PART ONE: THE CIRCLE OF ETERNITY – The Basis of Mysticism
Introduction (Written in Capetown, November 1962)
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1. The Two Worlds
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2. Release God
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3. The Spiritual Adventure
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4. The Journey Within
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5. Sowing and Reaping
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6. God, the Consciousness of the Individual
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7. The Sacred Word
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8. The Mystical I
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9. An Interval in Eternity
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10. Reality and Illusion
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11. The Nature of Spiritual Power
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12. The Discovery of the Self
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PART TWO: RISING OUT OF THE PARENTHESIS – ATTAINING THE MYSTICAL CONSCIOUSNESS
13. The Unillumined and the Illumined
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14. And They Shall All Be Taught of God
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15. Self Surrender
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16. The Secret of the Word Made Flesh
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17. The Mystical Life through the Two Great Commandments
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18. The Function of the Mind
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19. Attaining Divine Sonship
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20. The Meaning of Initiation
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21. The Spirit of the Lord God Hath Anointed Me
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22. The Mystical Marriage
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PART THREE: LIVING IN THE CIRCLE – LIVING THE MYSTICAL LIFE
23. Living in, through, and by the Spirit
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24. The Master Alchemist
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25. Losing “I-ness” in I
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26. My Kingdom Is Not of This World
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27. Living above the Pairs of Opposites
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28. The Tree of Life
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29. Beyond Time and Space
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30. God Made This World for Men and Women
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31. There Remaineth a Rest
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32. Address the World Silently with Peace
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33. The Inner Universe
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In describing A Parenthesis in Eternity, Goldsmith said, "In many classes I have touched upon mysticism to prepare our students for the unfoldment of the real meaning and function of the Infinite Way. Now, in the book, A Parenthesis in Eternity, my entire inner life is disclosed: my reason for living and my mission. The autobiography of my personal life would be boring: uneventful school days, routine business experience, and then out of the blue sky, a spiritual experience. This book is my spiritual life as many of you have seen it from the outside, but here explained from the inside."
A Parenthesis in Eternity is a compelling, comprehensive presentation of the mystical journey that Goldsmith experienced. In Part 1, he lays out the principles that form the basis of mysticism, explaining that at its core is the truth that there is an inner, divine spiritual Self, a manifestation of God, which is our true identity. In Part 2, Goldsmith explains that as humans, we live in a "parenthesis" of the seeming boundaries of birth and death, as well as in mental and material limitation. The purpose of the spiritual path, he says is to wipe out this parenthesis and bring us to the mystical experience of conscious union with God. With deep knowledge born of experience, Goldsmith describes the path we must travel to attain that goal, fully explaining the three stages, or "degrees" of spiritual unfoldment.
In Part 3, Goldsmith elaborates on the nature and quality of the mystical life, emphasizing that this fourth dimensional consciousness is practical, for it is the secret of a harmonious, abundant life, free from fear and discord.
All spiritual seekers will find A Parenthesis in Eternity to be an engaging, enlightening gift from one of the leading spiritual teachers of the 20th century.