Joel taught that rising in consciousness to realized Christhood is not ultimately for our own benefit, but the means to uplift the consciousness of mankind universally and dispel the ignorance of truth that is at the root of all human trouble. He spoke often about how we as individuals can be an influence in bringing that freedom to the world.
On the first of each month, we post an excerpt about world work from Joel’s books or classes. The following excerpt is from Seek ye First: Chapter 1, “The Inner Kingdom”
“Every day, at least once, inwardly let us raise our hands, as if we were holding them over the whole world and letting God’s grace flow through us to this world. We are doing nothing of our own account: we are letting ourselves be the instrument. It is as if these hands were up over the globe, and from these hands went forth God’s grace and God’s blessing to all who are receptive and responsive.
“In the secrecy or privacy of our own room, we can even do it physically and have the feeling of the love of God flowing through us, but otherwise we can do it silently, the same way as we meditate, just silently, inwardly lifting our hands, letting them cover the globe, and then letting the spirit of God flow, always remembering that what we put out into consciousness is what comes back to us as the added things of this experience.
“Always we carry with us these two passages which will be very important in our spiritual life. First, ‘My kingdom is not of this world’[1]: the spiritual kingdom, the Christ-kingdom, is really within us. Whatever we want of the Christ, we seek within ourselves. Then having established that within us, come these words, as if coming up from within: ‘My peace I give unto you.’[2] The Christ-peace, the spiritual peace, the peace of the Father is given unto us. Always, every day, let us feel that peace welling up from within: ‘My peace, the spiritual peace, God’s grace, give I unto the world.’”