David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize winning historian, the author of the best selling biography "John Adams", and other historical works of great note, gave an in-depth interview carried on C-Span2's Book TV, on December 3, 2001. Over the course of the 3 hour program, he responded to questions from C-Span's founder Brian Lamb, and from C-Span viewers. I am making note of this interview for two reasons.

     First, in the course of this interview, David McCullough made a profoundly penetrating statement concerning the proper posture and attitude that the American people ought to adopt when it comes to balancing the human flaws of the founding fathers against their great accomplishments. I have made the effort to bring this to the attention of the community because this statement reveals a point of equilibrium that we would do well to internalize as we also attempt to balance the contradiction that appears to exist between the flaws, on the one hand, and the accomplishments, on the other, of one of our founders, namely, the Messenger, Elizabeth Clare Prophet. I will use Mr. McCullough's statement as the starting point for the exposition on the subject of doubt, flaws, and equilibrium, that follows. I have included a transcript of the question and answer segment within which this important statement was made. At the bottom of the transcript area below, I have also included a link to an MP3 sound file that contains a recording of this segment that runs two minutes and twenty-six seconds. It's important to get the sense of the mode of intensity that overcame David McCullough at that point in the transcript which begins with the statement, referring to the founding fathers, "None of them were perfect." This sense of intensity comes across on the recording.

	Watch the Interview      The full interview can be viewed over the Internet by clicking here. You will need RealPlayer which you can download for free.

     Secondly, I would encourage everyone to watch and listen to the entire three-hour interview. It is worth the investment in time. David McCullough has been rightfully characterized by a reviewer in Publisher's Weekly as a "master of the art of narrative history." He carries the flame of the deepest appreciation and love for American history, and speaks with great eloquence, balance, and authority. Every time he speaks we learn something new and important about the history of this nation. In as much as St. Germain is the sponsor of this nation, it is fair to say that David McCullough, whether he knows it or not, embodies at least some portion of the Master's flame of appreciation for the accomplishments of her people, and for the potential for victory that still shines within the hearts of so many of her citizens. In addition, over the course of the interview, McCullough provides us with some timeless observations concerning the importance of education, not simply in the historical arena, of which he is one of the foremost champions, but the importance of education in general, in terms of a balanced presentation of the arts. As he speaks, his appreciation and love for American history and for education in general are transferred to the listener, and that is one of the reasons why it is important to listen to him. If the educational system of America is to be improved, that flame of appreciation and love for American history must be carried by the people at the local level into their respective state legislatures, into their local school districts, and school board meetings. (What is the status of the teaching of American history in the public schools in your state, and the public schools in your locality?)

      The book spoken of in this interview segment, is David McCullough's best selling "John Adams". This is a biography of the life of John Adams, one of the most important of our founding fathers. The life of John Adams was inextricably intertwined with the events associated with the founding of the United States of America. Serving as a delegate to the first Continental Congress, Adams made a name for himself as the foremost advocate of American Independence. He served on the committee assigned to draft a declaration of independence along with Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, and his signature appears on the final draft passed by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. During the war for independence, Adams served, along with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, as a diplomatic representative to Europe. After the war, he served from 1789 to 1796, as the nation's first vice president for two terms under our first president George Washington, and ascended to the presidency himself in 1797, and served as our nation's second president until 1801. In regards to this interview segment specifically, it is important to note that Thomas Jefferson was a good friend of John Adams through the entire revolutionary war period, but they became political rivals when they both sought the office of the presidency in 1796. John Adams won the election of 1796, and Thomas Jefferson, being the runner-up, served as Vice President under Adams for that term. At that point, their friendship faded into mutual hostility. They were again contenders for the office in 1800. But, by this time, Adams had become quite unpopular because of his support for the Alien and Sedition Acts. As a consequence, he did not even achieve second place in the balloting, which was probably just as well. If he had, he would have been expected to serve under the newly elected Jefferson as his vice president, which would have been a very awkward situation indeed. Some time after Jefferson completed his two terms of office, extending from 1801 to 1809, Adams and Jefferson buried the hatchet, and took up their friendship again, and returned to a regular, friendly, and illuminating correspondence that stretched over many years. Both men passed away on the same day, the fourth of July 1826, the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

     This is quote that is of the most interest to us: " ... None of them were perfect. None of them were without flaws, and ... Jefferson was a very great man. But we should see them as they were, not as god-like characters on a hill top, St. Thomas of the Mountain, you know, that doesn't do their memory any service. What does their memory service, what is really being respectful, is, despite the fact that they were human beings with failings and flaws and vulnerabilities ... they managed to do what they did. And therefore we, if we're called upon, can take heart from that. Because we know our own failings, we know our own weaknesses, our own shortcomings. But we can do it. They did it."

     There is a great depth of wisdom and knowledge and authority in this statement. In fact, in it, we have an example of a Child of God accessing the region of divine principle of which the Ascended Masters have referenced many times when they have told us, "What one man has done, all men can do."

     This is a very important principle, and this is the principle that David McCullough is articulating.

     David McCullough has studied the lives of the founders in detail, and with the powers associated with the mastery of his subject area, he can pierce through the haze of nostalgic idealism, and say with authority, "None of them were perfect." But is that a reason to dismiss them? No. As McCullough points out, it is a reason to respect their accomplishments all the more.

     And this is the principle we need to apply when we are trying to find that point of equilibrium that will enable us to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet as she really is, or as she really was. But we cannot get to that point of equilibrium until we fully grasp the fact that there is a force operating within us that does not want us to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet as she really is or was. We cannot get to that point of equilibrium until we identify that force, and eliminate it.

     Now, within this organization there are many individuals (perhaps 90%, or more, of the total membership) who have a strong desire to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet as perfect, and they exhibit a correspondingly strong inclination to deny that she had any flaws at all. Why is this? What is behind this desire to make Elizabeth Clare Prophet into an idol? Well, to be perfectly blunt about it, this is the force of anti-Christ, a force of misqualified energy carried in the electronic belt, which operates upon the mind, incessantly and inexorably, to turn the previous principle, "What one man has done, all men can do," upside down. In other words, to make that principle non-operative within us.

     It is important to understand this fact, that if a particular person, associated with great accomplishments, is made into a god (within the human imagination), then this has the effect of invalidating this principle. When the man is made into a god, the principle is redefined as "What one god has done, all men can do." Which is something that is obviously NOT true. And it is important to understand why it is not true. It is important to understand why it is not true so we can more fully grasp the extent to which the inverted principle compromises our capacity to make progress on the path. It has to do with distinct categories of attainment. It has to do with the fact that you cannot mix those categories. We must achieve an understanding of the fact that it is very important to make clear distinctions between various categories of attainment that exist along the whole spectrum of spiritual progress. We must come to an understanding of why we cannot mix those categories within the framework of this all-important principle.

     To this end, we can first observe, that when the categories match, the principle works. It is correct and true to say that "what one man has done, all men can do," because the term "men" --- meaning all people living in the state of human imperfection --- is referred to in both of the two sections of this principle. If one man can anchor the light of Christ within the physical vessel, then all men have that opportunity and potential before them. If one man can rise out of the state of human imperfection, and into the ascended state, all men have the same opportunity and potential before them. This principle is equivalent to saying, "what one student on the path has accomplished, all students on the path can accomplish." This principle works because it is an expression of the law. Once men learn the law, and make the effort to fulfill it, the outworking of the law will produces fruits for every men, according to his efforts.

     When you go up the ladder of attainment, and into a completely different category, the principle can be restated, and it will embody the same level of validity. You can say, "What one Ascended Master has done, all Ascended Masters can do." This is correct and true because the same opportunity and potential is present before every Ascended Master. And you can go up the ladder of attainment, matching categories along the way. For example, you can say with certainty that what one Archangel has done, all Archangels can do. What one Solar Logoi has done, all Solar Logoi can do. What one Seraphim has done, all Seraphim can do. What one Cosmic Christ has done, all Cosmic Christs can do. And what one Elohim has done, all Elohim can do. This works because each rung on the ladder of attainment represents an expanded understanding of the law and a corresponding additional effort to put that understanding into practice.

     But, when you mix categories, the principle becomes invalid. For example, when you say, "What all Ascended Masters have done, all students on the path can do," this is clearly not true. This is the same as saying, "What one God-Free Being has done, all imperfect men can do." Clearly this is not true. This is not true because a God-Free Being operates in the realm of complete freedom. Imperfect men operate within the realm of limitation defined by the law of personal and planetary karma. More precisely, a God-Free Being has a very broad understanding of the law of God, and the knowledge of how to employ the law to achieve the desired results. Imperfect men, generally speaking, are in a state of ignorance at best, and a state of rebellion at worst, against the law of God, and therefore either know nothing of how to employ it, or are determined to ignore it. And while students on the path are beginning to learn about the law, their understanding is limited and incomplete.

