Circle of Christhood

The following material is shared in the interest of Infinite Way history for those new students who will encounter bits of information.  We will strive to present facts to you. This is why we have used Lorraine's own words.  Corrections and/or additions are always welcome. 

There must be an honest evaluation of such a significant personality in the message.  Given that the work is meant to be impersonal, we have much to face and understand in the behavior of those in whom Joel entrusted his message.

As you read the sections below, you will come to see that Lorraine, with the help of her sister and her mentored students, has either deliberately or negligently changed the message in the ways noted.  (We know this is not personal, it was not her fault, this is Error, operating to veil the message, and so we know Lorraine to be the Christ, in spite of the human actions.)

These are Lorraine's Teachings and Actions, Not The Infinite Way Principles

-Each student is completely free to do whatever they want in this message, for The Infinite Way is a state of consciousness which we all possess within us.

-Error is nothing, therefore there is nothing to do about it.  Ignore it.

-Spiritual laws are not man-made laws. Our inner voice should direct us always.

-All consciousness is the same, so we share in spiritual understanding and have the right to do whatever we are led to do. (There is no attention to ego being the possible "director" of our behavior. If we just ignore ego, it does not exist.)

-The Infinite Way can be learned without Joel's tapes. Teachers mentored by Lorraine have been taught to teach classes selling their own recorded lectures with some of Joel's books offered on the side.  No Joel tapes are used.

As an example: 2007 Study Guide by Valor Foundation http://www.valorfoundation.com/studyguide1.htm sites 12 months of study with NOT ONE Joel tape as part of the lessons. The student is clearly getting Lorraine's consciousness, not Joel's.

-Joel was not special, he simply stated the spiritual teachings of the ages.  We all have this within us, so we all are equal to Joel. No need to make any special efforts regarding his personal works. He should not be particularly honored or held apart from us in any way. He would not want that.

-The individual, unique way in which Joel delivered his message, the words, cadence, consciousness are not part of the message.  Changing sentences, word order, reorganizing topics, does not affect how we learn the principles.

And thus, with this model,  the disciples closest to Joel were able to quickly minimize the depth and strength of his consciousness, the importance of maintaining the purity of Joel's message as it was delivered,  and the importance of healing and meditation as indicators of an illumined consciousness. The message became not one of unity and "oneness" , but one of many personalities all struggling for the robe.

Do not take our word for it, read below and you experience Lorraine's words for yourself.

From Lorraine's 1981 Pasadena Closed Class

"Let Freedom Ring"

"Now, that letter[to Norman], which is dated April 10, 1964, I knew about and was given a copy of back in, oh, about 1975, and at the same time Mrs. Goldsmith and Mrs. McDonald received a Xerox copy of that letter, although at that time and prior to that time Mrs. Goldsmith had traveled with me around the world, to Australia three times, I think, and to Europe three times, during which time I made recordings, and there was no objection to the makings of those recordings. It is true, I did not release them until 1978. 

 "I waited a long time, but I was well aware of that letter and I know some of you are thinking, "How did you dare to do that when you had that letter?"

"But, you see, I had a wonderful teacher. I had a teacher who taught me the real meaning of The Infinite Way, who taught me that there is no authority except the authority of your own inner consciousness. 

"I was so well taught that I couldn't be fooled by such a letter.

"When the impetus came from within that these tapes should be released to the public, I had no hesitancy to do it, and I did not ask the permission of any person.

"It is interesting to note, too, that prior to December 1981, there are other teachers of The Infinite way who have also released their tapes.  But this letter[to Norman] never surfaced, even though they know about it, until this December."

I do not know how I got this letter, but it is filled with many interesting comments. May it be of help to you in  deciding the consciousness of the historic leaders of
The  Infinite Way after Joel left. Bold emphasis is mine. 

Dear Mary,

                Thank you for your very welcome letter and for your loving enclosure.  I am so grateful for what you have written about Zen and its emphasis on "nowness." Joel was never satisfied to have the mysticism of the Infinite Way come to him second-hand. But he also was a Buddha-Light to the world.  And while he read much of Buddha's work, he could not feel it until he himself had a revelation on the "nowness" of the moment which he emphasized.

