Tomas Vol III - Pittsburgh, PA - May 29, 1997 thru Aug 28, 1997 - Part 6 of 13

This was a lively and robust season for the "Pittsburgh Pumpkins" with new Teacher Merium sharing the teaching platform with Tomas, enjoying bright new students and stimulating visitors asking many probing questions.

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PITTSBURGH, PA

VOLUME III, Part 6 of 13

May 29, 1997 - August 28, 1997

C O N T E N T S

PITTSBURGH, PA
VOLUME III, Part 6 of 13

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DATE:          May 29, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R's:             Gerdean and Hunnah

Stillness, Prayer and Textual Study
Urantia Paper 8 on The Infinite Spirit
Re-reading of Lesson on Self Mastery

TEACHER SESSION:
TOMAS and MERIUM
TOPIC:
MORE ON SELF MASTERY

TOMAS:      Greetings, my lovely Family.
Group:      Greetings, Tomas.

TOMAS:     We are doing some weaving, Merium and I. The warp and the woof of tapestry making, merging and blending together concepts drawn from high spirit realms, knitted to and with your finite lives. We have been discussing personality, yes, and we have been studying the three persons of Trinity.  Again this evening your labors revolved around The Infinite Spirit, Third Source and Center, the God of action.

Recall that we have now touched base with the Thought God, the Word God, and the Action God. Remember, too, that as the Thought God and the Word God met in harmony, you had love and mercy. And as now you humans seek to be like God, you can compare yourself to this trinity action by acknowledging your Indwelling God Fragment as the Father with you, the omnipresence of The Eternal Son as surrounding you, and as your will is in accordance with His will, you will then act in perfection, including in your scenario, the Action God that moves you, that puts your thought and word into deed, into action.

We discussed this to some extent recently in Butler and at this point of beginning to act, I asked the group to read the section in The Urantia Book regarding the Lesson on Self Mastery, for it is here that you are impelled to act, but how are you going to act if you have not self-mastery? Even in faith if you seek to do His will and yet are crippled by -- what is it they say? divers lusts, fears, various poisons and so forth, even hatred -- how can you be perfect? And so we look at the lesson on self-mastery, at which now you also have looked.

I pull upon the yarn of personality and elaborate somewhat that your personality is a gift from the Father. It is inherent in your being. As you are registered a human being, you are registered as a personality, and so your personality is a part of you from the time you breathe the breath of life. What happens to that personality in subsequent years accounts for much of how effective this individual will be if and he or she stands in harmony with the universe and seeks to do His will, who seeks to co-create.

Personalities adapt to circumstances. Consider the difference whether or not a personality is fostered in a home that fraternizes with spirit reality, wherein a good character can be developed, as compared to an environment of fear, anger and destruction. That personality will adapt. It is still the same person, but it has learned certain things and may compel them to act in certain ways. As your personalities have learned how to survive, have learned how to succeed, you have adapted. You will be adapting throughout eternity, and you will be adapting to other personalities.

If indeed now you chance to look back upon your life you will remember yourself as a child, you will remember your own core reality perspective from that time onward, even though life circumstances were different when you went to school, when you went away to college, when you were married, where you were an early mother, when you became a grandmother, perhaps when you were in military service. Many circumstances of life contribute to your need to modify your personality in accordance with your surroundings.

Last week we discussed the aspect of the Conjoint Actor, and I suggest to you this week that what you have done is you have learned how to act. Some of you have been fortunate enough to play in some very fine scripts; some of you have had to content yourself with rather shabby writing, but you have acted none-the-less and you have, within the framework of your ability, put on a jolly good show. Now as you seek to act for God, see how much conditioning you bring with you, for so much of your life has been based upon trigger responses.

This is your conditioning and it runs as deep as your personality. And so, of course, you may seem to be a different person than you were then, but you are truly the same person. Remember that Jesus was known from different periods in his life. He was known as the Boatbuilder of Capernaum, the Scribe of Damascus; he was a caravan leader; he was a fisherman, and so forth. Often he was not recognized in one personality circumstance, whereas he would have been easily recognizable within the confines of the circumstance in which he was known.

And the same is true for you, and when you awaken on the Resurrection Halls, it is your personality that will be recognized. You will no longer have with you much of your material trappings. You will have with you your personality, which will be augmented by your increased association with your Thought Adjuster.  You are giving birth to your soul.  Merium?

MERIUM:     You have had quite a bit to say! Good evening. As you were talking about the development and the revealing of your true personality, I was thinking of a child who is told something that they cannot see and they can imagine and hope for it to be of the quality that they had heard about, but they cannot really understand what is being told to them as a predicted promise, so I would like to allow myself some poetic license and talk about personality in the sense of it not being threatening but as a fluctuating expression in your human experience.

Your true personality is stable.  It is in essence, you might say, like a beautiful mural of glass or of precious stone that has been covered.  It is a treasure that you were born to discover in time, and when I say in time I do not indicate that in 60 years or such, because there is so much conditioning overlaying this personality that we talk about. There is such pleasure on our part because there is a freedom to appreciate it here and to interpret it in a way that you are not able to in your realm.

Let us say that you, in a reflection of your life span on earth's sojourn to this point, you can see a thread of consistency in the development of your personality from when you were very young to this date that has not veered. You can be distracted by the human conditioning which flavors the personality which you are wearing, but it is a fluctuating pattern and it has bright moments and shadows and can leave you confused as to how to really, truly define yourself.

In this cluster of vibrations that emanates from this human personality, you will find that there are likes and dislikes that will influence the performance of this personality in their daily living. Hunnah had a teacher at one time who said that in the new reality of your divine expression, you will find yourself having preferences instead of likes and dislikes, and that preferences are something that will show upon you in a more flattering light and it will simply involve your experiences in life, such as you prefer not to have to wait in line but you can tolerate it.

As your personality reveals itself -- as a refined expression of your personality is revealed -- you will find that the influence of its divine overtones will soften as well as strengthen the elements of this manner in which you perceive yourself.  I would like to ask you if you have a question that you would like to ask regarding personality, and then if I stumble with it I can pass it over to Tomas. (No questions) Has the idea of having true individual unique personality that has not been tainted by your earthly sojourn, even entered your conscious awareness to ponder? What would it be like?

Elizabeth:     I've been thinking it so much! It's just been really fun to think about it. I really have been enjoying the study about personality. Thinking about all the people that I know and what they were like, probably, when they were little.

MERIUM:     Not too long ago Hunnah had an opportunity to look at what I would prefer to call a pattern of tendency for personality that is born on such and such a date.

Elizabeth:      Oh!
Group:      (Murmurs about "Astrology!")

MERIUM:     She was -- In a sense you could think of it that way, but she was most amused that the person she knew, who had a birth date under that so-called sign, was an absolute perfect pattern for what was being described for that sign. So it is as if someone gave you a limitation to live through and you would mistaking that pattern that was from that sign, in this worldly sense, as being their personality. But in essence what it is is the reality of that being living through this complex combination of expression -- patterns of expression -- and on her there is an endless supply of these variations.

So would it not be in the best interest of your human experience to have a link, a flow, of light that can come through those patterns and bring them forward in the best way possible, so that that pattern could perform at its best and enjoy its acquaintance with itself in the best way possible and also develop an appreciation and tolerance for those that are not like themselves?

So that when you are dealing with other people, in the back of your mind, you will be able to hold the pleasure of the truth of their being as well as a gentle understanding that the pattern that is being shown to you at that given moment is definitely a personality that has been bent by the prevailing winds of life's experience, and when you add this ego essence to these patterns, you will find them even more complex.

So with Tomas's depth of delivery of what your divine personality is, you have the comfort zone -- when you deal with other people -- of knowing what is behind scenes, and that is why you are allowed to be led into the path and the reminder of serving the Christ. It is the gentlest way, it is the most expedient way, and it is the most meaningful and pleasurable way to live. And you knew I would come up to that eventually, didn't you? Of knowing Who it is before you and knowing Who it is within yourself that may honor that person and that personality that is before you.  Thank you, Tomas.

TOMAS:      Thank you, Merium.

Celeste:     It is kind of nice to know that your personality is going with you. Because that's all you know about yourself. Don't want to lose it.

TOMAS:     It is indeed the greatest gift. As we have read in the [Urantia] Papers so far, there is a great thrust of interest on the person, on the personality of these high beings throughout time and eternity, and it is important because you yourself are a person. You have your own unique outlook, your own free will, your own identity, yes.

Elizabeth:     Well, ever since I've been thinking about this personality thing, I think I've been much less judgmental about myself! That's one of the things I just came to realize here tonight. I look at myself as a separate entity, not somebody who is right or wrong, just somebody I'm observing, which, I think, this is an improvement over the way I used to think of myself, because I was always sort of judging myself. I was either right/wrong, good/bad, but this is a new way for me. I think it's helping.

TOMAS:    I would certainly hope so. You are on the right track. You have been admonished before perhaps.  If not, I will remind you again that you are not in a position to pass judgment even upon yourself, and as you relinquish the need to judge yourself, you will find it easier then to not need to judge others, allowing yourself precious freedom from the restrictions of self-imposed judgments.

Elizabeth: I've been enjoying myself. But I've been enjoying other people, too, in a way that I didn't do before.

TOMAS: I would like to put on the record that the summation of the weaving of the day is to reiterate the importance of the practice of Stillness, for in Stillness you have a direct link between your unique personality and The Father. You have that connection which surpasses any conditioning or circumstances. It is not necessary to play a role or to comport yourself as anything other than a child of God seeking to know Him better. It is a reinforcing practice.  And not only is it reinforcing for you, it enables you to present yourself more peaceably when you stand before the challenge of other personalities.

Elizabeth:     I think I'd like to ask you to explain that a little bit more, please.
TOMAS:      About the Stillness?
Elizabeth:      That paragraph.

TOMAS:     Well, I will perhaps modify [tape turned] ... not so mechanical as to deliver the same words verbatim, but I will reiterate the paragraph's purpose, to remind you of Stillness, for when you sit in Stillness, you sit as a personality in direct communication with the personality of your Father, as Father and child -- pure personality to pure personality -- without the roles that have been assigned to you or that you have assumed to play by way of your societal influences.  You can speak directly to the Father and He can speak directly to you and love you for who you are and as you are, for you are His child that He has created. It is in this context that He is your Father and that you are His child. This personality. As you have been indwelt by His fragment, your personality can become eternal.

Elizabeth:     I think I'm going to try to think of my human father to help me to ... I'm enjoying the things you're saying so very much ... I think I'm going to think about my father here and the way I was like him.

TOMAS:     It is very well known that you learn from your mortal fathers, your earth parents, those lessons, those impressions, those first impressions as to how the eternal parents would behave. You learn whether or not it is a friendly universe by the way you are treated in your home by your parents, as an infant, and it is interesting to observe how it was that your earthly parents have influenced your personality. This is indeed a strong part of your conditioning, perhaps the strongest part of your conditioning. It is interesting also, then, once you have observed that you have learned these particular characteristics and personality responses from your earth parent, to compare how you would be taught by your heavenly parent.

Hester:      Tomas.
TOMAS:      Yes, my dear.

Hester:     Concerning these children, these babies, these parents, serious mistreated. What purpose is served?

TOMAS    You present your question as if the universe had established it for them to learn certain lessons in the experience and you misdirect your anger at the Creators when it is not their fault that the animal race has not yet learned how to be human. It is in large part evolutionary, my dear, and a cruel and demented human animal is a travesty to the understanding of a loving and merciful God.

Hester:     That was really an honest question, Tomas. There is no anger there. I wanted to know and you answered it, as far as I'm concerned. The lack of understanding on the part of the parent, the lack of recognition of their own soul-self. I understand it. And I wasn't angry; I was really asking.

TOMAS:        I hope I have helped.
Hester:        Yes, you have.
MERIUM:    May I interject, please?
Hester:        Yes.

MERIUM:     If you look beyond the situation that you describe as abuse and ignorance, and you look at the world at large, you will see this great variation of ability to cope, and as your worldly tensions increase, those who are not capable of handling themselves will act out of ignorance and fear. As an enlightened individual may help develop organizations that will feed the masses and will bring medicine and such to children who are living under deprived conditions, you have on the other side of the coin, or in contrast, those who are only equipped to meet the need of a moment and they are in constant stress and fear, fear of each other, fear of lack and all the creature comforts that they are denied in this society.

Man instinctively loves his child and civilized man will love and protect his grandchild, but enlightened man will bless and love and care for all children. And a child in this time of enlightenment has been uplifted, is in the community and continues to be a gift. In a society that is wavering in its judgments, this child can be used, used incorrectly for material gain and remember in your evolution you have witnessed cruelty through the Industrial Revolution, large families because they needed the help, etc. --this is just a review for you because you really have read it and understand it -- but emotionally, it's such an intolerable state that one can become outraged by it because they have so far surpassed that mode of behavior. They do not see a child as a burden or another mouth to feed or as an unworthy being, so you have this constant fluctuation in society here on Urantia.

I am reminded of the wheat and the tares. That parable can be applied in many directions and it is loving tolerance that allows you to witness it and also to act.

TOMAS:     Thank you, Merium, my able colleague. In the interest of time and owing to the fact that you have been bountifully served this evening, it is my pleasure and responsibility to call our session to a close. You have reams of words to read and miles to go before you sleep and so I embrace you in our realm of love.

Elizabeth:      Do we have an assignment?

TOMAS:     Yes, I am going to bring you back once again to that moment before you act. As we have been studying personality, you are getting a bigger picture of what goes on in the personalities of those around you. Perhaps after this evening you will give some thought as to why certain behaviors are apparent and will bring you yet again back to that moment when you ask to serve and are activated by the spirit.

Are you sufficiently master of yourself that you can serve in full faith of your fellowship with Paradise, or are you acting out of sheer conditioning? I will not give you the assignment to bring to me a perfected personality of total self-control by next week, but we are working on it. Or, perhaps more palatable to Merium's ears, we are spending time with it.

Elizabeth:      I guess I just don't understand the assignment.
TOMAS:      Grow, Elizabeth, and reflect on your experience.

Hunnah:     Remember the lesson we had on react or respond? If you pause, you're apt to respond. If you do not, you will get caught up in the speedy reaction, the conditioned reaction.

TOMAS:     Let me release you now so you can enjoy each other. Merium and I wish you a fond farewell.

Group:      Thank you.  Farewell.

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DATE:          June 5, 1997
LOCATION:          Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R's:              Gerdean and Hunnah

Textual Study: Urantia Paper 9: 
"Relationship of The Infinite Spirit to the Universe"
Reading from Part IV: Page 1898 on Divine Forgiveness

TEACHER SESSION
TOMAS, MERIUM and ABRAHAM
TOPIC:
WALK IN BEAUTY

TOMAS:     Hail fellows well met. I am Tomas. How wonderful to be with you this evening!

Group:      Good evening.  Thank you.

TOMAS:     We have been invigorated by your camaraderie this evening and by your guests. Might I prevail upon you, Elizabeth, as our esteemed hostess, to introduce your lady friends to the Teaching Mission?

Elizabeth:     Well, this is the lovely J.M. and this is W.W. and they're good friends of each other and I hope they'll continue to be good friends of ours. J.M. is a friend of my son, John. I must say I certainly, in this case, have enjoyed his choice of friends.

TOMAS:     J.M.  and W.W., welcome. I will not make clever remarks about Peter Pan, (group chortle) but you will indeed find that as you ascend in the order of daughtership you will become younger and not older. What a marvel! What a miracle provided by the Trinity. This is not to say that you do not mature, but this meddlesome problem of feeling decrepit and useless is history. Your youth and energy are immediately apparent and appreciated, but even more so is your sincerity and your integrity.

Both of you have worked diligently in your paths in order that you may be here today, not only that you may be here today with us, but that you be here in spirit actuality. Your souls are refreshingly viable. Your approach to your destiny has been solidly dealt with and grasped. The results are the riches that you pour forth into your arena, and this arena this evening has been the recipient of your bountiful and divine deed, thought and word. Welcome.

We also greet Leah back from the United Kingdom. Welcome home, daughter.

Leah:          I'm glad to be here.

TOMAS:     And, of course, welcome to all my trustworthy and loyal daughters, pupils. We have been attempting to assimilate the concepts as set out in The Urantia Book in terms of your own personal experience and we have had a lengthy and leisurely look at how it is that thought, word and deed operate in your own life -- your own life being a potential microcosm of perfection here in your realm as the Paradise Trinity are perfect in Their realm.

We have paused to consider self-mastery, for in that moment when word and thought connect and you begin to feel activated by the spirit, it will affect your behaviors and your approach -- depending upon your motives -- and so, looking at self-mastery, we have a way of looking at motives; indeed, is the motive to serve and to be a part of the Paradise pattern of perfection? Or is it for self-gain?  Or many of those myriad mortal conditionings that flesh is heir to?

For many weeks now we have paused at the threshold to perceive what our motive might be in that moment when we act. The question now is: what kind of act are we talking about?  -- Actions that you can undertake as a result of your thought, your word, and now your deed to be a co-creator in this undertaking of kingdom-building and perfection attainment. Most assuredly a guideline is that which is an element of the Father: truth, beauty and goodness. If you are emitting truth, beauty and goodness, you are surely doing His will.

Last week we discussed this same concept and I ended my "lecture" with the sentence: you are giving birth to your soul. It is your soul that is potentially immortal, and as you choose to act for truth, beauty and goodness, your soul is reaffirmed.  The soul becomes more real and therefore you become more real. It becomes more and more difficult for you to "backslide" into your more primitive behavior patterns, for your soul has an integrity that precludes error.

Granted, when you are, as they say, "hungry, angry, lonely or tired" you can revert to the lesser way, for the human animal is cantankerous and needs much in the way of self-mastery. And so herein is the value of learning to love yourself, to take appropriate care of yourself, so that you are not ruled by your animal nature, but rather that you can allow your higher nature to run the show, to hold your animal in check.

I hear some of you say, "Well, that doesn't sound like fun!" Au contraire! It is most enjoyable.  But it depends a great deal upon what you perceive "fun" as being.  Beauty is certainly fun, for it is satisfying and thrilling; it is exciting; it is dazzling; it is soothing, pleasurable, titillating and so forth.  Goodness can be construed as abundant and earthy and robust and sensual and hardy and hearty and any number of well-rounded qualities.  And truth?  Truth is piercing, dynamic, exciting, scintillating.   And so these truths truly are fun. More fun, if you think of it, than their earlier, lesser understandings of fun. Now, too, you have an entire galactic community inviting you to join them in their fun.

I know my companion, Merium, is delighted that I have finally come around to having a good time! (Group giggle) Perhaps it is because of these comely lasses, (More giggles) but it is also because of the fact that living a life in accordance with the Father's will is the most enjoyable and satisfying and liberating way of life there is!

On that remark, I conclude my remarks and allow my colleague to contribute her vantage point.

MERIUM:     Good evening. I wish also to welcome our guests. It is as if they are not guests, they are part of our family. We have been in contact with all who are awake. They do not all know it consciously. I feel as if we have a party here and I will place flowers on the table.

My subject this evening will be one that I hold closest to my heart and that is beauty. It does not have to be a tangible beauty; it can be the beauty that we discover when we find ourselves functioning as we hoped one day we would. There is an excitement in this self-discovery of the ability to be far more than we ever hoped or anticipated we ever could. It is beautiful to know that we contain the courage that would be there when we wanted it. It is beauteous that we have the warmth of understanding that we have acted appropriately. It is beauty when we feel ourselves following through instinctively with a generous gesture.

We are living in a day and age of great self-consciousness. There is a self-consciousness of trying to make ourselves what we wish we could be, and there is often an experience of finding that you are allowed to discover that you are becoming what you hoped that you could be.  I hope that as I speak to you that there will be a gentle, collective recollection going on in you, as if you were slipping favorite photos from your memory bank. And they are not perhaps the photos of years gone by, but current photos of what is going on in your activities of daily living. 

After you have come to the end of your day, before your evening quiet -- perhaps you have a habit of reflecting about how the day went -- (and it's alright not to beat on yourself if it was not a terrific day or that you did not function at your best), but you have the satisfaction of knowing that tomorrow might come along better. 

In Hunnah's memory she has a little book where she wrote that her purpose was for beauty. There are other words that surround that statement, but that is one of the qualities of our many purposes, for our many goals, for the development of our personal experiences — the enlargement of compassion when someone does not react well with you -- (may it) be so satisfying to you that it too falls in the category of what beauty is.

A loss of self-consciousness is a lightening-up. It allows you to travel into areas where you could not have ever dared enter before. You allow yourself to meet people quite unlike yourself. There is a confidence that allows you to ease into situations that before, with conscious shyness, you would have passed by.

I hope that as you go forward into your week that you will allow yourself to reflect at the end of the day -- not scrutinize; it is not the same.  The moments will make themselves known to you and it will be fragrant as a flower, a handful of flowers that you might pick on the walk.

Please do not be hard on yourselves, especially our young ones here. You are now entering the greatest part of your new life and that is a resting in your newborn self-confidence of the reality of your true being, and when you carry this acceptance of this new reality of your true self, you are indeed entering a state of rest. Your learning will expand. It is not a burdensome task. You will dine on the opportunity and it will be brought to the level where you can understand.

We have Hester here who has many years. She has this tremendous mother lode of memories, but she, too, is developing a new sense of what is important; her new moments will teach her. Life is ever new. You do not have to carry a heavy weight of yesterday, but the lightened freshness of the new day.

Hunnah has a very nice memory, and I use it because it is very, very important to her. It is simply (to make a story short) that if three days go by and you cannot share with yourself or another the glory of the living-ness and awareness of this new reality in you, then it's time to get to work. Go home. Climb up on the Father's lap. Let the Mother tend to your needs and bring you back to joyous learning, joyous walking the walk, effortless appreciation and the innocence and openness that is permitted when you know and live as you truly are, a child of the living God.

I've rather enjoyed myself, Tomas.  (Group giggle)

TOMAS:     I am glad, Merium. Thank you. We arc having fun now, yes?
MERIUM:     Yes, we are. We are passing the feather back and forth.
TOMAS:     Thank you. The floor is now open for questions or commentary.

Elizabeth:     Well, I guess I have a question. I get confused when we start examining our motives, because I'm remembering a part in the Book where Jesus was talking about self-examination and I would like you to clarify this for me, if possible. Did I make my...?

TOMAS:     Yes. I am aware of your point, and I am familiar with the point of reference, but as you grow, as you reflect upon your learning experiences, as you look at experience and determine that you could have handled it better and that next time you hope to do a better job, this is, in essence, a self-examination. It is another opportunity to be aware of an aspect needing attention toward self-mastery. It goes to your motives.

Granted, you enter the situation desiring to serve, for it is inherent in you as a child of God to want to serve. As you avail yourself of the Father, as you are affected by the Son, as you are activated by the Infinite Spirit, you will act. But if you are aware of what it is you aspire to do, you will act more effectively.

Elizabeth:     But I'm still confused about how that is the same as starting to examine your motive. If I'm reviewing the day and I think I'm going to do a better job with something the next time, I--

TOMAS:     Let me give you an example. Humanly speaking, you are in a situation; you look at it. You aren't completely happy with the results. They did not ring with clarity. They did not reverberate with appropriate harmony. There was not the Spirit of Truth that you had hoped. And so you look and you review the situation, the interaction, the response, the stimuli, the dialog, all the conditions, and you see what you brought with you, and you look to see if perhaps in your motives, there may have been tucked away in some dark corner a small fragment of superiority or a dark shadow of vindication or some imperfection of character.

It is not to say that you are to beat yourself up about it, no, but now that you see that had you not had that motive underlying, it may not have been discolored. We are speaking of the human animal, a highly conditioned human animal that functions in an extremely complex society.

Elizabeth:      Well then, what was Jesus saying, then, when he said something about avoiding self-examination. Now, how does that differ? I'm confused about that.

TOMAS:     I agree with you, Elizabeth, you make a good point, for the Master himself would say, "Just do it, and don't worry about the results. Let the chips fall where they may, for God has got all things in hand and if your desires are to serve Him, then you are doing fine." It is in our understanding of the desire to do His will on which I am focusing a certain amount of attention, such as the self-mastery aspect.

MERIUM:      May I interject?
TOMAS:      Yes, Merium.  Perhaps you can assist.

MERIUM:     When you are observing the personality -- You all have been through this self-examination. I am going to encourage you to do it ever so lightly. In the past I have asked to help, or have hoped I could help you to focus on serving the one Life, the truth of your Being, and it is sort of a tares and wheat principle, that when you focus on the purpose of your being and the qualities of your Godliness, that which is a quality within your developed personality that you do not like or is bewildering to you or you wish it would stay at bay, it will be starved out.

Remember, all of the development of your personality is to reinforce the personality that you interact with on a daily basis. It could be the lingering effects of the teaching of the parents; it could be the demands of the business in which you may find yourself; it could be in the new role perhaps, how a mother should be, how a wife should be; and this could go on endlessly, and you could be like a cat, constantly grooming yourself, pulling out snares and more washing and washing and washing.

What I would like to encourage is this idea of rest. You do not have to dwell upon your progress for the tiresome task of observing the upside when it is the glory that you are tending, like a fire within yourself, and as you interact with people and as you let this develop within yourself, your behavior toward them will be appropriate, and you can literally take no thought.  If the force of the external situation is powerful enough that you, in this delicate state of being, back off and perhaps feel fearful or pulled in by the gravity of their powerful personality that is not of your vibrational frequency, you can pull in, like our friend described, and ask for help.

There is too much perfecting and grooming of the external personality that is being greeted to the public because if you look over history, the social way to be is constantly changing. It has gone from stiff and proper and meticulous to excessively casual and coarse, so you have to allow yourself to know Whom you are going to serve, and will you be tending to the fire in your heart or will you be outside polishing new white coating on your exterior to cover the blemishes?

I don't mean to be harsh, but it's a working thing that you have been, a tiresome one, this self-examination. What is going to go will be brought to your attention and how to attend to the challenges in a light way. Has that helped?

Elizabeth:      Thank you very much, both of you.

TOMAS:     I am reminded of the Master's instructions to teachers and believers, and he admonished that it was necessary to have tact and tolerance and that we must learn to prevail with others. And surely in developing tact and tolerance, indeed in developing and fostering all the fruits of the spirit, you must apply some examination to your own personage. There is not much more that humans like to do than pay attention to themselves, one way or another. It is fruitful to know yourself, that you may be more effective in the field.

Elizabeth:      I see.  Uh-huh.

TOMAS:     Remember, too, that you are speaking to an old cultural anthropologist. I am conditioned also, you see, to study behaviors of peoples, and so this fascinates me. Do not think that I garnered my credentials academically only, no, but by also studying myself. I am not asking you to psychoanalyze yourself, for you are not necessarily becoming a psychologist, but as an active religionist you will be acting (Did you hear that? "Acting") and interacting with other religionists, other individuals who are sons and daughters of the Father, and so you learn to prevail with men and sometimes this means you need to do some examining of yourself in terms of your arena.

It is not necessary for you to examine yourself in terms of your worth for God. You do not need to do penance, do sacrifice, wonder if you are worthy of His love or of eternal survival. This is incorrect examination, for you are not qualified- to make that determination. This kind of self-abasement is damaging. By the same token, the potential exaltation of ego also is unnecessary and undesirable. That is an incorrect examination.

