WHO IS SILVER BIRCH?
( シルバーバーチの霊訓 八
一章 シルバーバーチのアイデンティティ )
Chapter One
WHO IS SILVER BIRCH?
WHO is Silver Birch? Why has his identity never been revealed? Is there a reason for the guide using the astral body of a Red Indian? These questions have been asked many times. When two Americans visited the circle Silver Birch told them:
I am not a Red Indian. I am using the astral body of a Red Indian because this particular one had many psychic gifts on earth and therefore became available for me when I was asked to return and engage on this mission. My life on earth goes back as an individual much further than the Red Indian I use to speak to you.
He is just as much my medium as this medium is mine, too. It is not possible for people like myself, who left your world many hundreds of years ago and have achieved a certain spiritual status, to reach you and communicate on your level where the vibrations are entirely different. I had to have what in your world would be a transformer, some-one through whom the vibrations can be stepped up or slowed down so that I can achieve communication on your level.
At the same time I must maintain contact with the source that inspires me and enables me to impart the knowledge that I can transmit. To give you names of tribes, places and dates would in no way establish anything that could be considered evidential because I can obtain this information so easily.
This produced more questions. Who was he when on earth? How long ago was it? Silver Birch refused to be drawn, saying:
I am not concerned with personalities. When it was necessary I gave conclusive evidence of my separate indi-viduality from this medium more than once.
I do not regard it as necessary any more to say who I was on earth. If I were to give you the name of someone who was famous there is no means by which it could be proven, and it would not matter. I ask to be judged wholly and solely by what I say and try to teach on the claim that it will appeal to reason, intelligence and common sense. If I cannot win the people of your world by these methods, then I am failing.
To say I was a Pharaoh would not help. This would be merely an attempt to give myself an earthly glory which is accounted as being important in your world but not in ours. In our world the test is not your material possession, but what you did with your life.
We judge souls, not money or status. Souls matter to us. Your world has got its priorities wrong. In your own land the worship of the golden calf exceeds the worship of the Great Spirit. Obeisance is made to mammon, not to God, by the overwhelming majority. This is responsible for all the troubles, difficulties and conflicts which beset you today.
If I say I was Joseph of Arimathea or John the Baptist, would that add one iota of authority? Suppose I said I was the chief of the Iroquois in 1867 in Manitoba, would that help?
At a later date came the remark, "As you are the mouthpiece, where does this knowledge come from?" It brought the reply:
It comes from the infinite source and streams through countless beings, each charged with particular tasks to ensure
that as much of its purity and pristine beauty should be preserved. There is a great host of beings, ranging from what you might call the masters. They are beyond such descriptions. They are those who can be regarded as the supreme generals in the divine army, each with allotted tasks.
They are very highly organised to ensure not only that the truths shall permeate your world, but that the power of the spirit should reach it in ever-increasing measure. The power is the power of life itself. Spirit is life, life is spirit. And whatever is registered is equivalent to the Great Spirit in essence if not in degree. I hope I make myself clear.
What you have to recognise is that all of us work under direction, that we are not lone individuals. I have just returned from what I might call my real spiritual home in spheres where I belong. I have been engaged in counsel with those who sent me. I have heard more about the supreme plan, the parts we have played, where we are advancing, where we are consolidating.
I went to seek counsel with those who sent me to do their bidding, to learn of the progress that has been made and to obtain direction for work that is still to be done.
Always when I return to those inner spheres I am aware of the perfection of the plan that was devised by superior beings who belong to the hierarchy and marvel at the efficiency of its superb organisation. And so I come back with the reinforced assurance that no matter how dark, difficult and troubled your world is, the power of the Great Spirit will prevail.
Like others, I have recharged myself at the fount of all power so that I can continue to serve in the time that lies before me. It is a source of some satisfaction to learn from those who have the direction of these matters that they consider the plan is being fulfilled. It is here to stay in your world. It will not be driven back. It will not be sporadic as it has been in ages gone by. There is nothing that can prevent the power of the spirit in constantly increasing measure making its sublime influence felt in your world.
So there is no cause for pessimism. Let those who fear the morrow and quake in their shoes hide themselves in their corners. Those who are privileged to have glimpses of the greater glory, and realise what is behind us, must remain optimistic as to what the morrow will bring forth.
Explaining to another visitor why he always rejects thanks the guide said:
It is a rule I have made for the simple reason which I have explained many times. I regard it as a privilege to serve. Therefore, if I succeed in helping then I am fulfilling my self-imposed mission. Thus gratitude should be expressed to the Great Spirit who gives us this chance.
I volunteered to come and share whatever I have learned with those who would accept it. If I succeed that is my reward. It is a cause of great rejoicing for me that in a few short years I have been able to spread the knowledge of spiritual realities among so many.
I know that yours has not been an easy path to tread. Isn't it strange that all those who have the great knowledge have to earn it through difficulties and that this is part of the pattern? No, it is not strange, it has to be that way.
