Kim: Jesus, I know
a number of people who feel that they have been greatly helped and
inspired by the Conversations with God (CWG) books, especially the
first book. Yet they have now come to question some of the ideas presented
in the material or even think that some of the ideas are contradictory
or incorrect. This has caused them to wonder why they were attracted
to the books in first place. Some of them also wonder if Neale Donald
Wash is speaking with the real God or whether he perhaps had a purer
connection for the first book than for the succeeding books. Several
of these people have expressed a desire to have you comment on the
material, even though you have done so before, Link
1, Link 2, Link
3.
NOTE:
This teaching was given on September 13, 2006, after the NEW
DIRECTION was implemented.
Jesus: I am happy to comment on this topic again, because
when I made my first comments we did not have the material on this website
that could allow me to say what I wanted to say without writing a whole
book.
My first comment is that I encourage people to trust the process of
growth, as I explain in the following
discourse. This is captured in the old saying that when the student
is ready, the teacher appears. The meaning is that the spiritual path
has many levels and for each level you need a teacher who can take you
beyond that level. So at any given level you will attract a teacher
who is suited for that level, meaning that the teacher will be an expression
of that level of consciousness, including the illusions on that level.
Your challenge is to transcend the teacher and the illusions in order
to rise to the next level.
So there is a reason why millions of people have read the CWG books,
and the reason is that the books address these people’s questions
about religion and God. The books also express people’s feelings
and not only validate the feelings but show people it is acceptable
to express their feelings about God—which is a necessary step
toward healing. In other words, the books hit a nerve with people who
are struggling to move from one level of the path to the level above
it. Neale himself became the author of these books partly because he
is a good example of a person going through this process. Thus, he could
articulate the questions and frustrations people have at that level.
And exactly what is that level?
In one of my ego discourses, I explain the problem of black-and-white
thinking, which is the form of thinking that has dominated Western
religion – including Christianity – for thousands of years.
In recent decades, millions of people have started seeing the problems
with black-and-white thinking, especially in the field of religion.
Thus, they are struggling to free themselves from the influence of this
approach to religion and the image of God they have been given by the
old religions.
The CWG books address the questions and feelings many people have as
they struggle to break free from the black-and-white level, and that
is why they have reached the popularity they have. The books do contain
many valid ideas that can help people clarify their thinking and thus
break free from the black-and-white image of God. Thus, there is no
question that especially the first book has helped many people and will
continue to do so.
Consequently, I see no reason why people should feel concerned about
having read the books. People were not duped but simply attracted to
themselves the kind of teacher and teaching they needed at that level
of their personal path. Take note that I am not thereby saying that
the CWG books are the only way for people to overcome black-and-white
thinking or that all people at this stage should read them. I am saying
that people should follow their inner direction, and the people who
studied these books did so for a valid reason, namely that they had
something to learn from their experience with the books and Neale himself.
The big question now becomes, “What exactly was it that people
needed to learn from this experience?” This can be understood
by studying another of my ego
discourses in which I explain that overcoming black-and-white thinking
does not mean that you have attained enlightenment. The next step up
is to work through what I call gray thinking, which is the polar opposite
of black-and-white thinking. Instead of people thinking there is only
one true religion, people go through a phase of being willing to question
every idea, which can lead them to think there is no such thing as an
absolute truth.
Take note that gray thinking is a perfectly natural stage on the spiritual
path, and all people have to go through it. Yet as I explain in greater
detail in my discourse, the danger of gray thinking is that people can
become stuck in a blind alley from which it can be very difficult to
progress. The reason being that if you believe there is no such thing
as an absolute truth, it becomes almost impossible to rise above the
dualistic illusions created by your own ego. You simply have no foundation
for exposing them as illusions and you think they are as valid as any
other idea.
As I explain, this can only be overcome when a student is willing to
rise to the next level and attain Christ discernment. By reaching for
the inner contact with your Christ self and an outer teacher who has
a level of Christ consciousness, you can have a direct experience of
the Spirit of Truth which is above and beyond the two relative polarities
of the dualistic mind of the ego. Take note that Christ truth is neither
in one extreme nor in the other nor somewhere in between. It is above
and beyond relative, dualistic thinking.
