Tomas Vol III - Pittsburgh, PA - Nov 06, 1997 thru Feb 01, 1998 - Part 8 of 13

Do the Teachers talk too much? Do they out-stay their welcome? Teachers have been called "windbags" due to their ability to talk interminably. If the sessions are too much of an invasion into our mortal lives, we need to cut the Teacher Sessions short! But we don't. In fact, we want yet more! This segment continues with more profound lessons as well as third-year anniversary celebrations. A transmission session in a ski resort, a visit to Canada, and Merium flying solo are some of the highlights from this season. Personal teacher visits round it out.

PITTSBURGH, PA

VOLUME III, Part 8 of 13

November 6, 1997 - February 1, 1998

C O N T E N T S

Date:	Topic:	Page:
November 6, 1997	Lesson on The Deep Mind	1
November 16, 1997	Our Will Be Done	10
November 24, 1997	Where I Stand is Holy Ground	20
November 30, 1997	The Charitable Nature	29
December 7, 1997	Sympathetic Understanding	33
December 14,1997	Materialism	41

January 4, 1998	TOMAS Kicks Off New Year (in Canada) MELCHIZEDEK, ANDREA,	49
January 4, 1998	MERIUM Solo (in Pittsburgh, PA, USA)	58
January 11, 1998	Savoring Accomplishment	67
January 18, 1998	The Effects of Quarantine	77
January 25, 1998	Swimming in the Living Waters Personal Teachers DORIAN and SPRING	86
February 1, 1998	Came to Believe	92
	[End of Vol. III, Part 8 of 13]	99

DATE: November 6, 1997
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R’s: Gerdean and Hunnah

TOMAS: Good evening, my lovely friends. I am Tomas. I have been invited in, in order that we might have a few words of what you call business, in order to expedite our flow of communion. It is wonderful to be here with you in any event and under any circumstances. I have a lesson for you in truth, and Merium, of course, is in attendance also. I am interested in that which concerns you for what you are concerned with concerns me also.

I would like to perhaps place your concerns on the table. I know that not long ago we had a question presented about editing the transcripts and I suggested to you at the time that the editing procedure was a discipline allotted to those of you who were inclined toward distribution of these papers. The distribution of the teachings is my concern, and I opt to promote them through your behaviors. As you choose to promote them through papers, that is your decision.

I trust, in faith of the power of the lessons and of Michael, that the truths therein are becoming a part of your lives and you are living them and not relying upon the papers to do your job for you, and yet this concern about the distribution of the transcripts has incorporated your mortal concerns along these lines in the work of the Teaching Mission and have thus come to my attention.

Celeste has twice, on the record, indicated that she was exhausted by the time our evenings were completed, and indeed the transmitter has testified to being "brain dead" after a certain amount of study and socialization and it makes it difficult then to transmit an honorable message.

It is fair to say that under any circumstances you will get information from the teachers, but as you are at your best, we can teach you more readily, for your minds are more receptive, your appetite is whet and you hunger for truth and righteousness which we can then impart and you can take to your soul as your own. As you are tired, you cannot absorb these deep truths and so our sessions, although pleasant, are not as fulfilling. They are shallow compared to how they might be.

I am going to go off-line. I would like, however, for you to discourse among yourselves. I want you to recall to your mind that in the Butler group we began this process many months ago of taking intermission, and the ensuing intercourse was provocative and revealing, indeed fruitful, inasmuch as you yourselves were, in your attitude, in session and not in recess; and so for now I will go off-line and allow you to discuss briefly among yourselves your concerns.

Lest this go on too long, we can monitor it, Merium and I, and it would be a good time also, now that we are convened and in session, to promote that personal sharing that we enjoy so much. You will see that under this more disciplined situation/circumstance, you may not rattle on at length but feel the pertinence of the sharing. At any rate, we are glad to be with you, we are with you still and we will observe with interest as you now proceed into your personal realm of business and sharing for the sake of your group and your group's outreach ministry.

Thank you. I will be back.
* * *

TOMAS: We are pleased with your discourse and with your agreements and with your developments. Now that we have resolved, at least temporarily, a few procedural matters, let us commence with the agenda established, that we might again accomplish all of our needs in this one short evening in the flesh.

URANTIA BOOK STUDY (led by Gerdean)
STILLNESS & PRAYER
(1) Paper 16, THE SEVEN MASTER SPIRITS, Pg. 184
#1. Relation to Triune Unity
#2. Relation to the Infinite Spirit
#3. Identity and Diversity of the Master Spirits
(2) Paper 111, THE ADJUSTER AND THE SOUL, Pg. 1223
#7. The Adjuster's Problem

TEACHER SESSION:
TOMAS and MERIUM
TOPIC:
LESSON ON THE DEEP MIND

TOMAS: Group, we are back with you and before we launch upon another cerebral exercise in spiritual stimuli, I would like for you to join with me in a moment of thanksgiving to our Father/ Brother Michael for his presence among us this evening. His perfection has graced us in ways which we adore and even though much of His perfection is outside our comprehension, we are eternally appreciative and grateful for the efforts that He provides His children in order that they may come to fruition in terms of their eternal happiness in understanding His divine nature.

"Father Michael, we adore thee. We pay homage to thy name and to the Divine Minister, thy bride. Our Master, we come before thee in humble obedience to thy will that we may learn to serve to your honor and glory and the pleasure of the Divine. Amen."

*****

TOMAS: Good evening, children, I am Tomas. Merium and I greet you a second time this evening. I have a brief lesson I would like to present and that has come to mind as a result of your reading and the word is "drift." It is an odd lesson in light of an odd stimuli, but it is noteworthy that there is some division of comprehension in the ability to have faith and to presume upon divine mercy in wholesome goodness and in contrast to allow the divine mercy to provide you with such a blanket of comfort as to drift off into realms of ineffectuality.

What did you say, Tomas? I said "drift." And I ask you to think in terms of how you drift in life. Do you drift along with the spirit, in terms of whatever it is that it presents for you to do? Do you drift along with life's circumstances and assume that they are the unfolding of His will? Do you drift along with the current of your collective consciousness and figure that it is where you are supposed to be and where you are at home?

It is not my intention to disrupt your comfort zone, but I want you to think of how you may be drifting downstream toward a waterfall, and in perfect faith and trust of divine overcare, find yourself plummeting to the waves and rocks below. Why would I interject fear? I am not intending to interject fear, my children, but to impress upon you the necessity of your consciousness of your association with divinity, for remember, my children, it is through your decisions that you ascend and that your faith grows.

As you decide to engage in prayer and worship, your faith is developed. As you decide for God, you decide against non-God, and these are conscious decisions. They take place in the realm of the mind, the mind arena of choice, wherein those decisions are made again and again and again, that converge eventually into a reality for you and in your path, and then you will not drift but you will walk in faith understanding that you have mastered the lesson.

I will say no more regarding drifting, except to joke and say "do you get my drift?" Merium, would you like to present our class with some words?

MERIUM: Good evening, everyone. It's been a most pleasant evening and your harmony has been noted and highly approved of. Of course we have a full house, as you know, and I wanted to get on my little apparatus here and see if we can pull the crew into the main course of our discourse. I am really not ready to speak, Tomas. I simply would like to encourage everyone to feel positive and renewed and in the direction of your group and know that there is always new members in the wings, but if you present them with the poise that you have had this evening, you will do the Father and his mission justice. Thank you.

TOMAS: Thank you, Merium. I am certain we will hear more from you as the evening commences. I would like to thank you, group, for your maturity and indeed for your beauty. You are indeed lovely this evening. I have another question that has been given to me that I would like to address and that question is: "What do they mean when they talk about deep mind? What is the deep mind?"

Iyana: Are we supposed to answer that?
TOMAS: My dear, I would be open to your input. Do tell me what your perception is.

Iyana: When I say deep mind, it means that I have to do extra thinking and analyzing about something to try and figure it out and if I cannot figure it out I will have to ask for some help, but I always think that help is there anyway.

TOMAS: All right. Are there others?

Elyssia: I also think that the deep mind is a part that we're not perhaps consciously aware of but is operating in our lives and affecting our conscious decisions without, again, our conscious realization of it; something that we can accept on some deep level but haven't quite grown into accepting on a more superficial level.

TOMAS: Very good. Celeste, have you ...?

Celeste: Our willingness to understand as completely as one possibly can, rather than to be shallow and to assume that one knows the answers immediately.

TOMAS: Would either Hunnah or Gerdean like to add their opinion?

Hunnah: I would like to comment. I would think the deep mind is a reminder of something in scripture, "Let this mind in Christ Jesus be also in me." I think of deep mind as being open for a refined definition that perhaps will expand upon whatever is being presented.

Iyana: My thought on deep mind is that you had to figure out the answer, but it could be on another basis. It could say that deep mind could be the mysteries of the universe, the mysteries that The Father does not tell us about because there are a lots of questions that really don't have any answers for us.

TOMAS: The question arose as a result of the individual observing the phrase in the textbook about certain individuals being trained in the deep mind for certain emergency circumstances and certain situations in the life that would enable truth to prevail, and so one would wonder how it is that you could be "trained" in the deep mind. Now, I will go so far as to say that you have been being trained in the deep mind since you have been listening to the teachers and very likely since you have been listening with ears to hear, for it is your deepest self that is in touch with the deep mind.

It is in contradistinction to the normal conscious mind that is interested in its daily affairs, the matters you find in the newspaper, the grocery list, the bicycle lock combination and birth dates and so forth. These are the functions of the conscious mind but not necessarily the deep mind.

The deep mind has been confused with the subconscious mind, which is yet another realm, as is the unconscious mind. Nor is the deep mind a particularly super-conscious mind, although it is more related to the depth of perception that comes from the ability to allow your soul to become deepened in spirit consciousness. And it is certainly not that mind which you discover in your dream sleep condition. So now we have a series of understandings of what the deep mind is not.

In your daily life you may discover that a whiff of a thought will drift past your consciousness, perhaps even touch upon your super-consciousness, but it is a mere whiff and not a full concept. That well may be the stirrings of a concept emerging from your core self, your indwelling God fragment that would make contact with your deep mind, but first you must enter your realm of spirit reality that excludes the superfluous and the material and the emotional to get to that deep core reality wherein you may hear and sense and feel that which your deep mind can appreciate.

It has been said that you who sit in the sessions with the teachers are having your deep minds fed, for although these thoughts, these concepts, have not particularly penetrated the intellectual realms, you can feel the essence of our messages, our attitudes, and your soul is fed; your essence is caressed by feeling and sensing these concepts and realities.

Only later when you read or discuss the contents and context of the evening is your conscious and intellectual mind activated and engaged in pros and cons and discourse and even argument as to what it is that you have already absorbed in your deep mind.

This is also why there are some who declare that the Teaching Mission is engaged in a mass hypnosis of its devotees. However, it has been an observation also of those who have heard that theory, that a certain amount of spirit brainwashing is a good idea for those of you who have been so materialistically conditioned.

At any rate, I did want to spend a few moments discussing deep mind. I would like to, in closing, say that it is gratifying to carry on a conversation with the deep mind and it is irritating to go for a long stretch without a quality discourse of that kind. It is perhaps yet again another altered state, but one in which I delight. Are there questions from those present this evening, and/or commentary?

MERIUM: I would like to take a moment here and present you with some imagery and have you all imagine yourself getting into your favorite form of transportation and let us use a bus for example and on the front of the bus it will say "Deep Mind" and you will get on this bus in confidence. I am putting it this way because I would like to make this an effortless experience for you to experience journeying to the destination of deep mind.

It is a state in consciousness where you are pliable, you might say, in the ideal receptive state, and you do not come out to get back on the bus that reads Home burdened with books or transcripts, but it is as if you were in a place with very pleasant lighting, and you, by osmosis, received this good will and had access to it, to the point of your comfort, so that you would never leave with an overdose if this is an evolving experience for you and that you will find it very pleasant and consider the avenue or the destination once again.

You may incorporate it as a pleasant reward for having entered Stillness, as you enter Stillness without any sense of discipline but you go in there with an attitude that it is an adventure and you go into your Stillness with anticipation of purpose and reward, then you will find it a very meaningful experience, so please, if you are the type, do not hesitate to allow yourself to be a little bit playful, and coax this reluctant part of yourself that does not want to sit down to "be still" but perhaps catching the bus that takes you to the greatly rewarding and nourishing destination will be far more satisfying to your psyche. Thank you, Tomas.

TOMAS: And thank you, Merium. It is interesting, the many tricks and lures that we come up with in order to stimulate your approach to your own spirit delight, for whereas Gerdean, for example, requires a certain amount of discipline, Hunnah eschews discipline and heads for the delight, and yet both of them find great satisfaction in the actuality of it, even though their approaches are entirely different because of their particular personality make-up.

Now it is true that in due course the discipline for Gerdean evaporates in the light of rushing to meet the Lover, and by the same token, for Hunnah, the delight of spending time with the Lover is cushioned by a certain appreciation of the inherent discipline involved in doing it, but the approach to getting there is unique for each individual, and so as these techniques and attitudes are expressed to you, they are expressed in full appreciation of the adaptability and creativity inherent in the spiritual life, and so each of you can and do contribute your own vantage point and your own experience to your own religious experience, and so you pass it on to others. You bring it to the group, you encourage and stimulate, and thus you are teachers. You are teachers already. Now we must find a way for you to bring your teaching experiences full cycle and expand our merry band.

Are there questions this evening?

Elyssia: Do impulses and ideas and conscious ideas and concepts evolve into the more conscious realms out of the deep mind?

TOMAS: If they are not squelched entirely, yes, they can, will and do. Now, you use the word "impulses" and I am not certain how to use that word, but if it is a seed that has been planted, that the mortal is willing to allow to grow, then you will find (and I say that the Thought Adjuster has planted this seed or is fertilizing the seed that has been planted in the deep mind), then other things will contribute to arousing that thought again and again.

Let us say that the thought that has been planted by the Thought Adjuster is that "the kingdom of heaven is within you" and the mortal is lumbering along the life path without regard to the kingdom at all, and yet this seed has come by and perhaps a line of scripture begins to waft through the mind of the mortal and s/he makes a note of it; it has come from the deep mind then, you see, and s/he has made a conscious note of it. "Why am I thinking this scripture, for heaven's sakes?" It goes away.

Perhaps two weeks later s/he is watching television and an individual comes running onto the stage and shouts something about "The kingdom come!" and sounds the horn and runs off. Again the concept of the kingdom has come to the individual's attention. This may or may not have fallen on fertile soil. It may or may not affect the individual, but the seeds will be planted again and again and if the individual is fortunate, someone will make a point of saying to him/her directly, "The kingdom of heaven is within you," and thus making it real.

It is important that certain truths be reiterated. I realize that in your Christian communities many of the words that are used are loathed by those who have been force-fed Christian tenets, but there are also vital truths that need to be reiterated, such as: "God is our Father" and even "God loves you." (You know, it is almost too bad that became such a common phrase, for people got to the point where they almost gagged when they heard, "God loves you and so do I," because it was like, "Have a nice day!" It became so ritualistic as to lose it's reality.) And so when these words are offered, they should not be offered in a glib way particularly, but in a meaningful way.

Remember, you are spreading the living gospel. Also be apprised that sometimes you can affect a person by reminding them of what is in their deep mind already and startling them. They are sometimes afraid of the reality of the light that has been presented, and so this is wherein you are to be gracious and do not allow the individual to stand as if he were naked, but to comfort their presence and not embarrass them in the face of the naked truth.

Elyssia: How can we open up our mind so that we can fill our deep mind with things that relate to truth, beauty and goodness so that we have a well of marvelous things in this place called the deep mind?

MERIUM: It is already filled. All you need is a ladle, a contact with the living waters.

Iyana: Is it the mind of God?
TOMAS: Infinite mind.
Elyssia: How does one go about bringing up these ...?
Iyana: By giving yourself to Him.

MERIUM: This is what you are going to find out. It will happen to you, and you will catch on and it will amuse you and you will be delighted to find out how many times it happens, because when we talk about things at the table here, believe me, it is on your agenda for life!

TOMAS: I will augment that by reminding you that indeed the kingdom of heaven is within you and the way to The Father is inward and upward, and as you sit on His lap and go inward and upward into and beyond the conscious mind into the realms of the superconscious mind where you can engage in discourse with infinity, you will hear with ears to hear from The Father himself and you will be fed and you will be filled.

Iyana: We appreciate that we are students, that we are on the path, and it makes me wonder how did it happen that these few people who were reading The Urantia Book, how did it happen that they were the ones to get together to have the transmissions? I mean God is no respecter of all persons, meaning that we're all alike to him, and yet I feel -- how fortunate I am that I am one of the ones who are being taught by celestials. And I know that the rest of you feel the same way. But why is it that we happen to be the ones that read The Urantia Book...?

TOMAS: It is a combination of factors, Iyana, and you are indeed fortunate and we are indeed fortunate also to have the experience of being here with you and experiencing life. Your Adjuster's previous experience was helpful, and your willingness to abide by Its encouragement contributed. There is, you know, a conspiracy afoot, and the midwayers are ever active in bringing individuals together to effect certain causes. There are many, many angelic and celestial beings who are engaged in bringing together those of forward-thinking consciousness to accelerate spirit reality. We appreciate your being here as much as you do.

Iyana: I know that like will find like, like will meet like. I wrote a poem about that. Anyway, it's all planned, I suppose, that we will meet on the journey.

TOMAS: This thing about a plan is most interesting. There are many divergent philosophies about overcontrol. You would do well to read about it in your text, about destiny and predestination and overcontrol and that sort, for there are those who feel that your entire life path is predestined and you have no choice in what happens to you, and there are those who insist that you have a say in it every step of the way, and somewhere between the far left and the far right is the truth of the matter, for if you had not made certain decisions of your own free will, you would not be here regardless of how hard your Thought Adjuster worked and the midwayers worked to lure you into this situation.

Iyana: Thank you.

MERIUM: There is something you might consider and even though our evening is coming to a close, I want to remind you that when you put your head down on the pillow, you do not remain there all night long. There is a continual flow of living in your consciousness but you put your body to bed and you rest your human mind but that Reality in you is about the Father's business.

Elyssia: That's great! Thank you! I love that idea. That's wonderful! You're not just lying there like a clunk for 8 hours, 6 hours.

MERIUM: No. There is an author whose prayer when he would retire is, "I release myself to thee to be taught with thee," and I am pleased that Hunnah let me speak a little bit more. She was ready to sign me off, not trusting this comment, thinking it was too much in her own satchel, but it is true, it is a living, viable statement for you to share with others and when you have people who are insomniacs or whatever, I hope that you can advise them to take advantage of their wakefulness to rest in spirit consciously, if they are of that nature.

Elyssia: Well, what does that consist of? Because my son is an insomniac.

MERIUM: Your son would do well to take advantage of his state, and if he is receptive to your suggestion, he will rest well. And if he is closed to it, he will continue to enjoy the nothingness of his wakefulness.

Elyssia: And how should he employ this wakefulness?

MERIUM: If he will accept this suggestion, unconsciously it will stay with him. That will be of his own making, his own design. He may get out of bed and read, or he may become very intimate with his inner teacher, (who he does not call his inner teacher; he has his own vocabulary and his own description of his own experience, but being directed this way may assist him).

On Hunnah's work she meets people who have time on their hands and who frequently do not rest well, and she has advised them to read the Bible and said, "If you understand it, it will bring blessings to you and if you do not, it will bore you so badly you will fall asleep."

Iyana: Thank you, Hunnah.

Elyssia: I had a question about my Sunday School lessons. I did the thing about putting in your little fishing pole and bringing up, I guess, I said, "Pull up some happy memory," and I did get answers from everybody, and I would like to know what my next step would be because I've been enjoying the wonderful guidance on this subject. I won't ask you to take a lot of time but just enough for one lesson would be great.

MERIUM: Tomas, I will very briefly help her. I must first tell you that you are going to learn to fish, too. And that you will put your pole in your pond and see what tugs on the line. In Hunnah's experience she used to refer to writing a poem. When a line would come to her, she developed the confidence to know that it was the indication that there was a poem present. If there was a line, then all the relatives would come along with it in the net when she pulled it in. They may not be in order, but the assemblage would be her delight.

