Acropolis Books, Inc. » Joel’s 8 Important Chapters

Mar 20

The Heart of Mysticism

The Heart of Mysticism is a collection of the monthly Letters Joel Goldsmith sent to students from 1955 through 1959. Originally published as individual volumes for each year, this collective edition is the most comprehensive anthology of Joel’s work in a single book and covers a vast range of topics. Each letter is a lesson in spiritual living and provides instruction in specific spiritual principles that can be applied in daily experience. Goldsmith considered his monthly letters to be a vital link with his students, in which he could communicate the deepest experiences that came during his ongoing class work. He once said, “There is nothing more precious in our entire library than the Infinite Way Letters.”

Readers can browse the rich table of contents and find a Letter that resonates with a current life experience, or can work through the Letters month by month to follow five years of the work of one of the great mystical teachers of our time. Since its publication, The Heart of Mysticism has become a treasured favorite for many Infinite Way students.

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Introduction

PART 1: 1955 INFINITE WAY LETTERS

1. January: Importance of Meditation
No tape source known

2. February: Grace
#5-1: 1950 First Portland Series 2:1
#5-2: 1950 First Portland Series 2:2

3. March: Protection
No tape source known

4. April: Immortality
#614-1: 1951 First Seattle Series 1:1

5. May: The Comforter
#616-1: 1951 First Seattle Series 3:1
#616-2: 1951 First Seattle Series 3:2

6. June: Higher Views of God, Prayer and the Self
#64-1: 1954 Chicago Closed Class 3:1
#65-1: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 1:1
#104-2: 1954 Seattle Closed Class 2:2

7. July: Meditation for Beginners
No tape source known

8. August: Essential Points in Infinite Way Practice
#13-1: 1952 Honolulu Class Series One 3:1
#126-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 17:2

9. September: The Deep Pool of Your Being
#117-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 8:1

10. October: The Invisible Nature of Your Life
#117-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 8:2

11. November: Suggestions for Healing Work
#118-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 9:1

12. December: Christmas, 1955
#118-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 9:2

PART 2: 1956 INFINITE WAY LETTERS

1. January: Withinness
No tape source known

2. February: God Is the Soul of Man
No tape source known

3. March: The Part We Play
No tape source known

4. April: Neither Good Nor Evil
#100-2: 1954 Seattle Practitioner Class 1:2

5. May: A Beholder
No tape source known

6. June: In God’s Presence Is Fullness of Life
#37-2: 1953 First Portland Class 1:2

7. July: Transition from Law to Grace
No tape source known

8. August: Contemplative Meditation
#708-1: 1955 Capetown Series 3:1

9. September: The Way of Spiritual Illumination
No tape source known

10. October: The Demonstration of God
#37-1: 1953 First Portland Class 1:1

11. November: Spiritual Principles
#119-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 10:1

12. December: The Christ
#635-2: 1954 Portland Closed Class 1:2
#151-2: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Closed Class 2:2
#21-1: 1953 New Hawaiian Series 2:1
#21-2: 1953 New Hawaiian Series 2:2

PART 3: 1957 INFINITE WAY LETTERS

1. Out of Darkness – Light
No tape source known

2. Major Principles of the Infinite Way
No tape source known

3. Understanding the Body
#113-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 4:1

4. Resurrection
#151-2: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Closed Class 2:2
#124-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 15:1
#68-1: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 4:1

5. The Christ, the Presence in You
#151-1: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Closed Class 2:1

6. The Secret of the Healing Principle
#113-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 4:2

7. Supply
No tape source known

8. Your Names Are Writ in Heaven
#150-2: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Closed Class 1:2

9. The Prayer of Mysticism
#120-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 11:1
#131-2: 1955 Seattle Private Class 2:2
#132-1: 1955 Seattle Private Class 3:1

10. Bear Witness to God in Action
#128-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 19:1
#128-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 19:2

11. Gratitude
No tape source known

12. Tithing with Melchizedek
#122-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 13:2

PART 4: 1958 INFINITE WAY LETTERS

1. Spiritual Unfoldment through the Study of The Infinite Way
#607-1: 1951 Second Portland Series 7:1
#607-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 7:2
#113-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 4:1
#643-1: 1956 Johannesburg Closed Class 1:1
#643-2: 1956 Johannesburg Closed Class 1:2
#171-1: 1956 Portland Closed Class 2:1
#180-2: 1957 Kailua Advanced Class 2:2

2. Problems Aren’t Problems Any More
#129-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 20:1
#129-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 20:2