But examining how you react or respond to life, to your culture, to fellow believers, to the matters of life at hand -- this is the stuff that life is made of; this is the meat that feeds the kingdom builder; this is what whets the appetite for the ascent, for with each self-revelation and/or divine revelation comes increased truth, beauty and goodness within yourself and within your realm and within the Father's realm, which is what -- way back in the beginning -- you resolved you wanted to do. Make it so.

Elizabeth: I remember that when we did the fruits of the spirit, it was a kind of an examination itself that was rather different for me, in a sense, because I was striving to achieve those fruits occasionally in my life. I certainly was not able to implement them as much as I would have liked to, but I did achieve that occasionally, and that was why I really was so happy we did that, because that was one way of looking at one's behavior, I felt, in a very positive way -- for me, in any case.

TOMAS:     Indeed, for everyone concerned.  For as everyone makes strides towards perfection, everyone else benefits. Do not cease your efforts to prune your branches, to fertilize your soil, to reach for the sun(/Son), that you might bear fruit, fruit of the spirit.

Elizabeth:     Well, this study of personality seems to be a kind of a looking at oneself, too, because in looking at others and enjoying them, you also then look at your own personality and you enjoy it, which is something rather new in the Christian way of doing things.

TOMAS:     I am not particularly affiliated with the Christian way of doing things. Perhaps you would like to educate me.

Elizabeth:     Well, of course, it's something we are trying to throw off here. You know, of course, Tomas, how we were brought up with all of this thing about ... original sin, I suppose, ... so much a part of us and our society that, to be released from it is so wonderful!

TOMAS:     Surely it must rankle them, then, when they see you walking so tall and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Hester:      If they can see it!
TOMAS:     Most assuredly their Thought Adjuster is resonating frantically within.
Hester:      True.

TOMAS:     I don't know that is true. I don't know that a Thought Adjuster is ever frantic. That was an inaccurate descriptive adjective.

Hester:     Well, maybe it was a poor choice of words, but my reaction to my Thought Adjuster is that it is pretty active, and it has a way of slapping me around a little bit on occasion.

TOMAS:     It is sometimes necessary, if only to get your attention for your own good. Did we not gloss upon, this evening, a reference to "hammering out" something? Justice?

Elizabeth:      I think it was mercy, but I'll look at that part again.
TOMAS:      Are there any other questions?
Wendy:      A thousand of them, but I didn't write them down.
Elizabeth:      Start with one.

TOMAS:     I once had a session with a young woman who was very eager to meet with the spirit guides and when I asked for questions, she said, "Well, I had several when I was in the shower." (Laughter) That did me no good, but I know, however, that you are filled with questions and with wonder. It is not unnatural for you to not know quite what question to ask. Even my more advanced students are still stumbling to formulate their own souls' questions. I get lots of curiosity questions and some "intellectual" questions, but the greater, soulful, far-reaching, meaningful questions emerge as a result of our compatible discourses.

This is one of the reasons I have been urging my students to learn to communicate on a more substantial, in-depth level than they are accustomed to, for true communication can take place if it is given the opportunity. Not only does the external personality seek to be seen and heard, but the indwelling Thought Adjuster also needs your personality, so that it may express itself.  And this is the basis of the marriage between you and your Thought Adjuster that evolves your own soul. You grasp onto the God Fragment and it works through you for personality expression. How can it express itself if you will not work with it, if you cannot recognize how it feels, what it sounds like, what effect it has on others? Many times our more substantial lessons are gotten to by -- what would you say, Merium? -- coming around to the back door to get in?

MERIUM:     In my case, I would like for you to think of the back door as the myriad opportunities to accept any situation and know that at hand there is a proper response.  I was thinking -- I should say I was putting up with Hunnah's eavesdropping on this conversation -- and it is, perhaps at her request that she who doubts the validity of my talks sometimes -- because she feels that our personalities are, in some ways, so much alike and wonders if her personality doesn't color my delivery … and it is true that it does happen, just as the personality of Gerdean colors the expression of Tomas' ability to teach … back doors are for neighbors. Back doors are short-cuts for friends.

It is true that there is one way to go and that is through the sincerity of the heart, and once you have made this established journey, there are back doors and side doors and those for your convenience, because you know now where you live! And there is no classic, sworn way that you have to be taught or how you must live within the framework of this discovery of Coming Home.

Every one of our talks involve the new and living way entering a conditioned way, and lofty ideas of truth being applied into the arena of your established habits. It is like bringing home a guest to dinner. The people at the table being your familiar world, and the guest, perhaps, being the Christ of your new intentions that you wish to expand.

And part of you feels divided.  You hope this family that you have acquired will like this new fellow or friend and they do not know that you pay such total allegiance to this Christ that you have invited home to dinner, into every aspect of your life, that you are constantly, constantly being influenced by the opinions of your elaborately-woven life-style. And many of these patterns that you have woven, you must keep. So you are hoping that your new friend, this Christ presence, will allow you to keep some of these patterns that you have already woven, and others, weak threads in your pattern, will wither, dry up, and dissolve. They may be relationships or ideas.

So what I am touching upon here is a total freedom for you, as you evolve and experiment with your conditioned behavior and with the aura and fascination of the new expression within the framework of the old.  Hunnah is looking forward to reading this paper. I am looking forward to Hunnah's humbleness. And I want to thank you for inviting me back in, Tomas.

TOMAS:        Thank you, Merium … and Hunnah.
Hester:        Tomas, I have a question.
TOMAS:        Yes, ma'am.

Hester:         I'll sort of blurt it out here so I can get it right. In this thing called Correcting Time in which we are supposed to be in at the moment? How long is this pattern or new attitude toward life going to go on, and is there…?  In other words, is it to be accomplished rapidly? Or would it be like some experiences that take years to come about?

TOMAS:     Thank you for your question, Hester, and I hope I do justice to it, but let me respond this way. The Correcting Time that you are experiencing now is rather like a spiritual renaissance and it will last depending upon how involved you are in it. If you are looking only for the froth and glitter of spiritual scintillation and the net value of angels, you will not last long in Correcting Time, but if you are a worker in the field, you will not cease your efforts until we have begun to realize our goal of Light and Life for Urantia.

The workers are few. We need more workers in the field. There are many who like to find a pied piper and follow him through the fields willy-nilly, playing, but there are a few who will truly work in the Father's vineyard, and these are those who are devoted, day after day, who humbly and earnestly and with deep joy, prepare the feast for the Guest they have invited: the Master, that they may sit at His feet and learn from Him how to experience Him … even more, how to know the Father, how to love their brother.

There is great joy in the kingdom, but it is not glitzy. Those who like the amusement park aspects of this spiritual renaissance are doomed to disappointment when they discover that it takes real guts, it takes real courage, it requires fortitude and stamina; it sometimes requires adversity, for this is how you grow, this is how you learn wisdom.  I am not saying that you need to sacrifice or atone for your sins; I am not saying that, no. I am saying that in order for you to become a full-blown tree bearing fruit, you must be diligent in nurturing your soil and pruning away your branches. Not only is that parable true, but many others hold value, for here comes Abraham to discuss his vantage point. One moment.

ABRAHAM:         Mark you well, indeed, I have come to sound the trumpet. I have come to shake you up. I have come to give you your orders, my soldiers. Remember my words for I am active, I am a General in the Lord's army. I train my troops to carry the pack that is at once heavy, but in the end is light. Your steps will gain precision, for you will go from being bumbling clods to being lifted up.

The analogies of military service are part of my mannerisms, you could say, for I have had the experience that would befit a military man approach. I always refer to you as soldiers of the circles. I always speak to you as if you were warriors, laboring in the war against fear, in the fight for faith. It is not only that you tend to your tree and do your horticulture well, but that you band with others in this noble march forward. It does require stamina, and yet those of you who begin to feel the precision and the disciplines of following orders (Have you not heard that in due
time you will be led not by a Thought Adjuster but by a Thought Controller?), you will sing to the radiance of those instructions, you will kneel to obey His orders.

I speak as one who knows. I have long fought in the battlefield against darkness. I am victorious, and my men, and my women --those brothers and sisters who do battle with me -- graduate to glory.  My friends, be at peace. Gerdean used to fear me, but she has learned that I am just another uncle, and although my uniform has certain connotations, they are of an earlier conditioning. There is no real pain in this God's army. There is no blood spilled. It is a victory from the first moment.  Carry on.  Shalom.

Group:      Thank you for coming, Abraham.

TOMAS:     I am Tomas and I will certainly say "At ease." I am going to take my ease, as is Merium. We have had a full repast this evening. You are hungry little monkeys and we have been pleased to delight your palate.

My precious friends, we bid you a fond farewell, ...  but not before Abraham prods me and says, "They need something to do!"   One moment.

I will join with Merium and ask you this week to walk in beauty, to look at beauty, to recognize your own beauty, to see beauty in others. Behold your personality and recognize those things in it which are of natural beauty and those which are acquired beauty, those which are real beauty.  And look at your friends and ascertain of them their beauty, their devotions, their adventures, their mischief, even, in good faith.

See the beauty around you: the physical beauty; see the beauty of relationship; see people interact and see it be beautiful. See the communications that occur between people you know and see how hard it has been to attain this high level of communication art and how they have succeeded. See the beauty in laughter. See the beauty in truth, even when the truth is piercing, even when the truth hurts for a moment. Look beyond that to see the beauty of the lesson learned. There is beauty everywhere!  Beauty is part of The Father. Farewell.

Group:  Thank you.  Farewell.

*****

DATE:          June 12, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R:              Gerdean

Textual Studies: 
Urantia Paper 9: Relationship of The Infinite Spirit to the Universe
Reading from Jesus Papers: Page 1728, The Discourse on True Religion

Sharing; Stillness
TEACHER SESSION
TOMAS and MERIUM
Q&A: Have we been here before?
How to increase receptivity to God's will?
Is perfection possible on this plane?
Do small acts of kindness count?

TOMAS:      Good evening, my friends.  I am Tomas.
Group:      Good evening, Tomas.  Thank you for coming.

TOMAS:     Thank you for coming -- for how could I address you if you weren't here!
I am pleased to see you have returned, W.W. and J.M., and you have brought with you reinforcements. We are always happy to have a new personality in our midst and, in response perhaps to many prayers, we find one of the male persuasion. How wonderful to sense your presence here, young man. Might I know who we have with us?

Elizabeth:      This is Bruce.

TOMAS:     How do you do? I realize that's a very formal greeting, but it is considered normal for your world. I rather dispense with such formality but I am still somewhat formal. How I ramble on! I must be nervous. There has not been a male here for many weeks. I am beside myself. (Group laughter) I jest.

Bruce, it is truly a delight to have you with us. I hope that you find our camaraderie here to your liking. We have become a band of kingdom builders, even though it may appear to be a frivolous lot of petticoats. We are sincere and zealous followers of our Creator, Christ Michael, known to you as Jesus, and so we are family to you also, my friend, my brother.

I am not going to get too deeply embroiled in The Infinite Spirit this evening. You have been applying yourselves well and, in time, these things will make more sense to you. I am rather more interested in a question/answer period. I have not had a lot of banter with you lately and am interested to know if there have been musings which you have brought with you. Did you remember to set your questions to paper?

W.W.:      Yes.
TOMAS:     W.W., I am proud of you. Would you like to submit one to the floor?

W.W.:        Yes, I would.  I don't know if you've gone into reincarnation here, but I'd kind of like an answer. Is there such a thing as reincarnation? I mean, have we been before?

TOMAS:      I will give it to you straight.
W.W.:      Okay.

TOMAS:     Your personal journey begins here with this life experience. It is here that you begin to develop your own original and brand new soul. It is true that your indwelling God fragment has had previous experience, has indwelt other ascension candidates, but you have no memory of your indwelling Adjuster's experience except, perhaps, an assimilation of value that it has gathered to itself and brought with it to indwell you.

There is no reincarnation in ascension. There is no point to recycle life when the opportunities are nearly unlimited to advance.  It is also pointless to return to this planet when there are billions of worlds on which you may work and grow and learn and play.

There is, on a higher plane of existence, a creation called a spornagia, that is a serviceable creation whose body does wear out; after time its body is replaced, but it is not reincarnated in terms of time and space, it is merely given a new coat, a new functional form, rather like a snake that melds its skin to have a new one, and this is not what one would call reincarnation in the sense that you have derived your understanding from the ancient Eastern religions.

I understand that many individuals' spiritual paths have incorporated the concept of reincarnation and found it satisfying, has answered many of the souls questions in terms of deja voux and so forth.  Even modern methods of hypnosis have capitalized on the concept to allegedly take people into their previous lives in order to heal certain residue defects of character that have carried into this existence.

I would point out to you the fascinating mechanism of mind, and without belittling mind in the least, rather offer to you that its many diverse faculties allow for tremendous variation of perspective reality to take place in the formulating of a value that will hold up under an eternal trek. Have I responded to your question?

W.W.:     Yes. Yes, you have. Of course I still have more questions. So we sort of -- are you saying that the Thought Adjuster that maybe we have now has been through before and maybe we collect from that? I'm not sure I understand.

TOMAS:    The text, the Urantia Book, reports that there are no virgin adjusters on Urantia, which is to say that all Thought Adjusters who serve now in mortals of your realm have had previous experience. It is extremely unlikely that they have served on Urantia, but they have served elsewhere and in-as-much as there are certain likenesses in creation, even as they all follow the pattern of Paradise, there will be similarities in and between the many worlds of time and space, on some of which, no doubt, your Thought Adjuster has served before.

In-as-much as it has served before, you may be confident of its having garnered value. It is value and it has value, but it has garnered additional value as a result of the association of its previous indwelling -- its experience alone. And so to the extent that it has had previous experience, you may feel that you have had previous experience.

It will benefit you if you proceed in your ascension and fuse with your Thought Adjuster. You will then receive all the goodies that it has garnered from its previous experience. But your soul development begins in this life. You are here; you advance from here; you evolve your soul from your decisions now.

W.W.:        Thank you.
TOMAS:        You are very welcome.
J.M.:        I have a question, Tomas.
TOMAS:        Yes.

J.M.:         When we pray for God's will, to understand God's will in a particular situation, what is your — what are your thoughts on increasing your receptivity to God's will, or even just recognizing -- Many times I recognize it but then again sometimes I'm not sure. I mean, how can you increase your receptivity to what God's will is, after you have asked for it?

TOMAS:     I must take this opportunity to stress the practice of Stillness, which is a method of meditation wherein you set aside your material concerns and your physical activities in order that you may then rest your mind and focus on spirit. In this sublime state of communion with the Father, you will be directed by your alignment and your affinity with Father and His will for you, that a sense of reality will develop with you and in your soul that will carry you in good stead when you enter your arena.

It is necessary for you to continue to commune with the Father in order for you to remain clear in your purpose. Even though your daily existence is an adventure from one day to the next, indeed, from one moment to the next, and it is not His will that you should know what your adventure will be before it occurs, you can be assured that it is in accordance with His will for you by being in touch with Him through this practice of Stillness.

And secondly, as you are going about your business, as you are seeking to be about the Father's business, in dispersing truth, beauty and goodness in your service path, you are assisted by the ministrations of the Spirit of Truth, which is that gift which Michael gave when he departed hence, that gift which was given at Pentecost and which is essentially his presence for you in your walk with the Father. You may consult with the Spirit of Truth for confirmation and it will advise you how to go.

Those two are uppermost: being aware of the Father within and having communion with that divine Source, as well as trusting the Spirit of Truth to direct you. That is my response.

J.M.:        Thank you.
TOMAS:     Elizabeth, have you left your questions in the shower? (Group giggle)

W.W.:     The first question I asked answered all the rest of the questions I had.
TOMAS:      Hopefully that is a temporary situation.
W.W.:      Yes, I'm sure it will be a temporary situation.

TOMAS:     For if you feel that all of your questions have been answered, what purpose is there to continue to aspire to become perfect?

Hester:        I have a question, Tomas.
TOMAS:        Yes, my dear.
Hester:        Is it possible to become perfect in this plane?

TOMAS:     It certainly is! I have seen you, in fact, be perfect on a number of occasions. I have it on the highest assurance that all of you have experienced relative perfection in your realm, as He is perfect in His realm.

Indeed, Hester, this is the nature of the lessons I have been attempting to prevail upon you since the study began with Paper 1, with the Universal Father's personality of love and the bestower of personality.  Also, the fact that you yourself have God indwelling you is a promissory note of your own ability to express that same love in your capacity as He has in His capacity. Since you have love within you, and since you have mercy (which is the product of the Eternal Son), you may then have love and mercy, and as you have love and mercy together, and choose to act (as would the Infinite Spirit), you then have ministry. And as you, Hester, have love and mercy and ministry, you have relative perfection.

The point is not to expect that you will have that high degree of ultimate perfection as is realized only in Havona or the Isle of Paradise, but that can be attained in your personal realm, your universe. You already know, my daughter, that you have had those moments of perfection attainment, when you have been an instrument for Him, when all systems were 'go' and when every word that you uttered rang true, that profoundly touched the soul of someone, that provided healing, nurturing or succor to someone who was pained or lost or confused. To those extents that you have love, mercy and ministry, you have perfection.

It is a steady growth process that you attain and practice broader, deeper and greater acts of perfection attainment. This is the ascension plan. In time you will be perfect in the presence of the Father himself, who is infinitely perfect, and then He will not burn your eyes to behold, for you will have accomplished that oneness of spirit that you yearn for in your deepest part. Is this not true, Hester, that you have known glimpses of perfection even in your life?

Hester:      I suppose.

TOMAS:     Bless your humility, my child. It will serve you well.  But have faith that you have acted in accordance with His will! You have done His will, and it doesn't serve to have false humility when you have acted in tangent with Paradise perfection.

Hester:      Thank you.
TOMAS:      Wonderful, wonderful.

W.W.: I'll ask a question. From what I -- and this goes along with what you were just saying, about perfection -- and it's something I read in here, what Jesus said, that there -- just learning and doing I guess, those acts of kindness, every day, those kind words to someone that, maybe you do or don't want to say … Is this just as important in that ascension? Truly? Those little things? You know you sit back and think you have to do all this meditating and, you know, groveling, to reach your spirituality but actually its there in those everyday deeds.

TOMAS:     It is not necessary for you to grovel, my dear, under any circumstances. I will reiterate the necessity for meditation, or for communion with the Father, certainly, but those small acts of kindness are indeed valuable, for they manifest hope, they open doors, they provide good cheer, they illuminate the darkness, they instill confidence, they enflame vigor, they are vital gifts of love.

The destitute of faith need to be reminded that love is. As you behold the soul of another, as you look at your neighbor, a stranger, in love, on the street, in passing, as you see him with your spirit eye, you enliven his understanding of his own existence. By acknowledging his existence you stimulate his urge to grow.

You remember the concept of the I AM. Each of you, each of us, are products of the Original I AM, and one of the reasons that the Father has distributed himself so thoroughly throughout the far-flung universes is so that He may be acknowledged. There is a bearing in being acknowledged, and as you acknowledge your fellows, you give viability and credence to their very existence. You have given them a smile from the Creator.

It is not to be overlooked, these small acts, random acts of kindness. They may appear to be random, but they provide divine purpose. You cannot know a greater sorrow than to be alone and unacknowledged, and so to acknowledge your brother and sister is to bring great joy, great hope, great fruition. Yes.

Leah:      Will Merium speak this evening?

TOMAS:     (Nodding) Merium even now is in the wings ready for her curtain call. She is a definite assistant to The Infinite Spirit. One moment.

MERIUM:      You lay it on thick, Tomas.  You must have been reading that Shakespeare fellow again.  I am not as fluffy as you make me out to be, but I am certainly an adjunct of The Infinite Spirit. I am very proud to be a daughter of divinity, as ought we all. How are you this evening, my lovely friends?

Group:      Well.  Very happy.

MERIUM:     Actually, I had a question, and as I was given the floor, I forgot it (Group laughter). Perhaps it is a matter of ego dementia. (Group laughter) Is that possible? Perhaps, Hester, it is in your dictionary.

Hester:      Speaking of which, it's been very active lately.

MERIUM:     It is invigorating to stimulate the mind! As you read this evening, it well may be that if your mind is sufficiently invigorated, it will learn to comprehend what has been set down. Granted it is "mind-boggling" but in-as-much as The Infinite Spirit is endless in its mindal capacity, in its endowment of mindal capacity, perhaps you ought to all put in a request in prayer that your mental capacities be increased, thereby giving you an edge in comprehension.

It is entirely possible, for instance, that you may pray for increased faith and your faith will be increased accordingly. It would be, would it not, an interesting experiment, to ask to have your mental capacities also increased? What wonders we might behold if this were, in fact, to take place. What a marvelous assignment for the week! Tomas, what do you think? Shall we offer mind expansion to these lovely mortals?

TOMAS:      I thought we'd been doing that all along! (Group laughter) I do. This is Tomas. I think my colleague is stimulating and far wiser than one might give her credit for being. Why is it that individuals in your realm, by and large, think that the feminine mystique is somehow lacking in cerebral content? Just because a personality is flowery and, like Merium, emblazoned with butterfly wings, does not mean that she is inept in the thinking department, and I am happy to evidence her intelligence by consistently finding merit in her choice of assignments.

Praying for enlarged mental capacity. Well, it did not match what I was going to assign, but I will defer to my colleague, for perhaps in order that the curriculum move along at an expansive pace, mental expansion may well be just the stuff. It is necessary that you develop all levels, you know. It is not only that your spirit capacities be enlarged, no. The well-balanced growth process involves the spiritual and mental and physical realms. Before you know it we'll have you doing push-ups as part of your evolutionary process.

I jest again for I am in good humor this evening. It is so wonderful to have another fellow here. (Group laughter; much delight) I am perhaps sillier than you girls.

Hester:      You're all right, Tomas.
TOMAS:     I like you, too. (Group laughter) I will abandon ship here in a moment. Let me ask if there are any other questions.

I would like to call to your attention the rain, the gentle rain, the rain that washes away the dust of that which is dying away. Always does the rain fall upon the fields to water the seeds that have been planted. Always rejoice in the rain. Always allow your soul to be immersed in the beauty of the rain. Equate your soul to that seed which lies deep in the heart of the soil of God waiting for the sun (Son) to shine, for the rain to baptize your growth, that you may rise up to bear fruit for nourishing those who come to you for food.

Farewell .

Group:      Farewell, Tomas.  Thank you.  Have a good evening, Tomas.

*****

DATE:          June 19, 1009
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R:             Gerdean and Hunnah

TEXTUAL STUDY:
Urantia Paper 7, Continued
Jesus Papers: Second Discourse on Religion

Sharing and Stillness
TEACHER SESSION

TOMAS:  Let us pray.

"Heavenly Father, who is in the universe, you who have created the peoples and the nations and the worlds and the universes of space and time, we thank You for our place in your creation. We thank You, Father, for the awareness of our association. We thank You, Father, for the companionship that You provide in your ever-present all-encompassing love. We thank you also, Father, for the gift of association.

"Be with us this evening, Infinite Creator. Enlarge our minds, expand our souls, and enhance our spirit capacity to love, to be loved, and to know the love that You would have us know.   We seek these things for service to your Son, who has given us this life this day. In his name we pray. Amen."

TOMAS:     Good evening, my friends. I am Tomas. I am a supernal companion, my dear [speaking to a guest from Romania]. All of my flock here already are well familiar with me and I am truly honored this evening to be permitted to meet you. You have been a superb example of an ambassador of His kingdom and that which you have had enlivened in your soul, your consciousness, in your exposures this evening, you will even more enact as an ambassador.

I would like to address you this evening, of course, but I would like first to state rather by way of explanation and by way of some apology, that it may not be apparent to you but we in the spirit realms become very excited. We are completely privy to and participants of the positive feelings with which you are familiar.  Unfortunately, I have overflowed my excitement into the circuits to which Gerdean, who serves as my mouthpiece, has been sensitive, very much as if she has been leaning against a vibrator and seeking surcease. It is a relief now that we have begun some focus, for the coordination of energies, even mental energies, is bringing harmony to her as well as to the entire spectacle of our congregation here this evening.

There are many, many in attendance.  Much of the accent is on the international facet of our guest. It is interesting, and we will share with you, Michaela, that this which you have stumbled onto [the UB] is a revelation to your planet, Urantia, and those of us who attempt to assimilate its teachings into a practical working way of life are involved in what could be construed as the workbook, and we call ourselves the Teaching Mission.
This mission is that we teachers will enable you, hopefully, in our teaching, to become teachers also, teachers of concepts and of truth through your living behaviors, your loving emissions of that personal spiritual experience which you read of this evening in Jesus' discourse, and which you readily identified with as simulative of your own cognizance of true reality.

This world is in need of this reality and we are in need of teachers. We are in need of believers. We are in need of greater love and greater faith in this living reality. This living reality has the power to alter the face of Urantia and indeed it will, but it needs guidance, it needs nurturance and it is the role of the teachers, supernal and human, that are attempting to bring into effect these revelatory teachings in practice in truth.

With me this evening is my associate, my colleague, Merium, who has brought in her ministrations an advantage that I did not have when I taught here alone, and that is an aspect of socialization, and so we co-work, she and I, and our co-working has brought a facet of community to this group of individuals that has enhanced our community value and our unity aspects.

We have come a long way in our development in this group of believers. That you have found these people rewarding is because they are sincere in their attempts to find the will of God and to live it in their lives. We all look to Jesus as the example of how we might live our lives. He has been our inspiration as a Son of Man and a Son of God. He is our Father/Brother, ever aware of our efforts to spread the good news.

Merium, would you like to contribute this evening?

MERIUM:     Indeed I would. Good evening. It is good to be with you again this evening. I have certainly enjoyed the delicious conversations that you've had and our ties. I have been so pleased to have our lovely guest with us.

As I listen to each of you talk, I am aware of your very gentle growth of dignity and self-worth, as you are indeed tuning in to your inner needs.  And as Gerdean pointed out this evening that she was aware that she had been abusing herself physically and as there are needs for you that have to be protected, she will develop the spiritual muscles to attend to this.  And, as Hunnah pointed out, take the opportunity directly, and attend to something that was draining you as soon as you possibly can. Watch for your opportunities to renew or -- as they say in computer talk — to re-boot, so that you can maintain your line of integrity and focus.

You are also developing an increasing awareness of the worth of the individual whom you are addressing. It does not have to be a conscious thought before you constantly.  As our guest pointed out, you develop almost a web or wavelength of gentle good will, a poise, that will allow people to feel that they can be themselves and be trusted, that they can trust you, and this unity will develop so that what is good in each situation can come forth. You will not have to wear this new awareness like armor. It will be a gentle blending into your personality and it will develop itself as "effortless effort." You will not be cognizant when you are taking on a task or delivering this expression of integrity; it will simply appear in a timely manner for you. And this is all part of the good will. You are going to feel the flow of this good will increasingly as the days go.

I would like to comment also on this expanded awareness, the stretching of the mind. This, too, is not an assignment; it is a fact. This is something that is happening to you and you will occasionally, like Leah, say, "Oh, that must be my expanded awareness," but this is simply a matter of fact. In the past you heard Caroline speak to you in the sense that you were raised an octave. We have not used these terms, but let me tell you that this is simply another way of saying that there is spiritual growth or that you are expressing your morontia being-ness in your daily life.

