Waiting for the Door to Open

                Today, November 30, 2014, is the first Sunday in Advent, the season of waiting. For most, it simply means time to start getting ready for Christmas:shopping, baking, writing cards, decorating, and attending holiday parties and events. 

               This morning in church the pastor reminded us that Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. We listened to the Scripture passages, Mark 13: 24-37, where Jesus tells his followers to be alert for his second coming because “about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”  So Advent also reminds us that we are waiting for the end of Earth’s tribulations and the beginning of the new era of peace. How much longer will we have to wait?

                In Mark 13:7-8 Jesus says: “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” (NRSV)

                I have often wondered about this passage because there have always been wars and famines in the world. Or maybe it just seems that way because our history books skip over the peaceful eras when nothing “exciting” was happening. (Were there any such times?) As our pastor pointed out this morning, the world seems to be in an awful state these days with horrendous violent events occurring, especially in the Middle East and Africa. And then there’s the Ebola epidemic, widespread earthquakes and tornadoes, as well as famines. It’s not very comforting to read the Bible and learn that things could get a lot worse before they get better.

                According to the Bible, when things have gotten so bad that the sun and moon have given up their light, and the stars have fallen from the sky, we will see “’the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.” I wonder how many Christians believe that Jesus will literally return to earth in the clouds? (What if Jesus returns on a clear day? Or, if there is no sun or moon, will we be able to tell if there are clouds or not?)

The metaphysical interpretation of clouds is: “The presence of the mind of God in spiritual visibility, which comes to us when we have dropped all formal religious exercises and are resting in the very consciousness of Deity.” So metaphysically speaking, the second coming might be the day when all of humanity attains divine consciousness and we all recognize our Oneness.  

Over the past few years, the piece I wrote about Ruby Nelson’s book, The Door of Everything has remained the most popular post on my blog. The ongoing interest in this book has inspired me to pick it up again. Re-reading the first chapter today, I find the reminder that God is always within our consciousness: “Like an iceberg on the sea, nine-tenths of which is out of sight, I live within you in the form of mind with nine-tenths of me being submerged beneath your awareness.”

To continue: “This submerged mind is your center of divine wisdom, an area of mind that does not think in the normal sense of the word--it knows.  The nature of it is pure and holy, it has never been touched by limited or negative belief; it is a living part of me. When you have learned to elevate this submerged mind and integrate it with your surface consciousness, your entire being will take on its holy nature and you will come to find that, as Jesus taught, it is indeed not robbery to be equal with God.” (pp. 17-18)

It makes sense to me that we can only be saved from the ugliness of this world when we recognize our own divinity and act like the divine beings we are. Most of us have heard, probably many times, that we can’t change someone else unless he or she wants to change. Jesus was not able to change the world when he came two thousand years ago. How would it be different if he was to return today? All he can do is demonstrate that the way to salvation is to recognize the hidden treasures within our consciousness– and he has already done that. 

Ruby Nelson’s book shows us the way through “the door of everything.” Jesus said “I stand at the door and knock.” He, the embodiment of Love and Light is waiting for us to open the door. In Mark 13 Jesus says that the second coming is like a man going on a journey and commanding the doorkeeper to be on watch.  Jesus went on a journey when he left this world. He left a doorkeeper at the door to divine consciousness that lies within each one of us. The doorkeeper will unlock the door and open it when we are ready to “rest in the very consciousness of Deity.”

The Door of Everything

I have just finished reading The Door of Everything by Ruby Nelson and I am in absolute awe over the beautiful way this little book presents spiritual truth and wisdom. When I say "little" I mean it - the book is 4"x6" and 180 pages. It's size and simple message are part of its charm. I have been feeling confused and overwhelmed by the enormous number of instructions, meditations, transmissions, and rituals being offered by numerous people of good intentions, showing us the way to prepare ourselves for ascension. Still stuck in my 3-D existence, I have only so much time and energy for these endeavors, and they are all so appealing, How do I choose?

Ruby's method is simple and straight-forward: "Love, praise, and gratitude, arising from your heart center in silent expectancy, are the three Ascension Attitudes, those focused attitudes of mind that exalt your feelings toward the Christhood level." (p. 109) These three attitudes are the keys to the Door of Everything, also known as the Kingdom of Heaven.

