This Volume covers Tomas' two‑year Internship with Daniel and dates from the time he was invited to come to Southeast Idaho to co‑teach with Daniel until he was assigned by Rayson to his own teacher base; that sojourn will be presented in Volume III.

Rutha is TR#1, Gerdean is TR#2, Isaac is TR#3 and PamElla is TR#4 except when otherwise indicated. Every session opens and closes with a prayer, not included. 

POCATELLO, IDAHO

VOLUME II, Part 1 of 6

DATE:  November 28, 1993

LOCATION: Pocatello, Idaho, USA

TEACHERS: HAM, ALCON; DANIEL, KLARIXISKA; TOMAS

T/R's:  Isaac; Rutha; Gerdean

TOPIC: Tomas is Invited to Co‑Teach

HAM: "Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king." These words spoken so long ago at the birth of Christ Michael ‑‑ not those literal words but the message of joy ‑‑ is indeed the appropriate concern to be shared at this time of year. You all do well to remember our Master's life in the flesh, begun by His choice of this planet, Urantia. Let every heart receive Him is, indeed, our goal. 

Greetings. I am Ham. My best wishes to you all in your meeting tonight. I have come just to be with you on this joyous occasion and share this time with the others that are present. I will now conclude my remarks with best wishes for the holiday season. Remember always that the spirit of Michael indwells you as does the Spirit of the Father. Rejoice, brothers and sisters. It is truly a season of joy. Your hope has been fulfilled. Farewell.

DANIEL: Good evening: I am Daniel, your friend, guide and teacher. I am most pleased and happy to be able to address this group this evening on this occasion that you are setting aside in memory of the time span that preceded Christ Michael's birth on this planet in terms of the Hebrew awaiting. This is a time, though man made, which can bring forth many fruits of the Spirit for those who seek to broaden and expand horizons and perspectives, those who wish to bring into their lives more meaning and a glimmer of commitment to understanding the Father. 

Your words tonight in prayers and those spoken from the Urantia Book helped to bring into your lives the awareness of Christ Michael's Being. Indeed, it was through His birth that hope was given and became forever that promise that in time and over time the good news of the father's love would be forever echoed across this planet. There have been times when this hope has been the spark that has kept faith alive. In times of disharmony and equilibrium it is important that you hold onto that hope. That hope is Christ Michael. That is the Spirit that has been given through the birth so long ago. And throughout this week, then, your Advent time is to allow that hope, that birth to have meaning within your life. And so utilize this time of quiet now and throughout the week as a time to help ingrain hope, knowing that hope is brought forth therefore through the birth of Christ Michael in whose memory this time is dedicated.

It is also my joy to speak to this small group this evening in other matters besides the concern of hope. I would like to say to you all that this group of people are growing very much and becoming alive in the spirit. Your lives are beginning to have already shown much morontial and spiritual soul growth. Through the knowledge and understanding of the Father's love you have allowed this love to grow within your own heart and this love is being poured out among many.

To you, Gerdean, I say welcome and I would like to make this statement. Your presence within this group would be most welcome. For me to say this is the path you must choose would be error. Let me say that the opportunities for you to make choices in your life, for you to seek time in prayer and meditation, is in order so that the decisions you make are those that will be made through guidance that comes from the many celestials that surround you, that stems from the hierarchy of the Father, His will through which all celestials work to attain and follow and bring about in this universe. We say to you that this is a time of decision making, a time for you to rely heavily upon that Inner Guide, to seek that solace and comfort so that when life unfolds you will be ready with answers, with a knowledge of what you need to do. Your decision will, of course, affect your life and those around you. And so as you are at this time ready to move in the direction that is best for you, realize that whenever you are in that atmosphere/environment of the Father's love, as you turn over to that, so shall you know the choice to make, realizing that you must be the decision maker, that asking for guidance in the best way that you can serve and follow His will, that this be made known to you.

As your life unfolds and your decision becomes known, more direction can be given by the teachers. And so, my friend, I would like to say that if your path should follow that you will be in this locale, that our group welcomes you with loving and open arms. And I, the teacher of this group, will say we would welcome your presence with us. I am ‑‑ One moment, please. I am of understanding that you are wondering about the teacher, Tomas, your dear friend.

Gerdean:  Of course.

DANIEL: And Tomas has been given the assignment to work in the Albuquerque area, but you see, assignments are not such that they are unchangeable. As life unfolds, as progress is made, as the winds of change continue, so do the assignments of teachers, so do the services change. And Tomas would, if you should come to this area, be another teacher for this group, thus giving another and different perspective and format to this group. Do not be concerned that these kinds of matters have not already been considered and that preparations in many, many ways for the unfoldings of life [are being made]. Tomas is a companion of mine. We have been companions for many years. We are very compatible and are, what you call friends on this plane. Indeed, I would welcome his presence in closer proximity. More on this can be said later.

My dear, do you have any further questions?

Gerdean: Thank you, Daniel. I have listened to your words with my whole being and I am responding to your wisdom. You have addressed my major concerns and I appreciate your words. I am sure I have more questions, but I am dumbfounded!

DANIEL: I and the many that are gathered here this evening wish to say to you all that we love and cherish you and yet, at the same time, your innocence and your coming into more enlightenment is so gratifying for us! Dumbfounded you may be, but growing in your potential you are also doing. You are also the companions that we know that can help in bringing a better tomorrow. Through your faith you are overcoming your dumbfoundedness. My love to you all. Good evening.

TOMAS: Greetings. I am Tomas. It is my pleasure to be here this evening in this group of believers and with my peers as well. My daughter and friend, Gerdean, has indeed experienced anxiety about leaving me behind, although I have assured her there were means whereby she could call upon me. The words from Daniel have rounded out my words to her and you are thus witness to our acceptance of such an option as relocating to be involved with other apostles. 

Isolation is no more, with the teachers, with communications, with assistance in the new era. However, we are inclined to feel that the energy generated by stimuli from interaction on a regular basis among faith sons and daughters will accelerate programs of progress. These, of course, are dependent on the individuals involved, but the chances with them developing are increased when contact is more readily accessible. 

One difficulty of relative isolation is that one does not develop social skills of teamwork. And teamwork is required to accomplish those matters which are of interest to the social architects and other spirit personalities who wait for the opportunity to create aspects of this new way of life which is approaching. Those of you who are accustomed to the steady fellowship of one another are gifted and practiced in ways which benefit immeasurably our work as we work through you.

I appreciate the occasion to celebrate hope and the return of Michael, our Creator, for He is returning with you in and as you manifest Him in your joy and your coming and your going. Until we have further opportunity to converse, I thank you. Farewell. 

ALKON: I am Alkon. I would like to say a few words on this auspicious occasion. It is my joy also to be present with my peers, as well as present with you mortal friends and associates. Great are the anthems of the angels and celestial musicians in praise of our Lord Christ Michael, anthems which Isaac was hearing before he began transmitting Ham. Indeed is joy our message to bring you, in order that your hope may be steadfast in the reality of this work that you are engaged in with us, and in its sure triumph. For this planet, once the sorry and neglected sphere as it would be deemed by some, is certainly now the showpiece of Nebadon. And you, my friends, my brothers and sisters, are privileged to live in such times as these! Joy to the world, indeed! And your hope shall not fade, for it is based upon the Father, Who is the First Source and Center of all things and beings.

So welcome to Advent! And we know that for you it is another step forward in that pathway which leads to the portals of Paradise. And I, your brother Alkon, a few steps ahead of you, am headed in the same direction. Peace, my brothers and sisters. Farewell.

KLARIXISKA: I am Klarixiska. I am coming through Rutha because Leetah is resisting. Let go and know that I am always a partner with you. I am so very thankful to you that you are so willing to listen to my words. You are very dedicated, and I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge your persistence and your courage. And I would also like to thank you for taking my words seriously, in that you try to place mortal/temporal applications to them. Humor is a bond between us; however, when it comes to knowing the serious aspect, you readily recognize this.

Dear sister, I wanted to send you this special love this evening via another. Let it have special meaning for you during this time of preparation! For you all realize that the preparation that you are preparing for, the even that you are preparing for is a part of this Teaching Mission. You are being prepared for future service and work. And so this time of Advent can hold much promise for you. It can be a time for growth, not always consciously, intellectually, but intuitively and inwardly. My love to you.

Leetah: Thank you, Klarixiska.

DANIEL: My brothers and sisters, our session has come to an end at this time. Thank you for inviting us into your hearts and home tonight. Thank you for listening so carefully to my lessons week after week and taking them seriously. I am very proud of you and brag of you much among my colleagues. And if it should come to pass that Tomas shall be part of our Mission, we will rejoice. That depends on human will and the Father's guidance. With those words, let us return to our regular activities. Good night.

*****

DATE:  January 7, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC:  Welcome Teacher Tomas

DANIEL:  Good evening friends. I am Daniel, your guide and your teacher. It is my joy this evening that after our absence we have again resumed our connection and the friendships that have been cemented in love and bonded through faith. As you have sat here this evening you have been willing partners in a change that is and will continue to uplift and bring forth enlightenment. While it is seemingly impossible to understand or acknowledge that your faith and your willingness to be open will make significant changes, let me assure you that it is through small groups such as this, it is through many avenues, that the change that is so necessary will be brought about. As you continue to bring forth your own potentialities, you will be bringing a greater light into the world. As more and more lights are sparked with greater luminosity will there be a more noticeable, consistent change that will steadily increase. 

And so I wish to thank you in this group for your steadfastness over the last two years. Indeed, have all of you been challenged to accept through faith that risk of believing, of setting aside doubt, and asking that the necessary encouragement and information be given to you that you can then make the choice. Your choice of continual gathering and acceptance of this Mission, has, as you have seen, brought tremendous change in your life: change in your thought processes; change in the way you perceive your actions; the way you perceive life; the way you perceive your 'beingness' in the light of the First Source and Center. 

And so on this occasion of a new beginning year‑wise and as a time of marking my presence among you, let me again remind you of our first lesson in which I asked you to be like the willow that is able to bend with the wind. If you had been a tree that refused to bend then the storm of self‑doubt, the storms of being able to allow growth to take place would have surely cracked and you would have been broken in many ways. Instead, you have chosen to bend with the flow, always knowing that with the First Source and Center as the Love that encloses and nourishes all, that when the storms had passed you again could rise up and stand tall. 

You have been asked in many ways to go with the flow, follow the current, yet be apart from it in the fact that you would perceive that the flow of life has a definite purpose. You have been asked to allow the flow of life to carry you along; but at the same time you have been encouraged to realize that undercurrents and the various tides and ebbs and flow of the water of life's current are subject to great turmoil, of times when decisions and choices must be made. By tuning in to that greater presence within, you have been able to withstand the whirlpools and you have come out again going with the flow.

As you begin a new time, a new season, I ask you to reflect upon the lessons I have given these last two years. I ask you to consider this week one lesson that you found most important for you. And ask yourself, is this lesson still bringing forth growth and change? As you will find in your quiet time this week, you will find challenges. You will find yourself asking hard questions. Do not be afraid. Do not hesitate to sit there with yourself. Allow those hard questions to be asked, that in the asking you are hearing, and in the hearing you will then bring about thinking. And out of thinking there can then be action.

The times ahead will be no different than the times behind you because this is life. And as life evolves and moves forward there will always be questions that must be answered. There will always be obstacles that you must overcome. There will always be the moments of great joy and in contrast the moments of deep sorrow. Through all of this, though, those who maintain the quiet stillness, daily practice of turning inward, of focusing on the love of the Father, these individuals will be able to walk life's path with greater confidence, greater security, and more love for their fellow men. And let me personally thank each of you for your openness to me and my words. 

This evening we have in our group a wondrous person whom you have all grown fond of. Gerdean, I welcome you into the weekly meetings. And I ask that you be willing to be a TR alongside of Rutha on these evenings, that there can be tradeoffs between the two of you, that through you may come a wise teacher. And my friend Tomas, if this is amenable to you, we will indeed be able to raise the consciousness, the perception and understanding of this group even more. Indeed are the unfoldings of life not always understood! Indeed do our paths follow a certain direction and then change and go another way as yours has done. Know that the path that you have taken, even though it has taken a bit of a different direction, is beautifully and wonderfully working toward the end of the ascendant career. We welcome you and we look forward to having you enrich this group. 

And I will not be giving a formal lesson this week as this is a time that I wish for you to reflect and gather your thoughts pertaining to the growth and the potential growth that you wish to see or have seen in your being. One moment.

TOMAS:  Greetings my friends, I am Tomas. I have been given time this evening to come before you as another teacher for this joyful, wondrous, and loving group! Your presence here this evening is indicative of your strong faith, and your willingness to allow the fruits of the Spirit to fill your being. I have been looking forward ‑‑ for a longer time than Gerdean knows ‑‑ to the time when I would be able to address a group, more than one or two. I am very pleased that the path and route that has been chosen by Gerdean has likewise been able to assist me in bringing about a service in which I have longed to be employed! And so very briefly today I am saying to each and every one of you that I hope that the love and the respect you have given my friend and brother Daniel, that you will also be able to accept me as you have him. And so this evening I would like for each of you to open up that I can embrace you and allow my presence to become a part of your life as well. This is a great moment for me and I am overjoyed. I will now turn this back over to Daniel. I send you my love. And Gerdean, know my fondest love is for you.

DANIEL:  Thank you Tomas. As always, it is exciting for this group to have visitors. And your words, I know, have touched these beautiful beings. And I can assure you that they will, and have already, accepted you into their lives. My friends, I will accept questions.

Kent:    Good evening Daniel.

DANIEL:  Good evening, Kent.

Kent: You've paid us the compliment for the last two years of being our teacher and our guide and our friend. It is our privilege, especially mine, to be part of this. And I thank you, and the Father, of course. Thank you Daniel and welcome, Tomas and Gerdean, to our group. You are more than welcome. Thank you.

DANIEL:  And so noted. And know that your love is felt and accepted.

Gerdean:  Daniel, this is Gerdean. Thank you. It's really wonderful to hear you. And particularly, I thank Tomas because, as he said in one of his more recent transmissions, you will come to feel that you are not talking to yourself. I really enjoyed the discourse that I saw occur between you and Tomas. And I'm wondering if this is something that we will be treated to, with two teachers in our group? Mostly it is as I have observed one teacher and their students. If we have two teachers, will we get to see more intercourse between the teachers? Or was that just a fringe benefit of welcoming Tomas on board?

DANIEL:  As you know, there is no definite set rule or format for lessons. As you allow and open up, much can occur and will continue to occur. Indeed there can be this overlap. There can be many possibilities and ways of bringing about the lessons, the formats of the lessons. This is subject to the overseeing of these teachings by Abraham and Machiventa. Yet teachers are given much leeway. Tomas and I, as we have reported previously, have much between us, friendship, and so we would more than likely share ideas regarding lessons together. Many possibilities are open, indeed!

Gerdean:  This is Gerdean again. It is indeed wonderful to not feel as though I am talking to myself. You asked us earlier to focus this evening on development in the past under the guidance of you and our teachers. And also to reflect on where we are going. Midwayer Jack would always present little comments like that, which are just laden with thought‑provoking innuendo. What shall we think about in terms of where we are going? Are we talking about as a group? Are we talking about as a Mission? Are we talking about as morontial beings? Are we talking about soul development? Are we talking about working in the field? Where we are going? I mean that's ‑‑ Where we are going. We are going, we are becoming and we are going into Light and Life. That is a big assignment, Daniel! Are those for us to ponder? Or would you give us some further definition.

DANIEL:  The good student is always one that has many more questions of the teacher! And, of course, your discourse opened up, I am sure, many ideas for your brothers and sisters here to think about. There are seven days in the week. I believe you gave around seven things to think about. Of course, these are questions that could only be answered abstractly by you, in terms of your morontial growth, and etc. For spiritual growth is not something you can encapsulate as you do many of the other ideas. For it is something that is still very elusive to your thought patterns and your ways of thinking. This week I would ask that you think about your life in terms of how you can best fit your human/material life into a more divine thought pattern. How has the Teaching Mission helped you to bridge that gap between your human nature and your spiritual nature? Is the chasm that used to be so deep, still as deep? Or is there a way in which you are able to live life knowing full well at most moments of your life that you are also of a divine nature as well? 

Part of the Teaching Mission must be to first build on the individual's own understanding. During these last two years my messages and the messages of the many teachers around the globe, the messages from Abraham and Machiventa and the very special messages from Christ Michael Himself have all been given that you can bridge that gap, that you can know full well your divine nature as well as you know your human nature; that you at all times become consciously aware of your dual nature. As that happens, then the choices and direction in which your life goes, or follows, is directed by a guidance so powerful that you more consistently make choices that work, that are in line with the will of the First Source and Center. When individuals are at this point, then there can be more branching out. 

And at some point during this next year it is hoped that as a group you will perceive areas and directions that will help bring about change within the community or within certain areas; that you will as a group go out and work together. As you have become more solid in your understanding and confidence, you will then be able to move in broader directions. My question to you this evening has been to think about that growth that has occurred and think about the possibilities of things that can lie ahead. What are the goals that you would like to set up? What are goals you would like to see achieved, for yourself personally, and for the group as well? Do not become overly concerned that you need to have a list of do's and don'ts, of things you want to achieve. What is important above all is that you realize there has been a change. And I ask you to consider the ramifications of this change and what this change can do for others as well. Many, many are the questions that you can ask. As you feel guided or so moved you will ask them. I ask that you not fear questions that are asked, but rather be willing to seek an answer for them. Does this help?

Gerdean:  Yes Daniel, thank you. [Long silence]

Isaac: This is Isaac, Daniel. Maybe the silence is because, well, I know in my case this is such a powerful meeting to have teacher Tomas with us as well as Gerdean, and to be thinking about the fact that we have been two years with you and all that that has meant. So maybe that is why we are just sort of awestruck and quiet. I personally want to welcome teacher Tomas and tell him, and I think this is true of all of us, that we are overjoyed to have him with us. The possibilities of an additional teacher can't be imagined ahead of time, I don't believe, just as any group is greater than the sum of its members. I am very excited about the future, despite my experience last night that you heard me report. I want to thank Abraham for his comforting words also.

DANIEL:  So noted. Friends, as you begin this new season, this new time with not only a new friend among us, but also with a rebirth of the Christmas messages, let us part this week, and in parting I wish to give each of you my love and my commitment to serving the Teaching Mission; that the work that Christ Michael has set in motion will find, through the individuals such as yourselves, acceptance; and through acceptance, growth. I am ever thankful that the path that I have chosen has brought to me the ever‑ expanding knowledge of the First Source and Center. If I could, I would love to give each of you but a glimpse of what I have ascertained, that which I know, for it would so revolutionize your lives! But this is not the plan. The plan is that you grow and you become. May I also say that you should enjoy that becoming, despite its trials, for as you succeed through each trial do you become better able to grasp deeper and greater truth. 

My love to you my friends. Go now this week, that the love of the First Source and Center can encourage you and give you strength, that it will help you to set forth greater plans and greater goals, a greater willingness to say, 'Thy will be done'. Good evening.

*****

DATE:  January 14, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS, HAM, ABRAHAM, MICHAEL

TOPIC:  Foundation Building

DANIEL:  Good evening friends. I am Daniel, your guide and your teacher. I am overjoyed with the remarks that have been made by you this evening. Indeed is it inspiring to the teachers in understanding that they, too, have been instrumental in helping to bring the love of the First Source and Center into a more understandable language, understandable feelings, and that you are taking into your own lives and bringing forth a growth, bringing forth this love to others. 

As you have discoursed this evening about the last two years, there is, of course, much more than has been superficially stated. For underneath there is much that has occurred, much that you will think about again and again. Indeed has our time together been a time of foundation‑laying. And in building that foundation you are and have steadily been able to grow in your own perception of who you are, the child of the First Source and Center. As you have come into the knowledge of this wonderful understanding you will continue to grow in confidence. This confidence will spill out in bringing others into the same reality. 

I am overjoyed that you have taken my words to heart, that you continue to work to know the Father and Mother; that in knowing you will serve, in serving you will readily recognize the First Source and Center at large on this planet. We have many visitors here this evening. This is a special occasion, not only for this group but for all who are involved in this Teaching Mission. These little anniversaries are the stepping stones, the measure by which we can fully appreciate the endeavors of the celestials and, most importantly, the endeavors that you, the mortals of this realm, have put forth, the effort and work you have put forth. We will hear from several tonight. One moment.

HAM:  I am Ham, greetings. Two years ago this group was beginning a journey that would bring into your individual lives a new sense of purpose and a new challenge. Thankfully this group has weathered the storms of the challenge. You have steadily approached your study and your commitment to that most important commitment of all, of knowing that there is much more besides a material existence. You have taken the challenge to find that which is the divine. And in so doing your perceptions and understanding of life's purpose has grown immensely! Day by day, week by week, you have traversed many obstacles. You have had many joys. All in all, this is part of life. The unfolding is not to be known; but through faith and trust you have allowed life to lead you into areas where you have been asked to make choices. It is students as yourselves, globally, that are making choices that seek a higher road that will bring about the change, this Correcting Time. 

Correction must initially begin with the individual as you have so wisely stated this evening. And as the individuals themselves become strong and steady, then you will be able to be that example and that one who will, perhaps, plant the seed that causes the individual to take note, to change course, to grow in a much more divine and wise way. I, Ham, am always happy to address this group, to check with Daniel and others about the progress that is taking place. 

As you begin this new time, let it be a time that you will continue to grow individually. And as you see, there is a more group collectiveness that is developing. This is what the next step of your mission will be, to work toward individual development whereby becoming a group that will unite and work for more community and global enlightenment. These are my words this evening. I send you love and I am, again, saying to you, your willingness and your openness have been noted, even on the broadcasts across the many realms of space. Good evening.

Group:   Good evening Ham.

TOMAS:  Greetings, I am Tomas. I am pleased to share this celebration with my peers, as there are many in the Teacher Corps who assemble in acknowledgement of this eager, growing group of children committed to following the Master. I am pleased and privileged also to witness and experience words from our head master as these lesson plans which have been formulated over time and are constantly adapting and adjusting to the needs of the moment and the individual are truth which we have lived and sought for a millennia and more. It is privilege for me to share this celebration of a two year teacher base. I am honored to be part of this community and look forward to our combined work to come in correction.

ABRAHAM:  Shalom, I am Abraham. Children, I send you greetings this evening. I have but few words to say. The surefootedness and steady mounting of God‑consciousness will continue to be your greatest ally. Do not let the storms of discontent and disharmony, intolerance or hatred take away from the beauty of the First Source and Center. As has been stated to you very pointedly love does conquer all. I know from where I stand as a mortal on this realm, and as an overseer of the Teaching Mission. I send love, greetings, and ask that you stay the course. Good evening.

Group:  Good evening Abraham.

MICHAEL:  Precious ones, how my heart swells in gratitude of your willingness to receive me and your openness to my teachers, my truth. I say to you, love one another. For in loving one another you are manifesting me in your lives. Radiate your love, which is at the wellspring of your being. In your time with our Father bring forth that peace, that compassion, that concern, that gentleness which I have for you. We are begun. We will proceed working together, boys and girls, men and women, brothers and sisters. We are closely and quietly moving our sad planet forward into joy, into peace. My peace I leave with you in your righteous celebration of knowledge of my mission, our mission. I walk with you and I also sit with you in your rest. Hold my hand.

DANIEL:  We, this group, are indeed honored by all of our guests. I have been asked to give a message from our Teacher of Salem, Machiventa. His love he asks to convey that receiving love you, too, will know the value and the gift of giving back. I, Daniel, have a few closing remarks.

Let it be known that while Kent feels that I won many an argument with him that it is not I who strive to win arguments. Rather, that I lay down ideas that help you, Kent, in realizing truth. And, therefore, it is you that is the real winner in the end. My dear friends, it is only the sureties of the Divine that last. It is only the sureties that will sustain you. Seek that time of peace within that those sureties may sustain you all the days of your life. As we begin our third year together, let us hold hands in prayer.

Our prayers this evening are not prayers for ourselves of foolishness, self‑centeredness or selfishness. We ask that our love be given to the members of our group that are not here today, that their lives can be strengthened by the love that we feel; that the trials that they are now going through will be nurtured. We ask that the prayers that we have as a group will be those things that will guide and direct that we may be those seed bearers, those apostles that we have chosen to be. Let not our self‑doubt, let not our intolerance, our lack of forgiveness be those things that will be roadblocks. Rather, let us always recall that in God and in the love that He has for all, that we, His ascending mortals will know real peace, real love, real beauty, real goodness, and ultimate truth. Amen.

*****

DATE:  January 21, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC: Attitude

DANIEL : Greetings my friends, I am Daniel, your guide and your teacher. I welcome you this evening with open arms and embrace each of you as a child of the First Source and Center, my brothers, my sisters. As we have witnessed in your presentations this evening life continues to unfold. Life continues to have its great moments of joy and its times of trials and tribulations; its times of leading you to reflect more sincerely and contemplatively about your relationship with the Indwelling Spirit and that of the Creator Son, Michael. As you have all come into a realization of, it is easy to speak words, it is easy to think grand thoughts, but living and bringing forth correct actions requires a different kind of commitment.  And while you have made the commitment intellectually you are in the transformative stage of bringing about the God‑consciousness within your whole being; at which point, then, it will become more automatic and you will be able to live more confidently in the knowledge that you are following the Father's will. Let not the earthly trials and the weaknesses of the material existence deter you. Rather, come to that point in your thinking framework where you can allow the love of the Father to prevail. 

This week I will address this group regarding again the aspect of attitude. In this regard, though, I wish to bring to your thinking the various levels of consciousness that can be associated with attitude, behavior, action, and thought. In the realm of psychological standing three levels would be defined. 

The first level would be that which is on the bottom, the framework of thinking negatively, the framework in which you cannot find reason or need to be of higher consciousness. This mode is considered the worst type of thinking for it is in this framework where errors in judgement and errors of willfully disregarding that which is correct, occur. On this level of consciousness there is little progress. There is usually only regression. There is a tendency to backslide, in which case there must be the steady climb back toward a higher level. 

There will, of course, be times when you may find yourself in this negative area, this negative space. During these times let me remind you to especially seek that quiet time where you can refocus, be re‑energized into the love and the mercy of the First Source and Center. Let not your being or state of mind remain in this area for it is an area that will bring remorse as there is a lack of light and a lack of spiritual input. Only those who remain open will be able to utilize and receive the gifts of the Spirit. Those who choose to remain in a negative state cut themselves from that Source.

Let me also state that this is especially true for all individuals that are of normal electrochemical status when these times come. Those who are in a mentally depressed state due to neurological or physiological/biological infirmary will not be classified in this regard.

The second state of consciousness is that of being in a positive mental state. In this state you work to bring about progress. You make choices that help and uplift. In this area you are beginning to develop a higher sense of purpose. In mentally being in a positive state you can visualize images and react in ways that will keep your life flowing in the progressive upward state. 

This progressive upward state is the third level of which we have being speaking about for the last several years. This is that state of God‑consciousness of allowing God's work to be channeled through you. In this statement I wish to say that you who reach this state of God‑consciousness are able to withstand the rigors of a material life and maintain a level of peace and serenity, of positiveness. You are in that light of knowing that whatever befalls in your material life is being taken care of. There is this knowledge of the great overcare. It is those who reach this state that are able to begin a more in depth study on this plane into morontial knowingness.

Each of you has in your lifetime been on each of these levels. And each of you has by your actions and your desires, your inner motives, elected to remain on the second level striving for the third level. And let me assure you that with each passing day you are steadily adding to the reservoir of experiences, emotions, and understanding that will help you to grow in steady increments to that level of that consciousness. It is a process that is ongoing and there will be times when you will not be able to maintain this highest level. And yet those who desire to know the First Source and Center and follow His Will, will not be forgotten, even on your lowest days. Rather, it becomes a time for you to be more responsible for your thoughts. It is a time for you to seek that the divine guidance will be understood. As you have witnessed over these last two years, there, indeed, has been a growing consciousness on your part. And as the days continue, the weeks and months and years, you will be transformed. Do not let the individual discouraging moment of the day or of situations be a detriment to your spiritual growth. Rather understand that in life there are always situations. It is your attitude and your manner in approaching each situation that changes your outlook, or changes the consequences. Those who do not find divine guidance have elected to shut those areas off. Those who crave, desire, and wish for that enlightenment to be a part of their life will always know and feel that presence despite the trials of life.

I have told you this many times. And in your beings you are beginning to develop a special consciousness about this. You are evolving into beings who are becoming much more aware of God in your lives. You are beginning to realize that with each day, with each situation those who have prepared, who have opened the door for the flow of divine enlightenment are thusly showered with this guidance, with this hope, with this love. And so it is not my intention to bore you with lessons that seem repetitive, but it is my understanding of human psychology and the like. Many, many are the ways that need to have these thoughts given, that in hearing them, reflecting upon them daily there can be this gradual evolution, this transformation. 

My friends, you do well. I am very pleased. And I know that your potentials are even greater than you can imagine. Do not be afraid to stretch and to reach for that next step, for growth is like the balloon. If you never puff air into it, it will remain un‑inflated. The more air you put into it the greater the expansion. But unlike the balloon expansion cannot explode unexpectedly. Rather there will come a time when the explosion of the balloon will be the understanding of the complete love of the First Source and Center.  I will now accept questions.