Be lighthearted. Take time to smell the roses, to hold hands, and to be kind to yourself and this gentleness will be recognized by others. There will be a clearing of those thinking lines around your brow. You will indeed appear to be more at peace and more poised.

And that's really all I wanted to tell you this evening, the fact that this good will is going to be your good nature, and it is not something new, it is simply the timing. It is as the flowers out there. You saw them in their intent of developing a bud. There seemed to be an energy in the intention. You are now coming into a flowering state, and you will emit a fragrance that is uniquely your own, that will compliment your environment, and bring about a lightness and a feeling of good will to those about you. So enjoy your peace-making days and thank you. That is all.

TOMAS:      Are there questions?  (Long pause)
MERIUM:      Tomas?
TOMAS:      Yes, Merium.

MERIUM:     Perhaps their intellect has taken a holiday. They are expressing fragrance. They worked very hard this evening.

TOMAS:     No doubt.  They have given it to their Mother for a holiday.  Merium and I frequently jest in order to establish a rapport that is more accessible to the human consciousness. It is necessary for us to step down and for the mortal mind to step up in order that good will may be generated and followed through with, if we are to be sociable in this process.

Elizabeth:     I'd like to ask a question. Will you be in Vancouver, Tomas or Merium? Is there a chance that you'll come to observe?

TOMAS:     It is understood, Elizabeth, that we do not miss any of these functions, for we are on "cable," you see. We miss nothing. All activity on-going in your human interests that impact upon spiritual revelation has our undivided attention. You think humanly when you ask if we will be here or we will be there. I will be in Romania, I will be in Thailand, I will be in Canada, and I will be in Pittsburgh. I will be here. I am not going away.

Elizabeth:      And are you going to go to Yellow Springs, Ohio?
TOMAS:     Without question. If there is a light burning, I will be aware of it.
Elizabeth:     Do you ever pop in through the week into any of our lives?

TOMAS:     I do. I am aware of your lives. I am privy to a large circuit of associable personalities who have business with you, as do we. It is not that we invade your privacy, if you think that, but it is to observe your efforts.  Even when you feel you are being lazy you are active, for you have realms of reality that you are not even aware of, and yes, we are aware of you all the time. It is not to invade your privacy but we are cognizant of you as the Father is cognizant of you. If you want to be alone, you are in the wrong club. (Laughter)

Celeste:     Tomas, is it alright if we say, "Are you here, Tomas?" I often do that.

TOMAS:     It is okay to do that, and do not be surprised if you sense an alteration in the atmosphere as an answer to your question, for until you begin to perceive that we can communicate, that you can sit down at your typewriter and we can have a correspondence, or if you learn how we can have a conversation in your mind or on tape recorder, you can become more and more aware of my presence and/or the presence of other spirit guides and helpers.

We are very companionable. The midwayers are most often around assisting you in your daily life … in your spiritual life, that is … and other energies and personalities also. It is a very busy atmosphere. It is particularly busy since the circuits have reopened. And whereas you may picture Urantia as one-time having been a set whereupon you all had at least one puppet string to the Father through your Thought Adjuster, you now have an array of living robots surrounding you, like a city street, hither and yon.

Already I see your literal-mindedness has tripped me up. I heard you, I felt you say, "Robots!" and I swear, it is so difficult to communicate with you when you do not even try to understand what I am trying to say.

MERIUM:        Tomas?
TOMAS:            Yes, Merium.
MERIUM:        May I bring in a lighter touch?
TOMAS:            You may do what you can.

MERIUM:     Perhaps many of you saw the movie Snow White, and the cartoonist has put the little birds about that help. One would lift the end of her ribbon and another would have the other end of the ribbon and before we know it, it would be tied. In essence, this is saying that there is help at hand, and help at hand can be, for the sake of human understanding, cartooned. As you have moved into another realm of higher dimension, then you can accept the fact that there is an essence of support at hand all the time, and that because of the times and communications, that this has been compounded.

You are literally unable to be without this benevolent assistance, this intelligent inter-action, because you are an extension and there is a positive dependent inter-action here. Remember, you have drawn the light, and this light, as you look at it in its complexity, could be very complicated.  And the word robot is true, because it is automatic. It is there before you realize that you have need of anything, and so when you say, "Are we there?" Absolutely we are there.

In Hunnah's memory there was, in her mind, an "ugly" picture in children's books called "This is the watch-bird watching you." This is the watch-bird watching a child that is behaving and one that is not behaving, and this conditioning has, of course, been long by the wayside and her imagery now is, "I am with you always." This extension of the truth of her being is being magnified and identified in every aspect of her life in inter-action, so please accept this watching you as being with you, supportive, an extension of yourself -- your new, wonderful morontia self, and all that that entails.

So when you are given anything to do, you can do it in confidence and know that it will be more wonderful than it could ever have been before because you have been stretched and you have been allowed to find out that the all of God is at hand, with you, and that you are truly blessed and your names are written in heaven. How was that?

TOMAS:     Wonderful, my co-worker. Thank you. I have concluded that the difficulty is that I have a male mind and you have a female mind and they understand buttons and bows better than robots. (Group chuckle)

Unfortunately (or fortunately) this is (you are) my assignment, and I love you and I will work with you in spite of our lapses in communication. I have faith in you as I know you have faith in me. I am, again, most appreciative of the assistance of my companion, Merium, who has acted as a buffer in our budding and thriving community.

Are there any other questions? I understand that Gerdean is concerned about the late hour and the full sessions that we comprise here; however, I am a teacher. I am here to help you understand your understanding of spirit reality. If we only talk about buttons, bows and robots and do not touch base with spirit reality, then I feel that I have failed. Fortunately ... (pause)

Celeste:      Tomas.
TOMAS:      Celeste.
Celeste:      Some of the people are leaving. Could you just excuse us for a moment?
TOMAS:      We will be in recess.

    *    *    *

TOMAS:     It is no secret that it is late. It was mentioned earlier that your evenings are quite full. It was a particularly wonderful evening here, however, for us to behold someone of such a receptive and responsive spirit nature who could carry the Urantia Book into Romania. It was and is important. It's not like she lived in Beaver Falls and could be here next week, you see.

These attempts at spreading this revelation to other countries and other peoples is a responsibility that is initially that of you who speak the language into which the Book was brought. There was a purpose for the Book to be written in English, and with its being in your lap, so to speak, there is a certain responsibility. If it were a principle such as democracy or virginity, I can imagine you would be quite supportive, but it is perhaps beyond your realization of what this Book is all about and how it will affect Urantia.

Indeed, I will reiterate, the purpose of the Teaching Mission is to spread this gospel by the living of the truths that are set forth in this epochal revelation to your planet, not just this county, not just in the realms of conferences that are already familiar with it, but in third world countries, in previously communistic countries, in countries that are without an active networking of believers and students of this Book and its philosophy.

I am glad that we had occasion to touch base with her [Michaela] and no doubt the Spirit of Truth will have strummed a chord within her. May I again pray to Our Father that the Spirit of Truth indeed take hold of her awareness of the importance of this Book and its purpose and our intent.

I am sorry if I was impatient with you this evening. It is one thing to be old friends, but it is also important to remember what we're here for.

I will defer to my companion once again for any assignment, for I am in a crotchety humor and you would probably not enjoy any assignment I would come up with. Merium, will you assist me?

MERIUM: Indeed, I will assist you. I would like to introduce you to an experience this week of reminding yourselves that you are at rest, and that there is a shower of goodness in proper timing that will smooth out the feeling of having to accomplish something and to see results. I want you to rest in the beauty about you at this special time of year. You listen and you watch for the opportunities that will bring warmth to your heart and appreciation.

This will not be a working assignment; this will be a resting in beauty and pleasure of appreciating life about you and the people who you interact with. Go in confidence, like it would be recess, and let yourself extend the wandering eye to the wonderment of the world in which you live. Have a lovely week. We will be with you. Good night.

Group:      Thank you so very much, Tomas and Merium.

*****

DATE:          July 3, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R:             Gerdean and Hunnah

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
(1) Pages 113-115, Paper 10, THE PARADISE TRINITY:
#5, Functions of The Trinity; and
#6, The Stationary Sons of The Trinity;
(2) Pages 303-305, Paper 27, MINISTRY OF PRIMARY SUPERNAPHIM:
#7, Conductors of Worship
(3) Pages 1775-77, Paper 160, RODAN OF ALEXANDRIA:
#2, The Art of Living

Stillness and Sharing
TEACHER SESSION
Personal Messages; Lesson:
KEEP TRUTH ALIVE
Q&A:
Marriage & Relationships

TOMAS:     I am Tomas, your teacher.
Group:      Good evening, Tomas.

TOMAS:     I have been away, and it is good to be back. My associate, Merium, has held down the fort for me and made my rounds and so I have been apprised of anything pertinent, but it is, even so, noteworthy that I have been gone and I am back.

Often you say, "Tomas, are you there?" and I tell you, "Of course! I am always there," and yet I have been away. How is that possible that I can be in two places at once? Well, it is because of the inner workings of the association of teachers and other spirit helpers. You have not been alone and I know all about you.

I have a personal greeting for each of you, in fact. I would like to begin these personal commentaries with my transmitter Gerdean, and convey to her that her apology is not necessary. [T/R choked up] This is not going to be easy, so … I will skip her.

I am happy for you, Celeste, for the experience you had in making contact with your spirit reality. It is a cognizance of your association with the spirit worlds. This cognizant awareness, in and through realizing the intelligent and loving presence of something good above and beyond yourself, is the first step in associating yourself with the Kingdom of Heaven in its totality. Welcome to the neighborhood, my child. Allow this truth to foster.

Celeste:      Thank you, Tomas.

TOMAS:    J.M., your desire to serve will be met. That you have been simplifying your life on one hand and focusing your goals inward in terms of your spiritual reality and your desire to be of good to God and your fellow-men is a sure-fire indication that it will happen. It is always invigorating when these attitudes are voiced, allowed, in company with your peers, for they will one day then be able to turn to you and smilingly say, "You're the one who wanted to be of service!" (Group chuckle), for surely, as Michael has said, this spiritual path is "the sure pathway to trouble." Adventure and opportunity abound.

You are being readied. Not only are you being readied, but the circumstances and the situations that you are ideally suited for are also being prepared. You are feeling the swell of the tide, which will surely meet the shore. When you caress the shore, my dear, bring back your experiences and share them with us for our entertainment and edification. Also, it is a group reward to be able to work together in those avenues of service with each other in the spirit. We are your support system, we in this room, both finite and morontial.

Hester, I have news for you. I live in Salvington. That is my home address. You had asked me that and I recently went home. I didn't stay long, in your terms, but inasmuch as time is different there, I was gone adequately to be properly satiated and renewed and readied to return to my assignment - this crew of mortals that is my privilege to serve.

One day I will, perhaps, tell you more about Salvington, but not today. I did however hear you inquire and so now you know.

Hester:     Thank you.

TOMAS:     Hunnah, you petulant girl, I perceive that you need a boost. You have sulked enough for one day and I know that it has to do with that dreadful experience you had today, for you have been doing stalwartly well. You have been striding right along, and as for your practice in providing service as a transmitter/ receiver, I will also tell you that in spite of your own judgment and criticism, you are doing admirable there also.

It is a process. You are willing. You have much to learn, but who doesn't? Be gentle with yourself and even your most avid critics will ultimately confess that whatever it is that you emote is comprised of and born in truth, beauty and goodness. If [you feel that] all of your transmissions sound like the same tune, it is because they come from the same Mother. Eventually the refinements of personality will clarify. The roles of the teachers also will define themselves, and you will readily recognize one from the other. Even if you do not, those of us who know the teachers are already recognizing their unique aspects. Personality is developed as you spend time together. Merium is very happy with the product.

Elizabeth, I need for you to know that I am not perfect, and that I do get impatient, and I have manifested what you might construe as anger. I will also remind you that the same could be said for the Master himself when he, in trying to make a point, would say, for instance, "How many times do I have to tell you!?"

I understand your stance that surely it was the transmitter and not the teacher, but be advised that when we work together we are one, and my attitudes are hers and vice versa. If they did not work harmoniously, we could not communicate in this way. Indeed, I cannot convey what she will not allow, and if she tries to run the show I will leave. Fear not. You fully well understand in your deep heart that I am a loving and compassionate personality, but I am also imperfect, and that really makes me a better friend, don't you think?

Elizabeth:      (Chuckling) Absolutely.
TOMAS:      Leah.
Leah:      Yes.

TOMAS:     I would like to just spend a moment with you. I cannot think of anything profound to say except, perhaps, "Happy Anniversary" and that is a peculiar celebration, and so I will sidestep that and go back to your most capable globetrotting ventures. The reading public, you see, appreciates that the [Pittsburgh] Pumpkins have such an aerial view of what goes on in the rest of the world through the eyes of Leah the Traveler. It was Syracuse and Buffalo last week, London the week before, tomorrow it is Ohio en route to Vancouver Canada. My, my! Is it any wonder that your husband and yourself are celebrating 22 years of 4 1/2 years of togetherness? (Group laughter) Perhaps that is the secret of your success.

Leah:      That might have something to do with it.

TOMAS:     I have enjoyed my personal chat with you each. I am going to give only a brief lesson. I would like to call to your attention once again the reality of living truth, that when truth is crystallized, it dies. This is true in your most intimate spiritual life, your prayer life and your worship life, your friendships, your work, your very existence. When the truth becomes crystallized, it becomes dead. In order for you to keep truth alive, it must be approached each day as something new: a new day, a new face, a. new facet of growth.

Your prayers are not to be a repetition of words and attitudes, but a fresh conversation; and your worship is never going to be attained if you approach it as a duty to perform. Your friendships will not flower if you assume that they are the same persons today as they were yesterday, for the truth is alive and growing, changing, all the time. Begin to appreciate the fact that there is something new going on all the time, and if you allow yourself, you yourself will be renewed with each new day, even several times in the same day.

I am going to settle down. I would like to see if Merium would like to say a few words. No, I would like to ask you if you would like to pose a question to Merium, that she can have an opportunity to speak, to greet you, to teach and also to provide our associate Hunnah with the opportunity to practice her skill as a transmitter for your teacher and my co-worker, Merium. Are there questions?

ELIZABETH:     Well, yes. Merium, we were reading about married life and I was wondering, what do all of you teachers think about what's happening to the institution of marriage on our planet right now? I'm surrounded by people who are in pain, and I don't think our society is helping. I wonder if you could comment.

MERIUM:      Good evening. First of all, I would like to thank Tomas for being so diplomatic and gentle this evening. I think he's been spending too much time in my company. (Group chuckle)

Regarding marriage. Let us first regard relationships as partnerships. The times are not the same; the individual needs have changed. Materialism has a great deal to do with the effects of the need to be married. Never before on earth in its civilizations has being single, being physically single, been as provided for in every way. Never before has it been so glamorous and never before has it been so easy to be comfortable. If you have the material needs and you have friends, then the need for that one relationship is not what it was many years ago.

And you must remember, if you look at the book, it will give you fresh reminders of "why marriage?" Marriage can be an attitude. Any partnership and any relationship is a marriage, it is an interaction. In Hunnah's immediate situation she has young people who are both married and not married and she is able to witness the fears and the challenges of both situations, and it has made her uneasy because it pulls her down into fearfulness for them, and in that fearfulness she is receiving the exercise of reminding her where she is supposed to be in that judgment.

Marriage will not go away, but the kind of marriage that you are seeing is becoming a partnership. Perhaps you see it in the eyes of a negative view. The people are living in different versions of cooperation, but they are hiding within those relationships the same way some people hide within "legal marriage." Some people are in marriage because they feel secure. There is someone that Hunnah knows that says he loves being married because when he doesn't want to do something, he can say that his wife would not approve, (group giggle) and therefore he is using this relationship socially to protect himself.

So I cannot tell you that there are any less opportunities to honor and obey, but the format of whom they are honoring and whom they are obeying has perhaps changed. These young people are, in spite of appearances, in touch with their inner feelings and choices. They see the error of the ways of the past. They see the artificial, the shallowness of many relationships, and they also see the stubborn staying together in bitterness, and yet the lack of self-fulfillment within that framework of marriage.

There is no right answer to this question because what it all is, is a poultice of sorts. To bring out the longing for the recognition of what you are truly seeking, you may choose to celebrate your fullness within the framework of marriage or you may do it equally well within the framework of communal life or a single life. Let us remember that there were many people that hid in the churches in the secular orders who were feeling misplaced in their social circumstances; they retreated to convents and to the priesthood to seek fulfillment, shelter and social fellowship under the reigns of religion.

There are those who go undercover, who become rebellious and choose to stay with the "underdog," so there really is no right answer to your question and I do not want you to feel that I'm avoiding it. I want you to see that any exercise and any choice in your human situation is an opportunity for you to live it well, and that at the base of this, you will and have to eventually seek the one God, seek the truth of yourself, and therefore set out onto the wonderful adventure of knowing who you are and who your fellow beings are. I hope I have not disappointed you...

Elizabeth:      No.  No.

MERIUM:     ... but I would like to see you observe what you feel is the breaking down of relationships that are close to you. It hurts you. It is hurting, because you don't want anyone to be suffering. You want children to grow up in a hope where they know that their parents love each other; this is only right in the role that you are playing.

Tuesday evening we had a wonderful interaction on this subject of role-playing. In spirit you are always the same: you are brother and sister to each other, (this will be in the paper that you have just received) but in your humanness you will be playing roles and you play many at one time, remember. You go to the office, you go to the store, you are someone else, a different identity to everyone you meet. So it is up to you to bring the best to that one identity, the truth of your being. Live out from it and let others discern who and what you are about. Thank you.

Elizabeth:      Thank you.
TOMAS:      Thank you, Merium.

Celeste:     Tomas, I get concerned about the marvelous young people who are not marrying and not having children and yet there are all kinds of children being born today that people don't really want, and so I'm wondering what that means for the future of our country.

TOMAS:      "Have you heard of The Bell Curve?"

Elizabeth:     Oh, yes. I've heard of the Bell Curve. I thought it was a pretty important point that somebody was making recently, in the last couple of years.

Celeste:      Explain it to some of us.

Elizabeth:     Well, the Bell Curve was saying that there's a difference between the ethnic groups insofar as their ability to be intellectually challenged. There is a difference between these ethnic groups and we should actually be kind of cognizant of it in order to help them be more effective, in teaching the different ethnic groups. They learn differently. That's what the Bell Curve said.

TOMAS:      All groups have to learn how to produce intelligently ...
Elizabeth:          Oh, boy, yes.

TOMAS:     ... for if we do not reproduce intelligently, we will be producing mental defectives and heading downhill, and that was my reference to the Bell Curve. It is not necessarily an ethnic situation, but it is a racial situation, and as the human animal propagates as a dog has puppies, there will continue to be difficulty in developing a solid society.

Merium:     We have a generation that is growing up, coming in, that is, has a tendency to be newly more enlightened. We have a society coming in that has had a divided home, that has had a mother who is never there or a father who is never there, and it weakens a need in them that states, "when I find my friend, and the one I choose to love and share with, we are going to talk about the importance of having someone home when my child comes home from school."

Materialism is going to meet its challenges. It is always changing. This whole society is constantly living in change. The young ones growing up today are constantly experiencing change. The generation that is sitting at this table is experiencing what you might call "having had the opportunity of remediation and a repetitiveness in the development of new ideas." The children of today have been living at a very fast pace. They are like little sponges. They will absorb and learn, and when they are entering their 20th year, they are going to have quite a portfolio of reference material to help them make their decisions.

In the meantime, let us not forget that this light of truth is here and it will be compounded and compounded, and that it will be here to assist them with their decisions. A teacher that Hunnah heard many years ago gave the metaphor of making jam. She said, "when you turn up the heat, the impurities come to the surface," and indeed these young people today have been living in a state of having the heat turned up, listening to the ugliness of the narrow-minded opinions of people who are in their lives.

There is a television program of many years ago that Hunnah at first was very offended by and then she realized that it had to be aired because it's nearer to people, the sound of their own voices, and that was the one that had Archie and Edith, and the contrast in their attitudes about life, and that family had a great impact on people because they stored this in themselves and realized that they did not want to be an Archie and be ignorant and obnoxious and illiterate, or totally an Edith, who was not strong enough to take the best that she had and to apply it in a more creative way.

I am reminding you one more time of some brilliant scripture of "taking no thought." That does not mean to hide your head, but it does mean to rest in the truth of your being and let it develop, and become your new reality, and as you do this, everyone in your world and in your community will be affected, and the poultice that is being applied is on many people of misery or conflict of ideas.

Our young friend J.M. spoke of having to simplify her life. You people find yourselves literally toxic from an overload and they suddenly will reach out and accept that Helping Hand, and It is always there for you Inside, and It will pull you aside and let you simplify your life and make finer decisions, unselfish decisions.

Elizabeth:      That's good.

Celeste:     When I think of beautiful marriage, you never overload! And so many marvelous young people choose not to marry some day for some reason or other. I don't understand it.

Hester:     They feel unready. They feel they've been ... not too much ... In the last few years there's been very little emphasis on good marriage. And the children, all they had was the pattern they grew up with. I was an orphan from the time I was seven years old on, and I had the advantage of having friends who were wonderful people and I could compare them.  If I had no mother and no father, I could compare them as against somebody who didn't quite meet their standards. And it was up to me to make the decisions. From the time I was seven on.

TOMAS:     Marriage remains an ideal. Even those who do not make that decision or those who cannot find an appropriate partner, still maintain an ideal in their heart, in their minds. Always will these partnerships emerge, as Merium has said. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to experience those long-term supportive and devoted relationships must treasure that experience in your heart and appreciate the gift that you have been given. Never look with disdain upon those who have a troubled marriage or those who find themselves outside the bounds of matrimony. Be grateful for your experience.

And it is difficult to answer for young people today when you are not one of the day's young people, and so leave the speculation to them as to why they do or do not engage upon the hope of finding a companion who will suit their purposes, whether they be for financial, for legal, for parental, for spiritual, for cultural or whatever reasons. These are human decisions; marriage is a. human institution.

It is that institution which provides for self-maintenance, self-perpetuation and self-gratification within the sanction of your civil mores/social mores. It is the home, therefor the seat of culture; and the family, which is the foundation of all value --the Father having established the family unit as the ideal. If you have attained the ideal, be grateful. If you aspire for the ideal, keep your chin up. Otherwise, let's get on with it. There's a lot to do in life -- many, many rewarding and satisfying situations, accomplishments and relationships that provide stimulation of the imagination and all sorts of wonderful things, as you read this evening in Rodan. (Good selection of readings, by the way.)

MERIUM:     I would like to once again draw your attention to commitment and responsibility. And let yourself hold the idea of the puzzlement about marriage very lightly, because we are observing so many generations' examples about marriage, but we have many couples who are of the same sex that are living together, and this relationship that they have chosen carries the same responsibilities of commitment and respect and consideration that a heterosexual relationship would be.

If you took an elderly person who inherits an 8-year-old child, much to their dismay, that relationship will have to develop a loyalty, a respect and a sense of responsibility with it. Please, release yourself from the judgment and the bewilderment and concern of all relationships and be an encourager.

If there are people who live differently than yourself, or if you have friends who have troubled relationships who are perhaps bored to tears with the so-called, what appeared to be "ideal" marriage, or they have been married 30 years -- "Isn't that wonderful!" -- but they could be 30 empty years, or 30 personally boring years, or years without structure or direction.

Please consider the marriage of yourself to the Christ of your being. In Hunnah's books, in her early days of writing, she wrote something that might be interesting to those who are, perhaps, over 35, and it was very brief and it went something like this: "For those who feel the rising of the second heat in their life, turn to the Christ." I do not have on tap the remaining sentences here, but when there is this stirring of your physical beingness or your mental yearnings, there is the perfect mate waiting for you.

If you are married, it is as important for you to be married to the Christ personally for you as it is the mate of your choosing, and it is when the two of you have chosen the same mate, the Christ of your being, then you do indeed have a marriage made in heaven. It is a safer journey with a greater possibility of being a success. Thank you.

TOMAS: Thank you, Merium. And thank you group. I and we are going to take our leave. Again, your assignment has been outlined by my able colleague, and that is to look this week at the myriad working relationships that are in existence in and around you --your own relationships and others relationships, and look at them much as you looked at personality -- not for judgment, but for observation of how many incredible possibilities of relationship there are.

Group is relationship. All relationship comes from a Trinity base, even to your own relationship with the Father. Let us end this session with a prayer. I would like for you to hold hands.

Universal Father, we come to you as Your humble children sitting at Your table, knowing that You have prepared a feast for us. Enable us to kindle our appetites, Father, for the servings that You have provided for us. Allow us to be appreciative diners, Father, and not picky eaters. Whatever it is that You have provided for us for our nourishment, allow us to take it and savor it and know that it has been given to us by You for our own benefit, for our own understanding, for our own growth in the opportunity to see all the myriad differences in your creative universe, that we might honor and love Your Son, our Father/ Brother Michael and know him even more. Amen.

*****

DATE:          July 10, 1997
LOCATION:      Allison Park, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/Rs:              Gerdean and Hunnah

Stillness
URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
(1)  Paper 10, The Paradise Trinity, page 115:
#7, The Overcontrol of Supremacy;
#8, The Trinity Beyond the Finite
(2)  Paper 11, The Eternal Isle of Paradise, page 118:
#1, The Divine Residence;
#2, Nature of the Eternal Isle;
(3)  Paper 153, The Crisis at Capernaum, page 1707, 2. The Epochal Sermon

Stillness; Sharing
TEACHER SESSION:
Parables and Prophesy
Topic:              "GROWTH OF PERCEPTIONS"
Discussions:
Mars, Gravity, Star Wars and Aliens; Cultivate Your/Our Reality

TOMAS:  Good evening, my friends.
Group: Good evening, Tomas.

TOMAS:     I am indeed Tomas, a minor prophet, in keeping with your discourse. And you are correct, Hester, that we and you put forth your perceptions and as they are muddied or distorted, as they have been compromised, as they become watered down in order that they be expressed or that they be understood, prophesy becomes problematic, even as if it were a parable. Indeed, your (Biblical) revelation is today much more like a parable than a revelation, for it is one of those one-time prophesies that has been compromised to the extent that it is now a matter of exercise in interpretation.

You may recall the Master giving parables and the apostles discussing among themselves the meaning of the parables and indeed even arguing among themselves as to the meaning of the parables. The purpose of a parable, however, is for the interpretation of the one who hears or seeks to know, and each one will have a different interpretation depending upon his capacity for understanding and his need to know.

The same can be said for prophesy, for whereas there may be great prophets who prophesize wondrous works and futuristic events and prophetic deeds, what will it avail him if there is no one to take the seed that he has planted that will lead to those great works?

I would like to spend a moment this evening with you in fact discussing personal perceptions of reality, much as in a parable, even as in revelations, but more specifically as to your own minds, for if you are sympathetic to my message, you will appreciate that what is true for you today may or may not have been true for you yesterday.

