THE COIN OF THE SPIRIT

　SERVICE, service, service!

　That, stressed and oft-repeated by him, is the sum total of Silver Birch's teaching. He varies it with new illustrations; he expresses it week after week in different words; he illumines it with flashes of deep insight and penetration. To us, members of my home circle, it has been known for years. To visitors, asked occasionally for a special reason, it is a revelation.

　A few days ago I invited three friends, all new inquirers into our truths; one, a titled woman, who has thrown herself into the work of preaching the gospel of the need for spread-ing bounty among the masses and building a new order of society, was at first made to understand that Silver Birch could read into her soul.

　"You have always felt that our teachings were true," he told her. “You have been dissatisfied with the presentations given to you in the name of religion. You felt that this know-ledge can be of service to the world in addition to other knowledge to which you have dedicated your life.

　"Some time ago, in the silence of your own heart, you made a kind of vow to give your life in service to help those less fortunate than yourself.”

　All this, she admitted, was true. Then, to encourage her in the work, which she often found difficult, Silver Birch went on:

　"You know you are never alone. Such desires attract automatically to you people in my world whose aspirations are similar to your own, and who have a wealth of love to offer, because there is a natural affinity of understanding. What is eternal is the love, the real love, which is based on the desire to serve. We are not interested in labels, or in parties, or in creeds or religions. We are interested only in what you do with your lives.

　"To us, all religion consists in the one word ‘Service.' Those who serve are nearest to the Great Spirit. Service is the coin of the spirit, and when you desire to be of service to your fellow men and women you automatically attract those in my world who see in you an instrument for achieving that purpose. There are in this realm of spirit millions whose lives were dedicated to the task of enfranchising humanity, for that noble mission does not end with the grave.

　"Long years of existence in a world of spirit intensifies the desire. They see your world so full of sadness and misery, distress and grief. They see so many injustices and wrongs, so much greed and selfishness and rapacity, so much to be put right that all the power they possess is used through receptive instruments to help produce a better, cleaner world.

　"That is how you help, by allowing yourself to be filled with the power of the spirit, which is very real and which can touch you and through you touch others and enable them to have a greater understanding."

　"Can you tell me how one can become more articulate in expressing feelings to help other people?" asked the sitter, who is trying to learn public speaking.

　"Try occasionally to still yourself for a little while," replied Silver Birch, “to withdraw from all the jangling discord of your world into the silence of your own soul. When you are quiet, passive, receptive, we can come very close to you, for your silence is our opportunity. If you are never still, you set up such a rush of vibrations that they bar the passage and make it almost impossible for us to get close to you.

　"Try to cultivate, if only for a few moments, holding your-self still and you will find that gradually there will come into your mind ideas which will help you. As those who love you are able to merge their auras more with yours, so gradually you will find that greater inspiration comes to you. I wish I could make you realise how much love surrounds you. It is hard to convey it.

　"You judge reality by what you see and hear, very illusory though these methods are; but round and about you, day and night, are beings whose ideals are your ideals and who yearn with an overwhelming passion to raise the fallen, succour the weak, to help the needy, to heal the sick, to comfort the mourner, and bring all those who have lost their way, who are weary, tired, perplexed, into a safe anchorage of know-ledge and wisdom and understanding. You have a part to play and you will play it."

　Another sitter was a publisher seeking to flood Europe as quickly as possible with much-needed English books of a high standard. In many countries, all literature that was idealistic and cultural was burned by the Nazis. There is a yearning, therefore, for all knowledge of the outside world.

　He was told how, in past years, spirit power had helped him, whether he knew it or not. He was reminded that, each time a crisis had arisen in his life, help had come at the extreme hour. Then he heard how the job of publishing books, which some might call a mere business, was part of the divine plan—and how, because of the highmindedness of his motive, nothing would be allowed stand in his way.

　"I see weary masses, so many whose lives are darkened, so many who live in fog and mist, so many who are tied physically, mentally and spiritually," said the guide, “and I and others would lend our aid to have them freed. You have a great opportunity to do something that lies closest to your heart.