And in your own case, you will put your pole out and put it in and tell them that you did the same, then you will let your teacher assist you in bringing that imagery alive and radiant in some way to The Father's message to our Christ Michael's unique ability to use the metaphor. It is a gift that we all have as we move on in our experience because it tells you, if you recall in Hebrews, that the words will be given to you. So I hope that you will take this little tromp as an act of confidence and experiment and tell them that you thought you would practice what you preach. Enjoy!

TOMAS: I am going to take my fishing pole and go home. It has been wonderful being with you again. Celeste, you and I must make a date to get to know each other better.

Celeste: Oh, good!

TOMAS: I am eager to have a chat with your personal teacher. I am glad again to be your friend and to be a part of your lives. God bless you and be good to yourselves. I'll see you soon.

Group: Great. We loved the deep mind lesson. Thank you.
TOMAS: Good night, Merium.
MERIUM: Good night, Tomas.

*****

DATE: November 16, 1997
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R's: Gerdean and Hunnah

STILLNESS & PRAYER
URANTIA BOOK STUDY (led by Hunnah:
(A) Paper 16, Seven Master Spirits, page 189
#4. Attributes and Functions of the Master Spirits
(B) Paper 141, BEGINNING THE PUBLIC WORK, page 1593
#7. At Bethany Beyond Jordan
Additional reading:
Paper 196, THE FAITH OF JESUS, page 2088-2090
#1. Jesus-The Man
SHARING
TEACHER SESSION
TOMAS AND MERIUM
TOPIC
OUR WILL BE DONE

TOMAS: Good afternoon, faithful flock.
Group: (Elyssia, Celeste, J.M., Hunnah, David, Leah, Gerdean): Good afternoon, Tomas.

TOMAS: What a marvelous afternoon it is indeed. How beautiful it is in your realm and how vibrant it is in your psychological and emotional realms. Your palette today has given us a panorama of color and motion upon which to play. Indeed, your outpourings of this afternoon have been so varied and so rambunctious as to create quite a quandary as to how to present a lesson that would pull it all together, and, as on many occasions, we throw up our hands and say, "Never mind. We'll opt to do it our way" knowing that doing it "our way" we will do it in the way of Our Father and it will provide joy and sustenance for everyone concerned.

Indeed I would like this afternoon to spend a few moments in that context, and that is that "our will be done." We speak of the will of The Father as being the way to go, the path that we would take. How many times have we all sought in our prayer life to do His will? From time immemorial noble man has always asked about God's will and what does it mean to do his will. How does it present itself in the life? Is it a way of life? Is it a decision to make? Is it a series of decisions? Is it a job? Is it a spouse? Is it a field of schooling? Is it an attitude? Is it a deprivation? A discipline? How is His will to be understood?

As you discussed earlier, "It is my will that your will be done" and so what is my will? My will is that I do His will, but without further understanding of what that is, I will my life to be filled with happiness, with joyousness and with freedom. I choose to surround myself with beautiful people, beautiful thoughts, and beautiful things. I like to be around harmony and fragrance and I like to dance and sing and play. I opt to be creative. I enjoy good food; I enjoy good books; I enjoy a good walk; I enjoy good health; and so these things shall be my will, which will be in accordance with His will. It is my will that your will be done, Father.

Now I ask you to think in terms of "our will." What on earth is our will? Our will is a community of purpose. I have beheld and you have beheld community of purpose. Your evolved religions are exemplary of zealous, united, spiritual purpose. Other evolved religions also enjoin to know a united purpose, and in that united purpose, armies are brought into being, as well as industry and social movement.

In speaking of our will in terms of our comprehension of reality, within the context of the Teaching Mission, as students of the Fifth Epochal Revelation, we think of our will as conjoint harmony with the will of the Paradise Trinity, and that would include truth, beauty, goodness, creativity, harmony, and happiness -- not for the individual, no, but for the greater whole, for the honor and glory of the Creator and the Creators, for the edification of our fellows, the entertainment of ourselves, for the ease of purpose in our filial relationships.

It is said that love is the desire to do good to others, and this too is a communal will. As I choose to do good to you, you choose to do good to me; we then have capitalized on our joint purpose and have invited the living Christ to be part of our partnership, thereby bringing into reality, THREE -- GROUP -- COMMUNITY. It is OUR WILL that HIS WILL be done.

Now when you say "I will" or "my will" or "His will," you can consider how it is that your will fits in with the greater picture. Are you being supportive of the family of man? Are you being a part of the cosmic neighborhood? Or are you a single individualistic entity in isolation and alienation of family purpose?

In considering Our Will, you can consider that you are no longer alone. You are no longer an isolated individual, an orphan, in your cosmic bubble, isolated from others of your kind, but you are part of the whole, part of the fold, part of the flock. It entails an embracing of the brotherhood of man, the family of God, when you say "Our Will."

You will find, as this lesson enters into your consciousness, that there are many who disagree with your point of view as to what Our Will might be, for there are other groups who join together, who band together, in support of a reality and in support of an understanding of deity which has come about as a result of the inherent isolation you have suffered, and so the greater "Our Will be Done" is in response to the opening of the circuits.

All of life is invited to ascend. All intelligent life is invited to respond to the stimuli of Paradise. The gravity circuits are here to uplift you, and you are encouraged to dance with each other in this weaving of reality to Paradise. You are not alone, nor is any other who chooses to be part of the family of God.

I have spoken well enough for the afternoon for a formal discourse. I am eager to share with my companion, Merium, and we are jointly eager to hear from our support system, our community, in understanding of our combined will to foster and further the truth of the gospel on Urantia.

MERIUM: Good evening.
Group: Good evening, Merium.

MERIUM: Tomas, that was excellent. You've had a wonderful evening, and as I listen to Tomas talk, I am aware of the challenges that you are carrying with you. You have more than one iron in the fire, all of you, and as you tend to the personal needs, it's as if you've banked your fire of holy intent and you had all these little pots on the side with challenges stewing in there, but in the meantime you are cognizant of the fact that you are part of a greater group and you do not want to get too distracted with this little bit of simmering that you have on the side.

It is all right to be tending to the little simmering pots as long as you know that is what they are. They are the attitudes toward different relationships and challenges that have come to your way that all the while I want to lead you to this silent awareness of the fact that you belong to a larger group, that belongs to a larger group, that belongs to a larger group, and that if you can manage to keep your fire tended to, with your doing your homework and all, that somehow or other these pulls on you of social awareness and so-called need do indeed get attended to.

But I would again like to address you to the group. This afternoon has been a fine example of how harmonious teaching and sharing can take place, and earlier we told you about bringing in new friends. If you would be allowed to conduct yourselves as you have this afternoon, then anyone who would be coming here for the first time would feel as if they had indeed come home, and I am pleased that you have been able to allow yourself to partake in this weaving that you have done today. It is easy to push aside a commitment such as this. It is not really a commitment to the group, but it is an example of what your commitment to your truth self allows you to go further and express it collectively.

I really don't have too many window dressings to put on your talk this evening, Tomas. I think everyone here is beginning to learn very well how to embellish their experience, and as our friend has so eloquently put it, if there's pain, experience it. Offer it up and find out that it is not what it appears to be, that you can be taught in all circumstances if you allow yourself.

Are there questions that have been tucked in your pocket? If not, then I will approach the subject of "the wool socks". [Ed. note: During sharing, J.M. related her adventure of buying a pair of good wool socks for a Salvation Army bell-ringer whose feet were cold.] I really like that.

How many of you have gone away from a situation and had that thought and wondered and analyzed it to death? When you have time and you are cued to do something, you become so good at knowing that "I have the time!" just like Hunnah's story about going in town; she had the time and was aware that it was Her Father's time. (Not overtly, but within herself.) All of your time is the gift of time, and when there is something of timeliness that you are allowed to participate in, and be fed in a different manner, I hope you will dare yourself to be free of thought and to act. It brings great reward and satisfaction and lessons ... and then, of course, when the feather is passed, you have something to share. Tomas?

TOMAS: Thank you, Merium. I am going to try to drum up a question that has formulated in the mind of Gerdean, and it is a concern of hers having to do with the many individuals who come into her shop and, it being an intimate shop and she being who she is, oftentimes the dialog will gravitate at once to matters of a spiritual nature; and she has encountered a block, or what she would call a block, in terms of "born again" Christians who are filled with verve and enthusiasm in spirit content and yet who have found their authority in scripture. Indeed, it is not so much the scripture aspect that blocks Gerdean's ability to carry on in spirit intent (but that is a stumbling block for her), it is most troubling that the born again Christians with whom she has engaged in discourse disallow that all men and women are God's children, the concept seeming to be that only those who have been born again are eligible for sonship, and Gerdean has asked me to undertake to educate her as to how to overcome this stumbling block in her ministry.

I have been able to present the question. I will, instead of undertaking to answer her question, rather open the floor to you, my fellow teachers, and I don't mean that singularly to be Merium, but you who are also learning to proselytize for the Master, and seek your input into how ministry can prevail, creative ministry can prevail under the circumstances, the circumstances being a fair representation of your community. Are there any takers?

Elyssia: Well, I'm not going to have much to say except to say that I am dealing with these people all the time in my life because I'm in a church that is propounding this idea quite vociferously, and it's a wonderful church, really, and they're wonderful people, but it poses for me, as you all know, a degree of kind of thoughtfulness about it.

TOMAS: And so you pose the same question?

Elyssia: I do. Although I've developed a few (not wonderful, I don't think) ways, just sort of desperate little ploys, but one thing I do is I know I can speak their language because I was one of those people and so I can talk in their terms and make it still truthful -- at least I think it is truthful. So I don't know whether anybody else would care to do that, though, because you sort of have to use that lingo.

TOMAS: Have you been effective in planting seeds?

Elyssia: I think in some respects, in the sense I've been able -- they haven't thrown me out and I'm teaching my little Sunday School and my little children are, hopefully, learning a few things, especially since you've given me some lessons, so I think I must be, you know, somewhat effective.

TOMAS: It is apparent that you have mastered those arts of tact and tolerance which are essential. Are there any other ...?

Elyssia: I was going to say my newest thing since I've been taking Jesus around with me -- as you all know, that's been my thing now and I love it and I'm doing it and I'm really getting a tremendous bang out of it -- but my newest thing is to look at all these people and anybody else and say that I love them, and then, after I love them and after I realize how much I love them, then I think about their style, their personality, their talents, their particular way of being, and it's been just a lot of fun for me! I'm really enjoying this. That sounds sort of dumb, but anyway, that's what I'm doing.

TOMAS: To the contrary, it sounds very much to me as if you are wading in the living waters.

David: Correct me if I'm wrong. You're asking … you're dealing-- or Gerdean's been dealing with a lot of people who are very … fundamentalist, who are reborn Christians, and Gerdean doesn't know how to handle them. Is that her problem?

TOMAS: In part, yes, in terms of how can the barriers be dissolved in her loving them and carrying on further stimulating discourse without coming to blows, psychic blows. It is fair to say, on her behalf, that she has been able to side-step antagonism by staying with the spirit and not becoming embroiled in theology, but even so, it is an impasse that is, in her eyes, surmountable, and we are seeking the way of going past the block of alienating all of God's children who do not meet with the approval of those who are supposedly born again into the family of God.

Elyssia: Well, she's out on the front line, first of all. I have completely evaded that. I'm trying to just work within the frame-work of these people's fixed ideas, and this wonderful person is out there in a very open way in something that's difficult for these people to handle -- extremely difficult for them. And a lot of fear rises in these people when you get into an actual intellectual discussion with them, so she's facing a lot of that. And so I think that the thing to do is to work it out on a non-intellectual basis, but maybe that's not true.

David: Each individual that Gerdean meets -- they don't have to be small confrontations, I don't think.

Elyssia: Good. But they challenge her because they do! They're constantly challenging her, so she is the person they really want to come to grips with.

David: She's the focus of attention because the nature of her business says ... it's like a beacon for them to go to and they want to conflict, and I think that their nature, in my experience, is that they like to somehow -- as soon as the conversation starts, figure out how to get to ... let's bring up God somehow, and you almost just have to expect it. It doesn't have to be a bomb going off every time, but I imagine it would be.

Elyssia: Yeah! I remember Jesus saying that you can't ... I can't come to grips with this part of the Book exactly, but ... you're never going to convert anybody by argumentation. Now these people are trying to convert her. They actually feel she needs to be saved. They represent -- she's a crusade to them, so somehow there must be a way of sidestepping it and loving them and telling them a joke and laughing about something or just completely defusing it, and recognizing it -- that they're out there to create a rumpus! That's what they're there for!

David: You almost have to derail the conversation from their agenda, which is an art form in itself and Gerdean's going to have to learn how to do that better than anybody else, because in our lives we don't meet a lot of people like that.

Elyssia: No, we don't, and I think for her to actually -- to use -- in her own behalf, that she herself isn't going to save these people, that they're in God's hands and to try ... They're trying to save each other. I mean, it's a difficult situation.

J.M.: And I think that Jesus says that the best way to have the impact on somebody else is by example, is by how you are, how you are living your life. Your attitude. Not so much what you say. And I think that's real important.

Celeste: And to love them, love them, love them.

Hunnah: There are some things that you don't know about Gerdean's store. First of all she is bait. Now if she had a cross hanging around her neck it might help a little bit, but at the very back of her store as you go in there is a bare-breasted woman sitting with wings, sitting there looking just as if she has found it, and it is a lovely picture, but with a limited understanding, that is perplexing, and as you say, some people are out with a mission.

I think the big thing that Gerdean was pointing out was, in herself she feels conflict dealing with people who come in with an agenda, and I think that just being able to vocalize this is going to release her and her humor will rescue her, but I was thinking of a sales meeting. I liken some Christians who are young and enthusiastic in their belief and their mission to having just come from a big hype meeting. They've been hyped up and sent out into the field and whether you like it or not, or whether you have a shop or not, you're going to be one of the ones they are going to approach. And if she tells them, when they come, how she loves her Lord, she can use their language and feel comfortable about it. If she expounds on how she loves her Lord and how she's been saved and that she doesn't like to talk about God during shop hours or something, but I think if she reassures ... I think they need reassuring, because they have this agenda, and that might help.

I know that has helped our family with Jehovah's Witnesses that have come. We welcomed them and told them how we are so pleased with the faith that we have and offer them a drink of water and head for the door, you know, so I think that she's going to find out that she can handle it a lot easier than she thought she could.

TOMAS: It's time for me to interject. I have found your various and sundry ministries most amusing and compassionate. I would like for you to understand that there is not a battlefield going on in Serendipity! Indeed, there are no enemies being made. There are great strides being made toward greater spiritual affection between all sorts of different individuals.

The concern of Gerdean is that there are so many people who don't include much of humanity as part of their siblings in the spirit and this is a sadness, and her, Gerdean's question and challenge is not isolated to her nor are they isolated to her environment but it is a generic question that any one of you could ask of yourself, and that is: how could I instill a seed now and again to implant the idea that we are to love each other as Jesus loved us. Or, to quote that famous scripture, to "judge not, lest ye be judged."

It is an on-going study. It is not one of those things that has a clear-cut A-B-C therefore equals D-E-F kind of an answer. It is more meaningful than rhetorical, but is not one which lends itself to easy answers, and so all of your inputs have been contributory, for it indicates your understanding of the human dilemma of how to introduce the living God into a working arena, into the lives of those that you encounter as you pass by. It is another example of how to put socks on a cold man's feet, or how to bring to your brother's attention that there is a person whose feet are cold that could use some socks.

It is not to say that it is your job to manufacture the wool and to darn them, no, I am not saying that nor is Gerdean, but it is another study in how to bring about greater spirit awareness and indeed filial compassion and an empathic attitude among your brothers and sisters and they among theirs. I am certain that, for now, Gerdean's curiosity has been abated and we have time for another question if you are inclined.

Leah: Well, I'd just like to make a comment that a lot of times I think we should look for the similarities in our practices rather than the differences, and this is advice and I got the impression that advice was being asked for, so if I'm out of line, let me know but sometimes it might be beneficial to familiarize yourself with some of the scripture so you can find something to agree about, and say, "Isn't it wonderful that God is our Father? Is God your Father? Well, God's my father, so therefore we must be brothers and sisters."

TOMAS: Indeed, thank you for the point and this has been the saving grace -- that the spirit is such that it transcends those differences inherent in theology. The spirit is indeed the answer. Love is the answer. Yes.

MERIUM: Just briefly regarding this discourse, sometimes nothing has to be said or done in that particular situation. Your demeanor will be a sufficiency in and of itself, and sometimes it can be that you simply need to review in your mind your own relationship to their question that you have about them. There are many people outside who you have often spoken of in a lesser way that you wish they were awake. Perhaps they really are awake and their presence there is to confound you.

And when I say "you," it could be "you, you and you" because you all have people in your community and in your personal lives who are a puzzlement to you, but if you learn to identify them properly, whether they live in a far-off land in isolation and ignorance, or if they are in the streets en masse, or if they are littering the sidewalk in your community, you still have to return to the true definition of who they are and your version of being your brother's keeper, in your heart and in your mind.

And the very fact that this came up is not just for Gerdean; it is for all of us here at the table. And I hope that you will allow yourself to expand in your daily confrontations the variety of people you meet. I'm thinking again of the wool socks -- that you gave this gentleman not just warm feet but something to think about. You were of a contrasting color and perhaps age, and he returned home to his community to tell about the young happy woman who presented him with warm socks. That in itself will be a living story that will be shared, so you all have your opportunities, just like Hunnah's receiving the Bible.

You all have your opportunities to create the story and to receive a story. By the way, the very favorite story of all for a newborn Christian is to tell you about that one glorious moment, and hopefully they will not detain you for one hour, but respectfully you know they have had their glorious moment and that in itself must be respected. Thank you.

Gerdean: Thank you, Merium, for the answer. I want to thank you for that. If I were to ask them to tell me about their moment of rebirth perhaps they would just get off on telling me that and I could share that with them. I mean, that's nice.

MERIUM: You might even enjoy it.

Gerdean: Oh, I'm sure I would! Because it is of the spirit, and I do love all things of the spirit. What I don't like is when I pass my area where I have gay literature in the closet and with all of their self-righteousness say, "Well, they can just stay in there!" and their attitude is quite hostile, and other attitudes like, "Well, they're not God's children!" -- not homosexuals, but people who don't go to their church, or people who are of a different religion or people who don't study the Bible, you know, the Hindus, the Muslims, "They're not God's children!" It has to be through Jesus and through the Bible or it doesn't count!

David: Yeah.

Gerdean: And that's very disturbing. And the other thing I want to say, and then I will get out of the way so that Tomas can have the floor back, is that contrary to your provocative descriptive adjectives, that is not a bare-breasted woman, it is a chimerical oil painting of a Native American grandmother in a chamois dress presented as an angel indicating the nurturance and the supple generosity of Mother Spirit, and so there's a difference between a naked woman with wings and the Mother Spirit with abundance.

Hunnah: That is a perfect example of communication problem. It's like going into a gallery and reacting without understanding the background of the artist. It would be a perfect focal point for conversation. If you have someone come in and you have a variety of literature there, you can remind them that you respect everyone where they're coming from and that, "How would you like to have me explain my art?" because -- there is one that is monochromatic of Georgia O'Keeffe that she did and it's very well done -- if you tell them ... there are so many ways to make people feel at ease.

They are perhaps feeling insecure and suspicious, and when you show them that you have things for sale from Bali or Thailand or wherever because you have a friend there, or if you connect yourself personally with your environment, that will let them know you better, and it will set them at ease if this is one of your motives, to set them at ease, and I think it would be very beneficial.

TOMAS: I am going to interject. Gerdean is very uncomfortable about so much focus on her, her shop, her problem, and so in deference to her sensitivity, I will take her off the hook and say let us change the subject for there are many other concerns available other than Gerdean.

Hunnah: I had an onk (sp), a pendulum around my neck and I was at a retreat and I sat with nuns for a main meal and I was wearing it as a piece of jewelry and I became uncomfortable with it, or I felt suddenly like the onk no longer represented jewelry to me but it represented some ignorance, but there is still nothing wrong with a piece of jewelry. There's still nothing wrong with what it represented, but I had moved out of a place of appreciation of it and I ended up giving it to someone, but I had someone say to me, "Why are you wearing that?" and I, like again, I didn't want to have to particularly explain myself or where it was coming from because it would have probably gotten into something like what you were talking about, is that there's more than just their little part of the world!