As I indicated last week, the truth is living, and that once it becomes crystallized, it dies; the same is true for any truth, even your beliefs.  And so, what you believed several years ago and which was worthy of everyone's belief in your eyes, may have subsequently altered, changed, grown, evolved, such that it is no longer as vital to you as what is vital to you today, your new truth. But believe me when I say that your truth for today also will become molted as the snake's skin.  It will be peeled away in order that you may discern the deeper truth, the more meaningful truth, which again, in time, will be cast aside for yet greater reality.

This is not to say that you have no value in time/in space at the moment, no! For your value is inherent in your sonship/daughter-ship. Your perceptions are fallible, however, and evolutionary, and so I would ask you to be aware of and even beware of your own perceptions, for no matter how noble they may be, they may be only true for today, and only true for you! How can you project on someone else a perception that tomorrow will lack reality?

I point these things out to you only to indicate that truth is alive and growing, and that to marry yourself to a truth, hard and fast, is to allow it to become crystallized, and it will surely die even as a parable will die if you take its characters and its scenario and specifically set forth what they represent. In so doing you will take from it the living, growing quality of interpretation, and even creative imagination. 

Part of the creative imagination is to see something different each time.  Each view is augmented or altered somehow to present a nuance yet unseen. Let your mind's eye be the same way, always open to new nuances of truth. Allow your parables to remain open. Allow your revelations to flow through you as living water. Do not become bottled up. Merium?

MERIUM: You touched upon allowing the truth teachings to pass through you. The analogy is that evolving truth is almost like a breeze. It refreshes and stimulates the situation that you are in, helps you to clear it, to bring about a new idea, new concept, and know that it is an on-going experience and that more appendages or more facets of truth that you happen to be focused upon will come in and make themselves be known.

We are to be this landing place for the new on-going idea, the fresh approach, the new view, the new interpretation, and in order to receive that, one must have an attitude of receptivity and welcoming to unique ways to arrange ones thought processes and with confidence know that they will be said in appropriate information that will embellish that which they are to learn.  And as Hester this evening has pointed out, one can also have a good time receiving this so-called added depth to something that you might already know or that "cartoon light bulb" where that new idea is descending upon you and you are enriched in the ability to streamline the situation, see more clearly, or to avail your new and appropriate suggestion to someone where there is a place waiting for it to come in in a timely manner.

In Hunnah's journal she also received an awareness that the truths that had been taught to her in her early years were laced with holes, like a flotilla that was not going to be able to sustain her in the adventures of life because they were not sufficient, and therefore, in her doubt of that, she sought for a greater source of what is truth that would propel her on her journey. And when you hold the truths that are given to you from your educational schools and your home and you just accept them as the way it has to be, then you can suffer the consequences unless you continually observe the structure of your learning and of what works and what does not work, and you will end up with a bumpy surface to
travel on, an unpleasant ride in many cases.

TOMAS:     I will add to your discourse at this point, for we have been involved in touching upon perceptions of identity and reality, and as you grow, as we grow, these perceptions of reality can change and grow as the need arises, but in letting go of the old to grasp the new, there are sometimes difficulties, like your cartoon of holding on, hanging in there, not letting go of anything without fingernail scratches attached to it.

I am trying to give a lesson about perception and I will relate it back to your tendency to play roles and to play parts, for your perception of how you should be -- as a wife, as a mother, as a husband, as a daughter -- is a crystallized reality, and it has been crystallized depending upon where that perception came from. It was born in you by your own parent, augmented by your particular society, modified by your relationship with your offspring, and so you have a perception of a reality, of this man's wife, of that woman's daughter or mother, and so on.

And in order for you then to stay alive, you must allow that image of who you are to be dissolved, and since you have been perceived as that reality for a long time, others will be reluctant to let you go, like that "fingernails attached" that I was trying to describe earlier. But in order for you to maintain your own truth, your own reality, and develop your own self, you must allow your roles to fall by the wayside as a perception no longer necessary.

Also, in the course of life, it is sometimes the case that the gods, if you will, will "upset the apple cart" to present you with new challenges, you will have to make new decisions and stimulate new levels of growth. When this happens, it will also happen that your perception of who you are will have to change. This is part of the breaking up of the crystallization of your perception of a truth that no longer serves. This can be terribly frightening for the mortal, for essentially, you have lost your bearing on who you are and what you're doing here.

This is often the case in the event of the death of a spouse or the loss of a significant other or the loss of a career, even a major alteration in your health or a change of address. Any of these things which could be a normal occurrence, can occasion a tumultuous breaking down of a perception of self [so] that a new perception may be born. These are not easy experiences to go through, but they are beneficial in the long run, for it teaches you to trust -- as peculiar as that may seem.

If you do trust, if you do have the faith of one born of the spirit, you will realize that you are being plummeted/ pummeled/ tumulted into a new dimension of reality, a new truth, a greater truth, a greater freedom for yourself.  But it is sometimes difficult, and in that difficulty, the human animal often will say, "Well, forget it! I'm not going to do it unless I have to. I won't do it until they make me!" and if you see that it needs done, I encourage you to invite the change rather than waiting for them to do it for you, for it is always so much more rewarding when you have taken part in your own growth, in your own evolutionary steps, than have it thrust upon you. 

It is more invigorating and exciting, more rewarding when you take part in your own evolution, in your own growth, when you are an active participant, even, of the growth of the Evolving Supreme.

MERIUM:     You are literally like that spider that I may have made reference to at one time. You are drawing forth from yourself, continuously, the next step, the next choice. If you are connected with your new reality, then you are truly designing -- in spite of the structures that are already present -- you are designing your life one step at a time, one thought at a time, and your mind is alert and you are able to place the new line down continuously.

And those about you will see what you are developing and be quite surprised by it, and the part of them that understands will say, "Yes, yes, yes! That's the way it's done." They will not be particularly interested in what you are reading; they are interested in how you are doing, and they are not even totally realizing that they are watching, but they are! They want to see it work in order to try it.

Hunnah had a teacher once who told a story about a woman who said of her, the teacher, "When I am ready for religion, I want what Eileen has." She wasn't interested in the name of it, only that Eileen had the ability to do it, to make it work and regardless of the circumstances, she was able to be buoyant, and that woman knew just enough to satisfy herself then when the time came when she would know it was appropriate.  She wanted to find something that worked like Eileen's faith, Eileen's knowledge of truth. So this, too, will be the way it will be for you.

Hunnah's distress this evening in her sharing was very difficult for her because she felt as if her recent days were not according to the ideal of how it should be. It was difficult in her own mind but probably not really noticed in the framework of those who would be watching her; it appeared that everything was all right, but in herself she wanted it to be better, because she was trying to carry two standards. She wanted to express the ideal, and yet wanted the fresh manna to come forth that would embellish the day and give it meaning and substance.

This is what happens when you want to serve two masters. You cannot, and it's very uncomfortable to try. You can only serve one master. So today when she went out, she went out relieved because she was back in the familiar mode of trust with her reality in a place where she had applied it so consistently that it gave her confidence and the day had fulfillment and meaning.

When you read this transcript, it will settle upon you with new definition. You will be able to apply it as you see how you are living in your own life, and the pain that you experience when you try to serve the old way and apply the new upon it like a patch.  So be of good cheer and try not to punish yourself and be too hard. You're doing much better than you seem to realize. We are proud of you, we love you, we encourage you, we wish our lovely friend and hostess here a Happy Birthday. It has been a happy day for her, and thank you for letting me add to your commentary, Tomas.

TOMAS:     Merium, you are my able co-teacher. I appreciate your presence here and your contribution. No problem. Are there questions?

Celeste:     I was thinking about Mars because now that we're exploring Mars, I think I read in the Urantia Book that on this level we are mid-breathers, and if there is life on Mars, that life - they are sub-breathers. And I thought it was kind of interesting that if we send somebody up there, they might have a little trouble. Suddenly they would have to breathe the air of a sub-breather.

Hester:     I don't think we'll be able to do that without taking our air with us.

TOMAS:     I was reminded during your reading this evening regarding Paradise, that there was a time when you did not know what it was like to be in a place without gravity, and now your scientists know how to comport themselves without gravity through technology, even for extended periods of time. You can eat and sleep and so forth, even without gravity. And so in due time, the concepts presented in and around Paradise, like no time and no space, you will see it come to pass. 

You may even see it come to pass that there is some sort of life in your own galaxy. Be confident of your Star Wars technology. That, coupled with the adventurousness of your advanced races and the competitiveness of your several races, you could have some exciting games in space ahead.  Try to encourage your contemporaries, however, to let go of the idea of war and disgusting-looking aliens. It is such an offense to the Father that the incredible, miraculous, wondrous, beauteous and orderly universes should be besmirched with the primitive concept of combat and deformity in its creatures. It is popular, this science fiction stuff, and if you were clever you might be able to utilize that as an avenue of introducing universal ethics to your peers. We really must let go of that animalistic nature at some point.

I am reminded of the reference in life on a neighboring planet wherein the society had begun to look with disdain upon the super-wealthy, as if it were in poor taste.  And you could begin an entire new movement, an advanced movement, if you were to begin to plant the seed that combat in space and such hideous creatures is really insulting to the Father.

Now, I don't suppose, truly, that the Father is insulted, but it insults me, and it should insult any intelligent human being who, on one hand, desperately cries out for a reality, who so needs and yearns for an experience of being "embraced by the light," who has found such merit in angels and asking your angels. How can the cry for truth be so great on one hand and be so fouled with scaly horned creatures from the primal depths of dark space on the other? It makes no sense.

Well, I have had my soap box moment in time, so I will desist. Carry on. Are there other questions?

Celeste:     I'm very glad you came tonight, Tomas. We missed you the last time we were together.

TOMAS:     My dear, I am not worried. Indeed, there are times when your evenings are so replete with harmony and spirit grace and reality, that you have met the mark and my presence is merely companionable. It is my role, of course, to be a teacher, to provoke you into growth, to urge you into greater essays at experiential depth, but there are also times for repose and for reflection. Time for peace.  As your famous scripture indicates, there is a time for this and a time for that, and I do not command an appearance.

I am here to serve you. It is not necessary for me to be here except as you and I work together.  I am glad to be here. I am very honored and pleased to have a platform in which to promote my prophesies, and souls with which to share a comprehension of the love of the Father and His truth, beauty and goodness. I am heart-warmed to share my reality with your reality, and that you enjoy sharing yours with me. This is friendship, and I, as a friend, also have associates in the spirit realm and you have associates in your finite realm that we all enjoy as a part of our natural existence in the Father's universe.

That we come together on occasion to learn, to grow, to share, to experience together, is a wonderful scheme of Michael that we are glad in which to take a part.

Celeste:     I know that we are very happy and very grateful that you are our friend who will be with us, and teach us. Thank you.

Hester:        Yes.  Thank you.
TOMAS:        Thank you, Celeste and Hester.  Merium?
MERIUM:    My transmitter's microphone is drowsy.

TOMAS:     Very well. There is no point in trying to work with a poor connection, and that does happen as the mortal vessel tires, and so I will ask one more time, are there any questions, and if not, we shall conclude.

Celeste:     Tomas, even though we stumble and fail and don't quite understand, do you think we are advancing? I don't think I am.

TOMAS:     Oh, I am so glad you asked, Celeste, for you specifically are a subject of discourse in the spirit realms, for your recent experience of making a reality contact, and so Good Heavens, yes! And that experience, even though it may seem frail and insignificant to you, is a testimony to your peers that you have begun to recognize the potential inherent within you.  Your soul is indeed taking on a conscious life of its own.

Your propensity to wake up at 3:00 in the morning and feel joy is good. Your grieving has subsided from its initial peak and you are becoming comfortable with yourself. You are beginning, however, to reach out in the small hours of the night, and in your reaching out, you are being met by living love. It is indeed growth, Celeste -- significant and wondrous growth. Even though it is a small step, it is a giant step also. Do my words make sense to you?

Celeste:      Uh-huh!  Very much so.  Thank you for them.

TOMAS:     Yes. I discern your recognition of truth. I discern your soul stirring within your breast, yearning to take the plunge. I actually can see it squirming in its seat, eager to participate.  But refer to my words earlier this evening regarding perception, and as you change realities, as you allow your reality to expand, as you allow an old belief, an old reality, an old perception of who you are to go by the wayside in acceptance of the new and greater reality, you may balk in fear at the change, but fear not, for your soul is greater, is far greater than your heritage.

Your strength is radiant and strong. You are pushing forth, up out of the ground. Your seed has germinated long in the fertile field of your life and is even now pushing up through to reach the Son. You will feel the effects of the soil moving away and your sprout rising up, out of the dark loam of your life's reality, to reach for these new shoots. You are alive, Celeste, in the spirit. It is so thrilling to behold.

Celeste:     I am so happy and excited to hear those wonderful words. Thank you!
TOMAS:        And this is truth.
Hunnah:        This is Hunnah.
TOMAS:        Yes, Hunnah.

Hunnah:     I was thrilled with that commentary that you had at the end of our talk at my home recently [Ed: the Butler group] where you, once again, restated that you are alive and real. The impact of your statement dovetailed with our receptivity that evening and it was very nourishing, but even though I feel objective about it, it's very interesting to see how the human vessel quakes when there's the least bit of testing. Here we have this pocketful of enrichment given to us.  We are hand-fed.  And then we go out, and the first time somebody turns around and relates to us at the old level, it's like bringing you down. And there are so many things that are feeding into it!  Like physical health, chemical stability, the weather, all these conditions that influence the external. And yet we know that this is true and this is real and we don't seem to rush back to the knowing quite soon enough, and it's tiring. And then I think of those who are less equipped and I think of how in bondage they must feel, and how discouraging. I just thought I'd add my two cents worth. I'm more awake than I was earlier.

TOMAS:     It is always good to hear from you, Hunnah. I am always glad to be a sounding board for your outpourings. You are a deluge of energy in action, in oral action and in dynamic physical action also. You are a very productive woman.

Hunnah:     When you're living, it doesn't particularly seem that way, because we get that clipboard out and we compare that with what we think we should be doing.  But when I feel like I'm living, it's when there's a peace upon me and I know that it radiates and that others can feel it, and that's what I consider true productivity.

TOMAS: Remember too what you just said about how it is that you have times of doubt and it hinges upon how you have taken care of yourself and so forth.  And many times when you flounder in your faith, it is because you have simply run out of steam.  And so I say to all of you, remember to take good care of yourself physically.  You who are creatures of habit, develop and maintain good habits -- not only for you the physical machine, but for you the mental calculator and the spiritual receptor of truth, beauty and goodness.

All these levels of reality must be tended to and maintained, so do not think it is only your physical body that needs nurturance and care, but also your mind and your spirit. If you are around the flock and in the fold, your chances of questioning your reality will be lessened because you are seeing yourself reflected, you are seeing, ideally, your own spirit reality reflected back from them.

As you keep your mind stimulated, you keep the door open to stimulate yet others, and this adds dimension to your relationships with all people; it takes it from the mundane level of rudimentary intercourse and opens it up into the possibilities of dynamic sharing. And so it's not just a matter of "Eat your Wheaties." It is a full-spectrum instruction and assignment to take care of yourself, which is a big deal, for you are not just little people; you are a dynamic, resonating, evolving, growing, living, throbbing, potentially powerful agent of the Lord.

I am going to take my leave. I thank you, Merium, for your assistance this evening, and for all of you being here. Thank you, Gerdean for your recovery into faith. Until we speak again, I am your friend, Tomas.

Celeste:     God bless you, Tomas.
Group:  Thank you.  Good night.

*****

DATE:          July 17, 1997
LOCATION:          Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R:             Gerdean

Stillness
URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
Paper 11, THE ETERNAL ISLE OF PARADISE, page 120:
 (3) Upper Paradise;
(4) Peripheral Paradise;
(5) Nether Paradise;
(6) Space Respiration;
(7) Space Functions of Paradise;
(8) Paradise Gravity; and
(9) The Uniqueness of Paradise
TEACHER: TOMAS
TOPIC:
THE PARADISE PRINCIPLE
Group:     Good evening, Tomas.

TOMAS:     Good evening to you, also. It is wonderful to be here and how we have enjoyed your studies! How diligently you have applied yourself to the comprehension of a very vast and very complex concept. I have come this evening to, hopefully, help you understand some of what you have read regarding Paradise, and it ties in very nicely with my on-going lesson from the beginning having to do with the mandate to "Be ye perfect, even as I am perfect" - that mandate which the Father has given all of his creation, including myself.

Many moons ago I spoke with you regarding your being a microcosm of the universe, and I would get more specific now regarding this universe. More to the point, that you yourself, as an extension of the creation of the Father, are a microcosm of Paradise perfection as well. Let us apply the brain to this concept more than the heart, for your understanding, and consider yourself now:

Within yourself there is paradise, where God lives -- your inner citadel of the spirit. When you practice stillness, you set aside your physical interests and put at rest your mental activities and you focus on the living reality of the Father, and when you attain ideal stillness, you are experiencing your own version of Upper Paradise. This is where God lives. There is no time and no space. There is no beginning and no ending. There is the Divine Presence, there is perfection, there is total peace and there is love.

This you can equate to yourself, can you not?

Hester:      Yes.

TOMAS:    Now, as you extend yourself, expand yourself in your microcosm of paradise, you have nether paradise, the underbelly of paradise wherein your nervous energies function, your unconscious and material energies function. And in the peripheral paradise you have the mental and emotional functions. In short, in you are the spiritual, the mental and the physical, and much of the physical is automatic, like breathing and pulse rate and your instinctual responses.

And when, in your microcosm, your will is in accordance with His will, and you are set into action (as we discussed before), in you the brain tells the body then to function, and your arms and legs and mouth move and so forth. Now, in your microcosm universe, in your own personal Isle of Paradise, you have also pattern, and when your life is in accordance with the pattern of Paradise perfection, your life functions maximally, indeed supremely. You are not bothered by emotional stumbling blocks and your body functions appropriately.

When you encounter others who are also seeking to do the will of the Father in heaven, they too are operating as a microcosm of the perfect pattern of Paradise, and the motives are understood, the behaviors can be understood, and the activities can be understood and even coordinated with yourself.  You find harmony, relative harmony in the presence of those who also have the Father as the supreme, original I AM; life is difficult when you encounter those who feel that they are the universe itself! But this is old news; I will not dwell on that.

I only wanted to personalize for you, somewhat, the concept of Paradise, so that you can appreciate that in your own sphere of existence you can recognize the pattern as has been handed down through the various levels of creation to meet you, an animal-origin being, a finite creation. Now the Father can function in and through you to be perfect, in and through you in your realm.

I spoke to you last week regarding parables and this discourse this evening is much like a parable, for there are so many variations possible -- and additions and subtractions and clarifications ad infinitum.  But even so, to help you understand the mandate and to help you understand how the Father is perfect in His realm and how His realm is perfect, you can draw an analogy, then, between His realm and your realm and see the similarities.

It is obviously then very necessary that you continue to relate to the reality of your divine understanding of Upper Paradise where your Source resides, your own God Fragment, your own partner in the ascent. As you understand it better, you can cooperate more fully with it.

This mini-lesson will be referred to again after you have had time to mull it over and personalize the importance of this Paper and why they would go into such great detail. The more you can begin to understand the concept of Paradise, even for you here and now, in terms of spirit reality, the more amenable your mind will be to further understanding of Paradise function as you go about your business, as you go about the Father's business, even in your life in the flesh.

Every now and again there is an opportunity for us to insert something that can provoke deep thought. I feel that this analogy is one of those. You may or may not agree, but we do have a tendency to spend so much time in the psychological realms, the emotional realms, the avenues of correction and so forth, that it is a rare opportunity to focus your actual and potential reality in terms of its immediate and academic relationship with the Father, and with the pattern of Paradise perfection.

More will be revealed in future Papers. Perhaps this will help you understand some of them better. I am finished with my formal lesson.  How are you this evening?

Group:      Good.  Good.

TOMAS:     I enjoyed your sharing earlier this evening but I did miss the structured sharing, your soulful sharing.  In such an intimate group as this, it is almost inherent in its configuration that your conversations will be more personal and less extraneous, which is customary in a larger group, and so we did get somewhere, but this business of sharing the inner life is so satisfying an experience, I will continue to encourage the practice of sharing in a more structured way.  One reason is so that you may begin to express more soulfully. Your soul has a reality independent of you, in a way. It is that part of you that will be eternal. It has different interests, you see.

You are not very chatty.  Are you overwhelmed?  Brain dead?

Hester:      No.  Listening.
TOMAS:      Let me learn from you.  What is on your mind?

Celeste:     Well, on my mind is the fact that I love The Urantia Book! And when I'm reading it, I know I'm missing the message often, but I want that message! And I just feel that as time goes by I'll learn a little bit more, a little bit more. It does bother me at this time in my life that I'm still so slow at getting on with some of these new things.

TOMAS:    These are indeed new things! And they are vast concepts. Not only do they stretch your previous understanding of Godhood and heaven, but they stretch the imagination in trying to visualize and decipher how this humongous organism is set up, like the horizontal and vertical that they discuss that would very well lend itself to an extended discussion of two hours with a blackboard and a pointer and perhaps even a calculator.  It is a beginning, however, to your better comprehension. It is a thumbnail sketch of what yet may be learned. It is a good start.

I must tell you that I myself am studying it because I have not been to Paradise. I have, however, been aware of the many similarities between the Eternal Isle and Salvington, and so I offer you an even further, yet remote, comparison for your own wearing pleasure. I therefore derive much of my information, as you do, from records and reports and not from personal experience, except as I have access to how it is that the local universe of Nebadon functions.

And like you, I have my areas of interest and expertise. I am interested in sociology and anthropology and psychology and philosophy, but I am barred, through limited experience, in really understanding and relishing that which I have not yet experienced, as is the same for you.

Celeste:      I think it's so exciting that you still have all these experiences to look forward to. I would've thought by now you would have every possible thing there is to experience.

TOMAS:     You flatter me, but I am a youngster in perspective. I have not reached full spirit-attainment.

Celeste:     Well, it does make me understand then that there is so much more to learn after we leave this earth, about all those subjects you mentioned, than we ever dreamed of.

TOMAS:     There is a big segment of time in my future studies that will be devoted to science, and at that time I do hope to master an understanding of the Havona spheres, but whether or not I ever master that information is even beyond me. It is thrilling to learn. It has never been as enjoyable, however, as in connection with my experience with you, my pupils.

Hester:     I wonder if I can insert here that there are so many avenues that have been opened just in this reading of all the different directions that we can go at one time, communally and individually, and it has explained in two pages, three pages, whatever we read, what has been trying to be explained for half a century! And yet in one setting I get all these lovely answers to things I knew existed and knew someday I would come into, it would be in my pathway, and that I would be there. And to have a preview of it was really a very fascinating thing for me. It's like things that I saw (and I use the word "see" because it is my mind seeing), happenings that I came onto 30 years ago, all of a sudden tonight came into view! And it's been very, very rewarding.

TOMAS:     This is indeed rewarding, for you and for us, and this is the value of revelation. That which you read this evening is revelation. It has not been set forth before on your planet. That which responds to the truth therein is that in you which knows, that in you which responds to truth, your Thought Adjuster. It would resonate with the Spirit of Truth for you, and this is the gift of revelation.

This gift of revelation to the evolutionary children of time is a part of the divine love inherent in the Father. He does not overwhelm you with more than you can absorb, and as you have read this evening, even though much of it you purport to be beyond your comprehension, it is a beginning to a new understanding of the establishment of the universe, the gigantic and well-organized plane of existence that supervises and maintains all of space -- pervaded and unpervaded space.

That the First Source and Center is the Infinite Upholder of the universes is very satisfying to the soul and to the mind. Once you have allowed this revelation to settle itself into your core, you can rest assured, in every pore of your being, that things are well in hand, that the Father knows what He is doing, and if He knows what He is doing throughout the far-flung universe, He certainly knows what He is doing with you.

Celeste:      Absolutely.  I would agree.

TOMAS:     And if He is so caring and attentive all to those details,-- [tape turned].

Intellectual peace, indeed. Elizabeth has often stressed how impressed she has been with this revelation of truth. I have heard her and many others mourn for those who have settled for less, who have been content with crumbs of truth (although even what you receive can be compared to crumbs in terms of how much more there is), and so this reception of truth is truly relative to your capacity and your desire for truth. Those of you who hunger to know where you belong in the universe will find this information enthralling and satisfying. It was intended to bring you that satisfaction and assurance.

Celeste:    Tomas, it's enthralling and satisfying to me even though I don't understand a lot of it. I love it! And I want to understand it.

TOMAS:     And so you shall. And already it is making impressions in your deep mind, even in your immediate mind and, in time, further comprehension will prevail. But think on my words this evening, that as the Father indwells you, and as He has asked you to be perfect, and -- as we have discussed -- that when your mind is in desire of doing His will, when your Word and Thought are one with Him, your Deed is then a manifestation of His will.

So, in you, you have the capacity to be perfect by understanding that He dwells in you in this microcosm of perfection -- your microcosm of Paradise in your life here on Urantia. You have Him as your highest plane. You have your body to ground you and to support you. You have your mental and emotional realms in which to relate to all of humanity, to think and respond to your life. And so you have lots of resources to help you to be perfect. And to enjoy your perfection, your relative perfection.

Well, my daughters, I am sure that on top of all this deep reading my picturization has not made it easier for you to relax, and so I will desist.

Hester:      Please, wait!
TOMAS:      Yes.

Hester:      I have to tell you, I am so relaxed it's disgusting, almost, in our frame of reference. You have just stepped into a dream I had in 1933 when I was in college and I was doing an extensive study, through high school and college, on the Bible, using the Bible itself as a textbook. Now according to these fences that you couldn't climb over, under or around, and I finally had to deal with it by saying, "When I'm ready to know, I'll know."

Well, you have no idea how many gates opened tonight. They ... I knew what you were saying. I understood what you were saying! I've lived what you were saying, because I promised when this happened to me in '33, I gave my entire life to God and said, "God, it's yours; I'll go with whatever." And I have gone with whatever through my entire life and I'm going to keep on doing it, but tonight has been one of those nice happenings, where all of a sudden you see why this happened, that happened, this happened, that happened. Not that you really needed to know, but it helps you keep going.

TOMAS:      Indeed.
Hester:      So thank you.

TOMAS:     You are very welcome. And thank you for your support of the process of revelation. Self-revelation, also, for the Father will help bring forth those flashes of reality that will add to your understanding of truth.  This is growth.  This is good.  And so we have had fun.  I would like to see you all have a good belly laugh. It is always good to break up in good humor. I could bring Merium in for that. Let us see if she is willing to help this very cerebral bunch this evening loosen up.

Hester:     Well, we're sitting here with great big grins on our faces. You can't see that! We're happy!

Celeste:      So true.

MERIUM:     I am Merium and I will tell you a secret, girls. It is not so much so that you can lighten up, it's so that he himself can lighten up. (Group laughter)

Hester:      Bless his heart.

MERIUM:     He is so professorial sometimes, he needs to go out and shake a leg in order to get a grip on himself, and so he has sent me in to laugh with you and to just be, that we might all get back to where we can convene our lives on schedule.  Remember, we are to keep balance in our life, and we must continue to take care of ourselves, as you were assigned last week. So keep up with those bubble baths and pedicures, and watch your menu and your choice of reading matter. Beware the news broadcasts and late night telephone calls. Say "hello" to the Father for me when you are in prayer.