What's interesting about Ruby's book is that it is copyrighted 1963. This was long before the dawning of the "New Age" and its many references to ascension, the Law of Attraction, Oneness, and the vibratory nature of all things; and yet all of these concepts and other "new" ideas are presented here with easily understood illustrations. Also remarkable is the fact that I have searched for Ruby Nelson online and I cannot find her. She does not have a website or a bio or a Facebook page. Her book can be read free-of-charge online: The Door of Everything. She is not trying to promote herself in any way.

The book was written as if the words came directly from the Creator, and I am quite convinced that they flowed from Ruby's higher self onto the page. The only concept that seems more 1963 than divine in origin is her reference to the "Father Consciousness" in everyone, but she also speaks of our Mother-Father God. Whether we refer to our higher consciousness as Father, Mother, Christ consciousness, or something else, this is the spirit of everything - the Love and Light that are all that really is - that stand knocking on the other side of the door that only we can open. We open this door with love, gratitude, and praise. And with faith.

Ruby's Christ consciousness tells us that we will have trouble passing through the door to the kingdom of heaven if we cannot break our habit of judging by appearances. It appears that sickness, poverty, and death are real components of life on earth. We see them, we believe in them, and so they are. Jesus said: "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect." But we don't believe it's possible to be perfect. Jesus wasn't serious, was he? And when he said "You will do greater things than I have done," he couldn't have really meant it! And yet Jesus frequently pointed out the power of faith: "Your faith has made you whole . . . . If you have the faith of a mustard seed you will be able to move mountains."

I do believe that my true nature is divine, whole, and eternal. I know that disease and old age are not part of the divine plan for humanity. And yet, every morning I wake up feeling stiff with arthritic pain - sometimes with tendonitis in a foot or an arm. As Ruby says, belief is a necessary step toward faith, but faith is stronger. When I have the same faith in my divine being as I have that the sun will come up tomorrow morning, then I will wake up whole and perfect.

RE: faith, Ruby's Christ consciousness says: "Signs of my inner heavenly kingdom do not precede your comprehension of truth, they follow it. Signs do not precede your faith, they also follow that." (p. 134)

How difficult it is to have faith in something BEFORE we see or experience it. This is why so few people have passed through the door to the kingdom of everything. Most Christians think they need only believe that Jesus performed miracles and returned from the dead. They do not believe that he was demonstrating how we can accomplish the same and even greater things. Believing that nothing is impossible is the first step toward faith.

Ruby's Christ consciousness tells us that faith will come when we spend time in the stillness where we can hear the small, quiet voice of God. She says you cannot "reach a state of total stillness where mighty faith takes over if others all around you are promoting their false gods of imperfection. Evict these noises from the privacy of your closet and listen only to the words of those who have discovered the one God of perfect Being." (p. 151) I find that others around me are CONSTANTLY promoting the negative side of life they see as real. I have yet to spend enough time in the silence, promoting the perfection of God's world, so that faith will take over.

Ruby points out that we see proof of faith's power whenever we believe we're getting sick and old, and we do; whenever we believe we won't have enough of what we need for an abundant life, and we are lacking. It is up to us to change our faith in the imperfect life to a faith in the perfect life that God wants us to have.

I can think of a few times when my faith in the unseen manifested something good. Twenty-seven years ago, when my husband and I had been trying unsuccessfully for a baby for four years, we applied for adoption, and were promised a healthy infant within a year. This promise gave me so much faith in the wonderful gift to come that I became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby girl nine months later. Five years ago I was struggling with the dilemma of finding fulfilling work. One day I wrote in my journal, "This is the day that I will discover the work I can do that will use my gifts and talents." I must have made this declaration with more faith than usual, because it was indeed the day that I learned about the Celebrant Foundation & Institute where I would study and become certified as a life-cycle and wedding celebrant.

You may have had some similar experiences that demonstrate how faith can make things happen. Ruby says: "Faith is your magnetic force and prayer illuminates the way." (p. 176) I am praying that my faith will grow strong enough that I will be able to open the Door to Everything and walk into that wonderful state of being where I will be one with everything - which, as Ruby says is not many things, but One. "Everything is Love" and "Love contains Everything." Our true, eternal life begins on the other side of the door. And "Life is Light and Light is Love." (p. 180) I believe this with all my heart and soul. All I need now is FAITH!


For more on this topic see: Advent: Waiting for the Door to Open