Ascended Masters, Shangra-la Mission, In Control of the Human Ego

In Control of the Human Ego

Discourse VI

by Kim Michaels
February 24, 2002

Let us attempt to step back from the immediate situation of the church and look at the big picture. One of the major problems faced by the church is an organizational culture which is influenced by accusations and condemnation. Church membership is deeply divided over a number of issues. There are obvious divisions between current leadership and parts of the membership.

Divide and conquer has always been the most effective strategy of forces that oppose the light. Let us consider why this strategy is so effective against lightbearers.

God created human beings in his own image and likeness. However, because people have free will, it is possible that souls can believe they are separated from their Divine source. If you do not see yourself as one with God, you obviously cannot see other people as being one with God. Therefore, when people stop seeing themselves as being part of the “one body of God,” human conflict is inevitable.

With this in mind, consider the task faced by the Great White Brother-hood. The goal of the Brotherhood is to restore everything to the original vision of God. In practical terms, the Brotherhood must bring all souls back to a state of consciousness in which they recognize the following:

I am an expression of the one God.
Everybody and everything in this physical universe is an expression of the one God.

It is now easy to see why dark forces use the divide and conquer tactic. If you can create division, people will fail to see themselves and others as expressions of the one. If lightbearers are divided, they will fail their ultimate mission of being one body of God on earth. Lightbearers cannot win by being divided; they can only win by putting oneness and harmony above all else.

The true goal of the Brotherhood
Consider what might be the true goal of the Masters. Gautama Buddha has stated in a dictation that the Brotherhood is not so much concerned with the outer results achieved by this organization. Instead, the real concern is how those results are obtained and how church members treat each other in the process.

In other words, if the church is to be truly successful, it must create an organization in which all members see themselves as part of the one body of God on earth. If this goal is achieved, the organization will be successful almost no matter what happens on the outer. If this goal is not achieved, the organization will have failed and therefore any outer results are, in an ultimate sense, less important.

If you are concerned about the success of this organization, it becomes necessary to consider the factors that are currently dividing the membership. Chief among these factors is the organizational culture of accusations and condemnation. However, what creates this organiza-tional culture?

Idolatry as the root of judgment
Condemnation, criticism, judgment and accusations all have their roots in the state of consciousness which the Masters have called “idolatry.” Idolatry is a violation of the commandments “Thou shall have no other gods before me” and “Thou shall not take unto thee any graven image.”
A previous discourse describes the process of how the soul loses contact with God. When that contact is lost, the soul sets up an idol that not only replaces God but also makes the soul believe that it cannot contact God directly. The soul cannot work out its own salvation; it must depend on an idol. When the soul chooses an idol, this idol must of necessity be from the world of form. The idol becomes the graven image, and the soul begins to identify the image as God instead of realizing that God is beyond the world of form.

Because idolatry is based on the soul’s sense of separation from God, its very essence is a division of the soul. As a result, the consciousness of idolatry inevitably leads to division and conflict in the soul’s inter-action with other people. If a significant number of church members are affected by idolatry, there will be division and conflict between the members. It is almost impossible to resolve conflicts that spring from idolatry.

Inner and outer idolatry
The most common form of idolatry is the idolatry of someone or something outside oneself. This can be a person, an organization, a doctrine or a belief system. After the idol has been chosen, the soul will defend that idol beyond all rationality and logic. The idol can do no wrong, and the soul will refuse to see or accept anything that might question the infallibility of the idol. That is why some people refuse to consider that the church must change.

Outer idolatry is a very vulnerable state of consciousness, because it is possible that the idol can be proven wrong. When this happens, some souls manage to rise above the idolatry and gain a deeper maturity. Unfortunately, some souls fail to rise and flip their idolatry to the opposite extreme. They now blame the idol for everything, and instead of thinking that the idol can do no wrong, they now think that the idol can do no right. That is why some church critics completely refuse to consider any evidence that speaks in favor of the church. The real problem is that people with idolatry are refusing to take responsibility for their personal path.

