Turn Your Tears To Laughter

A friend of mine said last week, that's quite a little trick, isn't it? Is it really doable?

Well, we think it is, but of course there's a secret behind it, and the true secret behind it is finding out, basically, fundamentally, and profoundly, just what it is that we mean when we say I, and just what type of attitude we develop towards this, our personality, the, shall we say, facade we wear both for ourselves and for the world. We will analyze that together and try to understand how, even in the midst of tears, we can learn to laugh and perhaps in that way not only overcome the sorrow, which is our lot for the moment but how to make of it something that is a joyous thing, how we can sing unto the Lord with laughter in order to show this more fully we really require two tarot keys before you, you see the tarot key, the fool I requested that underneath be hidden until we started to speak, the devil and it be pulled out, in other words, that we pull a little something on you so as not to frighten you to begin with, in order to help you understand what Qabalah and tarot mean by the devil, what the real teaching is in relation to this, shall we say, apparent principle.

So, Mary dear, if you will pull out the devil for us now.

See, we were afraid that perhaps guests might come, and if they walked in and saw the devil without understanding what we're really teaching, they might run away.

Devious, isn't it?

Well, I really want both of them, Mary. Okay, shall I put it below?

I think that everyone can see it if you put it below.

Put the fool on top, though, and the devil below. I think that is more than hardly correct.

I hope you think it was clever. I was devious. It definitely was. But you see, the most important thing in life and far more important for the occultist is to discover what true humor happens to be, to learn how to use what is called mirth on the path of return. As most of us know, we know it perhaps too well most of the metaphysical and occult schools of thought make a very very serious thing of spiritual development and it is very improper to have anything but a solemn face in order to express whatever it is we think we mean by spirituality and seriousness in the occult endeavor and so on.

Well, unfortunately, those who hold this type of attitude, please forgive us if we say that unbeknownst to themselves, they are unhappily prigs.

In other words, they are so tied up with the need to feel important important in relation to their own spiritual aspirations or thoughts, that they forget that all of life is a dance of life, that all of life is a song of life, and that even though we do grant there are such things as sorrow and tears and horrors, we do not deny this. On the other hand to see into and through them to see what is behind them and what the final outcome must be this gives a different attitude and of course the first essential is to stop taking ourselves so seriously not our aspiration we must take this seriously but ourselves as personalities ourselves ourselves as aspirants, ourselves as, well, very unusual and extraordinary human beings, because we know everyone secretly in his own heart feels that he is quite a few little levels or steps or what have you above all those around him, and some express it with the raised eyebrow. Some express it in false humility, saying, well, poor little things, well, they're not very evolved, because in this way they are showing how spiritual they are.

But the smile is not there, because they are desperately attempting to see themselves in a role which, incidentally, is really so unnecessary. So let's look at the fool for a moment. And as you you remember in tarot we say that this fool symbolizes super consciousness well now super consciousness really this is the consciousness of god and yet here we have it being symbolized by a fool doesn't that give us the story in a way if we know how to read it the actuality of course course, happens to be, but according to the deepest esoteric teachings, that which we call God, that which we call the Lord of Life, that which we call superconsciousness, this is said to enter into manifestation because perhaps it has a great spirit of adventure. At any rate, this fool symbolizes the eternal spirit of adventure, the debonair, gay, joyous travel, the march of self from self-experience to self-experience. And in that Tarot key you will see how though this fool is at the brink of an abyss and he's not a bit concerned he has further heights and curiously enough one needs to be a fool that is in comparison to what most of the world calls wise one needs to be a fool in order to taste the spirit of God God. This is so little realized, and yet how can we show this to you? Well, if God is life, if God is livingness, surely livingness has one basic fundamental need, that is to express express itself. And indeed livingness, the universal livingness, has no need to worry or to take itself so seriously in what we might call the pompous ways, because it knows that it is from forever to forever, that if it falls, so what? It has to get up and keep keep going. You know, you try going to a movie or watch a play, and wouldn't you be bored indeed if you didn't have a lot of problems in the play that must be overcome? You see the villain, you wonder, my God, what's going to happen? Is the hero going to get killed? And this is what gives us our pleasure. And how many of us have walked out of a movie with the tears streaming beaming down our face and have said, wasn't that wonderful?