     We must not allow any degree of confusion to occupy our minds on this point. Clearly, any individual who is mired within the tarpit of human maya, his chakras clogged with all manner of misqualified substance, who must live with the reality of his or her God Presence completely veiled, is in a completely different operational category from that category within which a God Free being resides, whose chakras are absolutely clear, and who sees the personal God Presence face to face. Take for example one of the activities of the Ascended Masters that is most familiar to us. This would be the act of connecting the soul to the momentums of Christ Victory stored in the causal body. The Ascended Master has the power to do this. But does a student on the path at any level of attainment have the capacity to do this? The answer is no.

     There may well be some students who will react negatively to the differentiation I am trying to make here, thinking (erroneously) that I am weaving a web of conceptual limitation over their minds. And I will agree that the Masters teach us not to accept any limitations. But, at the same time, the Masters teach us that we are required to fulfill the law of our karma. And until that law is fulfilled, we must operate within the framework of limitation that the law of our karma has established. Therefore, because the Masters recognize the limitation that the law of karma imposes, their admonishment to accept no limitation, must be taken as an admonishment to accept no limitation in one's capacity and opportunity to know the law, to understand the law, and to fulfill the law, and thereby to transcend the limitations imposed by the law. While each step of our divine plan is presented within the context of the law of our personal karma, each step is nevertheless an opportunity for transcendence. Therefore, we must not accept any limitation in terms of our capacity to fulfill each successive step in our divine plan as it appears to us, as the blueprint is released into our hands. As McCullough said, "We can do it. They did it." If one man has succeeded in following the footprints of light, step by step, to the very summit of being, all men have this potential and opportunity before them.

     Moreover, when it comes to fulfilling the law, especially through the Science of the Spoken Word, working from the premise, "The Call Compels the Answer", we are admonished not to limit in any way the potential magnitude of the answer. Here, we must let God Free beings, be God Free, and allow them to respond to our calls according to the scope and magnitude that the Great Law will allow. If there are limits in this respect, let God decide what those limits are to be. In that respect, we know that the Great Law will allow the Ascended Masters to deliver an answer to a particular call in all the corners, nooks, and crannies of the universe where it might apply (if requested). And these factors can be restated within the context of the principle under discussion here. For example, we can say, that, what one Ascended Master has accomplished in response to the call of the Chela, all Ascended Masters can accomplish in response to the call of the Chela. And we can say that, if one student on the path can make a call and receive a huge response, then all students on the path can make a call and receive a huge response. When the categories match, the principle works.

     Having said that, I will grant you that the differentiation I am making here, between what is possible to a God-Free being, and what is possible to a student still residing in state of imperfection, has the potential of becoming quite blurred when you consider what an Ascended Master can achieve working through a devoted student in the context of the Guru/Chela relationship. But, in this regard, I would point out that these possibilities are associated with students who have, as a general rule, transcended the factors associated with the temptation to indulge the idolatrous mindset. The Guru/Chela relationship cannot be anchored with any degree of permanence, or reliability, unless and until the propensity towards idolatry, and its underlying factors, are confronted and eliminated. Therefore, what an Ascended Master can accomplish through a student in the context of the Guru/Chela relationship, is not an issue when it comes to those students who have yet to deal with the issue of idolatry directly. But even so, for those of us who have not mastered the issue of idolatry, there is still no reason for our understanding to be blurred or fuzzy to any degree. In this regard, it should be understood, that it would not be accurate to say, "What one Ascended Master has accomplished, all Chela's working out of the Guru/Chela relationship can accomplish." This mismatches categories again. It would only be accurate if you put it this way, "What one Chela, working out of the Guru/Chela relationship has accomplished, all Chelas, working out of the Guru/Chela relationship, can accomplish." The only Chela who believes he can accomplish what an Ascended Master can accomplish, is the Chela who has made his Ascension, or that "Chela" who resides in a state of delusion. Progress on the path requires first, a balanced understanding of what are the responsibilities that lay before the student within the context of the law, and second, a willingness to put the law into action, and third, the patience to wait for the time of the harvest.

     Therefore, the principle, "What one man has done, all men can do," is immutable and valid only when the categories match. When the categories are mismatched in the mind of the student, the operation of the principle is distorted, and that distortion introduces the condition of error into the mind, compromising the ability of the student to make progress on the path.

     Therefore, if the leader, the example, is made into an idol, made into a god, perfect, and without flaws (within the human imagination), this mismatches the two sections of the principle, and that changes the way in which the principle operates within the mind of the idol worshiper. The principle no longer operates as a point of inspiration within the mind of the student, but as a point of frustration. In other words, instead of this principle operating as an upward moving escalator, lifting the soul into ever greater levels of achievement, the principle operates as a downward moving escalator, lowering the soul into ever denser regions of self-condemnation and self-pity. This occurs because the natural law of logic that operates within the mental body, will process the image of the idol, and produce from it, an inverted principle, which is a principle of failure, which says, "what this god has done, I can never hope to do." And therefore, the operation of this inverted principle within the mind removes the individual from any sense of personal identification with the virtues expressed by that leader.

     This principle, "What one man has done, all men can do," is a key operational mechanism within the internal machinery of God Victory, and the mindset of idolatry subverts it, throws a monkey wrench into it, and brings that machinery to a screeching halt.

	List of Virtues Embodied By Elizabeth Clare Prophet 1. Love for God, and Loyalty to his purposes. 2. Love for the Ascended Masters and Loyalty to their cause. 3. Determination to serve the Ascended Master cause. 4. Steadfastness, and Persistence, and Tenacity, and Constancy, in serving the Ascended Master cause. 5. Devotion of life to bring the Teachings of the Ascended Masters to the people. 6. Powerful and compelling public speaker. 7. Talents and skills related to the building of a world-wide organization devoted to the Ascended Master purposes. 8. The all-consuming desire to sacrifice her life to this divine work.      If the reader can think of other virtues that should be listed here, please take a few moments to share your ideas. email the editor.

     Behind this desire to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet as perfect, is the amalgamated desire of the not-self, the net-average forcefield of mortality that rises, like so much steam, off the boiling cauldron of electronic belt substance, to deny the responsibility of each member of the community to match Elizabeth Clare Prophet virtue for virtue. (See the list in the box to the right). In other words, as long as Elizabeth Clare Prophet is seen as perfect, and without flaw, it places her in a very lofty category of attainment which is unreachable by the individual. And therefore, there is no reason or justification for that individual to make the effort to emulate her. In other words, there is no intellectual basis upon which one can believe that it is possible to emulate her. This net-average forcefield of mortality (that rises off the boiling cauldron of electronic belt substance), interpenetrates the mental body, acting upon its molecular structure, pressing and pushing all activity into the mold of mortality, and into congruency with the conclusionary structures that support the status quo consciousness of mortality. Therefore, the consciousness of the soul lives within a veritable forest of these conclusionary structures, within the very midst of them, and identifies with them, and with the general attitude expressed by them, which says "I'm a flawed human being, and she's perfect, wonderful, adorable, therefore, it is futile for me to identify with her accomplishments. Those accomplishments will be forever beyond me and out of my reach."

     All electronic belt substance, in all individuals, traces its origin to the original rebellion of the fallen angels, and their denial of the authority of the Universal Christ generally, their denial of the authority of the Universal Christ within themselves, and their denial of the authority of the Universal Christ within the Children of God. And this denial resides to this day in its purest form in the forcefield of those fallen angels who are still embodying among the people of the earth. And because the Children of God have been following the fallen angels, and emulating them and their ways for so many lifetimes, they have absorbed this denial into their own identities. But because the Children of God, as a general rule, have the counter-balancing experience of the light within them, this energy of denial is mitigated from the full intensity of complete denial, into an energy form that is not quite as emphatic, which we call DOUBT. This is doubt both in the authority of the Christ, and in the responsibility of the individual to become the Christ. "Well, I will not completely foreclose the idea. I mean, anything is possible, in theory. Right? But I'm skeptical, and I doubt that it is really possible in real terms. Therefore, I will not put a lot of energy into that, but rather, I will invest my life energy into other areas that appear far more practical, which promise to pay off in more tangible terms." And thus the electronic belt is filled with the records of these life patterns wherein the soul has given expression to the power of doubt over the course of many many lifetimes. In other words, the power of doubt is given "life" within the framework of the misdirected goals of the individual, and all the activities associated with the pursuit of those misdirected goals, all the pain, frustration, and suffering, over many lifetimes, becomes the container within which this doubt energy resides. The power of doubt has its greatest impact upon the current state of consciousness of the soul through the huge momentum of desire stored in the electronic belt to do just about anything, except that which would fulfill the plan and purpose of God for the soul, which is, to lay aside its mortal identity, and return to its Christ Identity according to the path established by the Ascended Masters.

