I have been pondering the words of Marshall Vian Summers, spoken on January 28, 2015, the final night of the 2015 Messenger’s Vigil.

“The New Message says, ‘Do no harm and will no harm. Do no harm; will no harm.’ That’s a practice!”

My brother does no harm. He wills no harm

I have made efforts to practice the idea “Do no harm, will no harm.” As I practice this I discover that willing harm lies in wait at every turn. How does it lie in wait? In the form of other people. If I am persuaded that someone else is doing harm, or willing harm, haven’t I already done them harm by judging them?

My brother does no harm. He wills no harm. This way of thinking is very much in line with the lesson in A Course in Miracles “My sinless brother is my guide to peace. My sinful brother is my guide to pain. And what I choose to see I will behold.”

My brother does no harm. He wills no harm. There is a part in Step 241 of Steps to Knowledge, “My anger is unjustified” which vibrates in sympathy to this train of thought:

Anger, then, is not justified, for it is a misinterpretation of a true communication. Your anger is not justified because anger is born of confusion. Yet, confusion calls for preparation and the true application of Knowledge. Therefore, the sinful are not punished but are attended to. The wicked are not sent to hell but are prepared for Heaven. This is the true nature of God’s purpose in the world. That is why God can never be angry, because God is not offended. God is merely applying God to a situation where God has temporarily been forgotten.

My brother does no harm. He wills no harm. I know there are people reading this and thinking “But Douglas! What about the criminals and the terrorists?” It’s going to take some efforts on my part to think of them as confused and bewildered, instead of crucifying them as evil and harmful. All I know at this point is that if I’m going to practice the idea “Do no harm, will no harm,” then I’m also going to have to practice the idea “My brother does no harm. He wills no harm.”

* * *

Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.