You see, this is the humor we are speaking about.

Those who experience God, basically, have that same feeling about what we call the everyday livingness. It's really not different. That's the funny part of it. Of course, in the Eastern philosophies, they tell us that all of physical phenomena is an illusion well this can be misinterpreted when it's called an illusion and so everybody starts to desperately try to get away from the illusion which is not according to qabalah the proper method at all it isn't getting out of the illusion it's learning what the illusion is who and what we are and enjoying the play enjoying the play apparently this is what god intends and in enjoying the play we must also recognize we can't get away from the serious parts that is we have to have our villains we have to have our tense moments we have to wonder who's going to win the hero or the villain who's going to win out otherwise how would it hold our attention when we become bored our attention isn't there anymore and then we're not living in tarot attention is assigned to the pair of opposites life and death to the degree that we can pay attention to that degree are we alive and functioning to the degree that we cannot be attentive this after all is consciousness to that degree are we sort of zombies not quite awake yet walking nodding in our sleep so you remember Shakespeare said that all the world's a play and we the players in it he was quite an adept in his way, wasn't he?

And the important thing in our work, in our lessons, in our training from the exoteric right on down through into our esoteric work, the important thing is to learn how to recognize the differentiations in consciousness, to see and know what is the superconscious, what is the self-conscious, what the subconscious, and what the mixture which we call personality. To learn how to differentiate the self and the personality which lives the self.

A personality, as we pointed out in a previous talk here, after all, happens to be just a grouping of reactions, thinkings, feelings, and so on, which are forever in the process of change.

What our personality was when we were children was so different than what our personality became as adolescents.

And what our personality was when we were adolescents so different than what it is today. We should have no need to hang on to these personalities for dear life and with desperation, getting insulted if anyone says anything which we interpret as not being flattering or complementary to this personality complex grouping of forces. The personality is a changing thing. From day to day it is something different and it is a miracle to be enjoyed if we learn how. I'll tell you a little story or two to show the various ways we react and the ways we can change our reactions and it is doable truly.

There's a story told in the Eastern philosophy, I'm not sure it's the Eastern philosophy at that, but somewhere, of the two knights who came from opposite directions riding on their horses and they came to an inn. And then one bid the other one good morning and he said isn't that a lovely golden sign which was above the inn he was on one side of the door and then the other one said it is a lovely sign my dear sir but it is a silver sign and the first knight said you dare to call me a liar and the other one said you doubt my veracity and honesty and in great indignation they plunged at each other with their spears, plunged through each other with the spears and fell on opposite sides of the sign. And as they looked up dying, each saw that one side of the sign was gold, the other side was silver. But they, you see, were so caught up with the need to be important, with the protection of whatever it is they they thought was their honesty and integrity.

See what happened.

This is the thing we do with each other all the time, you know. Husbands and wives have a rough time of it.

We have noticed this same principle.

Each is so often insulted by the other. How dare you doubt this or that in relation to myself? They will say most of the fights apparently between husband and wife come from being so focused on the importance of the personality wives more often than not get terribly upset because the husbands have forgotten something so vital like a birthday or an anniversary and they will moan and they will groan and they will weep and they will say you do not appreciate me you do not love me or you would show it and they They will even quote scriptures, and they will quote spiritual things of all kinds, and say, by their works you shall know them. And what kind of works are these? Where you do not show this thoughtfulness, the fact that you care, and so on. This happens very often, you know. That's why there are so many cartoons and jokes about it.

And, of course, if the wives did not take themselves so very seriously, in other words, if we weren't always lying in wait subconsciously to catch the other person in the act of insulting us wouldn't it be different?