     When considering the power of doubt, and its effect upon the course of our lives, we need to take into account the fact that there are two additional factors, beyond the influence of the doubt energy stored in our electronic belts, which tend to increase the impact of the energy of doubt upon our individual consciousness. First, it should always be remembered that the doubt energy we carry in our electronic belts, interlocks with the denial energy held in the forcefield of the fallen angels. As they project this denial energy at the lightbearers, the intensity of our personal momentum of doubts will increase. (The Judgment Call, 20.07 in our decree books, was given to us by the Ascended Master Jesus Christ to address this problem. When the false hierarchy assigns its agents to target and trip up a particular light bearer, or group of light bearers, that Judgment Call is given, and this call gives the Master the authority to turn back these energies of darkness.) Secondly, the doubt energy we carry in our electronic belt will also interlock with the greater astral forcefield of doubt that characterizes the collective electronic belt substance of the human race. This has the effect of making the doubt that we experience within our own consciousness appear as if it were an impenetrable barrier. And I would like to stress the fact that these energy systems are no theoretical abstraction. The personal, collective, and the projected, all work together to dismantle, within the mind of the soul, each and every point of identification with the Christ as it appears. Even if you do your Tube of Light decrees and your violet flame decrees every day, if you continue to harbor and indulge the substance of doubt, that substance will provide a point of entry into your world of these other larger momentums of doubt which proceed from the regions of the collective, and the projected.

     Therefore, in terms of this need to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet as perfect, as a means to justify the desire not to make the effort necessary to become the Christ (not to fulfill one's divine plan, not to pour the totality of ourself into the Ascended Master plan for the salvation of the earth), by creating an idol that exists in a lofty region of unapproachability, it is important to come to grips with the fact that this forcefield of anti-desire, that obstructs the process of putting on the individual Christ Identity, proceeds from this mass of doubt substance carried in each individual's electronic belt. Now, I understand that the objective identification, by the individual, of these motivational processes that proceed from this mass of doubt, is difficult, because these processes proceed from a force that operates largely at subconscious levels. But if the mass of doubt is of a significant intensity, its operation can be observed at the surface of awareness under certain circumstances.

     The most obvious place where this doubt manifests, is in the barrier of opposition the soul of light faces every time it is faced with the task of actually implementing a part of its divine plan. We see this barrier appear when its time to do our decree work. And we see this barrier appear when its time to engage with our sacred labor. And these barriers appear, not simply as heavy and oppressive walls of reluctance, barring our forward movement, but also in the form of ideas for alternate courses of action. This is why victory on the path does not come easy. If it were easy, we would have had our victory a very long time ago. But it is not easy. And this is one of the reasons why it is not easy. Our efforts to align our thoughts, feelings, and activities with the light, with the purposes of the Ascended Masters, and the goal of the Ascension, and the goal of bringing in a Golden Age culture, will always be opposed by this mass of doubt energy.

     But there is another less obvious place where this doubt energy can manifest itself. For example, if you consider yourself a devoted student, and yet feel uncomfortable facing the issue of the flaws of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the source of that uncomfortability is rooted in that mass of doubt carried in your electronic belt. In this regard, the forces of doubt have been allowed to grow so strong (by neglect), that the soul has been robbed of the capacity to identify and hold onto those points of inner reality that provide the foundation of truth upon which the Teachings should actually rest. This is an extremely important concept that we will go into more deeply shortly.

     Having been robbed, by the forces of doubt, of the inner foundation of certainty concerning the validity of the path, the soul has no other choice but to hold up the perfection of Elizabeth Clare Prophet as the prime criteria upon which the validity of the path is to be judged. If Elizabeth Clare Prophet is perfect, then the path is perfect, and we have made the right choice in devoting ourselves to her teaching. If she is not perfect, then the path cannot be perfect, and as you might expect, on the heels of this "revelation", there appears within the mind the possibility that the individual has chosen a path that has errors in it. And through these specters of error, every more powerful doubts come to the surface, challenging the rightness of our choice in devoting ourselves to her teaching. When the discussion of her flaws enters into our field of awareness, the foundation of our belief structure will start to collapse. And this is a very uncomfortable experience, and one that most of us will try to avoid if possible. As a defensive shield, most of us will actively deny any reports of flaws in Elizabeth Clare Prophet's character. We will set those reports aside, and refuse to plug those reports into our equation of truth.

     As a general rule of thumb, the more untransmuted doubt substance a student carries in their electronic belt, the more they need Elizabeth Clare Prophet to be perfect. Under normal circumstances there is a direct relationship between the actual mass of doubt substance, and the level of intensity behind the soul's need to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet as perfect. And again, under normal circumstances, as the electronic belt substance is transmuted through the use of the violet flame, you would see a corresponding lessening of the intensity of the desire and need for Elizabeth Clare Prophet to be perfect.

	Timeless Teaching on the Dweller on the Threshold      In a dictation given by Beloved Kuthumi, on January 27, 1985, at Camelot, published in Pearls of Wisdom, Vol. 28, No. 9, under the title, "Remember the Ancient Encounter - on discipleship under Lord Maitreya", the Master presents a very basic and lucid exposition on the subject of the dweller on the threshold. This is must reading for every student on the path. The exposition on the dweller begins on page 84, and continues on through page 93.

     But there is another factor to consider here, that will lessen the impact of this doubt substance upon the mind of the student, before a commensurate level of transmutation is actually achieved. And that would be the dispensation associated with the release of the 20.09 decree, entitled, "I Cast Out the Dweller on the Threshold" released to us by the Ascended Master Jesus Christ (example). When this call is used daily, the Master is given the authority to bind that dweller, which means to render it harmless, so that the soul can go about its daily business largely unburdened by the total mass of it. What this amounts to is an encircling of the incremental portions of the contents of the electronic belt with a forcefield of light maintained by the Ascended Master Jesus Christ, which provides a barrier through which the magnetic lines of force (associated with the dweller substance) cannot pass into the regions of the conscious mind. The dweller substance is not actually being cast out of the electronic belt, but rather, its influence is being cast out of the conscious mind. Remember, all electronic belt substance represents the life records of the soul. And the soul will remain responsible for the transmutation of these records. The use of the 20.09 call, and the dispensation associated with it, gives the soul the opportunity to build a momentum of light, service to the light, and identification with the light, before the day when it will be required to face, confront, and overcome that dweller in a more direct manner. But looking forward to this day, the Master will always make sure that the soul will be given the challenge of facing some aspect of that dweller each day, providing a form of spiritual weight training, that will enable the soul to become strong, and trained in the ways of God Victory. The Masters will send onto that ultimate field of battle only those who have proven their strength, and their skills in this regard.

     Now, the Great Law requires the soul to reap the consequences of its actions. This is a consequence of freewill. The electronic belt is composed of the records of all the past actions of the soul which were out of harmony with the reality of its Christ Identity. Therefore, one way in which this law is implemented, and this is universally true, is to structure the four lower bodies in such a way that the outer consciousness of the soul will be controlled by the net average vibration that is radiated out of the electronic belt, which represents the sum total of all past actions. When talking about the principle of karma, this is the most fundamental outworking of the law of karma. But the Great Law also allows for the expression of mercy. And the Ascended Masters generally embody the mercy aspect of the law. They are given, by God, the authority to stand between the soul, and the outworking of the law of karma, for the purpose of giving the soul opportunity to return to the pathway of light, and to build up an identification with the light, and a momentum of using the light in service to the earth, before the soul is called on to balance its most onerous debts to life. But, as a general rule, the Ascended Masters can only exercise this authority if the student requests it. "Please set me free, temporarily, from the consequences of my past misuse of the sacred fire, so I may an opportunity to return to the ways of God." Therefore, the 20.09 decree was composed by the Ascended Master Jesus Christ, and it was given to us by him, for us to use to request this particular form of intercession, which is a very important form of intercession. It is important, because for many souls, without this form of intercession, the density of their electronic belt substance would never allow them to identify with their divine purpose and divine mission in this life.