                 Let me tell you howThis Is A Spiritual Universe  came to be in the book THUNDER OF SILENCE.  When I went to Kailua on my first trip to Hawaii, Joel told me his experience in South Africa.  At that time, I had the job of escorting students to Kailua and every time I did, I said to Joel, “Tell them about the lost baggage.”  I couldn't get enough of the story for I felt it had such a deep message.  Then I said to Joel one evening at the time of the Halekou class at the time when Emma, Joel and I were having dinner, “Joel do you realize we do not have the story of the lost baggage on tape?”

                His response was, “put a question on the desk and I will tell about it.”  So that's how it came to be in the book THUNDER OF SILENCE.  I felt the depth of meaning in it and yet I did not fully realize its import until years later.  And even now, I find new meaning in it.

                Unfortunately, Geri has never understood the Infinite Way because her contact with Joel was limited.  Nevertheless, a few years ago I had such an overwhelming sense of love for her that I cried out all alone in my apartment, “Oh Geri, how I would love to gather you in my arms and hug you.”  It was then I realized that all this was hypnotism and nothing could block the activity of the Truth.

                It was then that “Horizons”began to be released in an underground fashion.  I do not know how, but it has found its home in many a receptive consciousness.

                Do know how grateful I am for your dear letter. You have touched the essence of the pure mysticism of the Infinite Way, and there is no stopping you now.  For those who criticize you, I have a word, “Let the heathen rage.”

                                                                                                In love and oneness,

                                                                                                                             Lorraine

This is a computer copy of Lorraine's reply to my June 12, 1997 letter*.  Her letter was handwritten-obviously by someone at her dictation. I later phoned Lorraine again to ask if I could share her letter with those who had been part of my work for a long time. She replied, “I would be happy to have you share my letter with anyone.”

                                                                                                                                                Mary Hunt (signature)

*Mary's letter (sent out with this) told of leaving The Infinite Way for Zen study (as opposed to Buddhism), begun 9 years earlier with a Jesuit priest who had received full Zen training. The reason for her move was the trademarking of The Infinite Way.  It included an interesting comment, given the Infinite Way teaching of impersonalization.

“One thing more, Lorraine. If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be an Infinite Way.  Without your tireless love and devotion to Joel and his message, it never would have reached those ready for it at so many levels.”

(See more in section on Freedom.)

Here are excerpts from Lorraine Sinkler's tapes regarding the proposed book, Horizons in Consciousness. It was intended to be a record of the correspondence between Lorraine and Joel over fifteen years.  Before giving final approval for printing and distribution, Emma was asked to confirm her permission. To do this, Emma asked for the galley proofs and the letters. Because the letters were not included in total, but were edited with gaps where Joel gave Lorraine reprimands, Emma felt the letters gave an incorrect impression to students. 

We can debate all the things that could have been done differently, but this disagreement, finally taken to a judge to determine, divided the Infinite Way to this day. Because students loyal to Lorraine have been taught that the Infinite Way is not Joel's unfoldment, his "Spiritual Journey," but rather a label for a state of consciousness, an impression is planted that all students in the Infinite Way are of equal consciousness.  This is a mistaken understanding and you will find other lessons on this site by Joel to correct this impression. (See Are We Equals in Consciousness?)

Please note that Lorraine reads the same letters to several classes, and continues to emphasize how this did not affect her.  Of course, it did.  And, we totally understand how it would. After decades of a relationship with  Joel and Emma which was as close as family, loving and harmonious, to be cut off without any attempts to  cooperate and resolve upsets, had to be painful.   There are no easy answers here.  No one is to blame, no one is at fault. This is error working to destroy the Infinite Way and those too close could not see it.  Joel pleaded with his close students to continue to support one another , to lift and bless when there was inharmony, to help one another when they individually needed a healing.  Today, we are left with the remnants of what they did not do.

As you read, please keep in mind that these words come after several years of legal battle and the final decision to disallow the publishing of Horizons in Consciousness. The legal definition of "publishing"  includes performing or reading aloud to an audience.  During these tapes Lorraine read parts of the book to the audience.  Both the audience and the tape owner paid for this information, thus laws were ignored.  The passages here are brought to you free as a part of our historical study of The Infinite Way.