And of course, because of this I have created a little joke with my immediate circle and those who have no sense of humor, do you know they do not see how funny this is and how deliberate so I have deliberately created this little joke about my birthday and about six months before my birthday I will occasionally go up to some of my near and dear ones and say you know I have a birthday at such and such a time and three months before and two months before and then occasionally if a near and dear one gives me the present beforehand I will smile sweetly and I'll say well this is a beautiful pre-birthday present but I'm still expecting a birthday present you know Oh, well this is chuckling at that attitude that we all have more or less, but people who have no humor have been known to say of me, if they happen to be in on a sideline and hear this little joke, they have been known to say how grasping and avaricious she must be.

Really the importance of humor is tremendously vital and yet the humor you see is something we do not understand also because most of us think that if we can laugh we have a sense of humor but this isn't true notice the comedians who are the most popular they are the ones who poke fun fun at themselves. Do you notice?

Well, it's because really, it helps us to feel more important in one way, but in another way, perhaps way deep down, we wish we could do the same. Those who can poke fun at themselves truly have a higher regard for themselves than those who take themselves so seriously that they must always be hurt and insulted and incidentally being hurt all the time is a very tragic thing it really is it's a terrible thing to live with either in oneself or with ones near and dear ones and yet it is not necessary that this be so if we examine the principles of life and work at transforming our attitude so So now let's go to that charming little fellow, the devil. I love him.

I just do love that creature. And do you know why?

Because he isn't.

In other words, it's like loving the play. It's like loving the illusion.

It's like loving the charm of the prestidigitator, so to speak. Dr. Case was a prestidigitator. He performed marvelous acts of magic just by deliberately creating an illusion.

There was a misdirection, and everyone adored the entertainment they received. And yet, the whole secret of this entertainment was what? There was deliberate misdirection. You want to make a person think that a certain card just appeared out of nowhere. So you deliberately get the attention off there while you do your little trick on this side, see? Oh, maybe I shouldn't have told you. You might be watching for it, and it might spoil the illusion.

But Mrs. Case and I had quite a time with Dr. Case and his prestidigitation, and we still chuckle as we remember it. Mrs. Case might be busy in the kitchen, her hands in the water, the sink full of soapy water with whatnot being done and all of a sudden he would have a new trick which he thought was well perfected so he would go rushing into the kitchen and there while her hands were in the soapy water he would say here take a card take a card any card any card now because mrs. Case has a delightful sense of humor she laughed but I've known other wives when dr. Case took us to some of his little meetings complained bitterly about the thoughtlessness of their husbands I hear they were busy doing this and that and they were just so absorbed with their trick that they were not thoughtful enough or paying any attention and so on oh the complaints these poor wives would make and mrs case would look at each other because we saw the humor in it you see there is the difference humor without humor life is a dull dark bleak unhappy place with humor even sorrow and tragedy can be transmuted into a chuckling laughter truly so our little devil here in Qabalah the Hebrew letter is assigned to the eye and what What is meant there is the eye is the organ of vision.

Now what is it that brings the illusion? It is the way we see things, isn't it? And we each see things in accordance with our own unique way of seeing.

So that the great illusion and the great deluder truly comes from the way we look, whether we look at or look into.

Seems like a simple thing but it isn't so simple in a way because it takes practice to see the difference between what things look like on the surface and what they're like when we look into them well our charming little devil here is saying in essence because incidentally this Hebrew letter and this Tarot key are assigned to the function of you know what mirth mirth and it is saying in essence if you learn how to see the incongruities which takes you know what perspective that again has to do with the eye as the organ of vision see this is the capitalistic way of analysis which which digs more deeply and more deeply and more deeply into the essence and principle of life itself and every function of life. This is why it is so important to work with one's lessons and to study and get these attributions in mind. It becomes a shorthand for consciousness to spark it and to experience the principle behind the appearance, because we cannot do it with verbalisms, as we've told you before.

