What does the spirit require for growth under indirect dominion?

Carl Redmond
February 1972

First of all, the spirit requires love: the love of give and take with your brothers and sisters. Without this the spirit is isolated and can only grow slowly if at all. People in the Satanic world are starved for love; they may have give and take, but the love relationship is insincere. I was desperately seeking people I could communicate with and have true give and take with. When I met the Family I found so many responsive people that I just couldn't keep away from the center and its life. I literally could not keep away. My spirit was starving for love and truth and I just couldn't wait to move in: the old life was completely dead in comparison. I used to turn up on the doorstep night after night to feed my spirit with the love that was there. I'd learn more about the Father; I'd have more truth from the Principles; I'd begin to feel better than I'd ever felt in my life.

The joy and power I'd feel in spirit from one evening at the Center would surge through me and I'd be striding off down the road at a mile a minute. Observing the night skies and the people with crystal clarity, I'd find myself thinking of the Family, of the different personalities responding and stimulating my questions and answers, and after a day or two in the Satanic world I just couldn't keep away. I literally craved to move in. I don't know what sort of life I envisaged -- whether it was sitting reading the truth and discovering in the spiritual atmosphere, or whether it was getting down to practical work, or campaigns. I simply knew my spirit needed to be fed by the love and the truth I found in the Family. Concern of others for you, that is an inspiring thing. To know that others are really concerned for you and care, that is a heartening feeling, and that feeds the spirit. If people chastise you, then what a relief. Then you know that person is aware of you, he cares for you and wants to help you grow. And you do grow by feeling the concern other people have for you in the Family.

Also, the spirit needs action. Right action on the physical plane. For instance, you can read Principle for hours on end, bat it is only in picking up a paintbrush or going out on a witnessing campaign that the laws and theory become experience and in reality. When I first came in the Family, I'd just want to hear 'Master Speaks' or the Addresses of Our Leader -- all very much on the spiritual plane. Then later I found I wanted to do collating pamphlets, stapling, folding for the Make Britain Safe booklets. Soon I was an expert in collecting up the ones, threes, fives, sevens, and nines. I found in expressing in action my love for Sun Myung Moon and for God that my spirit received very much more than it ever gave out, whether it was folding paper or loading up the vans and going out witnessing. Where were the laws and theories now? I wasn't consciously thinking of them now, but they were being expressed in action -- God was showing me more and more.

Prayer is necessary too. In making the prayer condition every day, not only do you get disciplined, but you feel your attention not centering on self but on outside things such as the world and people's problems and the difficult time the Father must have. Prayer nourishes the spirit and feeds it, whether it is an hour's battle with the spirit world or twenty minutes heart to heart with the Father. Unless you are prayerful, Satan can take you over and over again, or something you do wrong in physical, or attitude towards the creation or other people. Prayer makes you realize why you are here, and what a waste of time most of your thoughts are when the Father is so close to man and there is so much to do. Prayer also protects you: Satan cannot attack you so much. After prayer things are so much clearer and I find I can 'breathe' again and be more concerned for those around me.

Another thing you need is to be humble and flexible for you never know what is going to happen next and how the Father can use you or help you with some problem in some way. To be humble to others when they are gunning for Satan within you -- it's not easy. Theoretically it is quite straightforward, but in practice, in the unprepared -- for moment, it is a battle with pride and false reasoning. My spirit can only grow when I am prepared to learn from others and take things in the right spirit and not to defend myself. Frequently I find that Satan takes me on this and it is only later that I cool off a bit and see how wrong I was and still am. Wonderful scenes appear; I see myself exposing my innermost Satanic thoughts, thanking that person for helping me, expressing my desire to improve and generally clearing up the situation in a healthy straightforward manner, but it doesn't seem to happen that way; still, I'm sure we are all grateful in the end, if not in the moment when we are chastised. Our spirit is being freed from bad influences and we can continue to grow. It's just in the moment of being hit that I find difficult to be humble enough.

In the Indirect Dominion, I need the advice of those who are closer to the direct stage than me, those closer to the Leader. To put their advice into practice takes greater effort than I thought, but the situations always arise.