Closed minds
The church is currently suffering from the conflict between these two kinds of idol-worshipers. Some people argue that the church, the messenger, the teachings or the board of directors always have been and always will be right. Others argue that the church or the messenger has never done anything right. The two sides of this conflict have closed their minds to a higher, more balanced understanding of the issue.

Instead, they look at the church, and all related issues, with a black-and-white perspective. That is why some church leaders think that members should trust leadership without ever questioning authority and why some members are quick to accuse leaders of being fallen angels.
The battle between people with black-and-white attitudes often leads to a Catch-22 situation. As long as the conflict is dominated by this state of consciousness, no resolution is possible. Instead of seeking resolution, people will seek to remove their opponents from the organization.

A number of balanced church members have entered the current debate with the hopes of bringing resolution. This is an understandable reaction, because people, who are not caught in idolatry, tend to believe that if only they can formulate the right kind of arguments, people from both sides of the issue will embrace those arguments. Unfortunately, this is an illusion, as has been proven by numerous examples from history. As long as people cling to a black-and-white perspective, it is not possible to come up with arguments or reasoning that will convince them. These people have closed their minds to anything that questions the infallibility of their personal idol. Trying to reason which such people is an exercise in futility. Even God or the Ascended Masters cannot reach people in this state of consciousness.

Self idolatry
Another form of idolatry does not select an outside idol, but an inner idol. In reality, the outer form of idolatry is a worship of the ego. The ego has simply hidden itself behind the disguise of the outer idol. Therefore, should the outer idol fall, the ego can still maintain its hold over the soul. The inner form of idolatry is a direct worship of the ego. Obviously, the soul does not realize it is worshiping the ego, because it has come to identify with the ego.

When a person has this form of idolatry, he or she can do no wrong. Such people will refuse to accept any evidence or reasoning that might prove them wrong. Because these people believe they are always right, they often use any means necessary to attain a leadership position. When they do attain such a position, they will use their power to maintain the illusion that they are always right. Of course, this is all done for the greater good of the organization or the cause.

These people often tend to have the attitude that they know better than anyone else what is right for the organization or its members. Therefore, they want members who will “shut up and do what they are told” without rocking the boat or questioning authority. If one member refuses to tow the line, these leaders will seek to get rid of him or her. It might be by excommunicating the person, or by beheading him, as happened to Thomas More.

Once again, many balanced people tend to believe that it is possible to reason with such a leader. This, of course, is an illusion, and you can find numerous examples from history.

Wheels within wheels
You can now add another level of complexity to the struggle between those who worship idols. The conflict is muddled by three types of idolatry:

The positive worship of an outer idol.
The negative worship of an outer idol.
The positive worship of oneself as the idol.

People who suffer from the positive worship, be it of an inner or outer idol, tend to think that whenever someone suggests change, that suggestion is an attack on the organization or its leaders. People with self-idolatry will immediately see this as an attack against them or their position.

On top of this, the negative idol worshipers are attacking the organization and its leaders, often in an extremely accusatory and destructive manner. Such attacks from the negative idol worshipers almost automatically causes those with positive idolatry to go on the defensive.

As a result, you have an organizational culture in which the Divine seed of constructive criticism often falls on barren ground. When someone makes a suggestion, the positive idolaters in leadership often attack that person. Instead of considering the suggestions with an open mind, these people seek out any weakness in the person making the suggestion. Because no human being is perfect, and because the human consciousness can always find fault, it is always possible to attack someone. Therefore, people making constructive suggestions often find that their suggestions are completely ignored and instead they find themselves being personally attacked either through verbal accusations or arrows of negative energy.

There are two common reactions to this attack. Some people have made sincere and constructive suggestions only to find themselves so burdened by inner or outer attacks that they vow never to speak out again. Other people respond by seeking to defend themselves, and in doing so they often start attacking the church or its leaders. Thereby, a negative spiral is created, and it will continue until someone tires of the struggle.

Another result of this accusatory culture is that many people sense that suggestions are not welcome. Therefore, people tend to hold their tongue until the pain and burden becomes so great that they can no longer remain silent. Obviously, when a person speaks out because of deep inner pain or frustration, that person tends to speak out in a way that is not completely harmonious. For many people, especially those who suffer from self-idolatry, this becomes the “perfect” excuse for ignoring or attacking the person. Of course, this only deepens the gulf between the organization’s leaders and members.