　"I want you, without any thought of fear, without any clouding of your mind as to the difficulties, to do what you have done at least three times beforeーgo straight ahead. What seem to be obstacles will melt away as you approach them.

　"Remember that the power which gave you life, the power which gave you breath, the power which gave you consciousness, is the power which fashioned the whole uni-verse and everything that it contains, however large, however small. That power can sustain you, if you will allow it to uphold you and guide you as it can do if you go forward with a single purpose in your mind."

　The third sitter, the publisher's secretary, was made to blush because of Silver Birch's praise. She, for years, has encouraged her chief in hours when the outlook looked at its blackest—when it never seemed that the job of spreading culture abroad could start again. They also serve...

　"You are one of those whose heart is not made of all the nerves and cells and the tissues," said the guide. “It is made of gold, pure gold, gold of the highest standard. It has been refined and purified and is shining with the greatest lustre that is possible.

　"In that heart there is no hatred. It is full of love and com-passion. You have also work to do, you know. All I tell you is to go and do it. There will not be the difficulties that some think. Beyond the grave, the earthly grave, life, love, memory, consciousness all persist, and individuals, free from earthly turmoil, illness, disease, painーenergised, vitalised, refreshed, reinvigorated—can help you. There is much to look forward to in your own life, and you can go forward with the greatest confidence.”

　"I am frightfully weak,” said the sitter, modestly.

　"Not so weak as you think," insisted the guide. "You know, all women are weak because emotion rules more often than the mind. But that is not a bad quality, because women are more sensitive. They have the finer attributes. They are more responsive and can be more easily influenced by people from our world.

　"Most men are not very emotional. Their lives are ruled more by their minds than by their hearts. They are less sensitive to the subtle forces of life and they miss many of the joys that are part of the natural expression of the emotions.

　"Of course, the emotions make you feel the other side of the picture and you know pain more keenly, but it is still a development of qualities that do not belong to the physical.”

　Right at the end, the guide said that Keir Hardie was standing beside him, that he was one of the titled woman's idols and that was the reason he had come, to say something through him.

　"He is a great soul,” said Silver Birch, "and has a com-passionate love for ordinary people. He is not sorry, he says, for anything that has happened, because he sees that the struggle for the rights of the common man is one long, pro-gressive task. He sees the common man ascending the ladder of life, rung by rung, to claim the rights that are part of hibirthright, and he sees nothing that can stop it.

　"All those who try to obstruct the common man cannot endure for long, for no man, no class, no creed has power to cheat the children of the Great Spirit from their natural due. They can thwart the divine purpose for a very short while; but the divine power is greater than the human power and those who fight for righteousness must win. He always believed in the gospel of righteousness.

　"His religion was his crusade and that he maintains is the note to be struck. As it is struck, it will resound until more and more and more will hear it, and recognise that they are listening to words of eternal truth. That, in my words, is what he says.

　"Now let us remember that we are all the instruments of a great and mighty purpose," ended the guide. "Let us re-member that always, around and about us, there are the arms of infinite love, a cloak of protection.

　"Let us strive to be conscious of that power which seeks to use us for its own beneficent purpose. Let us order our lives so that they are at one with the Great Spirit, that our hearts be in tune with His heart, and we know that we are striving to do the work He would have us do. The Great Spirit bless you all.”

　So it is that those who seek to serve go away refreshed and heartened.

                 ★       ★       ★

　That was Swaffer's impression of one sitting. But service is an oft-repeated theme of Silver Birch who, on another occasion, spoke thus:

　"The whole keynote of our teaching is contained in the wordーservice. We have declared eternal warfare on that selfishness which is one of the cancers in your world. We are intent on destroying that materialism which leads to war, to bloodshed, to chaos, to destruction.

　"Ours is the gospel of mutual helpfulness, co-operation, tolerance, sympathy. We desire all to learn to serve one another, that he who has much shall give some of his abundance to him who has none or little; that he who is richly endowed with gifts of the mind shall use his inheritance to enlighten those who are still in the darkness.

