands of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in Brian’s writing can leave the reader in no doubt as to its authenticity, not least because the communications from Jesus and the Holy Spirit throughout the book are so enlightening, encouraging, inspiring – exhilarating." —John Barkovich, London, Canada

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There comes a time, a moment when we start to be aware of an inner prompting; a silent voice in our mind which causes us to realise, Something is not quite right here, this world can’t be all there is to life". This is how my own thirst for awakening to spiritual reality started, and Brian’s books helped enormously towards embarking on and following this mystical path. You could call this inner voice your instinct, subconscious or just a feeling, which never really fades, but actually grows when we pay it more heed.

"Extending the Kingdom Within – as with all in this Kingdom series – most certainly provides abundant guidance and help, including practical advice and crucial reminders to follow your inner guidance to gain awareness and remembrance of who we all truly are. This is how our ego-mind is retrained, transformed from spiritual darkness to the Light of Love and Inner Knowing. Once you know that you are not the ego, the process of Awakening to unconditional Love truly starts." —Angela Philippi, Bishops Cleeve, England

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Copyright (c) 2020 by Brian Longhurst

Published by Six Degrees Publishing Group at Smashwords.com

In collaboration with Honest to Goodness

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright conventions, the United Kingdom Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988 and US Copyright Act 1976, as amended. The moral right of Brian Longhurst to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or used in any manner whatsoever, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except for brief quotations in the context of reviews, without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

Six Degrees Publishing Group

Portland, Oregon, USA

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-942497-51-6

(Paperback ISBN: 978-1-942497-50-9)

Cover illustration: Joseph Gillespie, Digital Canvas Creative Services, Houston, Texas.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are extracts from the Authorized Version of The King James Bible, the rights in which are vested in the Crown.

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material: Foundation for Inner Peace, Glen Ellen, CA, USA,

A Course in Miracles, Copyright © 1992.

Portions of Absence from Felicity: The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing of A Course in Miracles copyright 1991, 1999 by the Foundation for A Course in Miracles used by permission.

Author’s note: In quoting portions of A Course in Miracles, or other sources, I have bracketed words added by me, and have underlined, emboldened and italicised some words for emphasis. Publisher’s note: All efforts have been made to verify that the references to websites used in this book were current at the time of publication, but are subject to change. The opinions expressed in our published works are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the publisher.

Published by Six Degrees Publishing Group for Smashwords.com

In collaboration with Honest to Goodness

www.SixDegreesPublishing.com

www.honest2goodness.org.uk

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Contents

Praise for Extending the Kingdom Within

Copyright

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1: Walking from Darkness into Light

2: Consciously Selecting the Right Adviser

3: Breathing-in the Holy Breath of Life

4: Baptism by the Spirit of Truth

5: Holy Spirit-Self – Our Connectedness to Papa

6: The Straight, Narrow and Unimpeded Path

7: True Communication is Holy Communion

8: Communion Without Trust is Impossible

9: Trusting Jesus Means We Can Trust Ourself

10: Mystical Communion with Christ

11: Intent Sets the Direction of Our Journey

12: Three Steps toward All Creative Empowerment

13: Regaining Creative Power and Control

14: To Experience Love We Must Extend Love

15: Avoiding Self-Exclusion

16: Expect the Unexpected

17: Thinking like Jesus – the Key to Deliverance

18: How to Understand A Course in Miracles

19: Goodbye Doubt, Fear, Guilt and Despair

20: Faith – The Antidote to Medicating Ourself to ‘Death’