Isaac: Good evening, Daniel. This is Isaac. And I was wondering if I misunderstood or ‑‑ I thought I heard you say there were three levels of attitude. And you only talked about two. I missed the transition. Did I misunderstand or are you going to talk about that third level some other time?? Would you clarify that please?

DANIEL:  The first level is the level of negativity, the worst level to be on. The second level is the level of the positive and being able to work toward progress. The third level is that of God‑consciousness of being in the flow, of being able to allow God to work through you. These three levels have been discussed.

Isaac:  Yes, thank you very much.

PamElla: Daniel, I just wanted to say that ... I don't remember exactly what you said. I think you said you didn't want to bore us by being repetitive. I just wanted to say that I don't find these lessons repetitive. And it was certainly exactly what I needed to hear. I was aware today, and I was wondering if I was being prompted. My thinking was awfully negative. And so I appreciate the help that you give. I appreciate being reminded that it is in fact doable, that we wouldn't be being asked to be positive in our circumstances if it wasn't possible. That's all I want to say. Thank you.

DANIEL:  Thank you. And know that we teachers understand fully the trials and the life of a mortal existence, being ascending beings. We teachers have walked the path before you, under different circumstances, of course. But, you see, in any kind of a material life there is going to be a difference in thought processes, in the ability to think beyond a material sphere. Once you have worked through the morontial worlds and as you lose the material existence you begin to realize the limited capacity of a material existence. This capacity, while limited, is ironically a time and place where great faith and great characteristics can be developed and appreciated more fully than in any other existence. And so, while you do not always understand, your faith and your willingness to know and to love will bring about a greatness that will be utilized in later aeons for great service. Do not despair of your life here. It has much to offer. It is the spawning ground for future endeavors.

PamElla: Thank you Daniel.

TOMAS:  I am Tomas. I need to put in my two cents. I have enjoyed your discourse and your attention. And I am reminded of the merits of our association. On the highest level of functioning we are reinforced and reaffirmed by our continued association. As the sun rises every morning and we rely on that simple truth, we, in fact, plan our life accordingly. So it is in being part of this fellowship of spiritual companionship. We rely on one another and begin to recognize that this level of reality is. From that comprehension, that faith, that trust that we are here, that we are working with you, you are working with us, we are working together toward the establishment and growth of the evolving Supreme, then this reality is upheld; and you can learn to rely on the realities of each other through your faith in spiritual reality. 

Positive is becoming the rage. Affirmations are supplanting fears and dreads of many years standing. And yet it lacks the verve and impetus inherent in the living, loving truth of the Master. Hold fast to these realities and reinforce them in yourselves and in your fellows. And in time it will ripple outward and affect all mankind, as you know.

PamElla: I have a question for Tomas. Tomas, your discussion led me to think of what my teacher Linda has been teaching me. And I have been listening. And that is on the difference between the material and the spiritual. And would you say that the difference between the affirmations and the positive thinking that are the rage affects our material circumstances, whereas loving the First Source and Center and developing that relationship has verve ‑‑ is part of what I think is the word you used; because that is the spiritual? So we need to turn to the spiritual and not the material? And that positive thinking and affirmations is really about the material, not the spiritual?

TOMAS:  To some extent the positive level which Daniel addressed is a result of the superior spiritual efforts of people such as yourself in prayer, of Correcting Time Mission, of appropriate evolution. And, yes, these are not to be decried. Positive is certainly better than negative. And yet even positive will become dull and indifferent unless it is infused with the living waters.

DANIEL:  And might I add to that. You see, in my presentation I stated that this is an evolving process. The one who is in a negative state often relies and needs affirmations to help bring that person, himself or herself into that next level of being positive, of understanding things from a totally different perspective. Had not affirmations been a part of that person's life then it would have been more difficult to regain a positive state. As you begin to bathe in the light of positive mental imaging then there becomes a greater confidence and greater self worth and self love evolution within your being. As this is manifested then, the Indwelling Spirit is able to encourage and bring forth a greater desire within the individual to seek for the divine truth, that divine element. And in so doing is the consciousness slowly raised to where God‑consciousness becomes a more paramount part of an individual's life. Do you see?

PamElla: Yes, I do see. I thank you both.

Isaac: I also thank you both, and feel like a dummy that I missed that third level. I want to tell you both something and that is that this interaction process that just occurred between both of you has really helped me. I am excited about having you both complement each other and elaborate on each other. I just wanted to ask another question if you are through, PamElla. Daniel, you referred to our setbacks, our backsliding, the short‑lived stuff, you know, those moments where we are low, etc. And you have told us in the past not to stay there, to get up and walk on and return to our centeredness with our Indwelling Spirit and etc. Peace Pilgrim, when she was still with us, did a spiritual autobiography in a classroom where I was in attendance. She talked about a period in her life where she was going up and down. And then she said she entered a new phase where she went just on a gradual incline up and never had those regressions. And I thought to myself, 'Is that possible?' I mean, I wasn't calling her a liar in my mind, but I was just amazed. That third level of God‑consciousness. I'm not asking you to comment on Peace Pilgrim if you are not familiar with her and it would not be appropriate. Are we going to anticipate less and less of this down stuff and a gradual smoothing out? What should we be ‑‑ or should we not be worrying about that, just living day by day? [Laughter]

DANIEL:  I am, of course, very much aware of Peace Pilgrim. Also let me state that, indeed, there are individuals, and have been throughout the centuries, and will continue to be more and more as time goes on, who are able to transcend and remain in that level of God‑consciousness where the material realities become less and less important. And the reality of the divine becomes the leading impetus through which the individual focuses. This is the ideal. And there will be moments when more and more people reach that ideal, but because it is such a heightened state there will be those who are not able to maintain it. This is not something that you should worry about and fret over in thinking about your own life, whether or not you can reach such a state and hold it. There have been times, let me assure you, where that has been your state. But let me remind you that this is a process. Let me remind you that you are of electrical/chemical composition and this alone can play a great part in the levels of consciousness. Even Peace Pilgrim had moments of great heights and peace and serenity, and moments that were borderline into just positive thinking, the step below the consciousness of the divine. 

What is asked of you, my dear friends, is that as you continue to walk your life's journey that the lessons and example of Christ Michael, His message of God's love and your inheritance becomes such a part of your life that you continue to stretch and reach for that higher purpose. Do not dwell on what is or is not. Be in the timeframe and circumstances that you are currently. Reflect daily and continue to seek the stillness that the Indwelling Presence will guide you, and through your courage, faith, God‑consciousness will become a way of life for you.

Isaac: Thank you very much.

Paula:  As you were speaking and as Tomas was speaking I was very much thinking about the relationship of one's material well being as formative into moving into this higher consciousness. Primarily Abraham Maslow has done some hierarchy of needs that it is very difficult for people to move into a higher state of. Maslow doesn't call it God‑consciousness, but it is that fullness of being, awareness of being in the light of God ‑‑ that until physical, material needs are met there is a great deal of difficulty for persons to do that. Can you comment on that, please?

DANIEL:  Having a material life that is secure, indeed, provides great fertilizer for one to have the security and freedom, etc., to seek higher truths. But to say that one must be materially and physically secure in order to reach this state is error. For this is a set of hierarchy steps that is created by this man as a general rule. If you look to your indigenous people, as you look to the many poor and handicapped and deprived in the world you will find that there is a sense of longing to know that Higher Guide, that there is happiness and contentment in all areas of social, economic, and physical strata. And so to say that only those who have 'made it' are able to grasp God‑consciousness isn't correct. Many of those who seemed to be deprived have a real sense of security and peace and understanding of the Higher Source. Has this helped?

Paula:  Yeah. I guess I never assumed it meant that the material well being was equated with having 'made it'. Because some of the most Spirit filled people are those indigenous folk who by our standards would be 'deprived'. Perhaps the key is that it is by our standards. But by their standards that is part of the 'wholeness' of their culture and their time. They are more accepting of the truths and reality and thereby have greater access and have moved into that higher plane naturally than in our more complex society and competitive being where we cut it off at the pass.

DANIEL:  Indeed, many who in this society have 'made it' are so caught up in the complexities of keeping it above and making it more and more that they totally cut themselves off from divine input. God's love is for all! God is open to all! It is each individual person at their own place and in their own relationship with the First Source and Center that is the key. As your attitude changes, as you accept and open up to the First Source and Center so shall divine input be recognized by you. If God is there for all, the divine love and input is constantly being showered and rained on from above. It is only those who take down the umbrella and open up their own being that receive these divine waters.

Paula:  I think I also have to say that in fairness to Maslow he wasn't talking about real strong wealth, he was talking about basic food, clothing, the things that you mentioned in terms of that kind of security which serves as fertilizer.

DANIEL:  Indeed, these basic things are necessary. When one is on survival your electro/chemical makeup takes over. When one has at some point the big breakthrough in knowing God, then when survival instincts must come into reign there is built into them through experience this knowingness that will carry them through these earthly temporal plagues.

Paula:  Thank you, Daniel.

Leetah: Good evening Daniel and Tomas. Thank you so much for the lessons. I have several things, several thoughts on my mind. The first one is the self‑actualization that Maslow talks about to me is perhaps on a material/psychological level, pretty much what you were speaking about with the bottom of level two; the bottom of positivism where you are satisfied with yourself and have met your own personal needs. Where the third level would be a level even beyond even self‑actualization. Would you like to comment on that? Am I going in the right direction?

DANIEL:  Indeed you are, yes.

Leetah: Thank you. The other two thoughts I have, one this week, and one for some time. The one I had this week is that you teachers that have come to this planet to help us evolve spiritually and to know that level of God‑consciousness. Perhaps, as Klarixiska said, many of you were here or observed the crucifixion at the time that Christ Michael suffered because of our people.

Daniel:  Are you asking if Tomas and I were here?

Leetah: Or the teachers. Abraham, were you here? Did you see? Did you know? I guess I rushed through that part this week because I didn't want to dwell on it. I wanted to get to the resurrection. And I keep seeing the phrase in my mind, 'the beings of a universe' observed the terrible tragedy of the crucifixion.

DANIEL:  You realize that the broadcast circuits were diminished extensively at that time. However, because of Christ Michael's presence many hosts of Angels and the like were here. And as you know, angels are the great message carriers. And so much of these happenings on this planet were instantaneously known by the other planets, etc. of Nebadon. Personally I was not on this planet. However, I was very much aware of what was happening and recall very painfully and vividly this occurrence. And because of its impact on me it caused me to resolve to volunteer and allow my services to be employed in whatever fashion so that there could be a greater enlightenment given to this planet. Tomas would you please relate your own personal experiences.

TOMAS:  Yes, Daniel. But first I commend you on your need to serve, as this reaction is an earmark on one who loved the Master and who is totally committed to bringing about His loving reality throughout His universe. 

I recall the crucifixion as if it were yesterday, as if it were a moment ago. For none could behold our Creator in such a pitiable condition without sustaining a lasting impression; and much of my resultant emotional depth came from the outrage and tremendous compassion I felt, as you did, daughter, when you stumbled upon that difficult moment in your reading recently. Outraged we were and saddened! And fortunately, like Daniel, motivated, driven, compelled to do what we could do to enlighten this pitiable mankind. Thank you for your concern.

Leetah:  I really thank each of you, the Teaching Mission and the teachers for your part in helping us! Thank you. The third thought I have had for some time now is ‑‑ when the Spirit of Truth was poured out upon this planet after the resurrection of course it was for all humankind. I wondered if each of us having the Indwelling Spirit, does the Spirit of Truth follow us to the morontial worlds. Or is the Spirit of Truth only for this material planet?

DANIEL:  The Spirit of Truth, as the Indwelling Spirit, will always be a part of your heritage, of your ongoing progress, because of your sonship and daughtership. Know that the Spirit of Truth will bring more and more enlightenment to your understanding as you traverse the morontial worlds. It is the Spirit of Truth that helps you to bring into your own personal experience those special gifts. Open yourself daily that these gifts can sustain you, nourish you, and help you to grow in greater and greater understanding. As these gifts become embedded within your being, are you evermore expanding and kindling that flame of luminosity of your spirituality to grow, become brighter. Evermore will you be able to serve your brothers and sisters. Allow these fruits to fill you. In doing so will you become more knowledgeable regarding the First Source and Center, will you become even more dedicated to following the Father/Mother Spirit. 

My friends I will take my leave this evening giving you my love and peace. Tomas?

TOMAS:  Farewell.

Group:  Good night, Daniel. Good night, Tomas.

Closing prayer through TR 3 by Tomas (not recorded)

*****

DATE:  January 28, 1994

TEACHERS:  DANIEL, TOMAS, MACHIVENTA

TOPIC: Attuning Your Listening

DANIEL:  Greetings my friends, I am Daniel, your guide and teacher. I am pleased that you have been willing to gather here again this evening to hear words of the teachers and to not only help to bring about the work of the Teaching Mission, but most importantly, to help yourselves individually become secure and confident of that Indwelling Presence which will sustain and guide you through all of your life endeavors.

As you have been witness to over these last two years, there is a shift in the attitude, in the thought processes of the realm of people on Urantia. Evolution takes time. However, as more and more is put into the collective consciousness is there able to be change. Change can be toward progress, growth, and spiritual enlightenment, or it can be regressive, going toward the lower, base, animalistic instincts. At present your perspective is limited in that you are seeing the unfolding of life as being very negative in many respects. However, it is often through the process of backsliding to some degree that there can be a great leap toward better and more profound progression in the long run. And so while there has been this time of seeming retrogression, you are in a time frame where through efforts such as that put out by this group and the many millions of groups and peoples around the world there will be a higher consciousness develop. Take heart, hold faith, and project the positive that we spoke about last week. In projecting the positive it helps to neutralize any negative thought on the planet.

I ask you to be encouraged, but at the same time to continue to work. For as you have amply stated in your discourse tonight there is always more and more work to be done! This is part of life, part of evolution, part of the plan; to always lay a foundation on which the next layer of steps toward higher and divine thinking can take root, can form, can mold and grow. 

This evening Tomas has prepared a lesson for your attuning your listening. I was about to say, your listening pleasure. [Laughter] I feel somewhat in a lightened mood this evening as well. Tomas has asked that he speak through Gerdean if she is willing.

TOMAS: Greetings my friends. I am Tomas, your teacher, your companion and your friend. My student, Gerdean, is amused and alarmed that I have prepared some work for your listening pleasure for she still identifies crookedly. Nevertheless, hours of your time have been devoted to reflecting on spirit reality. And even though you have known in your soul and supported that knowledge by your intellect and by your confirmation with one another, each of you still harbors fears and doubts as to the reality that you have perceived. And, yes, this is an aspect of being an agondonter. You are well practiced. And yet, you see, you are here. You are engaged in laughter and communion with spirit.

As I have said before, your perception of reality is transient and is reflective of where you find yourself in your spiritual growth at any given time. Your concept of reality as a child is not the same as your perception of reality when you were an adolescent. And even in adulthood your perceptions of reality have had occasion to waft according to circumstances, environment, personality, and etc. And yet you are still here, still living, aging, and living the life as it is lived in your realm. 

Often when one conceives of a reality with which he or she is comfortable or which is reinforced by environment and your peers, that reality predominates. It is not necessarily real or permanent for the winds of change blow. New challenges are presented; new personalities are introduced; and new growth is inherent. 

This same truth can be found on spirit reality levels. For what was true once had value and taught you lessons about life or lack of life which caused you to lean to the Father for a clearer perception of reality. And this continues as in casting aside frameworks for learning which are no longer needed. New frameworks are presented. 

It is no wonder that your faith falters on occasion for the winds of change are sometimes gusty. Were all changes, all of life a balmy breeze one would have no fear, no cause to doubt, no urge to grow, and no compelling desire to grasp hold of the saving grace of Ultimate Reality. When you say 'It is my will that His will be done' and when you set upon a course of action, along with this will come a set of perceptions, intellectual belief structures, based upon your previous experience. And this is well and good. And yet, as you embark on this journey, this experience, much of what you brought with you is no longer necessary. You may then cast aside that which was once real and necessary. And in the casting aside those things, those beliefs, those attitudes, those perceptions, you stand more naked, more vulnerable. And in that instant is when your faith might reasonably waver.

However, yes, observe how you, rather than stumble, fall and quit, valiantly, courageously, if not foolishly and brazenly, forge ahead to find out what adventure you have embarked upon! Part of our purpose in our dealings with you is to encourage your embarkation, to blow wind into your sails, and to assure you that the journey is worth the price. Do not, therefore, fret when your perception of reality seems unstable, for you are merely experiencing metamorphosis from raw to refined, from old to new, from base to grace. 

Rather, when those awkward moments prevail, come like hungry children to the ultimate reality that you can comprehend at that moment which is, yes, bigger than you, stronger than you, more able than you. Admit your childlike need for help, for instruction, for guidance and authority. And ultimately you will be all that you can be. And in that experience you renew your confidence of your purpose and your true Spirit reality in our Father.

I have now completed the broadcast and I assume I have provided something for your listening pleasure. If not, please tune in next week for other programming. [Laughter] I thank you for your gracious ears, and thank Daniel for the opportunity to teach. We would entertain questions.

Isaac: Good evening, Tomas and Daniel. This is Isaac. Thank you both for your words. Obviously you are, as I am aware of, making your rounds together, or however, and you know what our needs are. My thanks to you that you have addressed concerns that I have had, as well as others that have been expressed tonight. So I just want to tell you thank you. That lesson was very timely in my opinion.

Your answer to the question that I had in my mind, 'what can I do to get over these doubts and these fears'. And Daniel has repeatedly said to go to the greatest reality, as you said, Tomas. My lingering, nagging question, though, that I have about TRing has to do with the fact that we know that TR=s make errors. I know I have made errors. What should I do about my own doubt about the 'stuff' that I transmit ‑‑ to be very specific about the experience of some levity the other day from Ham, if I transmitted him correctly? And my question is this, is it appropriate to ask for confirmation from either of you as to whether or not transmissions are accurate? Should I just struggle with my own doubts and not worry about it? I have asked in the past of Daniel about specifics. I guess, I don't know ‑‑ if you told me that I made major errors it would probably discourage me ‑‑ so I just don't know what I want you to say in return! So I'll let you answer, either of you or both of you. Thank you.

DANIEL:  Isaac, Isaac, Isaac, hear me again, my friend! Let go of fear! Let go of doubt! Major errors will be corrected. Minor errors are readily seen in time as well. All that comes through for any individual is subject to the whims, thought, attitudes, physical energies, etc., etc., of the individual. The main core, main body of TRing is correct, is vital, and is necessary in order to help this planet to evolve. Those who doubt are in a sense trying to balance a scale. It is always good to question. It is always good, also, to have faith. Try, my friend, to balance that doubt with faith. When the scales tip toward disequilibrium, when doubt and fear become more weighty, it is time to throw off some of those layers so that there can be, again, balance. You throw off those layers by seeking the quiet, asking that faith, that guiding, nourishing, divine food bring you back into balance.

Ham, indeed, visited you. Ham, indeed, was very happy and in a very joyous mood that day. Does this help?

Isaac:  Yes, Daniel. Thank you very much. And I do practice what your advice was just now, to try to keep the balance there and go into the silence. And I always hear confirmation in my own mind. So I thank you for confirming once again. It does help me because those winds of change are pretty gusty as Tomas has said. I love you both and appreciate you being our teachers. Thank you.

DANIEL:  And let it be known by all of you that you are very well loved by the many that you are not even aware of!

Leetah: Thank you, Tomas and Daniel, for, again, in Isaac's words, this timely lesson, in that certainly reality has changed for me, and I'll speak personally. And yet I know that it is a progressive thing that we are dealing with. Tomas, I'm not quite sure if I exactly understood when you said that we should ask for guidance, direction, and authority. And the one word that maybe perplexed me in that was the word authority, in that authority and dogma has almost been a word that I don't even like to use or search for, whatever. I'm wondering if you can give me some clarification on what you meant by that?

TOMAS:  Yes. Children need to know their parameters. When they have parameters established by loving parental figures they know they are taken care of. They know someone is in charge. This is the authority of which I made reference. I have no truck with dogma here. I refer to authority in the highest ideal, as our highest authority is the love of the First Source and Center. And that firm realization of His overcontrol and overcare is that authority of which I spoke. I intend to convey a positive inflection in that word. And Isaac may have occasion to discover error in Gerdean's selection of that word. And yet, I do not believe that the essence of what I am attempting to convey will be lost. Have I helped somewhat to clarify my use and understanding of the word authority.

Leetah: Yes, Tomas, very much. I appreciate your commenting on that. And certainly that is the highest authority, the love of our First Source and Center. Thank you very much. Isaac wants to say something and then I would like to have another opportunity.

Isaac:  Yes. Tomas, as Daniel will tell you, my doubts about transmission generally don't involve others. I tend to think that Rutha does a superb job and Gerdean does transmitting you. The problem is always with myself, mostly. Once in a while with others, though. I am saying this for clarification. It is a self‑doubt thing with me. But I am working on it. Thank you for your comment.

Leetah:  This question is really for either one of you. I have been reading as I mentioned last week the last days of Jesus' life and His resurrection on this planet, and after Pentecost. And it said about Judas that one of his biggest problems was that he was a loner. And I am kind of paraphrasing this that he also did not confide in his brethren. I find that many times that I certainly could be in that same situation. And I know that one of my motives is I don't want to be guilty of gossiping, of telling tales or even listening to tales. And I'm just wondering if either one of you would comment on those things?

DANIEL:  As in many situations the understanding communicated by either the spoken or written word is often taken by the receiver in a context that is within their understanding on the many layers, emotional, social, intellectual, and etc.  In reality you can progress and meet the First Source and Center even as one who does not relate well with others, if, in fact, you strive to make that inner connection with the Indwelling Spirit. Through this guidance you will continue to evolve, however this may be very slow and painful. On the other hand, the ascending being who allows God to work through them in personal relationships with others is able to experience more completely, more fully, and more quickly, many truths, many understandings, and is able to bring forth great growth potential by interaction. Interaction does not necessarily mean getting together to tear down a certain individual or group. Interaction means loving, serving, and being ever ready to work with another. To withdraw when the conversation becomes belittling is wise, unless you are able to redirect conversation into a greater and higher purpose. And the thoughts you have are valid to some degree. 

However, do not forsake interactions with others out of fear. Let go of fear and go in confidence that when necessary you will have to withdraw. But to withdraw before it is necessary to do so is not growth promoting. Does this help?

Leetah:  Yes, Daniel, very much. Thank you. That is a very clear picture of isolation verses interconnectedness. Thank you very much.

MACHIVENTA:  Greetings my friends. I am Machiventa. I have elected to speak with you this evening because I am so pleased with the reception that this group has given to these two teachers; that you are welcoming them as a team. This is very gratifying for it shows not only their skill as teachers, but also your progress as students. 

I wish to end this session this evening calling upon each of you to seek this week within your own hearts, seek to identify the reality in which you dwell. Are you in the framework of seeking to grow? Are you in a framework of rest? Are you in a framework of regression? I ask that you think about this, this week, because it is important that you as individuals realize that in life you must live at the moment that you are in; that neither progress nor rest nor further regression is given full benefit of what is happening unless you are aware of where your thinking lies. Those who live in other timeframes act in counter‑production to any real growth. 

And so Tomas' lesson this evening is to call upon you to gather your thoughts, perceptions, and understanding about your present reality. And now let the reality be of this truth for you now: God, the First Source and Center is love. Love is that one great commodity, that one great source, that one great gift, that will unite all and will bring about further enlightenment and understanding. Allow the reality, allow the real reality of God's love to be with you. Good evening.

Group:  Good evening Machiventa.

DANIEL:  I, Daniel, wish to thank both Tomas and Machiventa for their inspiring and well timed words this evening. My love and peace to you. Good night.

TOMAS:  Farewell.

*****

DATE: February 4, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS, LARENZO, LINNEL

TOPIC: Strength: A Gift of The Spirit of Truth

DANIEL:  Greetings, my friends. I am Daniel, your guide and your teacher. I welcome you here as always with open arms and a great sense of accomplishment. As you can readily witness your growth is ever moving upward, ever spreading out. You are moving in many directions and this movement is all conducive to following the will of the First Source and Center. Whenever one makes a commitment and a desire to follow the Father then there is a growing strength within the human structure. Whenever groups or more unite with this same commitment is there a growing and broadening basis. 

And like thought then moves out into broader realms, thus bringing those on the periphery into a state where they are able to witness first and, and in witnessing thereby are they able to receive information that they can make better choices in their own lives. And so as individuals you show strength. As a group you are even more able to change and change thoughts, and can implement much service toward one another. 

We have been asked this evening to allow another to speak. And so this day will be of much importance for you, Kent. Larenzo will speak. Note that your understanding of this name is not L‑o‑r‑enzo but L‑a‑r‑enzo. One moment please.

LARENZO: Hello and thank you for this opportunity to come here today and to speak twice in one time span. This is, indeed, an honor for one who has waited for many years to speak. I hope that my speaking will not seem too forceful or enthusiastic. However, my joy this day is overwhelming in that I have, I believe, been able to strengthen a long time friendship with my dear student Kent to whom I send love this evening. 

And may I extend that love to the members of this group, all of which I have enjoyed getting to know over the years. And let me report that I have seen tremendous growth and outreaching. The words that were spoken by B.S. this evening do attest to my feelings as well, that through groups such as this, sitting down and sharing, there is growing and a great amount of learning that can take place. And this is part of what the Teaching Mission has on the agenda, that all can come together to form groups and friendships that support one another. 

The topic which I have been asked to speak upon this evening is on strength. Strength is that gift given by the Spirit of Truth. This is, as with all gifts, subject to many areas of interpretation and given to many layers of thought. In thinking about strength you can label it and divide it into physical strength of body, the mental strength, the intellectual strength and the spiritual strength. And so, you see, each one of these areas can hold for you various gifts, various attributes which make you a whole personality. Let us look at strengths first on the very finite material level of which you are, that being the physical.

Indeed is it necessary for you as a human being to know strength of body. To be able to move your physical body in time and space requires that you have the muscular strength, skeletal strength, and bodily organ strength to help you maintain this wonderful finite being that you are. The rules for maintaining strength require that you keep a good balance of exercise and diet, which you are well appraised of. And so we will not stay long on this area.

In moving on to the next area, that of the mental strength, with which I will include the intellect, it is very important that you do not remain in a feeble or weakened state in the intellect. Rather is it asked of you to go through life ever being open to learning and processing new ideas, new information, and gathering to yourself as much knowledge as is possible to help you to grow into your potential and in seeing more first hand the First Source and Center. And so as with the physical you are asked to maintain a balance in your intellect, to continue to grow in this area as well. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity and sitting back and allowing others to learn. Rather take it upon yourself to be a student of life in its many areas. 

The next level which I will address is that of the emotional/feeling state that you have. Strength in this area helps you in doing and following through with your desire and commitment to follow the First Source and Center. If you do not have emotional strength and fortitude then you often lack the ability to reach out and to help one another. When you are in a weakened state emotionally your body becomes unbalanced and thought processes become less clear. And therefore, voids are created. And so, it is asked of you to do what you can to maintain a positive higher level of emotional state. This is, of course, subject to electro/chemical fluctuations within your body. If the emotional and electro/chemical state is not in harmony then medical assistance is often required. There is also a greater aid and that is to seek that inner silence and quiet. For often the mental/emotional state is not a permanent state, but rather one of fleeting moments in which events trigger certain feelings. If a feeling of intolerance, for example, is upon you, (this is that attitude that has been spoken to you on several occasions) and if this is the case a moment of silence helps to bring you back into that alignment which will then bring back a more harmonizing effect within the body, and strength will again be quickened. And so strength in the mental apparatus helps you to be more outgoing and to help one another.

And the last area that I will address this evening is that of strength within your divine nature. As you have each been a witness to, this area has grown immensely for you all. For as you have discovered through your study of The Urantia Book, through your study in other areas of religion, science, and philosophy, you have begun and have come to the grand knowledge of the higher Source, the First Source and Center. Once this truth is known then you are able to understand a greater life's purpose and therefore do you catapult yourself into the desire to follow the First Source and Center. How you came to all of this was through that gift known as strength. Strength enough to follow the commitment, and strength enough to follow those promptings from within. 

This day I ask you to consider the strength that has been given to you to help you maintain all these areas of existence. And in realizing that strength, that you give thanks and open yourself up stating you desire that you be supported, or you welcome that strength that is needed to support your desire to follow the First Source and Center. You see, without strength you would not be able to build and grow and become. The gift of strength has brought you to the point where you are now. For you have each and every one of you, that great potential to achieve. Those who do not allow the fruit of the Spirit and the strength that is given to be a part of their lives are unable to make great gains in this earthly existence toward their potential. They fail to see that each experience, even though it requires, courage, fortitude, and strength to walk through that experience; they fail to realize that these experiences help them to grow humanly and divinely. And so as you sit in the stillness this week, allow the strength of the Spirit of Truth to aid you in meeting your higher and higher potential. 

