Frequently Asked Questions

A: Joel S. Goldsmith (1892 – 1964) was a renowned spiritual teacher, author, healer, and mystic, and the revelator of The Infinite Way message, which he taught around the world.  Learn more.

A:  Joel said, “Let me explain briefly what The Infinite Way is: It is a spiritual teaching consisting of principles which anyone may follow and practice, irrespective of his religious affiliation. The Infinite Way reveals the nature of God to be one infinite power, intelligence, and love; the nature of individual being to be one with His qualities and character, expressed in infinite forms and variety; and the nature of the discords of this world to be a misconception of God’s expression of Himself in His universe. These are universal principles based on the message of the Master, Christ Jesus, who taught that man can realize his oneness with God through conscious communion with God, thereby bringing about peace on earth, harmony, and wholeness.”  Learn more

A: Joel S. Goldsmith created only one office of The Infinite Way. It remains the sole source of his original presentations of The Infinite Way message. Joel left all his work to this Office, where we continue to preserve, maintain, and make the authentic work available.  The Infinite Way name was trademarked ®.

A: No. Joel S. Goldsmith established and authorized only this office to distribute his original work, which we do directly and through our two authorized publishers, Acropolis Books and DeVorss & Company. Joel’s purpose was to ensure that students would always have one reliable source for the original message. Joel remains the best teacher of the Infinite Way message.

During his lifetime, Joel was very concerned about over-editing and about changes and revisions to the message. He knew that in time, attempts would be made to change the message to make it more commercially appealing, or even to abridge and reconstruct the text for other purposes. Joel knew that the entire meaning of the message could become obsolete even with changing just a few words. During his lifetime, Joel carefully supervised and reviewed all publications before they were sent to the publishers, and he set forth specific instructions for the audio recording procedures. He left further instructions regarding the fundamental emphasis on preserving the original text and audio presentations, which are followed to this day.

In his classes and publications, Joel made clear that The Infinite Way was to have no organization and no congregations. There are no fees or dues, and we do not advertise, solicit donations or participants, or keep mailing lists of student names. We do not have fees for healing or practitioner work.  We are not involved in social media chat rooms, discussions, or other such social media activities. Joel felt that combining study with social activities could interfere with meaningful spiritual development.

A: No. Only the works of Joel S. Goldsmith should be considered Infinite Way materials.

A:  Joel insisted that The Infinite Way never be organized.  He saw that organization could “put the veil” on a message of spiritual truth and obscure its original meaning.  He wanted no memberships, obligations, dogma, or structured leadership, and he never tried to build a following or bind students to The Infinite Way.  He respected the freedom of every student to follow their inner guidance. As he said,

“We continue to be unorganized and without memberships, so that students may come and students may go in accord with their own spiritual light. There is never any tie binding anyone, except the invisible tie of mutual interest, love, and help. Each student is free to study, to meditate, to unite with us in our spiritual activities, and at any time that he discovers that this is not his way, he can leave with blessings, with love, and with the same degree of friendship that we had while we were working together because no ties have been broken.”

“The reason [for no organization] is that in every organization there is an authority, and instead of going into your own consciousness, taking the books and the tapes into your own consciousness for guidance, it becomes so easy to ask someone else. … Then you get an interpretation that does not come from the source within you.”

Joel had another reason for no organization, too.

“Because the Infinite Way has no organization, those who adopt its principles do not have to change their religious affiliation. It is surprising how many ministers of different denominations are studying Infinite Way writings, and how many metaphysical practitioners of all schools are bringing this message into their experience.”

Joel saw that ministers and laymen alike can embody The Infinite Way message in their individual lives and still remain on whatever religious path they follow.  In this way, the principles of The Infinite Way can be accepted as truth in many religions, and Joel felt that this potential for far-reaching influence was far better than putting a barrier around the message through organization.

Since there is no organization, seekers find The Infinite Way the message on their own, often in surprising or improbable ways.  While Infinite Way students might enjoy meeting in classes or in tape groups, their core practice is individual study, meditation, and practicing the principles in daily living.

A: Emma Goldsmith was the wife of Joel S. Goldsmith. She was born in Arizona in 1904. In late 1950, Joel wanted to establish a Tape Department for preserving and distributing the recordings of his classes, and Emma took on this project. Between 1950 and 1957, Emma managed the business work, while Joel traveled the world and lectured.

Emma was also a practitioner and healer, and in 1957, she joined Joel on his travels because he required assistance with the increasing number of students who were coming to him. After Joel made his transition in 1964, Emma continued the work, staying in touch with students worldwide and traveling with teachers to support them in their lecture work. She maintained a correspondence of three thousand letters a month.

Emma worked with the recording industry of that time and made suggestions to manufacturers that enhanced the recording quality on their machines. In 1977, through a legal conveyance of business, Emma directed her daughter, Geri McDonald, to take on the responsibilities of The Infinite Way Office and the lecture work. Emma made her transition in 1986.

A: Thelma G. McDonald (Geri) was born in 1923.  She was the daughter of Emma A. Goldsmith and the stepdaughter of Joel S. Goldsmith.  She became an Infinite Way student in 1948 when Emma gave her the book The Infinite Way.

As a Goldsmith family member, Geri received special instructions from Joel and Emma for many years on The Infinite Way message, as well as instructions for maintaining the integrity of the books and recordings. Often conversations took place at the Sunday dinner table, when Joel spoke of his most private experiences in search of spiritual enlightenment. Geri worked full time for Joel and Emma in support of The Infinite Way and The Infinite Way Office. In 1964, moments before boarding an airplane, Joel spoke these words to Geri: “I’ve ripped the veil.  Don’t ever let them put it back!”  A few weeks later in London, Joel made his transition.

