DEAR Father, if you are my REAL and ONLY self, why is it I have not known you earlier in this life, and why do I not remember some of my other expressions in other lives in other bodies?

My son, as I have said, only as fast as I was able to develop and prepare your brain mind to receive it in this body could I get you to understand what I Am—that I Am not your mind and its thoughts and beliefs, but I Am that which lives in your body and whose voice like an impression or urge has spoken to your mind from the beginning; but because of the naturalness of that silent voice you did not notice it or heed except when I compelled your attention.

Therefore it was first necessary to build up desires in your mind for mental improvement and for the development of faculties and qualities that would enable you to detect and become interested in My Voice when I spoke, before it would do any good to tell you about Me.

In each body naturally has to be grown a new brain and therefore a new mind, for the developing of the mind builds the brain, and the mind is but the sum total of all that you have been taught, accepted and believe is so. Hence in each new body, which means in each new “you,” I needs must first develop a mind sufficiently that it can function intelligently under the overshadowing guidance of Me as a soul; for ordinarily the soul’s consciousness is not able to enter fully into the body until the seventh year. During the next seven years, however, the mind should be developed sufficiently so that at about the fourteenth year it can function under the direct guidance of the soul within; while at age twenty-one, the intended age of the majority of man, the Spirit is supposed to take charge, control and direct both soul and mind, and thereby the body.

But this control seldom takes place in this life, and in instances when one does attain spiritual rebirth, or where the Spirit actually “descends” into the soul, it does not happen usually until the age of thirty, forty and often fifty or more years. And the vast majority of men will not attain spiritual rebirth until some future life, while many millions are still as young boys mentally.

This gives you an idea why you do not remember former lives. How can you remember with this new brain and new mind, which makes you another “you” from what you were in these other lives? While I Am your real and only self, not until I have brought your mind into attunement with My Consciousness, so that you can first hear My Voice and can be taught by Me, and then, knowing Me as I Am, can withdraw from your brain mind’s consciousness into My Consciousness, would it be possible for you to know of My lives in other bodies. And then only could you know that you and I are One, that you are a soul who has lived in many bodies, and are not what you call “myself” living in this present body. That “myself” is but your present “you,” the personality that is a soul created to accomplish what you came here to do.

But know this, what you did or who you were in other lives is of no consequence; all that is of importance is what you learned in those lives and what was built into My Consciousness as soul knowing. Therefore in your soul you know all that is necessary of those lives, and I will recall it to you when needed.

Why, dear Father, is it necessary for some seemingly beautiful, gentle and kindly souls to go through so much suffering and hardship?

There can be only one reason—they are holding in their consciousness some untrue beliefs about themselves or about the God Life in them that prevents It from freely expressing their true and perfect selves.

No matter how beautiful, gentle and kindly they may be, until they have learned all about their true selves, learned that their inner and real bodies are good and perfect, having been made in the beginning in the image and likeness of God, and then hold that picture of them only in consciousness, and put all their love and trust in God, naturally those old untrue beliefs clog up the channel of their consciousness and likewise of their bodies so that the God-Life in them cannot freely express Itself. The result of course is inharmony or suffering.

But why have they not learned this, when they have undoubtedly learned much—shown by their patience, and their loving and kind natures?

Yes, they have learned much, by being blessed with those qualities; but they are not sufficient, or they would not have to endure such troubles. Just so long as they are ignorant of their real selves, the I Am or soul of them, its possibilities and powers, and believe they have to suffer, or that it is God’s Will that they be poor or sick, just so long will they have to endure such things.

God gave to man a mind for a very wise and loving purpose, that he might learn all about himself, his nature, constitution, faculties and powers, and how to use them; and also how to find and know the God-self of him. For the more he learned about himself, the more he began to glimpse God, and to realize that He is Something, somewhere, deep within himself.

From then on his real search begins. He soon learns that the outer of him is not his real self, that it is but the garment or consciousness that clothes an inner self. Then he begins the task of learning about that self, and in time he comes to know the soul of him. The soul then begins to take more or less charge of his life, teaching, guiding and helping him consciously—consciously to the mind. The mind thus becomes the pupil and the soul the teacher.

Hence not until this stage is reached with any soul or with any man, no matter how loving, gentle and kind he is, the soul cannot inform and teach the mind the truth about God and His Life in him, and what will free him from suffering, hardship or trouble of any kind.

You, dear one, have reached that stage. I through long patient effort have brought your mind, through your search for Me, to where you find Me and have become My loving and faithful disciple; to where you can now ask Me any question on any subject on which you need light and help, and as I am showing you herewith I am giving you such help.

The very fact that anyone is suffering, is enduring hardship or trouble of any kind, is plain evidence that such a one has not yet surrendered his wrong beliefs to his Inner Self and has allowed Him to show him the real cause of such trouble and how to free him from it.