Excerpted from The Interview with James April 2008
What do you see as the key thing a seeker new to these materials can do to gain a sense of conviction, I guess I’ll call it that, that they are on the right path?
James: Yes, well, the word “religion” is derived from the word, the Latin words, “re link.” So to re-link into the higher Self is the esoteric meaning of the term religion. So, the seeker is attempting to re-link into their higher Self which has been put in the shade of their ego-personality whose voice is sporadically heard and even less so acted upon.
Thus, the seeker of truth must demand or feel a sense of reconnection with their higher Self, the animating Spirit that flows within it and then act upon it. It’s not enough to hear the beautiful thoughts of one’s higher Self or feel the power of its feelings, or the creative urges of its mind.
The human instrument must come into alignment and reposition the ego-personality to its rightful place, adjusted in the knowledge of its role as a facilitator of Spirit within the human domain. When the seeker sees these adjustments, and feels the re-linking into their higher Self, they will have a sense of conviction that they are on the right path.
Remember, I said earlier, that it’s a psychological process. It’s the feeling of re-linking to one’s own Divinity. It’s the sense of empowered co-creativity with one’s higher Self and its unalterable connection to the fields of Spirit that make possible its eternal connection to individuality and oneness.
In an alternating… like a sine wave, like a wave of existence, this is the power you hold within you. And every authentic seeker is called to this—this very special and very personal mission.
Mark: So you look at this as a mission of the individual?
James: Yes, it is in every sense of the word a responsibility of the individual to seek out their higher Self and come into alignment with the higher fields of their Source. And I use this term “responsibility” not as a thing imposed upon the seeker from an outside source, but rather a recollection of their purpose for incarnating as a human on this planet at this time.
Once they fulfill this responsibility they will decide, quite of their own accord, what their mission is and with whom they wish to work with.
Much of this goes on beneath the conscious awareness of the seeker. In some ways, they feel like they’re caught up in a current, like a riptide that pulls them from the safety of the shoreline. The shoreline represents their past as an ego-personality and the currents are Spirit. And once the seeker comes into alignment with their higher Self they will be pulled by this current and positioned appropriately to fulfill their mission.
Mark: Is the mission different for everyone or it is pretty much the same?
James: It’s really both. Every individual seeker as they awaken to their inmost Spirit and feel the currents of a love-centered life is pulled into very specific situations in which their energetics can be utilized by Spirit in the Grand Awakening of humanity. This does not mean that every moment is a contribution to this mission, but overall as you look at the mosaic of a life, let’s say a course of a month’s time, a contribution is proffered and awakening is brought a little closer, made a tiny bit more tangible and magnetic to all those who remain asleep.
At the collective scale, there are different phases of awakening and there are those who are just awakening who are seeking their purpose in trying to integrate the two worlds into a sensible composition. There are those who are in deep slumber in their ego-personalities and cultural confinements and there are those who are partially awakened, but are manipulated by outside influences to remain with the sleeping masses. And there are those who are awakened and know with deep conviction in the commitment of Divine Love that their primary mission is to activate and rekindle all those in the aforementioned categories so they can all join the Grand Awakening.
Now, and this is important:
The mission is not one of a “join the enlightened crowd and be happy,” nor is it “you poor people who live in ignorance, for the glory of God I will help you awaken.” This is not about preaching the good news to the sinners of the world. Those who slumber are not sinners. They are not bad people nor are they lower in standing than you or me. If you have ever seen a fish that inadvertently swam into a shallow tide pool and is now trapped, there is an instinct to help them return to the ocean and this is the instinct we have and nothing more. The fish held in the tide pool is still the same fish. It has the same powers and needs, it is simply trapped in the confinements of the tide pool and that diminishes its ability to be a fish.
Mark: Yeah, you know I get a lot of email from people, and I should add when I say I get a lot of email it’s really intended for you. [Laughter] But the sentiment is a bit edgy and that the person is frustrated that their mission or purpose seems, I’ll say mundane, at least that’s the impression I get from reading this stuff. It’s kind of caught up, as you just put it in a very small tide pool, or at least that’s their perception. What would you say to them?
James: Well, this is a very common problem for people because they feel the expanding grids and the larger purpose of their life and yet they confront traffic snarls, or sick children, or making the next mortgage payment, or the ripples of a relationship gone bad.
All of these things impinge on their perception of their purpose because, in part, they feel the mundane and the Divine clashing in their lives. They don’t necessarily see the two worlds as connected in any meaningful way, but they are. (...)
When the darkness enters your world, remember this is the time to use the heart virtues, to exercise them above all other times, as they will stand out, they will reveal your grace and that of the One you truly represent.
The darkness isn’t necessarily a huge event or evil person, as it’s often depicted in film and stories, it can be the accumulation of hundreds of small things. But, however it arises, it creates the conditions whereby you can use the six heart virtues and shed your light into the darkness of the times and into your local universe.
The irony is that this is the purpose we came here to undertake. This is our mission, in effect, and yet most people find that the mundane distractions of life interfere with their lofty missions, when indeed—they reveal them.