David: Whatever happened to that saying: "This conversation is over"? When you're having a confrontation with someone, I don't understand why you can't say, "Listen, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Your five minutes is up."

Leah: My husband always says that.
David: Really? I don't do it, but when someone does and tries to force a conversation ....

Elyssia: I think some of these people interpret an onk as the symbol of the feminist movement which is, to them, the big red flag about abortion. Isn't that what ...?

Hunnah: That was before that.
Elyssia: Oh, was that?
Hunnah: I didn't know they used that, but I think Gerdean's still in her mode here.

Elyssia: This abortion thing is a very hot subject among people. Talk about something that can cause a tremendous amount of controversy!

David: Let's not get there. Stop right there.

Leah: Basically, Hunnah, you were wearing a symbol among sisters, nuns, and that was not their symbol, so it's understandable that you would, you know, "When in Rome do as the Romans do." You would see that is their standard symbol and you were not wearing their emblem.

TOMAS: I am going to take back the reigns, children, and again embrace you for your wonderful personalities and your contributions. It is time for us to begin to wind it up and let me do that by reminding you of our theme for the evening which is about "our will" -- yours and The Father's and our fellow sojourners in the path to Paradise.

Now I would not suggest that you become so sensitive to your fellow human beings that you embrace mediocrity, no, but that in your path you understand that there are times when you will not embrace the same truths as your fellows. This is part of what it means to be an individual. It is part of what it means to have a Father-bestowed personality that allows The Father to lead you and guide you into unknown realms into advanced truths. It is how it is that you have become an ambassador of truth and why you account yourself as an apostle, for we are making inroads into a new realm of reality.

Remember the fruits of the spirit and remember your ultimate loyalties. Ask The Father how to comport yourself in your day, and as Elyssia has invited Michael into her day, invite him to attend with you to your daily affairs. In your companionship with him and/or with your personal guides, you can be flanked by spirit reality. And remembering your greater purpose you will have the strength and fortitude to persevere in those areas that you deem to be His will for you, that is in accordance with Our Will for all.

It is an interesting concept. It is part of the group concept, in fact, and so I will ask you to look at that this week in terms of what is our will -- our will in terms of the greater reality. Not in terms of what is fun for me this moment, but what is best for all for eternity, and certainly for the next time span of our growing together in this ascension mode. Have fun. We love you. Enjoy yourselves and enjoy the snow. We'll see you later. Farewell.

*****

Commencing the Third Year
TOMAS AND MERIUM

DATE: November 24, 1997, An anniversary.
LOCATION: A Ski Lodge, Somewhere in PA
T/Rs: Gerdean and Hunnah

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
PAPER 195, AFTER PENTECOST, Pg. 2082
# 9. Christianity's Problem
#10. The Future

Prayer:

"Heavenly Father and Infinite Spirit, we are glad to be part of your infinite family. Thank you for reaching down to us and encouraging us to reach up to you, that we can come together in this divine reality.

In other words, Father, thank you so much for the opportunity to live forever and to get to know you. It is wonderful, in being part of your family, to have the opportunity to meet our myriad brothers and sisters that you have given us, these incredible personalities that we can learn from and share with, that enriches our life; that we can see you everywhere, Father, in each other and even in ourselves. What a wonderful adventure, what a marvelous opportunity.

"May we be worthy, Father, and may we be eager to give back to you all those things that you have given to us. May we indeed appreciate all the things that we have because of you and through your beloved son, our Creator Michael, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen."

TEACHER SESSION:
TOPIC:
WHERE I STAND IS HOLY GROUND

TOMAS: Welcome, my dears, all of you. I am glad to be here with you. I am Tomas, your teacher and your companion in the spirit.

Group (Elyssia, D.S., Leah, Gerdean, L.S., Hunnah and Abram): Good afternoon, Tomas. Thank you for coming.

TOMAS: Merium and I are both here with you today as it is our pleasure and our joy. You may call us second-milers. We have been up and down the freeway a number of times, and it is a pleasure now to stop at your roadside rest.

We are very glad of the occasion to be here with you, Dee, and your lovely daughter. It is always a pleasure to be in an arena wherein we can learn to love yet another individual, that we may be truly socializing our personalities as you also are encouraged to do.

It is my pleasure also to allow that there are a lot of other personalities here this afternoon and it is not only because your realm is so beautiful this afternoon physically, but also socially, and we are even now encroaching into realms of spiritual fragrance that will lend itself to yet more personalities, for as you reach up, as you ascend in your spirit attitude, you connect with those who are able to reach down.

It is an interesting segment of the text that you read today, and I am going to pull out one reference, for it fits well with our gathering today, and that is the simple statement that God and man need each other, and it is exactly that sentiment that marries us in this Teaching Mission. You need the Father and the Father needs you, and so along come these middlemen and women, if you will, to encourage you along the path, to encourage you to walk in faith, to encourage you to step out of the blocks of tradition into the vanguard of the new age of Light and Life.

Yes, there is much work to be done but it cannot be accomplished if everyone stays comfortably in their traditional mode, and so it is our privilege to commend you and pat you on the back and encourage you in your efforts to step forward in faith while you continue to respect those of your elders in the spirit who have paved the way before you and who now open the path in front of you.

I do not have a lengthy lecture this afternoon. I am glad to be here; it is a rather festive occasion. I will say, too, that it is a bit of an anniversary for me. I was not particularly impressed with the concept of anniversary until I began to appreciate how it is with you, that you here enjoy these things, and somehow it plays a part in your sense of solidarity of the spirit, and since we do not have a formal cathedral, perhaps I will allow that this is an anniversary date of my being with you.

It is a present for me that my associate Merium has joined me in this, my second year of teaching here, and I will now launch my third year here but we will commence as the first year of teaching by Tomas and Merium. We have dual billing, as you might say. It is wonderful in this family of God how it is that we share association and responsibility; this is not an egoistic endeavor. It is, as I said last week, a study in Our Will -- our will being done and our will being in accordance with His Will.

Is that not the lesson of the day? That God and men need each other? And if we are working in conjoint harmony, then why should we not embrace the concept of "we-ness," of teamwork, of family, of fellowship, of on-going camaraderie in this spirit that we may accomplish those things that are necessary to bring Urantia forward into the new age, out of the darkness, out of the fear, out of the sense of separation, into the unity of spirit.

Merium, have you words for our flock this afternoon?

MERIUM: I am never short of words. Good afternoon, everyone.
Group: Good afternoon, Merium.

MERIUM: This is indeed a festive gathering, and it's so good to have our friends come from so far to include us, so we are indeed unified. I would like to address the subject of "Where I stand is holy ground."

We are indeed on holy ground. We have taken our portable unit, which is ourselves, and brought it to a new place, and each of us can carry this reminder in our heart that where we are at the given moment of our attention, that we are indeed on holy ground and we are always companioning with the best company. We are indeed never alone and we have the resourcefulness within ourselves to create a new and healthy environment and a new supportive relationship with those we meet. I am also going to remind you that as you carry this attitude of knowing and understanding what I am talking about, that it will take that decibel of peace with you.

In our previous discussions we talked about stepping off the wheel when it seemed to be going too fast, and as you allow yourself to connect with the peace that reigns in you, that you take this portable knowing with you and your concept of holy ground, and you take it in and it becomes the governing force of any environment where you are. Those about you will feel a resonation of your inner peace and your quietude. That doesn't mean that you have to sit there and be quiet and look holy! It is simply a manner as if it were a thread of light in your demeanor. It is a special touch or a vibratory influence in your conversations, so as you remain connected to your heart's devotion, as you keep first things first, you will be able to deliver the life for yourself that you hope for.

It is an added thing because the first and only job any of you have is to maintain that integrity that you have been given from On High. You are the thinking, feeling, touching, reaching, doing aspect of the Christ consciousness that is manifesting itself throughout the world and even though it seems there is such a small group of you here, remember that there are groups everywhere that are disbursed through all of civilization and they too have moments, these individuals, of feeling as if they are the only ones, when they look at the confusion of everyday life. But remember that you are a total family that has been disbursed, and just as our hostess has said that her family had been sent far, she was able to join them.

But even if you remain where you are, you have that comfort zone of knowing that those of like mindedness that are about the Father's business and as you communicate with each other you strengthen each other, even though you wear the hat that says mother or daughter or father or leader, that in truth, you are of the spiritual community and you are about the Father's business and at the Father's table and able in your hearts to give thanksgiving for all the provision that has been given to you.

And do not forget that means direction, at times, of uncertainty. You must allow yourself to "walk on water" and to allow yourself to remember that good will is ever at hand, regardless of the challenge that faces you. When you look back you can't even remember some of the things that puzzled you that you reached for assistance, and when the assistance came, the concern melted and you went on your way. This pattern will continue and you will become at the skill of trust and delivery. How was that, Tomas?

TOMAS: Remarkable, Merium. You get better with age. [Group delight] Can we have questions?

D.S.: This is D.S. talking. I want to thank Tomas and Merium both for the -- it's a privilege to me to be here at this time on this high mountaintop. I think that we are all deserving of this high place that we have found here today in this beautiful setting, serenity. And in this atmosphere we can know that whatever is troubling us, each and every one of us, will be dissipated in our lives, soon in the future.

I realize that you beings are not in time, but we here have to speak in the future that our problems will soon be dissipated and we can go on with happiness and joy in our lives, so I'm very privileged to be here with you today, and I have a question. It's a simple question. I'd like to know if I have a guide. What guides I have in my life, and if I have a spiritual name, in the higher realms.

TOMAS: One moment. Merium, you have first crack.

MERIUM: How did you know that I wanted to speak! [Group delight] As I discern the brightness of your soul, I ask you how you possibly ever think that you have come to this moment in this gathering without benevolent force, without benevolent companionship. You indeed do have all that you hoped you have, and more. And the name is a very nice thing to share with your friends here, but it is rather like Mr. Emerson said, "What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear you." We give it a name, but you are a beautiful definition of the truth of your purpose. And you do indeed have teaching and guiding force with you at all times. How are you doing, Tomas?

TOMAS: I am enjoying your discourse, Merium.

MERIUM: Well, at these gatherings we have pretty regularly reminded friends here at the table that they have teachers, personal teachers, and that they have guides that protect them throughout the course of their day, and they have developed a comfort zone of acceptance with this, and friendship has developed with this guidance that reigns at hand and does not leave.

One of the things that some of them have done to bring forth this teaching relationship is writing. If you allow yourself, especially -- I will use L.S.here as an example -- she has stepped into a space of what I will describe as freedom to draw, get her easel out and draft a new force, and in that freedom of that space she is allowed to journal and you were talking earlier about journaling and the importance of it, but what journaling does is it lets your heartfelt understanding tumble forth so that you who are so reliant upon visual verification, it brings this activity as a great strength for you and you can visualize what is on your mind because consciously there is so much going on to keep it hidden, and everyone here is always encouraged to write down things that come to them and when they are troubled to go to the well, so to speak, and release it and be guided. But you do indeed have a beautiful name and a wonderful, wonderful friend. How many friends, Tomas?

TOMAS: An endless supply! It is a party. I know that you are aware that you are assisted by the midwayers whose job it is to assist you, and they vary according to your assignment at the time and how they may impact upon your work of the realm, and you are always assisted by the angelic corps, depending upon, again, what your efforts are. It is also true that you are assisted by being guarded from harm by your guardian seraphim, and you are assisted in your own edification of your personality by a personal teacher. You are assisted also by the Morontia Companions on occasion, the Mighty Messengers and the Mystery Monitors, by the Spirit of Truth and by Michael himself.

In those times when you feel alone, you are in error. And it is of benefit when you can begin to appreciate that you are not alone, and if it entails a "handle" that you can get a handle on, then get one. Now, you have asked for the name of your personal teacher and your own spiritual name. These are initial curiosity questions that only contribute to your spirituality as you are able to put a name, a label, on a reality, and for your peace of mind, i.e., to humor you, we have been doing that if it is possible to generate the name through the T/R. [phone ringing]

Sometimes they are not willing; sometimes they cannot see. I say we are getting better at this but it is still a practice that Gerdean is reluctant to engage in, for the name of your guide and your own identity in terms of your soul's nomenclature is too important to be muddled and, of course, the human condition is to always feel that they have muddied the living waters ... but if you can accept the imperfection and or the relative perfection of these words, which of course is necessary inasmuch as they are through a human vessel, I will attempt to ascertain your spirit identity, your nomenclature, and the nomenclature of your teacher.

You have one personal guide and it is a female guide, a very strong force, a strong entity, a comfort to many. [Loud dial tone]

MERIUM: Isn't this an amusing place?

TOMAS: The entire planet is one large carnival. It is such an adventure. I am, unfortunately, unable to maintain the concentration I would require to determine such a thing as your identity in the face of the merry-go-round of the environment. Perhaps in the course of the day it will rise to the surface of the transmitter's consciousness. In light of that, could we proceed to another matter, one that might perhaps contribute to your actual spiritual growth.

MERIUM: Might I comment?
TOMAS: Of course.
MERIUM: (Aside) He always lets me comment.

In light of the fact that we have not come out with a name such as Mary or Jane, I would like to remind you that you have an essence of flower about you. Your persona is most pleasing. Your name will reveal this lightness of heart, this playful gentleness that you contain, and it will bring you solace and pleasure when you hear it and it will come soon. So do not feel that you are going away empty-handed.

D.S.: Oh, thank you. I don't feel like I'm going away empty-handed.

TOMAS: Abram, it is wonderful to feel your presence. I miss you, my son.
MERIUM: He is in the annex.
TOMAS: I am aware. Are there questions?

MERIUM: If you do not ask a question, you will get one of our talks. [Group delight] I am feeling joyful, joyful. Tomas?

TOMAS: Tell us about it.

MERIUM: While the question is being dislodged from the depths of years of suppression, I will ask our group to celebrate this season with a gratitude toward and for the new reality, and for the promises of their new life and purpose, and that the attributes that have been discussed with this group over these months will come into fruition even more in this coming year.

TOMAS: I am going to go back to an earlier reference that had to do with the mountaintop, and spend a moment on the mountaintop with you, looking at the valley below, and recalling also the joys of the valley.

It is referenced in one of the mota that you cannot stay here on a mountaintop, for you cannot learn wisdom on the isolated mountain-top but must go into the experiential depths below, and although we are indeed rewarded by a mountaintop experience this afternoon, one which allows us to feel untethered and free in the spirit, it is true none-the-less that there are depths to enter into on the morrow, and our hope would be that you will grow such that you can go into these depths unafraid and in joy of the experience.

As you attend to your reality on the mountaintop, on the spirit pinnacle of reality, and walk in faith down into those human experiences, those emotional experiences of Everglade experience, you can go with full understanding that it is a walk through life and not the end of the road, that these experiences are temporary engagements, they are not permanent stopping places. You will arrive up and out of these experiential depths and you will have learned a lesson and you will have taught a lesson while you were there.

As you gain wisdom, you are able then to emerge quicker and clearer from these ventures into the shadows of life experiences. Indeed, you will learn to walk in faith constantly, and as the scripture says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me," and it is wise to remind yourself that even today, as you emerge from the mountaintop and walk down into the experiential depths, you are not alone. He is with you, and you can radiate his living light as you walk by in your own realm.

Indeed, he seeks your association, that he may take the Father-bestowed personality into these realms and radiate the love of spirit in and through you. And so enjoy your experiences. Allow for the experiences to be joyous. Even when you find them to be uncomfortable, appreciate some aspect of the discomfort that will lead you back into truth. You will learn even to enjoy the difficulty. Has it not been said that in time you will enthuse upon disappointment and difficulty? You will enjoy these obstacles and call them opportunities. It is through practice that these growth levels are attained.

Elyssia: I do have a question about the development of my granddaughter's path. She is able, I'm sure, to grow from being so impatient with her brother, and I learned recently that the person who is behaving in a hurtful way to somebody younger or weaker needs more help than the person who's receiving the unkindness, so I was going to ask you two how I can guide her without being critical because she, of course, becomes totally defensive, which I can understand, so would you be able to suggest something in that area?

TOMAS: I would suggest overt discipline.
Elyssia: Hum. Uh-huh. Good. I'm capable of doing that.

TOMAS: It needs to be done, however, with compassion and understanding. Indeed, I know you have studied certain psychologies and you are aware of effects of certain causes, and so when I suggest discipline and when you admit you are capable of doing that, we must fully understand that this does not mean that you are going to pull out the hickory switch, but that the disciplinarian will discuss the importance of discipline and hopefully the child will understand and appreciate the learning experience.

Remember and re-read perhaps those experiences that Jesus shared with his younger brothers and sisters, the example of Jude in particular, since Jude was a difficult personality for quite a few years.

I want to ask you again to review your role in this disciplining process. Is it in fact your responsibility or is it the responsibility of her parent? That is perhaps a discipline that you might also consider.

Elyssia: Yes. I haven't talked much about it with her, and that is a concern of mine. I didn't feel ... I would leave it up to her parents. But I'm wondering if I'm giving her the impression that I think it's okay for her to be unkind to this younger sibling. Am I giving her this impression by not discussing it with her? She's at an age where I don't want to drive her away from me because I ... the fact that I have a relationship with her is very helpful for her parents.

TOMAS: You are discussing with me a social situation, and I am not a social studies teacher. I am a spirit companion, and I realize that your lives are social, even your spirit life needs to be socialized, but I want to point out the difference between teaching social behaviors and what is right and wrong socially as compared to what wells up within the spirit of a God-knowing individual that will bring about true morality and true brotherly love.

Now, as you teach them disciplines, you are teaching them conditioning, and are you teaching them conditioning that in the long run will help them or hinder their growth? Are you teaching them to "stuff" their behavior and their feelings? It is, for example, a conditioning that you teach children that anger is totally unacceptable, and so they stuff their anger, but anger is an honest feeling and it needs to be experienced -- but perhaps appropriately experienced.

If she is being unkind, then you are in a situation at this point of being a psychologist and trying to ascertain why she is being unkind. Now you may go into your meditation and talk to the Father and be of service to these youngsters in ascertaining the underlying motive to being unkind. In discussing this -- and I discuss it somewhat hesitantly because, again, it is a matter of behavior modification and not necessarily a response of spirit reality -- teach the child to love, to see her brother as her brother in the spirit.

And you know they are both indwelt and you know that young people will respond to the spirit if they are encouraged. How is it that you are going to approach the lives of these young people? Are you going to approach them as a pattern of paternal direction in the flesh? Or in the spirit? Whose father are you going to have them follow? [No response] I hear your silence.

Elyssia: I can't quite answer that. I can only say that my mind is coming to the place where I want to say that I think of it as a very -- a tremendous spiritual ... question.

TOMAS: Indeed. It is an opportunity for you to teach, and to grow and to grow in your own faith in the path, as well as to offer a worm to this young fish in your learning how to be fishers of men.

Elyssia: Um-hum.
MERIUM: May I assist?
TOMAS: Please.

MERIUM: I am the Sunday School assistant. I understand that there is a book on the market called "All You Really Needed to Know You Learned in Kindergarten" or something along that order. I would recommend that you get that book and that when she is with you, the three of you sit down at the table and have her read it out loud a little bit at a time. You will find it's hilarious.

Remember they are learning to operate their equipment. This young girl has hormones flitting and flying around in a state of confusion in her body, probably, but if you read this together, it will give you an opportunity to very briefly discuss some of the things and have a laugh and in that you can interject the Golden Rule, and you will be given, through your teacher, ideas that you haven't thought about before in dealing with them that will involve humor and you will be able to be affectionate with her and remind her of displacement (they kick the dog because they had a bad day).

There are very light ways you can stop worrying about it. She is going to be fine and so are you, but I would like you to have this to be a fun time and you will all prosper.

Elyssia: Thank you very much for your advice from both of you. I do appreciate hearing your point of view.

MERIUM: There is an amusing statement, "Don't do what I do; do what I say!" and I wish you well, because it is not easy to live what is said.

We do not have therapy sessions here, we have wonderments and discoveries. It is both human and divine to figure out how to do it the best way, and when it isn't working -- to lash out. Humanly you lash out when you're not paying attention to the blueprint. You end up with a crazy looking structure and you're bewildered because the rain is coming in and the wind is blowing and there is noise inside. You will become better and better at doing it effortlessly. Doing what comes Naturally, with a capital N. Tomas, I don't think we can make this a long session.