And that my friends is my message this evening, to look at the strength you have, realize it, and utilize it in your apostleship, in your sonship and daughtership, in your own human growing. I wish again to thank Daniel and Tomas for giving over this time to me this evening. And I must concur that Daniel and I have in many respects the same patterning of teaching, having gone to the same schools at the same time. We are linked in many ways. And so I again thank you for listening to my words, for allowing me to come into your lives. And to Kent and P.A. I say that my conscious presence known to you now will aid you in your own lives. My love to you.

And to all of you, I commend you on your strength. For it has been the strength that you have opened up to that has helped you to accept this Teaching Mission, to accept teachers, to accept the love of the First Source and Center. I have been asked to not answer questions this evening, but will turn this over to Tomas who will now speak. Good evening.

Group:  Good evening, Larenzo.

TOMAS:  I am Tomas.  And I, myself, have enjoyed the lesson, the words, the essence, and the truth presented by Larenzo. And it is refreshing and joyous to hear able teachers present their words to a captive audience such as this. Your eager absorption of the words of the teachers is impressive to us in that it is an indication that you do not believe that you have all the answers that you do not need help. We interpret absorption of these teachings as humility and truly this is so. And the result of your willingness to accept truths from your teachers, be they in the spirit or in the flesh, is a pleasure. Would that this example of you twelve apostles was expanded. And remember that your energies joining together does, indeed, accelerate, stabilize, solidify and propel forward those truths which we attempt to put forth in our teachings. Were it not for your willingness, Correcting Time would remain inert or be allowed to drift forward in leisurely fashion. And although we are not necessarily in a great rush, it is all too evident to those with ears to hear and eyes to see and hearts to feel that there are those who are languishing and are feeling untouched by Spirit reality. The energies put forth in believers such as yourselves strengthens the Correcting Time and the teachers, as well as yourselves and your community. Are there questions?

Kent:  No question Tomas, just a statement: Thank you. Thank you Daniel and thank you my teacher for being here! Twice in one day for the first time, that's outstanding! I love it! I enjoyed it and I send my love back. And to all those personalities that are in this room, our love again. Thank you.

TOMAS:  So noted.

PamElla: My question is in response to Larenzo's lesson on strength and the different areas of which he spoke, physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. And I believe that I understand that spiritual is primary. Our spiritual strength can lead to balance in all. And I realize that the goal is to have balance in all areas that were discussed and be open to the strength in all areas. I am aware, I guess, that the physical can effect the emotional and comes first. Is there a hierarchy in which it is good to work on bringing balance in those areas, say spiritual, then physical, intellectual and emotional will follow? As I think of wanting to balance all of those areas I feel a little overwhelmed! What I am asking is, beyond spending time in the quiet and working on spiritual strength, what is the next place to focus? Or maybe my question is missing the point that you have to focus on all at once?

TOMAS:  Your question is best answered by your relationship with your personal teacher since she is well appraised of what area in your growth might be lagging. And you well might be working on an area of strength on one level that needs focusing. And surely you will not be allowed to remain over‑focused on one area before circumstances tilt sufficiently that you will be called upon to notice growth and strength in other areas. Trust in the process of ascension, and do not fear any guidance your personal teacher would bring you to as these are all working together. No more are you in danger of becoming severely unbalanced. 

All areas of growth are equally important. All realms of strength and growth are balanced in our Father's plan. You do not learn calculus along with the alphabet. Trust your teacher and trust your interpretation of how she leads you into balance. Unified personality, as you know from mota, brings wealth. For the spiritual and the human together makes for a rich life, lacking in nothing, and certainly not weak.

DANIEL:  Very well stated my friend and colleague, Tomas. And as this is a time when we have agreed to open formats there will be instances where we can aid in bringing forth a more rounded answer through dual or even triple efforts of teachers. And so as part of this format I have elected, (I meaning Daniel) to add to this already beautifully stated answer by Tomas in stating that, indeed, is it profitable and beneficial and behooves each individual to seek personal guidance regarding their own lives. However, there are times and there are those who are not yet at that place or that desire, yet who know exactly and consciously that guidance. And so my part in this answer will benefit a broader range of individuals. 

One must realize that whenever any part of the personality is unbalanced, when any part is fragmented from the whole, that there incurs, then, disequilibrium to that whole. And so does this fragmentation disconnect from the connectedness of all. One must realize that there is this genuine connectedness. And so let us look at the first aspect, that being physical.

If you, for example, do not get enough rest and are deprived of sleep then your physical strength will diminish. There will be a lessening of the strength within your immune system and therefore will you be susceptible to disease and illness. By the same token sleep deprivation brings about disharmony within your mental and emotional capacity, thereby leaving you prone to be high strung, emotional, and not within norms in that regard. Also by that same token when one is deprived of sleep does the intellectual capacity become diminished as well and learning, retaining information, recall of information all suffer as well. Likewise when these areas are out of balance does it become more and more difficult to rely on help from, and to grow in, the spiritual domain. 

And so you see how one aspect of your personality being out of balance will bring about a domino effect in the others as well. And so in this example it would then behoove the individual to go to the root of the problem, and that is lack of sleep, which could be caused physically or from emotional problems, etc., so that this sleep problem can be corrected. This is to say, then, that for each individual you must not disconnect yourself. You are a whole individual. When one aspect of your being is strong it will help strengthen the rest. If there is weakness it, likewise, weakens the rest. And so in order to maintain strength for the whole the individual parts need to be harmonized. 

The greatest reservoir of strength is to go into silence asking that what is necessary be made known. To you, the individual, will be given what you need that you can get back in harmony; and allowing, then, that the strength that the Spirit of Truth gives will, in fact, carry you through. Holding on to that faith and that belief will enable you to bring about strength in all areas. 

And I thank Larenzo as I thank Tomas that the three of us can help bring into your perspective a broader picture.

PamElla:  Yes, I thank all three of you as well. That was very timely. Everyone of you added much more to my understanding. I'm deeply appreciative. Thank you.

TOMAS:  How are we doing for time and energy, children?

PamElla: I'm doing fine.

Kent:  Plenty of time, plenty of energy, plenty of tapes. Can we look forward to this type of interchange ‑‑ three, maybe four. I am not greedy, but I have invited Linnel to speak to us. Not that I have any influence upon you up there, but... [laughter].

DANIEL:  As you know, Kent, with God all things are possibleY [laughter]. As with the Teaching Mission, many of the actions and happenings were not within our realm of expectation; and things have been wonderfully opened up that much can occur. This seems to be a very suitable format for Tomas and myself. And it helps to broaden the teaching lesson immensely. We will just leave things open and as we have asked you in the past to 'go with the flow', so shall we.

Isaac:  This question is just addressed to anyone. This is Isaac. I have had some thoughts about the Teaching Mission and individual mortals and groups that seem to be having their ups and downs. My question is ‑‑ would anyone care to characterize the overall picture of the Teaching Mission in terms of your objectives as teachers, and how things are going, kind of a report in general? And if that is not an appropriate request I will be glad to accept a no answer. But I am kind of curious about how you see things from your perspective ‑‑ the overall Teaching Mission, since we are about three years into it now.

TOMAS:  I am Tomas. I have a commentary. As in any endeavor undertaken we are dealing here with mortal men and women. Our overall reaction is that we are extremely pleased by the reception we have received, by the light that is given in those who have become committed to this advanced phase of teaching and learning.

And yet there are, as in any school, a certain percentage of dropouts, which is not to say that when they become adults they may not return to class and get their degree. And I am not inferring that anyone becomes a graduate in this ascension plan, certainly not at this point. However, in terms of mortals ‑‑ it is not uncommon, unlikely, nor unexpected that there will be some shifting and shuffling. And this is not discouraging to us. We have seen how the Mission ‑‑ the interaction among mortals and supernals, the subsequent action between believers and active, committed apostles ‑‑ has benefited. Some have only to reconsider. And some have deep work to do before knowing how to accept not just the teachers, but their fellow religionists. For under all you are mere mortals; and overall our Father prevails. And therefore it is believed that Correcting Time is by and large progressing on schedule. And we are not displeased with its reception and its effect.

Isaac:  Thank you Tomas. That was very complete. And I think my mortal feelings on the subject are in complete agreement with yours. I know that mere numbers of people is not an adequate measure of growth because that is too superficial a judgment. So I thank you for answering my question and I don't need any further elaboration.

Jeremiah:  Teachers, this is Jeremiah. I am happy to be here. I really enjoyed Larenzo's lesson on strength. I have a question on that. Of the three levels, the physical, the mental/intellectual and the spiritual he talked about how we have strength. The example he gave was, let me recall... I understand that initially when we are born we have endowments in these areas. Some individuals are born with great strength. Others unfortunately have physical problems. The same thing in intellectual capacities and spiritual receptivity. The example you gave that whatever we are given we can do things, like, for example, the correct amount of sleep or exercise and diet as we have heard in other lessons; we have responsibility and can do these things here. Now the Teaching Mission has really helped us awaken spiritually and to be able to grow there. So one of my questions is can we be opening up with our initial receptivity in the spiritual realm; that by doing the Father's will we can expand on that? And the Teaching Mission has provided spiritual healings for those of us who have physical problems we were born with ‑‑ which can be corrected in some cases or pushed aside to allow us to advance more into the intellectual or spiritual realms. My question is, are there possibilities of enhancing our intellectual and spiritual receptivity=s beyond what we were inherently born with?

DANIEL:  As mortals you have a finite body and are given the mind and capacity for certain growth potentials. As spiritual beings you are not limited in that as you incur growth and as you progress you add to that reservoir of spiritual knowledge and spiritual wisdom. And this cannot have limits placed upon it. Much of what you incur during this lifetime spiritually is not within your understanding as such. Your question as to whether you can increase your mental capacity ‑‑ you can indeed grow and clearly become more knowledgeable regarding the workings of the material realm. And barring any mishaps physically, mentally, emotionally or socially, barring any mishaps to these areas, to your electro/chemical makeup, you can continue to learn and grow. It is true that the mental capacity for many individuals is greatly enhanced, to others more diminished. If, however, each individual would grow to the limit of their capability and potential there would be a tremendous change on this planet! So do not concern yourself with wanting more, rather concern yourself with reaching what you are already capable of. At this point in time the only person who has walked this plane and has reached that state was Christ Michael. You all have great reservoirs that yet need to be filled. And so concentrate on this, my friends.

I will bring now this meeting to its conclusion challenging you all to do your sit‑ups and pull‑ups, to eat correctly, to read more extensively, to create a feeling, an attitude of more positiveness, to sit with the First Source and Center and the Indwelling Spirit in time of contemplation and adoration. In doing these will you find strength in body, mind and Spirit. And through that strength will you be able, then, to better serve the First Source and Center. My love and peace go with each of you. Larenzo sends his love. And Tomas, you may likewise give your farewell words.

TOMAS:  My closing remarks include only that, perhaps, in the area of mental/emotional; an exercise you will, also, somehow on a consistent basis attempt and succeed in is; letting some stranger know that he is real by acknowledging his Indwelling Spirit in such a way as that individual is truly acknowledged. In lieu of that challenge let someone know they are loved, for love is contagious. And our benign virus can use a boost. My thanks for your kind attention this evening to our words and I look forward to our next encounter. Farewell.

*****

DATE: February 11, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS 

TOPIC: More On Strength, Specifically On Divine Strength

DANIEL:  Greetings my friends. I am Daniel, your guide and your teacher. As you have gathered here this evening it has been apparent that each of you have traversed life's path following the trials and tribulations that have been placed before you. However, as you have been fine tuning your divine nature over the many years you have reached points in your human living where you are able to raise your consciousness to a higher level and not be so dramatically or completely pulled down by life's situations. This is the beauty of the marriage of your divine nature with your human nature that you can raise yourself and not remain in that state where negativism takes over. You are growing, my friends, and becoming more whole. Even though you must make important decisions regarding your lives, you are beginning to make those decisions based on a higher and more divine thought process. And so I commend you on your ability to tread life's path with more confidence and assurance.

The lesson this evening will be a broadening of last week's lesson on strength. Last week Larenzo gave an overview of strength as it fits into the human anatomy, physiology, and mental state. Larenzo did speak also about that divine strength. And this is what my lesson will broaden, your perspective in this area.

As mortals you are born with inherent capabilities. These capabilities help you to grow and progress in your own personal evolution as well as make a contribution to the evolution of your brothers and sisters in general. These inherent abilities are based on years of genetic programming, and this is biologically something that is understood through your science. What is often not understood is that there are also divine inheritances that you receive as well. The ability to move forward and to seek out a higher nature, the inward momentum to find and know the Creator, is part of the gift that the Indwelling Spirit gives to you that helps you to move in that direction toward Home, toward Paradise. Part of this divine inheritance is the gift of strength. 

Often you as individuals do not realize the strength which you do hold. It has often been stated that the human body is capable of great physical strength in times of crisis. It is asserted time and again that the mental capabilities of the individual are not fully used, that the strength that the human intellect can hold is not totally relied upon. That is, as a human you are able to do far more than what you normally think possible. You only begin to use your capabilities, often limiting yourselves and relying on weaknesses rather than strengths.

This happens not only in your human, finite, material life, but sadly, it occurs in your divine/spiritual life as well. Often you fail to realize the strength that divine inheritance has given you. When you are in a crisis situation you often find yourself seeking the higher source to help you through this time of need. This is a time when you readily uphold that there is divine strength and wisdom beyond your understanding. This is when you readily and easily turn to the avenues of prayer and turning over in order that you can bring about change, upliftment, etc., in the human crisis. 

My wish this evening is for you to begin to see that you do not need to ask for strength during these times if you already know that at all times there is divine strength and guidance available. This is part of your nature. Your strength can only be discovered individually as you seek to discover that inner world of the Indwelling Spirit. As you broaden your circle to include your divinity with the finite you will be more readily able to recognize strength in its divine nature. It is through strength that you unveil faith. It is through strength that you are able to lay aside doubt and fear. It is through strength that you are able to come to terms with a situation and allow forgiveness to be your freeing agent. It is through strength that you are able to tolerate situations and circumstances that are often what you would normally consider intolerable. It is through strength, my friends that you continue to evolve and grow. And divine strength is given in the measure that you open yourselves to it. 

The point of this discourse this evening is to bring to your attention that you, yourself, are the main factor in limiting the strength that you know. When you let go and allow God to work through you, you will know strength. It will be apparent. For in turning over you are not giving up free will, rather you are utilizing your free will in order that you can live a righteous life, that you can face the day to day difficulties with confidence and the knowledge that you are on that right path. This is strength. This is known. This is what helps you to continue. Spiritual strength can support you not only in your divinity, but, most importantly, it can help you in life's experiences. Those who understand that God does not forsake any, that God's love and care is always available have an inner strength that cannot be defeated by life's experiences. Therefore the experiences that are held open for you are reached in a different light. No longer do you feel life's drudgeries as something that must be done, something that can pull you into doubt, something that can bring fear, something that victimizes you. Rather you see life as the school through which you can learn and grow, knowing full well that as you learn and grow you are being supported, that there is strength that will uphold you.

I ask this week that you again look to the Indwelling Spirit; that you give thanks and realize the wondrous gift of strength; that this divine source is. In welcoming this strength into your life you will walk with a sense of greater purpose, greater conviction and with greater love. Divine strength is open and available for all. It is only limited by you, the individual. When you think in broader terms in this regard you widen your perception. In going beyond the bounds, little by little, you will begin to broaden your narrow vision to the point where you can encapsulate universe upon universe. 

It is not possible to know the whole until you can begin to understand some of its parts. You have seen many fragments of these parts. You have begun a journey of pulling these together. No longer, my friends, can your world hold but one part. Your vision must be to collect as many parts as possible so that the universe, of which you are a part, can benefit as you do in your personal growth. Rely on strength to help you to pull these parts together. Allow God to work through you. Divine strength gives strength in all areas of human endeavor and human life. Be not afraid to go within, to allow the Indwelling Spirit to help you in utilizing and understanding the strength available for you in all areas of your life. I will now accept questions.

PamElla:  Daniel that was a very beautiful lesson. I look forward to reading it in print. At the moment I don't have a directly related question but when you were talking it reminded me of some things I read when I was rereading the Thought Adjuster papers. I have many, many questions. But one of the things that struck me was that it said that there were less and less people being born that could act with a self‑acting Adjuster. I realize that this is not what you were talking about in terms of the divine strength that comes from our Thought Adjuster but in terms of spiritual inheritance, is that in some way biological? Why are there less and less people being born that can work with a Self‑Acting Adjuster? And I am not sure I understood just what a Self‑Acting Adjuster is. There was no contradistinction given. There was no description of a non self‑acting Adjuster so I assumed they all were. If you could address those areas I would appreciate it.

DANIEL:  It is important that you all realize that as you individually must grow and develop, so, too, has the evolution of man and women been a slow process of biological uplifting and spiritual uplifting. As part of the plan for this planet there has been this continual progression to the point where there could be Thought Adjusters given to mortals. And as this became more common because of upliftment so, too, was there made then available many more Adjusters for mortals. 

And as Michael on His bestowal here, as His time for earthly existence ended was there then given this Spirit of Truth to all, that from that time forward all would have Adjusters that would be the personal Monitor and Fragment of the First Source and Center ever available within the individual to guide, motivate, and bring forth that spark of divinity and the progression of soul growth. And as the evolution of man continues so, too, will the times give way to Light and Life. As mankind as a whole progresses then the role of the Adjuster changes from one that must begin on a very low level and rise to a certain level. As the planet moves closer to Light and Life will the Adjusters be able to begin with mortals that are on a higher level of existence. And so your question regarding biological improvement does bring forth Adjusters that are able to work then from a higher base leading a mortal life to still higher areas. For now I will not address the other question regarding self‑acting Adjusters. This will be forthcoming at a different date.

PamElla: Thank you, Daniel.

Paula:  Daniel this is Paula. Did I understand you to say that Michael as He then gave forth the Spirit of Truth to all humankind as a collective, that's when the Adjusters became part of our biological inheritance?

DANIEL:  This is when the Adjusters were available for each individual as they reached that moment of making a soul growth promoting decision without the aid or help of another individual.

Paula:  So all the people, then, historically before Christ Michael didn't have that; is that right?

DANIEL:  Not all people had Thought Adjusters prior to the bestowal of Michael and His giving of the Spirit of Truth, at which time Adjusters were made available for all. Correct.

Norman:  Before the pouring out of the Spirit of Truth under what circumstances did a mortal being receive an Adjuster?

DANIEL:  As evolution progressed from the very base animal source, as people grew in intellect and conscious ability to learn, communicate and reach out as community, as this became more prominent were there then made available Thought Adjusters, Mystery Monitors to those who had mindal capacity and soul capacity; there was made available a Father Fragment for those who had reached this level. This is not an area that is often welcomed by mortals for in regarding your brothers and sisters you often become very determined that there is or has been an injustice to those who may not have had a Father Fragment. 

Here, again, you are not asked to judge or be ones who must make decisions regarding eternal ascension. Rather trust that these individuals, any individual who had even a remote glimmer or spark of understanding regarding a higher source, a greater purpose than survival on this planet, has been given the opportunity for making the choice of eternal progression. Hold into your framework the knowledge and understanding that through the evolutionary process there has been a greater uplifting and fine tuning of mortals that the process through which soul growth has taken root is well seated. The Spirit of Truth poured out on all the land for all mortals has been a gift that has truly benefited not only the individual but all of humankind. Does this help?

Norman:  Yes, thank you.

DANIEL:  Tomas, if you would care to speak please feel free to do so.

TOMAS:  I shall. However I see things are going according to plan and I have not felt the need to interrupt, although I have had thoughts along the way, and have greatly enjoyed listening to your valuable words. I also am willing to entertain questions or elaborate as deemed desirable. I am not impatient.

Isaac: I want to make a statement. My understanding of the Urantia Book teaching is that Andon and Fonta, our very first human parents received Thought Adjusters because they were spiritually at the level where they could benefit from them. And then there appeared to be a retrogression that occurred where many of their descendants, not their immediate descendants, later on were not ‑‑ had descended back down through mating with lower levels of animals. And so that the history of the giving of Thought Adjusters on this planet prior to Michael's bestowal depended on the spiritual capacity/capability of any individual. And the difference with Pentecost is that except for the non‑normal minded now every human has that opportunity, receives those Adjusters. Have I stated the book's teaching correctly? I was afraid, Paula, that you had the impression there were no Adjusters prior to Pentecost. Exact numbers are not stated in the book, but many people had them, while some did not. That is my understanding. I just wanted to interact with you on that.

Paula:  What I though I heard Daniel saying was that Thought Adjusters were bestowed upon all at Michael's bestowal. And that those people before Christ Michael's time had another mechanism, and maybe it's Thought Adjusters or something, but they had according to their openness and willingness to receive truth or be in touch with the First Source and Center and their spiritual development had in name that kind of relationship, that they had an Adjuster, or if not an Adjuster, someone that encouraged them.

Isaac: That's right. They had Adjusters and group angels from the very first human beings, Andon and Fonta. That is my understanding.

TOMAS:  Even today, you will note, with Thought Adjusters distributed broadly, there are some who are more willing to follow its leading and some who are adamantly backward about spiritual matters. Herein lies a lesson on various types of Adjusters as well as thoughts and discourses on will, free will, and societal conditioning, which I am not prepared or inclined to embark upon at this moment.

Isaac:  I would like to say to Daniel in particular, since you gave the lesson ‑‑ your point, as I understood it, was that we human beings, we mortals, we free will beings, are the fulcrum. It is crucial that we desire, request, turn over, and allow, whatever words you want to use, that this spiritual strength will occur. It isn't that God is stingy with His gifts, but rather that it is our unwillingness and lack of asking that restricts our strength.

DANIEL:  Very well stated, yes indeed.

PamElla: And for me it's fear. Intellectually I can believe that if I could just turn it all over to the Thought Adjuster it would work out. And sometimes when I am able to turn most of it over I know that strength that is spoken of. But it seems like I still have this inherent fear that if I just let go and turn it all over that it's not going to work out, the world is going to fall apart. And I just get this overwhelming sense of panic, even though I know better and as I practice little bits I get the sense of it. And I think last night I was thinking about this and I realized that we really are like toddlers. We are like toddlers trying to walk in practicing partnership with our Thought Adjusters. That is how I saw myself, and realizing that it is going to take time and skill. I also notice how inpatient I am too, and then think of myself as a toddler in that aspect as well. Right now I already want to be an adolescent.

DANIEL:  Indeed it is often within your framework, all of you, to have the desire to circumvent the pain of growth. But, you see, my friends, the hardest growth in human terms is those adolescent years. Are you sure you wish to embark so soon? [Much laughter]

Leetah: Maybe a few more years of hanging on to the couch and the table!!.. [Much raucous laughter]

DANIEL:  Allow the time of foundation building, of being able to have firm footing, help you as you continue your ascent, my friends. It is not asked of you to live a lifetime in one day! It is asked of you to take your progress in those tiny increments, realizing that with any type of movement forward there are times when there will be relapse. But the length and the duration of the relapse is greatly shortened when you keep in your focus the First Source and Center, when you keep in the mindset of allowing God, even if it can't be fully, to allow what you can.  That, indeed, each little bit that you turn over will give you firmer footing. And you will find as a byproduct of turning over you become freer. You are able to soar with eagles wings as Paula brought up earlier. Right now your wings are gaining strength, are learning the skills necessary to keep you in flight. Once you understand the all encompassing nature of the First Source and Center there is freedom and the ability to soar will be yours. Do not try to rush this. Take the lessons that are presented that when you finally are able to move out of the nest you will do so with a greater and more fulfilling understanding and appreciation of the trials that have brought you to that point. Divine strength will be there available for you. Do not be afraid to accept this gift.

PamElla: Daniel, I know. I work on that.

Isaac: Daniel, I feel like a kid who is being told about the beauties of calculus, all the things it can do, measure the surface of round objects and etc., and then I find out that I have to learn the times tables. I have to figure out fractions. I have to learn decimals. I have to know algebra. And I am hearing you say, to use my analogy, yes, learn your times tables! Because everything builds on everything else. Have I got that right?

DANIEL:  Yes. Very well stated. You are understanding the concept, yes.

Isaac: But sometimes we are kind of ogled by you guys that know calculus and we don't know it yet!

DANIEL:  But you see, Tomas and I had to learn our fractions as well. And there have been many lessons, indeed, for the two of us. We look back at you with awe! We are, again, reminded of the fortitude of the human spirit. But that fortitude is given because of the strength of God. All things must come back to that Source. 

And so as we sit here in this group this evening let us consider the great strength and Source of strength that has brought each of you here this evening. Were it not for your own desire to seek out the higher source, if it were not for your wonderful Indwelling Spirit, if it were not for the many lessons and experiences of your lives, then you would not be on this path. You would not be here this evening. 

Let us consider how as a group you started out as individuals very much confined to your own lives, afraid to share and allow others to come in. But as you have grown in divine strength you have been able to allow others to come into your human life. Suddenly you do not feel as vulnerable. You can speak about your weaknesses, your trials and tribulations. You can speak about the times you have grown and the strength you have. This is because as a group you have bonded and adhered and allowed group strength to help you grow in individual strength, thus making the group stronger as well, interconnectedness. As you come weekly to this meeting the Indwelling Spirit has given you a greater push to seek out and search deeper with more meaning the reality of life, both finite and infinite. Look to your Indwelling Spirit as a source of strength, but also hold out to your brothers and sisters for a source as well. You are a group that has utilized the strength of each individual to help you grow. In this regard you have grown beyond a toddler stage. In this regard you are much further ahead. Please hold hands and let us pray.

Christ Michael, we Your brothers and sisters, Your sons and daughters, come to You this evening asking for the great strength through which you came to this world as a mere babe and mere child. As You led your life as an ascending being, as a mortal of this realm, You were called upon time and time again to rely on inner strength to help You understand your humanness which ultimately led to defining and knowing Your divine nature. We ask that we as Your ascendants, we as Your brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, that we can take Your example and utilize it fully in our lives. We ask that we not limit ourselves, but accept fully those gifts and rely on them as our inner guide to bring forth the will of the Father. As it took much strength for You to allow the Father's will to prevail in Your life, let not these aspiring mortals lack for strength. Allow that their own desire to know truth will provide them with the strength to ever seek it out and know it. Allow their strength, then, to benefit their brothers and sisters on this earth. Amen.

*****

DATE: February 25, 1994

TEACHER: TOMAS

TOPIC:  Growth In Spiritual And Physical Realms

TOMAS:  Greetings my children. I am Tomas. I greet you thus, inasmuch as you have in your prayer allowed yourselves to perceive of yourselves, momentarily at least, as being children in the Spirit; and, according to my observation of your social time this evening, in the flesh as well. This seems to be good grounding for our subject of growth in spiritual and physical realms at once, unified personality aspects.

Your teacher, Daniel, is here and is affording me the opportunity to act as your teacher this evening. I have long awaited the opportunity to hold forth in a varied configuration of students. I am deeply appreciative of your kind acceptance of my presence and my words.

All of you this evening spoke of frailty. This counterbalance to the earlier discourse on strength assures me you have taken our words to heart and are making them experientially your own by comparatively seeing your frailty in the face of your addressing your strength. Frailty, weakness, cannot be conceived of as an inferior condition as you are human and subject to all sorts of human quandaries, diseases, and foibles. These are expected in your ascent. Even Jesus wept.

Your atmosphere this evening is somber in spite of your gladness at once again being in session with each other; and I will construe this somber attitude as one having to do with attentiveness by the soul. Observe your atmosphere and recognize that when you come into these sessions with your teachers, both publicly and privately, you have put yourself in stillness wherein you are willing to listen with your heart, your soul, your essence. In this place you find peace and comfort, thus your craving for further connectedness and fellowship in these meetings. 

It is possible for you to learn how to carry your essence in such a way as to find this peace wherever you go. But, no doubt, you will agree that is difficult, especially in certain jangled, confused environments. Even so the well unified personality, that one which is in tune with his and/or her spiritual strength as well as his and/or her personal weaknesses can, as you can see testified at this moment, also comport his/herself in those environments also. This is desirable and in this way you can stay in touch with your peace, your fruits of the Spirit, your grace as you know it in this moment, in all facets of your life. 

Granted you would stand out like a sore thumb; and yet you are ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven, and were you to take your assignment with full responsibility you would, as Michael, be able to walk among throngs of confusion and sorrow fully composed, and in this composure affect the multitudes. 

It is not what you say, and how you say what you say, but how you wear your reality that is seen by those who are ready to notice. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness have turned a deaf ear to pretty words, even words treasured to us as having ultimate reality. But as you are, as you perceive yourself, and as you perceive others is what moves our mission forward. I am not saying that kind words and graciousness is unnecessary or redundant. They are priceless embellishments to the true reality, that which is in you and is of the Father.

We work with you in order that you might learn to be, not that you learn to give speeches or prance and parade your God‑given personality; but that you be in order that your being can be sensed and felt by those who would notice. It is therein that they will be drawn to you and to the Master. Thus I would ask that you observe this week in your coming and your going, in your public and in your private dealings and doings, observe your own atmosphere. Is it an atmosphere touched by the Spirit? Practice being aware of your entire essence, mortal and divine. My discourse is concluded. Are there questions?

