Victory in Silence

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“Victory must be won in the silence of your own being first, and then you need take no part in the outer demonstration of relief from conditions. The very walls of Jericho that keep you from your desire must fall before you.”  Emilie Cady

A common theme throughout Cady’s writings is that God, not you, will work through you to bring about the desired change. Your work is to “be still and know.”

With most of us, this advice probably runs counter to our own work ethic: if it is to be, it up to me. Little, if anything seems to get done sitting around waiting for God to do something. However, Cady does not advise sitting around doing nothing. Sitting in the Silence is a definite activity that increases our awareness of God’s inner presence. This awareness inspires right vision and effective action. The crumbling of the walls blocking your good may not be as dramatic as those that fell in Jericho, but their falling will represent no less of a victory for you.

What we seek in the quiet is a definite knowing that all is well, that despite appearances to the contrary, all things are moving toward a better condition. Going to this inner place is like gaining a vantage point on a trail that allows you to see where you are and where you need to go. With this assurance, you move forward in confidence.

Regardless of your conditions, set aside time to let everything go and find that place within you where you truly know all is well, that God is working though you and through your circumstances in a way that assures success. Once you reach this place of inner knowing, carry it with you throughout your day. Remind yourself often that God, working through you, is bringing order and opportunity for the establishment of greater good in all that you do. Get into the habit of saying, “This too shall pass” as appearances contrary to your desired good present themselves. Stay as centered as possible in your awareness of God as a harmonizing presence. Carry with you the victory you gain in the Silence, and your way will become clear.

Run To, Not From

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 “It is perfectly natural for the human mind to seek to escape from its troubles by running away from present environments, or by planning some change on the material plane. … There is no permanent or real outward way of escape from miseries or circumstances; all help must come from within.”  Emilie Cady

Most all of us have dreams and desires that would have us leaving one condition and moving to another. While the motivation for some of these changes may seem obvious—simple improvements to our life conditions—others may be pointing to our need to be still and take another look. We might be running from an inner call to come up higher, to begin filling the undesired condition from within.

We usually see unsatisfying conditions as a glass filled only half way with water. We want a full glass and so we set aside the half empty glass and pursue one that is fuller. Rather than set the half-filled glass aside, it may be that we simply need to fill the glass we have rather than seek another.

When Cady suggests that help must come from within, she is pointing to the idea of beginning right where we are, using the conditions we have, to begin filling our life. In other words, rather than curse our conditions we start blessing them and asking how we can give more of ourselves to fill them.

You may be in a demanding relationship and you say, “I’m already giving as much as I can and they just keep wanting more.” Maybe you are feeling drained, not because you are giving so much but because you are giving against your will. If you want to fill this glass, you have to stop denying how you really feel and begin giving from a basis that is true. You are going along to get along, so you’re not really giving out of who and what you are and the relationship suffers because of it.

Pour the full force of your being into your present circumstances. Top off the cup that is yours to fill. When it is full, you may decide you want to keep it.

Forgiveness and the Art of Letting Go

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The very pain that you suffer, the very failure to demonstrate over some matter that touches your own life deeply, may rest upon just this spirit of unforgiveness that you harbor toward the world in general. Put it away with resolution.

This statement from Emile Cady is significant on many levels. She depicts the act of not forgiving as a cause for suffering, a blockage that may be keeping the greater good you desire from coming into manifestation. How could one act of holding on create an effect in a seemingly unrelated area?

In dealing with spiritual principle, the object of our unforgiving attitude is not as relevant as the attitude itself. If someone does you wrong, for example, you will likely hold resentment toward them. Imagine a once free-flowing stream that someone blocks with sandbags. It doesn’t matter why the person placed the sandbags in the stream, the drying up effect downstream is the same regardless.

We’re beginning to understand that our attitudes, like the sandbags, either restrict the flow of our life or encourage it. A person who you believe has done you wrong has no power to affect conditions in your life. How you think of this person does. Your motive for holding them in contempt may well be justified. But you have to ask yourself if holding such an attitude is worth the inner discomfort you experience, or the potential blockage that may ensue from your holding on. Forgiveness is not about condoning the ill actions of another; it’s about letting go of attitudes that may be blocking your good.

As an exercise, imagine the sandbags blocking the stream, and downstream is completely dried up. With a knife, you begin slicing open the bags. The sand pours out and the water begins to move, carrying the loose sand with it. Soon the current is strong enough to carry the sand and the empty bags away.

What others do or do not do to us may have an impact, but this does not come close to the impact we have on ourselves when we refuse to let go. Apply this simple exercise to your situation and see what a difference it can make.

Doing and Being

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Doing is secondary to being. When we are consciously the Truth, it will radiate from us and accomplish the works without our ever running to and fro. (Lessons in Truth).

Despite the advice given in the letter of James to be doers of the word rather than hearers only, it is of utmost importance to first experience some measure of the Truth we seek, to be rather than to do. We do many things to try to incorporate spiritual principles into our thinking: we read, we listen to instructional messages, we engage in service to others. It’s important to first be still and know, to get some sense of the inner light, that pure, renewing life energy that radiates from the center of our being.

I have had people ask, “What does your church do for our community?” By our sheer existence, we are offering a service to our community that is rare among churches. Being Unity is, in fact, the greatest service we can offer. What we are is the service we offer. We are filling a spiritual void that goes unaddressed by those who engage in focusing on the material needs of the world. This is not to imply that such endeavors are unimportant. But Unity was born because traditional churches were so busy proselytizing and carrying out their missionary works around the world, they were neglecting the spiritual awakening of the people they served. Unity’s primary focus has always been on the individual and the importance of tuning in to the still small voice of God within.

When you consider your own path, how much of your energy is devoted to letting go and seeking an awakening to the inner presence? Perhaps you have a daily devotion. Do you spend this time reading and discussing with others ideas that are important to you? Or, do you lay everything down, go alone, and seek a deeper experience with the inner Light of God’s warm presence?  Cady suggests that by going within the Light will radiate from us and accomplish the works without our ever running to and fro. By doing only, we lose sight of the Light. By letting the Light shine from within, we find our center and accomplish the works as well.