For. Verbalism's only helped to build a sort of communication bridge of energy between us, but it's what's happening underneath between us that brings the real insight as we talk to each other. I speaking apparently with the mouth and you listening with the heart and speaking back to me with the heart. This is what does the communicating in essence and is not recognized by most people. So we have here this whole principle of mirth being shown. And you notice the male and female with the chains.

Well, these chains are the chains of interpreting by surface appearance, by taking surfaces as truth, which is really the father of lies, and also by feeling themselves separate from everyone else, better and so on these are the real beasts in our hearts and these are the things we need to start recognizing and considering and of course there are a few little stories that can help to show one or two points one of the stories that I find so charming it's about this man who suddenly died and when he woke up he found himself in Assumptious Mansion and there was a butler dressed to the gills bending over him and saying wake up sir it is time for your breakfast and so he got up the butler tucked the napkin under his neck he brought him the most beautiful breakfast you could see he wouldn't let him butter his toast he wouldn't let him cut up his his egg he just did everything for him and then he he gave him his bath he wouldn't let him wash himself he dressed him he wouldn't even let him tie his shoelaces he was weighted on hand and foot and this went on day and night and night and day after a few weeks of this our man who had died started to feel more and more bored he was more on more on edge he kept trying to do things for himself and the butler would say oh no sir it is not permitted and there he was finally he burst out in anger I mean in irritation and desperation he said my god I might just as well be in hell and the butler looked at him in astonishment and said but my dear sir wherever in the world did you think you were and this has a true moral you see the humorous things have truth underneath because how many of us fume and fuss inside ourselves because we have so much to do how many of us feel so burdened with responsibilities my God, I have to do this and then I have to take care of that.

Oh, and sigh and moan and groan.

Why do we do it?

It's because we apparently think it shows other people that we're important, and we all do, you know.

I confess I even do it myself sometimes.

So it isn't.

We do because we forget none of us are awake a thousand percent of the time but why do we do this because we do not recognize that we don't have to do that in order to be important those of us who know that the one living spirit the fool lives in and through us we don't have to protect that little personality and keep showing everyone how important it is and how well it does and how burdened it is and how self-sacrificing it is and how loving and kind it is we don't have to because really our personalities aren't any of those things anyway our personalities are just automatic response mechanisms to the push of life and our true eye is wearing of the facade enjoying the mass going in for the ups and the downs the joys and the sorrows the tears and the laughter the excitement of self experience which brings ever deepened consciousness and when we recognize that and we have to practice it by the way it doesn't come by itself we have to practice the transmutation uh inside and deep within in order to make ourselves feel day and night and night and day that it is the self it is the higher self it is the spirit of life it is the lord of life it is the glory of god and god itself himself herself which experiences through this personality which God is building don't forget God any consciousness that is able to manufacture or express or emanate whatever we We like the vastnesses of space as we look out, the amazing organization of nebulas and stars and solar systems.

The miracle, the miracle of what takes place in an embryo. And look, do you know how every single chemical detail is handled to keep your vehicle going? Something knows it, doesn't it? Or it couldn't be going. The complex organization is fantastic.

Well, that, which is the true builder and the true liver, gives us our own feeling, or should give us our feeling, of uniqueness, so that we do not need to feel or attempt to prove that this changing personality is something so extraordinary because, incidentally, it really is extraordinary. That's the funny part of it. But when we have to prove it, we don't know it. And when we know it, we don't have to prove it. We can chuckle at all the little childishnesses which we attempt to express. You know, have you watched little children around Halloween going to school all dressed up? Have you noticed the sense of importance as they strut off to school?

Well, you know, it's quite charming in a child.

But perhaps we should grow up a little more and not feel quite that kind of importance. Because the point is this. When we know that we are actually playing a part, We have a different reaction to life experiences. You see, it's pretty much like this. People who have not yet delved deeply enough into their own hidden motivations, because we're growing, we're not perfected, it is important to them to feel that they are, for instance, honest and have integrity and have character, you know, like our two knights who killed each other because each was sure the other was insulting his honor?