     In this we have a very tangible reason to extend appreciation to the Ascended Master Jesus Christ. But not only that. The fact should not be missed that the forcefield of light the Master extends into our world to seal the electronic belt each time we give the 20.09 decree, will, over time, establish an aggregate forcefield of light, that will be perpetually present, that will add to our own momentum of God Victory. I would propose here, that if the student is diligent in using the 20.09 dweller call on a daily basis, it would be impossible for the forces of darkness to draw the student away from the path. The Master would simply refuse to allow the forces of doubt to impact the soul to the extent that would be necessary to draw the soul off the path. And the added momentum of Christ-Light carried by the soul through the use of the 20.09 Dweller decree would allow the soul to roll right over whatever tests of doubt the soul is scheduled to face in the days ahead.

     Now, in regards to this phenomena, whereby the forcefield of doubt carried in the electronic belt, if not addressed, will literally push the soul into a mindset of idolatry, we need to observe that this exact same principle is in operation supporting the centuries-old lie concerning the infallibility of the Pope of the Catholic Church. The leadership of that church over the centuries, have conspired, in a manner of speaking, with the masses of common people who belong to the Catholic Church, to maintain that idol of perfection in order to help all of them shore up their belief that they have chosen the right church, and at the same time, validate the general conclusion (created by the dweller of doubt) that Christ is not something that you become, but something that you worship from afar. When it is understood that the dweller of doubt is constantly working to dismantle within the minds and hearts of the people all that God would deposit their as good, then we can understand why so much energy is put into the effort to maintain the integrity of the idol. The idol becomes the placeholder for real and genuine aspirations which the soul has no other way of fulfilling as we shall see.

     And in regards to our own situation, this is where it would be worthwhile to review the notes I asked each reader to jot down concerning their internal reaction to the title of this paper. If you were honest with yourself, you will have noted a certain level of uncomfortability that came upon you when you read the title of this paper, "Confronting our Doubts: Coming to terms with the flaws in the character of Elizabeth Clare Prophet". This feeling of uncomfortability corresponds to the erosion of the idol, upon which the validity of the Teaching rests within the mind. You should understand that when you choose to rest your sense of the validity of the Teaching on the perfection of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, that you have not chosen a solid, firm, or strong foundation.

     It is true that this reaction pattern suggests the presence of human pride as well, in as much as the soul does not want to believe that it could have made a mistake in its chosen path. And this is a valid observation. But pride is a secondary symptom of the operation of this doubt substance. The doubt substance has robbed the soul a priori of the capacity to fully grasp the source of its true identity. And therefore, lacking that anchor, the development of human pride is a natural result. This is so, because there resides within the soul a deep and natural desire for self-worth. Take away the internal source of that self-worth, which the force of doubt accomplishes, and the soul is left to seek for that self worth in a very narrow range of outside factors. And these outside factors are of an endless variety. If I am a man, and I am handsome, I have self-worth. If I am a woman, and I am beautiful, I have self worth. If I am a man, or if I am a woman, and I am slender, I have self worth. If I am a man, or if I am a woman, and my respective sexual endowments are prominent, then I have self worth. If I am a woman, and I have a handsome husband, I have self worth. If I am a man, and I have a beautiful wife, I have self worth. If I have lots of money, I have self worth. If I have a nice house, I have self worth. If I have nice clothes I have self-worth. If I have a nice car I have self-worth. And looking somewhat within, but not very deeply of course, If I don't make mistakes I have self-worth. I have much less worth, to myself, and to others, if I don't make mistakes. Therefore, because I desire to have self-worth, I don't make mistakes. And if somebody tells me I made a mistake, this will normally ruin my whole day. Therefore, I proceed on the assumption that I do not make mistakes in anything I do, especially when it comes to my decision to join this church. And this outer factor based system of criteria is then superimposed upon the larger institutions with which the soul is associated. In this case, the more perfect, and mistake free, the leader of my church is, the more certain I am that I did the right thing when I joined this church. And conversely, the more I hear about the flaws and mistakes of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the less certain I am that I made the right decision to join this church. Such news gnaws away at my self-image as a mistake free human being, and correspondingly, gnaws away at my sense of self worth, and therefore I am sorely tempted to dump this idol for another who will be more faithful in helping me to uphold my self-image as a mistake free human being.

     When doubt destroys the capacity of the soul to associate itself with the deeper internal points of personal verification, of personal self-worth, (which are delivered by God to the soul within the context of internal experience), then the soul is left with only the observable factors in the outer world upon which to base the assessment of self-worth. There simply is no other choice. And the phenomena of human pride is all about willing, with all the resources of human passion available, all of these outer factors to work in the interest of maintaining the self worth of the soul. And therefore, there are great problems in terms of the emotional stability of the soul, whenever these outer factors depart from what the soul believes that it needs to feel worthy. When we see manifestations of pride in anyone, we need to feel compassion for a soul whose internal world is being ravaged by the forces of doubt. And certainly, it is easy to see that there are few in embodiment who do not fit into this category.

     Now, in regards to indulging this condition of doubt, which requires Elizabeth Clare Prophet to be perfect, a condition which is indicated by the experience of any degree of uncomfortability when confronted with the subject of her mistakes and flaws, it needs to be understood that this is an especially dangerous state of being for a student on the path. And that it is the more dangerous to harbor doubt substance in the electronic belt if you are at the same time engaging in a significant amount of group decree work. If you do not consciously confront that doubt substance, and call for its binding as you have been taught, the more light you invoke in the course of your decrees, and the more light that you absorb from the general forcefield established by the group of decreers, the more energy you will have in your forcefield to feed the strength of that dweller substance. If the energy of doubt is not confronted and defeated, there will come a point where the buildup of doubt substance will reach a critical mass, at which point, it will swallow up the identity of the soul. At that point, the soul will abandon its support of Elizabeth Clare Prophet's perfection, and declare that it has seen the "light", and will turn against that idol, and declare that idol to be a complete fraud. I have seen this happen before my very own eyes. It is absolutely amazing.

     When the point of critical mass is reached, the general posture of the idolatrous mind, stated as, "I am a flawed human being, and Elizabeth Clare Prophet is perfect, wonderful, and adorable, she is my idol after all, therefore, it is futile for me to identify with her accomplishments. Those accomplishments will be forever beyond me and out of my reach," will begin to give way with the appearance of the following seed idea: "If she really did make the mistakes they say she did, if she really has the flaws that people are talking about, well, maybe she isn't worth looking up to at all." This seed idea is actually a projected idea, that embodies the pure denial of the fallen angels, and around it, begins to coalesce the evidence of all of Elizabeth Clare Prophet's flaws, and it doesn't matter at this point whether the flaws are real or imagined. Any piece of gossip will do.

     In this regard, those who have reached this point of critical mass, when they hear the arguments that uphold the principle of the idol, and the illusion of its perfection, and all of the denials of Elizabeth Clare Prophet's flaws and weaknesses, they instantly understand that they have fertile ground upon which to attack that idol. And this is where it gets really interesting. Because they can point out these flaws within a very narrow range of truth, because the truth is the truth: Elizabeth Clare Prophet had flaws. But, the central motivating force behind this effort to expose the flaws, and tear down the false idol, does not have TRUTH in mind as its ultimate goal. Those who have reached this critical mass of doubt are collecting evidence out of the desire to justify that force of denial which has taken root within them which proclaims that it is impossible, for themselves, or for anyone, to become the Christ. This power of denial becomes a barrier that separates them from any further cognition of internal reality. Their minds are left to operate upon the fuel of outer perceptions only. They reason first, that Christ is perfect. They look at the flaws of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, and conclude that she is not perfect, and therefore has not the Christ. And therefore, she could not have possibly accomplished the divine works attributed to her. They argue this point vociferously, because they are vociferously backing away from their responsibility to become the Christ. The more flaws that they can identify in Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the more certain they are that she could have never embodied the light of Christ, and therefore, the more clearly justified is their conclusion that it is impossible for human beings in general, and themselves in particular, to become the Christ.

     Therefore, we have two distinct categories of mind under our microscope here. On the one hand we have those people who have a strong desire to uphold the perfection of Elizabeth Clare Prophet in order to release them from the responsibility of putting on the virtues that Elizabeth Clare Prophet exemplified (their subconscious agenda is to avoid the effort necessary to become the Christ). On the other hand, we have those people who have a strong desire to tear down the idol of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, for the purpose of denying that she had any virtues whatsoever (their subconscious agenda is to prove that it is impossible for any human being to become the Christ).

     It's fairly clear that there is not a whole lot of difference between the state of being which embodies a reluctance to become the Christ, and that state of being which completely denies the possibility that a human being can become the Christ. Both result in a state of being that keeps the reality of personal Christhood at arms length. This similarity in end result, springs out of the fact that both modes of being have an identical origin.

     And as we have pointed out, both of these states of mind proceed from the electronic belt substance of doubt. The former state of mind is differentiated from the latter only by the intensity of the doubt energy the individual harbors in his or her electronic belt.

