HEROINES OF THE PATH

During the war years, Delia remained in London and was supervisor of the Florence Nightingale Hospital for bombed-out people and held many Baba meetings there, helped by Will Backett and Charles Purdom. The separation from the Beloved during the war years was hard for all the gopis, but it was sweetened by loving letters from the Master such as these:

Dearest Leyla:

So you received a cold letter of welcome from your darling Baba. That was too bad. But have you not misunderstood My words? It is true that I need no disciples here or elsewhere. I can do My work alone through the heart of man without choosing a few selected ones. But in this Avataric period, as in the time of Jesus, I choose to live in close contact with Me (either here or elsewhere does not matter) those who have been with Me from ages past and who love Me deeply and whom I have loved since eternity.

Still this does not prevent My saying 'I can carry on My work without you.' All could leave Me, but the work would go on. It would be harder for Me. It would be a crucifixion but nevertheless the work of Love would not suffer. Nothing can stop God's work. If my own refuse or disappoint Me I must get the work done through some other medium. But I would suffer, so my faithful Leyla must never let Me down, but stick it right to the bitter end, whatever hardships may be in store. Why did I call you the faithful Leyla? Not for no reason. You know in spite of what you say in your letter that nothing can separate you or all mankind from Me, because I am in all and God cannot be separated from Himself, can He? But as I have explained so often, that just as the eye or the ear may be more useful and necessary to a man than, say, his sense of smell or touch, so some are more necessary to Me for My present work than others. I say now as always Kimco is My heart and will remain forever My heart wherever they are and you know the value of the heart to the body. Without it man in the human form could not exist, and I too without My heart would feel part of Me was missing.

Have I not shown you many times both in the past and now, how deeply I love you and I know how much you are capable of feeling My love at certain moments when I wish it so. I know the inner growth of each. Must I further demonstrate My love to convince you? Where would your faith come in?

Your third point, 'are you as I made you' . . . the sanskaras you have I gave you to work through, for My work, so it is true to say you are as I made you, but the goal still remains for you to attain perfection through duality. Remember, maya is My shadow, so indirectly, is Me too and is the means by which the Soul, divine though it is, but unconscious as yet of its divinity, must become conscious of its oneness with God.

Herein lies the riddle of the Universe and My game too. Perfect you are because Soul is always perfect being God but it must wade through duality to attain conscious perfection. And as My Circle are already God-Realized (but the curtain being drawn are unaware of it) I gave them, at the appointed time of birth these sanskaras to work through. Now is it clear? And how can you help Me in this game of Mine? By love and service. By control of your mind and moods and yes, weaknesses which are there for the purpose of exercising control over them. Often the greater one's love, the greater is the tendency to moods, because the pangs of separation are more acute. But I do not like moods and therefore to please Me, which is one of the best ways of showing your love for Me, try your best to overcome them.

Now cheer up, my faithful Leyla. I love you as always and you love Me infinitely more than you used to. I will come to the West soon — that I promise you and let Me see you looking plump, well and happy. A joyful heart will help you most to get strong.

Dearest faithful Leyla:

Will you forgive your Beloved if He writes you a birthday letter one month late? He will make up for it by sending you an extra loving thought with each line. You will remember He told you how busy He would be on His tour and apart from correspondence connected with the tour and the work He has to do on this tour He has written no letters whatsoever. Now is He forgiven? Write by return (mail) and tell Him so . . .

And now there lies before Me so many of My dearest Leyla's letters. But amongst the letters I see there is that beautiful poem translated from the Italian which I love so much that I had it read aloud twice and translated so that all might understand its meaning. Hear part of it again:

'If He offers thee His embrace
Run His caress to meet
If not His withholding is sweet.

If thou hast served Him well
Given Him all that was thine
Loved only the Divine
He never will part from thee,
Wholly in Him shalt thou dwell.'

I was staying in Ajmer, a spot I love so much because of its natural beauty and its spiritual atmosphere, and for one night I took all up to the mountains to the Tomb of Piran Pir, a great Mohamedan saint.

It was a most beautiful spot — the finest view we have so far seen on the tour. I had work to do there and it was here in this beautiful spot that I called all together and had your poem read aloud.

I know what a lot you have been through these last two years, but not in vain. You have profited and learnt much. It will be a changed Leyla but yet the same Leyla. You have helped Me a lot by cooperation and not "kicking against the pricks." I would love to have had you here with Me, but you say truly there are lessons that must be learnt even apart from the physical presence of the Master. I teach you wherever you are, But not all make so easy for Me to teach them as you have done by trying to understand My ways and yourself better. You love Me as few do and because of this deep love I can test you by putting so much on you to work through and overcome for My sake.

When I draw the curtain you will understand all and smile at My game. It is all illusion. The pain of yesterday is no more -- the joy of a week ago is no more — only the present exists and the love you feel for your Beloved. The pain caused from the separation from your Beloved is real as is the happiness that union with your Beloved is real.

But as I have once said, the unconscious self which is God, to become conscious had to go through the apparent opposite process of dualty to become aware of the oneness with God and give that conscious union with God which makes lover and Beloved one.

In my conscious state I limit Myself, so too in the conscious state of My Circle I set also limits and when I choose I free them from those limits, but in My own time. Until then be happy, content and know it is all My doing. If you could understand but a little how great is My love for you, you would feel all was worthwhile if it is to please your Beloved.

You make the effort and I will give you the victory. It is a divine struggle with purpose behind it. Don't fight against it.

'Tis in vain the bars to beat
Effort and struggle are vain.'

All My love to yourself, your Mother and your family.

Dearest Leyla:

I was indeed happy to receive on the same day two letters from you and also your two articles for the magazine, which I know were written for Me and came straight from the heart. I like both and especially the one on Love.

When you feel this urge to express yourself on paper never check it. As you try to put these thoughts down they will become clearer and give you a deeper understanding.

Much that is written (within?) is often in such a chaotic state, that to disassemble one idea from another is not easy.

I know every inch of you. I know you better than you know yourself and I will teach you in My own way all things concerning your real Self. Seek and strive to know Me, your Beloved — and bit by bit you will know your real Self,  for am I not your real Self?

Realize Me and you will know God. No other pursuit is worthwhile when you have met the Beloved. Everything then centers round Him. You see all beauty through Him, be it expressed through poetry, art, or music, or through life itself. All work, whether of your hands or academic is done for Him, and your only attachment is your Beloved. All service then becomes selfless, whether done for friend, family or stranger. All are one and towards this "One" the motion too is one — to please Him, whom to please is to know. There is no other knowing. Feeling is not knowing.

To please Me is to do — but doing what? That which your Beloved commands you, this is My way, My path. 'My yoke is easy and My burden is light.' My way with you all is the shortest way to Union which I long for infinitely more than you can ever long. Although the game is of My own making, still I must suffer to enjoy the game of realizing Myself consciously in all creation. But it is up to you — My beloved ones who know Me in the flesh as none other can to lessen this suffering and give Me all the happiness you are capable of. Will you do this for Me? Help Me in thought, word, and action. Let your thought be always of Me — your word sprung always from love and your action the expression of one who seeks in all she does to please Him who is ever-present in the heart of His beloved Leyla. This thought will give you eternal happiness and bliss in the midst of the sad times through which the world is now passing and must face up to. The suffering for all will be terrible, but remember that underneath are the 'Everlasting Arms.' So keep happy in your faith and love to the very end. I will never fail you and will never leave you.