21: Vigilance against the Ego’s Lexicon

22: For Inner Peace Repudiate the Ego

23: Being in the World but Not of It

24: Life Begins Where Fear Ends

25: Limitation is Wrong-Mindedness

26: Allowing Shadows of Darkness to Run Their Course

27: Eternity Requires No Doctrines; Only Acceptance

28: Saving the World? Nothing to It

29: Seeing Beyond Words to What They Represent

30: Desire, Not Concern, Effects Intended Outcomes

31: Seeing Past the Artifices of Distraction

32: Focusing Our Full Attention on the Kingdom

33: Come Up Higher

34: Laying Aside the Body? It’s a Doddle

35: Unconditional Love – the Keystone of Holy Relationships

36: Manipulating the Stuff of Dreams to Our Command

37: Re-retraining Our Mind to STILLness

38: STILLness is a Mind Thing, Not a Body Thing

39: Accepting the Truth as Our Truth

40: JOY – a Crucial Attribute of Eternity

41: Crossing the Bridge

42: Opening to Correction of Misperception

43: Let Us Be STILL an Instant and Remember We Are Home

44: Silencing the World – by Going Within

45: The Wall of Blindness

46: Our True Heart’s Desire – A Blazing, Unquenchable Fire

47: Unified We Stand; Divided We Fall

48: Keeping the Spark Alive

49: Only Loving Thoughts Are Real

50: Defencelessness – Our Only True Defence

51: Obviating ‘Bad Things’ Through True Forgiveness

52: Choosing to Stay Calm in the Midst of Turmoil

Afterword

Glossary of Terms

About the Author

Acknowledgements

There are many without whom this work – including its predecessors and its successor in this series – could never have been brought before its readers. For this, and all involved, I wish to express heartfelt thanks and grateful acknowledgement. First and foremost is our Heavenly Father, the Creator Spirit, ‘Papa’. Where would we be without Him? Truly Jesus spoke when he said of his relationship with Him, Of myself I can do nothing. He is the Source of All, in Whom we Live and have our Being. To You, beloved Papa, my gratitude is boundless and absolute.

Then, it will be no surprise to the reader, comes Jesus, Papa’s Anointed Messenger. He has befriended me, tutored me, Loved me unconditionally, led me with infinite patience, and won my total trust, loyalty, following, devotion and Love. I Love, trust and honour him totally, unwaveringly. Wondrously, gloriously, tenderly, magnificently, he Loves and honours every single one of us, equally, without favour, totally and unwaveringly also. How wonderful will be the day when we are all brothers to each other as he has been to me, and in Truth, is to us all. On that day will the Kingdom of Heaven – ‘the real world’, the forgiven, healed world of limitless peace, joy and Love – be well and truly operational in this dream of a world.

How does one find words to acknowledge the Holy Spirit? All I know is that my heart impels me to acknowledge Him. For He is the true, Whole (Holy) Self of us all; the Highest, complete, undivided part of our mind; the Voice for God within us; the Voice that reminds us that we are all, along with Jesus, One in the Sonship of God; the Voice that will speak with us of the Truth of Eternity, if we are willing to be STILL and listen. Ssshhh!

Now, my beloved wife, Theresa. In 1967 I asked Jesus to bring to me a Companion of the Way, to share my earthly journey Homeward. Within four months he fulfilled my request by bringing us together – from an ocean and a continent apart – in the unlikeliest of circumstances; synchronicity functioning at its magnificent best. Caring, sharing, steadfast, long-suffering to a fault and stalwart are just a few of the terms that come to mind to describe Theresa. In this world of time and place, she is joy to me beyond measure or description. And in addition to that, her support, patience and contribution in proofing and making suggestions for improving the manuscript and a thousand other ways as I worked on it, all have been invaluable, and in which I am truly, deeply blessed. Above all these precious qualities is the selfless but Self-full Love she emanates from her beautiful heart and radiant soul. Thank you, Darling, for being my beloved Companion of the Way.

To me, a kindergarten child in the world of computers, Tim is an unsung hero, who cannot go without mention here. Whenever a need for help with computers arose, since the mid-1990s, Tim has been there for us. And there has never been an issue that his indomitable approach to every challenge was not able to resolve, usually within two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Thank you, Tim; please do not emigrate!