From A Court Document:

"On February 3, 1967, Joel's widow, Emma and Sinkler entered into a written agreement for Sinkler's work on the monthly Letter. Pursuant to the agreement Sinkler was also to assemble the Letters into annual books.  Authorship was to be attributed to Joel. Emma was to pay Sinkler for her services.  Eight books were prepared, the last of which was published in 1980. Each of the books was copyrighted in Emma's name.

The agreement provided for cancellation by either party upon 30-days written notice. By a letter dated September 15, 1981, Emma cancelled the agreement, terminating Sinkler's involvement with the monthly Letter after the November, 1981, issue.

Since Joel's death, Sinkler has conducted classes on The Infinite Way, using Joel's copyrighted tapes and writings.  From the time of Joel's death to about 1973, Emma attended some of these classes.  Other persons also conduct classes on The Infinite Way.  Until 1978, Sinkler sold Joel's tapes, which she obtained from the offices of The Infinite Way.  In 1978, she began selling her own tapes of her lectures and The Infinite Way classes.

In 1973 a book written by Sinkler, The Spiritual Journey of Joel S. Goldsmith, was published.  The book included some of Joel's letters to Sinkler.  The book reportedly displeased Emma.

In 1981 Sinkler completed a second book, Horizons in Consciousness, a large part of which consisted of correspondence between her and Joel.  Her publisher, Harper and Row, requested a signed release from Emma, who refused to sign.  Consequently, Harper and Row cancelled plans to publish Horizons.

In 1977, Emma conveyed the business of The Infinite Way to MacDonald. On July 26, 1983, a copyright was registered for a work shown as “Group of Letters Written by Joel S. Golsmith to Lorraine Sinkler from 1949 to 1964.” The registration was accomplished by Lloyd L. Zickert, who is shown as the authorized agent of Emma A. Goldsmith.  The certificate of registration recites that Emma obtained ownership of the copyright by intestate succession.  The record of this case includes a copy of the Last Will and Testament of Joel.  There is nothing to indicate whether it was ever probated."

Lorraine Sinkler

Tape 8101, 1981 Palm Beach, Side One

“Many of you are wondering where Horizons in Consciousness is and this I must explain to you, but before I get into the full explanation, I do want to remind you of something that is a cornerstone of the Infinite Way, perhaps the most basic principle. And, that is, that The Infinite Way is not an organization, that it is never to be organized. 

It has no head because the Infinite Way does not belong to a person. It is an activity of consciousness and it is yours in the degree that you have made God an experience. For the purpose of the Infinite Way is that every person that touches the Infinite Way consciousness may experience God. Joel made that very clear and I am quoting from the 1958 London Closed Class Reel 3 side 2.

He says, "The Infinite Way teaching is this: that you cannot rise higher than your own state of consciousness. And there is no use of anyone setting up a law for you to follow or a rule.”

Now, you all know that, I'm sure, but I think it's important to call it to your attention, that we have no rules or regulations or laws governing any person in The Infinite Way. We have, as it says in the front of every Infinite Way book, only the discipline of the soul. Something that flows forth from within us.

Actually, it is one of the reasons that we have no organization so that we may have no rules, so there may not be a “me”,  meaning Joel, laying down laws for “you” to follow. So that there may not be a group of people following me, making rules for you or your family to follow. Is that clear?

Please do not forget that, that there is no one to lay down any rule or any law for you. The Infinite Way is a setting forth of spiritual principles. You do with it as you wish. You develop along the lines in accordance with your own unfoldment. Some of you can, through your readiness, mount high quickly in spiritual awareness. And with some, it will take a long, long time, but there is no one to make rules or laws for you. To tell you how fast to progress or where you should be at any given moment. 

You know this of course, that there are no rules that you may not smoke, or you may not drink, or you may not marry. It is because you, yourself, must evolve in accord with your own spiritual development. Now that is a little preliminary to explaining why Horizons of Consciousness is not here at the book table.

It may not seem to have any connection, but it does. I have here the page proofs of Horizons of Consciousness. It is fully complete and ready to roll off the presses. The cover of the book has been designed, it is in the book catalogue, but all the work on it has suddenly come to a halt. And, the reason is, that there is a law, I believe it's what you call Common Law that has arisen out of usage that the letters a person writes to someone else do not belong to the person who receives the letters. In other words, the letters that Joel wrote to me, personal letters, do not actually belong to me. They belong to Joel or to his heirs. So, the right to publish any of these letters must come with the permisson of the heir to Joel's estate, his writings and his copyright on the work.