     In the former, the soul experiences the light (in the course of its devotions) and identifies with that light (when it is present), but it is unable to sever its long standing relationship with the forces of doubt (when the experience of the light fades from memory, the forces of doubt again take control). These people are still on the path.

     In regards to the latter, the doubt has reached a certain critical mass, and has completely taken over the mind of the soul. In this regard, we need to remember, that for a soul to enter into the Teachings in the first place, that soul must have an Ascended Master sponsor who will extend a certain forcefield of light that will seal off the substance of the electronic belt to create a space, within the consciousness of the soul, wherein the principles of the teaching and the actual power of the light can be experienced. When the soul leaves the path, this sponsorship is withdrawn, and the outer consciousness becomes fully enmeshed, once again, with the magnetic fields of the electronic belt. In this regard, the soul has been returned to a condition of full identification with the general forcefield of doubt that emanates from its own electronic belt substance. These individuals are no longer on the path.

     Those who have completely identified with doubt have left the Teachings, so they are not of any concern to us here, in regards to the subject at hand, which is locating that internal equilibrium that will allow us to hold in balance the fact of human flaws in the chosen vessel, against the presence of the actual light of Christ in that chosen vessel. Our attention is directed at those whose feet are still on the path, who experience the reality of the light, who yet feel the need to champion the non-existent perfection of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, and to deny the presence of any flaws in the chosen vessel.

     When otherwise devoted students take a detour around each and every opportunity to come to terms with the flaws of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, it should be understood that this is an act of defending the false idol of perfection which they have allowed the forces of doubt to create within the region of their own imagination --- An idol that has been raised up to substitute for the inner identification with the light, which the dweller of doubt will not allow them to achieve.

     Make no mistake about it. Every move to uphold the false idol, is a move to feed and defend the beast of doubt that yet controls, from the level of the subconscious, a significant part, if not the greater part, of your own thinking processes.

     And this is an important point. As long as the beast of doubt controls your thinking processes, you are rendered incapable of drawing the appropriate conclusions concerning the light that manifests within your own world! As a consequence, your thought processes generally, will continue to identify, in terms of the larger culture, with the great human drama of mortality, played out upon a stage constructed solely, in terms of psychological substance, out of the material of doubt energy. And this keeps you from fulfilling your divine mission, and playing your role in the founding of a Golden Age culture, that will exceed, in terms of intrinsic value, many times over, that which is represented by the founding of the United States of America itself. The students of the Ascended Masters are intended to be the founders of a new age. Therefore, it is very important for Keepers of the Flame to absorb themselves into the shoes of the founders of this nation, so that we can get the feeling of those shoes, so we can more easily take the next step towards the founding of something even more grand than the United States of America itself, and that is of a Golden Age culture with a planetary scope.

     Therefore, with our eye on this goal, let us examine this all-important point in excruciating detail: As long as the beast of doubt controls your thinking processes, you are rendered incapable of drawing the appropriate conclusions concerning the light that manifests within your own world, which is the light that represents the geometric energy structure of the Golden Age you were sent into embodiment to help establish!

     Think about that. I am certain that the Masters are meticulous in their effort to make certain that every student who makes the effort to participate in decree sessions will experience the light of the Golden Age. This must be true, for the Ascended Masters are duty bound to present the ultimate choice to every soul: "Choose ye this day whom you shall serve." For that choice to be presented to the soul, the soul must be given a clear and unambiguous inner experience of the light. What this means is that Ascended Masters will make absolutely sure, that there will not be a single Keeper of the Flame who will be given the opportunity, as they stand before the Karmic Board at the end of this life, to say, "I was not given a clear choice." What this means is that every student, every single person who has ever taken up the Science of the Spoken Word, has experienced the appearance of the light of the Golden Age within the fabric of their own consciousness.

     (Here we have an immutable principle, upon which we can base an immutable rationale which will support our efforts to extend the utmost respect to every student of the Masters. In other words, why do anything, or say anything, consciously or otherwise, to push a soul into a greater identification with the forces of doubt with which all students must contend? The goal of every student must be to help everyone to cleave to the light, and to identify with the light that the Masters are revealing to each and every student in the course of their devotions.)

     The fact of the matter is this: The appearance of that light within the fabric of awareness of the student is the total justification for this path. This cannot be underscored too many times. It would be a very wise thing for the reader to stop right here and repeat that sentence one-hundred times.

     And as you repeat it, bring into the region of concentrated contemplation the memory of all the times the light has made itself manifest within the fabric of your own awareness during decree services. We are talking about the appearance of a power that completely transcends everything that is human. Make note of the fact that in the presence of this light, all human concerns, worries, and the acidic feelings associated with them, VANISH! This is the actual appearance of the Christ within the vessel of the soul. Yet, the dweller of doubt will not allow the mind to grasp onto this power, and draw the proper conclusions based upon it. In fact, it is the power of doubt that allows the individual to take this amazing manifestation for granted.

     The capacity to draw proper conclusions based on the appearance of the light within the fabric of your own mind, is the process of actually building up within the forcefield of the individual soul, the very Mind of Christ. And the dweller of doubt, which is the very power of anti-Christ, opposes every step of this process.

     Every student should take this to heart, that their need to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet as perfect, is not a need of the soul, but it is the direct expression of the desire of the dweller of doubt to keep the soul from rising into the light. And it does this by making sure the soul never achieves any significant level of understanding or appreciation for the light which the Ascended Masters release into their very own consciousness. In this respect, that dweller represents a huge obstacle to making further progress on the path. And it must be consciously cast out using the 20.09 Dweller call that was given to us by the Ascended Master Jesus Christ for that express purpose.

     The soul must learn, and quickly, to recognize the value of the light that appears within the fabric of its own mind, especially when it is involved in the practice of the Science of the Spoken word. That light is the very substance of Christ Reality, and when the soul experiences it, at that particular point in time, the soul has actually merged with it, not by the power of the individual, but by the power of God. And the conclusion to draw from this would be inescapable if it were not for the action of the dweller of doubt which directly and instantly dismantles each effort the soul makes to draw the appropriate conclusion regarding the presence of this power.

     As the dweller of doubt is progressively bound, and transmuted, the soul will increasingly realize, that if God can establish the focus of that power within you at one point, he can establish the focus of that power within you at any point. And the level of your integration and assimilation of that power can only grow over time as you stay firmly anchored to the path and to the practice of the Science of the Spoken Word. But of course, the dweller of doubt will not allow you to look ahead, and harvest any amount of joy from the prospect of walking this pathway of light into the very arms of eternity.

     Therefore, as a bulwark against the Parana-like response of the forces of doubt to each and every appearance of the light, it would be a worthwhile exercise to consider exactly what it means to experience the light, before we move on, so that there will be left no question whatsoever as to what I am referring to here.

     In this regard, we must make note of the fact that the Light of God brings into manifestation, at the point of impact, the conflagration of the Sacred Fire, which carries out the work of God, according to his purpose. And then again, the sacred fire again becomes the source for the re-transmission of light.

     Now, you cannot "see" light at the level of the etheric, unless you have first assimilated the sacred fire. The assimilation of the sacred fire is required to accomplish the work of transmutation and purification. These processes are essential to the clearance and healing of the chakras, through which higher spiritual reality is perceived. To see "light" at the etheric level, which is the most accessible level of heavenly reality, all seven chakras must be able to hold an appropriate etheric vibration, and the soul must be able to rise into that vibration. This comes only after the soul has accomplished the necessary work of transmutation and purification.

     (The same principle applies to the perception and recognition of the God Presence as well. The chakras must be healed and purified so they can operate properly. The qualities of the God Presence are synonymous with the qualities of God generally, and those qualities are divine, exuding the characteristics of infinity in regards to all the individual parameters of the divine character, and it is the chakras, operating together, in a balanced manner, which are designed to present the qualities of this Divine Presence to the soul.)

     Moreover, the attainment of the capacity to actually see the reality of the etheric octave (while in embodiment), comes with the corresponding capacity to see into all lower levels as well. And what resides at these lower levels can be frightening. And therefore, this capacity to see must be, and will be accompanied by a complete and proven mastery over fear. And a complete mastery over fear, comes with the complete mastery of the heart center, and in this we are talking about the highest level of attainment preceding the actual ascension. So, for these reasons, if a student has the wish to "see" the light, let it be understood that this wish, as a general rule, is one that is quite impractical.

     But this does not mean that the student does not, or cannot experience the "light" from the very beginning when he places his feet on the path of initiation.

     And in this respect there are two general categories of experience.