Rutha: Yes, Tomas, this is Rutha. I want to say how much I appreciate being able to listen and that Gerdean is here to help take over TRing duties once in a while. I appreciate your lesson this evening. The question that I have regarding it ‑‑ it is quite evident that we need to individualize and concentrate on our own individual growth and trying to change ourselves, and in changing ourselves bring about change in the world. And while that is an everyday struggle that we all go through I guess I get concerned when I hear about things that are happening outside my own atmosphere in other parts of the world. I am just wondering if prayer ‑‑ or what can we do as individuals to help in those things? Is prayer effective in that regard?

TOMAS:  Child, you know in your mind that prayer is helpful. Evidently you harbor doubt that the Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of men. You are not alone in your anxiety about the condition of Urantia. We, too, have moments of alarm. And yet there are emergency measures protecting you from derailment. Primarily I would suggest that you not overwhelm yourself with conditions and situations which are beyond your influence. It is said, 'let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me'. And that is your biggest job. It is not asked of you to uphold the universe but to nurture your own flock. And, perhaps, not watch the news. It is their business to sell disaster. Their entire premise is based on fear inducing information. They, the media, are not conversant with the good news of the Kingdom, therefore when you allow yourself to believe the fear levels that they would have you believe you are outside of your sphere of reality.  You know about this benign virus business (Ed. note: virus of love) and although it is your option to focus on what is wrong in the world, it is also your option to offer up your sincere prayer and turn your attention to your assignment and your own faith in your Father. 

There are, yes, many, many ills here. And many of these ills are not going to stop right away as we have some time to go in this cause and effect phenomenon. You will recall the phrase, 'he has not suffered enough'. And I ask you to see that in the highest light and pray that their suffering be ended, that they opt to turn the course of their evolution toward higher value. I will not pretend that things are all fine politically, economically, etc., for this is one of the reasons the Correcting Time is in existence. Things need to be corrected! Those of you who are willingly correcting yourselves and learning to focus on morontia realities are those whom we regard as our helpers in turning the tide into this next era, for which we are grateful. Understood?

Rutha: Yes, thank you Tomas. I was a little confused at first when you were saying that we should turn off the news and all that kind of stuff. As you preceded I realize that you meant not to dig a hole and bury ourselves and become oblivious to what is going on, but rather than focus on the negative, see the beauty of the universe and to visualize goodness and truth. In doing so we will come to terms with what prayers we need to offer for those who have not turned the tide on their evolution, as you said. Thank you for those words.

TOMAS:  My pleasure.

PamElla: Tomas, I, too, would like to thank you for those words. Differently from Rutha, I heard you mean, 'turn off the news'. And I was very pleased to hear that and be reinforced in that because I have turned off the new and I don't get the paper. And sometimes I feel like I am really weird. Yet when I watch that I most of the time get left feeling yucky and my energy is down. And so I found other things to do with my time. In my job as an economist I am supposed to be aware of what's going on. Maybe I am in the wrong job because I don't want to track stuff. And I don't really want to be aware. And I felt like I was guided in this direction. I really feel like... although I made the choices... I sort of begrudgingly said, 'OK, if you are really forcing me I will go this way'. I don't really have a question, I suppose. I didn't mean to go off that far. I was just very deeply moved by your answer to Rutha's question and I wanted to thank you for that. Thank you.

TOMAS:  Yes, and you are aware that a system of economic exchange is not of itself bad news; that much fraternity and resolution is involved in economics. Your heart will find a way to make your experience good in your field. Do not wholeheartedly buy into value as it is today, but bring your wisdom to the field and educate your peers and even your educators. When you are engaged in actively doing something about the problem, however it may present itself, you are acting in accordance with His will, since your integrity is at work and on the line. 

When things are not as we would hope them to be in this world, take with you your spiritual troopers. Do not take this world by storm but by love; not a sentimental love, but the love which resides in you but is greater than you, which is manifest through you when you allow that to happen. You are all sensitive. Were you not sensitive you would not sit here hanging on each innuendo and studying each sentence structure of the transcripts. Give yourselves some credit for not wishing to be abused by the unpleasant aspects of this life. Do not buy in to the sickness of Urantia, but focus on its beauties, on its wellness; and do this not from a philosophic affirmative frame of mind, but from living conviction as you take your stillness with you into the world as if it were armor. Questions?

Isaac: I also thank you for that answer that elucidated on the issue of bad news verses good news. I have been of the opinion that you stated tonight, that it is not of monetary interest to the media to publish good news, at least not very often. And I tend to think that what we regard as news because of this monetary/profit thing is, as you said, definitely bad news, definitely fear producing. I don't want to get into an argument about whether we should turn off our TV=s or not. I also agree with my daughter and don't watch the news very often because I know it is biased in the negative direction. There are some news broadcasts that are positive and it is nice when you discover that. 

However, there is something in the book, Tomas, that has to do with the government of this planet. And I don't know if you are permitted or even want to address this issue, but PamElla and I were talking about this. It has to do with the twenty four counselors that will continue in their present status until some big major change. And the book uses these phrases, 'some change in planetary status ensues, such as the end of a dispensation, the assumption of full authority of Machiventa Melchizedek, the final adjudication of the Lucifer Rebellion, or the re‑appearance of Michael on the world of His final bestowal. The present resident Governor General seems inclined to the opinion that all but Machiventa may be released for Paradise ascension the moment the System of Satania is restored to the constellation circuits.' According to what we have been told by the teachers, this has happened. The circuits have been restored. My question is this ‑‑ are you permitted to or are you inclined to comment on the status of the twenty four counselors? Are they in fact on their ascension journey? Or is that something that you are either not allowed to or don't care to discuss with us? I am just curious. It is a curiosity question. I wondered if you could address it.

TOMAS:  I have not been authorized to discuss celestial politics. However you will feel gladdened to know that those who have sat on that board are ensconced and are observing this development as we speak. It is in process that a vacant seat or two are vying for position. I understand that was not helpful and yet I do not see that it would contribute to your spiritual growth at any rate.

Isaac: And I fully agree that it would not. [Laughter] I do thank you for telling us that. I do have a more down to earth question, less celestial, more personal. This atmosphere that you want us to observe this week about ourselves. I have a sense that you mean... do you mean the effect that we have in a global sense upon other people, not anything contrived or thought out in advance, just kind of what some 'new agers' would say, the energies we give off, the vibrations? Are you referring to something more of that nature?

TOMAS:  Your aura, if you will; your specifically electro‑chemical system; your reality, yes, vibrations, if we must; your truth, beauty, and goodness made manifest. You might now reach out and feel and sense the charge in this atmosphere. There is a physical difference as we sit focused on spiritual circuitry. When we/you step out of this aura/atmosphere/vibrational level and put on your hat and drive your car you are normally setting aside this reality for another due the demands of that other. My request/assignment is for you to not leave it behind, but to take it with you, all of the energies of your spiritual circuitry/cosmic reality with you. You will lose it frequently throughout the day as you get caught up in other energies. As soon as you realize you are without it, take it back, until you can be in that state of grace and calm and divine energy consciously constantly. I do not expect you to complete that assignment perfectly this week, but only to practice.

Isaac: Thank you Tomas. That really does clarify for me what you meant. And I know that experience you are referring to because it is my experience certainly. So, again, that was very helpful. And also I want to thank you for being our teacher tonight and giving both Daniel and Rutha a break, I guess.  It's very wonderful to have you as our co‑teacher. With that I will stop talking.

TOMAS:  Assuredly it is as much my pleasure as anyone's. I have studied to make contact with mortals. I have practiced on and with Gerdean and am still under tutelage.  And so I, like you, am learning; and we are in this together. Thank you.

Leetah: Thank you Tomas. This is Leetah. I really appreciate your last remarks. My teacher said almost the same words yesterday morning that if she were perfect she would be on Paradise. It is just very encouraging to know that you all are here to help us. She gave a lot of comments on prayer yesterday, but, in my mind I questioned what pure worship was because the Urantia Book said that worship had nothing in it for the person who offered worship, so when I was praying the thought came to my mind ‑‑ my goodness, even when I am so grateful for God's love I realize I am the recipient of that love. To separate me from that adoration and gratitude to me is very difficult thing. And she said that this is a good question to ask in front of the group. It might help everyone. And so I guess what my question is as she read my mind was ‑‑ how do we have pure worship when as mortals we are total recipients of God's love and God's very upholding hand and care and comfort and all the things we have because of God, the First Source and Center?

TOMAS:  By being thankful and simultaneously receiving to the extent that your ego identity is totally absorbed by Spirit, when you and your Father are one, this is pure worship. That you are the recipient is one of the benefits of worship. You could not receive His blessing if you did not give yourself to Him so fully in your devotion. Reunion between your evolving soul and its source is the goal and the joy and the adventure. Pure worship is there for the taking, for the giving. It cannot be otherwise since it is complete communion. How could you not receive? You were there. 

Thanksgiving is another matter and one which can be done loosely, frivolously, gaily, irreverently, and often. Your teacher is wise and good. Your relationship with her is heartwarming. Shall we conclude this evening's get‑together?

Group:  No, no.

Rutha: Tomas I would like to ask another question since I don't often get to do this a lot. I have one that ‑‑ I am glad that Leetah brought up this wonderful thing about love. I was reading this week a chapter from a book called the love connection and this book deals with education and talks about, as teachers, parents, and caregivers we need to primarily teach love; that everything in our schools needs to be built on the premise of teaching love and relationships between people. And I thought while reading this that I see this a lot when reading Montessori with her whole cosmic universal approach. And you know her being in the Corps of Destiny, so you know where that comes from. But to see this coming from someone other than Montessori just really stirred my heart and I got so excited. But I see this is idealism and I see the reality. And this is the same things that you were talking about earlier, what we would ideally like to have and what is reality out there. As I said, we can't bury ourselves in a hole, but anyway ‑‑ is there some point in our evolution where humanity will be the primary thing/subject taught in school, and from that humanity being taught that we will flourish? Is this what is taught in Light and Life schools? Is this an idealism that we will ever reach?

TOMAS:  Have you not read your teacher's transcripts? Are you not learning this today? [Embarrassed laughter from the group] I do want to make a remark, however, about that word, 'love', and how it relates to my remarks earlier this evening in that I asked you to be for words are distrusted. And although those of you/us who have a frame of reference for supernal love have one concept of what that means, most people have no concept of what love is in its highest sense. 

Love can be construed as being properly spanked, properly abused. I know that doesn't make sense on its face, and yet as I have discussed before if you are not familiar with love then any substitute can be construed as love to the needy. Therefore a child will make a ruckus for your attention and when you scold the child for making the ruckus he can be conditioned to believe that is love because he was paid attention to. Love is not understood on Urantia.

Also, as you all know, romantic love enters the picture and very, very few people understand romantic love. In marriage there is devotion in child rearing. There is responsibility. There is gratification. There are myriad feelings, attitudes, behaviors which are construed as love.

I am at a loss as to know how to teach love in a school. The only way that I know to teach love is to love, and therefore to teach by being. Ethics are becoming mainstream issues and other values are thinking about becoming issues. I am not familiar with any truly advanced curriculum on love. Marriage schools, parenting schools, those are methods of manifesting loving behaviors. Only our Father can truly teach us what love is for how can we know love until we know our Father and feel His infinite love rain upon us and infuse our beings with love? That is our goal. That is our assignment. That is our joy, to identify that which is love, to learn to accept it, to begin to wear it and to carry it with us wherever we go so to affect all by it, yes.

Rutha: Thank you Tomas. Now you know what Daniel goes through with me, the stubborn one. Again we are back to the individual and becoming so that we can effect change. Some day that will become part of our being and not just our intellect, and that is something to pray for. Thank you for your words.

TOMAS:  Thank you for your need to know more about love and your willingness to put it into effect.

Leetah: I just want to say 'thank you' Tomas. I appreciate your answers and these comments here also.

TOMAS:  You are welcome.

PamElla: I have a question if it is appropriate. I will ask it and then you may tell me to save it. Recently, twice now, I have had a very dizzy feeling. The second time it happened was this afternoon and reminds me a lot of kind of what it is like when I go into the quiet. I feel this rush of energy and it sits me down and I decide to have quiet time. The dizziness intensifies. It is almost overwhelming, not unpleasant, but very, very strong. I was wondering if this has anything to do with spiritual things or is it a physical health problem?

TOMAS:  Your question is not inappropriate. However, without checking I cannot specify. However I would be inclined to guess that it has to do with both for feeling dizzy is a physical condition; and yet some disturbance as a result of your intimate work with spirit reality and your upstepping also can bring about physical disturbance, not to say distress. People have been known to faint and that can be both. Your dietary alterations of late could contribute. It sounds like it has to do with salt, and yet I would not rule out the possibility of being up‑stepped in your circuitry. If you feel concern about this in terms of your well being I would urge you to see a medical person and I would also ask for clarification from a teacher such as myself. I, however, cannot determine such without some research which now is not the appropriate time.

PamElla: Tomas, thank you very much.

TOMAS:  You might be interested to know that as you sit here with me I am visually, that is, with eyes to see, able to see your personal teachers in your vicinity. And it is not uncommon for at least myself to address your teachers as if to say, 'Cora, would your human like to speak?', or 'Alkon, how is Isaac?' and I perceive some sort of response from your personal teachers. I am discovering this as I experience a more sociable environment, and opted to share that tidbit observation with you for your curiosity. [Laughter] My friend, Daniel, indicates that we are being indulgent. [More laughter]) I am, therefore, going to abide by his counsel and offer my final greetings to you this evening and express once again my full appreciation for your abiding with me in our effort to accelerate spiritual growth on this planet. I bid you farewell until our next encounter.

Group:  Good night, Tomas. Good night, Daniel.

*****

DATE: March 4, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC: The Gift of Understanding

DANIEL:  I am Daniel, your guide and your teacher. I welcome you here this evening, this group of individuals who have by their own accord contained a desire to follow the will of the Father/Mother, the Parent of us all. It is my honor to be the instructor for this group as well as now my colleague Tomas. We both welcome you here today giving you our love and our assurance that your spiritual growth, your alignment with the universal truth is apparent and is solidified. We wish to acknowledge your desire to realize your potentials, to come into greater and greater awareness of the Indwelling Spirit. This desire on your part is the avenue through which you will continue to move forward and progress. As you strive to meet with that Father Fragment on a daily basis, will the urgings and promptings of that Monitor within be your ever present guide and director. 

As we have met over the last few years I have witnessed a great and positive change in your thought process patterns in that you have taken the lesson of last week and you have all tried and are succeeding in bringing about your wholeness and completeness. This is an ongoing process and will not be something that can be totally complete within this lifetime. It is the process of becoming that expands over the aeons of time but which is given birth on this plane. As you have been willing creatures desiring to know that First Source and Center the many truths and opportunities laid before you are taking root. Your trunks are growing strong. Your limbs will be able to withstand the storms of everyday life. You will be able to hold the weight of much. As you continue to nourish that inner life you will be able to maintain the appearance of the mighty oak on the outside. And with this I will now begin this evening's lesson.

I ask that each of you begin during this timeframe to look around with different eyes, perspective and viewpoint. That is, I am asking you to contemplate the great gift from the First Source and Center, this gift of understanding. Understanding is that aspect of being able to look at a situation and appraise it from the standpoint of knowledge and wisdom. When one is in understanding of situations there is less likelihood for emotion or undue judgment or the like, to take dominance. When one is of understanding one begins to view their brothers and sisters as a child of the First Source and Center. You begin to see beyond the apparent animal barrier to that of the divine. You see the person as a growing spark of light reaching toward the greatest of all lights. When one is of understanding one is able to allow fear and doubt to fade away. Understanding supports one in self assurance, in confidence, and in the knowing that in all things the hand of God is involved. In understanding, one is able to broaden the picture to a greater horizon/viewpoint and not be of a narrow mind. When one is of understanding one is able to appraise situations not only for their initial appearance but for their underlying meaning as well. When one is of understanding one is able to know which direction is correct in bringing about change, putting forth challenge, in bringing about a better way to pursue a certain goal. When one is of understanding there is a gentleness and calmness in being able to allow the work of the First Source and Center to unfold. 

Understanding is that great gift that can only be utilized when one is willing to turn over and allow Spirit to work through them. You, my friends, have in your life time increased your ability to utilize this gift many times over. In your day to day life you are allowing for differences. You are allowing for there to be a greater cause beneath the surface presentations. This is not always apparent by the emotion you may feel, but in the long run you will begin to see that, indeed, your understanding of events, circumstances, situations, and relationships is, in fact, bringing you into a state where you are able to evaluate and understand situations in less judgmental terms and in more divine understanding.

I ask you this week to take time in your stillness to give thanks to the First Source and Center for this gift of understanding. I ask you to give thanks to Christ Michael whose great understanding of ascending beings, especially human, is very much a part of His experience. Because of Michael's bestowal here on this plane, His understanding of the human mind is not only from intellect, but also experiential. It is because of this great understanding that Michael is reaching out and calling all of His brothers and sisters to be a part of the great plan of ascension. And so as you sit in prayer and worship this week, consider this great gift. Ask that it become an even more substantial, nurturing aspect of your being. For when you walk among your brothers and sisters with a caring and understanding nature, you will be able to plant seeds that would have otherwise been held in the pocket. Your understanding of events, situations, and of life as it unfolds will be your greatest ally in being able to put forth God's love and mercy to all. And with that, my friend, I wish to adjourn this lesson. Are there any questions?

PamElla: No question at this moment, Daniel, I just wanted to thank you for that lesson. That certainly speaks to me and the assurances that you have that despite our emotions at the time we are, in fact, growing in understanding. I have been focusing on some of my failures this week and as you were talking I started thinking about some of my successes as well. So I wanted to thank you.

DANIEL:  It is often the case as mortals that you focus on your failures and weaknesses. It is well to keep that balance that along with every failure there is generally some measure of success. With every successful move there will also be some measure of weakness. It is this balance, this aspect of being human, that you will in time grow to respect. It is important to not focus on one area. Do not gloat on success, but do not despair in weakness; rather realize that you are human, that you are the product of the First Source and Center, ever rising above the human base animal qualities to the more divine. And as you progress there will be a natural and growing measure of success because in the ascent toward perfection weaknesses are through experience brought into the greater truth that with the First Source and Center all things are possible, all things are in reality good.

PamElla: Thank you, Daniel.

Gerdean:  Daniel, this is Gerdean. And I have a question about understanding. I heard you speak of understanding in terms of understanding our fellow human beings. And I would ask you to say a couple words about understanding our‑self. Is it necessary to understand our‑self? Is it necessary to understand our motives, behaviors? I know it is to some extent, but to what extent? Also I was thinking about the Ancients of Days who hold us harmless. Is it kind of holding our fellow harmless also in understanding where they come from and therefore why they behave the way they do? I don't know if I am making any sense in my inquiry, but I guess if you have any remarks on that.

DANIEL:  Yes, this is a many‑fold question. First let me address the issue of self understanding. As I have given many lessons in this regard, it is of utmost importance that you understand yourself. For in understanding yourself you can begin to love yourself. In loving yourself you are able to then love others. Understanding oneself is essential in knowing the why and where and reasons for your actions. Often times, however, there are areas in your life that are on a subconscious level that you are not able to call forth. It is important to remember that to come to grips with any situation, the more you are able to understand the many aspects of it the better you are able to fit the pieces of the puzzle together to see a whole. 

However, it is not always necessary to dig into one's past. If one can see from where one is coming from, if one is able to grow and progress from that point then that is the understanding that is necessary for growth. The painful past is not needed to be dug up in order for there to be growth and in order for there to be understanding. A general understanding of something in the past: abuse, neglect, fear, or doubt can be all that is necessary for one to realize why one acts or reacts as they do. It is not necessary to always pinpoint the specific cause, but rather to know the general cause.

It is helpful for one to know their motive, but this is not always possible. What is essential is that you daily pray to the First Source and Center that your motive be in that alignment with His will; that you can constantly be in that divine shower of doing what is right; that your motives are not in conflict with the First Source and Center. Does this help?

Gerdean:  Yes, Daniel, thank you.

DANIEL:  And now to your second question of desiring to know and understand your fellow brothers and sisters. It is, in fact, very important for you to try to know and understand your brothers and sisters so that in doing so you can approach them from a level of wisdom, knowledge, and intelligence, rather than approaching them strictly from an emotional basis. Understanding brings forth an avenue whereby relationships can progress, blossom, and grow. When one comes from the opposite view of not understanding then what happens is that doubt and fear take hold; and instead of approaching an individual with a level understanding one approaches them with emotion, and there is often a wall of distrust/fear. And so realizing this you can see how in your global affairs many areas of conflict arise because of the lack of understanding. Understanding brings forth, like I said, avenues through which you can make contact, and there can be compromise, there can be work toward greater goals and toward progress. What understanding does is help you see the individual for who, what, where, and why they are. 

One of the biggest problems that remains for humans, however, is thinking and equating the understanding of an individual with that of condoning and allowing that individual to run free, to run willy‑nilly and not assume responsibility. Individuals must be responsible for their own actions. Your understanding the individual and why they do certain things gives you a better leverage in helping that individual to be responsible. Understanding does not give everyone the right to be irresponsible! Understanding gives you the tool with which you can work to help others be responsible. Does this help?

Gerdean:  Wonderful response! You have given me much understanding.  Thank you.

DANIEL:  My dear, you are most welcome.

PamElla: Daniel, that again was helpful to me with the situation I was in today. I was wondering if perhaps you could talk a little bit further. I was in the situation of being in a group of people where the lecturer was taking an ideological perspective that I disagreed with, and that I felt is really part of what is really so hurtful to so many people. I was not able to see the person as being separate from the beliefs he was expounding on. I know I reacted from a very hostile and antagonistic place which wasn't useful at all. One on one I thought it would be easier to be understanding of an individual. Is it asked of us to be understanding of belief systems as well? What would be an appropriate way to respond in a situation like the one I was in today?

DANIEL:  It is certainly important that you have understanding of belief systems. Understanding of belief systems does not mean that you have to adhere to them or believe them. Rather, this gives you an insight into the bigger picture. You see, all of life is never going to be one big happy family of everyone agreeing. Rather this plane of existence is but your first step in realizing the diversity of thought and diversity of natures. As you are beginning to realize in your study of the Urantia Book, the divergent peoples and beings of the many universes are not always going to be in one single thought, that there will be differences. There will be great gaps of thought as well as overlapping and commonness of thought. 

What is asked of you in situations is to recognize that each individual has a right to their own thought, even if these thoughts are totally foreign or dramatically different from your own. You must recognize that each individual has that Indwelling Fragment that is working to bring about change. Those who work toward the greater goal of bringing about harmony among the general populace are those who are most inclusive of others rights and needs. They have been willing partners with their First Source and Center in striving to bring about Light and Life. Those who take a more narrow and convergent viewpoint are often those who are not as willing to work with their Father Fragment. 

You are not asked to change the world. You are not asked to agree with everything you hear from everybody or to counterattack things you hear. In situations like today in which you found yourself you will find that even if emotions have taken over if you can at some point in the stirring of emotion call for the help of the Spirit, which you did, you will find that you can begin to allow emotions to quiet down and mindal intellect to take the greater precedence. In doing so, then, you are opening yourself to receive that guidance from your Inner Source and the many celestials surrounding you to help guide you through this time period. Part of the lesson that we teachers have been giving is to instill in your daily life the importance of quiet time. Quiet time, time set aside to pray and get in touch with the Indwelling Spirit is the time that prepares you for such situation as happened today. Do not mourn the fact that emotions took over; but be grateful that at some time during the discourse today there was a turning point in you and you were able to regain composure. Indeed were there seeds planted today in that this individual and others in attendance were brought into a greater knowledge and perspective of the situation. 

This is life. All of you must realize that in your day to day encounters you will meet people who are different, who think differently. As you ask for this gift of understanding you will be able, then, with greater and greater confidence and knowledge, to meet the many differences of opinion and the different people who carry them. Prayers for those who are definitely slanting for a less righteous goal are always a great option for you. Prayer works wonders in many ways. Even finding yourself saying a prayer for the individual as you are confronting them will bring about a great difference in polarity in that conversation. If you are not trusting of this, then you may try it some time, for there will be many opportunities in your lifetime to experiment. Does this help?

PamElla: That helps a great deal, Daniel. Thank you.

DANIEL:  Indeed you are welcome.

Emalissa:  Daniel, take it down rather simplistically, looking back on my day today ‑‑ basically if we can learn to control our emotions, to try to make the conflict more of a discussion rather than a conflict, still even though we are not probably going to change our ideas and there is a good chance that others may not change their idea. Is that what we really need to strive for since we are not always going to agree with everyone nor will they agree with us?

DANIEL:  Exactly. You can approach things from a level of mutual understanding, mutual dialogue, mutual agreement on terms and definitions. Then you are approaching and bringing a situation into a greater chance of progress and normalization of relationships. Indeed, whenever emotions interfere then the ability to think rationally and thoughtfully becomes elusive. Definitely praying that you can see everyone in a nonjudgmental viewpoint helps the situation greatly.

Emalissa:  I guess that is one place where I have a problem because if I am disagreeing with them I am judging whether or not I think they are right or wrong or whether I am. So that is one place I have trouble.

DANIEL:  And you are not alone. It is evident that this is part of the ability to learn to accept and communicate more equitably. This is part of growth and part of the process of life. Growing into greater consciousness will not come about overnight. You will not some day wake up and be able to turn off emotions completely. This is not asked of you. You cannot just be a thinking machine. You are the embodiment of your whole being. What is asked of you is to recognize your emotion and then try and get past it in order that you can meet the challenges of any given situation, that it can be brought to greater good rather than regression. Not all situations can be resolved nor will they be; but each time you are able to recognize emotion and judgment as being the underlying motive in a situation then you are able to take a higher step to put this in the background and to rely on God's guidance to help you resolve that situation. 

Even Christ Michael allowed emotion to take over His being. You are human. Emotions are a part of you. When, though, emotion clouds intellect to the point where the mind cannot reason, then emotions have overstepped their bounds and have taken over the personality. You cannot totally become emotionless, but you can control emotion so that there is, again, balance. Does this help?

Emalissa: Well as you say, we have a long time to work on it, I think. Yes, thanks.

Kent:  Greetings, my friend.

DANIEL:  Hello, Kent.

Kent:  I get another point out of this, your lesson on understanding, and that is patience. They kind of go hand in hand. I can't really have one without the other. I realize we can't snap our fingers, so to speak, and cure the world of all of its ills, which we would like to do at times. Of course this isn't the way. Can you tie patience into understanding for me?

DANIEL:  Indeed as you as students have seen throughout these last few years all of the lessons are integrated and are tied together. If you would picture for a moment a tree with the trunk going up and the many branches and limbs going off the main tree, you can see readily that each branch is connected to the body. And thus it is with all of the fruits of the Spirit, the gifts of the First Source and Center. They are all integrated and tied together in some fashion. Indeed is it ever more likely that you will hold patience, know patience, live patience when there is understanding. When there is a lack of understanding patience is short, patience is not always there. 

If we took the example of the parent ‑‑ let us consider a parent with a young child. First of all the parent must have an understanding of themselves. And then they must have an understanding of that child. It is most helpful if the parent has an understanding of child development. This, then, is looking at understanding on three different levels, personal, the child, and general child development. If any one of these three is lacking, then the chances for that parent to be patient at times of stress and in times of needing to be the guide for that child in child rearing will be very low. If, however, the parent has a good understanding of the child and the development stage they are in, they will understand why this one and a half year old is constantly putting things in their mouth, constantly climbing, constantly into things. They will not take it as a personal vendetta against the parent that day, but that this is a natural need and tendency for that child at that age. If the parent understands that a child's temperament is one that is different from the child next door, then they are better able to cope with the child as they are in these different stages of development. If the parent understands their own temperament, what is happening to them on any particular day, and then they will better be able to understand the relationship of the child and parent. And in this understanding, then, in times of stress and duress, patience can be better held in rein. If, however, the parent does not have control or understanding in these areas, patience will be very short. Yes, those who are understanding will, indeed, have more tolerance and patience for the weaknesses that they, themselves, have and their fellow brothers and sisters. Thank you for your insight into this area.

Kent:  Thank you Daniel. That was excellent. I like your analogy of the oak tree and all the lessons as the branches and the gifts that they provide. I would say gifts are fruits of the Father. And it is a great experience and fun to partake of these fruits of the Father. Thank you for your patience and very good lessons.

DANIEL:  You are most welcome, Kent. And I, too, enjoy the sweet taste of the fruits of the Spirit. Indeed, they are tantalizing and they do call us back to repeatedly taste and be nourished as a by‑product.

My friends, I must take my leave this evening. The TR, Rutha, is tiring and I must respect her physical condition tonight. Please be aware, this week, of that great gift of understanding. And I must say this is closing, that it has been a wonderful experience for me to come to Urantia and gain greater understanding of the peoples on this plane and the life that is led here. As an ascending mortal it is often difficult at a far off place to understand those who are in the dark, as you have been. By coming here it has given me a wonderful insight into your life here. This insight and understanding has given me the great presence to know what wonderful beings this planet truly has; that the darkness of the ages has been very stifling. But through it all there is this wonderful surge of energy, wonderful surge of peoples who are wanting and desiring to know the First Source and Center. This knowledge and understanding that I have witnessed first hand gives me this chance to say how much I appreciate and respect you in all of your endeavors. 