In 1977, Emma directed Geri to take on the full responsibilities of The Infinite Way work. Geri dedicated her life to keeping The Infinite Way message available and unaltered so that students would always have the original, authentic resources to support them in their search to know God aright. Geri made her transition in 2012.

A: Lindsay Ropac, also known as Sue, is the daughter of Geri McDonald and the granddaughter of Joel and Emma Goldsmith. From birth, Sue was raised with Joel and Emma’s influence, and she represents the first generation of students raised completely in the consciousness of The Infinite Way message. She and Joel shared a love for animal life and nature, and Joel often used this shared interest as a tool for instruction in the early years of her life. Sue began working full time for The Infinite Way in 1988, taking over responsibility for The Monthly Letter and providing healing and teaching work. Today, Sue and her husband, Vic Ropac, who is also an Infinite Way student, maintain the responsibilities of The Infinite Way Office. Sue continues her practitioner and teaching work and conducts classes in California and other locations.

A: The “pure” message of The Infinite Way refers to the original message as given by Joel S. Goldsmith in his classes and in his writings.  As with every spiritual master who has walked upon this earth and left a spiritual message, people with good intentions think they can add to a completed body of work. Over time, these subtle alterations that come from others’ interpretations of the work dilute the message, and eventually it is lost.

Joel S. Goldsmith could read Greek, Aramaic, and Sanskrit. He traveled the world to read original scriptures and discovered how wonderful spiritual passages had become diluted through subtle changes made to the original content over time. The Infinite Way® Office remains the only source of all of Joel’s original recordings, writings, essays, journals, and private writings.

A: We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEX, checks, and money orders for all purchases. We also accept PayPal for purchases made online.  Checks and money orders must be in U.S. funds. Credit cards are charged when you place your order. If for any reason we are not able to fulfill your order, we will issue a refund to your credit card.  Orders paid by check or money order will not be shipped until the payment is received at The Infinite Way Office.

The mailing address for checks and money orders is:
The Infinite Way
PO Box 8260
Moreno Valley, CA 92552-8260

A: Yes.  You can call the Office at 1-800-922-3195 or 951-656-1215.  If we are unavailable at the time you call, please leave a message and we will return your call.  All our contact information is provided on the Contact Us page of this website.

A:  For downloadable orders such as MP3 recordings, PDF transcripts, and gift certificates, you receive your order confirmation with a download link almost immediately.  If you do not see the email notification, please check your junk or spam folder before contacting us.

Most orders for physical products, such as CDs and books, are shipped within five working days and received within  ten to fifteen days in most parts of the world.  If you do not receive your order within fifteen days, please contact us.

A:  We use First Class or Priority Mail through the U.S. Post Office for orders within the United States. For orders outside the United States, we use USPS First Class International or USPS International Priority Mail. Postal rates are subject to change. When you place an order through our website, the shipping charges are shown at checkout before your order is completed.

A:  Yes.  You can purchase gift certificates in the amounts of $5, $10, $25, $50, $75, and $100 on the Gift Certificates page.

Each gift certificate can be used at checkout to pay for anything that is available on this site, including applicable sales taxes (in California) and shipping charges.

If a certificate is not entirely used for a purchase the certificate code can be used again until the balance drops to $0.

Learn more about gift certificates.

A:  Yes.  Visit the Catalog of Audio Recordings page.

A: Healing work is spiritual work done by a practitioner in meditation, based upon the healing principles of The Infinite Way message.

A: Sue Ropac is an Infinite Way healing practitioner, and you can call her at 1-800-922-3195 or 951-656-1215.  If Sue is not available at the time you call, please leave a message.  She will begin the healing work as soon as she receives your message, and if you requested a callback, she will return your call as soon as possible. There are no fees for healing or practitioner work.

Since The Infinite Way has no organization, we do not keep a journal of practitioners.  However, there are some Infinite Way practitioners with whom we work in loving cooperation. For further information, please contact us.

A:  Yes, you can schedule a 15-minute appointment with Sue Ropac.  Learn more.

A: Yes. Sue Ropac is actively involved in class work.  We announce upcoming classes on the Classes page.

A:  There are three search options on this site to help you find what you are looking for:

To search for any recording or transcript by number or name, use the Search box at the top of the table on the Recordings and Transcripts page under the Shop menu.  This will select only the table rows that contain the search term.

To search for any book or pamphlet by title, year or type, use the Search box at the top of the table on the Books and Pamphlets page under the Shop menu.  This will select only the table rows that contain the search term.

To search all pages of the site, except those mentioned above, use the Search icon (magnifying glass) on the main menu.  Enter the search term in the drop-down box then click/tap the magnifying glass icon or press/tap enter.  The results will show you each page that contains the search term, shown on one or more search results page(s), with the search term highlighted where it occurs.  If more than one page is needed to show all the results, you can move between pages by clicking/tapping the page number or "next" at the bottom of each page.

If you want to search for a specific phrase, put the phrase in "quote marks."  Otherwise, if you enter multiple words, the search tools will search for results containing any one of the words you entered.

A:  For recordings, first check to be sure that the recordings are authentic recordings from The Infinite Way Office.  Authentic cassette recordings will have a label from the Infinite Way Office, something like these:

Authentic CDs will look like this:

Authentic recordings and books can be donated to a public library, a Unity Church library, a university library, or the library for a prison or penal institution.  The Infinite Way Office preserves and maintains all the original recordings, copies of the recordings, and all the books, so has no need for additional copies.

If the recordings are not authentic, you can dispose of them.