TOMAS: I agree with you. I am not able to ascertain a name for our friend. I regret being unable to fulfill her ambition to identify herself and her companion, and yet I agree fully with what you shared, Merium, and I also feel the floral atmosphere of her personality, that fragrance itself should conspire to companion her in the interim, until such time as a further piece of information can be gleaned. In the meantime, I have undertaken to introduce L.S. to her teacher who is identified as Crystal, as a symbolic name for a very clear representation of aspiring perfection.

MERIUM: Congratulations. In a lighter moment (and you can see I'm on cloud nine), I will dub thee Lily of the Valley.

D.S.: Thank you!

MERIUM: Or today: Edelweiss! We are upon the mountain, so ... in time. Some of the names are so long and they have to be chosen in such a way that they can fit into your vocabulary.

TOMAS: Indeed, put into your word forms.
MERIUM: Um-hum. So it's on the table.
D.S.: I appreciate your efforts.

TOMAS: Indeed, the table has been replete this afternoon with yet another feast of plenty. It is not good to maintain such a diet as to institute an indigestion of the spirit, and so while we are fed and before we are stuffed, let us embrace the spirit once again and appreciate our Father Michael who has brought us together in spirit and who has presented us with this feast of knowing him, knowing his many, many helpers and knowing each other, and indeed, knowing ourselves as his own. Amen and farewell.

*****

DATE: November 30, 1997
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/Rs: Gerdean and Hunnah

URANTIA BOOK STUDY (led by Leah)
l. Paper 16, THE SEVEN MASTER SPIRITS, Pg. 191:
#6. The Cosmic Mind;
2. Isaiah 55; 1 Corinthians 13: - "The greatest gift"
3. Paper 184, BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN COURT, Pg. 1980
#2. Peter in the Courtyard;
4. Paper 3, ATTRIBUTES OF GOD: Pg. 45, Paragraph 2;
5. Paper 34, LOCAL UNIVERSE MOTHER SPIRIT, Pg. 382
#7. The Spirit and the Flesh;
6. Paper 174, TUESDAY IN THE TEMPLE, Pg. 1898
#1. Divine Forgiveness;
7. Paper 100, RELIGION IN HUMAN EXPERIENCE,
Pg. 1100, Paragraph 2 & 3;
#6. Marks of Religions Living;
#7. The Acme of Religious Living;
8. Paper 196, THE FAITH OF JESUS, Pg. 2091
#2. The Religion of Jesus, (especially Paragraph 1 on pg. 2093 re his pronouncements, sayings and declarations)

STILLNESS
TEACHER SESSION
TEACHERS TOMAS AND MERIUM
TOPIC:
THE CHARITABLE NATURE

TOMAS [After interminable attempts to get tape recorder(s) working]: In the event you were unfamiliar with the term "mechanistic," you are now well informed. [Group laughter] I am your faithful friend Tomas, come to greet you on this dismal afternoon on Urantia. It is our hearty joy to be here in radiance of spirit -- mine, Merium's and the Master's array of myriad helpers, bringing the sunlight of the spirit to enliven your life. Dear ones, how are you this afternoon?

Group: [Elyssia, Rachel, Leah, Hunnah, Gerdean and Hester] Great. Now that you are here, we're great.

TOMAS: Au contraire! You were fine before we came on-line. We have been eavesdropping and have been observing your very fine camaraderie and your excellent selections of reading material. Is it not amazing that this text is a prose of poetics? And the life of the Master has harmony that strums your chords.

Yes, today was a bit of a holiday from the rigors of your intellectual application, and it is in keeping with the season, that of your Thanksgiving, that you would savor the feast of the knowledge of the Master and how it is that He has impacted your life and how it is that you can then impact His creation by allowing Him to be your guide and your companion in your unifying work of the realm.

There are many here today. Merium herself is eager to greet you.

MERIUM: Good afternoon, my children. It is good to be here with you again and indeed it is good to be able to bring you a lesson. It has been an abundant day in terms of your association and the gifts of the spirit and for your palette I would like to bring to your mind the quality of charity.

Your readings today brought up the qualities of the Master and His compassion for his children even in the face of their ignorance and it is because of His charitable nature that He was able to love even unlovely mankind, and you in your realm can radiate more love and more good cheer if you were to develop the attitude of charity toward those who are less fortunate, not only less fortunate in terms of their material aspects but in terms of their mental aspects as well.

There are the dull among you and as the Desiderata is quick to point out, they too have their story, they too are the children of the Most Highs and there are battalions of angels who protect them and see to it that mercy is ministered unto them. How is it then that you can overlook the charity of the Master in approaching those in your realm who are less fortunate, who are unaware of the divine presence of He who dwells within them, or in those who look after them?

There is your assignment then, for the week, that you begin to perceive those of your realm who are unable or incapable of grasping the fruits of the spirit as a way of life and rather bestow upon them that divine charity of the Master's that gives to them the right to be part of your universe. You give that right to the dumb animals and you give that right to the elements and to the many mechanical aspects of your existence. It is only right then that you also convey this charity upon those in your realm who have not come here of their own accord, and if they had a choice, might choose to live differently, but this is their lot and so learn to be charitable in the spirit.

Remember the words in the text today about generosity of spirit. "It is more blessed to give than to receive," and "freely have you received, freely give." It does not matter if, when you give, it falls on barren soil. The point is that you give, and give without thought as to its effects, for they will be of benefit. They will keep you from becoming stagnant. They will allow you to become accustomed to giving, knowing that there is an eternal fount of truth, beauty and goodness to draw from.

Generosity, charity and liberality. Give liberally. Liberally of yourself, of your personality, of your divine nature, of the fruits of the spirit. Give and then give and then give again and some more. I am not speaking of the mechanical and material level. I am speaking of that which is indeed of The Father, that which is of the Mother, that which is eternal and that which has lasting value. That is the stuff that I would ask you to give and give abundantly, for it is this that you have received that makes you real, that gives you joy, that allows you to participate in the co-creative process of uplifting Urantia into realms of light and life for all humankind. And, for all the seven superuniverses!

It is always a treat for me to be here with you. I am very happy to be a part of this Teacher Base. It is our pleasure to embark upon this new year of your Pittsburgh Teacher base. I am glad to be among those teachers accounted for in this area. I stand beside my co-teacher Tomas and my predecessors in the Teaching Mission: Nero, Caroline, Andrew and the many others who have been part of your lives in salute to Michael of Nebadon, our Lord.

I return you to Tomas with my affection and my curiosity as to how it is that you will embark upon your assignment this week of charity and generosity and liberality of spirit.

Elyssia: Well, now that it's the Christmas season and people are very pushed for time and people are sometimes unkind to each other on the streets and in the stores, this is probably a good chance to practice this lesson.

I wanted to ask if you had any reactions, either of you, to the fact that the Fellowship is now publishing those wonderful teachings of Will! You're probably aware of this whole thing and know more about it than we do, but I thought it was quite a step forward for the Fellowship because I had given up on these people totally!

TOMAS: You may anticipate that this causes us to smile. It is always heartening when we are supported in our spiritual efforts. It is the mission of those who follow Jesus to give everything they've got to spreading love, living love in the realm. The motives behind the proponents of the Teaching Mission are to spread this living love, to embrace each other in the spirit. It is not impatience that impels them but a deep desire to share the divine joy of knowing The Father.

When you believe in something, you know, it is innate that you want to share it. And The Father believes in you, and as you believe in Him, this is a reality that is to be shared. It cannot be held in. It is given to you and you are compelled then to give it to others. It is the nature of the living way. The abundance, the charity, the liberality of The Father is rained upon us all, and as we identify with Him and as we embrace each other in our mutual purpose, we are a living organism, and this living organism is destined to incorporate all of human-kind, all of the sons and daughters of this living God we worship.

It will take a lot of work on the part of many workers in the field, and there is room in this arena for all of us, for all of God's children. Indeed, the entire superuniverse and beyond are comprised of individuals doing what they do in cooperation with others for The Father and for His creation. Although that extends and expands beyond your need to know at this time, at this time you can see you have your own work cut out for you; you have your own assignments ahead of you.

That you support each other in your approach to your spiritual life and your spiritual assignment to bring the living reality, the gospel of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man to Urantia, to include all human beings, is a part of the divine plan. This is what the Master wishes, and so we work together.

I will not place any feathers in anyone's hat here, except perhaps Machiventa and Michael, and they are more interested in reaching their lost sheep than in prancing around with feathers, and so let us take again the example presented by our elder brother Michael and present our own unified personalities, embracing the human and the divine, and embracing our brothers in the spirit and in the flesh.

There are going to be effects, no doubt, from this cause as we grow in the spirit. Again, there will be adaptations, personality adjustments, as these are required throughout eternity, but you are brothers and sisters and it is good to anticipate the outworking of your united front. I am reminded of the primary and secondary midwayers who, while at first retained their difference, conjoined and have been able to bring into effect great growth strides for humanity. And this is the way of truth, beauty and goodness.

Great growth strides lay ahead. It is our hope now that this will penetrate deeper into your pockets of Christianity and perhaps enliven the concept of the Master in that church which has been constructed about him and around him. It is necessary, you see, that the living Jesus begin to walk among you and with you, in and through each other. It is necessary that He be brought to life, that he be recognized, that he be made real.

And so our work has just begun in many ways, but each growth step, each accomplishment along the way is indeed wondrous, and in view of the background of Urantia, a giant step indeed. And yes, we are grinning, and yet we are humbled, for we need the help of these brothers and sisters. We need these daughters of the Lord and sons of God to help us.

Are there any questions this afternoon? [No questions] We have had a feast of plenty already. We have had, as you would say, a turkey dinner, and our brief session here has been the pumpkin pie. We have been the dessert to a wonderful feast, a delicious feast. It is not, you know, the quantity of the dinner that matters, but the quality, and we have had a sumptuous feast. It is not necessary now to nibble all afternoon.

I will remind you of our assignment that has been given by our able assistant in the spirit, Merium, and that is to be charitable, and this is a soulful lesson, for I am asking you to consider your charity on a deep level, not on a superficial level. I am not suggesting that you put coins in the cup of the Salvation Army bell ringers as an example of charity. I am asking you to go deeper and appreciate in your soul the gift of sonship. I'll see you soon. Farewell.

Group: Thank you. Wonderful.

*****

DATE: December 7, 1997
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/Rs: Gerdean and Hunnah

URANTIA BOOK STUDY (led by Celeste)
Stillness
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
"THE BELIEVERS' PRAYER"
PAPER 7, SEVEN MASTER SPIRITS, Pg. 192
#7. Morals, Virtue and Personality
PAPER 62, DAWN RACES OF EARLY MAN, Pg. 707
#5. The First Human Beings
#6. Evolution of the Human Mind
#7. Recognition as an Inhabited World
PAPER 194, BESTOWAL OF THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, Pg. 2062
#3. What Happened at Pentecost

SHARING, STILLNESS
TEACHER SESSION
TOMAS AND MERIUM
TOPIC:
SYMPATHETIC UNDERSTANDING

TOMAS: Are you with me, Merium?

MERIUM: Absolutely I am with you. I almost introduced the afternoon welcome speech. I'm still a little shy, but Hunnah was waiting for "the cheek test" and that's when you spoke up.

TOMAS: There is always an interim area wherein we become comfortably ensconced with your circuitries. It is amusing only to convey that in Gerdean's mind this afternoon we were humming the tune "Spirit of God, Lift Us Up" and indeed, ultimately we got lifted up sufficiently that we got "plugged in." And one of the first things that we did when we got plugged in was notice the absence of those of the Pittsburgh Pumpkins that are not in attendance today and so we spent a spiritual moment acknowledging the personalities of the many pumpkins who are in the patch of Urantia, who are scattered around in the fields and strewing their seeds and smiling their jack-o-lantern smiles upon the nation. Our sublime and spiritual greetings to you, dear friends, in your travels, and also to you, dear friends who are here this afternoon in faithful company with your teachers and with each other. How are you this afternoon?

Group: Great. Fine.

TOMAS: It is good of you to anticipate the Advent of the coming of the Lord with us, Mary Theresa. It is always good to embrace you in this spirit family. We are glad to see you. How have you been?

Mary Theresa: Me? Fine! A bit under the weather but otherwise just fine, thank you.

TOMAS: Indeed, it is good that you are all in such good spirits. It was a pleasure also, in your efforts Celeste, to be re-introduced to the Fruits of the Spirit. How wonderful the fruits are and how fondly I recall those lessons that we engaged in not long ago and how I appreciate your continuing appreciation of the precepts therein.

I would like briefly to touch upon yet another fruit of the spirit, if you will, another gift of character and personality, one which was enjoyed by those who associated with the Master when he lived here in the flesh, and in a way related to the assignment that Merium gave to be charitable and to be generous, even liberal, in your gifts; and so I would like to suggest to you the giving of the gift of sympathetic understanding.

This was a quality of the Master that was admired by an apostle, and it is a characteristic that you can readily incorporate. I daresay, Elyssia, you are well familiar with this fruit, this character asset, for you are often in the mode of sympathetic understanding when you listen to the outpourings of your peers. I am going to tell tales and you will all recognize Elyssia's tendency to say, "Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh," and this is a method of identifying what could be construed as sympathetic understanding.

Now, bear in mind that the quality of sympathetic understanding is not the same, necessarily, as confiding trust, for in confiding trust you are putting forth, but in sympathetic understanding, you are passive, and in a mode of listening -- and you know we have had extensive discourse on the art of listening. I will add an embellishment that I will lift directly from your lesson of this afternoon having to do with "Virtues, Morals and Personality" and that is that when you are in sympathetic understanding of an individual and you are observing their outpouring, you are not expecting any virtue or even any moral stance but are simply allowing the individual their voice in order that perhaps they may find their own comprehension of the moral responsibility of their circumstance, and so, if you allow them the opportunity to discover for themselves their own innate moral bearing, they will have grown; whereas, if you impart your moral value upon them, they have not grown, they have only forestalled their own moral growth. You see the difference ...

Elyssia: Yes.

TOMAS: ... and so herein is why I call sympathetic understanding a gift and a fruit of the spirit, for those of you who are sensitive to the spirit life and who recognize that true morality is a gift of the spirit, and so I give you this one with a ribbon. I am fond of stocking stuffers, and so I have given you a small present for your amusement.

Elyssia: It's a very big present.
Mary Theresa: Yes.
Elyssia: That Jesus did that is such a marvelous picture for us.

TOMAS: Indeed. We know that he was the personality example, and although it is not for you to do it exactly as he did, you can see that it was done by him - and effectively - and therefore you can accept it in yourself and incorporate it as a characteristic that you have in common with Jesus. It aligns you even closer with your Father/Brother. It enables you to even more understand how it is that you and he work in conjoint harmony.

You have a lot in common with Jesus! You have not perhaps died on the cross as it is advertised so often in the churches, but you have lived a life very much like the Master's, particularly those of you who have set about to follow him, as he has set about to have you follow him and make you fishers of men. You who would be apostles or disciples, even evangelists of his message, are related to him.

It is like having a family resemblance. These are characteristics that you receive from the Father and Mother in Paradise and that you have seen operating in and through the Master when he lived here, and these simple gifts, such as the one of sympathetic understanding, allow you to be Christ-like in your behavior, indeed to be God-like.

There are a number of variations of the theme, other little packages for your stocking, but I will cease my remarks. Merium would like to greet you today also.

MERIUM: I am most pleased to be here, to say hello to everyone.
Group: Hello, Merium!

MERIUM: And hello to the chairs that only appear to be empty. As usual we have a room that is filled with expectation, the radiance of the Christ-light upon us all, that showers down, violet.

Virtues. Virtues are something perhaps that you can think about but you do apply virtues: "Oh, I think that I shall apply a virtue today!" It isn't that way. It is when you let the goodness of your true being come forth and take care of those moments at hand.

You spoke of the young people. You are ALL young people. (Group laughter) Oh, you have no idea how young you are! Hunnah was writing a note to one of those "young people" and it said that she wished there were more here at this table because they had not lost the ability to be spontaneous yet, and we don't want any of you to have such a marvelous thinking hat on all the time that you cannot be spontaneous. And like the word "Serendipity" that takes you outside and lets you journey into the serendipitous experience, it's spontaneous! Allows you to be appropriate and often playful at the same time.

I do not feel as if I am carrying the pocket of pearls of wisdom with me today, Tomas. I feel more like I am working for Santa. (Group laughter) At our group in Butler we had a very playful time. I hope that in the course of the days to come that you will have some downright side-slapping jolly moments.

Hunnah was shocked and dismayed when she had a genuine belly laugh while playing Monopoly and in the fact that it felt unfamiliar; and that, she felt, was a sad commentary because she was longing for spontaneous laughter -- not laughter that was brought about by an observation at someone else's expense, but something that contains an element of innocence. And when you are perpetually surrounded with material things, it is not as easy to have this type of experience.

No one makes fudge any more. No one sits around and just takes time for each other as they did at a time when there was less material comfort. And therefore it is very important that you allow yourself to be totally disarmed and natural, but it is easier when you allow yourself to place yourself in circumstances where you can have them, and to be outrageous without any clinical or defensive overtones; and

I am also a bringer of the attitude of more than 12 days of Christmas, but a month of Christmas, because it is in this Light that was brought here that allows us to celebrate, and of course all this tinsel and stuff gets in the way, but perhaps you will take a look at each day as one of the days of celebrating Christmas, and it does not have to have great angelic overtones or heavenly composition, but the joy of just looking at patterns of snow, the colors and complexion.

Elyssia: I did want to ask you both to enlarge, if possible, on the sentence about how a personality allows us to be moral ...? or something. I was quite intrigued with this and I would like to understand it and think about it and enlarge on that, because the whole thing about personality, in the Urantia Book, is so very exciting -- knowing that we each have a different one and it comes from God the Father, and it's very exciting. There's no other source of knowledge on the planet that I know that says something so wonderful as that.

TOMAS: I will make some remarks, Elyssia, but your study is to continue in the face of my remarks, for that which can come to you and expand your wisdom is from the Father himself. I am a teacher; I will speak to you regarding those words, but do not allow my words to be the final say.

Elyssia: I see. Yes.

TOMAS: I would like to allude to the truth that the Father's will is the moral way, the highest moral way, and that will be different for each individual. As an individual opts to do the will of The Father and with sincerity sets about to follow the course set for him, and in fact does follow the course set, the morality of his or her life and decision and behavior will exude as light and thus light will shine on he or she that it is to shine upon.

There are many, many paths to The Father. They are not supposed to be the same, you know, and so what may appear to be moral to one is not necessarily moral to another; and yet these are human interpretations, for if you take the farther view and appreciate the God-head view, no matter even if it is foreign to your human behavior, if you appreciate the spiritual approach and the motive of the individual's morals in question, you can see that they are following the will of God as they see fit, and that is the guide that they should follow, for they are being true to their own personality understanding of truth, beauty and goodness.

As you walk the path and ask The Father to direct you, that which He guides you into and through, to share, to teach, to train, to learn, to enjoy that is your path, that is your moral standing, and it is because of your belief in it, your integrity in it, your wholehearted devotion to it, that you can do these things in integrity and without guilt or blame or fear of others' judgment.

The Father does not make error, and if you are following The Father's will, you are not in error either, even though it may appear to others that you err. You remember there is a segment in The Urantia Book that discusses that a man may be supremely successful, even though, in the eyes of his peers he may appear to be a dismal failure. And it is that way also with morality, for it depends upon who is looking at your behavior, understanding your motives, understanding your intention, and appreciating the results of your efforts.

Now if you are hell bent on egoism and getting what you can get at anyone's expense, it is obviously a moral that is not in keeping with yours, and so your course then is to stay out of his way and to mind your P's and Q's on the path that is set out for you, for other's paths are their business and they will survive or fail depending upon their own destiny. Your destiny is what you need to focus on.

Your understanding of your own Father-bestowed personality? That is a full time job! If you have your ducks in a row, your P's and Q's in order, and are focusing on what The Father would have you do and be, that is enough. That is sufficient unto the day.

Elyssia: Thank you. And I had another comment, which was related to this listening. If I could get any help from you I would appreciate it, because I took a course in something -- I forget what it was -- but in the course of this course, we were talking about "active listening" where you not only listen to the person but you try to help them realize their own point of view -- which seems to me to be one of the most marvelous things you could do for any human being, but I have never been able to really do that.