What can you do?
If you recognize any value in the previous ideas, a natural question would be: “What can I do to help the church overcome the consciousness of idolatry and its negative effects on the organizational culture?”

The most important step you can take is to make a personal commitment to recognize and overcome idolatry, even the most subtle forms of idolatry, in your own consciousness. This is an essential step, because it will empower you to make a positive contribution to the organization without falling into the trap of being defensive or accusatory.

When you begin to see through the consciousness of idolatry, you no longer identify yourself with outer ideas, doctrines, beliefs or arguments. Therefore, when you make a suggestion, you are not attached to how other people should or should not respond to that suggestion. You simply follow El Morya’s credo to: “Do right action and be non-attached to the fruits of action.”

If someone attacks you or your viewpoints, you do not feel attacked. Therefore, you do not need to defend yourself, and you do not need to attack back. One of the most destructive tendencies in human relationships is a tendency to defend yourself by attacking others. When you see through the consciousness of idolatry, you have a good chance of avoiding this trap. You can deal with negative people without responding in a negative fashion. Thereby, you will break the negative spiral before it even starts.

Non-attachment helps you present suggestions without being accusatory. This increases the chances that a larger number of people will be willing to consider your arguments. It also gives people with idolatry less of an excuse to attack you. Thereby, you stand a greater chance of exposing such people for what they are. If they attack you for no good reason, they will expose themselves.

Most importantly, you can avoid falling into the trap of seeing your spiritual brothers and sisters as adversaries. If you are not attached to your ideas, you will not entertain any negative feelings towards those who do not agree with you. You will not start accusing them or see them as fallen angels or tools of the dark forces.

Some people might be fallen angels or tools of the dark forces, but when you overcome the consciousness of idolatry, you naturally hold the immaculate concept for everyone. Therefore, you do not judge people and you do not give up on them. You simply keep presenting your ideas in various ways, hoping that at some point one of your suggestions will fall on fertile ground.

The Ascended Masters have given numerous tools for understanding and overcoming the consciousness of idolatry. However, in the end it all comes down to a free-will choice. You must choose that your highest desire is to be one with your Christ self and that you are willing to do whatever it takes to overcome the ego’s attempts to keep you on the treadmill of idolatry.

Changing the organizational culture
As you overcome idolatry inside yourself, you can begin to help remove idolatry outside of yourself. In attempting to do so, you will inevitably have to confront people with closed minds. However, instead of being defensive, you can now maintain a positive approach of seeking to help these people grow out of their idolatry. There are several things you can do to help others overcome this dangerous state of consciousness.

One way is to help change the organizational culture in a positive direction. You can refuse to engage in any kind of criticism, condemnation or judgment of another. You can also refuse to encourage this behavior when you see it done by others. If you accept the idea that the true goal of this organization is that the members become one body of God, then you can bring this understanding into the debate. If someone is critical, you can state that you don’t think it is necessary to be critical, because it does not help us become one body of God.

Validate yourself and others
As you begin to accept that you are a son or daughter of God, and that no one or nothing stands between you and your I AM Presence, it will become easier for you to accept that all other people came from the same source.

When you know that you are a valid and valuable spiritual being, you will naturally begin to treat other people as valuable and valid spiritual beings.

This is the most important change that must happen to church culture. The church must become an inclusive organization in which all people can feel welcome. The best way to make people feel welcome is to validate them. This does not mean that you validate their imperfections. It means that you validate their right to have the opportunity for growth here on earth and that they have a right to start that growth from where they are right now.

People might express all kinds of imperfections on the surface, but if you know that you have a Divine self, then you also know that everyone else has a Divine self. Therefore, if God has allowed that soul to embody on planet earth, you will naturally validate the soul and its right to be here. You will see beyond the temporary, outer disguise to the God-reality within.

Confronting people
Obviously, it can sometimes be necessary to be direct and point out that people cling to viewpoints that must change. You have several tools for trying to avoid a power-struggle.

