by Francis Evans ©1999
1924, Baird T. Spalding wrote a series of books called “The Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East”. These books present the experiences of a research party who visited the Far East during the years 1894 to 1898. The books were not published at the time because the author felt that the world was not yet ready for the message. In volume one of the series he talks about Jesus choosing to go away from the people. ‘Jesus said “It is expedient that I go away for if I do not go, the comforter will not come”, meaning that as long as they looked to His personality they would not recognise their own powers. ‘For they must look within, within their very selves’. Another may teach or tell you, but you of yourselves must do the work, for if you look to another, you build the idol instead of bringing forth the ideal.’ One of the masters states, “You are perfectly right, it is all in man’s consciousness. He is limited or unlimited, bound or free, just as he thinks.”
Over the last one hundred years not much has changed, or has it? Certainly not the message, and who knows whether Spalding was just one of many. That the world is now ready for it is obvious by the plethora of individuals and groups promoting this path or that, not to mention a multitude of books advising and describing the ways to eternal happiness and control over your life. Some of these suggest daily practices, meditation, positive thinking and affirmations, visualisation; some include networks, religious and semi-religious groups.There are even processes that one indulges in when you feel the need coming on. Some of these have been around since Baird Spalding went travelling, some are older by far, and the rest are relatively new, often reworking the old.
Each one of these programmes holds some gem of truth for somebody. Each one works for that person, otherwise it would simply not exist. The gem of truth of course is captured in how it is presented, how it fits into a persons lifestyle and patterns. As has been said by sages throughout the ages, “you can only ever recognise a truth when you remember that you already knew that to be so.”
As the so called “New Age” progresses the numbers of courses and programmes increase along with the packaging, as the idealists of the 60’s and 70’s turn 50 and look to their own retirement. You either present what you have discovered or travel from one Guru, a course or workshop looking for the elixir of life. Now this may all seem to be negative, but without meaning and purpose in life, life is meaningless and purposeless. Even the search for meaning is a purpose, and like Spalding, unless you’re looking for the purpose its most likely you’ll not see it.
Spalding was a researcher, he needed to find the truth. Harry Palmer, the founder of Avatar®, is also a researcher. Finding the process that has developed into Avatar was a product of the research method. Harry didn’t set out to discover a product, the product was a combination of the way his mind made distinctions and a journey into his own consciousness.
Again, from Baird Spalding; “To conceive abundance, one must relinquish all thoughts of things in particular. This concept is so large that it will not permit the thought of detail. To hold it in mind, consciousness must swing far out into the Universal and reveal in the joyousness of perfect freedom. This freedom must, however, not be taken for licence, for we are held responsible for every thought, every act. Our consciousness cannot attain to this freedom in an instant. The breaking of the last vestige of limitation may be accomplished in an instant, but the preparation for the glorious event has gone before; the preparation in minutest detail has been accomplished from within”.
These words of wisdom have been repeated many times over the intervening century, but unfortunately they are only words. Avatar recognises there are two sorts of lessons in the material world; word lessons and world lessons, and these teachings will simply remain another word lesson until they are experienced in existence. This answers the perennial difficulty about what is real and true, and trying to convince somebody of your truth leads to argument. What you cannot conceive of cannot be part of your reality, cannot be the way it is. This is the bottom line for the Avatar course – What you believe to be the way it is, will be the way it is; however you limit your possibilities then that will determine your actions. More great advice, but……….
Here is a programme that doesn’t stop there, it leads you out of the morass of word lessons into the simplicity of world lessons, in fact Avatar states that unless your life is getting easier then you haven’t understood yet. This is a contradiction of the common belief that the more you understand the more complex it is.So Avatar is simple, a clearing out of complicated beliefs and mis-directions, and not replacing them with other beliefs.
So is Avatar just another self-awareness programme? It seems not, for a start this one makes some startlingly strong claims, verging on ‘Instant Enlightenment’. Not surprisingly, those people who have done the course seem to bear out a certain change in awareness. More than this, because Avatar is not expousing a new set of beliefs it goes beyond cultural, religious, and political boundaries. This is not a course for everybody; if you have a belief, understanding, or know some fact that is immutably true, that you are unwilling to consider your creation, and more importantly, will not take responsibility for the ensuing results, then Avatar is not for you. On the other hand, if you want to live with inner contentment and command, with clear direction for the future, Avatar is the least you can do for yourself. Its here, and its now.