That requires really a lot of concentration! I found out. So since I think that is a very important, loving thing to do, if you teachers could help us with it I would appreciate it because I was just taking something that was on a psychology level, but you would be addressing it from a much higher point of view.

TOMAS: I would like to respond here and say that indeed active listening is a viable teaching method. [Phone ringing] We will recess.

MERIUM: We will have some active listening. [Phone ringing] Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a phone ringing inside that said, "Please pay attention. Now hear this."

TOMAS: "God calling."

Celeste: Tomas, with even your adult children, to further their path, we don't interfere with that, even if we don't quite agree with the way it's going?

TOMAS: Absolutely.
Celeste: Um-hum.
TOMAS: You should not give advice unless it is asked for.

Celeste: Um-hum. That's really the way I try to handle things, but sometimes I don't really want to.

MERIUM: What about that quiet little ache in your heart because this child does not reflect back the precious teachings that you share? It is only natural that a person is disappointed when they do not see that "child" doing things the way they were taught. They can alter the way they bake a cake or drive a car or build a home or furnish it, but when it comes to worship, it is such a sensitive issue. And this is a matter of clearing; it is a matter of release within you -- and not you, my dear, but anyone who is in a similar situation . In the human experience, this is constantly going on.

Celeste: The more I read The Urantia Book the less I really do interfere with my children's thinking. I really-- They're wonderful, wonderful, but they just don't experience the same reactions that I do, and I have learned to just let it go, because in time they will! It might take a long time, or they might go far beyond where I am, and I'm really happy, though, to have had you agree that you shouldn't say anything to them. They're adults, they're intelligent, and you know they have to find this on their own.

MERIUM: Something that may startle you, if a natural conversation comes up, is allowing them to express themselves so that they can hear what they think, and in the process of their getting their "philosophy" or just their opinion, they will hear themselves. Recently there was an opportunity and Hunnah experienced this in regard to family, the infectious nature of the one that is established in Christ actively, and that this will filter into the family and it is as if it is set in motion, but it is not particularly visible to the eye, because there is only one -- how can I say this? -- it's as if there's a cellular division, and as it goes on in you and multiplies, it is going to develop into themselves, dividing, dividing and dividing, and one day they will pop open into a wonderment and a discernment that is quite surprisingly consuming them, that it is a -- someone has to step forth first. And in these little pauses of family relationships, the one who is the leader becomes in a sense the dominant. You do not have to say anything, but this will be a happy communicable disease, and it is going to change things for them, whether they live 150 miles from you or 3,000 miles.

It is in consciousness that this is taking place and if it is not always actually directly coming from you, they are in you and of you, but it is going on around them with other believers who are in their work place; they have nowhere to hide, and if she was to be with the Hottentots, she would eventually release herself from something that was not doing anything for her, so to speak. You are right, she is fine, but she is also already claimed.

Celeste: Uh-huh. Good. I feel that way, too. That's good.

MERIUM: But the wonderful gift here for us, we who are in this room together, is the release of the concern of her welfare. I have heard it many times, the dismay of the "fundamental Christian" who wants to operate on everyone or check their credentials to make sure that they themselves feel comfortable around them. "Are they one of us?" And it is not you to decide, because that is already being taken care of.

Elyssia: That was good.

MERIUM: I would like to mention another type of family, and it is simply in the circle of your casual acquaintances. Many years ago-- You have heard of people who are older talk about the neighbors being allowed to discipline children, that the family was the neighborhood, not just a household. It was a neighborhood and community, and everyone was interacting, and you must remember that your young child or adult child is influenced by the people around them all the time; and so no one, really, is being left out of the picture. It only appears to be that way.

TOMAS: I have been practicing sympathetic understanding here. [Group chuckle] But I am about to jump in where angels fear to tread and return to our discourse on active listening. I have been actively listening, and on occasion you can be listening to someone and hear their truth and hear them talk all over their truth in their effort to justify their truth and this is a human condition. Only as the Spirit of Truth speaks is there a lack of coloration, and as you are a personality and it is your job to manifest your personality, that the spirit may work through you, you are bound to color everything you touch and this is in keeping with the palette of personality.

The active listening skill takes place when you hear someone speaking who does not know who they are, who does not know where they're going, who does not know what they're up to. Now you who have an understanding of your own identification through spirit reality, in particular those of you who have been born of the spirit, have an understanding of where you have been and where you are going, but there are those who have not yet attained that point, and you who would be teachers are called upon there to engage in active listening for the opportunity to plant the seed, to direct the thinking in terms of clarifying the thinking of the individual who is expounding their not knowing who they are or where they are going.

You can repeat for them what they have said, with love, and acknowledge to them your understanding of their dilemma -- that they are not certain who they are. Whereupon, once this is acknowledged, lovingly, without threat, you can very quietly and simply embrace them, in the spirit, and confirm their core reality. This is not having anything to do with the morals of the human, but with the supreme morality of The Father's will and his identification with His children who are your brethren. Has that been helpful?

Elyssia: Yes, that's good.

TOMAS: You cannot and need not help those who do not need help. Only those who seek your guidance.

Elyssia: Sometimes in conversation people don't even know they want guidance, and if you say something helpful or clarifying to them, they are very surprised, happy and even in a sense empowered and it is just a wonderful experience. I know somebody who does this but I won't get into it because she doesn't like to be -- complimented.

TOMAS: This is very true, but you see, this is The Father's work in action. This is The Father and The Mother operating. The Father-bestowed personality is functioning. It may be that the person you reference does not want a fuss made over them for it will throw them off and draw too much attention to them and away from the spirit which is their purpose and their joy.

Elyssia: Right. That was good.
TOMAS: Are there other questions?
MERIUM: I think our good will mission is going to be short this evening.

TOMAS: We have begun to appreciate the facet of jewelry that admires a quality stone and does not need a tray full of rhinestones. Indeed, is it not said that "Good things come in small packages"? And is it not also said in Mota 28: "The argumentative defense of any proposition is inversely proportional to the truth contained"? And so we have had a jewel of an afternoon, indeed.

I will pause in our proceedings to allow for a moment of stillness in which, perhaps, an assignment may bubble forth. [Stillness] You have your marching orders. We'll see you soon.

Celeste: Thank you so much for coming and talking to us today. It was wonderful to hear what you have to say to us.

TOMAS: It is always a joy to be with you. Thank you for inviting us into your hearts. Farewell.

*****

DATE: December 14, 1997
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R's: Gerdean

PRAYER
URANTIA BOOK STUDY (led by Elyssia):
1. Paper 16, THE SEVEN MASTER SPIRITS,
Pg. 194 #8. Urantia Personality;
2. Paper 35, THE LOCAL UNIVERSE SONS OF GOD,
Pg. 388 #4. Special Work of the Melchizedeks;
3. Paper 38, MINISTERING SPIRITS OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSE,
Pg. 424, #9. The Midway Creatures;
4. Paper 150, THE THIRD PREACHING TOUR,
Pg. 1682, #5. What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Sharing
TEACHER SESSION
TOPIC:
MATERIALISM

MERIUM: I am Merium. I greet you this afternoon. How are you?

Group (Elyssia, Celeste, Rachel, Ethan, Hester and Gerdean): Just fine, Merium. Thank you for coming.

MERIUM: It is, of course, my pleasure. You know I would not miss an event such as this. It is indeed why I have come, in order that I might establish my relationship with you lovely mortals. It is my pleasure to come on-line and to grease the wheel, so to speak, in terms of our afternoon banter.

I am spokesman for many visitors this afternoon. We got a charge out of your picture, Gerdean, of Machiventa in the deer, and we have been calling him now not "Big Mac" but "Big Buck" and he has presented himself accordingly. You can imagine his proud demeanor that he is acknowledged by the pumpkins. I am quick to be light and to bring an attitude of frolic into your environment which has been uncommonly mature. I am going to bring you back into your more childlike mode in order that you can stretch your persona, shake your personality loose, and we will begin our more sober exercises when Uncle Tomas comes on line in a moment.

I am also representing to you today the presence of the many, many midwayers who are in fact here, those primary and secondary midwayers. You cannot get away from us! Have you not heard there is a divine conspiracy to lift you up into our realms? And so, as long as you peek around and want contact, you'll get it, for we are here in abeyance of your reaching up.

I think Tomas has gotten his wits about him. If not, he can lob the ball back to me, for I am glad to play. I am not going to carry on. My beloved T/R, Hunnah, is, as you know, not here today, but she is here in spirit and we reach out to her in love and joy and embrace her as well as those others in this family that are not here today in the flesh but are very much alive and well in the spirit. So, Tomas, are you ready?

TOMAS: Merium, I am always ready. It is a matter, however, of allowing the circumstances to be ready and that includes sometimes my T/R. It is a delicate balance. You may have gathered that, colleagues, from your readings, that there is a sensitivity that comes with self-consciousness and the entire package needs to be prepared, for when you begin charging off in one area more so than the others, there is imbalance. We aspire to balance, we aspire to unification, and in keeping with that sensitivity there is always the matter of waiting upon the Lord for his time.

Also, it is necessary that you yourselves come into focus. It is true, to some extent, that each of you also go through a number of mental machinations en route to focus. As any classroom will do as the instructor enters the room, shuffles his papers and taps his stick, the students shuffle their feet, hide their notes, make remarks and faces at each other, and so in due course the class settles down and we will get our lesson underway.

This afternoon, dear ones, I would like to discuss something with you that comes up along about this time of year, or at least it seems to be an appropriate time of year to bring this up, and that has to do with materialism. I would like to discuss materialism with you to some extent since your entire lives as a race of people, and perhaps particularly in your culture, is so influenced by the power of materialism. Indeed, in celebrating your holiday of Christmas, you all recognize the materialistic aspects of the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Indeed there are those who can see with eyes to see, recognize that balance is far off in terms of the true purpose of a celebration of the appearance of a being of the status and stature of an Avonal Son or a Creator Son on any given planet. Of course we realize that your planet is retarded and some allowance must be made for the approach you take to the holiday, but it is, even so, a good opportunity for me to discuss materialism, which is not limited to Christmas festivities.

Materialism, like any "ism" is a condition, a state of mind, a reality. Material, in and of itself, is not a problem. You are material beings living a material existence and material goods and services are necessary in order that you have those things which make life comfortable, valuable, meaningful, in terms of your material nature.

There is a phrase to the effect that the love of money is the root of all evil, and it is not even the love of materialism that is the root of evil but the obsession with the material life that denies and precludes a spiritual reality that we are concerned about. No one is opposed to material. Indeed, good goods make the mental life, the emotional life and the spiritual life -- frequently -- more acceptable. Materialism, like any "ism" is a distortion. (One moment.) I'm having a hard time with Gerdean today.

(Sometimes this child clamors to know, "What are you going to talk about, Tomas? What are we going to talk about? Tell me what are we going to talk about. Give me an idea what we're going to talk about," so this morning in her meditations, I told her I would like to discuss materialism, and since she heard me say that word, her mind has been astir with, "What'll we say? What'll we say? I don't know anything about materialism. Shall I look it up in the dictionary? What does it mean?" and her prejudices and her conditionings come in such that it is virtually impossible for me to plow through her prejudice of the subject in order for me to portray my own words, so bear with us. If it is not possible, I will cut the lesson short.)

Celeste: Tomas, I think if materialism is used as a power over other people it's not good, but if you have material things just to keep your life pleasant, and the lives of anybody associated with you, and if you have it in an honest way and if you share what you have, it can't be so bad.

TOMAS: You have certainly encapsulated the essence of the lesson, as if I were speaking to a group of people who did not know what I was trying to say. I would still like to say some words. I appreciate what you have offered for it encourages me and it encourages Gerdean that there are other people also who have opinions regarding this subject, as well as any other subject I would choose to address, but there are some subtleties to materialism that bear looking at and since it is a time of year that confuses spirituality with gold, frankincense and myrrh, it is always a good time to review your understanding of the material aspects of giving and how the ability to give materially affects others, for there is a great deal of energy expended in the marketplace on shiny baubles and gifts of an impractical nature and it infers that it is a luxury to celebrate, that it is rare to indulge in something so extravagant as a once a year event.

Now, indeed, the truth is that if we honored the life of Christ on a regular basis, it would not be a rare gift but a solid, substantial reality and, of course, giving would be considerably altered, for the value of the gift of his presence in your life would alter your life throughout. But my point is to approach you as teachers, and so as teachers your behavior in your milieu is going to influence those around you and have an impact on those you serve, those you teach, and so how it is that you present yourself this holiday season, in terms of your material aspects, affects others.

And I speak to those of you on every rung of the economic ladder. It is a tendency, as I say, to give something impractical or elaborate or unusual rather than a bag of groceries or a pair of shoes. It is more likely that you buy the unusual, the shiny, the item that a person would not normally buy for themselves as an indulgence, an extravagance, a gift, as if a gift were something you should not receive on a daily basis, you see. The gift of sympathetic understanding is as valuable as a box of chocolates, and yet who regards sympathetic understanding as valuable? And one which they would sit still for at holiday time? (One moment)

There are so many facets of this subject of materialism. It is, in many ways, like what we discussed off and on for a period of time having to do with altered states. Those of you who know "plenty" are experiencing the altered state of accommodation and accessibility and convenience, whereas there are millions who know not this state that you regard as - not altered, but as normal. There are many who have no heat, who have no food, but as important, have no one with whom to share, have no one to trust, have no happy memories to recall, have no hope for tomorrow's good tidings.

Those individuals are in dire need of the gift of love, the gift that Michael brought when he brought himself to Urantia. He is such a gift that is so deserving of our daily and constant notice and how we have, in this Mithraic holiday, relegated him to a good baby in the hay while we all have fun going shopping and eating, you see. The suffering that is resounding in your culture as a result of Michael's arrival and departure from Urantia is in need of reconsideration. (One moment)

Perhaps I will be able to reconvene my discourse, my point, my value lesson regarding materialism at another time. Apparently I am going to be thwarted in my attempt this afternoon. It may be helpful if we had question/answer or commentary. Are there questions this afternoon?

Elyssia: I guess I had to bring up the point that we're inundated with requests for charitable gifts. It's onerous, to tell the truth. It becomes something that causes resistance because it's overwhelming. They've got your name; they've got your address; they've got your phone number. I could answer the phone all day long and everything is a request for money. And your mentioning something so beautiful, which is the gift of love, I don't know how we could improve our ability to reach out to those who don't have anybody to love them, but we do have some wonderful little things on the horizon.

We have Gifts For Prisoner's Children, which is a new event in the last, say, four years, which I think is quite wonderful. Our church has done piles of beautiful gifts for children. In the church this afternoon a wonderful man is speaking about children and their eye-sight all over the world. That's a wonderful kind of caring. We do have wonderful things that we're doing for charity. The whole country is, I think, wonderfully aware of charity, but to find that individual person.... I found a little lady at the nursing home and she is so sweet and very alone, and so it's possible for me to do that because my mother is there. I really don't know how I could find ....

TOMAS: Let me discuss for a moment these people, for example, in homes for the elderly, or people who are in a hospital, people who are, yes, in prison and people who are in homes because of mental breakdown or abuse of one sort or another. These people need attention all year round, not just at Christmas. Indeed.

There are those who are dependent upon the charity of others to such an extent that they begin to presume that they will be taken care of and that their children will be taken care of, and this continues to undermine their own ability to become self-reliant, self-sufficient and provide for their own family. The imbalance of wealth is a problem that will take a long time to be rectified, but it must be done in order for balance to prevail in and among the peoples of Urantia.

The problem with those who have materialism as their religion, those who worship the dollar and the power that the dollar provides, including the convenience and so forth, begin to feel that they can buy people and in fact do buy people frequently, but this belittles the true worth of the children of God and it is your greatest competitor, you who would promote the value of the Master, and those values which he promotes.

The people who buy their way in and out of situations at the expense of other "little" people are going to have a hard time finding their way into the kingdom of heaven, even though they may have found their kingdom on earth to be quite comfy, but in the long run they have not found true reality. They will die a lonely death. And whereas those who are less comforted by the magic and power that materialism can provide may have learned something about those values which are enduring and more lasting, (and of course) on the other far side of the spectrum, are those who are without, and in them we must have hope.

I encourage you as religionists not to abandon any lifestyle that you may have developed, no, but to examine your attitudes regarding your material possessions and your material standing in your world, and remember that Christ is born everyday in your heart, and if we are to have the Master return as he promised, would that he could return through us. Or at least that we could create an environment worthy of Our Lord, that he could return in comfort of our gift to him.

Rachel: I need you to give me some insight, some ideas. My two children -- it's ironic that I'm caught in this situation because my husband, who uses materialism to buy people, buy love, and does the same thing with my children, - and then I'm faced with Christmas time here and, I mean, when they're 5 and they're 7, if you don't give them those materialistic gifts then their ideas now, their concept now is that "You don't love me" or "Santa didn't come!" So I'm facing a quandary. I just hate going out buying toys because they get so many of them that .... What could I possibly give them materialistically that they don't already have? And they won't appreciate it, so I just don't know what to do. What does one do about Christmas?

Elyssia: Well, I feel that I can spend a minute with you sometime and tell you of somebody that I love very much and she had nothing in the material world, but I know that as a tiny child I saw the difference between her and anybody else who was just trying to buy you a present.

Rachel: She sensed that?
Elyssia: Children are wise.
Hestor: Beyond our years.

Celeste: I remember when I was little, we got one book and a set of paints. That was it. I still remember how happy I was to get that.

Hestor: I remember a Christmas when I got nothing but a sack full of coal! [Tape turned]

Ethan: And there was nothing under the tree that year, and that Christmas has changed Christmas forever for me. Because Christmas up to that time had been relatively good. But the Christmas there was nothing and no reasoning behind it, that changed an outlook for me.

Hester: Mean people.
Ethan: Well, not necessarily mean, but ... Santa Clause wasn't Santa Clause.
Hester: Somebody missed you. And it made an imprint.
Ethan: Yes. Forever.

Elyssia: It sounds like we could have a discussion at a study group for a time on this subject. I think Tomas has got us started. It deserves conversation.

TOMAS: It deserves some thought, and not just "What shall I get so-and-so for Christmas?" but "What effect will the gift have on the person?" I am reminded that children (and that could mean children of any age) are impressed with certain values. If they don't have their own values, then they assume yours until they have learned theirs, and so I encourage you not to reinforce materialistic values, but to implant true values into your recipients.

If it is the gift of sympathetic understanding, that is adequate, for at this time of year there will be those who will need to have someone to talk to. If you are sensitive you will be able to give gifts this year that you would not have thought of before, gifts that may not have cost anything.

I would like to spend a moment on those solicitors who would capitalize on your need to share the wealth of your understanding. There are indeed a gamut of needy causes, worthy and unworthy, and in order for you to make a determination of how to give in that context, you need to disassociate yourself from the spirit of Christmas giving in order to look at the organization and their motives and their financial statements as to where their funds are going and how they are being utilized.

Each one has hired a professional to pull on your heartstrings and the photographs and the phraseologies are designed to grasp your attention and your pocketbook. It is a skill and an art that is a worthy one, but you must stand aside from that art in order to determine for yourself your own art of living and giving. Do not fall victim to guilt in this context, or in any context of giving.

And this is part of the problem of the maelstrom of materialism in which you all live. The maelstrom of materialism has insidious power over you all, rich and poor, and those of you who can see more clearly, who can see the true value, the true riches, you are called upon to stand firm in your faith and in your reality and to reflect true value, true riches, not just that which has glitter and pizzazz. That is the point of my lesson.

Rachel: That is hard when you grow up with all that glitter and pizzazz, you know.
Ethan: It's not hard.

TOMAS: It is not hard. You know, as a child, a child may have 20 minutes of disappointment but that can be made up for by a real and valuable contact, connection between parent and child such as you have with your Father in heaven. The love that goes on between the parent and child is so much more precious than any jar of bubbles or baby doll or bicycle, in particular when the child has already, as you say, many, many gifts, many presents. Do not vie for your children's affections by buying them gifts. Give them, rather, the gift of love. That is the gift that will be enduring; it is the one that is an investment in their eternal future.

Celeste: I was thinking about that with Rachel. On Christmas morning, if you give them just a few things and then play with them all morning, not worried about cooking the perfect Christmas dinner but play with them all morning and roll on the floor and have fun and laughter and just make it a delight and talk about how much Jesus would enjoy being with you-- I don't know.

