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Instantaneous Revisioning . . . Revisited
A Commentary by William Rubenstein, D.D.
Editor’s note: In the May 2008 mailing to our membership (and simultaneously
here on our website), we presented an essay entitled “Instantaneous Revisioning,”
written in 1971 by Dr. Wayne Guthrie and Dr. Bella Karish. It was based on a
workshop that had been held at the Fellowship. After that workshop, William
(Bill) Rubenstein, D.D., then one of our Directors and a Council Member—and
still today, some 38 years later, an active participant in Fellowship
activities—wrote the following commentary. It offers his further explorations of
the original essay by Drs. Guthrie and Karish. We believe it’s as relevant today
as it was when Bill wrote it.
Instantaneous Revisioning needs to be discussed in depth, because within the
concept of Instantaneous Revisioning we recognize the ability to “transmute” and
“transform”—not only world conditions but ourselves as well.
To “re-vision” means to amend, alter, or revise something—in this case an inner
image—and replace it with another image that is better. This, as has been noted,
can be done instantaneously. The power of revisioning through visualization
gives us the ability to change conditions and situations that are out of
balance, and to help bring about that which is productive and useful.
We need to ask ourselves why there is such difficulty in bringing about
betterment. Obviously, we need to understand a great deal more about the human
condition, for if problems were simple, Planet Earth would have become a
paradise long ago, but as you can see it has become polluted. The air, water,
food, our physical bodies, our thoughts, and our emotions—are all in need of a
cleansing.
Within man is a great need to control his environment, but somewhere in the
process of living, something happens to him or, perhaps we should say, something
enters his consciousness which propels him not only to dominate nature but other
human beings as well. If we look at history, this has happened over and
over—that even after the battle is over, people are baffled, perplexed, not so
much as to how it all got started, but rather why was it allowed to reach such
catastrophic proportions.
We have yet to realize the reality of Karma—of cause and effect, of action and
reaction, of the expression used by many, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap,” which
has profound implications for our lives. What needs to be understood is that the
events of the past are not dead at all, but are very much alive, and that
humanity as a whole is still experiencing the memory patterns of the past, both
literally and figuratively. That is why Prophecy has come into play, because
great Seers have been able to pierce into other dimensions and know that
somewhere up ahead, we will be required to face these events. It is important to
remember that the purpose of Prophecy is not to create fear but rather to take
the information thus gained and do something constructive with it, which is to
say that through Light, Love, and Prayer, much can be done to transmute the
situation.
Within any conflict, however, the nature of the human being is to look for
something outside himself that will produce a solution. Seldom does he see
himself as a Cause, or the conflict as something he may possibly have put into
motion a long time ago.
All of nature is constantly accelerating and unfolding, and man is no different.
We are human beings in motion, and with each moment we are creating something,
or should we say Some-Thing. And what we see manifesting are the Thought Forms
of the past. This does not seem possible, but many of us would be aghast if we
could actually see in slow motion what is coming out of us as a creation in and
of mass consciousness.
Now, there are reasons we do not have etheric vision or inner sight, and one of
them, one of the main aspects of this phenomenon, is that we are too close to
the picture. It is like we are standing before a camera, and if we are too
close, the picture comes out blurred. In order to get a clearer picture, we need
to stand back at a proper distance, with enough light and the proper touch, and
then we are able to get a good picture.
The symbol we are using here is that of a camera, and it is related to our
theme, Instantaneous Revisioning. There are times when, in using the camera, we
are baffled as to why the pictures are not coming out well, even when we feel we
have done everything correctly. So what are we to do? Of necessity, we need to
pursue the matter further and ask perhaps if it is the film, or the lens, or the
camera itself, for if the camera is faulty, no amount of effort by us will
produce good pictures.
Here is the lesson. Each of us is a camera, and with a flick of our mind, we
take pictures, and with our imagination, we create snapshots—mental
photographs—and start developing them. By “developing,” we mean that internally
we entertain, nurture, and generate energy in relation to our ideas and
concepts. In other words, we give them life through the use of our thoughts and
emotions.
We need to pay attention to where our energy is going and what happens to it,
for it is through thought that a skeleton, or a blueprint, is created, and our
emotions give it clothing, give it character, dress it up, so to speak—and it
becomes a living entity.
So with this in mind, we see that it behooves us, as Spiritual aspirants, to
take stock and reflect on what kinds of pictures we are taking of ourselves and
those around us. Do you like what you see? Can it be revised? Can it be
revisioned? Can you change the things that, deep down, you know need to be
changed? Does change have meaning for you? Do you desire change?
If you have no difficulty answering all of these questions in the affirmative,
then you can assume that your camera—or, let us say, your consciousness—is in
good working order and that what you project will bear good fruit. However, if
you have difficulty visualizing for yourself the things that are essential for
your well-being, then we can assume that something is faulty, like the camera,
and is in need of repair. This is the time for Instant Revisioning.
To put our house in order, we need to pay attention to all parts of our
beingness. It could be the physical, the mental, the emotional, or even the
subconscious. We should try intuitively to analyze or perceive the reality of
each area and come up with a conclusion. By conclusion, we mean make a statement
in which you acknowledge to yourself what area you feel is the weakest or the
most vulnerable, the area that most needs Instant Revisioning.
In other words, come up with a realization of some kind and then decide to act
upon it. Above all, do not let your evaluations get hung in mid-air, so you can
give yourself an excuse to throw your hands up in despair and say, “This is just
too much!” Rather, accept the challenge and grow from it!
We need to continually revise and revision each moment of our life, to the point
that life takes on a greater meaning each day. Through Instant Revisioning—by
using the power of visualization and through the power of prayer—all things can
be changed.
Believe it and it shall be so!
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