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Neela Sakaria: Please start by telling our readers how this book came about as a collection of letters. Who is Joel Goldsmith? Who were his letters written to? How did you get involved as the editor?
Allen Marsh: Joel Goldsmith, who could truly be called a 'world teacher,' taught on four continents. His recorded classes comprise more than 1,300 hours of lectures and thirty-five books. During his lifetime he published monthly letters that were sent to his students around the world. After his passing in 1964, his widow, Emma Goldsmith, continued publication of the monthly letters (taken from unpublished lectures) with the help of Joel's editor-in-chief, Lorraine Sinkler.
Joel, as his students liked to call him spent his early years in business in New York City. At the age of 36 a dramatic event transformed his life. As he described it, he was 'awakened' to an awareness of infinite potential. He had no previous experience to describe it or explain it. He felt an inner voice directing him to accept requests for healing. Within hours someone called for healing of a physical illness. Joel's reaction was: "I neither knew how to pray, nor did I know anything about medical science." The person called the next day to thank Joel for the instantaneous and spontaneous healing.
On a quest to discover what had happened to him and to develop a context for his transformation, Joel spent the next thirty years studying the religions of the world. His focus, however, was given to an inner revelation of texts from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
In late 1940, Joel began to teach spiritual principles - what he came to call the Infinite Way - to small groups and in time, this work grew so that he was soon traveling to all corners of the earth. He also came to realize that as miraculous as his healing work seemed, more important was the awakening in any individual to his or her higher consciousness of an unlimited potential that leads to fulfillment. The monthly letters he sent to students allowed students to work with Joel and with the principles of spiritual living in an ongoing way.
I am managing editor of Acropolis Books and my own involvement with Joel's teachings began in 1981, when I read his book, Realization of Oneness. I had always yearned for a spiritual teaching that would open the way to experience the feeling of oneness, to realize from within myself a relationship to Truth that would open the way to true fulfillment - this book opened that door for me.
Neela: What does Goldsmith mean by the "spiritual plane"?
AM: Joel often uses Jesus' expression, "the Kingdom of God" and this may come closest to Joel's usage of that term. Joel used the term in a broad sense to indicate a stage and state of infinite being that is an inherent part of each person's true identity, an infinite resource, always available, that is "nearer than breathing, closer than hands and feet." To discover this inner realm, is to discover a harmonious rhythm of creation - what he called "the activity of the Christ within."
Neela: What is it that you hope readers will gain from reading this book?
AM: That those seeking a conscious experience of their full potential as a manifestation of God (of Spirit), will find that this state of awareness is attainable; that it can be practiced and applied in daily living; and that this experience is founded on immutable, universal principles. His teaching is timeless - it is NOW and applies to what is happening in the world today.
Neela: What were some of the challenges and surprises you faced as the editor of God Formed Us for His Glory?
AM: These letters were edited by Lorraine Sinkler, so my task as managing editor has been to publish them in a more modern format, while maintaining the flow and spirit she brought to the printed message. A testament to her editing genius, is that students who were present in his classes received the same enlightenment and inspiration from his published works as they did from personally hearing him.
Neela: Tell us about the title of this book. What is its significance?
AM: The title, while being both catchy and thought provoking, points to a fundamental truth that the nature and infinity of God is within us, is our birthright. In short, God expresses us in the measure we can drop our concepts of who we think we are and come to realize our divine potential.
Neela: In "Preparation for the Advent," Goldsmith writes that there is "only one God" and it does not matter how that God is worshiped. He writes that "You, yourself, are the temple of God." Does this mean the book can be relevant for people of all faiths? What would you say to atheists?
AM: Glad you asked this question, as it allows contemplation on the all-ness of God - or Brahma, or Spirit, the Buddhi Intelligence, Allah, Thou Art That, Yahweh, I Am That I Am, the Christ, The Alpha and The Omega, or simply nature.
All nature and all humanity exhibit the same properties and exist under the same natural laws, thus demonstrating a fundamental universality of consciousness. Although cultures have formed themselves through differing geologic and climatic influences, and through different belief systems, the mystical experience - or inner awareness - of our relationship to "the One" reveals that ultimate truth is an inner experience and that it is universally the same for all people.
When we discover Truth as the "self" that we are, we realize that this self is the same self of all and, indeed, that the body is truly but a temple for this self. This realization does bring a connection to all faiths. Any person, whether acknowledging God or not, can relate to a true inquiry into the nature of "self." Asking the age old question, "Who am I?" can lead the earnest questioner to his or her own infinite way. Joel had a favorite poem by Robert Browning which he quoted often as it underscored his message and mission to direct students to the discovery of their own true nature and infinity - ours is, he said, to "open out a way for the imprisoned splendor to escape."
Neela: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
AM: Only to say again that Joel's teachings go to the heart of the mystical experience of oneness, they are easy to assimilate and to apply as practical teachings in our daily lives. Additionally, Joel Goldsmith provides the exact principals for us as individuals so that we may to develop our spiritual fulfillment.
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