     The first category of experience has to do with the power of the sponsoring Ascended Master to set aside the limitations of the soul, and to reveal to the soul whatever inner realm experience the divine plan of the soul requires. This has nothing to do with the soul's current state of attainment, and in no way is limited by any lack of attainment. In other words, what the soul "sees" in this regard, is not a product of the power of vision anchored within the chakras. It has to do with what God decides the soul needs to see and experience in terms of inspiration and knowledge that will enable it to stay faithful to the path of initiation. Regardless of how polluted the chakras still remain, these conditions will be sealed off, and the soul raised to the level necessary to receive the gift of revelation, and then the soul is lowered back down into its prior condition (to continue with its work of transmutation and purification). The previous safety-related caveat is set aside, because the Master can reveal to the soul exactly what needs to be revealed, and will keep everything else veiled. Such inner experiences come to every soul on the path, but these experiences do not happen every day. They are special jewel-like experiences that the soul keeps in its treasure chest of revealed divinity. When we are talking about experiencing the "light" we are not talking about these experiences (even though they originate in the realms of light), primarily because these experiences cannot really be talked about, in as much as words can never do them justice, and they are probably not universal enough in characteristics to serve as a point of reference for this discussion.

      For example: On December 18, 2001, after a lengthy period of work on the editing and revision of this manuscript, and just before dinner, I went into the sanctuary to perform a period of service before the altar. At the beginning of every service, I always start with this statement of gratitude: "I would like to express my gratitude to Mark Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet, for their blessed dedication to the Will of God over so many years, which gave me the opportunity, and so many others the opportunity, to find the Masters, the Teachings, and the Science of the Spoken Word; which gave me the opportunity to attend so many blessed conferences, seminars, and services, at Camelot and at the Inner Retreat and at the Ashram of the World Mother, and of course for the opportunity to attend Summit University. I want to express my gratitude for having been given the opportunity to attend so many blessed services in the Chapel of the Holy Grail, and at the Inner Retreat, and for the opportunity to be in attendance during so many live dictations there." During the giving of this statement, I was given to see the life-long work of Elizabeth Clare Prophet as a shining golden edifice, the shining totality of it as a monument to the Ascension. Overlaid and interpenetrating this vision was the image of a golden sphinx, and the ambiance of the retreat of Serapis Bey. The spacial characteristics of this perception suggested vastness, endlessness, in word, no limitations. And the actual qualities of "shining" and the actual quality and color of "gold" were distinctly impressed upon my awareness. Now, I think this is a pretty fair rendition in words of what I experienced, but I have the memory of the actual perception to go along with the words, i.e. the words resurrect an actual memory of the experience. But it is very unlikely that many readers will share the memory of such an experience, therefore, the recounting of it is of dubious value, because it is unlikely that there will be anything similar in the experience of others that will correspond to these words. But, I would hasten to add, that because this experience falls into the category of an experience given, presumably by the Masters attending this decree service, that it would be reasonable to conclude that what I was shown, was the truth, as the Masters see it, and that we can take considerable comfort from it. So, the effort to recount it, may have at least some benefit in this respect.

     The second category of experience is really more of a day to day reality for the student on the path. And its characteristics are more universal. This is probably because the characteristics are more generalized. It is more likely that an attempt to describe these experiences will find corresponding points of resonance with the actual experience of nearly all students of the light. When the soul uses the Science of the Spoken Word to invoke the light on behalf of self and humanity, the light is released from Ascended Master hearts, and that light establishes a conflagration of sacred fire at the point of impact to carry out the purposes of God. The first purpose of God is to bring about the transmutation of the substance of illusion that comprises the synthetic identity which the soul wears as so many chains. The second purpose of God is to bring about the fact of assimilation of the sacred fire itself into the very identity of the soul. The soul can experience the action of transmutation and assimilation by observing one very simple phenomena, and that is the transformation of the quality of consciousness. When we are talking about experiencing the "light" these are the experiences that we are referring to.

     Because the experience of the "light" has become a badge of attainment in new age circles, the thirst for such experience, born of spiritual ambition, can attract to the soul the experience of certain phenomena which has nothing to do with making progress on the path of initiation. What we are interested in here is the soul's capacity to assimilate the Sacred Fire, and not to "see" manifestations of photonic energy. This is a very important distinction.

     Consider what your soul experiences in terms of internal transformation when you come around a turn on a dark rural road and the "hi-beam" photons from the headlights of an oncoming car pour into your eyeballs and light up your brain like a Fourth of July sparkler. No significant internal transformation takes place. Consider what your soul experiences in terms of internal transformation when you are driving along on the freeway, and another car pulls up close behind you with its headlights on hi-beam, and that stream of photons bounces off your rearview mirror and right into your eyeballs, etc. No significant internal transformation takes place. When you pull your car up into the driveway at night, before you open the garage door, get out and walk up to the front of the car, and stare into your own headlights. Consider what your soul experiences in terms of internal transformation under these circumstances. No significant internal transformation takes place. In terms of a more domestic and homey experiment, consider what your soul experiences in terms of internal transformation when you walk into a dark kitchen in the middle of the night, and reach over to the light switch, and flip it on, causing a burst of photons to jump out of the light fixture in the ceiling. While it is true that the photons, reflecting off all the various surfaces within your kitchen, transmit, via your eyeballs, to your brain, detailed visual information regarding the physical appearance of your kitchen, honesty requires you to conclude, again, that no significant amount of internal transformation has taken place within you. In a more natural setting, consider what your soul experiences in terms of internal transformation when you are out walking on a dark night, and you come under the glare of a bright street light? No significant internal transformation takes place. Consider what your soul experiences in terms of internal transformation when you stare into the bright light of the full moon? No significant internal transformation takes place. Consider what your soul experience in terms of internal transformation when you bask in the warmth of the light from the solar sun center. While this is enjoyable (for some people), no significant internal transformation takes place. The same can be said for all optical perceptions of photonic energy, whether it is of a physical or an astral origin. The optical perception of these energy emanations are not associated with any significant amount of internal transformation.

     I anticipate getting some argument on this point from practitioners of color therapy. But in this regard, the keywords are "significant internal transformation", and to this they too must bend the knew before the validity of the foregoing conclusions.

     It is the assimilation of the Sacred Fire that produces significant internal transformation of the quality of our consciousness. And that is what the path of initiation is all about, the transformation of the quality of our consciousness. It is about making steady progress towards the complete transformation of the quality of our whole consciousness. It is all about surrendering our entire being to this two-step process, of leaving behind the qualities associated with the human consciousness, and putting on the qualities associated with the Christ consciousness.

     This is where the timeless admonishment from on high "Know Thyself" comes into play. The soul must develop the capacity to inventory its internal being. The soul must be able to categorize and catalog all the various quantities associated with its internal experience. And in this process of categorizing and cataloging internal experience, the soul must be able to distinguish between the various qualities of human consciousness to which it is prey on a daily basis, and the various qualities of divine experience given to it in the course of its devotions, again, on a daily basis. At this level, the soul is required to decide for itself what is of God, pure and heavenly, and what is not. There is no one inside, or outside, that can make these determinations for the soul. The soul is solely responsible for making these determinations. The Ascended Masters do not make these determinations for the soul. The God Presence does not make these determinations for the soul. The "Christ Self" does not make these determinations for the soul. And obviously, no person in outer embodiment is in any kind of a position to make these determinations for the soul, no matter what position that person might purport to occupy, no matter their longevity on the path.

     What is the origin of the various qualities of power that occupy the fabric of consciousness over the course of the soul's life in a given day? The soul is the final judge. The manifestation of the sacred fire within us, does not come with a blare of trumpets and a proclamation by an awesome glittering angel, saying, "This is the sacred fire from the heart of God." The soul must observe the presence of this power within the fabric of its own awareness, and decide, whether it is, or it is not, by virtue of its own judgment faculties.

     It is to be granted, that while the judgment of the soul is the final arbiter between the real and the unreal, before the judgment of the soul can be considered sound, that judgment faculty must be informed. It will always be true that the soul will base these determinations upon the knowledge it has absorbed from the light, from its teachers, and from the teaching itself.

     Now, the impact that misqualified energy has upon the fabric of the soul, is like the impact that poison oak has upon the skin. There is nothing pleasant about the impact of poison oak on the skin. It is absolutely and completely void of any pleasant sensation whatsoever. The sensations produced by poison oak are simply nasty. Not necessarily ghastly, but nasty, and uncomfortable. And so it is with the impact that misqualified energy has upon the fabric of the soul. It is nasty, and uncomfortable. When the sacred fire consumes that misqualified energy, we have to leave the poison oak parallel behind, because what we are talking about is more than simply the disappearance of the chemical agent, and the rash, and all the nasty effects associated with it. When the sacred fire consumes the misqualified energy, the fabric of the soul is left to glow with the very energies of paradise.