One tool is to never attack an opinion directly by labeling it as wrong. Instead, seek to point out any inconsistencies in the viewpoint.
For example, church leadership recently declared that they value feedback from members. At the same time it was stated that certain types of feedback are not acceptable in this organization.

If you are truly concerned about getting feedback from your members, it is absolutely necessary that your members feel comfortable in giving such feedback. How can you make your members feel comfortable? By making them feel that even if they express an imperfect viewpoint, or express it imperfectly, they will still be accepted as valid members of the organization. In other words, validate your members and their right to grow.

If you set up a standard for what is acceptable behavior, and demonstrate that you are willing to excommunicate members that do not follow your standard, then you cannot expect your members to feel free to share their concerns. You are, in essence, saying that you will accept feedback only if it lives up to your standard. The very fact that you are setting up a standard by which you judge your members shows that you have adopted a certain attitude toward your fellow man. Obviously, this attitude is not one of unconditional love.

Is such an attitude among church leadership consistent With El Morya’s credo: “If the Guru be an ant, heed him?” Obviously, El Morya chose the ant because it is one of the lowliest of animals. In other words, heed the Guru no matter how lowly he seems according to your standards. Perhaps El Morya should have said: “If the Guru be an imperfect ant, heed him anyway.”

Leaders might say that criticism from members causes them personal pain. However, as the Buddha has taught, all suffering or pain springs from attachment. And attachment comes from idolatry. Perhaps it would be constructive to recognize that this equation needs to change?

Changing the tone of a debate
Another tool for dealing with negative people is to make a commitment to maintaining a positive tone during a debate or discussion.
Never attack a person, but only deal with arguments and viewpoints. The fact that a person expresses an incorrect viewpoint does not make him or her a bad person or a fallen angel. Always separate the person from the opinion. Instead of condemning the person, hold the vision that he or she can adopt a higher understanding of the issue. Then seek to bring forth such an understanding.

You must realize that you are dealing with people who are in a fragile state of consciousness. A person suffering from idolatry has low self-esteem. If you attack the person, that person will inevitably go on the defensive and will seek to refute or deny anything you say. If you can avoid attacking the person, you might have a chance of gradually making the person accept a higher understanding of the issue.

In other words, do not enter a debate with the goal of being proven right or of having your viewpoints proven right. Instead, enter the debate with the goal of seeking to raise the understanding of everyone who participates in the debate, including yourself. Unless you suffer from idolatry, you must always be open to the possibility that you might not have the full understanding of the issue.

You might think that if a debate is to achieve results, it is necessary to expose those who are against change as a result of idolatry. However, instead of seeking to expose a person, you should seek to create a situation whereby these people will expose themselves.

Expose flawed reasoning
Most people will, from time to time, present arguments that are based on a flawed reasoning. If you can expose such flaws in a impersonal manner, you have a chance of helping people accept a higher understanding. If they are not willing to let go of flawed reasoning, they will expose themselves as being attached to some kind of idol.
For example, some church leaders have expressed the viewpoint that members should simply trust leadership without asking for insight into the inner workings of the organization, such as open book management.

This attitude shows that some leaders do not fully understand what kind of members are attracted to this organization. This church did not come from the tradition of mainstream Christianity or any other mainstream religion. Instead, it is an offspring of minority religions, such as the Gnostic tradition, which were often persecuted by mainstream churches.

Many of the organization’s members have experienced, in numerous lifetimes, how religious organizations can go astray. Many members have, through painful personal experience, come to realize one of the most fundamental laws of organizations: “If you give power without accountability, there WILL be misuse of power.” History has proven this statement to have virtually no exceptions.

Most members of this organization are not members of a mainstream church precisely because they are not blind followers looking for a blind leader. They have followed such leaders in past lives and seen how both end up in the ditch. They do not want this church to repeat the mistakes of the past. Most importantly, they have absolutely no desire to see this church become the equivalent of the Catholic Church for the Aquarian Age!

Therefore, when a church leader states that those who do not tithe should be ashamed of themselves and that they have no right to complain about the publishing of the teachings, such statements will only serve to further deepen the distance between members and leaders. Furthermore, such statements point to an attitude that many members will find it impossible to accept or support.