　"Your world needs service. It needs the spread of the idea that all mankind is part of one another, that the divine spirit flows through all human beings, making them all equal in the sight of the Great Spiritーequal so far as their natures are con-cerned. Greatness comes when those who are more advanced in character, in growth, in evolution and in understanding, try to share what they possess with those who lack these possessions.

　"Those who work for the world of spirit, those who place their gifts at its disposal, will always find that they are served as they serve, because they are tapping the law which must fulfil itself. It is not part of a bribe, or a reward, it is merely the fulfilment of the law of cause and effect, that he who gives the most can receive the most.

　"The work that we are doing is part of a campaign of which we are all an essential part. We have enlisted in the army of the spirit and we are being directed in this war which is being waged on all the enemies of progress, on all the forces that would prevent the spread of reform, of betterment, of amelioration, of humanitarianism, of good will, of service.

　"It is our task to enlighten mankind as to the spiritual truths which have been neglected throughout the centuries. We are not content that the power of the spirit shall flow through only a comparative few. We desire that rich treasury, that wondrous power, shall be available to the largest possible number. It is our hope that millions shall share in this blessing and live their lives with truth and knowledge and wisdom as their constant attendants.

　"We are filled with dismay at the large numbers who are denied that sweetness, that richness of life which should be theirs as part of their divine heritage. We cannot be satisfied with millions living near the line of starvation and with others not possessing the bare necessities of earthly life. We cannot contemplate with equanimity the unfair division of the wealth of the earth.

　"We refuse to believe that the greatness of the power of the spirit must be restricted to any caste, to any profession or to any body of men who declare themselves to be the elect. It is part of our task to throw open wide the gates of know-ledge, to welcome in all who are ready and who desire truth, enlightenment and understanding, so that mourning may be banished from the earth, sickness, disease and illness alleviated, that new light and inspiration shall be given to many, that the arts and culture and the pursuits of the mind and the spirit shall be the lot of millions and mankind walk upright as children of the light. 

　"It is a tremendous task and you stand on the threshold of its possibility. You are entering into a new era. A new day dawns for humanity. Man can grasp all that it offers if he will but discard the foolish, purblind doctrines which have pre-vented him from being receptive to truth, and liberate him-self from the prison of ignorance, so that he may walk with freedom and live as the Great Spirit intended that he should.

　"Let us always strive to apply the knowledge that we have acquired. Let us order our lives in the spirit of what we know. Let no thought, no word, no action tarnish that which has been revealed to us, that all may recognise in us messengers of the Great Spirit and realise that we are indeed the bearers of good tidings, for it is apparent in all that we do.

　"Thus will we in turn qualify for greater light, for greater wisdom, for greater love, and achieve an even closer unity with that wondrous divine power in whom all destinies rest and whose spirit broods over the whole universe."

　"You can be robbed of money, but none can steal your knowledge; none can filch wisdom,” declared Silver Birch on another occasion. “Once these priceless truths have be-come yours, they are yours for ever."

　At this sitting, the guide stressed the value of relaxation.

　"I do not mean just to put your feet on the mantel shelf and lie back in a chair," he said. “I mean to halt all physical activity, to become quiet, restful, at peace with the inner life, so that the innate strength of the spirit can take the opportunity to rise and fill your whole being with its majesty and power and call up all its latent reserves so that strength is at your command.

　"Your world does not do that, does it? It spends all the hours of its waking life in rushing hither and thither, trying to extract from the material world the limit of fleeting, transient joys that cannot endure, whilst all the time there is at its disposal all the wondrous riches of the spirit, priceless gems and jewels of knowledge, of wisdom, of truth that do not tarnish, that do not rust, that endure for all time, for once you have gained them they are your eternal possessions."

　A sitter, who had rejoined the circle after an absence of some years, commented that Silver Birch was the same eloquent, lovable guide, still expressing the same sentiments and ideas as he did years before.

　"Yes," replied Silver Birch, “it is the same old guide with the same old message, the same old truth, trying to preach itーnot to the same old world, for the world is changing and more and more are beginning to hearken to the voice of wisdom and to become receptive to the power of the spirit. This truth has made great progress.”