Hestor: Get them involved in what you're trying to do right now. Let them feel the need to share, and help them share. Ask them what they want to give to whom, or to what, and then help them do it and try to make it something that is coming out of them, not out of you. Move into their level.

TOMAS: And give them the gift of time. In your society the adage is "time is money." Take it back.

Elyssia: I guess we're going to give this a lot of careful thought because I know we've all thought about these things before, but on a deeper level perhaps, after your challenge.

Celeste: You know, it's true that all the things that I know love Jesus, love the Father, are very good people, but at Christmastime, everybody is concerned about rushing around and getting ...

Hester: Getting the gifts ...
Celeste: ... the proper thing,..
Hester: ... and this mad shopping ...
Celeste: ... they don't want to disappoint them ...
Hester: ... because if I don't ...
Celeste: ... and you're right ...
Hester: ... I'll be a grinch.
Celeste: ... it's stupid.

Rachel: With their little baubles.
Celeste: You're absolutely right. It's a very childish response to loving the Lord.
Rachel: It is.

Ethan: It's terrible how people have fallen so far. I mean, we're talking about the Grand Canyon here!

Rachel: It's called greed.
Ethan: When you do Christmas in Pittsburgh, it's called Sparkle City.
Hester: You children. It's no different than it was 50 years ago, believe me.
Ethan: Same thing?
Hester: It's just more people doing the same thing, that's all.
Ethan: Well, I know there's a lot of predators out there.

Hester: There were, there always have been, there always will be probably, until I AM becomes the only thought there is in the universe.

Elyssia: I think I would like to talk to you, and not here at the table, because I have some very strong opinions about the subject and a deep belief in you, Rachel, as opposed to all this stuff. George Carlin stuff.

TOMAS: "Stuff." This is the stuff of materialism. And I am hell bent to make you students of spirit. Not spiritual"ism." I am not into "isms" and whereas there is nothing wrong with the material life, it is the "ism" that bothers me and I love the spiritual life, but even there is the ism that bothers me. These are nuances of meaning. Perhaps they are part of your religious growth, to ponder meanings, and so enjoy pondering ? and "happy shopping!"

Group: (Appreciative chuckle)

TOMAS: I will be with you when you enjoy the gifts of the season knowing that your eyes and ears will be open to opportunities to serve and to thank Michael and his many helpers for the wondrous life that you enjoy as a result of him and knowing him. Are there any other questions before we conclude for the afternoon?

Hester: I'd like to say Merry Christmas, Tomas.

Celeste: I want the other side of that, the joy that we feel, even though we are stupidly involved in presents; but even so, there is a tremendous joy in our hearts and we do first of all remember that Jesus came. It doesn't matter which month. And he continues to come every moment.

TOMAS: Then what I will do is assign you this week the assignment to ponder the gift of Jesus in your life. This is a gift you have pondered before and indeed you shared your appreciation of the gift of knowing him before, but it is, as we say, a truth that he lives every day, and since we aspire to follow him and allow his ways into our very life, into our material, mental, emotional and spiritual life, then your assignment is to consider your gift of knowing him, his gift of loving you. See you next week.

Celeste: Love you.
Rachel: Good-bye.
Elyssia: Thank you so much.
Ethan: Good night.
TOMAS: Good night and farewell.

*****

DATE: January 4, 1998
LOCATION: Buffalo, NY
T/R: Gerdean
TEACHERS: TOMAS, MELCHIZEDEK, ANDREA

URANTIA BOOK STUDY, sequential
Paper 138, TRAINING THE KINGDOM'S MESSENGERS, Pg. 1538-47

TEACHER SESSION
TOPIC:
THIRD YEAR KICKOFF

TOMAS: Good afternoon, everyone assembled. The Master Conductor has tapped His baton and all instruments are now tuned up and in place and we begin the symphony this afternoon in this portion of your most holy gathering. We are many in attendance this afternoon, as are you. A sublime multitude of believers you are.

Greetings from your friends in the spirit realm, those of us in the Teaching Corps who are assembled in service to Michael and in obedience to your Spirit needs. I am Tomas, your friend, your companion and your teacher. Also with us this afternoon are an assemblage of other celestial helpers and familiar personalities that would speak perhaps if we have time throughout the course of the day. I am, however, going to step aside at once for words from Melchizedek who has deigned to grace our gathering this afternoon. I will return. One moment.

MELCHIZEDEK: Greetings, children. I am your Teacher and in service to you I come to bring you greetings from Michael and from the Divine Minister who smiles upon your efforts. We are industrious in the efforts of advancing Urantia and we are most pleased by the configuration that results here today in your attendance and in your efforts.

You should know that the effect of your being here today will touch hundreds, perhaps thousands, for the energy, spiritual energy and fraternity of spirit that you take unto yourself as a reality, will nourish and support you in your efforts, in your work in the field, and thus will the Master's words seep through you and into the field of your arenas wherein you work.

I will take this opportunity in greeting you to speak a few words regarding the quality of humility and in comparison to that quality that flesh is heir to of spiritual pride. My children, earnest disciples of the gospel, do not become prideful of your association with those of us who have come to assist you in your application of truth, beauty and goodness on behalf of Urantia and its peoples.

You read this afternoon that Jesus admonished his apostles, when they first gathered together, not to create a religion about him, even though they did not understand what he was saying; and I say to you this afternoon, do not create a new religion about the Teachers or the Teaching Mission, but rather take the teachings into your heart and into your lives in such a way as to proselytize the truth of the living Word in and through your lives as you pass by -- a living reality.

It does you no good to promote the fact that you know and have spoken to Jesus or Melchizedek teachers or even members of the Teaching Corps if your attitude is one of spiritual superiority or feigned advancement. An advanced son of God would rather, in humility, be eager to serve, would be humbled indeed by the opportunity to bring these orts of truth, beauty and goodness to the attention of his fellows that they too may learn how to eat at the table that The Father has prepared for all of His children.

And so, my brothers and sisters, I have come today to greet you and embrace you at that table and to contribute indeed to the feast of plenty which is provided, and to remind you that your humility is your greatest strength. In your humility, you are served by the universe. We hasten to assist you in your efforts to assist the evolution of the Supreme. Feast well, my children, and rejoice in the coming Kingdom. Good afternoon.

TOMAS: I am Tomas again and I am aware that there are faces and voices and personalities here that I have not met. I am not expecting introductions; however, I would like to greet you whom I have not yet met and you who have not experienced this process of getting to know a counsel from a realm unfamiliar to your eyes.

In obedience to your needs in the Spirit, I am immediately, then, available to your questions. Are there questions?

J.N.: Yes, I have a question that pertains to soul rescue. The question is about soul rescue and also, since we have questions, the other question is about guides. People seem to be hung up having forebears as their guides. If it's permissible to ask for clarification.

TOMAS: Dear daughter, it is permissible to ask anything. Whether it is administratively allowable that I respond is yet another question, but always are your questions encouraged.

The term "guides" for example is a human term and therefore subject to human definition. All of the universe is guiding you and directing you toward your ultimate destiny, your goal of the ages. In terms of your more immediate guidance, you are influenced by many more immediate entities, beginning with, of course, your indwelling Thought Adjuster, which is the preeminent guide of all time. Your relationship with your indwelling God fragment is supreme. Your communication with it is highly encouraged. In the process of identifying yourself as a child of God and affiliating yourself as a human with this divine fragment, you are then assisted by your personal guides, or guide, in the realm of personality adjustment.

You are also guided and protected by your overseeing guardian seraphim. You are often guided into difficult and trying situations by administrative angels who would have you learn certain lessons for your own growth. They are assisted by the midwayers, primary and secondary. And so there is great guidance. Any and all of these can be referred to as a guide or a teacher or a companion, as I also borrow upon your words to describe my role in your life.

I am also most interested in the phrase soul retrieval, for I am in part here to help you retrieve your soul from darkness and death, from sleeping to awake, to light, to life. A soul is not lost; it is just unfound until it is created by your own decisions. And so I encourage you, as do all of your guides encourage you, to make those decisions which would contribute to the substance of your growing reality, to-wit: your soul, your immortal aspect.

The decisions you make contribute to your soul. It begins to take on a life of its own. It will then become who you are and will become yet further, for as you leave your body behind, your soul then thus has grown sufficiently, adequately, to support the real you in your new life in the many mansions. You will be retrieving your soul forever but not retrieving it in a sense that it has strayed, but only that it has yet to be formed.

Has my response been helpful, daughter?

J.N.: In a way. Thank you very much for that remarkable answer. I really enjoyed that. However, there are so-called "lost souls" when they pass on from here and seem to hang around, if that's an appropriate description, and people make (indistinguishable).

TOMAS: There are no lost souls. Our Father has all life in his embrace. I hear you refer to a gap in address, perhaps. I hear you refer to a lapse wherein an entity, that is, a human reality, in departing this life and before arriving upon the shores of the Resurrection Hall, has somehow gotten abandoned, waylaid, stranded, and I assure you this is not possible, for there is a great and divine inner working that disallows such an action.

The seraphim are in attendance at the time of death, that is, when the soul is released from the corporate body. The seraphim embrace the soul of the mortal and take it to a designated place and they do not fail in their duty.

It is perhaps another chapter that you are reading when you are addressing those energies which purport to be souls of dearly departed that have not opted to go on, who choose to stay for service sake, who like to stick around to see what happens, who linger for anger sake or retribution or whatever. These are not realities. They are misconceptions, and some of them have powerful results because of the investment of the mortal belief system in these investments of false beliefs. Now, how these have come about are age-long.

I will call to your mind, for example, the soldiers that have somewhat of a reputation as maintaining housing in a certain place relating to the Civil War and there have been documentaries regarding these soldiers and their souls which have been allegedly abandoned in that time warp. Those souls truly are long since sent to Mansonia.

What we have, however, here is energy that has accumulated that represents travesty and the direction of so many minds going into the travesty has given it an energetic reality of its own. This is rather like a hologram and it certainly does have a certain reality, but it is not an eternal reality; it is a psychic and/or mental reality, created by mortals in order to dramatize a value lesson.

I remind you again of the power of the human mind. The human mind is excessively, extremely creative. I remind you, too, that the mind is a gift of the Mother Spirit, and in many contexts this gift of the mind has enabled human beings to survive insufferable circumstances, impossible conditions, because of its ability to enshroud itself in a reality that enables them to have hope, to pull through, to keep going, to forge ahead.

The will to survive is great, the need to believe is great, and so many times these belief systems have become of a sort of reality, but not an eternal reality. Has that been helpful?

J.N.: That was a truly wonderful answer. Thank you very much.

TOMAS: I am glad to be of service to you. I am reminded and I remind you that we are in Correcting Time, and that the truths of the eternal plan are being received by the hungry, the spiritually hungry. Many thing have come about on Urantia in its isolation, in its quarantine, and now that the free love of Paradise is raining down upon you, you are readily able to observe those truths that will clarify your path, that will allow you to set aside the lesser reality for that which is greater, more encompassing and more glorious in its radiance and in its resolve.

I am glad for your willingness to hear my words. Are there other questions?

A Child: I have a question.
TOMAS: Yes, my child.
Child: Are all of my guinea pigs that died, are they happy?

TOMAS: They are sublimely delighted. Yes, child. They have no fear, they have no pain, and they have no hunger. They have no distress. They have peace, and therefore they know no war, no pain. They are happy, yes. (Pause) Happiness, of course, is a relative condition.

Vince: I have a question relating to your earlier comments. I am somewhat familiar with spiritualism. Is your group of counselors in a realm of their own? Have they been created specifically for this movement now? Are they different than or similar to the spiritualist movement and the entities communicating?

TOMAS: I will discuss your question in spite of my transmitter's emotional response to your question. You see there is a phrase in the textbook, The Urantia Book, that uses the word spiritualism and describes it as "sordid" and so the very concept of "sordid spirituality" is a thorn in the side of anyone who sincerely reveres the truth inherent in the Fifth Epochal Revelation.

The Teaching Corps, of which I am a member, is comprised by and large, although not exclusively, of ascending mortals such as yourself who have gone beyond long ago and who have come to serve Urantia in its growth throes at this point in its evolution. Now there are many, many nuances and variations in what I have stated, but by and large we have all volunteered for this service.

We are part of what we call Correcting Time which is, in fact, a process that is taking place on Urantia at this point in her evolution. All of Urantia now is being pelted with spirit energy because the circuits are being reopened following the adjudication of the Lucifer Rebellion. The light of truth is beginning to find its way from Paradise into your realm. And so anyone can now be contacted by a spiritual reality. Indeed, we encourage you each and all to develop your own understanding of a working relationship with life in the universe.

It is a friendly universe. The midwayers, your spiritual cousins, are eager to work with you toward advancing Urantia. The angels are consistently applying themselves in their various Orders of work to uplift you and to advance you, your races, your religions, your peoples, your health and so forth. All of the universe is focused on Urantia at this time because of the Teaching Mission and because of the spirit light that is shining upon you.

In all cases, all of the individuals who open themselves to these kinds of transmissions (and I tell you, you can do it also), they bring with them their conditioning; they bring with them their own belief systems; they bring with them their coloration of personality, their trauma and their gifts, their vernacular, their definitions. Each individual has a personality that will color the transmission of the teachers that they bring through. Some of these mortal vessels have been, for example, trained spiritually in fields such as Transcendental Meditation, A Course in Miracles, and so forth, and as they present their truths, their truths will show a coloration due to that which they have brought with them in their path to the Father, and you will see and can discern that which is the coloration of the transmitter, as compared to that which is the truth of the teacher.

Remember, Jesus said that to the truth seeker, to the believer, truth can be found in any source. You can find truth anywhere if you're looking for it. One of the advantages of a format such as this is that you all arrive intending to experience spiritual truth. You conjoin together in full, open appreciation of your seeking and the assumed entrust of the seeking of your fellows. This brings about a spirit of communion with each other and with The Father. It therefore has a certain caliber, a certain integrity, depending upon your composite make-up as you come here to be with each other, to receive spiritual counsel and guidance.

In other groups as well you have a selection of individuals who have come for a certain purpose. Our purpose is to support you in your efforts to teach and preach the gospel of the kingdom as you pass by in your daily life. Our teacher is Jesus of Nazareth, also known to us as Michael of Nebadon, Creator Son of this local universe. These are our credentials, yes, and this is our belief. Our textbook is The Urantia Book.

There are many who are contributing to Urantia by way of sharing their spiritual truths, all of which have value, some of which have more than others. We do not disdain the efforts of any sincere seeker. Has that been helpful?

Vince: Very helpful. Thank you very much.
Loren: More questions?
TOMAS: If you like. I am always eager to hear your questions.

Loren: In the Urantia Book it is stated that there is a form of energy not yet discovered on Urantia. Is it of a nature and quantity, if discovered, to supplant the non-renewable energy of fossil fuel now in use on Urantia and which is having such an impact on the environment? Do you anticipate this energy will be discovered soon? I believe the name of the "energy carrier" is mesotrons and it's in the space race. It's page 478-479 of The Urantia Book.

TOMAS: Yes. And yes. And yes. [Group laughter]
Vince: In that order. [More laughter]

TOMAS: Again, "soon" is a relative phrase. Indeed, what may be soon to us is not soon to you and vice versa, but yes we anticipate it will be discovered soon. It will not however completely supplant your natural resources and/or your customs of centuries, but it will markedly advance and alter, as have your many other technological advances, yes.

Many things are yet to be discovered on Urantia, not all of which are spiritual, but all of which are fascinating, interesting, helpful, astounding. Another thing you will be discovering soon is how to identify secondary midwayers, your spiritual cousins, and we look forward to your acknowledgement of their work in your realms.

J.N.: Do they help with hands-on healing?

TOMAS: Indeed, the midwayers are instrumental in almost all phases of service involving humanity; however they are not as instrumental in helping with hands-on healing as are the Life Carriers. The midwayers are, however, key factors in the transmitting process. Yes, you can count on their involvement in anything that has even a modicum of reality. Capital "R" Reality.

J.N.: Thank you very much.

Joe: At the beginning you acknowledged the presence of those who, in your words, are new or first time in this group.

TOMAS: Yes, my son.

Joe: I just wanted to thank you for what I consider a blessing, a privilege to listen, to hear, to be alive and experience what I believe is an undeserved privilege and blessing. Thank you. For I have worked and tried to find a reality that corresponds to my spiritual needs and I continue to look for that reality, that well-being that I so much look for, and I hope that this is not the last time that I will have the privilege to listen.

TOMAS: Indeed, my son, I appreciate your comment. I agree that you are blessed, as are we all blessed to be part of the wonderful life that is provided to us by Our Creator. And when we can share our inner life, our spirit hunger, with others and have that hunger acknowledged and fed, we are truly blessed indeed.

And you may be assured, my son, that you will again have the opportunity, for we are opening the doors of this kind of opportunity as often as you will encourage it in your own experience. Your hunger is not unknown to us. Indeed this is why we are here, to respond to the overwhelming need of you young souls who seek greater communion with higher reality. Your prayers are answered. Your door is open.

We are here to assist you to realize that you are not alone. Never again will you experience the isolation that Urantia experienced as a result of the Lucifer Rebellion. That is over, ended, and you are once again in the loving and vital embrace of the universe, the neighborhood of which you are an integral part. Not only are you part of the cosmic neighborhood of time and space, but you are part of the neighborhood of Urantia believers in the gospel of the kingdom, part of the living kingdom itself.

You are not alone, nor will you be, and as you learn to focus on your own indwelling Adjuster, your own relationship with the First Source and Center, your connection with divinity will become stronger and stronger. Your reality will grow, and you will begin to see, by incredible incremental degrees, how enmeshed you are with eternal reality. This evolution of the human soul is profound in its application and in its witness of itself and in the witness of other souls around you.

We are enthralled by the response of the mortal to the encouragement that you have been given by those of us who are humbly working in your arenas with you. We are astounded by your leaps of faith. They match your hunger. You have not disappointed us in your grasp of truth. You have taken the ball and run with it, as you say in your vernacular, and we are seeing spiritual touchdowns taking place right and left.

We are advancing Urantia. We are advancing each other. We are advancing the Evolving Supreme. We are on the team of Michael of Nebadon. His banner is waving high in the clear clean air of his natal planet. We are pleased to be with you as you are pleased to hear from us. We are a great mutual admiration society.

We encourage and foster living love. As you learn to love yourself and your fellows, you begin to proselytize living love of The Father and make Him more real to all. You are immanently worthy of The Father's love, my friend, for He is your father and a father loves his children, all of his children.

I am not giving a lecture today in-as-much as Machiventa offered some words and your questions have been provocative of lessons in and of themselves. I, however, am going to wind down my remarks. Andrea is here and is eager to greet her flock. I will return in a moment. One moment, please.

ANDREA: Good afternoon, my children. How wonderful it is to be here with you this afternoon and to see your radiant spirits. Your presence is uplifted and it warms my heart to feel your gracious faces present themselves to me and to The Father.

I am always with you, you know. I am not always able to come through to you, but I want you to attempt to realize how closely I work with you. As you work with me, of course, our efforts gain momentum and you can see the results more clearly, but I am taking this opportunity to ask you to notice how it is that I am helping you and working with you in your life.

Andrew works with me, as do many of the other teachers, the same helpers that you have. I am eager to promote reality for you in your life and for your community and for the community of believers that extends across the face of Urantia. We are working towards great and supreme goals, but I am not so ambitious in my spirit intent that I am willing to overlook my teacher base here, my own assignment here with you.

It causes my heart to swell when I see you all together thus for I recognize the support that you provide each other. The support that your spirit is provided. Each of you have your own arena, each of you have your realm of interests, and nothing is more important than the work of your realm, but when you come together in support of your spirit reality with each other, you have cemented a reality within your soul and within the soul of each other that contributes greatly to reality here in this community. It becomes as a beacon light that can be seen by hungry souls far and wide.

The unseen realms are full of activity and from your vantage point you may forget that we are actively involved in bringing a spirit reality to you and helping you to lift up to meet us in our very, very busy and wonderful spirit community, but we are here, and I ask you to look for our work with you and to rejoice in the fact that you are found and that your efforts toward spiritizing your own soul and the souls of your friends and neighbors is meaningful and is jubilant and is pleasing in His eyes.