Last, but by no means least, is Denise Williams of Six Degrees Publishing. It is completely evident that you are a consummate professional: diligent, competent, committed, patient, comprehensive in your communications and to fulfilling your role as publisher to the last detail, yet with great empathy and sensitivity toward the perspective of the author. Altogether, Denise, since day one you have been, and remain, a pleasure and a breath of fresh air to work with.

—Brian Longhurst

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Introduction

The journey from the hell of separation from our Whole, undivided One Self, and from our Source, as experienced by seeming to be mortal, fragile bodies, oblivious of our true, limitless, transcendent joy, peace and Love – back to the endless reality of the Kingdom of Heaven within us – can be considered as a series of seven progressive steps, or stages, of expanding, increasing, growing, Awakening, emerging remembrance of eternal, unchangeable Truth … until we are restored to Wholeness, all Knowledge, and with all creative power of Love and Life. Just like Jesus, our model for Being and our Guide to eternity.

This is, of course, a mystical progress; it cannot be an intellectual one. The intellect (described by Jesus as the spirit of reckoning) has no place in Eternity. We must be ready and willing to leave it behind in order to be restored to remembrance of the Truth of eternal Being. Jesus/Holy Spirit will relieve us of it when we are ready to relinquish it to Them. It will not be painful to us (although it will be to the ego, masquerading as us! :) ) because we will have realised the intellect is not part of our true, Whole/holy Self. Our Destination is outside of time, although the process seems to occur, proceed, within a dream dubbed time.

When we choose to respond to Papa’s Call for us to Awaken from our dream of separation and to return Home to Oneness in Him and the endless bliss of the Kingdom of Heaven that is our One, true Being, a rejoining, or healing, of the fragmented, broken, separated Sonship begins to take place in our awareness and experience. This is an essential aspect of the Awakening process because separation is merely a dream, a fantasy, in which His One Son appears as many, divided (and division means conflict), disparate forms.

This, the sixth in the Kingdom series of seven volumes, symbolises, within the context of seven purposeful steps from hell to Heaven, the penultimate step, or phase, of our journey: Extending the Kingdom Within. How, then, is it a progressive, forward and upward move from its predecessor step, Sharing the Kingdom Within? As we progress – grow – in our acceptance, discernment, awareness of eternal Truth, so do we become conscious of an inward desire to share this with others. However, Jesus says to us:

Do not go out looking for people with whom to share your message, since you know not their hearts and minds. Rather, I will bring them to you; for I know the hearts and minds of all, and will bring only those who are ready to receive your offering, and will inspire you, and place in your mouth the words for you to speak to their hearts.

This is a Principle of Spiritual Truth, and will apply to all embarking on their journey to Wakefulness, so we will serve ourselves well to make it our conscious intent to accord with It. How do I Know this? Because Jesus spoke them to me, and he has never lied to me or led me astray; that is not, ever, on his agenda, yet revealing the Truth of Eternity to all who are willing to receive it, IS his agenda. In the early stages of our progress there may be only a few whose Paths are brought into synchronistic convergence with ours and are open and receptive to what we desire to share (although the celestial speed-up is rapidly accelerating that converging now, as we move deeper into the twenty-first century).

This sharing is very much a learning exercise for us, and we gradually grow in confidence for this sharing as opportunities are presented to us by Jesus/Holy Spirit. This brings an increasing inward recognition that what we are sharing is, indeed, words that They are putting in our mouth – but these become the ‘Living Word’ by our inspired (i.e., Spirit-led) process of sharing them, because they enLiven us and those brought to us by Them. That sharing of the Kingdom within phase of our journey is, therefore, a preparation, a making ready, a self-assessment opportunity for us to inwardly know when we are ready for the next step, onwards and upwards – the penultimate step – of our homeward odyssey: Extending the Kingdom within.