It is necessary to warn you that I am not the epitome of all wisdom and truth and knowledge. I am only a soul who has lived a few more years than you have and had experi-ences on higher planes of being. These have enabled me to acquire some of the great truths, simple in essence. Because I have found them illuminating and helpful, I have retraced my steps to offer to share this knowledge with any who are ready to receive it.
But I am a very human being. I am not infallible. I can make mistakes. I am imperfect, though it may seem from the picture that is painted of me in books and periodicals that I have attained the summit of perfection. I am very grateful that these truths have been and are being accepted by a growing number of people who are disillusioned with what has been taught them.
I am always grateful when I find that what I have to say helps others to have a clearer picture of themselves, the world in which they live, the purpose of their being on earth and to tell them what is beyond the few years you spend on your planet.
I have nothing complicated to say, no intricate doctrines to teach, but merely an interpretation of the natural laws and how they work. Always my appeal is to reason. I know that an understanding of these laws can come only when you realise it is a reasonable one. It is not to blind faith that our appeal is made.
If there comes from our world any teaching claiming to emanate from higher sources and it causes your reason to revolt and insults your intelligence, then I always say, "Reject it." If we cannot win your co-operation by reason, then we are not worthy of being called guides.
Several times in recent years, Silver Birch has warned against "guide worship." Here he gives his reasons:
No guide is perfect. We can make mistakes; only the Great Spirit never makes any mistakes. We are all human beings and are subject to error. I have always said that whatever is offered from our world must pass the bar of your reason. I have earned your love and affection because I have never said to you anything that I did not believe was true.
I have never ordered, or sought to compel, but have given you what I consider are guide lines (that is a good phrase) which bring you the best spiritual results. Do not confuse material results with spiritual ones.
Sometimes what seems to be your worst material disaster can prove to be your greatest spiritual benefit.
You look at every problem from the earthly standpoint; we look at every problem from the spiritual standpoint; often they are not the same. To you, passing to our world is a sorrow. For us passing to our world is a case for rejoicing.
You cannot judge with your finite minds the truth of every situation. As I said before, where knowledge cannot help, have faith in what has been revealed to you. But when all is said and done you have free will. How you live your lives is your responsibility and nobody else's. Nor can you live the lives of others no matter how close they may be.
What they do is their responsibility and not yours. Were this not the case then divine judgement would be poorer than the earthly scales of justice. You will receive spiritually what you have earned. And you will pay spiritually for what you have failed to earn. That is the law and it is perfect in its operation.
It is our function to remind you that of ourselves we are nothing. We are all emissaries of the Great Spirit. If we succeed in making the divine will and the divine power accessible to others, then we should be thankful for the opportunities and rejoice that we are succeeding in the tasks assigned to us.
Because of the attention that has been given to the simple truths I am able to enunciate, with the help of those in my world who use me as their instrument, just as I use my medium, there does sometimes emerge a picture which hardly bears any reality to myself.
I was asked, and agreed, to retrace my footsteps to share what I have discovered with those who are ready to receive it. I make no claim to being infallible. I have not come to the end of my progress. But whatever it is that I have discovered and learned, I offer it freely if it is helpful to those prepared to receive it.
It is a source of some satisfaction to find that through the years the teachings, which are not mine, help those in sorrow, trouble and difficulty. These have shown there is a path all can tread and that, when followed, it brings them an understanding of themselves, of the infinite power that is responsible for all life and bestows on every living being a portion of its own divinity, thus providing a link in an unbreakable chain.
Those who qualify as guides know it is wrong for them to be worshipped. Worship should be accorded to the Great Spirit, the perfect epitome of love, wisdom, truth, know-ledge, revelation and understanding. We must not allow any deviation from the direction where all thanks should be given, where worship should occur and where there should be an attempt to greater attunement between the Great Spirit and His children.
Your love is always welcome. It is only because I find love in your world that makes it possible for me to continue my mission. If I succeed in earning love then I am fulfilling the task that was assigned to me. I will continue to take from it the warmth which helps me when I come to your cold world.
To fulfil yourself is the most important of all achieve-ments. This is one of the objects of our returning to your world, to teach people how to fulfil themselves, to attain self-regeneration. This is the only way in which your world will enjoy all its bounty and enable its inhabitants to live in peace, harmony, co-operation and love instead of the fratricidal strife that exists in far too many places.
Despite the fact that we are comparatively few in number the plan continues to unfold. Progress is constantly being made. Always more and more pilgrims are finding their feet placed on pathways of certainty. And this is all to the good.
Greeting a husband and wife who said they have received much help and inspiration from the published accounts of his philosophy, the guide said:
It is always good to learn that the teachings of which I am privileged to be only the mouthpiece help those to whom they are addressed. When we first began this mission we were only a small handful. Then with the aid of earthly co-operators these simple but profound truths of the spirit were printed. How fortunate it is that in an ever-increasing number of minds they found a lodgement.