Shame on you
It is extremely important for church leadership to realize that many of the members of this organization, for the reasons stated above, have absolutely no loyalty to the organization itself. These mature souls are loyal only to the Will of God and to the timeless purposes of the Ascended Masters. If these people feel that the church is not fulfilling its mission, and especially if they feel that leadership is not open to constructive criticism, they will refuse to support the organization or its current leaders. If members feel that current leadership is not sufficiently open to their concerns, the only way for them to express those concerns is to withhold tithing and other forms of financial support.

Instead of taking the attitude that members need to be shamed into paying up, leadership should instead recognize that the drop in tithing is a very real sign that changes need to be made in the organization. Many of this organization’s members were attracted to the church precisely because they have a keen inner attunement to the great White Brotherhood. The very thing that attracted people to the organization also makes it easy for people to sense whether the organization is in line with the purposes of the Great White Brotherhood. In other words, because this organization attracts many mature souls, it is very difficult for the leaders of this organization to hide themselves behind the walls of power. This tactic might work in many other organizations, but it will not work in this one.

If leaders want to see a positive turnaround in the organization, they should acknowledge this fact. In this church, an attempt to seek unquestionable authority is simply based on flawed reasoning. It is an impossible quest that can only lead to conflict and the division of the members.

Present ideas so that no one can disagree
It is essential for you to understand that you cannot reason with people who are caught in idolatry. Their only goal is to defend their idol at all cost. However, most people are not completely engulfed by this state of consciousness. Therefore, you can help people see beyond idolatry by presenting ideas in such a way that it becomes difficult to disagree with or openly oppose them.

As an example, consider the topic of publishing the teachings. If you hold the immaculate concept, you will assume that everyone, members and leaders alike, want to see the teachings published. How could anyone oppose a goal so clearly stated by the Masters and the Messengers?

If some leaders seem reluctant, you might seek to understand their reasoning instead of accusing them of this of that. In recent years, church leaders have faced a very difficult task of running the organization on a daily basis while at the same time creating a sustainable organization with a balanced budget. Therefore, it is understandable that funding has been reduced in many areas. If you look at this topic without attachment, you will see that leadership has a number of valid concerns and arguments for current policy. On the other hand, it is difficult see how any leader of the church could openly oppose the publishing of the teachings.

In other words, the question is not whether the teachings should be published, but how this goal can be accomplished. Therefore, if a practical way could be found, one must assume that church leadership would not oppose it. We can therefore avoid a discussion based on accusations from membership and a defensive stand by leadership. Instead, we can focus time, energy and attention on how we can accomplish the goal of publishing the teachings. Fortunately, it is easy to see how this could be done.

Church leaders have presented a plan for publishing the teachings based on the current financial situation of the organization. This plan can simply move forward as it is. The church then needs to set up a special publishing fund to which members can donate money. The church needs to guarantee that all money donated to this fund will be spent on publishing the unpublished teachings. Money in this publishing fund will not be used to substitute the amount of money that the organization has already set aside for publishing the teachings. Instead, it will be used in addition to the money pledged by the organization. In other words, the money in the publishing fund determines the amount of resources that the church will hire in addition to existing resources. Therefore, the resources in the publishing fund will be used to speed up the publishing of the teachings.

Such a solution would remove any potential for conflict between leaders and members. No one can accuse leadership of opposing the publishing of the teachings, because the leadership has been willing to set up a dedicated fund for this purpose. It is simply up to members to make sure that there is always enough money in that fund to publish the teachings at the rate they desire.

If the publishing fund runs dry, publishing will continue at the rate determined by church leadership. How can members possibly object to this? If the publishing fund contains enough money, then leadership has already agreed to hire additional resources and speed up the publishing of the teachings. How could leadership possibly object to this?

In other words, you have a proposal that people cannot disagree with without exposing themselves as having hidden motives. This then increases the possibility for a win-win outcome of the debate.
Changing church culture must begin with one person deciding to overcome idolatry. If that person is you, you cannot lose. Even if church culture does not change, you will win a personal victory. If enough church members pursue this path, they will eventually form the body of God on earth. Whether this happens inside or outside the church is not all that important. What matters is that it does happen.

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