Joel Solomon Goldsmith (March 10, 1892–June 17, 1964) was an American spiritual author, teacher, spiritual healer, and mystic. He founded The Infinite Way movement.[1][2]
Early years
Joel Goldsmith was born in New York City on March 10, 1892.[3] Goldsmith’s parents, non-practicing Jews, had been married in New York City in 1891 and Joel was their first child. They subsequently had another son two years later followed by a daughter two years after that.
Goldsmith’s father became critically ill while in England 1915 and word was sent to the Goldsmith family to come for the body. However, according to Goldsmith, his father was healed by a Christian Science practitioner in London[3] From his early adulthood, Goldsmith had many spiritual experiences. He was a healer. He spent many years in spiritual studies, reading original scriptures of Aramaic, Greek and Sanskrit origins. His first book, “The Infinite Way” was published 1948.[4]
After serving in the Marines during World War I, Goldsmith returned to work in the garment district of New York City where he owned his own business. While on a return trip from Europe, he developed pneumonia. As his father before him, Goldsmith was healed by a Christian Science practitioner, who happened to be on-board his ship at the time. In 1928, Goldsmith began to have strangers approach him on the street asking for prayer and healing. He had no religious training whatsoever, but these people were healed. To seek answers about this phenomenon, Goldsmith first entered the Christian Science Church and worked at Rikers Island prison as a First Reader. After 11 years, he left the Christian Science Church and moved to Boston, where he set up his own office. He later moved to California before World War II and maintained a successful healing practice there. In 1948 Goldsmith wrote the book, “The Infinite Way”, which came to the attention of Willing Publishers. The title of this book also became the name associated with the spiritual message and work of Goldsmith, ref. The Taped Lectures of Joel S. Goldsmith 1950-1964.
The Infinite Way
Goldsmith self-published his most famous work, The Infinite Way, in 1947 based on letters to patients and students, as well as The Spiritual Interpretation of Scripture.
The writings which followed were transcriptions of his lectures which had been recorded on the first wire recorders in the late 1940s. These were distributed from the Goldsmith Publishing. They were: The Master Speaks, The First, Second, Third San Francisco Lecture Series, Consciousness Unfolding, God the Substance of All Form, and Metaphysical Notes. These original books were later republished during Goldsmith’s lifetime by publishers in various countries, making over fifty books.
As Goldsmith was approached by large publishing houses around the world to produce books of his talks, he enlisted the help of Lorraine Sinkler and her sister Valbourg to edit his books which were generally compiled from various lecture transcripts.
Goldsmith’s insistence on “no organization” insured that his message remained a personal journey with leaders naturally evolving from new generations. There is no service, ritual, dogma, ceremony in the practice of the Infinite Way. Goldsmith students can be found in all walks of life, in all religions. Goldsmith’s message is one that can be read and heard for a lifetime, always allowing new understandings to unfold in each individual.
Goldsmith stressed meditation practice in his teaching. The method he generally taught was short frequent meditation periods throughout the day. Joel told his student of 18 years, Walter Starcke, that the main reason to meditate was that through reaching the inner silence one could hear the still small voice and receive its intuitive guidance.[5] His teaching also stressed spiritual healing through conscious contact with God.
Death
Joel Solomon Goldsmith died on Jun 17, 1964, at the Piccadilly Hotel, Westminster, London W1, England. His body was cremated at Golders Green in London on June 18, 1964, and his ashes and effects where released to his widow, Emma Goldsmith, to take them back to their home in Hawaii. Both were interred in Sun City,Arizona.[6]
Bibliography
Living the Infinite Way
Practicing the Presence
The Thunder of Silence
The Infinite Way
The Spiritual Interpretation of Scripture
The Art of Meditation
The Art of Spiritual Healing
Parenthesis in Eternity
Beyond Words and Thoughts
Collected Essays of Joel S. Goldsmith
Conscious Union With God
Consciousness is What I AM
Contemplative Life
Gift of Love
God, The Substance of All Form (1949 edition)
Leave Your Nets (original)
The 1954 Letters
The 1955 Letters
The 1956 Letters
The 1957 Letters
The 1959 Letters
Living Now
Living Between Two Worlds
Man Was Not Born to Cry
The Master Speaks (original)
The Mystical “I”
Our Spiritual Resources
Realization of Oneness
The World is New
Consciousness Is What I Am
Consciousness Transformed
Consciousness in Transition
References
^ Ellwood, R.S. and Alles, G.D. (2007) The encyclopedia of world religions. Infobase Publishing. p 323.
^ Sinkler, L. (1992) The Spiritual Journey of Joel S. Goldsmith, Valor Foundation, ISBN 978-0-9629119-2-7.
^ a b Melton, J.G. (1999) Religious leaders of America: A biographical guide to founders and leaders of religious bodies, churches, and spiritual groups in North America. Gale Research. p 219.
^ Joel S. Goldsmith Family Archives 1948 to 2012
^ Starcke, Walter. Joel Goldsmith and I: The inside Story of a Relationship with a Modern Mystic. Boerne, TX.: Guadalupe, 2006. Print.
^ Report of the Death of an American Citizen Abroad, Repository Name: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), NARA Series #: RG59-Entry 5166, Roll/Box #: 13, NARA Box Description: 1964 GL – JK
External links
Official website
Joel Solomon Goldsmith at Find a Grave
Authority control
VIAF: 59209239
This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia® – the free encyclopedia created and edited by its online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of Wikipedia® encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information, please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Mentioned in
Emmet Fox
Goldsmith (disambiguation)
Joel (given name)
Joel Goldsmith
List of Christian mystics
List of New Thought writers