When you begin to attain discernment, you will begin to see contradictions
in the ideas and beliefs that dominate the phase of gray thinking. You
will also realize that although many of the ideas at the gray level
are true, there is a higher understanding which puts everything in a
broader perspective. In other words, while an idea may be true, that
idea can be put in a context that is misleading. For example, while
it is true that people need to overcome the judgment of the black-and-white
level, this does not mean that there is no such thing as absolute truth
or that every idea is as valid as every other idea. Discerning between
what is real and unreal is not making a value judgment nor is it being
critical of false ideas or the people promoting them. It is a matter
of connecting to reality and bearing witness to the truth.
I am fully aware that many of the people who are presently students
of the CWG material will not be able to understand this distinction,
and the reason is that they have not yet moved through the lower levels
of gray thinking. Yet for the people who are open to this website, I
think it should be possible to see that a number of the ideas that are
presented in the CWG books are expressions of gray thinking. The image
of God that is being presented by these books is not in alignment with
the reality of God’s Being and God’s Truth. It is an image
of God that is molded after gray thinking. In other words, the books
correctly expose the black-and-white God but they present a gray God
instead of the real God. In fact, I highly recommend that students of
the CWG material read my ego discourses and then read the CWG books
again while specifically looking for ideas that are expressions of gray
thinking.
Once again, the gray God is potentially a step up from the black-and-white
God, but it is only a step up if people recognize that it is not the
ultimate reality about God and that there is a higher understanding.
The danger of gray thinking is that it can put people in a catch-22,
where they firmly believe they are very spiritual – even enlightened
– and thus close their minds to a higher understanding. They become
unreachable for a teacher who has the Christ consciousness. As Mother
Mary recently
explained, this is indeed one of the main factors holding back the
progress of humankind. Some of the most spiritual people have become
stuck in gray thinking instead of rising to the next level and attaining
Christ discernment.
Many of the people who have studied the CWG books have been helped to
rise above black-and-white thinking. They have now started to move out
of gray thinking and attain real discernment, which is why they see
contradictions and begin to question the CWG material. Yet I have to
say that discernment is something people have attained from within themselves,
and it has not been encouraged by the books. There are a number of ideas
in the books that – if taken at face value – will encourage
people to remain stuck in gray thinking. In fact, let me be direct and
say these ideas are deliberately designed to get people stuck in gray
thinking.
So does that mean I am saying that Neale is a false teacher? Well, that
is a question which does not have a black-and-white answer—nor
does it have a gray answer. The fact is that no person who steps into
a position of being a spiritual teacher will be able to bring forth
a teaching that is too much higher than the person’s own level
of consciousness and spiritual wholeness. When Neale received the first
book, he was the perfect example of a person who has started to see
through the fallacies of the black-and-white image of God but who has
not fully risen above that level of consciousness. He therefore portrayed
a person who is making the transition from black-and-white to gray thinking,
and that is precisely the image of God portrayed in the first book.
As such, this book deserves to be considered a classic of spiritual
literature in that it illustrates a particular level on the spiritual
path—including the illusions of that level.
The highest potential for Neale himself was that he would have used
the first book as a stepping stone for rising fully above black-and-white
thinking and then starting to rise above gray thinking to attain real
discernment. Had that happened, the second book could have addressed
gray thinking but still had contained glimpses of a higher understanding
that could have helped people move through gray thinking quicker. The
third book could then have contained enough non-dual truth to take people
beyond gray thinking. I am here specifically talking about a discussion
of the human ego, dualistic thinking and dark forces/evil, topics that
are missing from the material or brushed aside as unimportant.
Unfortunately, Neale has not yet been able to fully let go of some aspects
of the black-and-white God and fully internalize what it means that
God’s love is unconditional (unconditional love does not mean
that God approves of everything you do but that God will not accept
any conditions that stand between you and your growth). Also, Neale
has not been willing to let go of certain gray beliefs that are designed
to justify uncontrolled desires and thus blinds him to true discernment.
As a result, Neale himself is now a typical example of a person who
has become stuck in gray thinking and has convinced himself that he
has this “God thing” figured out so he does not need to
reach for real discernment.
People at this level are not actually looking for the real God. They
are looking for a God who will give validate their refusal to let go
of certain attachments so they can continue to live the way they want
to while feeling they have the ultimate approval – from God himself
– for doing so. In a sense, these people create their own God
in the image and after the likeness of the human ego.