Well, when we know that we are playing this part, we don't have the same reaction, and yet we must also recognize that human beings who haven't got enough of a sense of humor will not even recognize our humor when it's being displayed. Like another little thing, I sometimes, in humor naturally, say, well, you know, I really haven't got any character.

And I'll watch the eyes with that shocked expression. They'll say, no, alas, I just haven't see my little creatures my dog my two cats no matter what I want they always manage to wrap me around their paws I mean somehow or other they always get the best of me and we do things their way I'll say no no no to my dog for just so long finally she'll win and she'll get that extra biscuit or I'll say no no no to my cat he's determined I'm gonna pet him I'm determined I'm not he wins and so I chuckle and I say you see I just have no character even the creatures can get the best of me you know some people take this seriously truly because they fail to see the humor the mirth in other words the fact that I can joke about a dog or a cat getting the best of me indicates what perhaps I truly feel in my own basic security that I can joke about it because I admire the ingeniousness of a little creature that will pit itself against human consciousness of all things any human consciousness wouldn't have to necessarily be mine and that's it that's the mirth that's seeing through the thing and And without humor, we even fail to see where the other human being is intending to be humorous, to show up something that is ludicrous.

We had a friend once who, when she was shown the cartoons in the New Yorker, couldn't get the point. And after the point was explained, she would give a very peculiar kind of, hmm because apparently she had to give a laugh in order to not to be thought too much of a freak but her eyes remained very confused and bewildered this person really existed we knew her and of course this person did take herself too so seriously that she was always having great problems in her domestic relationships. She was always feeling hurt and misunderstood. She always felt that she's alone because after all she is walking the path. Her husband was violently antagonistic towards her occult studies because he said it took her away from him and he was absolutely right. It did because she didn't have the humor.

And so she wasn't truly practicing real occultism.

The first essential is to become aware of our motivations, to see the little acts we put on.

Now, here is another thing then that comes up.

We have had inculcated in us so deeply so profoundly I mean we've really been hit over the head with it most of our lives in the culture we live in this idea of honesty you know and integrity and so we have these people say well the one thing I refuse to do is tell a lie but they tell themselves lies all the time about themselves know again shakespeare said to thine own self be true and then it follows as the day the night thou canst not be untrue to another and those of us who do not know what our real motivations are in relation to others aren't ever telling the truth that's the great deluder that's the devil it's the great deluder because we have not seen through these things and the result is we bring all sorts of unnecessary tears into our lives actually we're meant to enjoy the facade, the play, the mask we are meant, and it is our destiny sooner or later we will all achieve this to know that we, just like the actor who goes on the stage to play Hamlet or whatever part he's playing and he can play many parts as you know we are meant to know that we are not the part we're playing the part we're playing is merely of another phase of self experience and self expression and so what we need to do is learn to become very artistic in the expression of our personality we should see it for what it is this is what brings the the chuckle and the laughter, at least in our hearts.

We should see it for what it is. We should enjoy it for what it is. And we should be able to sort of feel indulgent towards the personality's little quirks and whatnot because it's like, in a way, it's almost like a little animal being trained by our true mind, our true consciousness, which is really, whether we're aware of it or not, one with God. Then the charm. People have sometimes accused me of embellishing stories. They say, now you know it wasn't really that way, you've just, you've embellished it. But actually, even if I did embellish it, I mean, my answer would be, although I don't have to life is dramatic enough it doesn't require that much embellishment truly but even if I did and perhaps we can think about this a little bit perhaps I am attempting to walk with the fool in the spirit of the fool to put on the little frills and the tassels and the decorations because because God apparently loves them very much.

Look at the flowers.

Look at the plumage of the birds.

Look at the myriad shapes of the leaves.

The amazing, miraculous embellishments.

