Circle of Christhood

Starcke Changes IW

Before we begin our chapter-by-chapter analysis of the book, we must emphasize to the reader that Walter Starcke is not a mystic.  He is, as he states on his website and throughout his teachings, a metaphysician. This means Walter's teachings are in the realm of the material and mental world. 

 Joel says, "In the degree, then, that we have human desires, human will, human ambition, human fears, and human doubts, in that degree are we denying and crucifying our Christhood."  Realization of Oneness, Pg. 139

We understand that The Infinite Way is a mystical message. It is a message that strives to lift us out of the material world into the world of spirit and God Consciousness.  

Walter studied mysticism with Joel, and there was a time during the 1940's and 1950's when he was very focused on the principles of The Infinite Way.  Clearly, Walter has described illumination experiences in his book. If we recall Joel's comments about the illumination stories in "Cosmic Consciousness," illumination can occur to any of us. This experience alone does not indicate a person's level of mystical attainment. What we do with, and after, these experiences determines our the level of our attained consciousness.

Walter describes times in the book when he was very close to Joel's consciousness, where he is in daily contact and had regular meditations.  We realize that a teacher is able to lift a student to the teacher's level of consciousness. Yet, a student is not always able to maintain this when he is away from the teacher's presence or when the master is no longer on the earth. (We recall Jesus and his disciples after he left, Joel's teachers and their behavior after he left. Consciousness is something we must continue to work on, or we loose it, regardless of our heights when the prophet is in our midst.)

Infinite Way students need to understand clearly the difference between metaphysics and mysticism.  Anyone still "in the world" or trying to integrate spirit and this human world, is in metaphysics.  Walter makes this very clear with his statements and with the references to his metaphysical friends on the path.  For those of you unable to research the individuals, I will try to give you references for the people Walter mentions in his book a bit further on.

Again, I am reminded of one of Joel's major themes, the principle of The Nature of Error.  It does not exist in any other teaching on earth at this time. It is extremely difficult to understand and even more difficult for a teacher to impart. 

Here is what Starcke says on a tape:

"The Nature of Error: now, I've done some re-translating of that word, because error to me, implies a negative, something bad. Ahm, I would say that a materialistic concept of matter, of people of places is what error is. It is not, it's a wrong interpretation, an erroneous interpretation is what I would say error was.  So, if I look at you and see you as a sinful, sick, evil, or whatnot person, then I'm accepting error as reality. If I can see an appearance is there but I know that the truth of you is that you are God-manifest, then I'm seeing reality.....Now the reason error is important, I didn't like hearing error..."

Goldsmith teaches that Error is our acceptance of a belief in two powers. It is not denying a negative appearance, it is our ACCEPTANCE of the dream of duality. Error is impersonal, it operates in this world.  It only dissolves when we recognize it for what it is.  If we do not understand how it operates, we then are victim. (Here comes the teaching of Protective Work, World Work, Specific Work.)

Error is ANYTHING that we accept which indicates our separation from God. Humanhood, by definition, is a separation. To believe that integrating our humanhood into our spiritual identity is possible (Starcke's Double Thread Theory), is an enormous mistake.  And, it is directly opposite to Goldsmiths's teaching as well as that of Mary Baker Eddy. 

Quotation From  Joel Goldsmith

1959 Hawaiian Village Closed Class, Tape 4, Side 1

Unfortunately for this particular era, there is a gravely mistaken idea loose in the world that the mental realm and the spiritual realm are the same one.

1. It is absolutely untrue that the realm of God and the realm of mind is the same, and the mistaken belief that it is, leads to quite disastrous results.
2. Mainly because as long as this belief persists, there will be teachings combining the spiritual and the mental and consequently going nowhere.
3. Actually preventing progress because of their failure to teach proper attunement to God's Universe in meditations; and failure of the correct teaching of the spiritual principles of God's Universe.
4. One of the tragedies that comes out of this is really the many years that are lost before those mistakes are corrected.

 Walter was very familiar with Mary Baker Eddy's teachings.  It is a tragedy that he would create his theory after knowing Mrs. Eddy's work and that of Goldsmith.  Here is what Mrs. Eddy said,

"Let material things be understood forever, as apart from the spiritual; think not to blend matter and Spirit, for this is not the science of being, and will result in discord and death."   Mary Baker Eddy

 Joel's teachings are intended to help lift us out of our humanhood, to help us drop the onion skins of our ego and human desires and fears.  Just because this is difficult is no reason to change the teaching.  The Nature of Error is one of the most difficult principles of The Infinite Way.  Our culture is not geared to spiritual concepts. Science has become the final word. Unfortunately, the few lines Walter gives to The Nature of Error on page 42 do little to explain this essential part of The Infinite Way and the student is left puzzled. Teachers realize how Starcke did not grasp the principle.

