By Sidney Bennett —

For me, as for so many others, the search began before I even knew what I was searching for. It started as a vague uneasiness and a desire to understand my life at a deeper level. As a young teen I was trying to make sense of why things were the way they were. Why was I born into my family? Why in America and not India or somewhere else? Why did I sometimes feel lonely and out of place, even when I was surrounded by family and friends? Was there a bigger purpose to my life?

My father, who was a doctor, was a lifelong spiritual seeker, and I remember him reading one book after another in his quest for the truth. As I grew older I often talked with him about my questions. One day he shared with me that he believed in reincarnation because it seemed so logical. I was intrigued with the possibility that I had lived before—something I had never heard about in church.

The next day, instead of feeling sleepy in my 10th-grade study hall after lunch, I was wide awake and absorbed in a book he had suggested on karma and reincarnation. It was exciting to have discovered a teaching that answered so many of my questions! Though I loved aspects of the Christian church my family attended each week, I often left services feeling unsatisfied or confused, believing that there was much more to learn. Suddenly I saw my life from a different perspective because the teachings on reincarnation and karma helped explain so much more than the orthodox Christian view. Many of my questions remained unanswered, but I knew I was on to something and I determined to continue searching.

That was only the beginning. I eagerly continued my spiritual quest throughout high school, ever seeking a deeper wisdom and understanding. As I was nearing graduation from high school in southern California, my plan was to attend college in Oregon. At the urging of a friend, I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder.

College was a challenging time, as I tried to integrate my spiritual interests with a social and academic environment that often pulled me in other directions. I was always looking for people to talk with about the spiritual path but very few seemed interested.

One Saturday afternoon while I was browsing in the religious section of the university library, a book caught my eye and seemed to “jump off” the shelf at me. It was the I AM Discourses by Godfre Ray King. Something about the book clicked with me, so I checked it out and started reading. I vividly remember sitting on the grass several days later, staring at the book and pondering what I was supposed to do with it and the teachings it contained. I finally decided to go back to the library and check out the first two books in the series, Unveiled Mysteries and The Magic Presence. These three books introduced me to my divine identity and the world of the ascended masters—the saints and sages of East and West who had won their eternal victory. I was never the same again.

Discovering My Spiritual Path

I read and re-read those books and told everyone who would listen about Saint Germain and the other masters. At that time I was working in a dormitory snack bar, and one quiet Sunday morning I told a co-worker about the books and the masters. She said, “Wait a minute! I just read something in the classified ads about a store in Denver that carries books about the ascended masters.” I eagerly went to the store the following week and found out about an upcoming conference in Colorado Springs.

I wasn’t sure what to expect upon arriving at the headquarters of The Summit Lighthouse that Saturday in April 1971. After paying the $5 student rate for the conference, I soon found myself seated in what was originally the mansion’s living room that was now being used as a chapel. I was handed a small binder with a few pages of decrees. Since I had no idea what they were, while others said them I just looked around and wondered what in the world I was doing there! Even so, something felt very right to me.

At the conclusion of the decrees, Mark and Elizabeth Prophet entered the room. Mark had a powerful presence and I listened intently as he talked about his life as Longfellow and read one of Longfellow’s poems. Then Elizabeth shared a beautiful teaching and meditation on the song “God, God, God!” that affected me profoundly and has stayed with me to this day.

Very shortly it was announced that Elizabeth would be delivering a dictation from Mother Mary. I wasn’t raised Catholic and I had never thought much about Mary except at Christmastime. After a musical meditation, I began to hear Mary’s words telling us about our path home to God:

All of heaven stands waiting and watching… to assist you. But none will ever do it for you, beloved ones; for the joy is so great to do this oneself that no angel or Cosmic Being would be so selfish as to deprive you of that opportunity and that joy. Therefore in rejoicing we cheer you on as though in a grandstand, a cosmic amphitheater. And so it is your time; it is your place.

I pondered what she said and felt excited without fully comprehending what had happened. But I have never forgotten her teaching that it was my time and my place.

As I left that day, Mark and Elizabeth were at the door saying good-bye to everyone. At the time I didn’t think much about shaking Mark Prophet’s hand, but I do believe it created a heart tie that has been a great mercy and help to me these many years since.

Driving home to Boulder that night, I felt more than a little overwhelmed. Nonetheless, something resonated within me, and I was sure of one thing—these teachings were true! An inner soul memory stirred within me, deeply comforting, but just out of reach of my conscious mind. In any case, I knew my search was over and my path home to God lay before me. I was filled with profound gratitude and anticipation.