I am glad to stop by to embrace you on behalf of the teachers and on behalf of our beloved Sovereign Michael. See you soon. Take care. Nighty-night.

Hester:      Bless you.
Celeste:      Thank you for coming.  Thank Tomas, too.

*****

DATE:         July 24, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R:             Gerdean

Prayer & Stillness
URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
(1) Paper 12, THE UNIVERSE OF UNIVERSES (Pg. 128):
       #1 Space Levels of the Master Universe
       #2 The Domains of the Unqualified Absolute;
(2) Paper 89: SIN, SACRIFICE, AND ATONEMENT (Page 976)
      #3 Renunciation and Humiliation; and
(3) Excerpts from THE FAITH OF JESUS (Page 2087)

Stillness & Sharing
TEACHER SESSION:

TEACHERS TOMAS and MERIUM
TOPIC:
PRESUMING UPON DIVINE MERCY

TOMAS:      Greetings, my friends, I am Tomas.
Group:      (Elizabeth, Celeste, Leah, Gerdean, Anne and Hester): Good evening, Tomas.

TOMAS:     How wonderful to be here with you this evening in the bounty that you bring, the incredible horn of plenty of experience in the daily life and in your search for truth.

We have all been active and busy; even those of you who feel you have sat by the wayside and watched mighty things happen to others, you, too, have been upholding your part in the celestial swing of time. Ebb and flow are a part of the life. That some of you are active while some of you are passive, is yet another reflection on the cyclic nature of growth overseen and balanced by The Infinite Spirit. Even in your life there are times, individually, when you are very active and, by comparison, you are quiet and reflective.

This movement is all part of the divine symphony, and what an orchestration you have conveyed in your evening, not only in your personal sharing but also in the horn of plenty of your selections of studies. My only regret is that with such a plethora of subject matter, it becomes a supreme challenge then to pull you all together into a singular theme of comprehension that can possibly touch upon all of the things that you have brought to the feast this evening. I will therefore not begin to try, but rather bring my own serving.

First I will remark regarding the phrase about presuming upon divine mercy, which caught your attention earlier, Celeste, and it is worthy of attention indeed.

I will augment that phrase with the words of the Master who admonished the necessity of increasing in your spirit fruits as you ascend, and he gave the analogy of the stewards who were entrusted with certain gifts and admonished to invest them so that they would pay healthy dividends, and the subsequent investing adventures of the stewards and the one steward -- who did not, out of fear for the Lord or whatever ignoble reason, buried his talent and returned it to the Master without even having garnered interest -- was divested of even his one talent, and banished in disgrace.

Lest you be unfruitful like the fearsome fellow who would not attempt to make gains from the talent given to him, you are encouraged to bear in mind the necessity of fruitful service and herein is the phrase about presuming upon divine mercy important.

One night in Butler we discussed contentment as compared to complacency and I suggested that contentment was the cat that curled up in front of the fireplace and purred contentedly, happily, about the warm, safe hearth and home -- an admirable state. But complacency was the cat who, in the same circumstance, looked up, noticed a mouse walk past, and went back to sleep. He had not invested well, you see. He was not on duty to follow through with what he had been entrusted with. He had become complacent.

Now before you think that I am trying to be a driving force, think again, for there is no amount of driving or herding that will atone for the individual choice of seeking to serve. Are you a better righteousness recommender this year than last year? Are you a more effective pray-er today than you were yesterday? Are you more intimate with your Indwelling Adjuster than you were last year? Are you more astute at recognizing the presence of God in your fellows than you were once before?

It is necessary that you grow in the spirit.  It is necessary in order that you not become complacent and presume upon divine mercy. Knowing that the Father is mercy, and is love, is good news indeed. But Michael has instructed his followers to be fruitful, and so ever remain alert to your motives. This is only something you can do in your moment-to-moment check of yourself in your life.

The concept of having to grow in the spirit or stagnate is closely related at first blush, to the Christian concept of hell fire and damnation, that if you do not do certain things, you will perish. The lesson I have just referenced has those connotations, if you are inclined to be fearful, but I present the words to you, the concept to you, for your review knowing that you are not fearful, knowing indeed that you are vigorous and adventurous, and that you are eager to expand your investments for the Master. You are eager to present to him what he has given you with interest.

You have brought to the table this evening your horns of plenty, your riches of experience, appreciation for spirit reality, for kingdom fellowship, for the fertility of mother earth. Many, many precious gifts you have brought this evening, gifts for the Father, for presenting to each other in your personal sharing. I see no danger here of complacency.

Indeed, as you begin to relish the vigor and the rigors of spiritual growth, you begin to seek out that which is more difficult and more challenging. Is it not said that one day you will even "fatten upon disappointment"? And so the opportunities for growth are astounding and many-faceted. Be good to yourself and grasp these many opportunities to grow and to serve. Do not become so comfortable that you let life, in its infinite vitality, pass you by.

Are there questions this evening?

Elizabeth:      I had a question that came out of the fact that one of the papers that is sent to us is talking about contrast, that it's the greatest teacher, that on our planet we learn by looking at comparative evil as against a better good, and that this is an excellent teacher.

And it reminded me of something that I was really always sort of questioning, which was in a book about the angels. There was a picture of "the dark angels" and they were representative of the under side that had given up themselves so that they could serve some purpose, and so when I was reading about this contrast, I was wondering.

Now, for instance, this young man who committed suicide, was certainly caught up in the negative, and so maybe a lot of people will learn something from the tragedy of his life, and so I'm really wondering--  For instance Judas, people have said on occasion to me, he "volunteered" because he was going to help people to learn, and so I'm really confused about this role!

TOMAS:     I am not certain, Elizabeth, what role you are referencing, for you made reference to at least four examples, but I do oversee your general dilemma and I would refer you all to--   Is it page 51, Leah?

Leah:      Yes.

TOMAS:     -- the example of contrasts as a way of weighing, that if this is necessary on one hand then that is required on the other as a balance point.

But let me elevate that concept slightly, for future reference and for unity of goal sake, for eventually Urantia will become settled in Light and Life, and it will not be necessary to experience the hardships as they are known in a more primitive society. It will not be necessary for you to have war in order to appreciate the merits of peace for the actual lesson will have been learned.

The contrast then becomes one of refinements and nuances of perfection. Indeed, as you evolve (you individually and as a race of people, the human race), your sensitivities will incorporate greater and greater realities, spirit realities. Your sensitivities and sensibilities will be very refined from where they are today, and it would be vulgar then to have a contrast so low as to shock the sensibilities of a race of people who had long since evolved up and out of the negative side of that coin.  Do you see what I'm saying?

Elizabeth:      I do! I do. I remember that somebody had told me once that when you reach a certain spiritual level you simply are choosing from good or better.

TOMAS:     Correct. Yes. Remember your experiences here on this finite realm are rather rugged. Your soul is being forged and certain testing ground is utilized. If there were no self to forsake to do the Father's will ... well, one day the self will be greatly diminished from where it is today, but it will still need to be modified to accommodate the Father's will.

Elizabeth:     Well, I had another question, too, about something in my personal life, which is a person very close to me that I have to pray about a lot, and have to use the method in A Course in Miracles about in order to have a relationship with this individual.

TOMAS:      What lesson from the Course is it that you are applying?

Elizabeth:     That he is my teacher. He's my best teacher because he is -- I have to forgive him. My spirit has to reach out and forgive him mostly every day because he's in my family.

TOMAS:     Perhaps rather than A Course in Miracles, Elizabeth, you would do well to revert to a walk through the library and discover what kind of book he is.

Elizabeth:     (Laughing) That's good. My problem is this: I don't want to seem to condone this person's behavior, as. I'm accepting him and not being angry with him, then I'm very confused because I don't know how far that behavior goes, because it seems to me that he could misconstrue it as condoning his behavior.  So I have a problem in this situation. I just have the feeling that he might think that I am condoning, because I haven't verbalized any anger. I hope I have not even had it.

TOMAS:     It is not necessary to manifest a stand through emotion just because your society is accustomed to emotional communication. There are infinitely superior methods of communicating your truths without reverting to lesser and primitive behaviors. It is possible for the enlightened human being to indicate to another with a smile on one's face and love in one's eyes that their behavior, in your opinion, is unconscionable but you are in no position to judge, only to offer your opinion. This can be done graciously.  It is not necessary that you agree with everyone or that they agree with you, remember, and it is perfectly all right to disagree, even affectionately.

Elizabeth:      Thank you.
MERIUM:      Good evening, my friends.  I am Merium.
Group:      Oh, hello Merium.

MERIUM:      How wonderful that you are all together. I do feel as if my fine-feathered friends were home from their flights, and I nestle you under my wings, little birds. [Ed. - Elizabeth and Leah just got back from the Urantia Fellowship Conference in Vancouver, Canada.]

Group:      Good.

MERIUM:     How good to have you all with your feet on the ground.  Tomas has graciously afforded me an opportunity to come and visit with you for awhile this evening.

It is different for me to communicate through this vessel. I have been making strides in our process of working together. I do however find it valuable to speak through this more experienced T/R in order to maintain my relationship with you integrally, aside from whatever voice I may be using; also to familiarize myself with the mechanism of this mind which I am getting more familiar with and which is getting more comfortable with me; and also to teach and preach and provide a point counter-point for my companion, dear Tomas. So I greet you.

I am not full of advisement. I am full of love and embraces -- "warm fuzzies." I will share with you that-- now, this is an intimate anecdote, for those of you who would rather skip over this personal stuff.  But-- I was observing, not long ago, when Gerdean was being tested in her own growth throes, and I had the opportunity to visit with her in her private time with Michael.

It had not occurred to her that I might be of service to her for she was so accustomed to working almost exclusively with Tomas, and yet when her reality had become so bound up in the reality of Tomas that she began to lose her own footing, she renounced Tomas, set him aside, and sought guidance from Michael, who suggested that I might be of service. Imagine her astonishment -- she who had forgotten that I am a teacher and that I am here to serve and I am not Tomas!

Well, I believe she and I had a nice chat that evening. I conveyed to her that I am the kind of adjunct of The Infinite Spirit, the kind of a mother and elder sister, who would not demand that you stand tall and dignified on a constant basis; I did not require you to be persistent in your pursuits of perfection, but allowed for some relaxation of mind, body and spirit, and that indeed I am the kind of being who would get down on the floor and play with my children rather than expecting you to constantly play the part of being grown up.

It is important for me to reach you, and I am not proud, you see. I will do whatever I can to make contact with those in my charge. You are my flock now, and I share you with Tomas who has about his manner a certain authority, a certain demeanor that is inherent in him because of many things -- and I do not begrudge Tomas his personality manifestation, but, by the same token, I am a counter balance as well as a helpmate, and I am not averse to getting down on the floor and playing with you, my little chicks.

And this is why I sometimes appear, by comparison, frivolous or air-headed (and this is not true at all!)  It is only that when you know and love Teacher Tomas, [you see] that I am so different by comparison; but even then, as we work together, you will soon see and determine for yourself that we are not different in the essentials, that, like you, we are equal in the eyes of the Father and we are earnest in our intent to love and serve, just as you are, my lovely friends.

You may appear to be different.  Your personalities indeed are like the many colors of the rainbow, the many lilies in the field and the many birds on the wing.  But at heart we are children of the Eternal Parent, we are indwelt by an aspect of perfection that seeks to return to its Source. And so we shall. And so we shall.  But in the meantime we will enjoy the moment, for if we savor the moment, we will learn to love life here and now, -- and in each other's presence and in each other's (and the Father's and Tomas' and my) loving embrace. When we are surrounded by love here and with each other, we will know love and give love.

It is real. It is true. It is generous. And you have generously given to us this evening. I hope I have conveyed to you how generously my heart opens to you, my daughters, and how thrilled we are to have this experience of being intimate companions of you, our students, our ascension friends.

Well, I do like to talk and I do like to have my way. I am finished when I am finished and not until. But I have felt you, my darlings, hanging on my every word, and I weep for joy for my love for you.

I am going to take the helm from Tomas and sign off for the evening. It is an honor for both of us to be here with you. I will not give you an assignment except to enjoy the moment, enjoy the love that you have in you and in your horn of plenty. Farewell.

Group:      Farewell.  Thank you so much.  Thank you, Tomas and Merium.

*****

DATE:          July 31, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R:              Gerdean

Stillness
URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
(1)    Paper 12, THE UNIVERSE OF UNIVERSES, page 131:
#3, Universal Gravity;
#4, Space and Motion
(2)  Paper 53, THE LUCIFER REBELLION, page 601:
#1, Leaders of Rebellion;
#2, The Causes of Rebellion
(3)  Paper 102, FOUNDATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FAITH, page 1124
#6, The Certainty of Religious Faith
(4)    Paper 171, ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM, page 1874,
As Jesus Passed By
Stillness and Sharing
TEACHER SESSION:

TEACHERS: TOMAS and MERIUM
TOPICS:
THE ART OF CONVERSATION
Intimacy versus Familiarity
Learning Through Error
Who was Michael's Archangel?
PGH Women's Evangelical Corps
Who was Thaddeus?

TOMAS:      Good evening, my joyous flock.
Group:      Good evening.

TOMAS:     Merium and I are here and glad of it, glad for your company and indeed glad for the association. Mary Theresa, how wonderful to feel your presence once again. It is a delight to have your sparkling personality among us. How have you been, my child?
Mary Theresa:      Fine, thank you.  Still the same old talker, Tomas. I talk too much.  I'm going to listen tonight, to you.
TOMAS:     We have been exercising the art of conversation. It is a difficult art to master and we have had many challenges on hand. It is a joy that you have much to share. It is a benefit for those of you who are gifted in that gab, but for those who are shy and inhibited, it is a strain, and so the community seeks a balance.
Thus, like the Master gives self respect to those who have lost it and takes it away from those who have too much, he also seeks to distribute himself in and through his fellows with equilibrium and balance as well. It is part of the orchestration, and this orchestra has been tuning its instruments, learning when to play and when to await the direction from the Conductor.
I would like to say that we have enjoyed your structured sharing this evening. Forgive the word "structured"; we cannot find the correct descriptive adjective to relate without offending those of you who disdain words like discipline and structure, but the tonal quality of your sharing time was rife with sincerity, integrity, trust, companionship, courage and various other apparent fruits of the spirit. It is a joy to behold these fruits in action, in and among yourselves. It promotes confidence in your self and in each other. It promotes brotherhood/sisterhood. It is a method of communication that employs intimacy as opposed to familiarity.

Just for fun, this evening I will add to the smorgasbord and tell you briefly the difference between intimacy and familiarity, on which I have spoken before, and with which Leah has entertained herself.
You have heard it said, "familiarity breeds contempt" and yet here we are encouraging you to become conversationalists of an ilk you are unfamiliar with. You presume, perhaps, that we would have you give your deep dark secrets to each other in this structured communication. No, we are not asking you to divulge the skeletons in your family closet. Familiarity is a crude second place to what we are fostering, which is intimacy.
There are those of you who misconstrue my use of the word intimacy to be related to intercourse of a different ilk also than I intend to convey. This social intercourse, the art of communication, is based upon your sonship/daughtership. That you are each indwelt by The Father, that you recognize that you are brothers and sisters in the spirit, affords you an understanding of that comforting presence of The Father within that would allow for intimacy of expression without lapsing into familiarity.
"Familiarity breeds contempt." It is like sibling rivalry -- and there are always opportunities for you to lapse into sibling rivalries, even among yourselves -- but if you have practiced communicating intimately, as a dignified son and daughter of the Most Highs, as a well-rounded, well-balanced personality, you refrain from the smallness inherent in familiarity. Your level of communication has been elevated to a new plateau. It affords The Father opportunity to include Himself in your rapport.
For instance, in a marriage, many of you have seen or known couples -- perhaps you are party to one -- where the husband and wife have known each other for so long, part of their communication is this affectionate bickering that goes on between them, and that they are comfortable with, but that is irksome to strangers, although it is understood by strangers, for they themselves are guilty of that practice.
The husband and wife, after many, many years of association, have become familiar. They have seen each other at their worst and tripped over the children's toys and bungled life's opportunities and the other has been there to witness each other's failings. This would demean the nobility of the association except for the understanding that you are ascension candidates reaching towards perfection, that you are not fools but humans, attempting to elevate your modus operandi from an animal level to a human level, even to a superhuman level of functioning and cooperation and communication.

It is fostered in your churches that Christ be the true head of the family, and herein truly is the secret of the happy home, for if Christ is the head of the family, the marriage is met by and through The Father and He is involved in every conversation, He is a party to all of life's circumstances, all of life's foibles, challenges, failures, successes, struggles, pains, rejoicing, growth, ad infinitum. When The Father is with you, you are not belittle-able. You have been elevated.
And when we hear you sharing as you shared this evening -- quietly, calmly, sincerely -- we hear you speak intimately, for you are aware that The Father is hearing you; indeed, it is possible that The Father may be speaking through you, and so we pay closer attention. We honor your words, for you are His child.
It puts it in a different light than the familiarity of your culture and your society - which is not to be disdained! Familiarity is indeed a viable method of communication -- but we have been working on this new understanding of sharing amongst each other.  In that intimacy you may promote an aspect of association that is rich in ethics and humor and affection.
There were other things I had hoped to discuss this evening, and Merium, of course, is eager also to spend some time with you. Your evening, once again, has already been full. I, however, will persevere, since we are all together. One moment.
MERIUM:     I am Merium. I am glad to be here and to be called up to address you. Group:      Nice to have you with us.
MERIUM:      I have come forth primarily this evening to greet you, Mary Theresa, my little pumpkin.   How are you?   I am not as familiar with you as I shall be.  Oops!  Did I say "familiar"? (Group laughter)
Mary Theresa:      It's okay with me!
MERIUM:     It is okay with me, too. I am joking for I am lightness personified, you see. I am a counter-balance to our Tomas, and I josh more readily. Perhaps I am the answer to the exaltation of the ego! I do not say that to disparage Tomas or to make unflattering innuendo, but to be joyous and to proclaim my understanding of your thought processes, your feelings and, indeed, your human condition. I am well versed in the human condition, having "been there, done that."

Since last week, we have discussed your session of last week, and in particular the question that Elizabeth asked, and Tomas did not feel that he had answered Elizabeth's question in fullness. I am not sure that I can rise to the occasion to attempt to further elucidate her concern, but I would like to try.
You recall, Elizabeth, that you had asked a question in which you had suggested that someone had suggested that individuals volunteer to do "dumb things" so that lessons can be learned. I have paraphrased that for the sake of simplification. Do you recall, Elizabeth?
Elizabeth:      Yes.
MERIUM:     For example, it was suggested by someone that Judas had -- perhaps as a spirit prior to entering into the life of Judas; perhaps his Thought Adjuster, before he assigned himself into this personage -- saw in advance that this is the role that he would play as he indwelt the human being, the mortal, and volunteered to play that role for the outworking of the Paradise plan.

It was also suggested that perhaps the young man who had killed himself after also killing his associate (which has been in your news broadcasts of late) may also have put himself voluntarily in such a life circumstance as to bring about an opportunity for people to question and ponder a greater reality.
Elizabeth:     I remember it was based on a statement in Allene V's newsletter about one of the Teachers about the value of contrasts, that we learn from contrasts.
MERIUM:     This is true. There is no argument there. But there was a train of thought in the question you asked that inferred there was an understanding somewhere that Thought Adjusters, when they volunteer to indwell the human being, know the end from the beginning. Now neither Tomas nor I can presume to speak for a Thought Adjuster, but this is truly the answer to the question:
No one can presume to speak for a Thought Adjuster. And when an individual would suggest that a person did something dumb in order to teach a lesson, this is precisely because we cannot second guess and know what God's intention was, and so we make up elaborate tales in the attempt to justify dumb behavior. It is a high form of rationalization and justification.

The fact of the matter is Judas decided to act the way he did. It was not his Thought Adjuster's decision. It was Judas' decision to betray the Master. It was not God's decision to commit suicide in and through that young man. That was the young man's decision. I am not saying that they are "dumb" but I am saying that imperfect beings often err, and rather than accept responsibility for their error or have the perspicacity to recognize error in others without passing judgment, they give it to God in such a way as to say, "God did it" and God didn't do it. He gave us all free will. It is our free will decision that furthers us or curtails us. Again, I am not certain that I have fully responded to the question.
Elizabeth:     Yes, you have, because I've been wondering about that for a lot of years.
MERIUM:     We rather suspected that there was a much deeper question than the one that was addressed and so we were "dumb" but we're getting smarter. Thank you for your patience with your teachers, Elizabeth. Thank you all for your patience with your teachers, whether they be in the spirit realms or in the human realms, for those of you and those of us who can appreciate our teachers, we have the joy of learning, the joy of having teachers, the joy of acknowledging that we have yet more to learn and the soul satisfaction in accepting the growth that comes from learning these lessons.
It encourages us when we acknowledge the assistance of our teachers.  It encourages us to not rationalize and justify our behaviors and our errors, but to say, "I have erred. I should have done it this way, and next time I will! I see now how I was thinking, but I can see clearly now ... the rain has gone. There are no obstacles in the way." Yes, it is a song. It is a song to learn.
We had a wonderful song on Tuesday when we met in Butler. It has been an inactive assemblage there, but it is summer, you see, and we do appreciate the steadfastness of you here in this anchor, that you so well adapt yourselves to accommodate the comings and goings of each other in order to maintain the singular solidarity of this teacher base, this devotion to The Father and to His work and His world. We thank you, our teachers, for you teach us also. I have played my part for the evening. I embrace you, my little birds.
Elizabeth:      Tomas? Tonight we have a real question we're very excited about.
MERIUM:      One moment.
Elizabeth:      Merium too, certainly.
TOMAS:     We are both here. I am Tomas. I have the mike, so to speak.

Elizabeth:     Well, we have such a lot of joy in the fact that we have a question!
TOMAS:      I am so eager to hear it!  May I hear it?

Elizabeth:     We have never really bumped into this character that is referred to as the archangel of Michael, and we didn't know that he had an archangel. What does that actually mean, from the reading tonight, "Michael's archangel"? Is it just one of his many archangels that follow him? Or is it a special archangel that Michael has attending him?
Hester:      It was singular.
Elizabeth:      Urn-hum.  It was.
TOMAS:     Indeed he has thousands of angels and he may claim them as his, one and all. "His" archangel, his angel, his universe, his child. He is the Creator of the universe in which his creations reside, and so it is "his archangel." You might imagine that if it were a particular personality, it would be identified by name, by number or, in your language, a capital letter ...
Elizabeth:      Yes.
TOMAS:     ... but in-as-much as it is only "an" archangel, it is likely unspecific and not, for example, his Personalized Adjuster, which is truly specific.
Hester:      It was capitalized.  The word archangel was capitalized.
Elizabeth:      I don't think so.
Hester:      I remember that specifically.
Elizabeth:      I don't remember that.
TOMAS:      I don't remember that, either.
Elizabeth:     We'll go back to that section and next week we'll have it exactly right.
TOMAS:     Well I am intrigued. Have I failed to answer your question?
Elizabeth:      No!
TOMAS:    I am ready for the next question. I feel like I am getting ready for a quiz now. (Group laughter) I am ready! I have my hand up!

Elizabeth:     Well, the Fellowship is now — it's governing body has many, many women in it, which was a startling development.
TOMAS:      Why is it so startling?
Elizabeth:      Because it wasn't that way before.

TOMAS:     Well, perhaps the women are getting it together. It is your conditioning, remember, that has kept you from taking those challenges that are wide open to you. It does not happen until it occurs to you to do it, and for centuries you have not had the opportunity to think that you might, and now, with the liberation and with the Master's pronouncement that men and women are equal and particularly in the realms of the spirit, there are more and more women who are becoming empowered to step out and accept their place in the service of the kingdom. It's wonderful.
Elizabeth:      As witness our very own group.
TOMAS:     Our very own group is a capital example of a Women's Evangelical Corps. It worries me that we have no menfolk.
Celeste:      Me, too.
TOMAS:      I have no solution.
Celeste:     Do you think as women become the majority in a group, men start to back off? It seems that way.
TOMAS:     I cannot answer that as a blanket response, for it depends entirely upon the constitution of the individuals involved. There are some men who have the kind of personality who would take great delight in having this association of many women, even social and spiritually, and not necessarily physically or romantically. There are some who would be quite comfortable, who would indeed assume a jovial and fraternal place among them. There are some however that are bored with women and have been bored with women's ways forever. There are some that simply find you to be members of a foreign planet and cannot relate and so go home.
I find you a charming bunch of women, myself. I am delighted to be among you. It is too bad that I can't find an associate to pal around with -- I mean a mortal male associate. I could use one, I'll tell you, and an astute male could certainly use me! We could set this community afire! The thinking of a "God-fearing" believer could magnify the message of Michael ten-fold and send some real powerful juice into the circuits. How could he fail with the support of all you lovely ladies? I am not, however, going to try to entice one only to play a role for you or me or the Teaching Mission, for unless and until the genuine article shows up, it doesn't pay to fantasize, and I know that all ladies can identify with that. [Silence] Can't you?
Elizabeth:      Yes, we can.
Celeste:     And we know a real man when we ... hear one! (Group laughter) We know you are!

TOMAS:     Bless you, my dear. I appreciate that.  Merium is fidgeting.  One moment.

MERIUM:    I do wish I had my own set of vocal chords. It seems you are having such fun and Gerdean only has one mouth we can utilize, but I must put in my two cents somehow. I don't even particularly have anything to say! I just wanted to be part of the fun. I sense you are having fun and this is indeed one of the things that is possible when you learn how to have a high level intercourse. Well, I guess I've stuck my foot in it. I'll leave now.
Group:      (Laughing) Thank you, Merium.
Leah:         Tomas or Merium, either of you, would you help us to see who Thaddeus was at the Last Supper? There's a statement in The Book where Jesus takes the cup from Thaddeus.
TOMAS:     I am well aware of the inquest. Gerdean has enjoyed chewing on this gristle and I am not going to deprive her of the challenge of continuing her research, and I hope you are not disappointed. I am going to follow up, however, and say that I admire Gerdean's tenacity, for it is understood that it is in many cases entirely too easy to ask a teacher to answer the question, and it then relieves you of the challenge and the sense of accomplishment at finding it out by your own devices. I like that in a student. I hope you don't think that's a cop out, but I'm not going to tell you who Thaddeus was, although it is a good question.
Leah:      Well, perhaps I'll tell you next week.
TOMAS:     Perhaps it is a good exercise for all of us, even our readers. Remember in the upper room on the evening of the Last Supper, the 12 apostles went into the room and Jesus stayed behind to visit with John Mark's parents.  And so, as the twelve apostles were without servants in the room, they neglected to do the foot-washing and, instead, scrambled for their chairs, vying for position, at which time Jesus entered the room.  And so there is only Jesus and the twelve apostles and yet, when "he accepted the cup from Thaddeus" ... now who is Thaddeus? That is the question. That is the assignment. It is an academic and fun assignment. One that will get your nose into your textbook and out of that meddling, self-contemplating, (group giggling) time-consuming, ego-justifying behavior that we are so well known for in this Teaching Mission.
Elizabeth:      We have a reputation, evidently.
TOMAS:     Several. You are not surprised.