From JG and I:

"We also have to know the nature of what he called "error," that which isn't God. To Joel, error, ignorance, or evils are lies claiming to be truths. By believing that a lie has power we give it that power and we suffer the consequences, when in fact we don't have to.  If we know that error is a "nothingness" claiming to be a power, we can neutralize its effect."

What Starcke has done is to redefined Error to be what he thinks it should be to allow his philosophy to stand.

In The Infinite Way, when we say Error is anything that is not God, it means any material thing, emotion, behavior or activity on this earth is also Error. (When we remember that this is a dream man has created, we can see the logic behind this.)  This is the Infinite Way principle of The Nature of Error.  Do not misunderstand this to mean "mistake." Error is duality and duality is simply the definition of this world. The material earth is not a spiritual place. God is not here, does not know about the world. The only way God can be in the world is through our consciousness.  We bring God to the world through our love, forgiveness and spiritual activity.

How  is it possible to say that "It's all God" or that there is a "Double thread" when God is ONE and The Infinite Way is a message of Oneness?  We cannot.  It makes no sense.  We are again back in duality. If there is a double thread, human and spiritual, we have two. By definition, a double thread contains TWO threads.  This, dear reader, is not Infinite Way, it is a philosophy that serves to bless all human behavior as unconditionally acceptable. Unconditional, without judgement may lead us to accept murder under the proper conditions, adultery and theft. However, if we can say that anything material, mental, emotional is error - this world, then we can begin to meditate and desire to commune with God. In this communion we are lifted in consciousness to a purer essence and we can be harmony and love, the Christ on earth.

Please remember that lesson of The Nature of Error CAME THROUGH Joel.  It came through perfectly and needs no adjustment. It only needs to be properly understood. Goldsmith does not define The Nature of Error as "that which isn't God."  Any seasoned Infinite Way student knows that Goldsmith teaches that Error is the ACCEPTANCE of a BELIEF in two powers. Error is not synonymous with "evil," or "mistake."  When we understand the Nature of Error, we understand that anything material, any emotion, is error and therefore, nothing.  Since this world is imaginary, Error has no power WHEN IT IS RECOGNIZED AND NOTHINGIZED through meditation and God contact.  There is only one power, and that is God.  The difference is subtle. 

If Starcke had properly understood The Nature of Error, he could have dealt with its appearance in his life.  Error likes to be very personal and individual. It operates to tempt us and keep us from advancing on the path.  In Starcke's case, it was very clear that carnality was a huge issue for him.  One, that if it had been overcome spiritually, may have opened heaven's doors for him.  

In the book, Starcke discusses periods of "monasticism" where he strives diligently, and over many years, to rise above the carnal desires and interests of the world. Yet, we see that he comes to a period where the pull of the physical desires is too great. We see him adjust his spiritual understandings, analyzing and critiquing Joel's understandings.  Ultimately he manages to address this "material" side of himself by creating a new vision, a new philosophy, "The Double Thread".  Starcke consideres this better than Joel's teaching and spiritually beyond him.  However, in my opinion, it is a move in spiritual consciousness AWAY from mystical communion. (The wonderful teachings of Jesus - "Put up thy sword,"  "The battle is not yours" - are missing in this story.)

Clearly, Starcke resents the years he gave up sex, alcohol and meat eating hoping to attain illumination.  He is openly angry at his mistaken assumption that Joel was also an ascetic and celebate.  Having deeply struggled for  almost ten years with this abstenance and celebacy only reveals how distant  and out of tune Starcke was from his teacher, Joel. 

Redefining mysticism and the principles of The Infinite Way is common among Joel's intimate, original students.  I was not one of those who "touched the hem," but have studied a number of them. Being so close to Joel and familiar with his consciousness,  it must be a very difficult, insidious temptation when we think we have risen higher than our Messenger.  After the Master leaves, the disciples are often unable to maintain the level of consciousness he lifted them to.  Then the temptations or pull of the world become more than they can dissolve.

It is important to note that we do not have ordinations in the Infinite Way. Nevertheless, it seems that Joel's original students/teachers have used "book publishing" as a pseudo-ordination. The most marketable material for a book about Joel Goldsmith comes from those who knew Joel personally and can talk about Joel, the mortal man.  It is the stuff of books, lectures, "classes."  And yet, Joel was never eager to be a celebrity or have his personal life be his identity.  He down-played his humanhood except where it served to make him seem like an average person.  He did not want a legacy of pictures of himself. He was privately cremated with no record of his remains.  All that he wanted us to have were the principles behind his experiences so that we might have our own experiences.