Thus, instead of being willing to let go of some of the ideas in the
first book and openly acknowledge that they were not ultimately true
but merely expressions of a certain state of consciousness, Neale has
solidified and defended these ideas, elevating them to the status of
infallibility (in his own mind). Thus, the second book contains a number
of very deceptive ideas, whereas the third and consecutive books have
such a subtle blend of valid and dualistic ideas that only very astute
students can separate the chaff from the wheat. In other words, instead
of an upward progression, the books actually form a downward spiral,
which is what the more aware students have noticed.
Take note that I am not thereby judging or labeling Neale as being an
insincere person. He is a very sincere person who has good intentions,
and I honor people with good intentions, even when their intentions
are not based the highest possible vision. He has reached a certain
level of spiritual maturity but has so far not risen to his full potential.
In fact, had he transcended both black-and-white and gray thinking,
he could potentially have started working with the Ascended Host—a
potential that is still there but would require some serious growth.
As it is, the first book was given to him by a being in the higher level
of the mental realm Link
1, Link 2. The succeeding books have
been given by several beings in the lower mental and upper emotional
realm. That is why an astute student will notice a drop in the level
of vibration between the books and will notice that it seems like the
later books have more than one “God” talking.
Kim: So you are clearly saying that Neale is not talking to
the real God.
Jesus: That
is correct. Very few people have a level of consciousness where they
can reach the Creator itself. Neale is a typical example of a person
who does not truly distinguish and thinks that any communication from
beyond his own mind is from God. Millions of people will say, “God
told me this…” but the communication is not from God in
the ultimate sense. It might be from their Christ selves or their ascended
teachers. Or it might be from a being in the mental or emotional realm.
The reality of life is that there are many levels between a human being
on Earth and the Creator. You can communicate with the Creator but you
can only do so through the spiritual hierarchy that is between you and
the Creator. Some people actually do have communication with the Creator
and simply do not recognize that this happens through the Ascended Host.
Kim: So when you say the CWG material portrays a gray God,
is it possible that people have created such a God, just as you once
explained that people have
created a black-and-white God?
Jesus: Certainly. The Creator first created humans
in its image and after its likeness. But after human beings fell into
the duality consciousness, their egos created multiple gods after the
image and likeness of the ego. Such dualistic gods will always have
an opposite whereas the One God can have no opposite. The devil is not
in opposition to the Creator but is in opposition to a black-and-white
god of his own making.
The gray God has been there for a very long time but has been strongly
reinforced since the 1960’s by the many New Age people who have
come to believe in such a God. And it is getting stronger every day
by people feeding it energy over their attention and their beliefs.
In fact, in the foreseeable future, it will rival the black-and-white
God in strength, and then you will have a battle of the gods in the
mental realm. This battle will be outpictured in the physical realm
as a battle between the followers of these two false gods.
Kim: You said earlier: “Neale himself became
the author of these books PARTLY because he is a good example of a
person going through this process.” I imagine some people
will pick up on the word “partly” and wonder about any
other reason.
Jesus: He has karma from past lives in which his charismatic
personality caused him to mislead a large number of people into a rather
destructive form of black-and-white religion. Thus, he received an opportunity
to make up for this by leading people away from black-and-white thinking.
If he is willing to rise above gray thinking, he could still balance
that karma and rise above it. As it is, he has managed to lead a substantial
number of people into gray thinking, which will not balance the karma.
Kim: So what would you like to see people learn from their
experience with the books and Neale?
Jesus: As I said in my discourse on false
teachers, you can use any teacher or teaching to learn a lesson.
If you are an aware student and if you keep reaching for a higher understanding,
you can learn immensely from any experience. Sometimes, you learn that
you need to attain oneness with a teacher until you reach the teacher’s
level of consciousness and can go on from there. Other times you learn
that you need to step back from a teacher and jump beyond his level
of consciousness. Yet either way, you should always seek to transcend
the level of consciousness of any outer teacher or teaching.
That is not to say you should blindly follow any teacher that comes
your way. I am simply saying that you should not have regrets or resentment
about the teachers you have followed. You simply use each experience
as a springboard for further growth. It is appropriate to always feel
gratitude toward any teacher for the fact that the teacher was willing
to be there and be an expression of a certain level of consciousness,
thereby giving you an opportunity to grow.
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© 2006 by Kim Michaels |