It is time. It is time, my children. It is late. We have had another bountiful repast. Our minds are dizzy from all the miscellaneous readings and miscellaneous forms of communication. We have strummed the harp from top to bottom and from bottom to top. Go hit the books and hit the hay. We'll see you soon. We love you. Good night.
Group:      Good night, Tomas and Merium.

*****

DATE:          August 7, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R:             Gerdean

Stillness and Prayer
URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
    (1)  Paper 113. SERAPHIC GUARDIANS OF DESTINY, Page 1241:
        #1. The Guardian Angels;
        #2. The Destiny Guardians;
        #3. Relation to Other Spirit Influences;
    (2)  Paper 12. THE UNIVERSE OF UNIVERSES, Page 134:
        #5. Space and Time;
        #6. Universal Overcontrol;
        #7. The Part and the Whole;
    (3)  Paper 159. THE DECAPOLIS TOUR, Page 1769:
        #5. The Positive Nature of Jesus' Religion

Stillness and Sharing
TEACHER SESSION
TOPICS:
One Short Life in the Flesh
Promulgating Sincerity
Turning the Other Cheek
Walking the Second Mile
MERIUM:  This is Merium.
Group     [Elizabeth, Celeste, J.M., W.W., Bruce, Leah, Gerdean, Ann, Hester]: Thank you for coming.
MERIUM:     I am happy that you have invited me. I am glad to be here. I am glad to be given the opportunity to come on-line first and greet you. My associate Tomas is in the wings and available also, but in this configuration this evening, it was deemed that my more gentle manner should precede him.
I am glad for the largess and the youth of this configuration. Welcome to you lovely young people. You have brought with you the vigor and enthusiasm that will indeed stir up the sedentary ways of a kind routine. Everyone benefits from these kinds of gatherings. It is similar to your reading this evening that when you feel you have it down, whoops! Along comes a surprise and the settling process begins anew and the assimilating begins again - the attempt to comprehend who you are and how you fit, in association with others in the scheme of things.
[Pause] Please forgive what seems to be a delay. We are having consultation and we are also enjoying your stillness. It is very difficult to allow your minds that clear space to attain poise and a prayerful attitude when the energies are so active, when the physical realm is dominant. It is of benefit to you and also to us to have this moment. In your words, we can "hear ourselves think."
And so we are "thinking" about what, of the many aspects you studied this evening, and of the many things you discussed, would lend itself well to a sermonette by your loyal teachers. Perhaps the core truth of the evening's events and interchanges has been the question of how can you accomplish all the things you want and need to accomplish within a short time frame, when everything has merit.

How is it possible to accomplish all the things you want to do, you need to do, you feel are important, and how do you do this in an arena where there are others who also have an understanding of what is important, is indeed a dilemma which constitutes the human condition. It brings into being all manner of competition and stimulation and discord and accomplishment. Indeed, it makes the world go round.
You are correct, Bruce, that, when someone is genuinely seeking a response to a need, a soul question, it is arbitrarily rude to put aside the need in honor of a format. How often have you considered the baseness of organized religion, which sets aside the spiritual hungers of the parishioners in exchange for formality? Always is it important to meet a soul's need if you are aware that the need exists.
I am not going to offend anyone here, I hope, by discussing a situation that entails human need for understanding which is different from the soul's need to feel an association with spirit reality. Indeed there are many, many kinds of need -- emotional and physical and financial and so forth -- and when the need is loudly crying, it can attain the heights of a piercing cry in the wilderness for divine intervention. Even a child's falling in the gravel while chasing his toy can emanate up like a prayer.
And so we must consider the need of the part, the need of the whole, the need of the configuration, the need relative to each individual. Each individual here is precious and priceless and unique. Each one here is indwelt by the Father. Each one here is flanked by spiritual associates. Each one here has the active ministrations of the Spirit of Truth.
Our format has been in process of development for we have been, this year, in process of assimilating the individuals comprising the group, understanding their uniqueness, and considering the benefit of the whole, of the community; not that the format has replaced the call for help, no, but so that the community can learn to operate as a unit rather than as a vehicle of discord.
That is neither an apology nor an explanation, merely a statement. For our goal as a community of believers is to serve, and always would we seek to serve within our ranks, as any family would, but also to serve outside, in the general and greater family of man. We are our own support group here and we seek to assist each other, and in the genuine needs of the individual, it is all of our jobs to assist and nurture and care for each other.
It requires great faith and great trust if not great innocence - childlikeness - to come with the attitude of needing help and prevailing upon your brethren for the help you perceive you need.  It is a courageous and noble attitude, and each one present here, who may or may not have responded, in a one-on-one situation would have poured out their heart and told you of more examples than you would have had time for.
And we do not have a spokesman here, so no one could speak for the group to simplify, and as Leah has rightly pointed out, "We cannot take all our questions to the teachers. They have come to teach us to be teachers, and sooner or later we have to teach each other."
It is very gratifying that your innocence and sincerity is leading this discussion. Sincerity indeed is underdeveloped in your culture, in your world, in your social arena. In a one-on-one situation it may be more possible, but in your social arenas, sincerity has been pushed far into the shadows, into the cloakroom. Community socialization can be very glib, very polished and politically correct, and so deep-seated in your modus operandi you are not aware of the insincerity that you have learned and that you have brought with you.
The idea of sincerity makes many people nervous. They are uncomfortable around sincere people. It makes them realize, perhaps, how shallow they might be or they might appear, and so often sincerity is persecuted and rejected, which causes you then to create barriers and layers and layers of defense mechanisms and toughness, which is very, very difficult for the spirit and for the sensitive to bear up under. It is lonely behind all those barriers and defenses, but to be sincere and childlike and say "I seek your counsel" requires great courage and so for that we thank you.
In the mansion worlds you will work to learn how to leave behind every vestige of insincerity. It is a good practice to begin here to learn what is insincerity and leave it behind with your animal vestiges. Sincerity will carry you into reality. Forgive those who do not recognize sincerity. How often do we see it, after all?
Sincere fairness is a fruit of the spirit, and to be sincerely fair, we have, each of us, acknowledged our own sincerity also and have worked on this fruit and will continue to work on this fruit, but we will be fair in our dealings with others and with ourselves.
I wonder if sometimes when you think that Tomas has been ponderous and heavy, you might be stumbling on his sincerity.
TOMAS:     I am Tomas. I am the one now to clap my hands and say, "Let's dance!" Shall we dance? Good evening.
Group:     Good evening, Tomas.

TOMAS:    I have been enjoying Merium's discourse. She enjoys an opportunity now and again to proselytize; I am happy to give her that opportunity for it relieves me of having to review my notes. How are you, and is there anything I can do for you this evening?
Elizabeth:     Well, perhaps you could add a bit to the reading about turning the other cheek, because you have talked to Jesus and you have been with him on Salvington and no doubt he's spoken about this many times to you individually, Tomas.
TOMAS:     We have shared on this concept, yes. I must confess to you that I feel rather in the middle here, for in the Master's portrayal of turning the other cheek, his majesty, you see, was such that when he pulled himself up and showed his cheek, that mortal knew that that act had been presented. It was decisive and not weak.
Now, on the other hand, there is the mortal, who has an entirely different background on which to draw, and when the mortal turns the other cheek, he fully expects to get not slapped but stepped on! It is an entirely different understanding of the same words; it's almost a different code of ethics because of where you come from and where Michael comes from.
Now, that is not to say that that bridge cannot be gapped, and it is truly in the understanding of how it is that you can return evil with good. I know that you can understand the example of a feisty, even rebellious teen-ager who argues with everything the authority figure offers; he is turning the other cheek right and left. He is saying, "Yeah? Who sez?" and there is no victimization here! He is ready to take on the world. Action personified. Even if it is defiance, it is certainly action.
The current vogue of understanding regarding turning the other cheek brings to mind "victim," "abuse," "codependency," "doormat," unfortunate emotional connotations, and when these words strum the emotions, when they affect the emotional condition, they trigger emotional responses, and the mortal becomes debilitated by non-action; they are paralyzed by fear of the emotion that triggered the initial feeling of victimization.
And so they do not have that majesty of spirit; they do not have the self-respect; they do not have the understanding of their nobility and their divinity potential, their dignity as a child, a son or daughter of God. You've got it! It's in there! Just like it was and is with Michael. He, however, devoted his life to fostering that relationship. That was his entire purpose for being here. That was his calling and he succeeded admirably. He lived the perfect life, the perfect human being. You can do the same thing.

He had struggles, he had difficulties, he was a human being. He had the same things you have, and he had his priorities in order. He spoke to the Father often and sincerely, asking for understanding, for guidance, for direction, and when he got direction he acted upon it, in faith, courageously, even when he stood out from the crowd, alone, with no peers, no one to talk to, no one to consult except his spirit companions and his understanding of Higher Power.
And he has said that you have it within you to do these things also. And so the thing we all must do is learn to identify with that aspect of God that indwells us, that is so personal to us, that is perfect and good, until we realize that we too are perfect and good -- relatively speaking, of course -- but we have a right to stand up in dignity and majesty of being a son, a daughter of the living God. All it takes is truly knowing and truly living what you know.
There is no greater experience throughout all eternity. This is my response to your question having to do with turning the other cheek. In the face of your potential, indeed, in the face of the potential of any and all, how could we deny the positive? With the strength and the power of the knowing of the association with the Infinite God, how could we lack driving power to give it back to them a hundredfold, with love even?
You align yourself with weakness when you embrace the human part of you while you deny your better half, your other half. You are of dual origin, my children. You are not just an animal, you are also indwelt by God. This unified personality -- the personality of the human and the Father-bestowed personality of the Father functioning as one well-rounded, well-unified human being -- is a dynamic personality, engaging, infectious. Dynamic indeed. Turning cheeks right and left, stopping traffic. You can do it. Just stay close to your Source.
Don't just stay close to your Source, Merium tells me. Talk to him! Love him! Sit on his lap, tell him stories, let him tell you stories, have an actual relationship with this God. Let him be the most real, the most intimate, the most exciting, the most compelling, the most entertaining, the most satisfying, the most amusing, the most marvelous experience in the world for truly He is. Truly He is.

Now. I believe you also read somewhere this evening that you are not to be overwhelmed with a lot of flowery language, and so I withdraw my flowery language, for I would not stoop to coercing you with mere emotional ploys and fancy language, although I daresay if the Father has given me the words to speak and the mouth through which to speak, I cannot shut off the flow of His words, and so, again, I do not apologize nor do I explain, but merely state.
Are there other questions this evening? Are there further questions regarding turning the other cheek or walking the second mile?

Bruce:            What?
TOMAS:        Walking the second mile.
W.W.:            Oh, I'm not done with the first!  (Group laughter)
TOMAS:     Walking the second mile is a parallel to turning the other cheek, that if someone makes you do THIS, then you do THAT and then some, so that you have shown them, as in turning the other cheek, that you are willing to do even more, only through love. Now, in this context, it is very difficult to conceive how anyone can make you do anything, although I suppose we could say you MUST get up in the morning. You must pay your taxes, you must abide by certain civic laws, and so on and so forth. And so let us take an example out of the hat that you must get up at 6:00 in order to catch the 7:00 bus to get to where you need to be at 7:30. Is that fair place to start?
Group:      Yes.
TOMAS:     You must. All right. If you must, then get up at 5:30, and by getting up at 5:30, you have robbed 6:00 of its control over you. By 6:00 you are ready for 6:00.  You are awake, you've had your caffeine, you've had your shower, you've eaten your Wheaties, you talked to God, you have the whole day laid out.  You are ready for it.  6:00. That is an example of walking the second mile.
Now, that may be a humorous example to show how it works, however, in real life it is really quite difficult, and I do not make light of it, for when you are forced to do something that is unpleasant and indeed difficult if not painful, how can you willingly do it and then engage yourself even further in what you might call "abuse" in order to make a point to a "sadist" who wants you to be miserable in the first place?
In the mortal understanding that may be a rather sick and sadistic philosophy to follow, but let us now infuse it with the Father's love. Let us now think in terms of that majestic personality who is in love with God and life, who has discovered the appreciation of being and noting parts of perfection, who has thrilled to an understanding of an eternal plan for survival, who has seen the miracles of creation, who has wept in an understanding of love, who has touched infinite kindness, who has known ideal circumstances.

This rich human being has something to share with others, has known a depth of feeling that is worthy of the belief of every other person. The worship impulse has wanted you to call out in broad daylight, "Thank you, God! You've brought the sun, the clouds, the rain, the colors, the balloons, the children, the laughter, the wonders, the growth, the possibility, the miracle of life." Something good. And I know that if you are touched by the spirit you understand what I'm saying.
And so then you come along to someone who has not seen this. They are not acknowledging the greater reality. Imagine the darkness in which they live! Imagine the cave of existence. How sorrowful it must be. Of course, they are grumpy! Of course, they are sadists. They are miserable! They have not met the Lord. They have not known these wonders that can make you weep for their beauty and their glory.
Have mercy. Have mercy. Is it not said that this is the planet of mercy? It is indeed.
Elizabeth:     Well, Tomas, I'm so interested and I have enjoyed this so much, and I do want to interject this point that one of our dear ones here is suffering not just for herself, but she -- there is an involvement with the little innocent ones, that even tonight we read that their seraphim always behold God, and so when the dear little ones are involved, it gets complicated, in my opinion. Could you address that issue just a little bit?
TOMAS:     Well, yes, and I will incorporate that with what I was talking about, and I believe you can analogize that these wonders, these perfect glories, these smells and sights and sounds of laughing children and balloons and gaiety indeed are your children, your own children, and yet there is this one or others who are in the darkness, who are lost in dis-ease and despair and angst and anger and fear and fury and a set of values far removed from those who have seen the light.
Even so, it is necessary that you stand tall and, with the forces of good, overcome evil, by having faith that in the long run God's will will prevail. Remember we did discuss "The Part and the Whole" and that although the part may or may not be in accordance with God's will, in the large His will will prevail.  And it is not as though you are not still available to these children.
You are still in radiant presence of them, and perhaps if you were to stand tall and align yourself with your Parent and the Parent even of you and your children, you could gain that dignity status that would enable you to support your children in love and even walk the second mile in praying for their father, their daddy, that he become a second miler with you, with all of those, of us, who march forward in the good fight of faith.

Always does spirit lend a dimension to the human experience which lifts it up out of a mere animal existence with its tribal conditionings and behaviors into the light of spirit illumination. Always is the power and strength of the First Source and Center available to you to elevate your approach and your delivery in your seeing your life's experiences.
Far better for you to arrive flanked by spirit reality and good faith into the courtrooms and into the battlegrounds of life and face the challenge in grace and peace than to allow them the pseudo-power of the Christians and the lions. I will not tell you to turn the other cheek, for that, to you, represents victimization. To you I will say, stand up. Stand tall in the spirit. Get your chin up, and you can do it! and your children will admire you. They will admire you for they will sense your inner strength. They will want to grow up to be like Mom. They will want to be with Mom. And you can teach them how to love their Daddy, also.
My dears, it grows late. Part of the concern in our formatted evening is that there is not enough time. It is much like those of you who want to accomplish everything in one short life in the flesh. How can you be a suave bachelor and a family man? How can you be an airline stewardess and a llama farmer in the Andes at the same time? How can you do all the things you want to do? Well, I tell you, we have to do what we can and determine our priorities, and understand that those things that you truly crave to do will be done in eternity. It is not necessary to do all things in one short life in the flesh.
Enjoy your lives. Appreciate your lives, but recognize that life goes on and on. Your learning is only beginning. Your joys are only beginning. Your challenges still lie ahead. Not all of them. You have done well. You have come thus far. I do not mean to deny your accomplishments and your growths so far. It was simply my way of saying that we have run out of time for today.
Group:      Thank you very much.
TOMAS:    It has been my and our pleasure. I look forward to our next interlude. Peace. Farewell.
Group:      Thank you, Merium, too.

*****

DATE:          August 14, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/Rs:             Gerdean and Hunnah

URANTIA BOOK STUDY
(1)  Paper 113, Seraphic Guardians of Destiny, pg. 1245
#4.  Seraphic Domains of Action
#5.  Seraphic Ministry to Mortals
#6.  Guardian Angels After Death
#7.  Seraphim and the Ascendant Career
(2)  Paper 12, The Universe of Universes, pg. 139
#8.  Matter, Mind and Spirit
#9.  Personal Realities
(3)  Paper 161, Further Discussions with Rodan, pg. 1783
#1.  The Personality of God

TEACHER SESSION:
TOPIC:
OPPORTUNITY; CHURCH

TOMAS:      Good evening, my friends, I am Tomas.  I am here.
Group:    Good evening.
Elizabeth:      Thank you for coming.

TOMAS:     Thank you for coming, and thank you for having us. Merium and I are here; we are all smiles. Your environment outdoors this evening is afire with activity; the creatures are having a heyday, making loud noises in praise of existence. We have enjoyed your noises also; however, we missed your structured sharing.

Group:      [Moans] Oh!

TOMAS:     I will encourage you to continue with this practice. Indeed, I think in order to allow for that, I will recess so that you can again experiment with your expressions. We will not be long and so I will be back.

[Recess for sharing]

TOMAS:     We are back and we thank you for your quality sharing. You know, you have a tendency to put all this onerous on yourselves. That is not necessary. Your sharing, quite simply, enables Merium and I to relate to you better. It is more difficult for us to reach you when you are completely in your human existence and/or when you are in your intellectual studies. It is much easier for us to bridge the gap between your realm and ours when we hear you discourse about your lives in such a way as we can sense and perceive your experiential life. As you proceed, you will perhaps appreciate this more and more yourselves.

I will quickly add a couple of things. I will respond to your question, Elizabeth, regarding last week's confusion as to where in our busy format we would put a question such as J.M. asked, and I believe it is apparent that your personal sharing time is indeed the time for these questions and community responses to take place.

Elizabeth:     Thank you. It's certainly going to be a great relief to have a place. And everybody's not going to have to share every week like that. Sometimes the sharing is just like it was tonight, but sometimes it's not.

TOMAS:     I am quick to remind you that you and we are evolving -- individually and collectively. I and we are here to teach you to become teachers, and as you are teaching, and [you] come back to your support group, your peer group, to share your experiences – yes, much as the apostles and disciples returned to camp and discussed their experiences – your fraternity grows and develops, and you begin to experience the wonders of teaching each other to be teachers.

I and we are here and will continue to guide your progress, but give yourself some credit here, for as you work in the fields and come back with situations, in order to garner further growth from those experiences, we as a community can support your efforts. It is one of those configurations that prove the point that God and man need each other, and herein is it socialized and fraternized.  Also, Elizabeth, I am going to confess to you that we have spent some time on your nomenclature.

Elizabeth:      Oh, good.

TOMAS:     It is a difficult name and falls between Elijah and Elizabeth. I will attempt to convey it and you will see why both names have appeared as useable. El-ih'-schah. and as to spelling, E-1-y-s-s-i-a is as phonetically correct as any.

Elyssia:      Thank you.  I'm so glad to have it happen.

TOMAS:     I am, even so, glad to have your help, Elyssia. I feel much better with this preferred pronunciation. I always felt, as Gerdean conveyed, that when I called you "Elizabeth" I was addressing an unruly child, but your identity as portrayed through Elyssia has gentler and more womanly connotations, as well as the strength and nobility that are generated by a name such as Elijah. You are quite lovely, and I am quite happy to have ironed out a wrinkle in your nomenclature.

Elyssia:     Thank you for your help and for your response because I did tell Gerdean that I would welcome your helping me out of this problem.

TOMAS:     Now let me turn my attention to my other new guest, Chester.  How marvelous to have you in attendance this evening! I have not embraced your presence in this configuration for many moons. It is always a delight to embrace you. How have you been?

Chester:     I have been good and it's a great pleasure to be here and to hear you.

TOMAS:     I can tell you have been good, my good sir, for what you have shared. You have some noble philosophies that you live up to, and your acceptance of the many, many flowers in the Lord's garden tells me that you are a natural born horticulturist. Well done, my friend and associate. Do join us more often. We hanker for more male attentions in this group. You provide a good balance by your presence, and it is appreciated that you are not intimidated by these noble evangelists.

Chester:      Thank you.

TOMAS:     I have blithered at length here; I have not launched onto a lesson. I am sure that one will emerge before I close the curtain down. Are there questions this evening? And I am inclined to ask if you would like to address them to Merium. She always likes to participate and has some feeling that if she is answering a question, she has a launching pad for her good direction. I am convinced that she can take off on her own, but it is her hostess, Hunnah, that is still in need of that motivating spirit force.

MERIUM:      I can pass her up this evening.  Good evening everyone.
Group:      Good evening, Merium.

MERIUM:     I have pulled a rabbit out of the hat. I think I would like to talk about opportunity, because the conversation this evening lends itself to that scenario. You recognize the opportunity that knocks. This is a new type of ministry. You will not wear a white shirt with a black tie and trousers and look conspicuous in the neighborhood. Even though this form of witnessing has its merit, we are talking about this particular mission, and we are going to have you going incognito.  Your conversations will be lightly woven. It will be powerful. You may only interject one sentence in the conversation, that may not have any evidence of a textbook quality, but the evidence of the truth, of certainty, that is in your being will find its way to the individual you are talking to.

I am sure you have all had the experience of going away from a conversation with a little goodie tucked in your pocket and then later in the day you recall that conversation and you tie in what they had to say appropriate to something that was on your mind. It's sort of like packing a lunch, in a way. You are offering snacks for those who are not aware of their spiritual hungers. They're not totally comfortable with the fact they are stretching their tank and their mind is being stretched.

Your opportunities will come in ways that will not appear to be biblical or mission minded. They will be gentle ways. Our friend and guest this evening has talked about respect. He didn't have to use the word, but he talked about honoring the individual he was with because he himself had developed within himself a quality of appreciation for all humankind.

This integrity and this respect are woven into your pattern of your personality and people will feel it when they are in your presence. "This man will allow me to be myself and let me carry my belief system and it's all right" and because of that, without thinking these things, they want to hear what he has to say.

If you have a reputation for being an odd ball of sorts -- (Hunnah has a funny thing that happened to her: she found this out only years later when she was new in the community. A woman from the church said to her, "Oh, I remember the first time when someone spoke of you, they said 'Oh! She has a purple front door!'") We do have overtones of strangeness that, after a while, people get used to the fact that we do march to a different drummer.

It is very hard to put aside your sales pitch, but I know that my friend in this chair has had many, many times when she has wondered if she can possibly make any other sound, because she is so intent on making everyone happy; if it is impossible, she is into their affairs, and in the process of allowing this concern to take on a new form, and as that form of respect takes hold, you will not be conscious of it. It will just have woven itself into your particular personality.

Let us take our friend with the brand new name. She enjoys ceremony and devotional activities, and the emphasis of her interests and appreciation in this area will be blended.

I see an opportunity here to discuss painting. In painting, you create shades by darkening, adding a complimentary color, or a lighter color which you can tint. In the fabric of your personality it will be a tinting and shading that is very subtle, and this chore of learning your lessons is going to be put in the background because you are indeed and have learned your lessons, your basics, and as you allow your Thought Adjuster to dominate your conversations, you won't even be aware of it.

You will just feel better about it and you will feel a greater poise when you are talking to people, and in hindsight you will say, "Ah, I think I was carrying some pretty good company there," someone who assisted with this so-called effortless effort of just being with people.  They will feel safe with you, maybe speak up and ask a question.

Hunnah has a friend who has, as she would say, almost made the connection time and time again, and then this friend will disappear back into her habits of overworking, overcrowding her schedule, and losing interest in her spiritual special-ness. This is a lovely lady who has been at these meetings, and Hunnah suffers from wanting to hurry it up. This young woman is just fine. She is a blessing, and she already knows how to share that truth that has developed within herself. People feel safe with her and they open up to her, and this quality of natural poise develops in you.

As the Christ consciousness overwhelms your personality, you will indeed be on this so-called impossible mission; this not mission impossible. This is living in light and life, and it feels far lighter and easier than you would ever dream.

I hope that tomorrow you will find some playfulness, and when a new playmate comes up you will know that you do not have to slam dunk them on the floor, but to enjoy who and what they are about and let them see the richness and the new poise that is found in you.
How about that, Tomas?

Elyssia:      Thank you very much.  We enjoyed that very much.

TOMAS:     I also enjoyed it very much and I am reminded of your reading from this evening in the portion of Rodan having to do with the personality of God. Indeed, He is a kaleidoscopic personality that would create so many, many different personalities that are strewn about. How easy it is to love your fellow man when you see them not as strangers, or obstructions, but as extensions of Paradise.  And when you realize it is not your job to follow up or fix them but to simply live within the presence of the spirit and let the spirit rub off as it will.

Remember when the apostles were concerned as to how to answer in certain situations and they were advised that their mouth would open and their voice would find the words. The spirit would provide the words if their faith was whole and if they were in alignment with His will. And the phrase, "Your appreciation for light and life in your experience here" is such that you will walk in joy. You will walk in beauty. You will have truth as your intimate companion, and so you will indeed invite approach. The ones who seek will find and sometimes they will pass by you on their journey, that you may help them along by simply being.

We spend a lot of time (and the personal teachers are particularly devoted to) helping you who hail from an era of materialism and its incumbent productivity stressors, learn how to just BE. Not a "human doing" but a "human being." -- Just be, and be with the spirit.

Be all that you can be; however, in the spirit. And it does not hurt to stoke your fires with zeal. It is okay to be zealous, for the zealous one is alert to every opportunity, is alert to every nuance of those who may hunger and thirst, for those who are lost, those who are seeking. If you are not slam-dunking them with dogma, you are performing a service; you are functioning in the fields and manifesting the fruits in your life.

Elyssia:     That's very helpful. Both of you have really been discussing something that's important for me and for perhaps others.

TOMAS:     I am glad you think so, for if it were not meaningful to you, to me and to others, I would have no purpose in living. If it is not to share in my spirit relationship with my peers, my siblings, what kind of lonely existence would I and you have?

MERIUM:     I would like to speak to Elyssia. (How lovely.) I would like to make reference to the conversation about the impact of the possibility of a new church developing, and I would like to have you, in the privacy of your contemplation, ask yourself if you are fearful of this, and if you are fearful, why should you be fearful?

I hope you will air it out. You like to write. Lay it all on paper and remember that we all have different missions, different purposes, and sometimes people can plan to do something and be very sincere only to find themselves sitting down, puzzled, as to why it won't go together.

I am interested in your reaction and whether you should be holding to it. I hope you will use this concern or this fascination as an opportunity to acquaint yourself with how you are allowed to handle it. I would like to see you be very comfortable with this announcement. Yes, it's a new dispensation.

There is a statement in Hunnah's memory bank, "Behold I make all things new." There is more to it, but that is the part that she bears on a regular basis when she is looking at something, thinking that she senses that she knows where it is going and then remembers that she is about the Father's business and so why wouldn't that project also be.

I don't mean to influence you totally, but I would like to see you feeling comfortable and not have it in the way of perhaps more important matters in your development.