The garbs the Lord of Life fashions are fantastic beyond belief. And if he made us in his own image, and I certainly don't just believe it, I know it, then we as centers and aspects of expression for this tremendous miracle, don't you think it's up to us to start putting on a really good act, to have the chuckle there, to put on a few of the trimmings, as long as we know we're doing it. The difference is knowing and not knowing. The deluder is what brings the tears. And when we see into and through, we can truly enjoy the embellishments. Then we do not need to be watching with a suspicious eye for the various insults or the lacks of appreciation which apparently we feel are going to come our way I knew a family of four girls who had a mother who was unhappily very paranoid she had a persecution complex and was sure that there were enemies lurking around every corner well this poor unhappy soul had three locks on the door and when anyone would knock on the door there would be this tremendous who's there with a suspiciousness and then this one suspicious eye would peek out and when any one of the girls would come home from school always this suspicious eye would be looking them over to make sure it wasn't an enemy well it's a curious thing out of this family of four girls two of them remained bitter all their lives they had no real humor and they think that they have a sense of humor two of the girls in getting together and reminiscing would start to laugh now in actuality here's the point that we're trying to make in actuality this experience the children had was a sad one.

It was indeed, in accordance with modern psychological thought, a damaging one to the emotions.

But two of the girls had enough humor so that they took that which would be damaging and were able to turn it to laughter. Not laughter in the sense of the very cruel kind of cutting wit that some people use. We must never mistake humor for sarcastic wit, which deliberately tries to tear and rend.

Remember this always, wherever anyone uses a sharp tongue, witty though it might be, if it is sarcastic and attempting to cut another individual, they are merely using the principle of egomania because they are deluded. They are lost in the play and do not know that they are something other they do not know how to enjoy the play consciously how to cooperate with it and so because they must feel important because they hold bitterness and resentment in their hearts still poor unhappy souls they'll use their wit to lash and tear at others this is not humor humor is kindly and indulgent and it brings smiles to the heart. This is what true humor happens to be and it is not sarcastic and biting wit.

So two of the sisters in this particular case started to see the ludicrousness of enemies around every corner and of a suspicious eye and these two developed true forgiveness and compassion for this mother. The other two sisters when they came to visit and saw and heard this chuckling reminiscing they become, became tremendously disturbed. Bitter expressions swept their faces and they said how could you, how could you joke about such a thing? Well the only the only answer is you are not as sensitive as we are.

So you see they used that to explain that the two sisters who had the humor were not as sensitive as they were. And the fact happens to be the reverse. Because the more true humor we have, the more sensitive we are, because the more we see and feel into what is behind this surface appearance. And the two sisters who learned how to laugh over some of the reminiscing were able to do so because they felt this compassion and they saw the truth of the situation the ludicrousness and many other things so you see you cannot analyze you cannot ascribe certain motives to people as readily as you do unless you learn also how to look into and through what seem to be the surface appearances but most of us unfortunately have such a need to feel separate and it's a peculiar thing that we should but I guess we still need to until we have our full of it then we'll get busy to to practice feeling other.

This need to feel separate is what makes us keep feeding all the little importances, the self-importance, the angers.

And without humor then, what happens is this.

We hold resentments, we hold hates, and we hold them deeply and from time to time, from week to week, from month to month they will suddenly burst out in acts of vengeance which we will call by other names whereas when we have the ability to develop the true perspective which this charming devil shows us we learn to truly make relationships from the inside dr case used to give a technique to all his people who when he would take up the devil in the tarot classes he used to ask the people in the class to do this he used to say get in front of your mirror whenever you feel blue depressed depressed, hurt, insulted, just get in front of the mirror and just look at yourself for a while and Dr. Case could have a very serious face and he'd say then go ha ha and of course there wouldn't be a single it wouldn't be the slightest tinge of a smile on his lips when he would say this he'd say just look at your face and go haha and then go ha ha ha ha and then ha ha ha ha ha ha and he said keep it up until you're really laughing and this can be the best medicine the chuckle of life life exists we can find it in the midst of tears we truly can but we can do it only if we learn how to stop taking ourselves so seriously as personalities and are willing to see ourselves as the growing stumbling children of god playing make-believe becoming lost in the play, oh my, I must tell you this other story suddenly came to me that I read in one of the books one day about this god who came down into manifestation as a pig. And he became so immersed and concentrated in his pigness that he started to live himself as pig in ever more intensive ways. And so he met a she-pig, fell violently in love with her, they were married.