My friends, I give you my love. I hope that my words are able to support you and to help you to come to greater contact with that Father Fragment within. My love to you this evening. Goodnight.

*****

DATE: March 11, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC: Allow Truth into Your Life so as to Live It

DANIEL:  Good evening my friends, I am Daniel, your guide and teacher. This evening Tomas and I will be working side by side in this time we have together. We would like to thank you for your conversation prior to this lesson. (Editors note: conversation about critics of the Teaching Mission) It is well to hold all of your brothers and sisters in a framework of love knowing that within each individual the First Source and Center, the Father Fragment is working to bring each individual forward toward the home base, the Isle of Paradise. And so hold each individual in this high esteem. Regard them with respect, loving them and supporting them, while praying that the erroneous underlying cause of fear and doubt can be removed. Allow that there will continue to be, as in the past, many diverse path, that in the evolution of mankind progress is slow. Progress is not accomplished overnight. New ideas must be tried and tested before accepted. And with this I will ask Tomas to begin tonight's lesson.

TOMAS:  Greetings students, I am Tomas. I am attempting to bring to your minds ‑‑ one moment. Faithful students, we are many this evening. A magnificent surge of energy surrounds this body of believers. We are thrilled to be part of your progress. Your testimonial of actuating is part of the ripple that goes forth. And in this manifestation of your joy, your standing in this fellowship, this cosmic community, in this intimacy with spirit personalities, how do you convey what you know in your heart, in your soul to be true to others without seeming superior or delusional?

When and as you have aligned to spread the gospel, to give away what you have, to share the good news of sonship and brotherhood, how might this be done without seeming to have more? You have more, and yet you have no more than others. Others are not always aware of what they have! You, yourselves, know your capacities are such that you could fill your reservoir with more strength, understanding, and etc. And so your approach to your peers, your students might take on a quality of, as Jesus did, asking them for assistance in your spreading your gospel. Your gospel is that of the Creator, Michael; and in that child whom you hope to touch is a God Fragment, is Michael, are all the celestial hosts in potential.

Draw out from them what they believe, what they hold dear, what they subscribe to, and then, rather than manifest your superior knowledge and understanding, accept that which is truth. Agree with that. Embellish that. Encourage that and do not dwell on those facets which are different. This is written in your text. This is not new. And yet experientially it is the wiser way which all of you would do well to practice, to consciously look at.

How many times have you heard religionists come from that superior stance that they are 'chosen', they are the truth, they are the one true way? The one true way is through our Father, through Michael. And who can say, who can interpret?

DANIEL:  You, my friends, have been given, each of you, a very special gift of that Indwelling Spirit. As you take that time to sit daily with the First Source and Center, with that Indwelling Spirit, with Christ Michael, and all the celestials present; as you sit in that quiet you are allowing your consciousness to expand. You are allowing the inward light to be made known to you. Through guidance you are then able to live this life. What Tomas speaks about is being able to live this truth.

It is through this experience of living that which is reality, that which is real, that you help to bring about a change in the outward world. Your example, your way of approaching individuals, your way of interacting with one another, your way of serving, your way of doing all manifest that which is learned in that quiet time.

When you turn over and ask that the will of the Father be made known to you that you can follow it, my dear friends, this is the way truth is projected, is brought out; a very simple act, but one that is most difficult when the individual chooses to control, chooses to be the one who dictates. Turning over your life to the First Source and Center will be a difficult choice. But once it is made life will in many aspects be much easier, much more simplified, much more focused, much more understood for you. The information that is needed by you in any situation or circumstance will become known, will become a reality for you.

And so the lesson that we wish to present to you tonight is that there is only one truth, one reality. And that is the reality of the First Source and Center. That one reality is made known to you as you allow it to, as you give over to the prompting of that Indwelling Spirit, as you allow truth into your life. As you accept it then you can reflect it and project it outward.

We would ask this week that you, again, consider your own experiences, your own lives, and during quiet time during that time of thankfulness and worship that you again receive a more expanded version of truth and reality; that what was relevant for you yesterday can no longer sustain and support you; that new and more complete information/guidance be given that you can continue on your own pathway of seeking out and following the First Source and Center. Christ Michael is always there for your guidance. It is through the example, teachings, and continual support of Christ Michael that the Father may be made known.

And so as we draw this lesson to a close let it be, again, a part of your understanding that in order for God to be real for you, you must allow Him/Her into your life. In this allowing and in this accepting will you be able to live that reality, that one truth which is the overall understanding that God is real, is personal; that God is manifested to each of you in the form of love, in the form of goodness, in the form of beauty, and in the form of mercy. Allow God to work in your life. This working and unfolding will by its very nature create for you a ministry of serving one another. We will now graciously accept questions.

Leetah: Hello Daniel and Tomas. First of all I would like to thank you Daniel for your lesson last week on understanding, and for all of the group that asked questions because it really answered a lot of things and supported a lot of things that had been said in the past. I was just very grateful to hear it again. As I think in terms of trying to have patience with a couple of my first graders, even though I may understand where they come from and what their backgrounds are, it is difficult to have patience and not let them off the hook. I really appreciated you saying that understanding did not mean that you let people be irresponsible. I have thought about that several times this week as I have tried to keep two little guys responsible for their actions.

Tonight's lesson on reality, I think I heard two things. One, that the ultimate goal, the ultimate reality is God, the First Source and Center, the Center of Paradise, the Source of all that is. And I think I also heard you say that what was reality for us yesterday will not maintain us today. Is that correct? Did I hear that?

DANIEL:  As you are well versed in human development let us take the analogy from this. As a child learns mathematics you would not present them with calculus. Rather you start out with the very basics, introducing the child to the concept of what number is. As the child proceeds and grasps what number is then other concepts are presented and built upon. The initial truth of what number is will always remain constant, will always be there, but the understanding of numeration expands and grows.

And such is the truth about your divine nature. Your understanding of God, of love, of the universes is very limited. But as you experience life, as you turn over and ask for guidance, as you sit in the quiet, and as all of these things are combined the basic truth of God's reality will always remain the same. It is your perception and your ability to grasp more and more expanded knowledge and wisdom that will grow. And what is relative to your understanding yesterday is that which is the foundation for tomorrow that will help in furthering your vision. Indeed, basic truth is always at the core, but as you progress through each step of physical development you see the foundation that supported you will help you grow in concept development. The same is true in your spiritual life. You continue to add to that concept development, that foundation, through the quiet time and through your daily experiences in life. Does this help?

Leetah: Yes, Daniel, thank you very much.

PamElla: Good evening Tomas. Good evening Daniel. I wanted to thank you for that lesson and that reminder of how if we make the decision to turn our lives over to God things become much simpler. Things have not been feeling very simple for me this last week or so and I recognize immediately as you say it that I have tried to take control rather than turning it over and truly knowing and trusting that someone with much greater understanding, insight, and knowledge of past, present, and future is in charge. Still for me tonight that remains an intellectual concept. I don't feel that, and I would like to feel that and live that because I do, for small glimpses. I clearly haven't made that choice permanently in my life because I sort of play at it and then I take back control. I guess I remind myself of a typical addict in the flirtation stage before really deciding to give it up. Maybe that's where I am with control. So those are good words to think about and I thank you.

TOMAS:  Thank you for your words as well.

DANIEL:  In the realm of experience and learning, and in all areas of growth and change there is a tendency to recognize first through the intellect. This is an important first step. It is very difficult for individuals to accept anything without first knowing, without mindal capacity of understanding and knowledge. Once the mind understands then the core feeling/intuitive inner part of your being is called upon to react next. And you will find as many tread life's path that, indeed, they know, they understand, but living is more difficult, to be able to 'walk the talk' so to speak.

Yet let me congratulate all of you who have been able to at least know 'the talk', at least be able to understand and know intellectually. For you have taken that first step up the ladder which is an analogy that we use frequently here. Continue walking up steps because you may go back down them. But remember, that which you really know, which you really understand will be there at the core.

Mindal capacity has a way of pushing the individual to seek the higher path. And so you will have many opportunities to be prodded and pushed along and encouraged to take that step. And when you finally get to the top of that ladder you will be able at some point, maybe not on this plane, but at some point you will be able to drop the ladder and climb on to the roof. The roof, my friends, is the ability to allow God to be the supporter under you. No longer will you need to feel, yourself on the ladder as the controlling agent, but you will allow God to be the one who will guide, instruct, and carry you forward.

Do not feel shame or guilt if you have not turned over completely! This is a process. It is part of life. It is part of growth. It is part of the spiritual experience so necessary for soul growth. Each time you can feel God's guiding presence in your life you are reassured, you are given food and nourishment that will help you in future decisions. Continue in this pursuit. It is the process of life.

TOMAS: And if I may add, when you see this God in your fellows add to it as well for it nourishes your own reality by bringing assurance of the reality of your fellows. And this is something you can all build upon while working towards that roof.

PanElla: Thank you both.

Isaac:  Greetings Tomas and Daniel, this is Isaac. Thank you very much both of you for your comments. Thank you Daniel for your personal commentary to me last week giving me the lesson I had missed in the group. I guess what I would desire tonight is to take a little longer to talk about your commentary, Tomas, relative to how to share the gospel without appearing to be a 'know it all', to come on to other people in an offensive manner. I heard what you said and I am familiar with it in the ministry of Jesus, that he asked people for help and he asked them questions. I guess what I would like you to do if you could is to give an example of how this might happen, what kind of questions we could ask. I am assuming the help we would ask for would, of course, be genuine, not contrived. If you could do that I would appreciate it.

TOMAS:  Thank you Isaac. I will begin with crude analogy, and that being a handsome man who is pursued by a beautiful woman who has ulterior motives at heart. No matter how adoringly she may look upon this man there seems something shallow and distrustful about her. And yet if this woman were to simply love this man he would surely know from whence she comes. And this is true also in your dealings with your fellow men and fellow women. For if you act as though you have ulterior motives, if you have something they 'should' want, they will be put off in their subconscious level and you will not make strides. Love that individual purely and simply, not necessarily for who or what he or she is, for that may be unlovely and distasteful, but for what that person can become.

And more specifically in actual practice find some one thing which you and that individual share commonality about; and in order to find that you may elicit responses in order to have some mutual grounding. Ask questions. Ask for guidance from them. Allow yourself to be sufficiently humble as to elicit who they think they are, for then you can respond to whom they think they are. Accept that. Love that. If that is a delusion or a lie they will see it clearly in your simple acknowledging of it. If it is genuine, they will be encouraged. Find something loveable about your peers and concentrate/focus on that genuinely. When you run out of good points from someone, scratch deeper and find a new level on which to plant your seeds. Does that help?

Isaac:  Yes, I appreciate those thoughts very much. And I did have an actual example in mind which I won't elaborate on and I will apply what you said to how I acted. I think I did pretty good job in light of your counsel just now. One of my problems is that as a person employed in a school system we are a little bit wary and concerned about talking 'God talk' with children and with parents. In this case I advised this parent to let her child know that her real value was that she, the child, is a child of God rather than just an ugly seventh grade kid as she thinks of herself. Thank you very much, Tomas.

Jeremiah:  Good evening teachers, Daniel and Tomas, this is Jeremiah. I was just thinking too ‑‑ I would like to follow up on Isaac's question. A lot of times I go out and try to talk with other people and the problem that I am running across is that they just look at me as another missionary with another book. Of course they have their book. And as you ask questions and try to bring them out what winds up is that they are planting seeds on me. So I am just asking in general, what should one do then? Should you assume that they are pretty well set in their religious beliefs and leave it be? Or are you saying scratch a little deeper and see if there are some more common bonds where you can try to plant some seeds? What can you say here on this subject?

TOMAS:  Would you like a response in stereo? [Much group laughter[.

Jeremiah:  I understand that, yes. [More laughter] I am just asking to discuss a little more on this subject, because my understanding is that I don't want to take anything more from their beliefs. Most people when they do open up they do talk on the subjects, at least the ones in Salt Lake City, they seem to be pretty common in some of their viewpoints. And they take it as their mission that they are going to save you. You wind up getting into them lecturing you all the time. And I don't want to say anything wrong about their faith as far as planting some seeds in there. Sometimes I am having trouble discerning when it is best to talk and when it is best to listen and just be quiet and let them explore their things and end. Maybe if you could talk on this subject. Maybe I'm not asking the question correctly, but some thoughts along those lines would be helpful, please.

TOMAS:  Daniel, would you like to go first?

DANIEL:  Indeed are these questions ones that many mortals would like to have a pat answer for. But in reality each situation, each encounter is different. And to put forth a single answer would not be correct.

What is important, my dear friends please hear this; what is important is that you live the reality and the truth of the First Source and Center in your own life. That you practice daily what you believe. That you take the guidance and the strength that is given to you from daily communication and trust, trust, trust, that you will be so directed in your daily encounters with one another. You are not asked to go out and change the whole world! You are asked to simply live the life of righteousness according to the beliefs you have been given, according to the guidance that is given to you daily. In this course, then, you will be a seed planter far greater than any words can ever elicit. Trust that you will be the representative of the truth. Do not push, do not coerce others. Be the example and live the life. Trust the guidance given to you and you will be ones who bring about change. Often seeds planted one day do not take root until many years down the road! Do not think that you must have flowers blooming the same day the seed is planted!

TOMAS:   I concur. That's the stereo.

Jeremiah:  Thank you for the stereo. [Much laughter]

Leetah: Daniel, with your comments on that I was thinking in terms of the three stages of the Father Fragment within our being. I can't remember the first one. [Ed: Thought Changers] I think the middle one is the Thought Adjuster and the last one is the Thought Controller. And when you say trust there as we ask God's will in our life daily, I am hoping that the Thought Controller will take my thoughts and make them words and actions. Is that what you are saying?

DANIEL:  As you allow God to become a real part of your life, as this becomes part of your being, then by a natural outflow will the words you speak in times of necessity be those that are conditioned by the foundation you have laid. Yes, if you truly are turning yourself over, if you are not being motivated by other thoughts, then, indeed, will the words spoken be those that hold truth and will be words of substance. It is the prior conditioning and setting of the, (to coin a phrase from Montessori that you will understand, Leetah), to have the prepared environment laid out, planned for, and thought about on a daily basis, continually updated, continually made ready. Then when you are ready for the children to come into your classroom will the stage be set for exploration and learning and seed planting. If you prepare your divine classroom with as much conscientiousness, with as much desire for growth, with the determination to let go and let God, then, indeed can you count on, literally count on knowing you will be guided. Does this help?

Leetah: Thank you Daniel.

Paula:  Daniel, this is Paula. In your conversation earlier I believe you mentioned something about knowledge and understanding ‑‑ that maybe what clipped into my mind had to do with maybe the difference between understanding would be knowledge about, and maybe belief/faith would be a belief in and that trust. And so that faith is maybe, then, the next level of understanding. Would that be consistent with what you are speaking of? Or did I make myself not so clear?

DANIEL:  Understood. Indeed is there a difference between the various layers of understanding, knowing, and, of course, faith. Understanding is a mindal thing where you can with clarity intellectually conceive of an idea. Knowledge is internalizing that idea and knowing from a much deeper, more intuitive level. Faith is taking what is not truly explained or known, but deeply and intuitively felt. Faith is putting one's real belief into that internal intuitive beckoning. And it is possible and is natural that even those who are not given to intellectual understanding and intuitive knowledge, are given a faith that sustains them. This is the gift that is given by the Indwelling Spirit and the Spirit of Truth to help bring forth further progress of wishing to pursue and allow God to work through you. Does this help?

Jeremiah:  Yes it does. Thank you teacher.

PamElla: Are you ready to close the meeting? Well, I will go ahead. This is to Tomas. Tomas, you were talking about the one true reality being God and Christ Michael and we get to God via Christ Michael. I understand the truth and the reality of what you say. What went off in my head were the alarms from the way that statement by Jesus, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by me.' has been made by many, many churches to take exactly the perspective that you were warning us of. I don't know what my question is. I just know that as you said that I felt that same alarm. But I do understand the reality. But that is certainly not something I would ever want to say to anybody. I guess I would let them discover that writing in the Urantia Book, or if it came up give my understanding of what that means. I don't know. That statement I have associated a lot with the pain of very dogmatic churches, and I felt some of that pain at the time that you said it. I guess I just wanted to make that statement so you might comment. I guess I am also concerned what readers of our transcripts would feel also, if they would react with that same alarm, with an emotional reaction that is from the past and doesn't have to do with the reality, I know. So would you respond?

TOMAS:  My purpose, if you will, in broaching that aspect... no... my inexperience is evident here, and yet your conditioning is your alarm to wake up to new truths. Your programming is unnecessary scaffolding. You are aware in your stillness that you pray to Michael. You worship our Father. It is very difficult to launch into worship without acknowledging our Creator [Michael]. My point, however, was that each individual who is indwelt by God, who is activated by Spirit reality, whether they are a student of Jesus and Christian philosophy or Buddha, or etc., they are indwelt. That is what will grow their reality. You cannot convince another person of his own reality. You cannot put your beliefs onto someone else. Even the greatest gift that you would have the world, you cannot give them. That is a gift from the Father. That is what you would wish them to want for themselves. And that is your challenge in interacting and spreading the gospel, that you should bring their own reality to life, not that you should superimpose yours on them; but you should nurture and encourage theirs. Is this helpful?

PamElla: Yes, Tomas, those thoughts are helpful, thank you.

DANIEL:  Students, the evening is drawing long. The TR=s are tiring. Tomas and I will take our leave in this fashion at this time, leaving your with our love and our peace. I ask that you again take time during your stillness to align yourself to the degree that you are able to with the First Source and Center, asking and thanking and being a part of a great adventure; and seeking that the adventure that you are personally on, is reflective of all that the Father/God projects so that truth and reality is made manifest in your individual lives. Our love. Farewell.

*****

DATE: March 18, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC: Determination

DANIEL:  Greetings my friends. I am Daniel, your teacher and guide. As a member of the teaching staff under the direction of Machiventa Melchizedek I bring you my love and peace. We, Tomas and I, wish to welcome our visitors this evening, to extend our love into your domain. Let not the appearances of this type of communication bring forth fear or doubt. In the realm of the First Source and Center all things are possible. Have faith. Hold on that throughout the evolution of ascendant beings there is time for change, time for growth, time to let go of past concepts. The reality of this day is seated in the truth that the First Source and Center is the source of love and mercy, is the source of all that holds the universes intact. What is deemed necessary for ascendant mortals is carried on through the various Local Universes. Our Father/Brother Christ Michael is working to bring His bestowal planet into higher consciousness.

This evening I will present, along with Tomas, a lesson regarding the understanding of determination. What does this word mean in your language barrier? Many use this term but they are not understanding its basic underlying meaning. Determination, determining, to be determined means that you are exercising free will choice. In this regard I ask you to think about the many ways in which you are a determined individual in the areas of your personal life, in the areas of your personal life through relationships, in the area of your physical life, and the area of your spiritual life.

Have you not made a certain commitment to a certain lifestyle? If you have adhered to a certain trend you will need now to look at this is in the broader context that what you do is something that you have determined. I asked you to look into this because often what you consider as just a part of life is something that just goes on day by day without you stopping to consider why a certain habit, a certain lifestyle continues. It because you have determined that this is the route you will go.

Let us look at an example in order for you to realize the effect of being a determined individual. Let us look at the habit of chewing one's fingernails. I am using a very simple example, yet I ask that you continue to use it in ways that are more significant and have more meaning for you.

One who has initially started chewing their fingernails makes a choice in doing so. Later on this becomes habitual. No thought is given to engaging in this activity. Under stress, high tension, or boredom the individual will seek solace and comfort in this habit. This habit at some point in time may be thought about by the individual as lacking, and therefore they may wish to change. 

How many times have you heard an individual wishing to let of habits say, it is impossible! I can't! The underlying question is not whether or not this habit can be broken, but whether or not the individual remains determined to perpetuate this activity or to terminate it. Free will choice lies at the bottom of whether or not this habit can be broken. This is a very simple example that can be viewed by you in deeper terms. The deepest term that I will now present on the opposite end of the scale is that of being spiritually determined.

God is self determined. It is all of the choice and will of the First Source and Center that has created and made possible all that is, ever was, and ever will be. As an ascending mortal you, also, can be self determined. This is the gift directly given to ascending mortals by the First Source and Center; that you have this choice in freedom, in utilizing your own mindset to determine the pathway you wish to follow. Those who freely determine that the First Source and Center is the goal of eternity will in all likelihood follow a path that will lead more directly to Paradise Isle. Those who have not understood free will are those who often do not understand the concept of allowing God to work through your lives. Saying that you wish that your will be that of following the First Source and Center is not giving up your freedom. Rather it is allowing that God who reaches down is received by you reaching up; that you can touch in and be a part of the plan of the aeons.

Self determination in allowing yourself to be a part of the divine plan will behove you in ways beyond your imagination. It is not restricting to turn your will over to following God. It is more restricting to allow your misguided determination in life to take charge. For in wrong determining are you met with many roadblocks, many challenges, and many sorrow endings. Much unhappiness those who perpetuate the path of not taking responsibility for choices. Determination, that ability to choose freely is a wonderful gift that you can utilize to the fullest. 

This week I will ask that you consider the times when you have made a definite commitment, a definite determination. Those who sit in silence with the First Source and Center on a daily basis will be supported in their choices. For how can you truly ask that you be guided and not be guided. If your motivation is that which bespeaks of the highest truth then the choices you make will be guided by the will above. When you have set upon a certain course, when you have committed yourself to a certain course, and then be determined in this. Allow that free will choice that you have made to really bespeak and become reality.

As an example there are many in this room who are teachers in many areas. In this teaching, in this decision that you made to be a teacher of minds or teachers of souls you now embark upon the journey to be the best that you can be in that regard. You have made the determination. And now follow it through with vigor and enthusiasm, with joy, with love, and with mercy and tolerance. And now Tomas will bring in his message this evening.

TOMAS:  Greetings loyal students, I am Tomas. I have listened with interest to my peer's dissertation regarding determination and have only to add that in the arena where you seek to find fellow fishers of men you may affect them by your determination. 

By standing for your beliefs, truths, and opinions you have set in motion some reality which has cause and effect. Your determination fostered by your motivation to follow His leading in all things has brought vigor and life to your moment of social actuation. Your actuation of your determination now ripples into your immediate arena, and your fellows will be impacted by the determination you have made. Many intellectual determinations cannot be moved. However, many spiritual and soulful misconceptions of reality can be augmented or altered progressively by your method of presenting your determination. 

Your words and your attitude present, therefore, the Spirit of Truth for that individual to respond to or recoil from. Your fishing venture will sometimes catch fish and sometimes reveal an empty net. And yet in your determination to follow the Master and plant His seeds of truth and cosmic awareness, in those who are merely waiting in anticipation of their own reality being awakened [this] is effected. By your determination to live the will of our Father, our Creator, by allowing our Creator to live in and through you, in your dealings you are manifesting the same determination as the Master; in aspiring to be Godlike, as Daniel has said, in loving, merciful ministry to your brothers and sisters who await your determined call for their soul. I have no further additional remarks to your fine presentation.

DANIEL:  Questions are now in order.

Clarissa:  Daniel, Tomas, I am delighted to be here and in your presence to hear your words. I do have a question regarding something that we were reading in our study group where it mentioned the laws of spiritual growth. I am wondering if there is such a thing as actual laws. Could you comment or give me any further understanding of that? Thank you.

TOMAS:  Whereas there is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, there are laws of the universe. These are set down and are manifested through trial and error. Yes, there are material laws, spiritual laws, yet there is no fine nor punishment for breaking such law. Rather as you are children of the Most Highs you are afforded the opportunity to learn through your own experience and identify those laws which have become part of your morontial realization of your freedoms and limitations. I do not know if this has addressed your question.

Clarissa:  It has given me a greater understanding but I was trying to look through the concordance, trying to find what these laws were, to see if I was actually living in accordance with these laws.

DANIEL:  As you grow in your physical life on this plane, as you experience life, and as you grow from infancy through adulthood you have found that there are certain laws that you have discovered on your own. For instance you have learned that you do not touch a hot stove without being burnt. In other words consequences have helped you to learn laws of social discourse, how to relate to other individuals. You have learned that manner and courtesy take and receive higher response and are more successful than is profanity, than is total disregard for another's feelings or lack of tack. This you have learned.

And so, you see, the soul is learning those universal laws as you progress. As you experience each step of the way you learn and know then what is the highest course to take. You see, the highest course, that righteous path is the one that bring forth more growth. That becomes, then, the law. That is what you adhere to. That is what you will follow for that is what calls and beckons the soul back to the Source. It is not within our realm to give a list of dos and or don'ts. You know instinctively, you know intuitively and feelingly, and you also know intellectually. When a law has been broken it reverberates through your whole being, body, mind and spirit. You know also the opposite, when a law has been followed, for joy, peace, security, and love are part of your feeling, part of your domain at any given point. Does this help?

Clarissa:  Very much. Thank you very much.

Paula:  Daniel, I would like to follow up on a little bit of conversation about that. Would it be because the spirit realm has that kind of freedom? I am mindful of the notion of we don't know where it comes ‑‑ anyway the freedom and creativity that as we walk in ways that keep us at one with our God and all of those things that make us whole as selves, that those spiritual laws are tailor made for ourselves. Certainly they are universal to each of us but they are also uniquely fashioned for us. And I heard you say actuating. And as we find those spiritual laws for our own being and actuate them, we become a larger part of the whole body so that they eventually will transform and bring about this correcting time that we are in.

DANIEL:  Indeed, each personality is unique. Each pathway back to Paradise Isle is unique. Indeed is there a universal dialogue, if you will, but each measure for an individual of knowing that which is real is unique.

Paula:  Then would one of the differences between material law and spiritual law be the fact that the material law can be codified, but, again, because of this freedom that is given us and also the quality of spirit, that it really cannot be codified. We know, but it is not codified?

DANIEL:  To a greater degree, yes, however, there are certain spiritual attributes, if you will, or knowings, understanding that you intuitively have knowledge of. Indeed, abstraction is very much a part of what you speak of. Yet there are instances when the situation is very clear, is very concrete. And yet it is very much immersed with spiritual reality.

TOMAS:  Might I add, too, when we speak of law and man's law verses God's law, there is that opportunity, challenge to opt on over the other. In certain circumstances it is not pleasing to the soul to break God's law to accommodate man's law. And yet, oft times in your society that is the wiser decision.

Paula:  Thank you Tomas. I wonder if that ‑‑ I was thinking as you were speaking and even before ‑‑ the difference maybe between law and truth. I'm sensing ‑‑ I am not able to articulate ‑‑ I'm sensing that there is that difference which very much to me resounds in what you said in terms of the wisdom of sometimes needing to go with the material law against the spiritual law. Is there that relationship between truth and law and the difference between those two might be those times?

DANIEL:  What we are working into is philosophical debate and wording. However, let us backtrack to previous lessons regarding the term, truth. Truth is the highest knowledge/information/wisdom that is understood by an individual at any given moment. In this regard, then, while there is the one overall truth, there is lesser and lesser degrees of that truth that are understood by individuals on the various levels that they are on. So in that sense you would say that truth is relative to an individual at a given moment, yet there is this overall truth. This overall truth would be also the law of the universe. For that is what the universe is, but the truth as it is understood. Rather than to quibble or to put it in the context that we have been speaking about, it would be easier to give an example.

Individual cultures have certain ideas and certain moral ideas and mores that become, if fact, law. This law is understood by the people as the highest level of authority, that which must be followed. That law in the reality of God given truth many not be real truth. Do you see?

Paula:  Yes, Daniel. And I didn't mean to get us into a quibble or a semantic ‑‑ I am just so concerned with the whole social arena of legalizing and the word, law; and how that is being contrived to actually limit one's self determination, and hence their spiritual development that it was important for me to find a way to differentiate that. And I appreciate what you articulated because it was very helpful. Thank you.

DANIEL:  Indeed. My friends, whenever you are in doubt about that which is the right path for you to follow I know that you can all tell me in unison now what to do.

Group:  Seek the stillness and time with the Indwelling Spirit, etc., etc.

DANIEL:  Very well stated!

PamElla: Daniel and Tomas, I appreciated your lesson and it has stimulated a number of different questions for me. I think what I want to ask at this point is how pervasive determination is in the entire circumstances of our lives. I am thinking at the moment about physical health. I know that this is in some ways running down an avenue that I have already had discussion about with you, Daniel, in private a long time ago, but I am thinking that maybe with almost two years that have gone by and the growing that I have done, my understanding might be different. At that time I was very concerned that I was creating all the circumstances in all my illness and therefore creating a lot of guilt. And I know that the guilt was not at all healthy for me and it was necessary to break that guilt. And it was such a relief for you to tell me that I, indeed, had physical problems and that my autoimmune system was weak.