That permission was given me in 1972, before the Spiritual Journey was published. And it was assumed by me and by the editor at Harper and Row, that that would be adequate and that that would hold. But, the publisher of Harper and Row felt that it should be renewed, that we should receive another letter of permission to publish these letters. 

And so, Mrs. Goldsmith was asked to agree to the publication of these letters and I thought the best thing I could do would be to read very briefly the correspondence. And I have a letter from her daughter, Mrs. MacDonald. Not Joel's daughter, because he never had any children and he never adopted any.

And the letter reads:

“Thank you for your note of July 2 and the document prepared by Harper and Row for mother's signature. Mother will not sign the document as it stands as it is too general. The document should specify that the permission does not in any way apply to The Infinite Way Monthly Letters or any other material by Joel S. Goldsmith or originated in this office. Also, mother would like to see copies of the correspondence involved in your book, Horizons of Consciousness. And , that copies of this correspondence should be made part of the agreement so that there will be no possibility of misunderstanding.”

And so the galley proofs were sent to Mrs. Goldsmith and Mrs. MacDonald. 

And an agreement which they were both to sign, since Mrs. MacDonald will inherit the copyright to all of Joel's writings. And the letter is dated September 9, from Mrs. Goldsmith. It says:

“Dear Lorraine,

I have re-read your book, Horizons of Consciousness. I find, Lorraine, on the third reading as I said on the first reading that it is all Lorraine and very little Joel Goldsmith. I therefore, cannot and will not sign the release agreement which I am returning to you. “

Well, now you understand that this book is made up of correspondence between Joel and me which has a very important aspect to it because it is not a reminiscing about something, but it is the happening, the day to day happening of the spiritual unfoldment of a student. And I felt that it would be exceptionally valuable to students to see how one student really struggled because I did. I had lots of dark nights and many struggles. And they show forth in the letters. And Joel's beautiful and sometimes very stern instruction to guide me and to help me along the way. And that seemed like it would be just a wonderful thing for other students to have.

Actually, I was bearing my soul ‘cause there was nothing between us but perfect and complete trust. And yet, I felt that I should share it with all the students who wanted to read it. That was on Sept. 9. On Sept. 15, I received the following letter, and I should say in this connection before I read this that Joel sent me many, many letters in which he sent material and said, “Use this as you feel you want to.”

Here's one. In two envelopes are notes accumulated these past ten years. I treasure them. Little slips of paper in which he wrote notations and he gathered them all together and sent them to me and I was to use them in whatever way I felt was wise. And he said that I was to be in charge of all the publications. So on, well. So I had this letter on Sept. 15, and this is a business letter.

“Dear Lorraine,

I don't think this needs any great explanation. In view of the fact that you have by now received my refusal to sign your release agreement, I am sure it will come as no great surprise that I no longer wish you to edit any of Joel S. Goldsmith's work, including the preparation of The Infinite Way Monthly Letters. All publishers will be so advised. 

In view of the above, your services as editor are terminated as of this date, Sept 15, 1981.”

Now, I told you you would have a wonderful opportunity here to prove the degree of your non-reaction, for I can assure you and my sister and the two or three people who have known about this can assure you, that it brought forth no reaction from me. None whatever. I think what happened to me was a feeling of blankness. And I remember that's what happened to me years ago on July 4, 1955 when I put my resignation in the mailbox resigning my job and knowing I was resting then only on the infinite invisible.   And I stood at that mailbox after it had gone and I was a total blank. And I told that to Joel later on and he said, “Ah, that was the healing. That silence.” And that is the healing in this case too. 

But we have an opportunity now to use this particular situation as a take off field for an understanding of the principles of the Infinite Way, it gives us a marvelous opportunity. It pinpoints these principles as nothing else possibly could, and drives them home to every person.

And the first principle I have already spoken of is that there is no organization. Now, Mrs. Goldsmith and Mrs. MacDonald who will inherit the copyrights has the legal right according to the law as it now appears to be, not to permit this book to be published. 