     The definition of the sacred fire is inextricably intertwined, then, with the principle of transformation, which is, by definition, a two-step process. First, a clear and unmistakable manifestation of darkness is consumed, and second, a clear and unmistakable manifestation of paradise takes its place.

     And this is the important point. When the Sacred Fire manifests within us, the quality of our consciousness is transformed. Therefore, when looking for the manifestation of the Sacred Fire, you look for those points when you can clearly see that your consciousness has been transformed. Take any burden of human consciousness that you can think of into your decree service. And we do that every day. We enter into our decree work burdened by all manner of oppressive manifestations, and by and by, as the Word goes forth, we find that the former burden of human consciousness has vanished, and the fabric of our awareness is aglow with an energy that can only be described as peace and paradise. We can also describe this energy as the energy of freedom, because while we are within its forcefield, we are free from the burdens associated with the human consciousness.

     When we are within the forcefield of this power, all of us, and this is universally true, can observe that if every human being on earth could reside within that sacred fire glow, there would be no more strife, conflict, or war on planet earth. And we can conclude from this experience, that this Sacred Fire energy is the stuff that will bring in the Golden Age, if only the people can be persuaded to take up the practice of the Science of the Spoken Word.

     And given the fact that Elizabeth Clare Prophet dedicated her life to bringing knowledge of the Science of the Spoken Word to the people of earth, we can easily conclude that she will have made a major contribution to bringing in that Golden Age (when it appears). And moreover, that her work in helping to establish this organization, dedicated as it is to the promulgation of the knowledge of the Science of the Spoken Word, will be seen as having equal and perhaps greater significance than the work accomplished by the founders of the United States of America itself.

     (When considering the intensity and tenacity of that power which is behind the doubt that would rob the Children of God of the capacity to see Elizabeth Clare Prophet's contribution for what it is, we sense beneath it all, a virulent hatred of the Mother. Which leads us to conclude that if we are really going to defeat doubt at its very root, we must defeat that hatred. But that is a subject for another day.)

     Moreover, when we are within this forcefield of power, with the fabric of our awareness aglow with the very energies of paradise, we are clearly aware, we are clearly conscious that this power is a divine power, a power that has originated in God, a power that is manifesting itself within us in all purity. We know what the sensations of darkness are, and this power is the very opposite of that. Some people have described it as bliss. Ok. But I prefer to refer to it as the very energy, the very geometry of paradise. And because the Christ is the only "person" than can experience God directly (God=paradise=sacred fire), then we must conclude that when we experience the presence of the Sacred Fire, and we have seen it vanquish the darkness before our very eyes, we have, in fact, put on a little bit more of our own individual Christ Consciousness.

     Moreover, the soul can clearly see that this power is not a product of its own imagination, even though the force of doubt would push the soul towards making that precise conclusion. In the regular course of life, what type of images and internal experiences does the human imagination normally produce? The presence of the power of the sacred fire is clearly and unambiguously outside of this category of experience. It is the presence of a power that exudes heavenly qualities, quite distinct from human qualities, and it has provided clear and convincing evidence of the character of omnipotence, because it has eradicated, completely and absolutely, a former condition of human darkness, and as long as this power remains resident within the fabric of awareness, no power of human darkness can encroach upon it. This the soul can see with its own eyes. This is a matter of personal experience.

     Moreover, the presence of this power does not push the soul in any particular direction in terms of thought, or outer activity, other than clearing the path for continued service before the altar. In every instance, it breaks the spell of human impatience that pulls and tugs upon the soul to hurry up to get this decree work over with, so we can go do something "really" important. It is a power that disconnects the soul from the machinery of human thought, and sends awareness out into a region that is beyond thought. This power is peace, and stillness, and clarity, and tranquility, and total surcease from any and all forms of turmoil.

     Moreover, every appearance of the sacred fire glow within the fabric of our awareness, is, in reality, God's guarantee restated, that if you stay with the path, and don't quit, you will win your victory.

     And as you make note of the fact that this light appears within you, even when you are not "perfect" so note that this is the light that Elizabeth Clare Prophet served, and she did not need to be perfect to serve it.

     As you build up your appreciation for the light that God makes to appear within you during every decree service, as your recognition of the value of this light becomes deeper and deeper, it will come to pass, that your appreciation, for the fact that Elizabeth Clare Prophet dedicated her life to the great goal of getting this teaching into your hands, will become ever more profound.

     The intellectual structure of the Teaching is important, as it provides a framework of thought, and action, within which, and by which, the light is anchored in the very fabric of our consciousness. But the appearance of this light, the expansion of this light, and the deep assimilation of this light, of this power, is the ultimate goal of divine being. And this goal cannot be achieved unless the presence of the light within us is understood for what it is, and appreciated for what it is. And for the children of God in the fallen state, this appreciation is not automatic. It is not automatic because of the presence of the dweller of doubt, which was referred to in the Book of St. John (1:5), "and the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." The doubt energy breaks down the process of building any lasting spiral of appreciation or understanding of this light.

     It is very important to pay close attention to the operation of doubt within the internal regions of our being. To this end, as you stand before the altar with the presence of this sacred fire of peace, freedom, and paradise firmly anchored within the fabric of your mind and being, consider how the fact that Elizabeth Clare Prophet made mistakes could have any bearing on the reality of this blessed power that God has placed in you here and now. In truth, facts or fiction concerning the flaws of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, can have no bearing, because the presence of the sacred fire proves the validity of the Teaching. Again, as you stand before the altar with the presence of this sacred fire of peace, freedom, and paradise firmly anchored within the fabric of your mind and being, consider how the fact that flaws in the character of Elizabeth Clare Prophet could have any impact on your ability to expand the presence of this sacred fire, and to more deeply assimilate it. In truth, facts or fiction concerning the flaws in the character of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, can have no impact in this regard, because again, the presence of the sacred fire in you proves the validity of the Teaching. Your effort to invoke that sacred fire on countless occasions has already been answered by Hierarchy with the establishment of the presence of the sacred fire within the fabric of your own consciousness, and this has been true, regardless of the mistakes Elizabeth Clare Prophet has made. And as you continue to stand, and still stand, to invoke the Sacred Fire, the call will continue to compel the answer, and so it will be unto your ascension in the light, and beyond.

     Yet, even so, the dweller of doubt will try to make an issue out of her mistakes, out of her flaws, diverting our attention from the central issue, and that is, that we have actually invoked the power of the sacred fire, and that sacred fire lives in us, and that sacred fire can expand, and that sacred fire will give us our complete freedom, by and by. The power of doubt tries to avert our attention from the fact that we have the teaching of the Science of the Spoken word in our own hands, and we have used it to invoke that sacred fire; and that we have both the Teaching and the experience of the sacred fire, because Elizabeth Clare Prophet devoted her life to placing that teaching into our hands. On this central and all important point, we are faced again and again with the undeniable truth, that Elizabeth Clare Prophet has offered a service of inestimable value to all of us, and to all mankind.

     But, does the doubt controlled mind recognize this? No. It absolutely ignores these facts. It absolutely ignores our own personal experience of the light. In other words, in moments of lucidity amidst the sacred fire glow, all of us may well recognize all of these points and profoundly so. But, when the beast of doubt shows up, perhaps the next day in the course of our regular daily activities, perhaps when you open one of those infamous emails making hay out of the mistakes of this or that church leader, and you feel the power of that doubt trying to dismantle your most cherished beliefs, you will notice that it will boldly and audaciously continue to ravage your soul, remaining completely and absolutely oblivious to the eternal existence of these truths. What I am trying to get across here is a very important and observable truth. Within the memory body you carry the memory of the experiences you have had with the power of the sacred fire occupying the very fabric of your awareness. And when you are under the influence of the forces of doubt, you can juxtapose the memory of your sacred fire experiences to the action of doubt upon your own mind, and you can easily see, that notwithstanding your own sacred fire experiences, the doubt energy could care less, and will continue to try to bring the citadel of your belief system down into a pile of rubble. The forces of doubt act upon the mind without any regard whatsoever for the value of the sacred fire. The forces of doubt act upon the mind without any regard whatsoever for the value of the service rendered by Elizabeth Clare Prophet in giving us the Teaching that would allow us to invoke that sacred fire.

     Therefore, make it a point to embrace the sacred fire that appears within you as you proceed with your service before the Altar of the Holy Grail. But embrace with equal appreciation the flaws of Elizabeth Clare Prophet (and other church leaders for that matter), because by those flaws, you can see exposed most clearly the operation of the dweller of doubt in your own world.