Thank you. Thank you, Tomas, and thank you, Gerdean, for the voice.

TOMAS: I am Tomas, and I will prepare to wind down for the afternoon. We are very wordy once we get wound up. You appreciate that, I am sure, for when someone starts to adore you and focus their attention on you, when they love you such that you become a light, you begin to radiate, and I feel the love of you, my friends. I feel it directed toward Michael and that causes me to sing. I sing praises of Him and of you in your efforts to ascend to meet Him on The Way, the way of the Wayshower.

Bring yourself to Him and enliven yourself through His love and through the love of each other. I would like to close our session this afternoon by an exercise I occasionally engage in and I would ask you to hold hands and to stand and I will lead you in prayer.

"Creator Son, Michael, our Sovereign, we are honored to be with you today and to be with each other as fellow believers in you. Smile upon us, Father, Brother, as we go about our life, as we attempt to spread your message in and among your people. Give us grace to walk among the trials and tribulations of the daily life and to manifest the fruits of the divine spirit that you have given us as your children. Thank you, Father, for the opportunity to be part of your kingdom. Amen."

Farewell.

*****

DATE: January 4, 1998
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R: Hunnah
TEACHERS: MERIUM,

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
Paper 16, SEVEN MASTER SPIRITS
#9. Reality of Human Experience, Pg. 195
Paper 155, FLEEING THROUGH NORTHERN GALILEE
#6. The Second Discourse on Religion, Pg. 1732

TEACHER SESSION:
TOPIC:
MERIUM FLIES SOLO

MERIUM: You do not have to be quiet very long because I am almost ready to jump out onto the table. Perhaps for a while Hunnah's not-up-to-par voice will be a problem but it will improve as we go.

Greetings, greetings, greetings and "Happy New Year" as you would say here on your planet. It pleases me greatly to be able to be hostess and I want to assure you, just because our friend Gerdean has made a trip does not mean that party-hound Tomas won't try to attend two parties. We have a different mode of transportation so perhaps we can work something out.

I am so pleased with the numbers here today, and especially pleased to acknowledge the presence of our gentlemen. You know you get a special star after your name for attending this all-girl choir that we've had here so often.

I hope that you are especially open and will feel comfortable with me today. I do not have a particular lesson. I think that we will let this conversation build and that we will come into a suitable uplifting and celebrating state for all of you to take home with you and to wear like a robe of light throughout the weeks and the days to come.

Your lesson today shows you the flow of development that takes place and that you have all come in to recognizing your own receptivity. Hunnah spoke to you before we opened about her experience of transmitting and receiving. She is wearing a star because she has had the reward of having the experience. It has been a bright light that has helped her find her way and it has drawn the moths of the receptive to her these days -- people who have come to receive and enjoy the invisible essence that ignites recognition within them, and this is what this movement is all about.

You do not have to attend X number of meetings; you do not have to read X number of books. If you had pride in a long history of spiritual journey, that is your private reward, but this is a day by day experience. If you have procrastinated and dozed for weeks on end, it does not matter because this is a continuous experience and that gap that appeared to take place is not existent in the presence of the living truth.

You have come close to be refueled, to be renewed, and that is what our mission is all about. There is such value in coming together as a body of light. It brings, like a fire, the impurities to the top where they may be released; and it dislodges this ever-present issue of love and purifying your thoughts, expanding your thoughts, and empowering you that you may act, and in this process of making jam, the impurities that you are not aware of may be released.

They may not be a beaver dam. Although many of you here are quite capable of being beavers, you will just keep working on that resistance and keep yourself in the pool of pre-occupation where you can swim and not be bothered and then what happens? That nudge from your teacher can come along and pull one stick and down goes the dam.

I am using the metaphor of being a beaver in a negative way, but in a sense you are busy beavers and you do insist on building pools of privacy, and what we are trying to get you to do is go beyond the beaver state, and swim in the ocean of loving truth, and finding your way, in the sense that you will not feel like a stranger in a new land.

Let us continue with this wonderful metaphor of a beaver. You have a safe compound where you live and your horizons, or the periphery of your adventure needs to be enlarged. It will indeed be one continual removal of a dam after another with the periphery being expanded each time and your pool of experience and application will continue to enlarge.

Here I am talking about something so close to the earth, something familiar to you, and I am not using any godly words. I am not making reference to your Urantia Book; I am not making reference to the biblical statements from history past, from different parts of the globe, or from the universe. I have invited you into the woods to observe the eddies and the pools of private little lives and I am asking you to be willing to have this little place, where you are so comfortable, being disturbed and that you will awaken to the greatness of the universal limitless experience.

I want you to be allowed to receive something new, every day, and to become a beholder of your daily environment in a way where you will be taught from everything you look at because you are entering into an expanded state of recognition. You, too, will become a storyteller, but not consciously so. It is not a label that you will wear. You will be meeting people, perhaps like yourself, some you know, some you do not know, but in your coming together "in My name", there will be a permissible opportunity to reach into your mental pockets and allow the appropriate metaphor to slide through and to embellish a conversation and to bring it alive because you are all going to be painters, story-tellers, musicians.

The theory will take on a new garb. The theater and the stage will be varied all the time, but you will always be on cue when you allow yourself to commune with the Holy of Holies, because He is writing the script, truth is strengthening it, and all this magic with these wonderful long names that we have talked about in this Book, all those sparkling, invisible assistance is there.

At one of the gatherings we used Walt Disney's Snow White as an example of the sparkling assistance that you have and Mr. Disney used the little birds who picked up a ribbon and would bring it over and put it in someone's hair. Now this is becoming almost foolish, but there is indeed a serendipitous experience that will go into a factory with you, that will go into traffic with you; it will go into any phase of life and any challenge that you have and allow you to know that it is there.

You have the magical wand and all you have to do is lift it and call upon this All-Knowingness within yourself. And in that all-knowingness you will also be able to acknowledge that very same presence in those with whom you are meeting, whether you are managing a restless group of employees, whether you are managing a very scrambled checkbook, whether you are shopping or whether you are nursing a disgusting return of a cold, but you are going to go away confident that this robe you wear is so light that you no longer need to carry a pick and shovel.

We have been going at religious experiences like we needed a bulldozer. We have designed a religious experience to be a compound of safety. We have allowed our self to take the "living word" and wear it like a muscle or a document of proof, and that's not going to go on any more, because "My yoke is easy" as our Brother has reminded us, and the burden is to be light; and the most effective part of this development that you are going to experience is the release of the burden of all the knowledge that you carry.

It was no strange coincidence that the 13th chapter of First Corinthians was delivered to you, because it is a heavy reminder that there is so much vanity involved in the so-called spiritual journey. Visually you make mountains to climb while you set your sails for a far-off lofty destination, but the real adventure and the real journey is right here in your immediate situation, and you can allow it to become most fulfilling and you will be the wonderment of those who know you because they will be awakening and keeping an eye on you.

As you can see, I'm a natural storyteller, and Hunnah has been affected by this bug. She likes to tell children's stories. In fact, at one of the early meetings she asked one of our teachers (I believe it was Nero) to tell a story from where he came.

You are all good listeners and I have scarcely come up for air and I would allow a moment to let Hunnah catch her breath and if there are some questions that need some interior design, I will be glad to let you share them. Thank you.

Elyssia: Well, what kind of preparation could we engage in so that we might be able to enjoy this connection with our spiritual guides and teachers? I mean is there a preparation we might engage in?

MERIUM: Let me see how I can say this to you. We have talked about our Heart of Hearts in this group. It's almost as if you go into the session beheaded, and you allow yourself to let that which has been pondered in your heart to surface, and in this so-called beheaded state, you will be allowed to discern.

Hunnah was talking with our guests and they were talking about the two hemispheres of the brain. When you have the two hemispheres of the brain balanced, you are going to get the harmonious performance, a focused performance, and it is the Christ consciousness that will allow them to function together, to bring out the very best expression possible.

Perhaps you could use -- let's try some imagery here -- that when you sit down in your quiet (and you can do it also in your un-quiet, because if you travel you can keep a steno pad in the car; you can take a tape recorder) but imagine yourself having a lead to each of the hemispheres of your brain. Now go on an angle upward so that you have a triangle and you have the synapse between the hemispheres; we have a balanced, invisible (what is the word? Like a radio tower, like a "transmitter") and you sit down and you remember that you are grounded; you are the grounding for this transmitter message and you will, in trust, sit down and be quiet.

Or you can go to this room where you do this as if you were a child coming in from outside, slamming the door and rushing to your room because you know that when you are in that room, wonderful things happen. Explanations are given to you. Comfort is there. You are running into your Mother and your Dad.

Hunnah wrote a little prayer last night. "Dear Mom and Dad in Paradise...." Imagine, having a room in your house where you live, your Mom and Dad in Paradise are always there. They are always home. You are not a latchkey child. And you can go in there and you can sit in there and you can say, "I'm just furious because this is what's happened!" Pound it out on your computer or your paper, and you will find that you have written four lines before you stop and then you will receive your message: "Dearest child, I am so glad that you came."

My conversation is almost poison to an intellect that has not surrendered. If any of you go home and wretch, celebrate because you are in the process of becoming beheaded and lightening up, and even when you face peril it will just not weigh as much as it used to. I cannot explain to you how thrilled I am to share this with you. We have watched Hunnah respond to what we wanted, and you are our continuing thrills, because all of these situations are unique, as you are sitting here at the table. Whether you are young, like this little one before me, very seasoned like our hostess, it does not matter because you are all the same age when you are with Mom and Dad from Paradise.

So I hope I have helped you with the question, dear. Just -- it is an attitude that you get out, and if you feel as if you are almost too tight or heavy to don this feather-light garb, then work a little longer with it. You can do exercises; you can -- there are various things that will come to mind that will assist you.

Elyssia: Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I have a rather intellectual question; I suppose it isn't very appropriate at this time but there was a question about Lucifer. Would his spiritual experiences be retained in the Supreme?

MERIUM: It is strange that you should ask that. When that was mentioned earlier, Hunnah's ears perked and we were the ones that were probably perking her ears, but it was not missed, that statement. How could anything that was for the good be lost? No, it is not lost. And I will not take you out of my special skill. I will not break the seal of this special receptivity that I have going here to go onto an intellectual explanation, but I will appreciate it if you will bring this question back when we have another T/R.

Elyssia: That's fine. That's what we'll do. Thank you.

MERIUM: One of the things that concerned Hunnah when she started to T/R, was that she would not be able to deliver the goods, and earlier we were talking about the software. If you had a computer program in your machine for your insurance business, would you be entering questions into that disc that would pertain to the accounting department of another company? No, you would not. And I am talking this way because I value the ease of my transmitter/ receiver and I appreciate your patience.

Rachel: Can I ask a question?
MERIUM: I was hoping you would, dear.

Rachel: I am curious about the disease on this planet. Why there is such an escalation of disease. Is it due to the fact where man goes away from all the teachings of God and what is inherently good for him, whether it comes down to food, thought, cleanliness? Or are there -- how do I want to say this? -- Can you answer the first part first?

MERIUM: I think you almost have done a very good job of it, but I will elaborate a little bit on it. First of all, in this wealth of material goods that we have acquired, we have, as you know, changed the environment; we have polluted our own bodies because the candy tastes so good. It is there all the time. You can have it for lunch everyday.

I was addressing the tower, the transmission tower, always making reference to the left and the right side of the body. Let us go into the systems of the human and the acidity of this individual, and if they eat incorrectly then they are going to reap results. If they do not drink sufficient water or the liquids are not properly nourishing, they will reap the results. And I probably shouldn't say "reap" but it is simply, almost, a matter of math here, and this balance that we are seeking has to come from an uplifted state of consciousness.

It is true, there are those who seem to be dullards, who are living in a world of total ignorance, who seem to have good health and they praise the fact that in their ancestry this has been going on for a long time, but generally this is true. There is a great deal of stress, and if you combine all of this mental pollution with all these other ingredients, you have illness.

But you also have an acceptance of disease in your consciousness, and we have had diseases in cultures that have been limited to a culture throughout time, but we have such interaction throughout this earth that a problem that would normally be confined to one area and completed cycle is transported to other areas and therefore we are having more difficulty.

There is also dishonesty and low standards that are associated with greed, and people do not maintain the safeguards that are necessary and therefore disease is allowed to travel in a way that it would not normally have, except in this accelerated lifestyle that we have. Does that help?

Rachel: Yes, it does. Another little thought here, as far as herbology goes; God put these herbs on our planet for our use, to prevent disease, to cure disease. Has disease escalated so far ... mutated, I guess, I could say ... that herbology -- vitamins and minerals -- could not correct its natural balance?

MERIUM: You have, again, answered correctly. I want you to say that there are those who have little to eat, who receive energy, who have sharp minds, who manage to maintain their body functions in spite of the fact that the little they eat is apparently of no consequence. There is such a variety here. It is the times. We are feeding a monumental figure in people, and there is such a varying consistency of living right and taking care of yourself.

As far as herbs go, there is purity of the herbs. There is appropriate use of them. Remember we are knee deep in trouble when it comes to buying into everything. There are many things that you are putting into your mouth that are simple mental comforts. Your mind tells you that this is a good product. It's like "Charlotte's Web". You believe everything you eat. If you stay in focus and you allow yourself to be inwardly guided, you will choose appropriate food; you will not go out and buy everything that is advertised to get the health that you already have. Your health is already a part of you and it takes this poise that I have been discussing this afternoon to help you to maintain it.

We're talking about consciousness, and you will say, "Well, I know someone who has the most beautiful Christ consciousness and they're sick all the time!"

Rachel: How do you explain that one?

MERIUM: It is a permissible sickness. It is permissible by the individual that has embraced it. There is a question that has been out: Did Christ Michael have common disease? Did the children have chicken pox or whatever was in the local community? There are many things that touched lives and maybe a light case and it goes on but history does not record it. I am not a crystal ball.

Group (Elyssia, Celeste, Hunnah, J.M., Rachel, Ethan, David, John, Ariel, Liana, Beatrix, Brandy, Ms. McD, et al.) [Laughter].

Elyssia: Is it necessary...? You said something about you could experience closeness with your inner self, even in a lot of noise, which I guess you have to be awfully skilled. You have to start out probably from a very quiet environment. Somebody told me they were using earphones that don't allow any noise whatsoever, the kind that people who shoot guns use, and they are trying to achieve absolute quiet. So, I'm just wondering about this quiet thing.

MERIUM: There is a time for total quiet; there is a time for stilling. As you continue in this activity of communication, you will be in this communication all the time. It will not be something that you have to go to and turn dials and adjust anything within yourself. It will be an attitude of appropriate inclination to receive that which you have to know. NOT what you have to know for everyone else, but for yourself.

Elyssia: Thank you.
MERIUM: Hunnah wants a break.
Group: Okay.

[INTERMISSION]

Hunnah: In regard to T/R'ing -- My T/R'ing -- the absence of technicality makes me uncomfortable, and it is something that perhaps in the future will develop, but I think that I was allowed to do this, for this particular type of counsel, where someone else would not be allowed to let it in. We would want the more intellectual explanation, and it just happens that that's what's coming through my line, and it sounds…

What happens is, I feel, that you journey, you become so bonded to this type of inclination in your development that ... I heard her say "it's with you all the time" and sometimes, if I'm writing a letter to someone, I don't intentionally go into the mode, but I realize that the letter is for both the person I am writing to and myself because what we are talking about is conscious communion with God. We're not talking about me now and me when I'm with God. What we're looking forward to in our development is a continuous experience and a consistency.

I had a teacher one time who said she had to decide who she was going to be. Was she going to have one behavior for at home and one for the office and one for her kids, because she said, if you have kids they'll go down the street and tell all your business, and you'd better be pretty consistent -- and you're to decide which part of this personality that you want to splash around in is the one you want the Father to refine, and I think that's sort of ... it's the best part for me, with the T/R, and then again, just like you say, "Just what's going on here?" but when it comes to worldly things, in my own guidance, they take me out of it every time.

They will comfort you and talk a little bit about it and lift you right up, because that's where you're supposed to be going, and then they'll get into a personal truth.

Elyssia: Well, you're an artist, so I'm wondering if you begin to hear as you are painting. I hear some people say that their hands are guided as they're painting.

Hunnah: Well, if you could see some of the whooptie-dooptie things I've done lately, you wouldn't think I was being guided! I feel like this is -- enough attention now, thank you.

Elyssia: Are you listening for something when you're writing poetry?

Hunnah: Speaking of poetry, something did come through in a form of poetry in the stuff I had done and it was different than what I had done prior, and I commented that this was different, because I hadn't slid down from where I was when I wrote it, and it as much as said, "Oh? You want to go back to doing it the way you did before? Or do you want to move on and allow the new expression to come through?" and just like with Beryl's toning, if she had drawn the line and said, "That's all I'm going to do! This is where I stop." We're not supposed to do that. They want to take us beyond. Whether it's skill or counsel.

Beatrix: Did I hear you say -- because you said it very quickly -- that we're moving toward having a consistency that you don't have in your every day personality?

Hunnah: Yes.

Beatrix: But yet in the group sometimes I notice that when, say, the person who may be in that consistency, or possibly the person that's being enlightened to ask a question, it is sometimes dismissed as, well, I heard earlier a question coming up and like, "That's not important." We do give more importance to like this special thing and we're going to possibly give some gems on this. And I think that has to be looked at.

Hunnah: Absolutely.

Beatrix: Because who's going to be the decider, who is now in the consistency and who is in the inconsistency?

Hunnah: I was told once if you are trying to decide where you are on the ladder of your experience, that that is your separateness that is making the calculation, and it's an apprehension, and, like you say, there are some gems that are missed. I don't think you should -- All questions are fuel for the fire. They are like the power sometimes that get you on the escalator to get you where you want to go and what you do is you talk by your pain and you get so that you know what a legitimate question is and a question that you just feel like you want attention. I mean, there are all kinds of definitions. I don't know if I really understood you clearly, but did you mean…

Let's pretend that Gerdean would still be here. There are people here that have questions. This is what you mean that they are missed. Their opportunity is missed. Well, then, that's one reason that they want us so badly to go into our inner counsel and there are people who want to solve the problems of the world. They have to decide how you want to use your meeting. Do you want to take your painful question, for example, maybe it's your boss. Or maybe just a curiosity question. Well, I tell you, I wish a lot more people were willing to T/R because as much as Gerdean funs it up, it's almost like Gerdean's professional experience. She's really devoted. I feel a little more self-conscious about it. It isn't my condition or anything like that. I just -- I'm the only one on the stage, so to speak, and I just...

Beatrix: I really don't even understand your almost apology for the technicality, because I really -- a bearing comes up that ...

Hunnah: There's a part of you, when you begin to T/R, that wants to be an oracle. I had been taught that we had access to all knowledge, like the cache of records. We were talking about Mr. Casey and people who channel have access to this library. And if you give me a question, there should be those who feed and input that information and it should come right out of the person's mouth.

Liana: Could I ... I must say this. I had a question I didn't even know I had, and you answered it. I mean, I didn't verbalize it or anything but I've been doing this sort of thing on my own for about a year. I do it on paper.

Hunnah: Good.

Liana: And a lot of the questions that come up when I'm doing it, you have been talking about, so you answered questions that I think my higher self wanted me to know that I wasn't able to form to ask you about.

Hunnah: Good. That happens in conversations with Counsel. Because you are two coming together. First of all you want to have a valuable exchange with someone; you are attuned. It's like in the spirit, but if I was going to talk to Beatrix about a recipe, we would probably end up talking about something far more important than the recipe; it would be a lead-in, and the conversation would have a life of its own and a lesson. We would both go away...

Beatrix: Why do we not treasure or appreciate or respect some as much? Why don't we give that as much reverence as what we do with having the transmissions, which are very special, but I think what you were saying about bringing the two together and having the on-going personality, if that is occurring, then we're going to have to make that switch to having the reference at any moment with whoever you're with, not at a special time.

Hunnah: One of the things -- since it's been so personal for me, but -- one of the things that goes on with Ariel and I, and the same with Da-vid', because we have this common bond -- it's in your home, too -- it's a blessing and it's a headache. You have this common dialog, but you also have this spiritual connection, so you and B. are mom and daughter, and one moment you want to be Here and Bam! You're constantly being pulled down into the physicality of the personality and the role that you play.