That law may have to have further clarification. But that's the way it stand now. Now, is the book lost? Is it a failure? Oh, no. Look, here's a book. That's so many pages of paper and some ink. That's not really the book. That's a material thing, a form. But the book, the essence of the book is the consciousness . Consciousness is that book and that book is in consciousness and nothing can ever stop it having its way in the world. Maybe not as a book, and maybe not just in this form, but what that book gives will go forth, has already gone forth. Some of you felt something here, you felt this is going to be a very special experience, and so it is. The most glorious experience that we've ever had together because we have an opportunity now to prove that we deal entirely now with cause and cause is consciousness, God consciousness. We are working entirely on the level, not of the problem, but on the level that my kingdom is not of this world. I live in and as, invisible consciousness. And that consciousness knows no law, no barriers, no blockage to its activity. Never forget that in your own experience, if right now you are faced like what may seem like an insurmountable problem, remember who you are. You aren't this physical sense of body, you are consciousness, infinite consciousness ......"

Tape 8107, San Rafael,  Side 2

Parenthesis notes and bold emphasis, mine.

"There is a book, here it is, but it’s not bound and those are the proofs of it, but not the final bound edition. Probably many of you have heard some things about why it is not out and so it came to me very strongly to present the facts very quickly and briefly so that we can get on with the important part of our work here which is of course, always to deal with the principles of The Infinite Way, for the Infinite Way is an experience as you all know, an inner experience of conscious awareness of that Presence that is always with you guiding and directing you.

And we have in the Infinite Way certain principles that help us on that journey within. So that is of course, what we are most interested in.

But let me just very briefly explain to you so that you will not be dealing with hearsay, or rumors but you will have it direct…

Horizons of Consciousness, about which we will talk more this afternoon, is a compilation, for the most part, of correspondence between Joel and me over a period of 15 years. Those of you who have read The Spiritual Journey, know that in that book too, there is some correspondence that occurred between      and me, mostly letters from Joel. And before that book was published, the publisher asked me to secure a release, or permission to publish some of these letters and to quote from Joel’s tapes and other writings. There is a common law that says that the letters that a person writes to another person do not really belong to the person who receives the letter. In other words, if you wrote a letter to me, the contents of the letter would still be your property or the property of your heirs and you would have the right to refuse me the permission to use that letter or those letters which you may have written to me. For that reason, I secured this permission from Joel’s heir, which is Mrs. Joel Goldsmith, Emma, and that was in 1972, a blanket permission giving me the right to quote at any time from the letters I had received, from the recordings, from the books. So we proceeded, the editor at Harpers and I going ahead with this book, I sent him the manuscript, he sent me back the manuscript, and my sister and I went over it together again and again, a book, in fact that we had worked on over a period of three years, this has been in the making.

And then they sent the galley proofs to me in the summer time which we corrected and sent back. About that time, because of certain circumstances at Harper and Row that had nothing to do with us, the publisher felt that it was advisable to have a further release, that is an updated permission although the first one had never been revoked. So Harpers sent me what they felt would be satisfactory and asked me to send it to Mrs. Goldsmith to have her sign it. This I did. And I’ll read you very briefly the correspondence.

So on July 8^th of this year [1981] I had a letter from Mrs. Goldsmith’s daughter, Geri MacDonald, saying:  

“Dearest Lorraine,

Thank you for your note of July 2 and the document prepared by Harper and Row......" (See above for content here repeated.)

So they got their attorney in New York City and you know the main office for this department is out in San Francisco, to draw up a detailed agreement, very specific, presumably answering all these objections. And the copy of the manuscript was sent. Now, I want you to understand that it’s made up of the letters that I wrote to Joel and he answered. So of course, quite a bit of it is my own correspondence with him. And so on Sept. 9 after the final page proofs were ready, I had this letter from Emma saying:

“Dear Lorraine,

I have re-read your book, Horizons in Consciousness. I find, Lorraine, on the third reading, as I said upon the first reading that it is all Lorraine and very little Joel S. Goldsmith. I therefore cannot, and will not, sign the release agreement which I am returning to you.

Aloha, Emma

That was on September 9^th. Then on September 15^th I received the following business letter from Emma Goldsmith.

“Dear Lorraine,

I don’t think this needs any great explanation...." (Again, see above for content.)