Sharing is, by the nature of our self-limited consciousness, a one-on-one exercise, with those brought to us for that very purpose, and each one brought to us for that sharing actually teaches us about our own learning/remembering and understanding of spiritual reality, one step at a time, because they ask us questions about it. That opens the channels, or receptors, of our own inner awareness, direct to Inspired input into our mind from Spirit. The brother(s) brought to us by Them may perceive us as their teacher, but in the Truth of Eternity there is only equality, and as we teach – share with them – so do we learn from them by the process of their asking us.

Even matters of esoteric, mystical Truth that we thought we previously understood comprehensively will undergo an opening, an expansion in our mind to a deeper, broader, more meaningful cognisance as we share them. As this joining with a brother and our sharing with him progresses, so do we, in due season, recognise that we are ready to ‘Come up higher’ to a further, wider, increased level of the rejoining of the fragmented Sonship. All these progressive stages require no consciously proactive intent on our part; only a readiness to respond to opportunities presented to us by Jesus/Holy Spirit. We are closely, lovingly, caringly, gently watched over, guided from within, by Them. This is only possible because of our desire, commitment and willingness to co-operate as fully, naturally, spontaneously, effortlessly with that Inner Guidance as It arises to our conscious awareness in our heart-mind.

They Know our state of readiness, and arrange external events and circumstances, in perfect timing, to synchronise with our inner readiness. That switch-over from sharing the Kingdom within – by direct, one-on-one contact with ‘a few’ brothers (our ‘students’ but simultaneously, co-equally, our teachers and saviours) – to extending the Kingdom within means events will arise, ‘out of the blue’, at the horizontal axis of awareness and occurrence, that will increase, expand, extend our connectedness with the fragmented Sonship by a quantum factor. As Jesus says in A Course in Miracles: "What is yours will come to you when you are ready." (T-24.VII.8:2)

This will take us far beyond personal, one-on-one contact at the horizontal-axis level (although that will, happily, joyfully, remain and continue) but this matters not at all because the connectedness is effected within the context of the vertical axis, through the mediation of our Higher Mind, or Holy Spirit Self. The vertical (Spiritual) axis is a vastly greater level of soul connectedness to our brothers – every living thing – than the self-limited horizontal axis.

Here is what Jesus told me about this in January 1995:

In your mind and heart you may wish to be operating at the highest level of aspiration and spiritual awareness. This is understandable when Earth is in darkness and you wish to be One, again, with the Light, and when you are passionate in your desire to let shine the Light of spiritual reality in the Earth-life affairs of man, to hasten an Awakening.

You also know, for I have assured you many times … your prayers and Love and attunement will help you, and will help all for whom you pray, and will add to the transforming Light. But the season is pre-determined, even as are the seasons of the year. All that you do in my name and with commitment to me and the Kingdom in your heart will contribute sunshine to the days, even though it will not change the seasons; therefore, keep on with goodwill.

Have no fear. Be of good cheer. Relax and enjoy each and every day. All is well. Walk with me. Talk with me. Breathe with me. Live with me. Let the Kingdom envelop and surround and permeate your being. I will expand your influence among the children of Earth. This is possible by your commitment. It is like a dynamo generating Light energy, which draws the little ones to the Light.

Joy be with you all.

It is noteworthy that he says it is he (and/or Holy Spirit) who will perform the expanding of influence (not just of persona Brian, but) of all those with the steadfast commitment – as well as explaining how it happens. I was eager for this, but as he states (above), although our prayers and Love will contribute sunshine to the days, the season (of all the steps, or stages of our Awakening progress) is pre-determined, just as are the seasons of the year. The pre-determining is actually our own, established before we incarnate on our chosen Kingdom mission. Our role in the process during embodiment is merely to co-operate with it. Without the desire, commitment, willingness, faith, trust and patience our co-operation will be short-lived. All of those qualities, it is noteworthy, are Being qualities, not doing qualities. With those we will be led, cared for, guided and protected, and all practical aspects and applications of our commitment are accomplished for us by Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit.