But now as I am thinking again about determination and listening to some of what Carrie was sharing before the meeting I am thinking about the role of determination in our health and where I first went was in attitude, and that being as a response, being kind of down, being tired, being somewhat depressed can be a choice; that we can respond in a different way. And then I was thinking about the physical aspects of it and I was wondering if therefore a lot of our illness is in fact ‑‑ to what extent are our illnesses in fact our choosing? I have certainly been beleaguered, I guess is the word I am thinking (and now I am wanting to look that up in the dictionary) by bad health again recently. And I am focusing on that and what to do about it in the physical realm. I, of course, spend time daily in the quiet. I am wondering again to what extent I am choosing to have that in my life?? That was very long and roundabout, but thank you.

DANIEL:  This question is one that would need to be dealt with specifically. However, I will choose to give a broader answer that more may benefit.

There are within the human body a whole myriad of systems working together. And there are instances in nature where there is a breakdown in the body which can be termed a hereditary disorder or a congenital defect. And there are these instances where the breakdown is very physical in nature and therefore one cannot say that the person in this situation is desiring and determining to have this disease.

However, even the person in this situation must realize that there is a responsibility toward their health that they must be accountable for in order to maintain and in order to keep the body functioning at an optimal level. If, for instance, a person is born with or develops a disease and knowingly does that which is detrimental to their health, then most assuredly, they are determining to have ill health. Those who have a health problem but do what is necessary in all areas of help, that is nutrition, diet, mental attitude and seeking the assistance of the life carriers, then, most assuredly these people are on a right path. Let me qualify that having to direct attention to a life carrier specifically is not necessary, but rather turning over toward any kind of spiritual healing is what would be the normal vocabulary of the realm. And so this person, then, is determining, is willing that their health be improved.

And so one can most assuredly, then, be determining ill health or determining better health. Responsibility is a key factor, but one must consider that even the most responsible person is part of a planet that is environmentally unstable with many environmental pollutants and with many viruses and bacteria that are natural and those that are caused by human neglect, etc. Given this it is important that you work toward maintaining health, utilizing all that is given to you that will help manifest better health. Attitude, as you mentioned, is a great part and has much to do with a person's health. Does this help?

PamElla: Yes, Daniel. That did help me very much. It relieved that sudden sense of guilt that I had created it all again. I don't always do things perfectly, but I have decided I am working in the right direction. Thank you.

Isaac:  Hello Daniel and Tomas, this is Isaac. I thought I understood your lesson, Daniel, on determination at one point to say something along the lines of ‑‑ on this planet we are not as fully aware of free will choice as we might be or we will be. And what I thought (if this isn't what you intended, I am not sure) but the thought that came to me was that much of our thinking is what I would call deterministic rather than determined. We think in terms of society and genetics and the emphasis on free will, in my judgment, is minimal. It is almost a concept that science can't explain or deal with. So those were thoughts. I thought perhaps you were saying to us we actually have more ability to create our future ‑‑ I know the Urantia Book teaches this, and you are in agreement with that ‑‑ that we can do a lot more to create our future and affect ourselves and our world than perhaps we give ourselves credit for. Is that in agreement with what you were intending, if not explicitly what you said?

DANIEL:  Exactly! The point of my lesson was, in fact, to help you realize that when you say ‑‑ I am determined to do something.., that you recall what the word 'determine' really means. It is a free will choice! If you are determined to know the First Source and Center, if you are determined to follow the First Source and Center then you are making that choice. That choice will, indeed, open up new worlds to you! If you were determined to follow some satanic cult then you would be determining a life that would be far different from that of following the First Source and Center.

These choices are indeed choices that you are making that is determining your mindset. When you seek the company of those who put forth high ideals then you self perpetuate those ideals. They are always in the forefront of your mind. If you seek the company of those who put forth hate and the like, then you perpetuate that. You are determining, then, by your actions you course of life. You are making those will choices. indeed!

Isaac:  Thank you.

Leetah: Daniel and Tomas I did want to introduce Angie Martin who has been a Urantia Book Reader by herself in Vernal, Utah. She has moved to Pocatello and she is here tonight with us."

TOMAS:  We are pleased.

DANIEL:   Indeed, Angie, this group welcomes you with open arms. Be not afraid. Allow God's will and love to surround you this evening with the love that is emitting from those in this room that are visible to you, and the many that are out of your vision range. We send you love from the universes.

Leetah : I really appreciated your continuation of the question that Carrie asked. For me the mores, the laws, of the organize church had produced a tremendous amount of false guilt, that even today I really have to deal with. So it is hard for me to separate those laws from the laws you say we know intuitively. When we break God's cosmic spiritual law there is a separation. But it is so hard for me to separate the broken law that separates me from God and the broken laws that separate me from people or organizations or something. I am not sure I am making this clear. I am still not sure because of my feelings that it is spiritual laws I have broken or moral laws I have broken or neither. Maybe I haven't done anything wrong! But I feel guilt! I am not sure I always know, yet I really appreciated you with your comments. I don't know if there is anything more to say or not. I appreciate the knowledge that you give us and I try very hard (I'm thinking in terms of the first graders) to help them to realize that they are responsible, they are determining, they make their choices in the classroom. And I do appreciate very much what you said.

DANIEL:  My friend, whenever one is very, very uncomfortable with themselves in any given situation there is cause to consider motive, attitude, and the situation. Whether or not the situation is erroneous or only a part of your erroneous thinking at the time is immaterial. What is important is the fact that you are felling uncomfortable. When this is happening you must decide if the reason you are uncomfortable is something that you can change within your own being or within any given situation that can bring forth a greater and higher purpose. When this is the case you will undoubtedly feel better. What is important at these times is to remember that the First Source and Center has already forgiven. It is up to you to forgive in order for forgiveness to be complete. Remember to love yourself even in your weaknesses. Make better and more determined commitment to strive to know the will of the father, that you can live a life that bespeaks how and what you think and feel.

With that, my friends, Tomas and I will take our leave. Be ye determined individuals. Be ye determined to take the time to know the Father, that through the time spent with the Indwelling Spirit you can be the determined individual that follow the will of the Father/Mother Spirit of us all. 

Go this week in the love that surrounds you, in peace that can fill you when your sights are determined in His will. Good evening.

TOMAS:  Farewell.

*****

DATE: March 25, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC: Discussions Regarding Teachers

TOMAS:  Hello my friends, I am Tomas. Daniel, too, is here. He is always here to see your growth, to feel your loyalty to this process. And yet he has afforded me an opportunity to further acquaint myself with you and with this process.

My friends, my purpose in being here is, of course, the same as you find with Daniel. And as we grow we expand our capacity for further growth. And this includes technical evolution as well. This teamwork teaching is uncommon and, if not difficult, requires fine tuning of the teachers and the TR=s and patience by the students. We are evolving in our methods. We will continue to evolve given your cooperation and support and involvement. We have come a long way. We have become a beacon of light to not only those who are aware of the longstanding loyalty of this group to their teacher, Daniel, but also to individuals whom you humanly touch in your daily efforts to spread the gospel, to carry out the lessons, the assignments which are given to you regularly.

My background is similar to Daniel's, as he has told you. My human experience was not dissimilar to that of yours inasmuch as I reared a family, felt human feelings, and was led to God‑consciousness and the subsequent involvement in my ascension and the ascension of my peers. These are fundamental no matter what superuniverse we come from. 

We are in this to encourage one another, to reinforce our own reality as that being reality from the First Source and Center, to the end that this marvelous creation can expand eternally. Once you have shed your fetters and feel the buoyancy of your morontial reality your appreciation for the adventure of this ascension plan will be greatly augmented, for you will be in association with entities who are not as obviously affected by physical disease and emotional acting out as it is seen on your native planet. This is not to say that you shall not know deep, great joy in your life on Urantia, for, as you already know, you have plateaus of celebration and quiet daily joys of sharing simple pleasures only known to mortals.

It has been mentioned that could you but see you would be greatly buoyed. This is a promise, that you will see and know incredible lightness of being, even as the angels. We all, however, have our work to do. We all engage in productive and constructive activities. This is not work in the sense that you have been reared with, but work in the sense of service. For we have learned to approach our work, such as with you, as an opportunity, an occasion for sharing, an occasion for drawing out that in you which fully responds to the soul hunger for wholeness.

All of we teachers in this great mission are indeed united. Your United Midwayers have paved the way. And your prayers for divine intervention and surcease have brought about this added dimension for which we are grateful, as you are. My lesson plans are based upon the same outline as other teachers. Machiventa Melchizedek has trained us well in what he would have us call to your attention. And within certain guidelines and restrictions you will find them hailing from the same order, but with human personality we also have personality and therefore different avenues of approach, different modus operandi. My hope is to help you to realize yourselves and to bring forward those innate gifts which have been bestowed upon you by your sonship. Our modus are the same and our love is deep. 

It is a joy for me to address you such. And yet I am also aware of my peer=s presence and wonder if Daniel would like to greet you also this evening.

DANIEL:  Greeting, my dear friends. Indeed does this windbag as you have often referred to me as wish to give you my sincere love and to thank Tomas for providing you with some personal background and some common background. Indeed do we all search and strive to move forward toward the Isle of Paradise. Indeed do we all, ascending mortals, work toward that one goal via many avenues and pathways. Yet underneath is that great unifier and that great and wonderful truth that the First Source and Center is the goal of eternity. 

As a contrast to speak of Tomas' lesson let me bring forth a practical point of reflection for you this week. As this planet is known as the 'planet of the cross' let us all reflect this week of your timeframe in Christianity as well as Judaism, this week that marks the end of the season of Lent. I ask you to look upon this timeframe not as a time for remorse, but rather as a time to celebrate victory, that the true meaning of the Resurrection be understood, that the 'blood atonement' of Good Friday be not seen as the message brought by Christ Michael.

As you walk your pathway you, too, will be as Michael, carrying many crosses, but yet realizing that through struggle and through experience there will be triumph, glory and enlightenment. These are my words this evening. We open this for questions my friends.

Isaac: Hello Tomas and Daniel. This is Isaac. I would like to thank you for sharing your background and cosmic view with us tonight. I personally enjoy it when you teachers can disclose that little bit of personal information because it feels to me that you trust us enough to tell us personal things just as we do when we share in our sharing times together. For me the sharing time tonight was a very wonderful heart warming experience. 

Leetah: And I ‑‑ actually it was our study group last night ‑‑ Emalissa was there too ‑‑ we were reading the paper on the planetary prince and the number of volunteers that volunteered to be part of Caligastia's 100 was somewhere in the neighborhood of 700,000. And we were speculating on how many volunteered to come as teachers in the Teaching Mission. Daniel has alluded to the fact that there were many. I don't mean that you have to give us a number. You may not even know. It seemed to me that it is a parallel situation, the Planetary Prince brought his staff and of course the rebellion ended his proper job. And now the Teaching Mission is here. It occurred to me that it is sort of like starting over the planetary government again; not exactly the same. Anyway those were my thoughts. If you care to comment on any of that it would be fun.

TOMAS:  There were upwards of, I believe, 750,000 inquiries into this assignment. All did not follow through and most did not train. Many opted not to work in such density and some, particularly those who had been close to the drama of the war in heaven and Michael's bestowal, were more inclined. And even then, some were refused because of their excessive fervor. The selection process took some time and the training process goes on even as we speak. It would seem that many who were not originally selected but were put on backup status are actively engaged in visiting TR=s when possible so that they might have this experience. 

For you see, this experience is not only for your benefit. You have little appreciation of what emotions, feelings we experience when and as we enter your arena. It is, of course, highly improved since we have come. It was fairly despairing and barbaric not long ago. Our efforts already, that is to say, yours and ours combined, have paid off handsomely and will continue to impact and effect all the way from here to there. Was that helpful?

Isaac:   Yes. Thank you very much, Tomas. I think we are sitting here nodding our heads in amazement to hear you talk about how much improvement you have seen ‑‑ not that we don't agree but trying to get an idea what it must be like from your perspective. It is difficult for us to do. Your answer was very gracious and complete. Are we sort of like a part of the new Prince's staff ‑‑ not on your side, but on our side? Is there any parallelism there or is that just my own mind going on at length here?

TOMAS:  Well, you are and have been ambassadors, soldiers of the circles. And now you are called new apostles as well. I surely encourage you to feel as if you were part of the home team. This business of formal status is not recommended at this point since we are too young in this phase to be affording lieutenancies and whatnot. Mortals have that unhappy tendency, you know, to allow pride and ego to suppress their spontaneous growth.

Isaac: Yes. And I'm sorry if I sounded like I was making an ego/prideful question here. I sure it could be interpreted that way. But that wasn't my intention. It's so hard for me sometimes to accept the congratulations and adulation that we hear from you teachers in our TR meetings. We all shake our heads and wonder ‑‑ are we just out of our minds?! Thank you for the sincere camaraderie and inclusion in the teamwork of this mission. But I don't believe I really intended to sound egoistic in my question.

TOMAS:  My son! I heard no egoism from you. I made that as a general commentary on the human condition. I did not and do not perceive any aspect of your soul that was out of line or seeking compliments.

Isaac: Thank you very much. I will let someone else talk here.

Leetah: Good evening Tomas and Daniel. I know that the Teacher Corps, The Teaching Mission is growing. And you mentioned that there a lot that are practicing with TR=s whenever possible. Is it appropriate to ask at this time how many teachers are part of the Teaching Mission?

TOMAS:  All teachers are part of the Teaching Mission. I am not up to date on statistics, but the hundreds of personalities who are working with this mission from the assignment of the Teacher Corps fluctuates. There are, as you might know, teachers who are unassigned and some who are un‑assignable, some who are firmly ensconced in a viable teacher base. There are also myriad mortals whose channel is wide open and who receive messages from teachers, Teacher Corps teachers in transit. It is our hope, our priority, that those available TR=s are familiar with the Fifth Epochal Revelation to this planet for the values in the text are immediately understood and accessible. Yet there are millions, literally millions of ascending sons and daughters on Urantia whose heart and soul are open to divine communication. And these also are being touched regularly, yet many millions of teachers are not assigning themselves to these myriad men and women because we are an aspect of Michael's plan and it offers this greatest good to those who support the Revelation which has already been planted and come to fruit on this planet.

What I am saying is we are not trying to play favorites. We touch those we can in the ways we can and offer encouragement and solace and spiritual reality when we can. And yet most of our formal work is done in groups such as this which has the total sanction of Melchizedek and the blessing of Michael. That is all.

Leetah: Thank you very much Tomas. That was a very encouraging statement. It is just wonderful and we too see positive things on this side that are happening. I am so very grateful for the teachers and the Teaching Mission.

Brenda:  Hi Tomas. This is Brenda. It is good to finally hear you speak. I have heard a lot about you. I'm confused. I was under the understanding that we received our teachers a lot of times when very young, at four, five, or six. So I assumed that almost everyone had them or maybe I bypassed that entire subject. I was wondering where that came about; if there is a difference between personal teachers and you and Daniel. What is going on with that?

TOMAS:  I am pleased to greet you my child and student. It is a pleasure always to make contact fragrant daughters of our Father. I appreciate your faith in addressing me and in your own reality that you can receive truth. 

Yes, there are many kinds of teachers. Your personal teacher has abided with you many years. It is only recently that the teachers of the Teaching Corps have become attached to various mortals and geographic areas to teach spiritual truths. These, of course, are all intended to bring you forward, to draw you up, to incorporate you into your own awareness of your place in this living, loving organism, creation. There are great gifts from each type of teacher. Your personal teacher is actually an assistant for your personal life. You have, without getting too personal that is, you have human situations, experiences, impressions to include your cultural heritage, your genetic makeup, etc., and your personal teacher is fully equipped to help you to understand your behavior, your reactions, and your actuality in the flesh as a human being. The teachers in the Teaching Corps are spiritual teachers. Yes, we are aware of your humanness and, of course, that humanness is the fertile soil over which we strew our seeds. For your destiny is to combine your gift of humanity with the Father's gift of divinity in evolving an eternal soul. So teachers such as Daniel and myself as well as dozens now actively, firmly placed, well respected teachers and hundreds more waiting for appropriate alignment and assignment are here for Correcting Time mission. Your personal teacher is skilled in helping to correct you! [Laughter].

Brenda:  She has a hard job ahead of her! [Laughter] Thank you. That makes it a lot clearer now.

TOMAS:  Thank you.

DANIEL:  "I have a message from Sonora.

SONORA:  My dear friend. Even as you are busy I am with you. Do not feel guilt in your busy lifestyle, but remember that the pathway through life is much more understandable when you are able to see the road signs. Quiet time is that state whereby the road signs become imprinted and give guidance. I am available. I wish for you to feel my love, my friend.

Brenda: Thank you Sonora.

PamElla: Hello Tomas. I have two things. I will go back to my original and then follow‑up with the questions you have stirred. I really appreciated getting to know you better. It makes it easier for me to feel you as a friend as well as guide. But I have further personal questions! I was wondering ‑‑ you said you have raised a family and that sort of thing like all people in all superuniverses. I am wondering more about your particulars in terms of ‑‑ was your planet in Light and Life or was it far from light and life. What stage of development was it in? We know that Daniel was like the role of a doctor in his life except that that was much more advanced, treating the unified personality rather than the medicine that we have now in Western medicine. Could you tell us a few more of these kinds of details? I know they are more curiosity and not so spiritual. But I guess it is helpful to me in getting to know you in the process.

TOMAS:  Understood. My native planet home is not Urantia. I am from a nearby universe, yet they are not dissimilar. My world was not yet settled in Light and Life and yet it was in many ways more advanced than Urantia. That is, you might recall in your text that you have the example of life on a neighboring planet where the advanced society segregated themselves from the primitive tribes which comprised most of that land mass. Our world, that is, the world I experienced with my mate and our children, was not as rigidly structured as that example. But we had certainly more elevated and severe backward peoples. I was a professional, educated, having come from a good family. I married my original sweetheart and we shared more than 40 years together before she preceded me to the Resurrection Hall. We had four sons.

My work was, as I have tried to convey before, a combination of explorer and companion. For we in my profession found need for ambition to study people. We had already studied ourselves sufficiently to become bored with our own standing. Therefore we ventured into more primitive societies. And in order to be welcome we adapted and took on the qualities of those primitive societies to a great extent. All, of course, in the name of science. I am therefore experienced with reaching down and with finding great enjoyment in my companions on that adventurous level. Perhaps it was my earlier work as explorer/companion which gave me an edge in becoming your teacher. I am, however, becoming rather gabby myself. If we are going to be so sociable perhaps we should have a private session.

PamElla: I would enjoy that Tomas. Thank you very much. That was really wonderful for me and I am going to be codependent here ‑‑ I think there are probably enough people that have similar feelings to me that enjoyed knowing that about you as well. Would that be considered like an anthropologist today, except way more advanced?

TOMAS:  A sociologist.

PamElla: OK. Thank you. When you were talking about the many teachers ‑‑ I guess I need a clarification beyond Brenda's clarification ‑‑ you talked about the millions of people who are open and looking for divine guidance and that love is given there but no one is attached to them. I guess I am understanding that it is meaning the Teaching Mission teachers. In the Teaching Mission there are two types of teacher, personal teachers that we all have who help us with our personal life that may have been with some of us from very early on as we have come to find out in some cases, and there is the Teaching Corps. Are those of us who have had the benefit of having a personal teacher who has been a part of the Teaching Mission all this time, was that in anticipation that we would become attached to the Epochal Revelation of the Urantia Book? And that those other people who are open but perhaps not in a position where they are going to become a part of the information from the Urantia Book, is that the distinction between those who get teachers that are attached to them and those who just get teachers passing through. This is my first question. And my second question is there another whole subset of teachers or different groups of teachers that are not part of the Teaching Mission that are working to bring about higher truths with people who are not working within the framework of the Fifth Epochal Revelation but rather working in the framework of the belief system that people already hold? And trying to bring the higher truth out of that?

TOMAS:  Question mark?

PamElla: Yes, both of them. And a couple of exclamation marks.

TOMAS:  One can only hope that those of you who have been accompanied by personal teachers would be guided into your life's work and eternal identity. However it is not a failing if this does not occur. 

It is true that personal teachers are assigned to many, very many. It is more a tendency of late in your evolution since upstepping is occurring. Not all people have personal assistants for reasons I am not apprised of. Those who have personal teachers often reject their personal teachers as people reject conscious awareness of their Indwelling Spirit since it required something of them. And it is easier to deny the existence than to do the work.

There are spiritual teachers besides the spiritual teachers in the Teaching Corps. There are many religions on this planet, all of which have value and qualities which could lead you into God‑consciousness. These sincere believers are assisted by teachers to the extent that their belief system allows, to the extent that their Thought Adjuster can adjust their thoughts Godward. Also there are other kinds of teachers, yes, from the celestial realms. The Midwayers are and have been active for thousands of years in setting up situations to induce spiritual decision making. And even though mortals and spirits may not always have the benefit of inter‑communication there are ways and means used to prompt miracles. It is assuredly true that the universe is a friendly place, and we are actively involved in holding you up to the spiritual breast for food and comfort, warmth and soul life. You are beloved. You have been in darkness for too long. It is time we all came together in honor of our Father and in praise of our Creator. 

I am finished for this evening. I have thoroughly enjoyed our repast. May I offer Daniel opportunity to give his closing remarks.

DANIEL:  To this last great discussion let me remind you to not be so naive as to limit the First Source and Center. Wherever there is life there is God. And God is always there beckoning His children.

And also let me give a friendly, yet loving warning, that curiosity questions of the future may be very limited! We are happy, on occasion, to be able to serve you a piece of cake. But remember our goal is not to present ourselves to you, but to present that which is truth, that which is love, that which is of the First Source and Center.

Tomas and I are grateful for your love. Please accept ours. And may peace walk with you this week. Good evening.

*****

DATE: April 1, 1994

TEACHER: TOMAS

TOPIC: Unity and Diversity

TOMAS:  Good evening my friends and loyal students, I am Tomas.  I am here in the stead of your Daniel who is available on the circuit as he is ministering even now in his arena. My joy it is to be with you in this capacity as teacher. My hope is that I do justice to the lessons you have already absorbed and made a part of your living legacy. This privilege of being part of the Teaching Corps is one which ever grows in the bosom of us teachers, as being made part of Correcting Time mission also grows in you. 

It is my wish to reveal to you in my mode what thoughts and concepts I can impart to you in your readiness. And although it is an option to simply dump words upon your plate for your consumption, I would prefer to spoon feed those morsels to you which would nourish your soul most satisfactorily at that moment. For it is not always the case that you would opt to hear about, say, 'unity and diversity' even though these words would bring comfort and satisfaction to your hearing. And your review later of the words themselves would offer you food for thought and substance for learning. My children, you are each indeed unique and lest the lessons be so generic to merely be pablum in your minds I seek rather to sense the soulful configuration of you as a group that each of you finds nourishment, that you can chew on what you have learned and make it part of your spiritual muscle and life's blood. 

I have listened, as has myriad other spirit personalities, to your relating your week's adventures and misadventures and have ascertained some common thread amongst you all. And yet I am inclined to remark upon this business of anniversary of crucifixion and resurrection only to one extent. And that, oddly enough, is tied in with the fact that today is both Good Friday and April Fools Day. 

It is possible that this on its face makes no sense and has no comparison whatsoever; and yet, if you will, my brothers and sisters, my thoughts have to do with the humanness of this man Jesus whom we follow, specifically to His moments in the garden when He asked that His apostles remain awake with Him to support Him in these final hours of facing His own demise, and in their opting in their fear and weariness to sleep. 

Truly what fools we mortals be! 'We' is a word I can use as I am privy to the vagaries of humanness.  I am not here to remind you of your frailties particularly; but it is in juncture that frequently when we are in pain or in distress, as was Peter in the courtyard, we act in ways which are not in harmony with how we truly feel. It is difficult for sensitive and enlightened and Godknowing individuals and souls to be forthright, as this sometimes could be misconstrued as spiritual ego. And by the same token, false humility is the greater sin. 

It is better for you to err loudly for truth and justice in defense of your integrity and in the belief you hold dear than to acquiesce to political correctness or social mores and let an opportunity go by unnoted. Better for you to sit up with your Master and cry, if you must, and beat your brow in longing than to turn aside and pretend you are not needed! For my children, you are urgently needed! And this is one of our purposes for being involved in your lives today on a moment by moment basis.

Our assignment here has to do with bringing forward this planet which has long languished in isolation and darkness. It is your privilege to radiate your reality and your joy into your arenas. And you have one another for support and the teachers for sustenance. This work that we do is not for your intellectual edification and comfort. This is truly a battle cry toward action! And although I am not suggesting that you act the fool, I am suggesting that in the hour of need of this planet it is not wise of you to turn your back on those who cry out for your comfort in your companionship. 

I say these words and you say back in your mind, 'yes, Tomas, but what am I to do? Where am I to go to be companionable?' And this is our simple message that we have given from the beginning: that these are existent in a look, a gesture, an opening of a door, a pat on the back, a song in the air. For service of this sort is soul expanding. This is a matter of your livingness. When you have glorified your life by singing the praises of love for your life and your fellows and your God, you cannot be in false humility. For all the praise ultimately is for the Father, for His Son, for His helpers, for His children, for His having created this ascension plan; that all might know and receive His love and perfection. 

In this outpouring of your beliefs, your affirmations of your relationship with your God, your conviction of the truth of the matter, this living love radiates and gives forth the light of the I Am, and accelerates the sunshine, gives witness to the miracle of the Resurrection and the Life. Even though you may feel yourself at first foolish, as perhaps you did when you toyed with the idea of a 'being' named Ham, you have since come to love your teacher Ham, and Daniel and many others who have become personal to you, who have touched your heart, who have expanded your mind and your spirit and your community. And you see that this is real!

And thus I call to your attention April Fools Day, for by fools such as we, we have turned this lowly life around and are singing songs of joy and thanksgiving! I am glad for the trust you have given me that you have given to Correcting Time, to the Master, to each other, and most importantly to yourselves, to your own integrity, your trust in what you perceive to hold the Spirit of Truth. For in your determination to follow that which you have come to trust you have helped your teachers to turn in good reports to our headmaster. And we are grateful and so pleased to be working with you. I have concluded my remarks as far as fools are concerned, and open the floor for questions and/or meaningful exchange of discourse as you deem desirable.

PamElla: Tomas, thank you for those comments, that lesson. I very much appreciated hearing that there are those desiring comfort from our companionship, and that the way that we share our companionship is through the smile, the opening the door, our beingness in our lives. 

When you first said that, I felt overwhelmed and I felt my boundaries invaded because I know of plenty of people that very much would like comfort from my companionship. And I don't feel like I have the energy to give it, or the time, nor are these people the people I would want to spend my time with, given time. So my initial reaction was to feel guilty and feel overwhelmed that I was being told that I should be doing more, being a better friend. And so I was so relieved to hear that not only are actions important, but I can do it and still respect and care for myself. I thank you. I am more aware. I will keep my eyes up when I am walking to the car so that I can make that eye contact and give that smile and look for those people, and share myself in that way without having to share the intimacy of my life. And so thank you.

TOMAS:  You are welcome, my child, and certainly relieved of any feelings of burden in service. Your taking care of yourself is fundamental. Your spiritual realm and your physical realm are most important. If you seek balance in a unified personality, make certain your physical system and your relationship with your God are primary. And then make certain that your social/emotional/intellectual balance is in there also. You are of no use to anyone, much less yourself, unless and until you are taken care of. Your Father can take care of your spiritual needs; and He needs you to take care of yourself. We, that is, your spiritual family are also here to be of service to you. Your teachers, as you know, come to you when you have need of them. Your fraternal family is also here for you when you have need of them. This is a blessing, that you can wash each other's feet. It is not always that this need arises. But when the need arises, it is desirable that each of you rise to the occasion of willingly serving your fellow believers.

PamElla: Thank you, Tomas.

Paula:  Tomas, I, too, appreciated your talk. One of the things that is very important to me is the word integrity. And as you were just responding to PamElla, this thought came to me that one of the ways that I have considered what my integrity is, is that I am acting on my spiritual beliefs consistent with that relationship that I have with God; that as I care for myself probably the best thing that I can do is to keep that main connection, that life flow coming to me; and I, then, become the vehicle and the hands that then stretch out in hospitality gestures. But also very important for my integrity is the issue of justice for all kinds of people. So I appreciate the reminder again of ‑‑ each of us for our own integrity must, I think, determine what it is that God calls us to be and so do. And then act on that. Thank you.

TOMAS:  Thank you my child. Your observations regarding integrity is on point. Alas, your reference to justice brings to my mind an entirely new lesson which I am not prepared to get into. Yet justice is certainly something that comes about as a result of integrity, that there is distortion in justice is an indication that much growth is needed in the area of humankind integrity.

Paula:  I will look forward to your lesson on justice, Tomas. Thank you.

TOMAS:  You are welcome.

Isaac: Hello Tomas. This is Isaac. And I want to thank you for your thoughts, many thoughts, diverse thoughts that you put together like a mosaic around this concept of Holy Week in the life of Christ Michael and April Fools Day. I thought I heard you say, I understood you to say that it would be better to err on the side of arrogance, not exactly arrogance but ‑‑ to go in that direction than to say that we are not important enough to make the effort. Did I get that correct? Were you illustrating that with the disciples choosing to fall asleep because they didn't think they were important enough to Jesus to do what He wanted, and that it would be better to overestimate our influence than to underestimate it? Did I have that understanding correct?