My sister had already prepared and had the camera copy prepared which is done in Palm Beach County of the October and November Letters so those you already have. At the time of the Palm Beach Class, I did not know what would happen about the monthly letter. I did not know that there would be another one or this would be the end because I remember several years ago, Mrs. Goldsmith had written to me and said, “When you stop doing the Monthly Letter, there will be no Letter.” So I didn’t know whether that would stand or not and indicated to the students there that there might not be another Monthly Letter. But I understand now that the December Letter is out and it is a Letter that we did not prepare and I haven’t seen it. I only know what was told me about it and you’ll just have to wait, I think, until your receive your copy so that you will know. In it, I do understand that that material that is used when I was told what it was, is the last chapter in Man Was Not Born to Cry and some of it is the fifth chapter in the 1957 Letters. But I haven’t seen it and there is also a letter from Joel which was written to a student in New Zealand in 1964 to the effect that no student or no person should ever make any recordings except Joel, or ever write anything.

Now, those are the facts, or shall we say, “this world,” the appearances of this world and where to we go from here? 

Well, let’s go right to what is one of the basic principles of the Infinite Way. That is of course that the Infinite Way is not an organization but that it is an activity of consciousness and Joel emphasized that over and over. You people who know those wonderful tape recordings that Joel has given us as a heritage forever which will always be our great blessing. Just as the words of the New Testament, even though they weren’t written down at the time, as a heritage and a blessing, so will the recordings of Joel last throughout all time because it is a spiritual message and a spiritual activity and nothing can ever touch that.

But it occurred to me that it might be helpful if we reviewed a few of the things that he said about The Infinite Way and its place in consciousness. He never wanted it to be structured in anyway. So, if you will bear with me, I am going to quote from some of the recordings of Joel about his feelings about organization and putting a cap on truth, trying to bottle it up and stop its flow, which of course you know,could never happen. You can never stop the flow of truth. And this is from the 1959 San Diego Special Closed Class, reel 3 side one….

“In me, you have only an individual like yourself. You have nobody set apart. You have nobody of distinction. But you have certain principles, and that is the foundation, not only of this work but of religious work in centuries to come. The world can and will forget the identity of Joel Goldsmith because there will be no organization left to memorialize him, but it will never forget the principles that have come into the world through this work.”

And what a principle of freedom we have. I know that some of you are here today because that principle of universality and freedom which IS The Infinite Way attracted you and drew you to it.

And he goes on and says, “This I want you to, as class students always to remember, it makes no difference what benefits you received or ever may receive through my healing or my personal ministry. I want you to remember always that it only could have happened because of these principles, not because of this person and therefore anyone on the face of the globe who wishes to devote himself to the study and practice of these principles can go and do likewise. That means you. And everyone here is called upon to live these principles. Be that candle in the darkness of material world. As long as they don’t loose their head and believe that all of a sudden they have become great or they have become spiritual or that they have some particular gift of God. “

San Rafael 8107 Side 1

"If I had been in old metaphysics, I would say, “This book is of God and it must come out.” And I would be affirming the truth that this book had to be out and it had to be out on time, and I would know what the time was. That was Oct. 25, 1981. I would have been working on that very hard. But you see I couldn’t do that ,that is not The Infinite Way. I have no right to have any concepts as to how the Spirit is to fulfill itself. And this book, after three years is in consciousness. You don’t think that those letters have failed, even now to fulfill themselves. It’s in the consciousness which knows no limitation and no boundaries. The form isn’t here yet, whether it will be, what it will be I do not know, for I have released the form in that sense. But I know that the message can never be stopped, that it goes forth to all those who are receptive.

After 32 years of working with these principles, I have learned to trust that Infinite Invisible and to know that it has never failed me in all these years, as long as I don’t have a concept as to how it is to fulfill itself, but am open and willing to let it have its way with me.

So, with you, let that Infinite Invisible,  which is all wisdom, let it reveal to you what is necessary and let it do it, always let it do the work for you. We get in the way, if we think it must be this way, it must come out in a certain way. Now this is not fatalism, this is not drifing, this is knowing that has something that has the whole the picture, that sees it whole and clear and It knows and It is at work fulfilling Its divine purpose because all any of us can really be, our spiritual destiny , is to be instruments for the Divine plan. And that spirit is now at work fulfilling itself as The Infinite Way, that spirit is in your life fulfilling itself, not as a meager struggling life, but as an abundant and glorious life. So principle number one, there is no organization or structure to the Infinite Way.