3. The Practice of Spiritual Healing
#171-2: 1956 Portland Closed Class 2:2

4. The Message of Easter: “I Have Overcome the World”
No tape source known

5. The Object of Our Search
No tape source known

6. Security through God-Realization
No tape source known

7. There Is No Power in Fear
#146-2: 1956 First Steinway Hall Closed Class 3:2

8. The Father-Consciousness
#141-1: 1956 First Steinway Hall Practitioner Class 2:1
#148-2: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Practitioner Class 2:2

9. Praying Aright
#156-2: 1956 Chicago Open Class 1:2
#161-2: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 4:2

10. Break the Fetters that Bind You
#241-1: 1958 Maui Open Class 1:1

11. The Fruits of the Spirit
No tape source known

12. The One Great Miracle
#145-2: 1956 First Steinway Hall Closed Class 2:2

PART 5: 1959 INFINITE WAY LETTERS

1. Individual Responsibility
No tape source known

2. A Lesson to Sam
No tape source known

3. The Secret of the Resurrection
#230-1: 1958 London Open Class 4:1

4. Spiritual Power in Human Affairs
No tape source known

5. God Realization Dissolves Material Sense
#152-2: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Closed Class 3:2

6. Specific Truth for Treatment
#253-2: 1959 Halekou Special Class 3:2

7. Spiritual Freedom
No tape source known

8. Conscious Dominion
#602-1: 1951 Second Portland Series 2:1
#602-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 2:2

9. The Impersonalization of Good and Evil
#233-2: 1958 London Advanced Class 2:2

10. Freeing Ourselves of Universal Claims
#233-1: 1958 London Advanced Class 2:1

11. Prayer and Treatment through the Spirit
#252-1: 1959 Halekou Special Class 2:1

12. Christhood
#53-2: 1953 Second New York Practitioner Class 1:2

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Mar 20

The Contemplative Life

The Contemplative Life is a guide for those who are seeking a way to be “in the world but not of it.” In this book, Goldsmith explains how to bridge the gap between the compelling activities of daily living and the absolute silence of our inner Being, where we are one with God. He brings fresh insight to the practice of contemplation and meditation and explains how to make the mind an instrument for the free flowing of the Spirit.

In The Contemplative Life, Goldsmith explains the life of contemplation and its mystical outcome: spiritual unfoldment and spiritual oneness. He explains how to become aware of the presence of God within and how we can come into the fullness of the scriptural promise that when we take no thought and seek God first, all things will be added unto us. In revealing how the practice of contemplation leads to actual inner experience of truth, Goldsmith covers topics such as conscious awareness, daily preparation for spiritual living, contemplative meditation, the secret of supply, and being a beholder of God’s grace.

After The Contemplative Life was published, Joel said that it became his “Infinite Way Bible,” and said that Chapter 8 in the book, “Contemplation Develops the Beholder” is one of the most important chapters in all of the Infinite Way writings.

[Note: The Contemplative Life is the collection of the 1961 Infinite Way Letters.]

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Mar 20

The Art of Spiritual Healing

The Art of Spiritual Healing is based on Joel Goldsmith’s many years of experience in practicing spiritual healing. In a decided departure from other books on the subject, Goldsmith reveals the spiritual principles that are the foundation for spiritual healing. He alternates instruction with meditation to demonstrate his conviction that since physical health is a manifestation of consciousness, physical well-being is a natural result of attaining the consciousness of oneness with God. Complete in scope and non-denominational in approach, The Art of Spiritual Healing is a simple, straightforward explanation of what to many is a mysterious and complex subject. The book is presented in four parts: “The Principles,” “The Role of Treatment,” “The Practice,” and “Without Words or Thoughts.”

Goldsmith believes that the world needs people who, through devotion to God, are so filled with the Spirit that they can be the instruments through which healings take place. He says, “There is not a person reading this book, who should not be ready to accept the responsibility of beginning to heal now. It is not your spirituality or mine that will heal anybody; it is not your understanding or mine that is going to heal. It is God’s understanding to which we make ourselves receptive by becoming still.”

Together with The Art of Meditation, Living the Infinite Way, and Practicing the Presence, this is a foundational book of the Infinite Way message.

