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| IT HAPPENED IN A FLASH, by Gail Gupton |
| One usually recognizes at a young
age some thread of spirituality. Often it manifests as art, music, literature or some
creative enterprise. Both my husband and myself felt this spiritual connection during our
early years. When we found each other 23 years ago, the feeling escalated, culminating
today in our realization that we are truly an atonement with God. Inspired by the
message of The Infinite Way®, we came to understand our true identity. Many masters, teachers and founders have come before and are still to come. Many books, songs, poems, movies have been written, and will continue to be written, with the hope of reaching and inspiring those searching for an answer to an unknown question. But because of my study of The Infinite Way®, I was not surprised to have something come forth from my consciousness in an unexpected way. I lay in bed recently pondering a simple familiar truthful statement, "There is no spot where God is not." I emphasized each word to determine its meaning. I did this because I had been aware of pain under one of my armpits that traveled across my chest and encompassed my shoulder and upper arm. This pain had been tempting me off and on for many months and now seemed to be constant. I meditated about 30 minutes before going to sleep. During the night I had a dream: I was floating. I came to a door and knocked. Someone obscured and whom I didn't recognize answered the knock. I asked, "Is Joel Goldsmith home?" "Yes, he is." was the reply. INSTANTLY a white flash occurred and I immediately woke up with no pain and have not had any since then, three months ago. I was wide awake with the realization I had seen the Christ in that flash of light. Enlightenment comes instantaneously. Just as one suddenly realizes two times two is four, never having to remember it again, once one has enlightenment, he or she never has to go back and repeat it. The truth has always been with us, only hidden from conscious thought. The spiritual thread that connects each of us is felt when we have something humanly in common. Some feel it watching a sunset or a small child laughing. Some feel it reading an inspirational book or singing a patriotic hymn. Some stare at the stars and sense a connection beyond the corporeal senses. But we all feel it. In my search for spiritual understanding, I have come to realize nothing in this human sense of life is important. What one thinks is important today will be totally unimportant tomorrow because something else will come along to take its place. Only when one piles something on top of another, making "mountains" can one be effected by the weight of that "mountain". It is in the letting go that seeming problems yield to understanding - the "mountain" crumbles, and one feels the "peace that passeth understanding". So many people request of us, "Teach me to meditate". And I have to say one cannot teach another anything. Every individual learns on his or her own. Enlightenment comes when we least expect it. Therein is the learning. Others request physical or financial solutions to a human situation. Spiritual understanding is not of the human intellect, therefore cannot be a human solution to a human problem. As Joel would say, "You cannot meet a problem on the level of the problem." One must rise above the mental understanding to a spiritual level. Many years ago I realized signs come after. One must not go to God to get anything other than understanding - and not human understanding of a human situation, but rather a spiritual understanding of the nature of God. I could not now seek understanding of my concept of God, neither a better understanding of someone else's concept of God, or religion. The realization of Truth always comes instantaneously. One moment we don't have it and the next moment we do. It's always been there, just as one's sense of a connection with something "outside" of himself has always been present. Only one day we realize it is not "outside" at all, but is our very being. Then Truth is understood. It happens in a heartbeat. It happens in a flash. All is well. |