Elyssia:      I'm interested in following through on that suggestion.

MERIUM:      Neither would I seek to influence your thought processes nor the outworking of your future here in that context, but it is interesting to note how the art of compromise has affected Urantia in terms of the church. That whereas there were many sacrifices in order to establish Christianity, there were also many great gains made.  And a thorough study of that period of time following the Fourth Epochal Revelation as compared to this period of time following the Fifth Epochal Revelation, gives one an opportunity to see perhaps how history repeats itself, and how now might be an opportune time to atone for some of the more debilitating compromises made previously.

It indeed would make a good community project, since you are in this community [that is] steeped in Christianity as a result of this geographic location.  And your various interests and opinions regarding meetings and ceremonies and any number of other points could lend this to you as a fascinating group undertaking. I am not suggesting you open a church, but that you make a study of what might happen if a church were begun and what elements of the Urantia philosophy would be incorporated and which would be compromised and lost in order to gain the approval and the attendance then of your Christian brethren.

Elyssia:     I'm reminded of those lectures of Urmia that were set up with so much effectiveness.

TOMAS:      Yes.

Elyssia:     That comes to my mind. And yet I am aware of the fact that we have the friends house in Oakland and it seems to be so disparate that it is not quite so attractive as I feel it could be if that problem were addressed more in a more timely way. That would be ....

TOMAS:      It is, of course, a matter to take to the Father.
Elyssia:      Yes.

TOMAS:     And if you are of a mind to serve, and if it is in accordance with His will and your will, it will be done. However, if it is not His will that it be done here, now, with you, if it is not your will to give yourself wholly to the project, that, too, will become apparent and you must not persevere in a task that you have announced you would do without the assurance of spirit assistance and support.

Elyssia:     Yes. Maybe, as you suggested, I might just study it and think about it and describe it and write about and in that sense of the word bring that much of it into reality.

TOMAS:     Indeed, it would be wonderful then for you to share your findings with your peers who are also in interest of such a development.

Chester:     I would suggest that if possible you talk to, either in person or written, to the persons who have the church and get more information on how they did it and what processes they went through.

Elyssia:      That's a good suggestion.  Thank you.

TOMAS:     This actually is none of my business, but you might want to investigate the use of the word Urantia in terms of the copyright. It may be that those churches will be "recalled." However, the Community Spiritual Center has merit, if there are not a plethora of spiritual centers already, and what is to set your spiritual center apart or make it any different?

Is it similar in fact to young Ganid who suggested to Jesus that they make a new religion? There are plenty of religions; we don't need a new religion. There is something else to add to your considerations. Do we truly need a new church?

Elyssia:     My thinking is that we need a new healing. We need a new breadth. We need a new loving acceptance of each other and to me that was -- when this woman talked about the Spiritual Center, to me this flow of ideas between people seemed to be very exciting.

MERIUM:     For their academia, there are schools. Communities can be threatened with the word "church." The word "church" connotes something separate, something that we do here, but a school or a university or a more scholarly approach might bring some relaxing of any opposition to a place where The Urantia Papers and teachings are discussed.

Because of conditioning of the word church, with it will go hierarchy and music and what kind of music and who will be the hierarchy and it can become very complicated and get so busy that you forget you're a student because you're busy building the school. You're overlooking the teaching because you're so busy splitting hairs.

This is a perfect opportunity not to make mistakes of the past, and there is plenty of time. You must remember that everyone here involved has a Thought Adjuster and, of course, when we say that, we immediately say, "We all know Who's in charge."

I see a picture here of a head and a heart and the difficulty is getting the two to connect, so let us assume that the very fact that this is on the board to be discussed is an indication that Father is in charge and that this is an opportunity and that something wonderful can come of it. Not a polarizing, but a coming together. A perfect opportunity to exercise the teachings of the message we so dearly love and want to protect.

I think that we have brought this out into the light. It will go into print. It will join the other discussions and what I was aiming at our friend here, is that she allow herself to be very uninvolved, objective. She is capable of being objective.

I want you to be able to allow this new expression that is developing in you to oversee this project and I'm sure that you will be delighted at the light touch that you will be allowed to give it. I would like to hear from you later. There is no deadline, but I just think this is something that will taste very good to you. Enjoy it!

Elyssia:      I'm enjoying the whole idea.  I'm enjoying it right now.
TOMAS:     Have any questions evolved since the last time we had a get together?

Elyssia:      There was a question that J.M. had which was about: If there is somebody in your life who is very, seemingly, without conscience, how much do you have to tolerate that person in your environment? Are you supposed to go up and try to inspire them to change? Or can you separate yourself from them when you feel that the manipulation has been too long-standing for you? Can you excuse yourself from grappling with that person? In a sense spiritually?

TOMAS:     I am certain that Merium and I both are eager to respond. I will take one side of the coin and speak of empowering, and this relates to your evolutionary status at this time as a flock of new fledglings in the spirit and in this case, as in many, newly liberated women.  And I will direct my remarks to those who generally fall within that framework. Not an automatic over-all answer, not the more spiritual attitude, perhaps, but the more practical in this context -- and that has to do with boundaries and boundaries are totally appropriate.

If and when the opportunity arises that she feels more capable of the insight and required behaviors, the opportunity can be re-emerged, but for now it is not required that anyone experience a growth experience that is distasteful, disarming, demanding of who they are as a child of God. Merium would you like to add?

MERIUM: I would like to add. I would like to comment about the young lady who is concerned, and I would like to draw her attention away from the [indistinguishable] because there are so many who will survive in spite of the thorns on the other branches. I liken her to a rose. She is so lovely. She is so pleasant. And she is nurtured and protected by the same Source that all the other buds in all the various stages on this bush are, and they all contain thorns, and they touch each other, but they do not mean to inflict any harm. They are just there for their own sense of space.

I would like to have this young lady practice a new prayerful appreciation, and any of you who are in a similar situation with an impossible personality might apply the same. I would like to see her being herself as this flower, bathed in sunlight, and when these barbs of the other personality, who is perhaps a very small bud, perhaps still asleep, not yet expressing its inner beauty, I would like to see, have her imagine an essence of a barrier between herself and the other flower, the other flower that has really not taken on its awareness, and see this light armor that is about her, and inside of her own special space is a wonderful protection from distraction.

She is, just as Tomas said, in a wonderful state of opportunity to develop further. It can be any type of distraction. It can be a mother's concern that you are not doing what she was supposed to do when she was your age; it can be that your boss is expecting too much of you. When you develop a single eye, you have poetic license. You may use every bit of visual armor, every bit of tone, every line of truth, every opportunity to lay down your burden and be about the business of developing who you are, and when you do that, your work gets done, your relationships relax, those little barbs that are on each other don't collide as often, and respect for each other just seems to take care of itself.

Just recently Hunnah allowed herself to swim in the cool of the living waters where she was reminded that she was on the right track, and when you stay in this relationship, this partnership, this intimacy with this true Source of love and devotion, when you stay with the ultimate Lover, you are so distracted that you are not going to be defending yourself, protecting yourself, because this is a new reality that you are developing, and if you waste your opportunity to stay in this place by quarreling with that which you are not, that's where your pain comes from.

Pain is an indication that you have left your format. And I am talking to the believer! I'm not talking to the little knotted intention of beauty. I am talking to an established opening expression of purity and glory, an absolute exquisite expression of a living love. So I embrace her and I remind her that she is continually being embraced, and will even be blessed with a washing of -- not just forgiveness, but for allowing herself to let go of things that have held her too tightly in distraction.

How much love there is for each of you who struggle in something that is external! When you find yourself struggling with the external, it is a standing clue that you left the Lord and the place of nourishment. There is no war! The war is over. It is a dream, and we are living in the garden of higher consciousness where truth and beauty will reign forever. Thank you.

Elyssia:     Yes, thank you very much. That's going to be wonderful for her and for everybody else. We've all had those experiences. If we're not in one at the moment, we have been or will be. I recognize that experience when she described it to me. I had a similar grievance and so has everybody else I've known.

MERIUM:     Remember, we are in a mission of compassion - mercy and compassion - and it is easy to forget this title, but it is the umbrella that is over us. This is the name of the umbrella that you are holding over that questionable situation.

Elyssia:     That's a wonderful word, and I've been thinking about that word a lot. That word compassion. It seems that it just comes by not enough.

TOMAS:      Are we fed?
Group:      We are plump!  Very much so.  We have feasted and feasted.
TOMAS:      Let us pray:

"Dear Father Michael and dear Heavenly Father, all those entities Who oversee our existence and Who provide the universes in which we live and have our being, we thank You for our life this day.

"We thank you for the opportunity to be, the opportunity to grow, the opportunity to experience those things which we experience in order to know You better, those difficulties that we overcome, those challenges that we meet, those disappointments which strengthen our resolve, those temptations which come to bore us in our zeal to reach for You and attain Your sublime perfection.

"Teach us how to bathe in the still waters, to walk beside the river of life with our hand confidently in Yours, knowing that You, through your angelic guides, lead the way for us, Your children, to find our way home, in through the universes of time and space, to stand before the perfected Parent of eternity.

"Gracious Fathers, we thank you for our association with You and with each other --those of our own kind and those who have gone before us and those that we help along the way.

"Help us to realize that in spirit we are all Yours, all equal. And help us to have love and mercy and compassion in our dealings as we go about Your business in our daily life. 

"Thank you, gracious God, beloved Sovereign."

TOMAS:    Good night and amen.

*****

DATE:          August 17, 1997
LOCATION:      Hamilton, Canada
T/R:             Gerdean

TEACHER SESSION:

[This congregation of believers from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Toronto, Indianapolis and Hamilton, met to fellowship and partake of the Remembrance Supper in honor of the birthday anniversary of Jesus. The Teacher Session was begun with this reading from [a transmission dated] August 11:

JESUS:     I am Jesus. I would like to visit with you for a moment. I know that this is a surprise to you, that you were expecting your teachers, but I am your Teacher also, and I am not reluctant to bring My presence into your environment when I feel you would benefit from My personal embrace.

You have been discussing among yourselves the practice of speaking with one another and divulging yourself to one another. I ask you, how do you feel I can inspire nations of peoples except that they know Me in the spirit? It invokes no love to recognize that I was a man among men who lived many years ago in a far distant land in a different race of people, who had great affect on people and who taught certain teachings. You may read about me in your books but that does not tell you who I am; that does not open the door between us, that we can know each other.

And so the same is true for you, My children, My brothers and sisters. To know that you come from a certain village of certain parentage, that you do such and such for a living, that you have so many children or so many hobbies, that you are a certain age or a certain race, does not tell me about you, does not tell others about you, in the sense that I would have you know your brothers and sisters.

I have asked you to love one another, as I love you. You cannot know this until you open your heart and allow Me to come in, unless your life is affected by knowing Me. And I have spoken of this in terms of being born of the spirit, for although you may admire the works of Myself and other prophets and other heroes, you cannot know us except through the spirit. This is the true family. This is the gospel.

My Father and your Father is the great Parent, the living God, and you are His offspring in the spirit. It is the spirit that has the life and the recognition that I urge you to embrace. Only that can change the world. Only that can bring you happiness. Only that can open the doors to eternal life, and to a richer, fuller life here in the flesh, in service to this living God.

I am the Way and I ask you to know Me by opening your heart, that the love of the Father may come in.

[And the following Teachers visited:]

BERTRAM:          Greetings, my family.  I am Bertram, your teacher.  It is a true thrill to be in your presence, to welcome you this day to your gathering of celebration and mirth in honor of our Creator Michael and in honor also of His fellowship. The family of myriad believers is always a thrill to behold. Your many, many differences are converged today in your loyalty to those ideals that are held in the heart of the spirit.

There are many here today who also embrace you. I am lucky to have been asked to be first in line to say hello. I feel identified with you and I am your assigned teacher, as well as Muriel who flanks me and even now walks among you touching you with her divine presence. It is an honor for us to have this opportunity, this gateway, to commune with you and to encourage you in your understanding of your association with the great family of God.

MURIEL:     Yes, my little ones, I am Muriel, and it makes my heart swell with song to embrace you this day, to feel your joy in opening to our being here with you. You have all undergone great challenges in this past timeframe. The introduction of such a concept into your revered sphere of spirit understanding has required great courage on your part and great faith, and your faith has been expanded and ennobled by your grasp of our reality.

As you walk in faith, as you are brought into greater awareness of your true reality and your true belonging in spirit reality, your faith is made even greater, your trust is expanded; indeed, all the barriers and boundaries of traditional teachings are expanded to allow for a greater comprehension of truth, beauty and goodness.

Fear not the spirit realms. There are no evil spirits to affect you. There are no devils or dervishes in your universe. That era is ended. You are right to celebrate the victory of Michael over Lucifer. The adjudication is complete and we forge ahead now in aligning you and all of Michael's sons and daughters with His spirit way of life.

Be patient with yourselves and your fellows as you undergo these expanding processes, these days of testing and great illumination. The light of spirit is shining brightly on you each. Your hearts open in response to our Master, Jesus of Nazareth, and He embraces you in the spirit and shows you the way into the brotherhood of man that eventually we will see light and life prevail in your arena and on Urantia and even into eternity. The adventure is ours!

ANDREA:     I am Andrea. I am also in attendance, as you might imagine. We eagerly look forward to these occasions when we are invited by your willingness to interchange and so we are having a great party today! Angelic choirs are singing and the sun is shining. (That's spelled S-o-n!)

We are all very glad of your community development, of your own personal growth and of the growth of our Mission. Our Mission is to live the gospel and to recognize that God resides within each of His children, that the destiny of you each is to come to know the Father and to walk in faith and trust of His divine overcare. What a joyous venture! What an honor to be soldiers of the circles. We are glad for your growth steps, you who are the vanguard of our efforts into light and life.

ANDREW:     I am Andrew. I am also here. It is like old home week and I am in association often with Andrea. We have been teaming up. This concept of male and female teachers seems to have taken hold in this area. Perhaps it is in respect for companionship and the truth of the matter that men and women shall need each other and assist each other, stimulate and encourage each other throughout eternity.

It provides a human touch, don't you think, that your teachers are like you in so many ways? Even though we are somewhat advanced in experience, we are, as you, advancing in understanding of the Father's nature and in the desire to do His will.

TOMAS:     I am Tomas. I am a long-standing old friend of many of you. Those of you who know me through the written word, how glad I am to be in your presence and to say, "How do you do?" I am glad for your patience with us and your insight into the process whereby we attempt to work with you in order to enliven and stimulate your spirit thought and action.

It has been such a challenge! Those of us who work with you in this Teaching Mission, who are devoted to those precepts as set out in The Urantia Book, have our work cut out for us. It would not take much imagination to understand all of the political ramifications of that remark!

It is also wonderful to observe and to some extent participate in the wonderful flowering of aspects of Correcting Time that are not focused on or limited to the Teaching Mission. The wonderful outpouring, the spirit renaissance that is taking place as a result of the circuits opening, has been like attending a Renaissance Fair, with the flowers strewn around, the pipes playing and the children laughing and dancing. What a joy to behold, from our standpoint. Rejoice with your brothers and sisters in the unfolding of the new dispensation.

MERIUM:     And I am Merium. I am also here to embrace you and to welcome you together. We have spent much time of late working on the concept of community and it is so gratifying to behold a community gathering in love of Michael. It is interesting: all of you individualists who can merge and conjoin by allowing the love of the Father to unite you. What a victory!

All we need now do is enable and assist the rest of humanity to abide by such a philosophy and way of life and we will have accomplished our purpose. It is, even so, a great joy to see it actualize. The excitement of awareness of 'potential becoming actual' is the greatest thrill, the greatest thrill, to not just know the Father and love Him, and know that He loves us, but to actually assist in co-creation of His living reality here in your sphere.

We encourage your noble efforts in socializing your understanding of the Father. The Father is love, and as you love the Father, you will be directed in how to love yourself and you will the better understand then how to love your neighbor.

TOMAS:     I am Tomas, and as a more familiar presence for this transmitter, I will ask if there are questions. It is not our intent to have a relationship and have it be entirely one-sided. We were all eager to greet you but are aware, too, that in an environment where you are not in constant contact with a teacher by way of an active transmitter, you may have amassed a question or two and we would pause here for receipt of your heart's desires.

Elyssia:     Tomas, I have a question based on a statement that I think Muriel said today, which was that there is no evil spirit out there that's going to affect us. I tell my daughters that and they say there's a least a very effective strong shadow of sin out there. They think that it may not be real in the sense that it was before Lucifer was adjudicated, but it's very - I think they say - able to implement unfortunate things in this experiential plane. Could you comment on that?

TOMAS:     Yes. Fear has been your legacy. Some embrace fear as a friend. It is indeed imperative for some timid souls to continue to embrace fear, and that, unfortunately, will be with you for a long time. That there are no evil spirits is only known by embracing the light of truth. In stillness, in companionship with your indwelling spirit, the Father, you know there is nothing to fear; but your legacy has drummed it into your minds for so long, it will be hard to let that go.

Now, the shadow is very apparent in your material world, for the effects of the Lucifer Rebellion are firmly entrenched in your values. (I speak of "you" here as "you as an evolving race of people" not "you individually".) There is still much darkness, much devastation, and only as the spirit prevails will that residue shadow fall away.

This is one of the purposes of our Mission, to uphold the truth of the light of the Father and the mercy of the Son. Good is more powerful than bad; love is more effective than hate; and as those of you who love and understand love gain strength, your light will eventually illumine so strongly that the shadows will be blown away like a fog in the sunshine.

There are, indeed, residue effects of the Lucifer Rebellion, truly great and deep-seated effects. It is perhaps understandable that your daughters and others would recognize that as an actuality in the spirit realms, that it is a shadow of the greater reality. Indeed the fear that the animal being has had to have in order to survive as an animal is part of your heritage and can be used as necessary and as wanted, but if you are walking in light and life, it is true that you are guided and protected and there is no need for fear.

Be understanding of those who still embrace fear as a way of life, for that is a guidepost to you that they have not yet spent sufficient time in the grandeur of Paradise that the concept of a friendly universe is clear to them.

Elyssia:     Thank you very much because my experience is that when we aren't listening to people who are talking about the shadow, we sound as if we're ignoring the fact that it has an influence in our society. Some of the people in my family are living with alcoholism and it's affect on children and sometimes I'm sure it seems very real.

TOMAS:     I do not want you to make the mistake of thinking that my philosophy denies human suffering. I am not saying that the effects and miseries of humanity are not real. Indeed they are very real, in particular for those of you who are in the human condition. It is still true, however, that the spirit is the answer to all these ills, and yet, unless and until the individual turns wholeheartedly to the Lord of Hosts for his salvation, he will remain a victim of his own will and, in some aspects, the victim of that by-gone era of Lucifer's reign.

There are many, many people who have [suffered] and continue to suffer on Urantia. It is not for you to portray yourself as a Pollyanna that denies that these things exist. Remember that the Master's association with those who suffer never robbed him of his compassion for them. It is very real to those in it.

Elyssia:     Recently we heard that our DNA is being changed, according to one of Allene V's printing of the message, and I wanted to ask more questions about it. Is it possible that our genetic pre-dispositions to things like alcoholism could be changed?

TOMAS:     Over a course of time, but let me say that when the DNA and so forth are a subject of discussion, you cannot incorporate that, again, without a comprehension of greater reality. As you change, all of you changes. As you make your decisions to become more God-like, then all of your vibrations, all of your energy systems, all aspects of your existence alter accordingly.  And only as you aspire to become Godlike, to align yourself with the Father and His will for you, will you be enabled to make those changes that will bring you into greater health and greater happiness.

All things stem from the spirit. All creation is an offshoot of the Creator. You may create your own unreality and your own "hell" and enjoy being there in your suffering as long as you like. It is when you decide you want to align yourself with Him that these changes will begin to come into effect.

Elyssia:      Thank you very much.
Noel:          I have a question.
TOMAS:      Yes.

Noel:         Whereas the Teaching Mission seems to be specific to this Correcting Time frame, does it bear a relationship to the part in the Urantia Book named the Planetary Mortal Epochs, page 596, and line 7 to 9, "The mortal passion of this dispensation is the penetration of cosmic reality and communion with spiritual reality."

TOMAS: On point. Certainly. The Fifth Epochal Revelation has come at a time that was right for it to come, as all things in the Father's plan come at the right time, and as a result of the revelation to your world, there are many, many effects. All of this period of time of realigning -- reverberating to the truth -- realigning yourselves to the truth, to the light, is a natural effect of revelation.

Remember that after Jesus lived here there was a tremendous flowering, an expansion of nation life, of art and philosophy and religion. The same will take place now, having been the recipient of yet another revelation, and so all of these marvelous activities of advancement in the spirit are a natural reverberation of revelation. The Teaching Mission is specific to its understanding of the cosmology and the philosophy of The Urantia Book, lest the truths of the revelation become lost in the Renaissance Fair.

Has that answered?

Noel:          Yes, thank you.

TOMAS:     I would like to say, off-hand, that just because you have heard it through a transmitter does not make it true. Even when you hear words having come from a devoted proponent of the Teaching Mission, do not assume that it is perfect revelation, for we speak through human entities and there are opportunities for error.

It is fair to say -- fair to those who have the courage to open their mouths -- that error that is within time and space is transient and confined to time and space. If serious error were to come to pass, it would be contained by and through the Master Architects and clarified by the Melchizedeks.  And so weigh what you hear from all sources, and allow the Spirit of Truth to speak to you.

The Spirit of Truth is infallible, but even it is subject to your understanding of it, your interpretation of it. The human being is a very complex creation. The mind is an absolute mystery in many respects. But if you have faith, and if you trust, and if you assume the status of sonship, you will be guided, you will be directed, you will find the path open for you that is right for you. Always seek your answer ultimately from within and from your own spirit comprehension.

All of these "phenomenon" of this "new age" are truly fascinating, and, yes, feeding a hungry people -- hungry for spirit, for truth beauty and goodness, hungry for connection and all these marvelous things that we have gathered for here today. Your world has been hungry for a long time and it is a true joy to see how hungrily and eagerly you lap up all of the hors d'oeuvres that are presented to you. In time, my children, you will recognize the value of a well-balanced meal and eat hearty.

Indeed, perhaps I am reflecting a community concern here. It is a picnic. It is for your fellowshipping in the spirit and in the flesh that we are here to engage in, and so we will not stay long today in this fashion. You may rest assured that we will mingle with you throughout the day, in truth, but in time, the tape recorder will close and you will return to your pattern of living, including lunch. So, one more question perhaps?

J.N.:         May I say thank you for this marvelous opportunity that's happening for all of us. It is a great privilege and we may not be able to comprehend the significance of the occasion. Thank you very much for coming.

TOMAS:      We also love you very deeply and very much appreciate your heart that is open to the love of the universe.  We embrace you and rejoice with you in having found the God who has found you. Michael will also be here this afternoon.  You may even see him as you pass by.   Dear ones, until we speak again, farewell.

Group:      Thank you.

*****

DATE:          August 21, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R's:          Gerdean and Hunnah

URANTIA BOOK STUDY GROUP
Paper 179, THE LAST SUPPER, Page 1941
#5.  Establishing the Remembrance Supper;
Paper 180, THE FAREWELL DISCOURSE, Page 1944
#1.  The New Commandment
#2.  The Vine and the Branches
#3.  Enmity of the World
#4.  The Promised Helper

TEACHER SESSION
TOPIC: 
SPIRIT REALITY

TOMAS:      Good evening, my children.  I am Tomas.

Group:      [Elyssia, Mrs. McD., W.W., J.M., Hector, Bruce, Abram, JoniEl, Iyana, Hunnah, Gerdean, Linda, Beatrice and Celeste]: Good evening, Tomas.  Thank you for coming.

TOMAS:     It is wonderful to be here! Your celebration has been joyous for yourselves and for those of us in the spirit realm who observe your activities. It has been a hallmark Remembrance Supper for your and our community.

I am here this evening, as is Merium, in loyal obedience to our assignment. It is our primary duty and most sublime privilege to foster your growth and spirit awareness and so we are honored this evening to share this acknowledgement of Jesus' birthday with you here in our own home base.

I would like to speak briefly this evening about spirit reality, and in order to approach spirit reality, I would like to embrace first your reality, your human reality, and I speak to you as believers and participants in a spiritual way of life.

Your perspective on things is perforce limited by your material composition. Your thought processes are limited by your imaginations and your inabilities to go too far afield of what is necessary for you to maintain a functional existence here in your mortal realm.  But spiritually, there is no limit on how far you may experiment and investigate. Even so, there is a limit as to how much you can endure.

The reality of spirit is so far-reaching and so perfect that your perception can only be garnered as you strengthen yourselves to absorb more of what spirit reality is. Although you may have spirit understanding or comprehension, the existence of the actuality of spirit reality far transcends your ability to now reach its ultimate potential.  And so, in this limitation, this perforced limitation, you have a sphere of operation that is made comfortable by your ability to handle those things in your sphere that will make for a rich life for you in your associations and civilizations. 

Everything that you need for perfection in your sphere is prepared for you. Even though it is not ultimate perfection, it is what your sphere is capable of.  Accept your capacity to reach this degree of relative perfection. Embrace this knowledge and apply yourself to it. Since spirit is so vast and in so many ways so much beyond you, allow spirit to be, to do its own thing. Trusting this spirit, you are qualified to create your mortal existence, your world.

I am not perceiving clarity.  My message has not been received.

MERIUM:      May I assist?
TOMAS:      Yes, my able colleague.
MERIUM:      I'm going to fluff it up a little bit.  Good evening.
Group:      Good evening, Merium.

MERIUM:     Before I get into this realm of invisible light, I would like to tell you that I've let Hunnah have a sneak preview of what it felt like, watching your party tonight. If you are a gardener, then perhaps you can relate to my metaphor. Have you ever gone out on a beautiful evening and in your leisure gone down to see how your vegetable garden or your flower garden is faring? Well, in a sense that is what we have been able to do.

It is as if you were a beautiful garden that had been planted and we see everyone is prospering and it makes us feel so good because we know that the riches that are within all of you, as they develop, will affect the lives of many. You are going to be able to share yourself, and what Tomas is trying to explain this evening, is this invisible --

Oh, how you wish you could get your hands on the word! How you wish you could take what we talk about in this new reality and get a hold of it and apply it.  And that is exactly what cannot take place.  Because what we are talking about is the essence within yourself that permits you to become the beautiful creature that you are and it slips out when you least expect it. It is the human condition to want to control and to design and manipulate and plan, but let me tell you, this that you are becoming is not, has not anything to do with human administration.

For we are about the Father's business.  And in this new reality, you will find it coming out and splitting the seams of the suits that you have outgrown with your mindset. The clothes you wear are not clothes, they are limitations of your humanness and you have a wealth of them and they are going to be set on the shelf with casual reference because you are going to flow forth in this new living way.

For those who are uncomfortable because they do not feel that they have had enough personal experiences that they can relate to, they are going to be surprised, too, because they are going to be able to reflect and observe their actions in a way that they did not know that they could.  And as they discover this ability, it will billow forth in confidence and an understanding of "Oh! That's what they were talking about!"

The spirit that is coming forth in me is of my new design. It will be frequently out-shouted by old habit, by conversations of those who are about you, or the pressure of the working day, but it will not go to sleep.  It will never slumber.  It is constantly with you, and you will enjoy it more than your full or empty wallet.