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PART ONE: SPIRITUAL HEALING: THE PRINCIPLES

1. What Is Spiritual Healing?
#158-1: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#187-1: 1957 First Halekou Closed Class 1:1
#187-2: 1957 First Halekou Closed Class 1:2
#189-1: 1957 First Halekou Closed Class 3:1
#192-1: 1957 First Halekou Closed Class 6:1
#152-2: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Closed Class 3:2
#163-2: 1956 Seattle Open Class 1:2
#163-1: 1956 Seattle Open Class 1:1
#207-2: 1958 First Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#207-1: 1958 First Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#184-1: 1957 Chicago Open Class 2:1
#184-2: 1957 Chicago Open Class 2:2
#211-2: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:2

2. Is God A Servant?
#156-1: 1956 Chicago Open Class 1:1
#200-2: 1958 Sydney/Melbourne Closed 2:2
#176-1: 1956 New York Laurelton Hotel Closed Class 3:1

3. One Power
#49-1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 2:1
#176-1: 1956 New York Laurelton Hotel Closed Class 3:1
#207-2: 1958 First Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#158-2: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:2

4. The Language of Spiritual Healing
#137-1: 1956 First Melbourne Closed Class 3:1
#211-1: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#51-2: 1953 First New York Closed Class 4:2
#51-1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 4:1
#187-1: 1957 First Halekou Closed Class 1:1
#17-1: 1952 First Honolulu Closed Class 4:1
#222-1: 1958 New York Closed Class 4:1

5. What Did Hinder You?
#158-1: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#158-2: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#207-2: 1958 First Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#158-2: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#184-1: 1957 Chicago Open Class 2:1
#220-1: 1958 New York Closed Class 2:1

PART TWO: SPIRITUAL HEALING: THE ROLE OF TREATMENT

6. Developing a Healing Consciousness
#68-2: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 4:2
#38-1: 1953 First Portland Open Class 2:1
#211-1: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#616-1: 1951 First Seattle Series 3:1

7. Practical Instructions to Workers
#612-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 12:2
#203-2: 1958 Adelaide Closed Class 2:2
#623-2: 1953 Second New York Closed Class 4:2
#211-1: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#211-2: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#49-2: 1953 First New York Closed Class 2:2
#34-1: 1953 Second Seattle Closed Class 3:1
#616-1: 1951 First Seattle Series 3:1
#184-1: 1957 Chicago Open Class 2:1

8. Treatment Is a Realization of Omnipresence
#34-1: 1953 Second Seattle Closed Class 3:1
#645: 1956 Johannesburg Closed Class 3 (specific side not available)
#609-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 9:2

PART THREE: SPIRITUAL HEALING: THE PRACTICE

9. What about This Body?
#211-1: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#211-2: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#184-2: 1957 Chicago Open Class 2:2
#169-1: 1956 First Portland Open Class 2:1
#645: 1956 Johannesburg Closed Class 3 (specific side not available)
#609-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 9:2

10. Spiritual Unfoldment – Not Human Birth or Death
#211-2: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#34-1: 1953 Second Seattle Closed Class 3:1
#623-2: 1953 Second New York Closed Class 4:2
#240-2: 1958 First Maui Lectures 2:2
#68-1: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 4:1
#158-1: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#207-2: 1958 First Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#184-2: 1957 Chicago Open Class 2:2

11. The Relationship of Oneness
#612-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 12:2
#1004-1: 1952 First Class of 1952 3:1
#1004-2: 1952 First Class of 1952 3:2
#68-1: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 4:1
#68-2: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 4:2
#69-1: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 5:1
#69-2: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 5:2
#70-1: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 6:1
#49-2: 1953 First New York Closed Class 2:2
#48-1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 1:1
#51-1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 4:1
#240-2: 1958 First Maui Lectures 2:2

12. God Is Our Destiny
#184-2: 1957 Chicago Open Class 2:2
#158-2: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#612-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 12:2
#609-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 9:2
#211-1: 1958 Second Chicago Closed Class 1:1
#41-1: 1953 First Portland Class 5:1
#169-1: 1956 First Portland Open Class 2:1
#48-1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 1:1
#49-2: 1953 First New York Closed Class 2:2
#51-1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 4:1

13. A New Concept of Supply
#203-2: 1958 Adelaide Closed Class 2:2
#158-2: 1956 Chicago Closed Class 1:2
#48-2: 1953 First New York Closed Class 1:2

14. Under the Shadow of the Almighty
#609-2: 1951 Second Portland Series 9:2
#203-2: 1958 Adelaide Closed Class 2:2
#49-2: 1953 First New York Closed Class 2:2
#48:1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 1:1

PART FOUR: SPIRITUAL HEALING: WITHOUT WORDS OR THOUGHTS

15. Beyond Words and Thoughts
#649: 1956 Johannesburg Practitioner Class 1 (no specific side available)
#52:1: 1953 First New York Closed Class 5:1
#148-1: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Practitioner Class 2:1