When I was asked to relinquish what I had attained because it was felt I could be of service to your world, I agreed to come, though I was told the task would be far from easy.
It is very, very difficult to leave spheres of radiance and brilliance where you enjoy the company of evolved beings to work in your dark, dank, unattractive physical world. But fortunately we have been able to make friends in many lands. Now through this co-operative effort we can find warmth in hearts and minds here and elsewhere, so that working close to earth has its brief moments of consolation.
When you tell me, as others have said, that I have helped them, then it brings a little more warmth into the coldness which surrounds all those who have to penetrate your earthly conditions.
After he has spoken to visitors, Silver Birch always says a few words to circle members. One of them inquired: "How are you? Nobody ever seems to ask you that question."
I am fortunate in that I do not have to suffer from the problems or ailments of your world. I enjoy radiant health. I do not get older as you measure age.
I was not referring to that.
I hope I will continue to grow in spiritual maturity.
Don't you have any problems?
Only when we come back to your world.
I did not think the spirit world was such a bed of roses, as we are supposed to be exactly as we were on leaving here.
I suppose it depends where you are in the spirit world. Even roses have thorns.
Don't you ever get problems?
Yes, but only with the mission on which I am engaged. That is why I withdraw from your world to take counsel with those who sent me, to receive their direction, to hand in my report and to be told what, if anything, should be done when I return to your world again. We have problems, but they are concerned with the unfolding of the divine plan.
The guide asked two circle members who are breaking fresh ground by spreading spirit truths in their locality, "Do you have problems?"
"Only relative ones," he was told. "We are grateful for any service we can give."
You are very privileged. It is always my wish that you will one day be enabled to see what is spiritually around and about you. Thus you would have an ever greater realisation of the work on which you are engaged.
Answering a question from another member the guide said:
We are still in command of the ship. We do everything that lies in our power. But we are subject to the limitations of earth, to the conditions it provides. We cannot always do what we would like. We have to work with subtle forces that are very delicate. Unless they are completely controlled there is little we can do.
When there is complete control, and the conditions are right in your world and in your surroundings, then we can move matter and make it respond to our will. But it is not always possible. So we have to do the best we can under prevailing circumstances. But about the end result we are positive.
There is plenty for all materially, and there is more than enough spiritually. So we must press on, seeking for means to help those who are ready to be helped. It is the process of getting ready that is the difficulty. We must wait until they experience the catalyst that makes them look within, because if they look without there is no help coming.
Because of what has been achieved in the lives of those associated with the work in which we are all engaged, we are certain that all will be well, however temporary diffi-culties may seem to provide obstacles. There is such a tremendous power available for all of you. If you are passive, quiescent, receptive, attuned and co-operative, it can fill and flood your being and make you the means of helping not only humans but also the animals.
Many of you promised to come back and do this work. While you are on earth do all you can to fulfil yourselves. When all is said and done, you will finally assess yourselves, not on the gold, silver, jewellery or property that you acquired. You will judge yourself by your spiritual passport. This will declare unerringly who and what you are spiritually.
Asked, "When a medium passes on, does the guide find another human instrument through whom to work?" Silver Birch responded:
It depends on the work that has to be done. In the old days when there were what you describe as physical phenomena, there were in charge guides who had mastered the difficult techniques involved. Some of them, when their instrument passed on, continued to work with other physical
mediums.
This is very rarely the case with mental mediums because it involves a much closer co-operation between the guide and the instrument. It is not only a question of blending their auras, but in some cases even helping to become part of their larger selves.
This is such an intimate relationship that, when the instrument passes, the guide's work is done. Usually he returns to that sphere where he belongs. Thus, when in time my instrument joins me, I will not communicate, or try to do so, through another one. I have spent too many years training my instrument to wish to start all over again elsewhere.
In my case the association began from birth. Though the work entailed was of such a character that it had to be done
without the instrument's awareness, it meant that we had to keep on building the necessary spiritual and etheric links to ensure that communication becomes as easy as possible.
When awareness and realisation dawn, and the instru-ment begins to start development, there comes the other difficult task of learning how to control the subconscious mind so as to be able to use such organs as are necessary to make all communication easy.
Asked about his age, the guide replied: I am as old as the wisdom I try to teach.
I have been privileged to observe some of the wonders due to the workings of those natural laws to which I refer. I have seen how they manifest in worlds which you have yet to tread. Because of what I have seen and learned to prize, I have retraced my footsteps in the hope that some will share this knowledge that will help them to live as they should, with the spirit predominating and matter responding to its divine guidance.
( 再生について )
⚫︎自分はこれまでに地上生活を何回経験しているかということが、明確に分かる霊がいますか――
います。それを知ることが必要な段階にまで成長すれば、分かるようになります。光に耐えられるようになるまでは光を見ることができないのと同じです。名前をいくつか挙げてもけっこうですが、それでは何の証拠にもなりません。何度も言ってきましたが、再生の事実は「説く」だけで十分です。