TOMAS:  It would seem that those two pieces of the mosaic have the same color. And yet I think there might be a piece that fits between them. I am intrigued that your definition of foolishness is, what did you say, aggressive?

Isaac: Better to err in the sense of arrogance...

TOMAS:  Arrogance.

Isaac: Y than to diminish one's value, I guess is what I was trying to say.

TOMAS:  Yes I heard arrogance and foolishness together and was intrigued with that connection. It is better to voice yourself and err on the side of appearing foolish than to allow the opportunity to pass you by.

Isaac:  Thank you. That is clearer for me. Thank you for clarifying that.

TOMAS:  I do want to say that even though I am designated 'teacher' and you are my students, this is not necessarily a classroom environment. Often some of the best teaching is done in situations where there is exchange of ideas among the students and teachers, not necessarily in question and answer form. I am not suggesting that we alter Daniel's format for obviously it has worked well for you all for a significant period of time and to an incredible degree of success. My history, inclination, experience has been more, not informal, no, but perhaps more conversational. And I have already told you I would delve into your minds and souls and feelings. I am not, however, going to meddle. I simply have observed other groups such as Welmek's group. He had his students discoursing among themselves, learning human qualities about one another and often looking to their teacher for direction and confirmation of what they themselves had revealed. It is my privilege to be here, period. I am not inferring at all a change in format. I am merely saying that it is not required for me that you frame your thoughts into a question. For, as you well know, I respond to your soul needs. And if you phrase words in a manner which I can see what you are trying to express to me, I will respond accordingly. Is that understood?

Leetah: Yes, Tomas, it is. I am sure you know that sometimes Daniel has asked us to discuss among ourselves different thoughts that he had thrown out so that we certainly do respect that idea and have used it. 

When you first started talking tonight you talked about unity and diversity. I couldn't help but be reminded of the section I am in the Urantia Book. I am reading the paper, 'Universe of Universes'. The section that meant so much to me yesterday morning was the 'part to the whole'. And you teachers have been saying over and over again that if we want peace on this planet we have to start with ourselves and find that inner peace. This section made it very clear that the part affects the whole and the whole does affect me, the individual. And so I was just sitting here thinking in terms of the diversity that we find on this planet and among our brothers and sisters and diversity in the teachers and yet the unity of the whole; that each of us can touch our planet and each other by making ourselves a better person, by producing those spiritual qualities that come through quiet time and time listening to you teachers. And I just wanted to say that and say thank you.

TOMAS:  Thank you daughter. I am in fact reminded of the analogy I once made to life being a symphony and your words there recaptured that analogy; that if each individual would determine for themselves what their instrument is, what their note is, how they are constructed so as to make their musical note when they are accorded the direction by the Master conductor, how in the end, even though there is a huge range of musical instruments, under the direction of the Master this comes out as symphony of exquisite praise. And when each individual knows himself, his strength and weaknesses, her strengths and weaknesses and can portray his or her personality, truly then all these personalities manage somehow to blend together to create this incredible living organism.  Yes, the wondrous part is that people pick up their instruments at all! For many refuse out of fear that they cannot play. And of course the more who do, and practice, and make their noise known, the music, the praise, the song is louder and more joyous.

Leetah: Thank you Tomas.

Paula:  And Tomas the other thing that I was thinking of as you were thinking of the symphony and we as members of the orchestra ‑‑ a symphony has several themes. To carry the analogy further, is it then the integrity and the purpose to which we are led and the ways in which we are led and the way we contribute in our lives become the themes of that symphony? And again, those themes will only make music as we pay attention to the conductor. But the themes are as important as the orchestra. And some of us don't pick up instruments out of fear of making noise. But I think also a lot of people don't pick up their instruments because they don't know what the theme is. And that theme is only, as I understand, comes through as we find ourselves in relationship with our Indwelling Spirit, with our guides, and ultimately with God.

TOMAS:  Absolutely. It is true in the music of life, in the symphony of creation, and in the production of your involvement in spirit reality that there are themes, there are discourses, there are small plays ongoing to advance the overall surge and these are an integral part of the rise and fall of the emotional wave that carries along the audience. I say audience only because there are indeed those who are not playing, but are only watching. And one of your privileges is to so ignite their love for music that they might take the risk of determining whether they are suited for horns or strings themselves. You need only whet their appetite by your radiant joy at being involved in the symphony. In time, children, the entire creation will pulse and surge with this living music; and your following the conductor is your greatest joy.

Paula:  And what's nice is that the conductor and the author of the symphony allows different instruments to rest at times and not everybody has to play at the same time. So we can be participants and listeners at the same time, so we can be renewed as we are playing in that symphony as well.

TOMAS:  Well said. You see Leetah how your sharing has sparked an interesting discourse? And I feel/perceive that there are some French horns here in this room who are anxious to play.

Isaac: I just want to make a comment or observation on something that has been going through my mind, Tomas, and the rest of you. I have been reading that part of the Urantia Book that deals with normal planets and what process they go through and what it is like in Light and Life, etc. And what I realize is that ‑‑ and I even read this, that Jesus was fully in Light and Life as a human being when He lived here. He lived in Light and Life because He achieved His full potential. And what I am realizing is that this Teaching Mission is ‑‑ it's like the way it supposed to be is happening!  Not just the Teaching Mission, but certainly clearly there ‑‑ pockets of Light and Life are occurring. I have observed that or I think I have made a connection of that in this strange planet that we are on, with this process. So these are my thoughts.

TOMAS:  For which you receive an A!

Isaac: Thank you!

PamElla:  Dad loves A's [Much laughter]

Isaac: I like A's, Yes! [More laughter] But that's not why I said it. [More uproarious laughter]

TOMAS:  Your observation is correct. Yes, it is possible, not only possible, it is actually, that once a mortal has attained a level of perfection, relative perfection and God‑consciousness it is granted that they are in Light and Life in their own right, in their realm, in their capacity. It is noted that when a number of individuals who are individually in Light and Life convene and harmonize that then constitutes a larger mass of Light and Life. And our ascension plan ascribes that this process shall continue and accelerate. This, too, is why we are here encouraging you and reaffirming and reinforcing on a daily basis your reality, your, yes, Light and Life! And as you take it as your own, edify it, refine it, purify it, humanize it, evolve it, and share it, it is contagious! And you give forth those qualities that reinforce the value in others, in your neighbors, in passersby, in family, in co‑workers, and occasionally even in what can be called 'enemies'. Your job is simple. It is to radiate your own Light and Life.

Isaac: Thank you.

Paula:  Leetah and Isaac and I are part of a group that teaches that when 5% of the population gets an idea, then it will take off. Maybe perhaps the foolishness of today is that we can believe that, that 5% can change the world.

TOMAS:  Another A student. [Chuckles]

Paula:  Thank you. I like A's too! [Laughter]

TOMAS:  We have here a very bright group. Daniel should be proud of having you as his loyal pupils. I am certainly proud to be among your good humor and your advanced thinking skills.

Paula:  After that accolade it may not have been that. I have to confess that when I was in seminary I told my professors that I gave up A's for Lent. [Laughs]

TOMAS:  How humble! [Laughter]

Paula:  Isn't it though. [More laughter]

Isaac: Tomas you can see that I have been offering this mike to others but they are turning it down, so I will keep talking. Would you say some more about this false humility stuff? I think I know what you mean but if you could elaborate a little more what you mean by that term...?

TOMAS:  Yes, my son. I can and will elaborate on that matter of false humility, although this will be difficult since I am revealing these thoughts to Gerdean for her review and growth. And therefore I will be hard pressed to keep her out of my words when I am trying to say what I want to say. 

This matter of humility is not the same as false humility. For if you have humility you have this unto yourself in your behavior. In your demeanor toward your God and toward your fellow man it is an attitude.

False humility is not an attitude but an error and it assumes that you are so humble that you dasn't even open your mouth. And the problem here is that in not opening your mouth you refuse your God‑consciousness the opportunity to express itself. Your Spirit of Truth is Michael in you, and He has promised to speak through you and work through you. If you are so humble as to feel that you have nothing to offer which has any worth, than you are thwarting the efforts of the Spirit to express itself through you. Do you see that this is false humility? It is possible for one to be totally humble, well perhaps not totally humble, but relatively humble and be able to nonetheless put things in perspective and praise our Father, and Michael, and beliefs, and other personalities, and value and, indeed, oneself, while still maintaining true humility. False humility is a stumbling block toward expression of truth, beauty, and goodness. Is that helpful?

Isaac: Yes, that is what I thought you meant. And I appreciate you spending the energy to help clarify that.

Leetah: Tomas, following along that line ‑‑ sometimes the reason I don't share God, my values, my beliefs is not because of false humility but fear. Are they hand in hand? Sometimes I just bite my tongue at work rather than to say that which I think is evident. And I don't think it is false humility on my part; I think it is dreadful fear that I try hard to overcome. And I can say it in private, but in situations where a word could have been said I am very fearful. I don't know if that is false humility.

TOMAS:  Thank you for your expression. And I will respond. I recall I shared some weeks ago about the laws. We were discussing laws. I made reference to sometimes it is wiser to abide by man's laws than God's law. And whereas that may seem like a silly thing for a teacher to say your situation is exemplary of that, what I said. For you are invaluable where you are. You have obviously taught many and joyously and have made a mark on the souls of hundreds of Urantia children. Your value there is so great that you would, indeed, do the universe a disservice, certainly these children a disservice, not to mention your own soul satisfaction as a teacher of these children, should you upset the apple cart and speak forth so vehemently as to deprive yourself of this opportunity. And so whereas you bite your tongue this is not fear, it is not false humility, it is wisdom born of experience. You know, you are advised to be as wise as serpents and peaceful as a dove. And you have studied your environment well and it is wise that you comport yourself as you do. For you are a gift to the children as they are a gift to you. Our Father likes it that way and you are doing fine. No, false humility and fear are not necessarily operating hand in hand. They are not friends.

Leetah: Thank you Tomas, very much.

PamElla: I just wanted to add, Tomas, we have all been told not to throw pearls before swine. As I think of my mother's situation I would think that a lot of the things that she wants to say are throwing pearls before the swine and would have the opposite effect. The swine don't understand the pearls and they just cause bad digestion and get mad at the feeder. [Group laughter]

TOMAS:  To this I would say, yes, my child, you are probably correct. However, it is not particularly for you to determine whether or not they are swine. [Uproarious, prolonged laughter]

PamElla: Thank you, Tomas. You are right of course. [Laughter continuing]

Kent:  Good evening, Tomas. You went back a few years in my past to find my French horn. I believe that was before my teacher was assigned to me. Its a few years back. Thank you.

TOMAS:  Thank you, my son.

Kent:  I think you wanted to hear from me, I don't know, since I am the only one that played a French horn in here tonight.

TOMAS:  Your melodic notes are welcome and eagerly awaited.

Kent:  Thank you. A question about what we have been reading at home on this glorious Fragment we have within us, this God that we have and the morontial soul. What we read was that there comes a time, a point in our ascension or in our spiritual growth, our morontial soul can begin to make decisions. Can you explain that a little bit?

TOMAS:  I am not certain if I can explain it for I am not cerebral. But I can respond and recall to your mind that the three loosely designated areas of Thought Adjuster, Thought Controller, and Thought Changer broaches on morontia mind much as mota broaches on morontia mota. When you have found yourself committed to His will, doing His will, when you are practiced at following through and trusting the guidance that has been given to you, you act accordingly. And even when you have fear or trepidation, this is your destiny, to merge such with your Thought Adjuster that it and your morontial soul are in unison. Therefore as you allow your spirit to attune itself to the God Fragment your personal ego drag becomes less, your animal heritage becomes more and more insignificant. And the arguments that you present against spiritual realities are less and less. You begin to act in accordance with your God Fragment willingly and confidently and do not allow your vestiges of mortality to hold you back or trip you up. These are joyous unfoldings when you find yourself being willing to go along these lines and find, too, that it has led not to disaster but to joy and growth. These experiences then contribute to your furthering these kinds of decisions and loyalty commitments, and yes, determinations to follow the Spirit Fragment, the First Source and Center wherever It leads. Even when intellect may feel it is foolish it may, in fact, and, indeed, lead you into greater harmony with the all pervasive, all powerful Father of us all. Did that respond to your inquiry?

Kent:  Yes... that gave me much more insight and a better feeling for this and I understand. Thank you for that.

TOMAS:  I thank you for sharing.

Kent:  You said you were privileged to be here this evening.

TOMAS:  Truly.

Kent:  We are privileged to be in presence of teachers, yourself, Daniel, all that are present in this room.

TOMAS:  We are all privileged to be part of the Master's plan.

Kent:  It's fun. It=s a great union. Thank you.

TOMAS:  Yes, my son, my brother. My children, the hour grows advanced. I am about to abide teacher Daniel's admonition and before I make my final closure I stop a moment for your spontaneous remarks or questions if any. (pause) I feel your souls are at peace; and I am pleased to have been privy to this occasion of searching into our own abiding reality in truth and in spirit. 

My children, my admonition and lesson assignment for you in this coming week is to radiate the joy of the resurrection of Michael into your fields. Carry with you His triumph. Let them know that you have been with the Master, and He has called you His own. It is for you to carry your sacred mission into your lives, to touch with graciousness and humility those around you. Bestow upon your fellows the knowledge that He is risen and that He lives in you, in the world, and if they are but willing, in them. My peace I leave with you, my students, my fellows, until we meet again. Farewell.

Group:  Good night Tomas.

*****

DATE: April 8, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC: Self‑Responsibility

DANIEL:  Greetings my friends. I am Daniel, your guide and teacher. I am very happy to be back with you here this evening after having been away from teaching duties the last few weeks. Again, my thanks go out to Tomas and Gerdean. It is a growing experience for us all during these times. And I know that you students are now beginning to realize the depth of the Teaching Mission and the diversity of teachers is as great is the diversity among yourselves. Indeed are you beginning to realize the depth to which each teacher can bring new perspectives and stimulate your desire to become that walking light.

It is also my desire at this time to say hello to the northerners as you said earlier. It is like family here this evening. As your discussions prior to my speaking has attested, this has been a week where it has been important for you to seek inner guidance on a very serious level. The trials of life are not alleviated through enlightenment. The trials of life are only made less apprehensive, made less threatening through enlightenment. There is more courage involved to face a challenge, to walk the experience with courage, fortitude, determination and the like.

And so to each of you I will say again, it is important for the rain and storms to come, for it is this that provides the water and nourishment.  And from these trials springs forth those blooms that have been tried and tested. Those seeds that are lying dormant are brought to life by the waters of life's trials. There is always a measure of beauty somewhere to be found. 

To those who are in situations where forgiveness is necessary, let me say this. God, the First Source and Center is all mercy. Forgiveness is not an aspect that the First Source and Center must deal with. Forgiveness is an act that you, the ascending mortal, must rely upon in order to know freedom, in order to grow. If one remains shackled in the chains of unforgiveness one brings more toil and troubles to their lives. One is not asked to love fervently those whom they forgive. One is asked to recognize that each individual has an Indwelling Spirit; that within each individual there is that spark, there is that part of God which knows only love. In that recognition and that mindset forgiveness is possible. By so forgiving do you allow, then, for your own soul growth. These things you have spoken about are, indeed, trials and crosses that are most difficult for you to understand. Pray that the world and individuals will be able to forgive in individual situations that in so doing can there be more evolution on a planetary basis, and more importantly there can be individual growth and happiness, remembering that the spark of the Indwelling Spirit within each individual cannot know hate, cannot know injustice will help you in this forgiveness. Remember each individual, no matter how abhorrent behaviors may be, cannot be discounted or cast aside. Judge only actions; judge not the person. Remember that in judging you are not allowing that forgiveness to unfold and you are imprisoning yourself.

Indeed, my friends, may I give you a measure of hope that spiritually and globally there is much quickening of truth/reality coming into the life pattern, life style, and brain thoughts of Urantians. On the surface you behold many disharmonious actions, ones that are not in line with truth, beauty, and goodness. May I ask each of you to help curb the flow by assuming self responsibility. The lack of this is a major flaw in the population of Urantia and this is the reason for so much turmoil and disease among the peoples of this planet. In seeking to be responsible one must align themselves with the truth. The truth cannot be known if time is not devoted to searching and finding that which is true reality rather than what is fact in general terms. When you accept responsibility for your actions you mature as a person; you mature also in spirit. 

Self responsibility means that you are willing to say, 'Thy will be done' to the First Source and Center. This seems to be an opposing term to say you are self responsible, yet you are saying you are following the will of God. In inspecting this idea you will find that the self is in true reality a spirit seeking to grow and become more in line with the First Source and Center. Therefore when you become self responsible you are in fact not allowing your ego to play the dominant role. You are turning your self over to the will of the First Source and Center because you are allowing that part of your being, your Spirit part, to override mindal/ego tendencies. As you become more self responsible you are growing more, therefore, in spirituality. And in order to know the First Source and Center this is what you must become, Spirit.

I ask that you look into all areas of your life. Find those places where you are very responsible and give thanks for that growth. Look also into areas of weakness and ask for strength to be able to let go, become responsible and thereby become in greater alignment and harmony and greater fulfilling of the Father's will for you. 

This lesson this evening is very short. There is and will be time allowed for discussion and questions regarding responsibility or other areas you wish to discuss. Tomas is here but has asked that Gerdean be excused this evening. Tomas would like me to relay this message.

TOMAS:  It is not so important that one fails in any given situation. It is more important that one continues to strive to know that with God all things are possible, that in the course of life there is a time and a place for all things. When individuals reach the brick wall where there is no way out of a situation, at that point will they either die physically and spiritually or they will take up the challenge and will meet with victory. Some people only need to stub their toe on the wall. Others must run full bore and feel the full impact before change is made. 

It is not your place or ours to judge whether you be a toe stubber or the ramrodder. What is important is that you as individuals take time daily to create the vessel, the Grecian urn as Leetah spoke about. Scoop out that inside by daily communication and quiet time. Then there cannot be any acid that can eat away the vessel. As you scoop out and fill this vessel with the essence of God you are creating and making soul growth. You are creating that atmosphere for changes to occur.

DANIEL:  This message has been from Tomas. The floor is now open for discussion.

Grant: Daniel, this is Grant. It is so good to be here tonight. I would like to introduce myself to Tomas because this is the first meeting I have been to where he has spoken, although I have read some of his transcripts; and am real impressed and happy with both teachers and their teachings every week. I also would like to introduce my daughter Destiny. She is ten years old. She has been reading some of the transcripts and some of the book and asking a lot of questions.

DANIEL:  Again, Grant, welcome. And Tomas also sends his love to you. Destiny, it is my great pleasure that you are here this evening, bringing the innocence and love that Christ Michael so readily understood in children. I welcome you; and may your namesake, 'Destiny', help you to realize that your life's journey has purpose and meaning; that life is full of wonder and it is full of goodness. That goodness, my dear, can be found every day in the ordinary things of life. It can be found in every situation. As you begin your search, as you begin your questions know for certain, my dear, that you are the one who will open up the door for the wonders and the glory of life, or you will be the one who will close off that flow of God's love. You and all ascending mortals are given the wonderful gift of being able to choose. Your destiny, my dear, can hold many happy and truthful moments, if you so choose. While you may not understand my words now, take them to your heart and when choices must be made, make them knowing that there is the overcare of the Father/Mother Spirit with you. Welcome, Destiny!

Destiny:  Thank you, Daniel.

DANIEL:  My dear, you overwhelm me with your presence. Thank you.

Gerdean:  Daniel, this is Gerdean.

DANIEL:  Hello, Gerdean.

Gerdean:  Thank you for your lesson; and thank Tomas also for the opportunity to participate in the group. I missed the opportunity to ask questions. In fact I had wondered about that, and as usual you guys have already figured it all out.

DANIEL:  You all worry needlessly. Such is life for you! [Laughter]

Isaac: All right, Daniel!

Gerdean:  It's great to have you back. I don't have a question at this time, but it's nice to have the option. Thank you, Daniel.

DANIEL:  Indeed. And thank you again personally for your service and your willingness to provide. 

While we are on this topic let me at this point thank you all for the many ways in which you serve here and minister to one another, and to those beyond this group. It is because of the tremendous amount of responsibility that you people feel toward each other, toward the teaching ministry and toward the idea/concept of growing that this group has reached the status that it has. Each of you has been a contributing member in various ways and in many capacities. This is part of a picture. Each of you is a single piece. It is vital that all the pieces interlock and go together in order for there to be harmony and beauty in the picture. This group has attained a great level of harmony because of your willingness to be responsible and your willingness to trust one another, to let go and to be open. 

You see, in this situation the principles we have taught these last few years are working and are viable. Can you not see that if this could happen in a group such as this that you can carry these same concepts out into other groups, and mold and produce love and trust? Not as easy of course when there is diverse belief systems, but it is not impossible. Start with the individual and slowly build to more and more. I thank you all for being attentive students. I am well blessed with this group and the caliber of talent and love that is within it. Thank you!

Group:  Thank you, Daniel.

PamElla: Daniel, thank you for that 'thank you'. That was beautiful. I have two comments that were stimulated by your discussion tonight. The first is on forgiveness.

What you suggested as a way of forgiveness has never really worked for me. When I look for that in people I can't really, necessarily find it. What has worked for me is to see the people that I experience as harming me as being in a great deal of pain and hurt themselves. And then I am able to feel compassion and see them as like me. That is how I am able to forgive. I guess I don't see myself as being divine, in light and love. And maybe if I did I could see that in them and I could see them as like me, but it seems seeing people as being like me is a way for me to be able to forgive them rather than seeing them as monsters. And I suppose that is the same thing, to see the God Fragment, and then you don't see them as monsters.

The other comment I had is I really like that notion of responsibility being to spend time in the silence and to do God's will. When I heard you say to look into our lives and see what areas we are responsible in and what areas we need to have greater responsibility, I had to translate that into, what areas am I good at letting go and letting God guide my life and what areas do I take back from God. Because when I hear the word 'responsibility' it puts me back into my irresponsible way of thinking. It sounds contradictory, but that was the point of your lesson, responsibility is contradictory to our thinking. Those were the thoughts that I had.

DANIEL:  Let me address what you have said regarding responsibility. In your prayer this evening you called upon the teachers messages to be heard on various and different levels, to meet the needs of each individual here and across the span of the transcripts. One cannot put parameters around lessons. For each individual hears and feels and digests that which they are capable of and at the level they are capable of. Indeed are the teachings geared for much diversity? Thank you for your comments and your helping to bring to light aspects that were not possibly seen by others. 

In your discourse regarding forgiveness indeed are your words appropriate in that when one can see divinely one is able to see the God Fragment. Yet I must state that for you to state you do not see divinely is somewhat in error. For to see an individual with compassion, to see an individual as coming from a background that would cause their behavior, is seeing divinely, is seeing with eyes that go beyond the apparent injustice. Whenever you can forgive on whatever level this forgiveness is, there is the ability to do so because of your being able to look beyond appearances. This is taking a step toward a more spiritual insight. You are part Spirit and Spirit does help in your decisions such as this. Indeed, being able to forgive out of compassion and understanding knowledge of a person's background can be a very prominent factor and the first step in helping you to forgive. Thank you for your comments regarding this.

PamElla: You're welcome and thank you Daniel.

Leetah: Daniel, I am also very interested in that topic because so often I feel that when I have been offended and I feel anger toward someone that sometimes it really isn't even them, it is me. And I remember, I believe it was Klarixiska on Christ Michael's birthday in August that she certainly indicated that it was within my own mind and heart, that forgiveness many times is not the issue at all, but that it is our own misguided interpretation of what's happening. So often when I feel I have to forgive someone, really what I have to do is reinterpret what has happened and know that perhaps that person has a much better motive than the actions that came out.

DANIEL:  Indeed, judgement from whatever direction it is given cannot help one to see clearly. It is often the lack of real communication, the lack of real understanding that brings about the greatest risk in relationships. This is why it is important to have that foundation within that can allow you to not make that judgment, can allow you not to become victimized by circumstances and events, can allow you to remove yourself from the situation in order that you can begin to understand it. By understanding, through understanding you can begin to let go, all the while aligning yourself so that eventually there can be forgiveness on a level more deeply than surface, on a divine level as well. Life is full of many misunderstandings and in congruencies that prevent you from truly communicating. Each individual comes from their own perspective and pathway. Your experience is not theirs. Their experience is not yours. Therefore because of the differences in experiences interpretation will be different. In this knowledge alone, carried with you daily, you will immediately recognize yourself falling into the trap of judging or condemning, or becoming angry or upset.  The knowledge of differences helps you to refocus. It does not take away the situation. It does not take away what has been done, but it is through refocusing, redirecting and channeling energy in a more positive way that you can allow for forgiveness, for freedom to become reality for you. 

It is dangerous to ever become so molded, so dogmatized that you narrow your vision. Remember the seven universes and the expansion of God can never be narrowed down. Reverse the funnel. Do not pour water from the full end, pour it from the narrow end and expand outward. When deep emotions and upset trigger responses within you, reverse that funnel; spread love, don't pull it in. Does this help?

Leetah: Yes, Daniel. That's beautiful. Thank you very much. And also thank you for expanding my picture of the Grecian urn. And we can remove the acid. Thank you very much.

DANIEL:  You are welcome.

Grant:  Daniel, this is Grant. I have a question on responsibility. Naturally since my daughter is here with me I am thinking in the realm of our children. There is a lot of unfairness and things that are wrong with the world and everyone we encounter, not everyone, but, you know, mostly encounter in society. The question I have got is what is my responsibility to a child, or can you help me on my responsibility as a father of a child going to school? When unfair things happen to my children in school or around their friends and others, my wife and I have a tendency to want to immediately jerk them out of the situation, to say ‑‑ well these people don't know anything and you don't have to deal with that. On the other hand, is that being responsible? In the back of my mind I feel like children need to experience a little of this in order to become complete people, in order to understand how to deal in depth with situations in society. But at what age, how old, and how far can it go? Maybe you understand my question. I had a hard time phrasing it.

Daniel:  Indeed your question is understood. In your discourse you have in fact answered your own question, that as parents you are given the care/overcare of your children for a certain amount of time. During that time you must not only hold the responsibility for their care but also for their foundation building and their growth in many areas. One would be foolish and irresponsible to allow a child to remain in a situation where there is harm or danger. However, there are the instances in life where children must go through the experience as part of growing up, as part of being a member of more than one. 

It is therefore the responsibility of the parents not to judge the situation or to yank the child out of a situation and say they don't have to pay attention to it. This only reinforces irresponsibility. The responsibility of the parent in this instance is to talk with the child, look at the circumstances from many perspectives, and give the child guidance in how to deal with situations, give the child support and give the child plenty of love. Do what is necessary so that there is not harm or danger, but give facts that the child can then use these facts to work through the situation. 

My dear friends, the biggest problem with society today lies in parental errors when parents are not responsible and do not show their children how to be responsible. Then you are educating a society to be irresponsible. In every life there will be times when it would be easier to turn around and run. However, as you run in that direction there will be another situation very similar. And you can again turn and run. When are you going to stop and face the situation? It is that brick wall. Face it, grow through it and be able to go on to the next level. Running only creates a bigger field for there to be more problems. Hiding from problems does not make them go away. Is this helping?

Grant:  Yes Daniel, it does help as far as when to protect and when to allow growth. I guess that was in essence my question and you answered it very well. Thank you.

Daniel:  Thank you.

Gerdean:  This is Gerdean again. About self responsibility. During our sharing time I was kind of sharing about my need to feel responsible, specifically in terms of my work. I am reminded that we should not put new wine in old vessels. I have a theory that while this system of things is collapsing on one hand and being fairly desperate in their death throes, on the other hand there is a new wave, a new resurrection of the new age dawning, and it is that that I would like to put my wine into, rather than this system that is collapsing. And yet I don't know how to find a job in the new way. I am not suggesting, Daniel, that you direct me to an employment service. But if you would give me some words or insight into ‑‑ perhaps I am taking this Kingdom building stuff too literally. I am just looking for direction for my self responsibility or perhaps self responsibility is just to take care of myself and not worry about other things, other people, other systems. Can you be specific about self responsibility in terms of our working in the field, the literal field of finite functioning?

DANIEL:  Indeed. Let me begin with the usual Daniel response. In fact, you students may say it for me.

Group:  Spend time in the stillness with the First Source and Center.

DANIEL:  This is the ground for which you are prepared and given the nourishment for finite life. Once this is done allow that God's plan and course of action will proceed, ever being open to the possibilities that are presented. A job will not knock on the door. You must work to get one. But allowing that the job that is right for you will be there at the right time, this knowledge and this holding out will also be your cushion of comfort in the interim. 

And lastly let me state that the Kingdom seed building does not need to be from the pulpit. Rather it is more productive when it is in the ordinary occupations. Those at your work place are always allowing opportunities for you to plant that seed.

Remember the story of Johnny Appleseed. He often went to the countryside dispersing seeds at will. Yet there were times when he saw places he knew would be the place where fruitful trees would be produced. And often he would come back and work the field to help those seeds along. Your places of occupation can be the places of seed throwing and planting. Therefore do not think you need a job that is in public view of the Kingdom for seed planting. Rather whatever job you have is the place to plant the seeds. Indeed it is hard to envision, when one is at a state of rest, ever being back into the mainstream of the workforce. However, there is something very stimulating about working with the public and being in that place of appointment. My friend, wherever that place is at any given moment, there will be places and times when you can plant those seeds. Gerdean, continue your quiet search. Continue to beat the path, take the tests. That which is destined for you to fulfill the Father's Will shall open. Ask that you have the vision to see the opportunity when it arises. 