16. Is
#228-2: 1958 London Open Class 2:2
#148-2: 1956 Second Steinway Hall Practitioner Class 2:2
#179 – #182: 1957 Kailua Advanced Class (no specific tape number available)

17. If I Be Lifted Up
#156-1: 1956 Chicago Open Class 1:1

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Mar 15

Practicing the Presence

Practicing the Presence is one of the four foundational books among Joel Goldsmith’s Infinite Way writings. Goldsmith recommended that new students begin with this book, together with Living the Infinite Way. Practicing the Presence is a celebrated guide to the awareness of the divine and transcendental in our daily lives. Goldsmith writes that it was during one of his periods of contemplation that the words came to him, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” This surprised him, because at that time he was little acquainted with the Bible and only occasionally went to church. But through the study of Scripture and the practice of its teachings, Goldsmith realized that a Presence was with him, counseling, sustaining, and leading him into greater spiritual awareness. Following that realization, he traveled throughout the world, teaching others to know this Presence.

Goldsmith says, “Every person who has known dissatisfaction, incompleteness, and frustration will someday learn that there is only one missing link in this entire chain of harmonious living. That is the practice of the presence of God – consciously, daily and hourly, abiding in some great spiritual truth of scripture, and it makes no difference which scripture: Christian, Hebrew, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, or Moslem.” If we begin with practicing the presence of God, it leads to an inner stillness that makes it possible to meditate. Goldsmith sets forth for the reader how to practice the presence from the moment we awaken to the moment we retire for sleep.

To Goldsmith, harmonious living is all a matter of consciousness. When we have the right consciousness, we do not want things, but we express the very things which formerly we sought. So, instead of a change of circumstances, what the seeker needs is a change of consciousness. Practicing the Presence helps the seeker make that change by opening consciousness to the life by grace. In clear and direct language, Goldsmith shows that by constantly and consciously practicing the presence of God in every experience of our daily life, the struggles of existence pass and harmony is established in every department of our lives. “Seek neither health, nor wealth, nor fame, nor fortune,” the author writes. “Seek first the realization of this inner kingdom and be a beholder as these outer things are added.”

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1. Spiritual Consciousness
#126: 1955 Kailua Study Group 17 (no specific side cited)
#107-1: 1955 Chicago Private Class 1:1
#601-1: 1951 Second Portland Series 1:1

2. Demonstrate God
#126: 1955 Kailua Study Group 17 (no specific side cited)
#65-1: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 1:1
#65-2: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 1:2
#107: 1955 Chicago Private Class 1 (no specific side cited)
#130-132: 1955 Seattle Private Class (no specific class cited)

3. God, the Only Power
1955 May Letter
1955 March Letter
#65-2: 1954 Honolulu Lecture Series 1:2
#107 – 109: 1955 Chicago Private Class (no specific class cited)

4. The Infinite Nature of Individual Being
#19-2: 1952 Honolulu Closed Class 6:2
#19-1: 1952 Honolulu Closed Class 6:1
#20: 1952 Honolulu Closed Class 2 (no specific side cited)
#116-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 7:1
#617-2: 1952 Second Seattle Closed Class 1:2
#617-1: 1952 Second Seattle Closed Class 1:1

5. Love Thy Neighbor
#620-1: 1953 Second New York Closed Class 1:1
#620-2: 1953 Second New York Closed Class 1:2
#108: 1955 Chicago Private Class 2 (no specific side cited)
#125: 1955 Kailua Study Group 16 (no specific side cited)
#17: 1952 Honolulu Closed Class 4 (no specific side cited)
#15-1: 1952 Honolulu Closed Class 2:1
#617-2: 1952 Second Seattle Closed Class 1:2
#618-2: 1952 Second Seattle Closed Class 2:2

6. To Him That Hath
#126-1: 1955 Kailua Study Group 17:1
#126-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 17:2
#116-2: 1955 Kailua Study Group 7:2
#107: 1955 Chicago Private Class 1 (no specific side cited)
1955 March Letter
#622: 1953 Second New York Closed Class 3 (no specific side cited)
#130: 1955 Seattle Private Class 1 (no specific side cited)

7. Meditation
#108-1: 1955 Chicago Private Class 2:1
#130-2: 1955 Seattle Private Class 1:2
#132-2: 1955 Seattle Private Class 3:2
#86-2: 1954 Honolulu Closed Class 4:2

8. The Rhythm of God
#146-1: 1956 First Steinway Hall Closed Class 3:1
#157-2: 1956 Chicago Open Class 2:2
#169-1: 1956 Portland Open Class 2:1

9. A Moment of Christhood
#41-2: 1953 First Portland Class 5:2

10. The Vision to Behold
#198-1: 1957 Second Halekou Closed Class 6:1
#198-2: 1957 Second Halekou Closed Class 6:2

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Mar 15

Living the Infinite Way

Living the Infinite Way is one of the four foundational books of the Infinite Way teachings. Joel Goldsmith recommended that new students begin with this book, together with Practicing the Presence. In Living the Infinite Way, Goldsmith awakens the reader to the possibility that the presence of God is within every individual, and that one can live by that Presence and enjoy a more harmonious, loving, and abundant life.