I have approached this conversation in a manner that is very unlike Tomas' but if you were to set them on the scales of justice, they would be of equal weight because they are partners, and in partnership there is a contrast, frequently, but there is an agreement.  And I hope that you will find that this agreement that is rising in you, (but that will confuse you occasionally because your habit of wanting to know how everything works), will be pressing hard in you. It will not want to be put on the shelf.

Yet, as you pursue your Source, and as you drink of the living waters, this that you are will come up through your very cells. You will hear yourself speaking rather than being the speaker. You will hear conversations in reply and they will go through the filter and lose their controversial overtones or the contrariness or the powerful duality that is present in the world. You will be able to accept the nugget of goodness in conversations. You will be collecting them and giving them back.

I will pause here. I'm sort of on a roll. But I think that Tomas is more comfortable now.

TOMAS:     I am very grateful to my co-worker for her ability to reach her children -- as compared to my sometimes over-striving to educate my students. Even so, that is the purpose of our team, that where one oversteps, the other uplifts; where one falls short, the other compensates. Let me continue, then, in a vein that is perhaps a compromise, perhaps more readily understood.

It is very much like the garden that Merium has planted.  You are the flowers, and you must trust that the soil that has been prepared, for your bed is appropriate for your growth. The nutrition of the soil has been prepared by the Master Gardener. The amounts of nitrogen and so forth are well balanced and perfect for your growth. The flowers that you are planted next to are complimentary in color and in composition. Your environment is well suited to accommodate you. The growth comes, the spiritual reality comes from the natural powers of creation, comes from Paradise that the sun falls upon you in the right amounts and the rain falls upon you also in the right amounts for your perfect growth, for you to be this flower garden.

All things considered, you here have the perfect nourishment available to you. You have the perfect growing conditions available to you. If you appreciate your garden, you can flourish within it. It is not necessary to begrudge your flowerbed. It is not necessary to complain that there are too many stones or that the rain falls too hard, for these are all within a natural framework as you allow yourself to be led by the spirit.

In times past, even in our teachings, we have spent much time discussing the recovery of the individual, the recovery of the planet, the many ills brought about by the Lucifer Rebellion and the Adamic Default. There are all these ills and all these things to overcome. We are now addressing you in terms of the richness that is, that you have everything now that you need in order to flourish, and as you expect to flourish, having the Master Gardener over you, you will flourish, you will reach new realms of affecting and influencing your environment. People will come by and see the flower garden and be amazed at how well the flowers grow.

MERIUM:     I would like to address those of you who have difficulty relating to this conversation or the form of this teaching. I would like to take you back to the time when you were young and you were learning an activity. It could be balancing on a skateboard, tying your shoes or hitting a ball. There always seemed to be friends that hit a ball better, could tie a shoe faster, or excel in an area that you really wished you had for your very own. This is an outer feeling; it's perfectly normal.

This evening Hunnah had a chat with her friend about feelings and emotions. The other night we had an excellent discourse on feelings and emotions. And it is an emotion that says, "I can't relate to this" but it is a feeling that "there is something about this that is genuine and I feel frustrated because I can't seem to bring it together." This is perfectly normal, and as you -- if you will recall, you are continuously surrounded with a spiritual support system, and that support system is so strong that when you have these moments of disgust, openly saying, "I don't get it. I don't want it. I'm not doing it," this support system allows you to feel perfectly comfortable with protesting or doubting and we just simply want you to know that this is all going to come about regardless, and if you're here, it will happen. If you have ever been here, it will happen. But it's going to happen faster because of you, because you have allowed this part of yourself to respond and you have acted upon it, in spite of yourself.

There are many light groups gathered everywhere and in these groups, whether their language and their dialog is different than ours, there is the same human feeling of needing to keep up and a bewilderment of what is new. I want you to feel more comfortable with it, more objective with it, because in that you will receive the gift of patience. We don't talk much about patience here, but I think it is time, and it will be a gift that is given to you as a birthday party treat to take home. You will be patient and appreciative in a way that you have never been before. Thank you.

TOMAS:      Are there questions?

W.W.:     Sure. I have a question, if nobody else is going to ask a question and I don't care who I direct it to; whoever wants to answer, but when I work my pendulum and I talk to my spirit guides, who am I talking to? ...

TOMAS:      Take it away, Merium.
W.W.:      Who's answering me?

MERIUM:     You are being answered by your totality. There is ... remember your expanded awareness. I like to use the word "expanded awareness" that knows what is coming close to you. Let me give you an example in nature. There are plants that will pull its petals up if it senses something that is not harmonious. It does not necessarily have to be a mindless plant, but all throughout nature there are ways of recoiling from something that is not agreeable, and what you simply have accessed is the part of yourself that senses what is right and appropriate for you.

Hunnah uses the pendulum with amusement, because it's as if she said, "I think I'm operating this myself," and she has tried to fool herself and invariably it is consistent. I don't feel that you are using -- it's simply a tool that taps in on a part of you that is going to deliver information to you in that manner.

If you were to put a blindfold on and hold your pendulum and your friend placed a rotten tomato underneath it and you did not notice, that pendulum is an extension of your seeing self and your emotional field, and it will indicate to you that it would prefer not to have it. If they placed a fresh carrot below your pendulum, you would find that this tool or instrument that you are holding would indicate that it would be an appropriate food for you.

This can also be done in other ways of guidance, but if it is not dealing with the truth of your being, for your welfare, then you would not be serving yourself with honesty and integrity.

W.W.:      Thank you.
TOMAS:      Thank you.

MERIUM:     I would like to make one more comment here. In the addition of my speaking, along with Tomas who delivers the information and references to the books with such expertise, it looks as if I am wandering out onto the stage of New Age, but I must remind you that this is an expanding awareness that you are developing, and that when you embrace your world in a positive manner, and you ask to have it all serve you -- as they say, the rocks will even cry out; they will rejoice in their kind vibrations -- it is a friendly universe and a friendly earth.  You are the friend.

There is a statement -- I don't know if it is biblical, but it states: "Wherever I stand is holy ground." You create the holy ground, and if there is a part of you that is not cleansed sufficiently and has not developed a purer focus, has not been lifted up, and you are playing games, New Age games, you are trying to solve people's problems and tell them what to do -- (the list goes on) -- then you are just limiting yourself.  So if you offer everything to the Christ of your being, you serve for the good of all, you will find your traveling much smoother.

It is not easy to travel into unfamiliar waters. There will be opportunities for you to expand your appreciation of the myriad forms of enlightenment that are taking place today. This information has its place, but it must always be brought before the Father, this higher place of definition, and if it is not appropriate for you to be in that area, you will be removed, and this goes for people who come into your life. They will be removed if they are not responsive to the light.

It's getting very quiet here, for a party mood.

TOMAS:     Perhaps we are "party poopers," Merium. [Group laughter] We have obviously been in Boulder, and even now are in spirit with them, as many of you are also. The conference is, as you would say "a success," as they too are rejoicing in the fellowship of Christ consciousness, and basking in the presence of Michael, as well as his myriad helpers. You may rest assured they will be chatting with their spirit friends into the wee hours of the morning and they will festival for days and return refreshed to their native spheres to begin again the process of following Him wherever He may lead.

It was, as I said earlier, a fine birthday party you had and a momentous memorial supper. We are proud of you here. We are impressed with your growth and development. We have been praised for our efforts and we pass on that praise to you, for what good is it to us without your experiencing it also, for without you we would not have a job here.

It is so wonderful to have you as friends, and even though sometimes it is a challenge for you and also for us, it has been a situation where we have all persevered and have grown and have illuminated our sphere significantly enough that we have drawn the praise of the Master and have gotten a gold star from Melchizedek, so I tell you we are doing fine. You are doing well.

I am very grateful to the Melchizedeks for sending Merium to help me here in this teacher base. It has immeasurably helped us as a group to function as a group rather than a configuration of individualists. The team aspect of brotherhood and fellowship cannot be disregarded, for when you work together, when we work together, we are united in spirit. Otherwise we would fall flat. And so we know we are being led by spirit when we share our unity as we shared and you shared this evening.

I usurp the Father and say, "God bless you." I know you are blessed, yet it is often good to be fed, and that is a phrase that connotes God's goodness. Merium?

MERIUM:     I was just enjoying listening to you talk. I would like to dismiss class, to have recess and be playful again.

TOMAS:      Yes.

MERIUM:     I do hope that you will enjoy your gift of patience and appreciation and that you will come again and, if you are a guest, if you have a friend who needs encouragement, do not hesitate to embrace them and to let the spirit flow.

Blessings to you all. Thank you.

TOMAS:      And farewell.

*****

DATE:         August 28, 1997
LOCATION:      Pittsburgh PA Teacher Base
T/Rs:              Gerdean for Tomas; Hunnah for Merium

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
    (1)  Paper 13, THE SACRED SPHERES OF PARADISE, Pg. 143
        #1. The Seven Sacred Worlds of the Father, 1-4
    (2)  Paper 114, SERAPHIC PLANETARY GOVERNMENT, Pg. 1254
        #6.  The Master Seraphim of Planetary Supervision
    (3)  Paper 149, THE SECOND PREACHING TOUR, Pg. 1673
        #4.  Progress of the Preaching Tour

TEACHER SESSION:
TEACHERS TOMAS AND MERIUM
TOPIC:
WE CELEBRATE CHRIST MICHAEL

TOMAS:  Good evening, my friends and my family.
Group: Good evening.

TOMAS:      We are back in tune with you, following your many adventures, your travels, your celebrations, (and) your growths.  Is it not a wonder how it is that the universe keeps unfolding? As you come and go like waves upon the shore, always does the moonlight even out the view.  Merium and I are here, as well as your many loyal spirit companions, in obedience to your will which seeks to do the will of Our Father.  How may we serve you this evening?

MERIUM:     Tomas?
TOMAS:     Yes.

MERIUM:      We had such a successful (social & study) evening that I think that we were going to be forgotten.  They had such a good time, don't you think?

TOMAS:      There are times, truly, Merium, when I feel as though we are a redundancy.

MERIUM:      Well, I must tell them.  The arena is packed this evening and it has been a very, very interesting evening for us and we applaud your appreciation and your personal observations of your own experience.  Let these gentle changes that are coming over you be noted, how freely it is.  I can hear it in your confidence; it pleases us greatly.  Are there any questions?

Celeste:      I don't know, but don't stop talking because we really want to hear what you have to say!  (Group laughter)

Elyssia:      Tell us about yourselves!  How about some of your experiences through Jesus' birthday.  You all must have had a great big moment there, anyway, if nothing else.

TOMAS:      You must remember that our time frame is not the same as yours.  Our understanding for time is on a different level and so I suppose if we were in Mexico we would celebrate the Cinco de Mayo with the locals, and so when we are in Urantia we celebrate the birthday with the Urantians, but our ceremonies and honoring of the Creator Son are somewhat different from yours. 

Even so, we do appreciate the noble efforts that you put forth in order to pay homage to He who is the Way.  It is gratifying to us, not that you have a party necessarily, nor that you remember the date, but that you actually come to know Him better, for this is where it is that we know that we are succeeding, that you are succeeding, that Spirit is succeeding.

MERIUM:      I would like to add that as you enter your awareness of your expanded consciousness, it would be as if you were celebrating continuously.  Our entire experience over here is indeed a celebration, for we are living free of the heaviness that you have to plow through in your daily experience. 

That is why we are so insistent that you prepare yourself for the day, so that you maintain this very special decibel that we know that you are capable of experiencing, and you will know, and you have already experienced a day that is far more effortless than one that you do not prepare for properly because you are wearing out-worn garments.  When you do not take time to prepare yourself properly, you do indeed have heavy clothing on you and you have outworn ideas being expressed through your mouth, so let me once again take advantage of this opportunity to remind you that it is a wonderful thing to drink from the cup, that you might experience this high octane and have an easier trip as you travel throughout your adventures everyday.

Elyssia:      Thank you for that picture of the continuous celebration.  On a beautiful day like this, all you have to do on this planet is sort of put your head out the window and look at the sun shining and dappled shadows and you can get a feeling of regeneration at that moment.  I'm curious about what your reaction might have been to the various personalities that ran around the table last Thursday night because we didn't talk about that when you came in, of course.

MERIUM:      I would like to comment.

TOMAS:      I would like to ask a question.  When you say "the personalities that ran around the table," were you talking about the midwayers?

Elyssia:      Ha!  Well, since I'm not too well connected with them, as far as I know, I was talking about the human people and what they said about Jesus.  I was so thrilled when I heard each person.  Each person was absolutely wonderful, and I loved the way we did the thing, which was we gave a topic -- a good, really spiritual topic -- and then each person was able to say something really enlightened.  And they did!  And I was so impressed with each of these people.

TOMAS:      I will make only one remark and then allow for Merium to proceed, and that is you are well aware of how much faith Jesus has in you.  It is not so much a surprise to us to hear these words utter from your mouths, for you have been given these words by your own comprehension of and through the Spirit of Truth that Michael is your Creator and your divine elder brother.  As you take Christ as a personal experience, not as an historic reference point, but the relationship with him as a personal experience into your very being, he becomes real to you and you can testify to him in your life and how your life is and has been affected by knowing him, by loving him and by his love for you. 

And when there are fellow believers in company, the sharing then is multiplied because of your appreciation for the faith of he and she who stand beside you.  You have become an army.  You have become truly his flock.  He has great faith in you, as have had Merium and I, and it is a great gift to us to see you develop your spirit nature and let it become a natural part of your living experience.

Elyssia:      It seemed to me that from Toronto -- each was given a sentence with some beautiful spiritual thought on it and each of us spoke about it for a few minutes, and Gerdean adapted that for our evening and I think it was a very useful tool and I hope that we will use it again and it raises the level of discussion or something like that, and it seemed to do it that night.  I was struck by the sincerity and the depth of the comments. As you say, we're responding to the love of Christ Michael as poured on as.

Leah:      For the sake of the transcript, what was your topic that evening?
Elyssia:     Jesus -- about how Jesus is in your everyday life.  How does he become real in your life?

Gerdean:      It was about-- The Alpheus -- James Alpheus, I think-- who said, "How are we going to recognize you if you're not here?  How are we going to recognize you through this new teacher?" and so we all discussed how it was that we recognized Jesus in our life.

Elyssia:      It was amazing because everybody said something of depth.  But it did raise the level of conversation, Tomas and Merium, I thought.  And I thought it was a device something we would be using again because the depth of the discussion was perhaps increased over that which we sometimes engage in.

TOMAS:      You know we have been working, Merium and I, to bring this about.
Elyssia:      Good.

TOMAS:      We have made tremendous and visible strides in the past year (and even less) in bringing about an elevated type of sharing.  We have discussed the difference between a social event and an event that has overtones of communion, and you experienced a true communion the evening of the Remembrance Supper and at the celebration in Canada which also was a spiritual event with the subsequent fellowshipping of believers, as compared to a standard approach to a human birthday party. 

Now, as we have practiced discussing from that part of your being, which is more related to your permanent aspects, your soulful aspects rather than your temporal and temporary aspects, we have been able to elevate the tenor and tone of the conversations and you have, I believe, also subsequently enjoyed the flavor of your communications as a result. 

You are certainly beginning to appreciate each other more deeply for you are coming to know each other more deeply in a real sense. I want to -- of course you are commended for your growth -- but I want to encourage you to realize that we have just begun, and that as you have found our growth satisfying thus far, the future growth shall be no less fulfilling.  And it is eternally progressive. 

Last week -- and excuse me, Merium, while I go on here -- last week I was talking to you about how it is that you have everything you need here in order to develop and foster a miniscule moment of light and life as you pass by in your existence.  You have the minds, the bodies and the spirits with which to create a powerful and wonderful life...

Elyssia:      Well, it does seem that those moments in Hamilton and then here, were that tiny experience of light and life that you had encouraged us to think about.

TOMAS:      I am glad that you recognize that thread of truth, Elyssia, but I want you to also realize that it can be extended and expanded not simply as a stitch here and there but a true tapestry throughout your life and throughout the world of Urantia … and indeed the worlds of time and space, even into eternity.  This is part of the assimilation of your true destiny of a living reality as a child of God, a member of the universal family.

Elyssia:      I'm going to have a whole huge bunch of relatives around me this week-end and I hope that I can offer something of a positive nature occasionally in the conversation.

TOMAS:      Certainly.

Elyssia:      I think I'm going to use this system of trying to bring the conversation along a bit.  Some of them have some pain -- we all do, of course.

TOMAS:      You, once again, have everything you need in order to advance your brethren in spirit reality.

Elyssia:      I think I'm going to at least take a couple of them to church, because it is in the church that I'm going to have some pretty good moments to offer.

TOMAS:      That is your choice.  It is your arena in which to work and play, and however it is that you feel led to serve, then that is the choice you should make.  The core choice, of course, is that you choose to serve, you choose to know your brothers and sisters more deeply in the spirit, that they too can share their relationship with the Father and that you together may learn to serve.

Elyssia:      Well, I remember that you told me something about using your past, like... I'd like to learn to do that more, because it comes across not so badly when you're trying to give a word of cheer or something like that through this pain in this configuration.

TOMAS:      Indeed, indeed.  You are referring, perhaps, to our series of studies on Fruits of the Spirit, even the one perhaps regarding Confiding Trust, that you sit shoulder-to-shoulder with your sister, your brother, and discuss with them your innermost desires in terms of your soulful longings, even your hopes and dreams, and these human feelings are a marvelous way of bridging the gap of soul-to-soul in developing trust and camaraderie.

Elyssia:      Well, there are people who are facing illness, serious illness; people who have experienced difficulty and tragedy; and a divorce among the young people's family; anger, great anger against the young man who left his wife and the children; typical things that we have in our society.

MERIUM:      Knock knock.  May I come in?
TOMAS:     Certainly.

MERIUM:      I am absolutely salivating to speak to my friend here about her guests.  The subject I am attracted to here is anticipated in how it will be when you have guests coming to visit.  Let me imply precaution here, because it sounds almost as if you are coming to a clinic and I do not want you to pass up an opportunity for these people, who have angelic presence, who have Thought Adjusters, who have a journey of their own, to miss out on an opportunity to experience coming to the rarified environment and atmosphere and vibrational consistency that has been developed in this home. 

Let me remind you that it is the Christ that will be the hostess; it will be the Christ who is the host; it will be the Christ who is the guest and I am offering you this because the old conversations will start to develop, but in spite of themselves, they will be on holiday from their pain, from their doom and gloom and even their whipping their anger out and flashing it about over the misfortunes of the turn of events that have taken in their lives.

A holiday is indeed a holiday when the host and the hostess are enlightened and, if you think about the word enlightened, it does indeed mean to lighten up, to not feel the weight of the human overlaid as it is today.  They may say things to you, "Oh, my, you're looking well!"  They will find themselves totally pulled away from themselves and new enlightenment in coming together and celebrating in that magic of this home, so let me tell you, being a hostess is not any different, at times, than becoming a T/R, because truly it is an act of trust when you say, "Father, let me have the correct thing to say.  Show me the way to go.  What will I serve?"  Are you not inviting trust into your being so that you will have just the right food, you will say just the right thing, and you will hear it because you will be at your own party. 

So I am here this evening to remind you that there is no preparation except to bring in the highest welcoming of those who enter, at these meetings and by this party of worldly friends, to mingle with your many, many friends who are invisible to them, so I hope I have stimulated your imagination and hope that you will be able to find that this is going to be very grace-filled and joyous.

Elyssia:      Well, my daughters have been praying for these people and they are very loving and they love their cousins and their aunts and their uncles very much.

MERIUM:      Pray for their responsiveness.
Elyssia:      I think that will help a lot.  I think they'll do most of it (indistinguishable).

MERIUM:      You will look forward to a report.  I would like to make a comment about the expressions of appreciation at Christ Michael's party here, and I likened it to a talent show.  Everyone was allowed to sing their song and, much to their surprise, there were words to sing; they had volume; they had confidence; and they were thrilled at being allowed to participate, and we enjoyed it and look forward to your rehearsals with yourself when you're alone.

Iyana gave an example, I believe; she sings a praise and then begins to write, and you are all encouraged to sing a praise, to vocalize a praise ... when you are in a car.  One of our friends here made that habit.  So take license, take liberty, when you are by yourself, know that you have friends with you at all times. 

Elyssia:      I did enjoy each person was like a talent show.  I'm anxious to hear the feed back they give us, and I probably will bring that to the table, too, for some discussion.  I haven't had a chance to talk about it with the people.

Celeste:      It sounds so good, I wish I could have listened to a tape to hear their voices.

TOMAS:      The sharing was not taped.  That is personal sharing and you have some reluctance about putting your expressions on paper. I think it has to do with some remnant of the Dark Ages or the legal system, I'm not sure which.  But I have personally regretted that many times very profound and meaningful conversations, that you would do well to have recorded, went by the way of smoke, yet you will be secure in knowing that they are transcribed in the annals of the archives of your growth and development. Perhaps not word for word, but in essence, your value and your growth is recorded forever.

Elyssia:      That's wonderful.  I think we can scare up a good facsimile for Betty, on a human level, and for Leah.  I think we can do it, if we get together, we'll do it.

MERIUM:      I would like to interject that I do not feel that any unrecorded beautiful moment is of lingering consequence because I feel that it goes out into the atmosphere, and as Leah had indicated in the word "vibrations," it is like a lovely pebble dropped into the pool of life and it ripples out and touches everyone.  At some point it joins the many others. And then collectively it could change many, many things.  And, we sing our song clearly and it is indeed something we want to catch and preserve for time, but it has a journey of its own and it has done its own good will at the moment of its release and it travels on its way.

Celeste:      Nothing of spiritual value is ever lost.

Elyssia:      And then when these people come back -- and they will come back -- one by one, it won't be difficult for us to say something about what they remarked upon and they'll repeat them, some of them.  So that it will be part of the coming study times.

TOMAS:      What is important is that you acknowledge their reality and reaffirm for them that they are real.  If they have bared their souls, so to speak, if they have set themselves out as a reality, as a believer, as a faith child, they have manifested their courage.  Your only responsibility then is to uphold that. Not to praise it nor to transcribe it nor to crystallize it nor criticize it, but honor its reality and continue to trust in it. 

Remember it is trust and faith that advances you in spirit reality.  If you have faith in your fellows, they will sense it, they will respond to it; it is because Jesus has such great faith in them.  And they are given the opportunity to rise to the occasion when you ask to see them again.

Now, speaking of guests, I, too, come with a hint from Heloise, and that is that as you in your graciousness provide this environment in its inherent perfection, do not allow it to become artificial; do not allow reality to hide its head in the sand like an ostrich and hide behind your gracious environs, but rather that their better reality shall be at peace in your environs and their feelings shall be accepted here.

Elyssia:      I'll try to remember that and keep it in mind, especially since this will be (indistinguishable).

TOMAS:      Merium, I feel as though we have meddled in the affairs of men today.
Celeste:      Thank goodness you have.

Elyssia:      How can we keep it from being ... I'm interested in perhaps a further discussion of how to keep things from becoming artificial because, I guess I need some help along this line.

TOMAS:      I know that Leah can augment the understanding of the situation and I know that she and others of you are familiar with the social value system that when you ask how they are, they say "fine" which is sometimes a total lie, they are not fine, but they believe they should say they are fine.  And when you have created an artificial environment, you have created the kind of environment where they feel not free to say anything except "fine" and so the door is closed to further development.  In that context then, allow your environment to be sufficiently real that it is gracious and accepting and yet allows for the human element.

Yes, their spirits are welcome and yes, the Master of the house is Michael, but they are human, and to the extent that you have a ministry, you need to be cognizant of their potential outpouring. Ministry is such that sometimes you need to roll up your sleeves. But, Merium's advice is good and, as I said, you have everything you need to effectively work for the Master in His assignment for you.

MERIUM:      May I comment, please?
TOMAS:      Certainly.
Leah:         Fine.

MERIUM:      When someone comes to you to pour out their heart, what you might liken it to being is: if you have ever watched an animal shake its fur, they are simply wanting to shake the portion of their stress so that they feel their normal weight or their energy. So if they have come to you, they have not come to you for an analytical dialog with your Heloise tips.  What they've really done is they have come to you because subconsciously they know that if they come to you, you are the one place that they can come where they know they will feel lifted up, and that you will let them de-stress a moment and that you'll get them back on track. 

But if you make it a lengthy catharsis session, you will fail to accomplish either of your higher values -- the recipient or the giver; and, therefore, would you want an embrace and a hug and some reassurance? Or would you want a heavy session of gut-wrenching analytical purging (which leaves you exhausted, of course) and since this is not, any more, the arena in which you are coming to work?

I am simply reminding you that you are indeed the gentle arm, the soft word, the return to laughter and humor, and perhaps a few lines of redefined things that they already know and they'll feel better.  We are not doing surgery or carrying couches.  We are standing and representing a new reality of the truth of their being.  If it involves holding a basin for a little while, by all means, but it is very easy for that to become a favorite pastime, and I want you to allow each situation to come to you fresh, even if this is the previous relationship that you have with someone. 

There are people who love to use you as a clinic and there are people who will listen to you for the first time because you are not holding clinic, so I hope you will take some of this variety of observations that Tomas and I have made this evening and fill your mental pockets and go away enriched, and have yourself a lovely carefree being about the Father's business.

Elyssia:      Thank you very much. 
Leah:      Just be a good listener.

MERIUM:      But not afraid to speak up, because if you have an urge to speak up and you have paused for the response, then it would be almost like an appropriate prescription.  A light touch, a light kick, a releasing gesture.

TOMAS:      Are we ready for a releasing gesture of cutting loose the teachers and venturing into your bedtime hour?

Group:      Um-hmmm.

TOMAS:      It has been fun.  It is a joy to know you.  It is an adventure to get to know you better.  I tell you even we in these spirit realms are learning constantly by our association with you. Sometimes it reminds me of what it was like when I used to experience fear, and I would say, "What is that feeling"? and someone would say to me, "You're afraid of them!" and I would laugh and say, "Do you blame me?"  And so, my children, I am happy to get to know you better, for that tells me that you are also getting to know me better.

Celeste:      Can you tell how much we love you and how much we want to be with you?  Can you tell that?  Can you feel it?

TOMAS:      Yes, Celeste, it is very apparent to us.  It is apparent in the spirit; it is accentuated and made emotional by your expression of it.  By emoting your feeling of love you have put the movement of love into the environment, and then not only can I see it, but others can see as well the ripple effect of love coming from your lips, your heart, your soul -- your love for another creature of the Creator.  Thank you for you love and for your expression of love. 

I encourage you all to engage in this practice of expressing your affections for one another, even as they are small appreciations. It is good to voice your random kindnesses and watch them grow. It is even more gratifying when we begin to perceive the Father's love growing in you and growing from you.  But we will not be fussy here.  We will take all the love we can get.   Merium, do you have a closing remark?

MERIUM:      No, thank you.

TOMAS:      We look forward to our entertaining upcoming week with you, dear ones.  Farewell.

Group:      Thank you for coming.  Farewell.  Please come back.

*****

[End of Vol. III, Part 6 of 13]