And the gods looked down and said, my heavens, look how immersed he is. He's forgotten who he is. He thinks that he's really a pig.

And he wooed this sheep pig. It was the most important thing in life. He thought he would die, but absolutely died. Unless he had her as his own. And in due course, his determination had him or helped him to win this battle of love. So they were married, and in due time they also had a bunch of little piglets. And, oh, he was so proud of his little piglets, and he said, this one looks like me, and that one shows this characteristic of mine. He was completely lost in the charm of his piglets and his life as pig. And the gods did everything they could to try to wake him up so that he could know he's a god. Nothing worked. So finally, they took away his wife, and he wept and he moaned and he groaned for loss of his she-pig, his mate. And still, he just stayed completely absorbed in himself as pig.

So then, one by one, they took away his little piglets. May died, and there he was, finally, all alone. And the shock of being alone and not having anyone any other piglet to relate himself to finally woke him up and he realized well he'd never really been a pig at all he'd always been a god but he'd become lost in the role this is what we do you see it's a charming little story to indicate the basic thing this is what we do you and I my beloved friends sisters brothers you You and I are gods and never think otherwise.

We are not piglets, but we're so lost in the play and it's necessary.

We need to be lost in the illusion for a while, but then we need to wake up and knowing ourselves as God, play with the illusion, act it out because we must. This is the nature of God. We do not lose the charm of our personalities we do not lose the charm of the role as a matter of fact it is well known that to the degree that a human being knows who and what he is to that degree that it does his or her personality become more vibrant more charming more unique more more entertaining and perhaps also more shocking, because, you see, convention is usually not correct in terms of the truth of total principle.

So you and I, we are truly gods, the sons of gods, and we are not our personalities.

These are changing things. We are not our thinking processes.

Our true self uses them. We are not our feeling processes. These are things that change and change. They wash from one side to another. These are just the energies that bring awareness and consciousness to us of who and what we are.

And if we will remember that we are the sons of God, and if we will then enter into the spirit of the role we play, we won't have to impress others in all the ways we attempt to do with our importance because what will emanate from us will show the true thing and we will not need to tell people about our great abilities and so on you know that lovely little saying what you are speak so loudly I cannot hear what you say know what you are practice it as our work gives it and truly laughter will be your lot not that you will not have tears you if you do not have problems in your movie your television your play it would be very boring but it will quickly be turn to the laughter as it's meant to be and though we might have said much more perhaps that at least gives a few little hints look for the chuckle within ourselves learn to chuckle at yourself as you see yourself strutting on the stage of life doesn't mean you don't have to strut that's the whole point of course you can strut but enjoy it and know it for what it is that's the secret of laughter and of true humility incidentally knowing in your heart what you really are and that what you are strutting or acting out is just part of the changing play and it can be an awful lot of fun truly next Sunday the sermon will be The Art of Forgiveness and it will be given by our associate minister Reverend Arthur Redman on next Tuesday evening evening there will be the usual pranayus meeting members of bota who do not belong to pranayus may attend as guests on thursday evening this coming thursday evening that will be january 21st the topic of the thursday night class which I am conducting on the tarot will is is entitled manifest your hidden wealth through tarot well now you know we've told you before but those of you who are here for the first time will tell you too we just give them titles because people like it actually in our class work what we do we bring in the title so that no one would be disappointed we mentioned at a time or two in relation to a few important points but in our our tarot work on Thursday nights, we never know what we are actually going to give, because that is always given by the inner school through me in relation to the needs of the group for that particular evening. I never even know myself until it's being given. Anyway, the title, if you are charmed with titles, is Manifest Your Hidden Wealth Through Tarot, and certainly we will be taking up that principle as part of the general talk though we don't know what else will be given