So, after we have grown in spiritual experience, understanding and wisdom, thereby becoming more confident in our sharing the reality, the Truth of the Kingdom within, events, orchestrated by Jesus/Holy Spirit – our Guides to Eternity, and our aforetime-chosen role in helping Them to save the world (A Course in Miracles, C-2.9:1) – conspire to bring about an exponential increase, from sharing, one-on-one with a ‘limited few’, to suddenly extending the message (in which we have been lovingly, gently, caringly, compassionately, patiently and with ease and lightness of heart, tutored and made ready over time) without limit, into the wider world of the fragmented Sonship. That is the point at which the switch-over, or level-increase, from sharing to extending, occurs. None of this is by an act of our self-limited-consciousness, for how could any of us know how or when to do it?

Rather, all is Known by Them, from the beginning, and merely implemented by Them when They see our readiness for the forward and upward shift. This is possible only by our desire, steadfast commitment and willingness to 1: Surrender our ego-leasehold on our life into the Care, Guidance and Protection of Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit, 2: Accept that, having Surrendered, whatever happens is within Their control, and 3: Allow whatever happens to happen without our resisting it, trusting that all is according to Their benign, all-Loving, all-caring, all-empowered-for-good control in our life.

* * *

On Easter Day 2009 I was blessed with a deeply inspiring, uplifting mystical experience with Jesus, and his lengthy message following it (all of which is related in full in chapter 51 of book two in this series, Finding the Kingdom Within ~Awakening to Eternity). Here are some extracts from that message:

"Now is the point of changeover between limitedness of understanding and unlimitedness; where nothing is hidden that shall not be revealed. Of course, as you Know, nothing has ever been hidden; all is out in the open for all to see, to Know, to understand, just as has always, uninterruptedly been so … until the Son fell asleep a moment and dreamed a dream of forgetfulness.

"Now is the New Day dawning, and will never set. Now is the moment of Awakening. My brothers have – as they always have had – free choice to Awaken soon, or to remain stay-a-beds a little longer, holding onto the dream of littleness and fear. Or they can arise early, and venture forth into the glory of the beginning of the New Day, when the sun (Son) starts to rise and cast His newly-remembered Light on all His brothers, to help them stir from their slumbers.

"So arises the understanding that they, too, are not a body; that they, also, are eternal, invulnerable, indestructible; that they, too, can manipulate the stuff of dreams to their command – and then let them go completely, once they begin to remember who they ARE – from dreams of guilt and fear and death, to dreams of happiness, of Light, of waking to unlimitedness, from whence the transition to eternal reality can be gently made."

I have pondered his statement – underlined, above – since he said it, and had understood it to mean that this manipulating is a faculty that becomes part of our mind over which we develop ability to exercise conscious control as our Awakening reaches a certain point. But Jesus tells us:

Miracles [i.e., manipulating the stuff of dreams] come from the subconscious (below conscious) level. Revelations come from the above conscious level. The conscious level is inbetween and reacts to either sub- or super-conscious impulses in varying ratios.

Consciousness is the level which engages in the world, and is capable of responding to both [sub- and super-conscious impulses]. Having no impulses from itself, and being primarily a mechanism for inducing response, it can be very wrong …

The deeper levels of the subconscious always contain the impulse to miracles [manipulating the stuff of dreams, as exemplified by Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead] but man is free to fill its more superficial levels, which are closer to consciousness, with the impulses of this [spiritually dark] world, and to identify himself with them [leading to seeking/focusing on little-self-gratification within the dream of being separate bodies, thus causing our mistaking the dream as reality]. This results in him DENYING himself access to the miracle level underneath.(Chapter 1, A Course in Miracles, Urtext edition.)