Indeed, I cannot or would not direct you to an employment agency. But I can say that those who choose to be producers always find a way. Those who choose to produce along with God allow God to work through them and the way will be made known. Trust, have faith, continue the work. There is no fairy dust for me to scatter but there are words of hope that through your own diligence and determination and resources that which is necessary not only for your finite sustenance, but also to help you grow in spirit, will be known and will be open for you.

Gerdean:  Thank you, Daniel.

Destiny:  Hi, Daniel. This is on forgiving people. At school there is a girl who is really mean to me. And she hurt me a lot. And I feel I can be her friend and I can forgive her for certain things. But there is one thing I cannot forgive her for. Why do I feel I can be her friend, but I cannot forgive her? Why do I feel that way?

DANIEL:  A very wise question for such a young child. Destiny, as you walk through life you will find that part of a relationship of being in a society with other people is that there is a real need to be able to work and to befriend others even though there may be differences, even though others may hurt you. If you can remember that this person has been your friend and has provided you with good times as well as bad, then you will continue to be able to forgive at times when it is necessary. You can find a way to be her friend even though you cannot forgive her because you have been given a great gift of beginning to understand what love is. Love is being able to be friends even though there are times of hurt and pain. Yes, perhaps this one thing that you find hard to forgive her for can, in time, become less painful and less of an issue between the two of you. Often time helps people in distancing themselves so that forgiveness becomes easier. 

Destiny, do not give up on your friend. Do not turn your back on her even though there are things you cannot forgive. Rather love her and befriend her for the person she is and the things that you share that are good. When you can rise above the situation you will not only free yourself, Destiny, but you are also helping your friend to grow and to find out certain things about life, about giving, and about knowing how to live in society. Peaceful living comes about through seeds that are planted. Children are so lucky in the fact that they can forgive easily, they can see from a different perspective than adults. This is a great gift that you have. Cherish it. Do not let it escape you. Being able to forgive, you will find, will help you be happier. As you continue to forgive, others are rewarded as well. They learn from you. Your friend is lucky that she has met you. Continue to love her and forgiveness may someday be complete for you. You are able to be her friend, Destiny, because you are learning and have an understanding of what love truly is. Does this help?

Destiny:  Yes, Daniel, it does. Thank you. I have another question. Since from the fighting that is going around about kid's colors and what colors they come in, why do some people come in all different colors?

DANIEL:  This question on why the various races is fully discussed in the Urantia Book. But let me just present it to you in this fashion. When you can understand that God is a grand and wonderful Spirit, then you must conceive and understand that God cannot be put into terms that humans can totally understand Him or Her. Because of this it is hard for people to envision why there is diversity, why there are different races. There are different races because God is so grand and He loves all types of people, all types of creatures. Part of our work as ascending mortals, as a human being is to learn to love like God loves. And so on this one small planet there is given different races, very few in number compared to the number in God's seven universes. And so you see by giving different races here you are beginning your ascension by learning how to love, tolerate, and understand others. 

My dear, the skin color, the color of hair, the color of eyes, the weight of the person, the height of the person is not what is important. What is important is what is inside that person, that is, that person's personality and their Father Fragment, that Indwelling Spirit. If you can always remember that, then you will have no problem tolerating different races and different types of people. 

As a young child growing up now you are seeing a lot of hate and a lot of fighting. This does not have to be, if you can remember that the person whom you are talking with is more than what they look like! You have heard the expression that beauty is only skin deep. The real beauty of the person lies inside. Do not judge what the person is by outside appearances. Has this helped?

Destiny:  Yes, Daniel, thanks.

DANIEL:  My friends, let us close this meeting this evening realizing, as you can see, that the minds of our children are searching and needing answers. Responsibility in meeting those answers is necessary for there to be constructive and progressive growth. Let us hold hands and pray this evening.

Christ Michael, as you once admonished, 'Let the little children come unto me,' let this group here also make this part of their lives. As Norm has seen in what the artist depicted, there can be pain in childhood that the innocence and the love that is naturally there can be tarnished and destroyed; that wonderful and searching minds such as we have witnessed tonight can be turned off. Let us know and be a part of being fully responsible in helping to turn around society. The children are the future; we are the caretakers of that future. We ask for strength and guidance and when it is necessary that we be the guide that we direct in a manner that is fitting and becoming of a person who follows the will of the First Source and Center. Amen.

*****

DATE: April 15, 1994

TEACHERS: DANIEL, TOMAS

TOPIC: Simplicity

DANIEL:  Greetings my friends. I am Daniel, your guide and teacher. As always I am delighted that you have seen fit to gather again this evening in friendship and love, and with the desire to meet the directives of Christ Michael; that in order to know the Father one must first come to know the Son and to allow Christ Michael to guide and lead your lives in the understanding of the Father's nature.

As teachers involved in this Teaching Mission Tomas and myself wish to again give you our love, and again to call upon you to remember that the way to know the Father, the First Source and Center, is through quiet time and in being able to worship and seek guidance. We ask you to continue. For you are beginning to witness in your own lives a greater reckoning, a quickening of your own ability to come back to that Source of serenity, peace, love; to come back to the greater truth. Indeed, is life filled with the uncertainty of knowing. Faith, as you are understanding is, indeed, the aspect that is not totally within your vision. But through faith do you follow that which in time will present the greater truth. And so continue with your study of the Urantia Book and concepts. Continue with your work in learning the concepts that you are capable of regarding the First Source and Center. Continue to allow faith to increase your potential in all areas of your life.

As we have gathered here today I have deemed that the lesson necessary for this week should be on simplicity. In the course of living a human existence you can find many, many ways of bringing stimulation into your life. In doing so you are constantly putting forth energy in many directions. As you work, as you play, as you interact, as you take time for quiet you begin over time to sort out those areas of more importance. You begin to handle and deal with situations as priorities arise. This is well and good. 

My lesson this evening is to call you back into the awareness that often your lives become overly complicated, overly indulged with situations and events that tend to clutter, leaving disorganization in your lifestyle. In doing so you begin to lose sight of a very important aspect of your being and that is the quiet, the time of introspection, the time of refocusing, the time of gaining that nourishment for the outer life. Indeed life does become busy. It does become complicated. However, you, again, are called upon to realize that you lose that which is important to focus on. 

Do not become so overly concerned with filling up each moment of your life that you neglect to realize that there is truth, beauty, and goodness in the ordinary. Do not become so busy that you cannot measure the effect of a glorious sunset; that you cannot see the divine workings in the surroundings about you. This time of year is a good time to take a breather and to come back into a more simple reality. To realize the beauty of the spring reawakening can help you reawaken an aspect of living which supports and nourishes you. Being able to walk through life enjoying just the simple things can bring much more treasure than filling one's life with unimportant matters. 

It is a matter, again, of balance. Do not neglect that which needs to be done, but do not forget that the rose that is now blooming will be gone in a short time. Its beauty, its fragrance, and its beingness can give you much if you can but sit for a moment and absorb its beingness. As you have all been in a very busy mode lately, it would behoove you all to take that time, that breather, to get back into simplicity. The more you can simplify, simplify, simplify the easier it will be for you to truly live and explore those avenues of spiritual richness which material overabundance can prevent you from realizing.

This is my lesson this evening. Tomas is here and has asked that he be given a time to speak with you as well. And so, friends, let me invite you to hear Tomas at this time.

TOMAS:  Good evening friends. I am Tomas, your teacher. And I have commentary regarding Daniel's lesson as I myself have spoken of this theme in the past and have a remark or two to make. However, I would like to extend my greetings to our visitor from the midwest, Jerome. I am pleased to feel your energies, young man, as I perceive great strength of character and tremendous spiritual energy emanating from you which is always refreshing to experience and which also augments the spiritual energies of others.

Now regarding simplicity: I would add that mortals have some innate feeling generated from their heritage that the more they do the more worth they have; that their actuality is comprised of what they have accomplished and what they can show for themselves in the time they have spent in production of thus and such. This is in the way of how it is that you become involved in spiritual energies which are not your own. For your own energy does indeed emanate from the Source of all energy, our Original Source and Center. And were you to allow our creator to create through you in His own pace, you would find you could and would do, and be more and more interesting, than you do out of a sense of temporal fulfillment. 

I appreciate fully the concept that it is gratifying and soul satisfying, not to mention stabilizing, when one works. For work, particularly in endeavors of the earth, are satisfying and simplistic. The affinity the human animal can find with growing things, be they oats or asses or locust trees or mental defectives or spirit realities, are all satisfying growing experiences to take part in. These are things you can do from your simplistic soul, from your divine self. Prayer, creativity and the nurturing of those things and beings which are loved are more than enough to keep mankind occupied richly for millennia. And even so, so much of mortal life is spent in this peculiar pastime of filling up space with busyness in order to feel that he has worth. 

I add, too, that when you begin to operate on energies hailing from divine sources, that you experience periods of total inactivity. This time of reflection and rest is as valuable, as you know, as those times when you are living, loving, laughing boisterously, loudly, and fully. This ebb and flow of life is your dance, your syncopation, if you allow it to direct your steps and not feel compelled to direct the steps of your life alone. 

I recall to mind that as you begin to focus on the source of your true energy, your divine Source of life, as you begin this dance of the ages in conjunction with your spirit family and helpers, you will come to know more grace in your life. And with grace you can accomplish more things and you can accomplish things gracefully; therefore the need and the value of simplicity.

Simplicity does not connote idleness. For in the appreciation of the moment is opportunity for worship, for reflection, for consciousness of all the gifts and benefits of being a human being with human eyes, ears, and senses. You who cavort with the seasons are in a position to enjoy an aspect of creation which not all experience. And whereas you may look to us with envy for not having to be bothered with vicissitudes of this life as it is lived in the flesh, with emotions or illnesses or ailments and etc., we look upon you as fortunate that you can roll in the grass, smell skunks, and enjoy human qualities and associations that we are unable to touch. Therefore, children, enjoy your life and enjoy one another! And enjoy it most fully by expecting only the simple pleasures, for they are the greatest treasures. 

I, too, have concluded my remarks. I, too, have enjoyed the opportunity to share my words. I return this platform to teacher Daniel.

DANIEL:  Tomas' words are nourishing and promote much food for thought. During this week take that time that you deem necessary in order to see the truly finer aspects of living, of being human. And Tomas and I welcome questions at this time.

Leetah: Daniel, your lesson and Tomas' comments both ‑‑ the first thing I thought of was, of course, my past, hearing the words from the Bible, 'You lack one thing. Go and sell all you have and give it to the poor', because I have a lot of things in my house. And it certainly is not a simplistic house to live in. And yet my question is, is this what you are referring to? Or is it to stop and smell the roses and make sure that our business is in service to our brothers and sisters? I am caught up in that. If you would please comment on that.

DANIEL:  The words this evening should reflect on all areas of your life. If your house is one that is loved by you and does not burden you, then it is simple enough. If you are so tied into the things that you have then are you burdening yourself unduly. Indeed, did I ask you also to take time to smell the roses, to see the greatness of each individual you meet, to realize God working through all things, through all people. These words that have been given this evening call upon you to look into your lives. Where there is clutter, where there is burden, where there are shackles that bind there is overabundance above and beyond what is necessary. These things burden the mind, the soul. When you can let go you lighten the load. You allow for the spiritual to bloom and take precedence. When one allows themselves to be led by spirit you walk with a quickened step, a lighter bounce, a surety that in all things is God working.

Leetah: Thank you Daniel.

PamElla: Daniel and Tomas, thank you both for your lessons tonight. Your last comments, Daniel, have me thinking. This week I am feeling shackled and burdened by two things, a project that is way overdue to get out the door. The second thing is that I am feeling shackled ‑‑ not completely because it has its up side ‑‑ mostly by fear in this situation with this dog, that somehow it is not going to work out. And I am frightened to get emotionally attached again. But I am also feeling that I have been guided to this responsibility which I am feeling shackled by. I know I haven't spent enough time in the quiet getting guidance, that's for sure. Maybe that's the answer. But my question is, 'How do we find balance in those things that we feel guided to but somehow feel shackled by?' Well, maybe I am going to answer my own question. I guess I am realizing it is my fear and my lack of trust and faith here that is shackling me so that I am not able to just go with the flow and the experience in the process. Is that accurate? Or do you have any comments in this situation?

DANIEL:  Time is often needed in order for one to realize when there is true imbalance, true disharmony or just a matter of circumstances at any given time or place. You are certainly on the right track in answering your question yourself. My dear friend, you do not need outside teachers as myself for you have within your own being the greatest teacher of all. As you begin to slowly and steadily turn your life over to following that One, then you will find that, indeed, even as the burdens and uncertainties of life unfold you will have times of great confusion. But if you can continually be in that surety of the presence of your Indwelling Spirit the answers you seek will be forthcoming. Urantia was not built in one day. You cannot expect that circumstances in your life can be completed and encapsulated immediately. This is where faith becomes important. Trusting and allowing God to work through you, being open to this avenue will in the overall picture paint a life where you have followed that definite pathway of searching, seeking, and expanding into greater horizons. Allow some time to come upon you. 

Realize, my friends that our words this evening were not given to tell you to quit your jobs because of pressure. Our words were to ask you to take time in the midst of pressure, to realize that simplifying and taking each day as a single unit will help you in the long run. Do not think of the pressures of your job as a total thing. For this can be overwhelming. Rather take each aspect of your job that needs to be completed at a certain point as your goal. Goals should be made that can be met. Goals that are beyond your capabilities are burdensome. Simplify that you can achieve, that you can reach and grow beyond. Does this help?

PamElla: Very much so, Daniel. I especially liked, I don't know how you said it, goals that are unrealistic are burdensome. And they are. Thank you.

TOMAS:  I have another remark having to do with simplifying one's life, that being to think in terms of appreciation. For you may own everything there is to be owned. By appreciating it in your heart and soul, in your mind and your eye, it doesn't have to be something that you carry with you or make payments on or clean up after. To appreciate is in itself a gift. You may appreciate without ownership. Appreciation is a quality apart from love that is in many ways more healthy when it comes to these matters of things and tools and stuff and objects of art, including pets. Appreciation is a richness which leaves you free to be emotionally detached as necessary in order to determine whether or not that thing is beneficial to you in the round. That is all.

PamElla: Thank you Tomas.

Isaac: Hello Tomas and Daniel. Thank you for your words tonight. I was thinking along with your commentary, both of you I think, and Tomas you specifically filled in some space in my mind regarding the value of leisure or regarding that time when we don't `work' after referring to our belief that only that which we do that is work has value. Then you discussed or mentioned some aspects of value in contemplation, worship, and in appreciation, now, as you have elaborated. And I have observed in my reading of the Urantia Book there is much more time allotted for leisure time, (or whatever word you want to use), in the morontia and spirit career than the average American allots in his or her lifestyle. And I have surmised from what I have read that there has to be great value in the leisure as well as the work, the off time as well as the on time, however you want to dichotomize those two concepts. So I thank you for what I thought I was hearing, something about that balance. If I have it right I would appreciate some feedback. If I have it wrong, some correction. Thank you.

TOMAS:  Balance in all things is desirable. I am not inclined to elaborate.

DANIEL:  Leisure is important in this life as well as in your ascension career. The one aspect regarding leisure that dramatically improves as you ascend is the ability to utilize leisure in a productive way that not only promotes rest but also garnishes wisdom and soul growth. Those on this planet who have learned to appreciate leisure on this higher scale are beginning to taste the morontial experience.

Isaac: Thank you for your comments, both of you.

Leetah: I am hearing, Daniel, that leisure on this plane can really be intellectually or spiritually challenging; and because it is a change that it can be leisure? Have I made my question clear?

DANIEL:  Yes, understood, but let me remind you also that you are a body and leisure that promotes bodily strength and helps promote good health is also important in this realm. Is this understood?

Leetah: Yes, thanks.

DANIEL:  Due to the fact that there seems to be a quiet group this evening then Tomas and I will take our leave. However I will not leave without my words to our guest this evening.

It has been protocol in the past to introduce guests. So to you, Bart, I give you my love and welcome. It is a time now for you to search deeper, to question more deeply, and to allow whatever experience you may have to help in broadening your understanding. These teachings that go on across the country are not given to bind or to restrict. These teachings are given to enrich and to provide food that those who hear can gather the strength and courage to say daily, 'Thy Will be done.' My friend, I give you my love. To all of you this evening Tomas and I ask that you take time to appreciate, to be syncopated in the love of the Father. Good evening.

TOMAS:  Farewell.

Group:  Good night, Daniel and Tomas.

*****

DATE: April 22, 1994

TEACHER: DANIEL

TOPIC: A Simple Life

DANIEL:  Greetings my children. I am Daniel, your guide, your friend, and your teacher. This evening I wish to extent my love to each of you. 

It is the workings of the unfolding of life that definitely pinpoint the desire that you have to learn the ways of the First Source and Center, the desire to know and to follow. There are those who have trodden a path similar to yours yet have chosen to delay their more spiritual ascent. And so to you I say, it is gratifying to be with you again, to help in broadening and giving higher perspectives to the will of the First Source and Center. It is not the duty or responsibility of the teachers to bring forth greater revelation. Rather it is our desire to help you to become more focused and knowledgeable regarding the truth that is already known. The depth of truth can be enhanced always. And so while you are adding another bite as you would say in computer terms, to your knowledge you will continue to expand through the aeons your data base of knowledge, of understanding, but most of all, experience. Experience is the key to bringing forth truth, in making it reality and viable in your life.

The lesson this evening will be a broadening and continuation of the lesson of last week in that the channel of thought that I wish to bring out is the fact that through simplifying one's life one is able to focus. The pathway of life can become very cluttered and crowded and this is in part the symptoms that you feel in a society that never goes to bed, so to speak. Let me help you to understand my words.

AHe has made all things beautiful in time. He has placed the mind of man in eternity.@ You will recognize this as being from Ecclesiastes [Ed. note, Ecclesiastes 3:11]. Indeed has the First Source and Center given to mankind many gifts that are not understood or utilized by His creatures, His descendants. God is the source of all truth, all goodness, and all beauty. In simplifying one's life one is given into a broader perspective of beauty.

I ask that you take beauty down to the ordinary of your every day. As some of you have already taken to heart the lesson of simplicity this week you have seen beauty in the environment of nature. However, one must realize that there is beauty in even the most mundane of chores or the most ordinary. It is in that pausing, it is in that looking, observing, and experiencing that one is able to recognize beauty. You will realize as you heighten your awareness that nothing on the outside can be a beauty unless it is first experienced as beauty on the inside.

That quiet time, that pausing, that reflection is not only nourishment for the physical, it is the nourishment for the soul. The soul, as you realize from the Biblical quotation earlier, is not bound in time. The soul knows no time in spiritual terms. Therefore, as you pause, as you take time to reflect, you are feeding the soul. 

God is the source of beauty. When you covet that beauty within will you know and be aware of that beauty without. No amount of doing and being busy can make one truly appreciative of beauty unless there has been preparation. And so I ask that you consider this aspect of beauty. And I will take this even another step further this evening.

Beauty is often tied into your arts. And one often neglects or fails to realize that each individual is an artisan. Each individual is a creator in their own right. As you take that time during prayer and meditation you are providing yourself with energy for creating. 

And so I challenge each of you to take up the creative urge that you may feel and pursue it whether it be in writing, in music, in drama or dance, in poetry, in art as painting or sculpturing, or whether it be in doing the ordinary of your life. One can be creative even in vacuuming for what is created in the end is that thing of appreciation. A clean house, a meal well prepared and tasty are all aspects of creating. One has much joy in a clean and efficient environment. One has much joy in satisfying hunger. One has much joy in sitting with a friend. All of these things can be a part of creating, and creating is a part of beauty. Remember to tie that which you do into some creative endeavor and to focus this endeavor into that which brings your inner worthiness, goodness and love to the outside. 

God is that source of beauty. There is harmony and organization, calmness and peace, and there is a sense of love and peace. As you look at a piece of art it is not necessary to try to figure out what the artist had in mind but what it can convey for you. As you listen to a piece of music, as you feel the rhythm and express it in dance, these all hold a specialness for you alone. And so you do not have to look to others for the arts but you can also look to yourself and create those things which speak of you. And as you continue to pause and reflect on the outside world you slow your biorhythms down allowing the outside beauty to bring you inner peace, allowing then for inner peace to nourish and provide, again for outer enjoyment, this circles one piece into another. Beauty is that which you hold. It is God manifested in a tangible way in your life.

This week allow beauty to saturate and provide you with a heightened awareness of who you really are, the child of the First Source and Center. This week allow beauty to feed the soul.

Tomas is present and will give the lesson two weeks from today. He sends you his love and asks me to convey to you that presently he is overwhelmed by the beauty that emits from this room via your souls, your lights. I concur that it is overwhelming at times when two or more are gathered in His name, that there is love and genuine beauty abounding. I will now accept questions.

Leetah: Thank you, Daniel, for that lesson. Thank you for those final comments. I think every once in a while we ‑‑ I'll speak for myself ‑‑ need a pat on the back. I appreciate that very much. Your lesson tonight reminds me of a proverb I heard as a child, but I wasn't sure I believed ‑‑ 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder and beauty is only skin deep.' All of these things that older and wiser people told me are beginning to make so much more sense to me. I guess there has been real truth in some of the proverbs of our planet and I am just wondering if this isn't in a nutshell what you have been saying. And that spending time makes our skin even prettier as 'pretty is as pretty does'.

DANIEL:  As you read the history of your planet you will recall the early Greek culture and their desire to bring beauty into living, to actually live beauty. Those who strive to know beauty, to witness it, observe it and live it cultivate this idea within. When this is done beauty is recognized, indeed.

Leetah: With all of the other thoughts that have come into my mind this week I do have a question. I am not sure if it is a contradiction or not but I think in terms of the letter I received from my brother and he said that he was 'not a religious man but I can pray'. I think in terms of Jesus when he was here on earth according to the account in the Urantia Book that he did not witness of the Father to a particular young man because he had not had enough pain. And I just happened this morning to read Andronason [a teacher in Portland] and he said that trials, tragedies are not from God. And yet the Urantia Book also says that our guardian angels will do things to cause us to be aware of the spiritual side of us. I am just in a quandary. Where do we attribute the source of pain, or do we just pray that God will use the pain in people's lives to bring them to Himself?

DANIEL:  God is all and has no need or desire to inflict or cause pain. And those born of perfection are shielded from such. Those born of imperfection, striving toward perfection, will know, because of will/choice, what pain and sorrow and tragedy and love and joy, all of these characteristics of life, are about. There is no contradiction. Those who are imperfect learn, grow, and experience those things that help them to know perfection. In the unfolding of life there are many opportunities for this growth in which your guides/guardians work to help provide a fertile ground, so to speak, for your growth, realizing that which is gained in this life is recorded. That which needs to be brought into better alignment, harmony, understanding will be again provided for in ascension. I advise you all to not be concerned that God would inflict punishment on any; that you must do good to appease God. This is erroneous. It is cause for much backsliding on this planet. Realize, however, that because of will and your ability to choose there will at times be pain. But this pain has not been inflicted by God or through God, but through your own self and the conglomerate working of free will. Let the First Source and Center work through you by opening yourself up to following His will through your desire to follow it. The opportunities and experiences that you are gaining in this life are preparing you for a time when you can understand service and desire to be of genuine service. Does this help?

Virginia:  Yes, Daniel, it does.  And I know to know the Father's will one must spend time. And we are back to square one, I guess. Thank you very much.

DANIEL:  You are welcome.

PamElla: Daniel, as you were talking a thought struck me, a question I guess. I was wondering, is it correct that all the emotional pain that we feel is a product of our own incorrect perceptions of a situation? And that as we develop spiritual vision our perception changes and the situations no longer hurt us? Or are there things that no matter how spiritual a perception we had are hurtful in and of themselves as a result of someone else's free will imposed?

DANIEL:  I ask you to recall the greatest Teacher you will ever have, and Michael's walk upon this planet. As a mortal He reached the apex of spiritual attainment. Yet the emotional, psychological, and physical pain that He felt was genuine and real. Indeed, is most of the pain that you feel self‑inflicted or from the collective of others. Yet there is honest pain that often comes about that you have no control over. Much of the emotional pain that you feel comes from a fear and a tendency to worry. And as you have grown to understand through experience most of that which you worry about does not come to pass. And therefore the pain and emotional turmoil that you have felt has been self inflicted. These kinds of situations can be rectified through spiritual enlightenment and the ability to turn over and allow the workings of the First Source and Center, the workings of the Spirit of Truth, and the love of Christ Michael to lead, guide, and direct you. Does this help?

PamElla:  Very much, Daniel. Thank you for your very complete answer.

DANIEL:  You are welcome. My dear, take a bit of time this week to allow the beauty of life to revitalize the spirit and bring you back into better harmony.

PamElla: Thank you Daniel. I will do that.

Isaac:  This is Isaac. And I would like to just make a comment relative to beauty, something I could have shared during our sharing time but it didn't come to mind. In the last few weeks I have had several moments where I felt that I was a child again, almost, maybe around eighth grade or so, seeing nature, seeing the unfolding of spring. I had some of those feelings of true wonder and joy as I used to have as a child. So I am wondering if I am getting senile and in a second childhood. But I really think I am experiencing some breakthrough from the cultural crap we take on as adults. I have seen some beauty in a new way. It is hard to describe. I don't see it like a photographer would. I don't see it differently in that sense. It is the meaning of it, the feeling of it that reminds me of those days of wonder when I was younger. So, that's it.

DANIEL:  Indeed does beauty have the ability to saturate all senses. It is an alchemy for body, mind, and spirit.

Gerdean:  Hello Daniel, this is Gerdean. Thank you very much for your lesson on simplicity. I particularly appreciated your encouragement about artistic endeavors. I agree that creating is a very simple and direct way of simply going about doing His will. 

I kept being impressed with the word clarity and I don't know if that's my teacher or my imagination but clarity impacted me so strongly while you were speaking that I wondered if you would add a remark or two having to do with clarity, either in conjunction with or in support of or as a byproduct of or help me do something with that word clarity.

DANIEL:  It is not really necessary for me to define clarity for you all know that it is that which heightens and strengthens and brings forth a greater awareness. When one takes time out of a busy, hectic schedule and pauses and reflects on something in nature, on a piece of music, a piece of art, on a memory of a friendship; when one truly pauses and enjoys the simple act of creating a dinner, of making a bed, of putting a Band‑aid on a child's hurt, then one is truly getting into that moment. That moment is recorded on the soul. That moment brings forth a greater knowledge of the eternity and immensity of the journey that you are on. The soul is in a different consciousness than you are. Therefore the times that you take that are truly in the moment are truly times when the beauty that is life that is God is felt by not only you but the soul as well. In that moment is clarity, that which is seen and felt by the finite creature that you are and the infinite spirit that you are becoming. There is a clearness there. There is a gap that has been bridged. And so the time that you are able to bridge that gap is the time that you will not only feed the soul but feed you finite life as well. And then you begin to see with much more clarity in many different directions. Do you see?

Gerdean:  Yes, I see with clarity. And I thank you for you response. I feel well fed.

DANIEL:  Thank you.

Kent:  Good evening, Daniel.

DANIEL:  Hello Kent!

Kent:  I haven't spoken for a while. I would like to greet you and all those present this evening for your services and your love that you give to us. I have been working on a question for some time. It started when I watched our favorite science fiction show, Star Trek, and two people were bonded together in their conscious. And when that bond was broken they made the comment that they were happy to be free of each other, to have their freedom back. If you used the word freedom this evening I missed it. You have said it in previous weeks. I thought freedom ‑‑ as I read it, as I read the papers, as I am beginning to understand the word, as we enjoy and learn more spiritual reality, our freedom increases. So in a sense, well I don't know what sense I am getting at here ‑‑ I am trying to get more insight into this as we develop our material mind, our intellect and our spiritual, that we have more freedom in those aspects as we learn more, instead of when we don't follow those realities we fall into patterns that are negative. Can you help me there?

DANIEL:  Freedom is a gift that is not totally understood on this planet. It is that ability to be able to know and understand and tolerate and to progress when the ego is not in control or binding the individual. This is the individual freedom of the mind. I will not go into bondage/enslavement and this kind of thing, for this is understood, those kinds of lack of freedom.

The freedom that you speak about is one that goes beyond the finite realm of freedom. This freedom is being able to live amongst others, respecting them and interacting with them, but not needing them to sustain you in the spiritual sense. Of course there is dependence on one another, especially in this day and age, for material existence. But one can truly know freedom when one can be bonded to another such as in marriage, but not bonded in the fact that your own individual knowledge and progression and inner life is affected. Freedom is that gift of knowing that you are a child of the First Source and Center and being able to genuinely, totally, initially and continually stating, 'Thy will, Father, be done.' That is being free. Does that help?

Kent:  That broadened my concept tremendously and I am sure it will continue to grow! Thank you very much.