　Then, modest as ever, the guide disclaimed any great part in the spread of our knowledge. “It is not due to me,” he said. “I make no such claims. I have made my contribution, but mine is part of a vast contribution in which we are all happy to give our service. Tremendous headway has been made, but even greater headway is going to be made, because the initial push is what matters.”

　"I wish I could confer the open vision on your world so that they could see what is around and about them," Silver Birch said later, referring to a widow's sorrow after the passing of her husband. "The darkness of your earth is illumined by the brightness of the many souls who shed a ray of light wherever they go. But for so long has humanity steeped itself in materialistic habits that the faculties of the spirit have become almost disused.”

　This guide is always stressing his position as a mouthpiece for the world of spirit.

　"I am conscious of my limitations," he said, “and yet I know my strength and my powers. I am filled with humility, real humility, because of myself I am nothing, merely an instrument of those who sent me back to your world to perform a task, those who have endowed me with all the force and inspiration, with all the power that is at my disposal.

　"Myself, I am nothing, but when I represent as I do the mighty host of the spirit then I can speak with certainty, for I am repeating what they tell me to say and they are the beings of might and majesty, the great shining ones, the evolved, the truly high in spiritual stature who strive to guide the whole of humanity."

　Closing the sitting Silver Birch said:

　"We have mingled seriousness with laughter, we have had a reunion of old friends and we have rejoiced that bonds which have been temporarily severed have been reunited, that all is well with those who seek to serve.

　"Let us remember that the underlying purpose of our assembly is one charged with seriousness, for we are attempt-ing to teach mankind how to rescue itself from all the pitfalls which bestrew its path. We are trying to reveal the golden gleam of the spirit which can lighten all hearts, touch all minds and give guidance and direction to all who are weary and in perplexity.

　"It can give them a refuge and a harbour in all their days of difficulty, doubt and despair; it can point the way of life, the way that brings the noblest aspects into the richest mani-festation; and, above all, it can make them conscious of that vast majestic power, directed from on high by the centre of all light and all love, not remote and inaccessible, but within the reach of every human being.

　"That is the power that fashioned the whole universe, the power that flows through every nature, the power that cannot fail as long as those through whom it flows are aware of its existence."

　Once, taking advantage of a discussion on gardening by the members of the circle, Silver Birch, made this comment when he had entranced the medium:

　"Sowing and reaping are part of the natural law which I wish was accepted by more people. It is in the cultivation of the fruits of the earth that you learn how inexorable are the laws of the Great Spirit. He who lives close to the soil and sees the operation of nature's law begins to appreciate the divine handiwork and to realise something of the Mind which has planned all in its orderly sequence.

　"That which is garnered is that which has been sown. The seed is always true to its type. You cannot sow the seed of a potato and expect that a lettuce will grow. Always what has been sown will follow unswervingly the dictate of the natural law. And what is true in that realm of nature is equally true in the realm of human life and activity.

　"He who lives selfishly must reap the results of selfishness. He who sins must reap the result of his sin. He who is in-tolerant, bigoted or selfish will reap the results of intolerance, bigotry and selfishness. The law is inexorable; the law is immutable. There is no religious exercise, there is no hymn, no prayer, no sacred book that can interpose and alter the sequence of cause and effect.

　"The effect follows cause with methodical and mechanical certainty and no one has the power, be he called priest or layman, to interfere with that natural process. He who desires the growth of the spirit must live that kind of life which alone can assure spiritual growth.

　"The spirit grows through kindness, toleration, sympathy, love, service and doing of good works. Character evolves only when you allow the divine spirit to be made manifest in your daily lives. If you harbour unkind thoughts, thoughts of hatred, of malice, of vengeance, of selfishness, you yourself will be the victims and you yourself must pay the price in a warped, distorted and thwarted character.

　"All law is part of one vast law. All works in harmony because all is part of the divine plan. The lesson of it is that men and women throughout the whole world of matter must seek their salvation by working it out in their daily lives, and abandon all the false theology which teaches that it is possible to cast on to others the results and responsibilities of your own actions.

　"Man is the gardener of his own soul. The Great Spirit has provided him with all that is necessary for it to grow in wisdom, grace and beauty. The implements are there, he has but to use them wisely and well."