Reason will tell us that miracle impulses must come from the subconscious level because miracles effect change (such as from sickness to wellness, etc.) Clearly they do not come from the conscious mind because, as Jesus says, above, the conscious mind engages in the (external) world, and fluctuates in beliefs and perceptions, lacking in Knowledge of, or certainty about, the perfect Love, peace and joy of eternal reality. It therefore has no ability to connect with the Holy Spirit, Who, so says Jesus, "is the mechanism of miracles. He recognizes both God’s creations and your illusions. He separates the true from the false by His ability to perceive totally rather than selectively." (A Course in Miracles, T-1.I.38)

It is self-evident that the conscious mind of the fragmented, spiritually-somnolent Sonship is singularly lacking in this ability. Miracles cannot come from the ‘above conscious’ (i.e., superconscious) level because revelations simply reveal the changeless, effecting no change in, or of, Reality, but merely restoring our mind to awareness/remembrance of It. He further tells us, Miracles arise from a miraculous state of mind, or a state of miracle-readiness. The miracle is an expression of an inner [subconscious] awareness of Christ and the acceptance of His Atonement. (T-1.I. 43, 44) Clearly, the mind which engages in the external world has no conscious awareness of Christ and the acceptance of His At-One-ment.

Our little-self-gratification (Loveless) impulses – sexual or any other form of split-mind endeavour – are always at the expense of another, at some level, such as fiscally, materially, psychologically … and can only arise to the conscious from a shallow level of the subconscious for ease of transfer to the conscious mind and implementation there. These will obfuscate, distract us from, our lofty, steadfast desire for miracle impulses, which arise from a far deeper level (and therefore of greater intensity of unconditional-Love-centred desire) of the subconscious mind and are always for the benefit of all involved, including ourself, and never purposefully or thoughtlessly excluding any.

Most of us are, consciously and/or subconsciously, ‘manipulating the stuff of dreams to our command’ to our disadvantage – and that of our brothers – much of the time, because we are under the ego’s thrall, and our disadvantage is its intent. The only – and obvious, simple, effortless – way to change that is to place ourself within the Care, Guidance and Protection of Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit. Thereby, our subconscious manipulation of the stuff of dreams – miracle impulses – miraculously) becomes to our benefit and our brothers.

As Jesus states, above, "The deeper levels of the subconscious always contain the impulse to miracles …", and it is only from those deeper levels that miracle impulses can arise. Crucially, this is telling us it is not by conscious mind acts that manipulation of the stuff of dreams – miracles – occur, but by going deeper into the subconscious. This is not, of course, by an act of conscious self-will, but by desiring, steadfastly choosing to attune, become at-One, in full accord, with the mechanism of miracles: our Higher Self, the Holy Spirit. This cannot be a ‘sometimes on, sometimes off’ approach because we will lose track of where our focus is directed. Our objective is to escape – permanently, forever – the ego’s malign, murderous clutches.

So, we could say to ourself, "I have made my choice – based on my desire to embrace miracle impulses, i.e., to manipulate the stuff of dreams to my command, just like Jesus – and now entrust my heart’s desire to Holy Spirit (as the ‘mechanism of miracles’) to accomplish, according to His wisdom and Power." That way, abuse of miracle impulses by our ego-manipulated, errant conscious mind cannot occur.

* * *

Although all these steps (from hell to Heaven) appear to take place within the dream of time, they are led from beyond time – in Eternity, and we can only sure-footedly take those steps under Guidance from There. All the homeward steps, let us remind ourself, require of us several key qualities: desire, commitment, faith, trust, patience and steadfast willingness to co-operate with our Guides to Eternity. All of those qualities, let us also remind ourself, are Being qualities, not doing qualities.

When we gladly accept Jesus’ open-ended invitation to share his fully-Awake, all-Knowing Mind with our self-limited, forgetful mind he will do this while we are still learning, remembering, that we, too, can manipulate the stuff of dreams to our command. That joining will inestimably facilitate the process, and it also means we are joining with him not just in mind but, pivotally, also