     All of us should be able to reason within our hearts thusly: "The presence of the light ought to be enough to validate this path for me, because this path is about ME, the individual, becoming the light. Truly, as I glow with the power of the sacred fire, I am an outpost of light. But, even though I experience this process of becoming the light, I nevertheless feel my foundation of certainty eroding as the power of doubt attacks and gnaws at my mind when I am confronted with facts and allegations concerning the flaws and the mistakes made by Elizabeth Clare Prophet (or even the current church leadership for that matter). Therefore, I can see that I have a problem. I am vulnerable to doubt. I must use the tools the Masters have given me to overcome this vulnerability, for if I don't overcome it, it will rob me of my victory."

     That dweller, if left unchallenged, will spell the death of your divine mission in this life. And therefore, the exposure of that dweller, within each one of us, clearly and unmistakably, is one of the greatest services that the memory of Elizabeth Clare Prophet has bequeathed to us, her accomplishments and her flaws together.

     This defines a universal test on the path that every soul must pass, before the soul can pass into the deeper regions of the heart. Again, this defines a universal test on the path that every soul must pass, before the soul can pass into the deeper regions of the heart. Again, this defines a universal test on the path that every soul must pass, before the soul can pass into the deeper regions of the heart. Again, this defines a universal test on the path that every soul must pass, before the soul can pass into the deeper regions of the heart. Again, this defines a universal test on the path that every soul must pass, before the soul can pass into the deeper regions of the heart. Again, this defines a universal test on the path that every soul must pass, before the soul can pass into the deeper regions of the heart.

     It all boils down to inner experience. It boils down to whether or not the soul will make the choice to accept the light for what it is, and for what it promises, or to continue to indulge this pattern of being fooled by the power of doubt, being fooled into accepting doubt as some kind of lawful authority within the being of man, allowing it to perpetually minimize the importance of the presence of the sacred fire within the mind of the individual. It has been said, that you cannot serve two masters. And so it is. By refusing to cast out doubt, the soul is choosing to cast its lot in with the power of doubt, and by and by, that doubt will completely enslave the soul. And as you can see, it is not so much what you know intellectually about the Teaching that matters the most. It is far more important what you choose to do about this conflict between the presence of the light and the presence of doubt in your own world. The diagram, in figure 1 above, illustrates the primary parameters of this great test and challenge.

     Therefore, during your next devotional period, as you embrace the appearance of the light within the fabric of your own consciousness, make it a point to contemplate the Alzheimer's disease which the physical body of Elizabeth Clare Prophet is now burdened, and observe how this scenario evokes from within you powerful doubts about the validity of the teaching, doubts that surface in the very presence of the all-important light. Here, the dweller of doubt can be seen most clearly, and the dweller you can see, is the dweller you can cast out. And as you cast that dweller out, God will place the blueprint for greater and greater victories into your heart, and into your mind.

     Please repeat after me, 144,000 times: It all boils down to my capacity to appreciate the presence of the sacred fire that God has placed within the fabric of my own consciousness in the course of my decree work. And this is a function of the development of my own heart center.

     We must not underestimate the importance of building up this quality of appreciation, as one of the primarily bulwarks against the encroachment of doubt, regardless of its origin, whether it be personal, collective, or projected. In this respect, we make note, that it can be said that Elizabeth Clare Prophet could have done "A" better. Or she could have done "B" better. Or she made a mistake doing "C", or another mistake doing "D", etc. etc., etc. A perfect person would have expressed perfection in everything he or she would be called on to do. But Elizabeth Clare Prophet was not perfect. She was a regular flawed human being in many respects. But she had a very strong theme to her life. The central axis of her strength was fulfilling the role of Messenger, being where the Masters needed her to be to deliver the Teaching, and putting together an organization that could disseminate and publish those Teachings, and to get those teachings into the hands of God's Children. This was always her central focus.

     And now, as we apply those teachings, especially in regards to the Science of the Spoken Word, and as we experience the presence of the Sacred Fire within the fabric of our own consciousness, our sense of the value of the appearance of the sacred fire within the fabric of our own awareness will grow and grow and grow, and it will come to pass, that a picture frame, composed of the very substance of appreciation itself, will form within us. And within the confines of this picture frame will appear the life service of Elizabeth Clare Prophet in terms of her strongest and most constructive character traits and accomplishments. This is a very important principle. The picture frame is composed of the substance of appreciation that flows from our awareness of the value of the sacred fire we invoke through the use of the Science of the Spoken Word. And as we experience the sacred fire, as we revel in the energy of blessedness itself, we recognize that it is a matter of personal honor to maintain that picture frame of appreciation at all times and under all circumstances. This is because the principle of honor requires that we extend appreciation to those who have blessed us through their service. And therefore, it is a framework of truth. Within this picture frame we see Elizabeth Clare Prophet giving her life to the great work of bringing forth the Teaching that is setting us free day by day, and has the potential, if the people use it, to set the entire human race free from the bondage of the not-self. The diagram, above left, illustrates these principles.

     We can expand the picture frame to include the other parts of the picture, her flaws, her mistakes, her vulnerabilities, and the tests she did not pass. And we should do this, not simply because the truth is the truth, but because those flaws, mistakes, and vulnerabilities, as we have pointed out, are the key facts of life designed to activate within our awareness, and to alert us, to the lurking dweller of doubt within the folds of our own being. But as we do this, and this is the test that is before all of us, we must not allow the forces of doubt to paint a black smudge over the center frame that is built from the fires of appreciation that proceed from our own personal experience of the sacred fire, which recognizes, as it ought to recognize, her role in placing into our hands the Teaching that will set us free.

     Remember: Only the Christ has the capacity to appreciate the sacred fire. So the effort you make to appreciate each and every experience of the sacred fire, is the effort to rise into your own Christ Consciousness.

     Of course, doubts cannot touch us when the fabric of our awareness is aglow with the power of the sacred fire. This should be duly noted. It is when the consciousness of the soul descends back into its status quo condition, interlocking once again with the net-average vibration that remains in the electronic belt, that the soul is vulnerable to doubt. The key to remaining above the net average vibration of the electronic belt, both personal, and planetary, it to maintain the vibration, and the quality of appreciation for the value of the sacred fire, for the value of the teaching, and for the value of the service of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, and of course, for all those who worked with her toward the completion of her mission.

     Of course, this is easier said than done. The ideal of constancy in this regard is not achieved overnight, but only over time. Even when you defeat the beast of doubt that attacks the validity of the teaching, the path, and your own personal experience of the sacred fire, the battle is not over. Many points of congruency still exist between the soul and the soul's own electronic belt substance. This is because the soul has invested its life energy into those experiences of mortality that are stored there. As we walk the path, those points of congruency are exposed, and they are consumed, one by one in the sacred fire we invoke at the altar. And therefore, as God places the blueprint for greater victories within your heart and mind, what remains of the dweller of doubt will rise up to attack those blueprints. It is up to you to prove your freedom from the power of doubt by your ability to see doubt for what it is, refuse to be controlled by it, and to carry forth the blueprint of your divine mission into outer physical manifestation. These blueprints are little pieces of your Christ Identity. By guarding them from the ravages of doubt, and by putting them into action, that is how you become the Christ in action.

     (Additional contemporaneous observations concerning the appearance of the sacred fire within the fabric of awareness can be found throughout the various "Footprints on the Mountain" journal entry compilations that can be found listed on Homeward Bound's Table of Contents page.)

     Finally, it needs to be noted, that because so many students have not confronted and dealt with their doubt substance, the Masters are limited in the amount of light they can release through the community generally. On the one hand, a greater release of light would simply provide more fuel to the dweller of doubt which would absorb it, and continue to grow larger within the region of the student's subconscious. On the other hand, the student remains incapable of pouring the fullness of himself, or herself into the Teaching, because the dweller of doubt short circuits any new point of identification with the light as it appears. Therefore, endless talk about the heart is pointless while the beast of doubt lurks unchallenged within the folds of being. Therefore, the success of the Master's plan for this organization is directly related to how well the membership deals with their doubt substance. In this respect, it is my hope that the student body will resurrect the use of the call given to us by the Ascended Master Jesus Christ, 20.09 in our decree books, entitled, "I Cast Out the Dweller on the Threshold", and that we will make a new resolution to use this call on a daily basis as the Master asked us to when it was originally released.

     We need to move past doubt, and the idolatry it breeds, as quickly as possible. And the only way to do that is to increase our devotion to the Science of the Spoken Word, pay attention to the descent of the Sacred Fire that results, and build an unquenchable fire of appreciation for that presence.

     Merry Christmas, 2001