Number Two, have no concepts as to how that divine wisdom is to fulfill itself as your experience, no concepts whatever, release them and be a beholder. Let it do the work."

And so, "letting IT do the work" turned into reading the book, and then having the one galley copy copied and distributed. In spite of the law saying that the book could not exist, Lorraine made it happen.

In my early years as a student of Will Hoff, I knew of a  student who had just purchased an underground copy.  It was around 1990. There is a widespread distribution that continues today.  We must ask, how did that first copy get out?  Was it stolen? If so, then would it not be proper and ethical for the author to stop it?

Reading the above transcript carefully, we see that Lorraine takes us from the lesson of no organization, which we all know was a cornerstone of Joel's teaching, to the Infinite Way being a collective consciousness  (as opposed to Joel's consciousness) which operates with spiritual law.  Then we are told about the civil law which we must legally follow. Yet, there is an added reminder that spiritual law has nothing to do with this world.  Do you see how this implies that we do not have to follow civil law?

It is also interesting to see how right after the explanation about how the publishing of a letter is determined by the author, Lorraine reads letters from Emma and Geri.  By law, these also needed copyright permission to share for they were "performed" in a lecture which was a paid activity.  The law is very clear and Lorraine seemed to understand it.

9. The contention by Lorraine that she is teaching and following the principles of The Infinite Way in accordance with Joel's philosophy is erroneous.  The fact that she sells tapes of her lectures and represents them to be The Infinite Way principles is directly against Joel's teachings as set forth in his letter to a student in New Zealand on April 10, 1964, a copy of which letter is attached as Exhibit J, and his letter dated January 27, 1964, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit K.  That Lorraine is entitled to teach her philosophy is not disputed, but where it differs from the principles of The Infinite Way as taught by Joel S. Goldsmith, it should not be represented as Joel's message or as being sponsored by The Infinite Way.  Her version of "freedom" is not in accord with Joel's version which is set forth in a brochure distributed by The Infinite Way offices and prepared from Joel's tapes, copy of which is attached as Exhibit L.

Most students who have studied both books and tapes come to be very sensitive to Joel's consciousness.  It is something that we respond to on a spiritual level, something we come to recognize and long for when we come to tape study or when we wish to meditate with a tape.  As we begin to expand our reading beyond the published books to the the older, original works like Metaphysical Notes and San Francisco Lectures, The Infinite Way, the early works - we feel the same cadence, the same  flow of words and Joel's familiar consciousness behind them. 

This is not to say that the edited works do not relay the principles, of course they do. What the editing does is take more and more Joel out of the work.  It makes a difference to many of us and it should make a big difference to new students. They however, are not able to notice the difference in the early days of their study. We develop the discernment.

It is common knowledge, or should be, that Lorraine's sister Valborg did most of the editing. Valborg was not an Infinite Way student to my knowledge. (I do welcome any correction on these facts if you would please send them via the Guestbook, it would be appreciated.)

I have personal experience reading letters from Joel to Lorraine asking only for punctuation and spelling corrections. Joel did not want the words changed or syntax rearranged. It was. However, in the years that he was on earth, he approved everything that went out ; and he had some material prepared for future publication. So, we say that as a rough estimate, through the years 1964/65 we are getting Joel's approved works. 

It is a very interesting and  a very good exercise for students to take a book, look up which tape it came from and then compare how the text (transcribe it for yourself if you like) compares to the tape.  It will be very clear then.  (Please feel free to submit any comparisons you make and we will post them here.  Send us a note via the Guestbook and we will tell you whom to send it to.)

The substance of the principles is not changed. What is changed is the depth, the consciousness behind the words.  Joel suggests that we get a whole series of a class. Not because we will miss any of the principles. The main principles are on EVERY tape.  But, the consciousness builds in the class and so we also grow with this developing consciousness and get IT as we listen to the whole class.  To cut and paste from different lectures because we are studying a topic such as supply or error, is great for the mental understanding of the principle, but it leaves out the rest of the lesson attached to that tape, that unspoken part.  Passages are good to make points, but they are not the complete lesson. 

This is what we begin to learn and sense the correctness of as we become more and more experienced with the tapes.  I hope that you will take time to discover for yourself the value and beauty of Joel's un-edited words.