The book focuses largely on the nature of God, for as Goldsmith says, “The writings of The Infinite Way contain hundreds of truths, but actually there is only one truth that we must know. This one truth is the nature of God. Take this one thought into meditation: What is God? What is the nature of God? What is the character of God? What are the qualities of God? What is the true God—not the God we were taught to worship as children, or that we ignorantly worship? Try to empty the already too full vessels, because they cannot be filled with the new wine. Even if you are seventy, empty your old misconceptions and be willing to begin all over with the admission that you do not know God or you would be showing forth more of God’s grace. Forget all that you have thought or been taught about God and start afresh with this question, ‘What is God?’”

Goldsmith answers these questions about the nature of God with “the letter of truth,” explaining that when one does not know the correct letter of truth, it is difficult to acquire the consciousness that leads to the God experience. But, he emphasizes, we must do more than know the letter of truth intellectually. We must consciously realize these truths, and it is the practice of meditation that will lift us to that realization. Goldsmith goes on to give the reader basic instruction in how to meditate and enter the secret sanctuary of inner quiet, where we become aware of the presence of God. “Meditation,” he says, “is the way by which we attain the kingdom of God, and then life is lived by Grace. The ultimate of meditation is a state of complete silence within.”

Living the Infinite Way thoughtfully ushers the reader along the first steps in the Infinite Way message, and helps the reader arrive at the truth that “That which I am seeking, I already am.”

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Mar 20

The Infinite Way

Now considered a spiritual classic, The Infinite Way was Joel Goldsmith’s first book. After its publication, Joel said that he was no longer a man with a message, but a message with a man. Joel introduces The Infinite Way by saying, “In this small volume I have written the spiritual truth as I have gleaned it through over thirty years of study of the major religions and philosophies of all ages… Be assured inner peace will come as one turns to the spiritual consciousness of life, and an outer calm will follow in one’s human affairs. The outer world will conform to the inner awareness of Truth. The authority for all of this revelation will be you, as you yourself experience this change within and without.”

The Infinite Way is filled with the spiritual ideas and principles that are the foundation of The Infinite Way message. Goldsmith inspires, and possibly surprises, the reader with statements such as “Immortality is attained in proportion as personal sense is overcome … and that can be achieved here and now;” “Spiritual illumination enables us to discern the spiritual reality where the human concept appears to be;” and “To many, the word Christ persists as a more or less mysterious term, rarely if ever experienced by them. This we must change if we are to benefit by the revelation of a divine Presence of Power within us. Jesus told his disciples that they too are the Light of the world.” In this book, Goldsmith gives the reader the richness of the spiritual principles that constitute the message of The Infinite Way.

Readers will find the chapter “Soul” to be one of the most illuminating on that topic in spiritual literature, and the chapters on meditation, prayer, and supply will give the reader a fresh, new perspective on those timeless subjects. Joel himself said that the chapters “The New Horizon” and “The New Jerusalem” are two of the most important chapters in the Infinite Way writings. The section “Wisdoms of the Infinite Way” provides a collection of more than 100 short statements of spiritual wisdom that came to Joel Goldsmith in meditation. “Study the Wisdoms earnestly,” says Goldsmith. “Live with them day in and day out. Meditate on them and they will open up a way before you – the way of fulfillment.”

Goldsmith chose to put this quote from Lao-Tze at the beginning of the book: “There is no need to run outside for better seeing, nor to peer from a window. Rather abide at the center of your being; for the more you leave it, the less you learn.” Throughout the ages, this one message has withstood the test of time and continues to ring true today – seek the answer from within, and you will find the Truth. This is the message in The Infinite Way, and it has helped millions look inward and find “the peace that passes understanding.”

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How-To: Books of Infinite Way Letters

The Heart of Mysticism

The Contemplative Life

The Art of Spiritual Healing

Practicing the Presence

Living the Infinite Way

The Infinite Way