And one day I called Him in -- I think this will amuse you -- I said, "Now look, love isn't always calling You! Anytime I call You, we're uplifted and, it's like in math, if you add up the column, two columns and then divide them you get a common number, okay?" It's as if -- I don't know if I said it right, but what happens is, we become more than what we are because we're two.

And if you keep that in your mind, and supposing someone called you on a bad day, and you feel dragged and troubled. "I'm going to call Elyssia. I need to talk to someone in the group. I need to talk to someone who's in this conscious realm with me, and I'll go wah-wah-wah on the phone and you will immediately soar because you will sense the need and you will bring me up, and I'll go up-up-up and then we will have that greater contribution. And it isn't always there for you; the memory isn't always there for you.

Elyssia: Speaking of multiplication, I was just looking around at the number we have, and I don't know what 14 x 14 is, but ... it's supposed to be a ... a power of sixteen. If you're gathered in the spirit, it's a multiplication; it's not addition. (Tape turned)

ARIEL'S MUSIC.

Da-vid: The "universal language" that my sister sang is on the record album we made. It's on the first track, the first song. We wanted to do that because one, it would balance the music, and two, it would be so ... the first words sung would be this woman. There were two tracks, one in each ear, and when you listen with the headphones, it's really neat.

Group: Socialization time. (End of tape)

*****

DATE: January 11, 1998
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, P.A. USA
T/R: Gerdean
TEACHERS: TOMAS, MERIUM

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
Paper 17, THE SEVEN SUPREME SPIRIT GROUPS, Pg. 197-202
#1. The Seven Supreme Executives
#2. Majeston - Chief of Reflectivity
#3. The Reflective Spirits
#4. The Reflective Image Aids

TEACHER SESSION
TOPIC:
SAVORING ACCOMPLISHMENT

TOMAS: Greetings.
Group: (Celeste, Iyana, Liana, Gerdean, Leah): Greetings.

TOMAS: I admire your enthusiasm, group. I can feel your enthusiasm. Even before your mouth opens, your spirits jump to make contact with the helpers in the celestial realms and your enthusiasm is contagious. Merium and I this afternoon are glad to be your loyal host and hostess and there are, of course, many in attendance. It is wonderful to see you here and to embrace you once again in our familiar configuration of student and teacher. Iyana, welcome.

Iyana: Thank you.
TOMAS: And Liana, how lovely you are. It is good to see you again, my dear.
Liana: Thank you.
TOMAS: And, of course, Leah and Celeste and my loyal Gerdean, good afternoon.

MERIUM: Good afternoon from me, too. I am not without a voice this afternoon. I am glad to be here with you. I have been busy, you know, I have been as a butterfly, flitting here and there, visiting hither and yon, touching down, making contact, pressing myself against your cheek, that you can recognize my presence in and about your space.

Remember I asked you to be hopeful and to feel us in your environment and I am glad that you are being prompted to be aware of our presence in your daily life. Indeed there are many who have been talking about the feelings of feathers or tendrils of hair or other tickly substances that give rise to the thought that perhaps you are being touched by a spirit. Continue to think in those veins for it brings to your conscious awareness our proximity to you.

And so as you are engaged this afternoon, remember that we do sit next to you. Our celestial garments rustle against your mortal garments and so we dance. I will move back and let Tomas prevail unless there is something that I can lend myself to. I will speak to you later; I am glad to be with you today. I emit my affection for you and for my lovely Hunnah who is not here today except in the spirit.

Celeste: We're so happy that you're here.
Leah: Yes, definitely.

TOMAS: And so this afternoon perhaps we could discuss how it is to be lost. I don't know if you can remember how it was before we came along, or if you have allowed yourself of late to reflect upon how it was in your life, in your mind, in your reality, before you became intimately involved in a reality including a spirit reality that extended beyond the confines of your local church and spread indeed into the superuniverses, even to Paradise itself.

I am very much aware, if you are not, of the complexion of your life when you were not aware of your origin and your destiny, and more particularly, of your immediate association with that God fragment that indwells you and is devoted to spiritizing your thinking, even to the survival of your immortal soul.

I bring these things up today because it is a new year and a good time to think, not only of your resolutions for the new time ahead, but to reflect upon how you have come so far, and you will notice I have not discussed how you have come so far in your material life and your material accomplishments, but rather your aesthetic and spiritual accomplishments.

It was not long ago that many of you had, on your dinner plate, trauma and fear. Indeed you were lost and many of you were putting up a good front by way of bravely forging ahead in blind faith toward some Pollyanna future. And I am not here to cast negative aspersions on your blind faith, no, but to remind you now how different your life is that you have companions in the spirit, not only myself and other familiar names and personalities in the Teaching Corps but you have come to know Jesus as your friend, an intimate associate; you have, many of you, come to know your personal guides and even to have developed a correspondence/ communication with them. You are even now seeking to find the midwayers who work ably in your immediate life, and so on. Your neighborhood has expanded to include vast realms of time and space.

I would like for you to appreciate how far you have come, how far we have come together, and this within a very short, relatively very short period of time. I would ask you to look at your own faith, and how your faith has grown, in realizing that you are loved and that you are worthy of love, being a child of the Eternal Parent, and in this understanding of your heritage of love, you have been able to open doors to other people, allowing yourself to love those who are lovely and even those who are unlovable.

You have expanded your horizons regarding service and loving service. You have become tolerant of others and been able to see them in perspective now that you have viewed eternity with the eye of the Paradise Father. The farther view has enabled you to see more kindly, and with more compassion on those who linger and languish in darkness and in fear.

Your exercises in establishing within yourself a recognition of the working elements of the fruits of the divine spirit has enabled you to open your hearts and souls and minds to the experience of other personalities in such a way that your here-to-fore private lives were locked behind keys, hidden behind curtains, unable then to be exposed to the light of the sonship, of the friendship, of the fraternity, of the kingdom.

And so your lives have gone from dark to light, from night to day, an again all within a very short period of time. You see how quickly you advance when you give yourself to the spirit, when you allow the spirit to guide your life, when you are in faith of the divine overcare of spirit reality you are unafraid to walk through those valleys and fields of doubt and fear.

You fearlessly go where you would have feared to go before. Now you know that we are leading you into greater reality and it is not a primrose path. It is not an escape from reality but a greater reality. Look you well to your own soul's growth: the courage that you have established in your loyalty to those values which will see you through to this greater reality; the stamina that has contributed to your increased appetite and your fortitude; your hunger and thirst for righteousness has increased to the extent that you eliminate from your diet that which is non nourishing and non productive of this greater reality; the joy of your inner life is indeed becoming the reflection of your true reality, your own Father-bestowed divine personality, living, loving and rejoicing in the life that you are given as his children. It will not be long, my sons and daughters, before your realm of light and life has become so contagious, so alluring and so revealing as to assimilate large hunks of humanity.

I encourage you in your preparation for your ambitious goals of this new year, indeed, to also assimilate the ambition of those of us in the spirit realm who work with you, that you allow for tremendous growth strides, for those who will see your light and seek to follow you who follow Him, and you will be called upon, young fledglings teachers, to teach in the fields as you are being taught, even today, and so prepare yourselves. Establish within yourselves that appreciation for your own attainments through the spirit that you would have others reflect back to you that also reflect tot he Father his divine love, his divine purpose, and your role in this that we all play.

I am eager to hear your voices now. I understood that there were questions.

Iyana: This is Iyana. Tomas, I just have a remark to make, that you talk about the change in our attitude and so forth. When my daughter was to have her operation I did not worry at all, and I thought that this was wonderful. She had a great attitude about it, too. We just felt that everything would be fine, that she was in The Father's hands, there was no need of us to waste our energy on anything negative. And I want to thank all of the celestials and everybody for all of this attitude that we can now bring forth.

TOMAS: You are welcome, daughter, and I thank you also for the assimilation of this value truth in your own heart and soul and mind, that these are indeed values that you can reflect and live with and by. It is, as we've said incessantly, an integrated neighborhood. As you help me I help you and vice versa. We all pull together in truth, beauty and goodness.

In all of these life experiences there is value if we are intent upon getting to know the Father and His divine life for us. All He has for us is good, and if and when we can allow the fear to fall away, we have only yet more life and love to reflect His divine beauty. You are testimony to the growth of the human and the divine soul.

Iyana: Also, I could add that I have a neighbor who is losing his sight and I feel such a willingness in my heart to be of assistance that I just feel that this is one road that I can take that I can be of help in service and do it willingly, and I stress the word willingly, and not feel put upon, and I am grateful for that attitude.

TOMAS: As are we. You are now exemplifying the truth of the value lesson of "loving service" and we have spoken many times that service expended in love is not the same as that which is performed out of a sense of duty or obligation. Your Merciful ministry to your neighbor is an example of the fruits of the spirit in action and you can utilize this learning and teaching experience to convey the reality of truth which extends and expands beyond the limitations of the life in the flesh, that as he begins to see with eyes to see rather than with the eyes of the human tabernacle, he will begin to perceive his future and eagerly anticipate the experiences to come. You are given a great opportunity here to advance this man's soul appreciation. Congratulations, Iyana.

Iyana: I'm not looking for any bouquets. I would just like, if no one else has a question, I have one that I would like to -- it's a little different.

TOMAS: We have time and space to assimilate all of your appetites.

Iyana: I am going to be giving a lesson with the church ladies and the lesson is about Jesus as he came out of the tomb and appeared to the apostles in his morontia form. Now these people do not really know anything about the morontia form. I wonder, am I to forget that I know certain things from my reading The Urantia Book and take it easy, so to speak, because they perhaps wouldn't know what I was going to talk about, so I would like to know if I could mention what the morontia form is and if as Jesus kept appearing to the disciples that his morontia form kept changing. Am I allowed to say anything? This is what I want to know, is how can I say something without saying too much?

TOMAS: Oh, you are an eager student and how we do appreciate your efforts and your sensitivity to plant seeds and to allow for these seeds to be palatable to the earth that you find before you, and so we respect your question and will give it solicitous response.

You are right to not want to overwhelm your sisters, your peers, with intellectual knowledge, and yet you do not want to deprive them of that exhilarating truth which has given you scope and comprehension beyond traditional teachings. You might hold off using the term "morontial" until such a time as you are able to implant in them an understanding of your understanding of the reality of the resurrected Christ.

The "resurrected form" is a phrase you could use. The "spirit manifestation" you can use. The "ether form" is a method of conveying a non-corporeal body. In new age terms, the "astral body" is readily accepted as a parallel understanding for the morontial body.

These realms of conveying your understanding are in many ways open to your creative outpouring, creative license, if you will. It is the point you are wishing to convey. It is not necessary at this point to try to change their definitions, their language. Add to their understanding without overwhelming them with intellectualism such as words like "morontia." In time, the word "morontial" will leak into your society and be assimilated as a reality such as it is and in certain circles you are free to introduce the word and the concept and even to convey the force of such a word, and yet, as you say, these are ladies from your church, and it may be too frightening for them and will defeat your own high purpose if you lord this word over them.

Iyana: I understand. Thank you very much.
TOMAS: You are very welcome. I am eager to hear of your progress.
Iyana: Every so often I try to sneak in a little something when I'm there with the group.

TOMAS: You are progressive, Iyana. Even for your day and time you are in the vanguard of believers and it is not intimated that you should hide your light under a bushel, but rather not to blind them with your radiance. It is a delicate balance that you, in conjunction with your spirit guides, can bring to the fore.

There will be times when you will be in an intimacy with one at a time that you will be able to reveal your truths more openly than you can in a group format, for in a group format, they will be looking to each other for confirmation as to whether you are real or unreal, and yet when you are working with them one on one, when your Thought Adjuster is embracing theirs, they are more likely to reverberate with your truths.

Celeste: Tomas, I have a friend who is very active in her church and studies and teaches Bible and all that, and so at one point in a fun conversation we were having together, I said that some of us are going to call the Thought Adjuster within ourselves, so a couple of weeks later she said, "I like that term for Jesus in us!"

TOMAS: You were fortunate to have found fertile soil for that phrase. The advanced being realizes that their thoughts could stand some adjusting, but there are the resistant egos who would object to anyone messing with their mind, and so congratulations to you for having found fertile soil and having the intuition to plant your seed at that time.

Celeste: Tomas, when I was a little girl, I remember loving Jesus and feeling very loved by Jesus. When I was a little, little girl I always felt loved by Jesus. And then when I got older I loved Jesus. And yet I still feel like a little girl loving Jesus. I feel like I really haven't become a truly mature woman who loves Jesus in the most mature way possible. And I'm getting kind of up there; it's getting a little late!

TOMAS: It is not late, child. You realize that in terms of age, Michael has been around several thousand years longer than you have. Not only is he 2,000 years beyond you as you know him, Jesus, but he is truly thousands, perhaps millions of years older than you in terms of our Creator, and so always will he be older and wiser and always will you be his child.

As you have been taught, in time you will be raised up to a status of spiritual adulthood, and even here, do not push into realms before you are ready. It serves no purpose for you to be impatient to become so wizened that you are no longer a child, for as long as you remain a child in your attitude, you are teachable and this makes for a good relationship between you and the Master, for it is he who will teach you throughout your career in his local universe.

Now, you may be referring to those romantic terms of "the beloved and the bridegroom" and so forth, but remember he is already spoken for in terms of Mother Nebadonia so you may never rise to your full reality with him, woman, but be delighted in your childlike belief and faith and relationship which is appropriate.

Indeed, along these lines, you might, like others in our association, assimilate the qualities of Nebadonia as those qualities you would aspire to have and this would be helpful in enabling you to rise up to the full value of your feminine gifts which will be with you throughout eternity. Allow Mother Nebadonia to also speak to you and do not look to Michael, Jesus, for all of your understandings.

Celeste: That's neat.

Iyana: I'd like to say something, Tomas. That had been worrying me, you know, that I had been feeling that I hadn't been doing much in regard to the Teaching Mission and so forth, so when I joined these ladies group at the church -- I don't go to church, but I thought, "Well, I have to be around some people who are on the path" so I thought, "Well, I'll just go into this group."

So in the meantime I have been waking up in the morning and I have been writing some verse, and the verses are all more or less prayers, so I decided that I would put it in the church "Echo" and they printed it. Time went by and I didn't hear anything about it, so the next month I decided I wouldn't put one in. The month after that I put in another one and they printed it and THREE MORE people put in their poems, so I thought, "Oh, great! I've opened up a can of worms. Now maybe they'll find out there are a lot of creative people who are afraid to express themselves," but these little verses, of course, are all little verses and phrases of prayers and I think that it's a good way and it was the one thing I thought, "Well, I can try and do it." So that's what I did, and I have many more, but I don't know if I'll force them on them or not.

TOMAS: I would like to say that in your way you are contributing to Correcting Time. You are working in this Mission. Are you not enabling others to find their voice and offer praise? Have you not now contributed to the practice of prayer and worship, of thanksgiving and psalm singing in your own realm? Nothing is more important than the work of your realm, and if you don't have one, get one, and you have done just that. You have set out to catch fish for the Master. You have found a bank whereupon you have tossed your line and you are feeding your fish. They are even now beginning to vocalize their faith and so you have contributed. Indeed, child, you are working in the field.

Iyana: Thank you.
TOMAS: It is not for you to judge your efforts but to work.
Liana: Tomas?
TOMAS: Yes, my daughter.

Liana: When you were speaking earlier, it sounded to me that you were saying ... what I was relating to in my own language was that this is a good year for possibly purification? You were talking about the physical body and being directed toward more healthful foods, if I understood that correctly. My feeling is that this last year has been a year of purification for myself, mental purification, and this year I feel like I want to write about that and I want to go on more with the body thing, where loving the body and proving that I love the body by treating it well, like you would treat anything well that you love. And also loving myself in that same respect. That's the whole process that I've been going through this last year. Was it...? It seemed to me that I was hearing you talk about that, in this year. I guess what I'm asking is that what you were saying? And am I on the right track in thinking that I want to write about what I've gone through the last two years.

TOMAS: I will chat with you about what you conveyed. My words had to do with that which nourishes, and yet your ear, your divine line, was open to embellish the concept of nourishment to incorporate your own realm, your own understanding of this word and the value that it represents. You know, Jesus used to speak in parables, and he could talk about a simple thing and each person who heard him, heard what they needed to hear for their own growth, and so what you have done, Liana, is you have heard what you need to hear for your own growth in your own realm which is the important work for you.

You have expressed your desire to develop your skills, your intuition and your appreciation of the tabernacle that houses the God fragment - the machinery that works for you in your efforts to enjoy life and to convey truth, beauty and goodness in and through your life. You have a noble calling and writing is, of course, one practice which we are encouraging for it enables you to become well versed, if you will, in guidance from your higher consciousness and your spirit guides.

You are intent to develop yourself and incorporate the corporeal aspect of your person and I will not discourage this in the least. It is a matter of good health indeed, and I agree that the body is as viable a reality as any facet of your existence.

Remember that you are born animal and your destiny is spirit, and while we are at work and at play, it behooves you and us to maintain an integrated personality, a well-balanced personality, and that includes the spirit, the mind and the body, even the emotions, and so enabling yourself to focus on this realm and yet while maintaining your strong connection with the antitheses, the spirit, you can do wonderful work and your work can bring riches to your life as well as value to the lives of others.

When you deny any part of your composite person, you deny a large part of who you are. You throw yourself off balance. And so it is wise to encourage the assimilation and good care of each facet of the human being. Has that been helpful?

Liana: Yes. Thank you very much, Tomas.

TOMAS: Remember that the physical body is that which houses the spiritual body and that the spiritual body, the morontial body is with you even now. It is encased in flesh and blood, bone and matter, but it is there, even so. And as you maintain your physical body, you provide your morontia body with an adequate avenue of expression, of dance and rejoicing, of service and care for others.

Iyana: When we were promised that our bodies would be made over, a few years back, -- whenever any little thing would happen to us, sometimes we'd think, "Oh, this is part of the change!" Now, would that be true or is that what we are really just receiving what ordinarily goes on in a material world?

TOMAS: It is a little bit of both, Iyana. You are still re-creating cells and each organ is being renewed and re-created in the standard biological sense, and so you are being renewed in this way, yes; but it also goes to your attitude and your hope and faith for your tomorrow, which gives rise to an accelerated appreciation of good health and thus your mental attitude has a great bearing on your physical.

Iyana: That's what I thought. I seem to have come to a conclusion that it isn't what's wrong with you, it's how you handle it.

TOMAS: Absolutely. And not only that, much of what happens to you would not happen to you if you had an attitude that was not conducive to illness. Mental attitudes, fears, angers, resentments, these are deadly to the body and the spirit, and so it is necessary for you to find these bottlenecks within yourself that jam up the free flow of spirit.

Iyana: This wonderful book, "God Calling," speaks -- these two women speak. Jesus is speaking to them, and most all of his talks to them is referring to, no matter what happens to them, they will get through it and to have courage and faith. It's a wonderful, wonderful encouraging book.

TOMAS: We are familiar with the work and have been known to recommend it on occasion and refer to it also. It is a lovely book, has many truths. It is not as perfect as others, but for its day and time, and considering the conditioning of the two listeners, it is an excellent piece and fraught with faith, good hope and good fortitude.

Iyana: Yes, it was 50 years ago now. 1932.
TOMAS: That is more than 50. Check your mathematics.
Group: [Laughter] 65 years ago.

Iyana: It is a pleasure to come down. Even though I don't visit very often, it is a pleasure to come down and I thank you for letting me take up the time to sort of make up for my missed time. Thank you very much.

TOMAS: You are well loved, Iyana. We enjoy your companionship.

Celeste: Tomas, I was so -- I loved the reading last week about Jesus [Ed: Second Discourse on Religion, pg. 1732]. I was almost overwhelmed when he spoke to the people and said, "remember, the Jews have been -- the earliest people, truly, to have really searched for God" and because they couldn't accept Jesus, the world had been very, very hard on them, but we must remember that they were people who worked so hard to find God and started teaching the rest of us about God. I was very happy to hear that read last week. It was so wonderful! I just wish it could be in all the newspapers.

TOMAS: There are many parts of the Book that are overlooked or are unappreciated until a certain moment when your chords are strummed. I would like to say that there are many instances of heroics in your history, in the history of your planet. The noble deeds and feats of your early, early ancestors are often referenced as the epitome of courage and heroics, and that by comparison you today are soft and weak.

In the marriage Papers you will read about those who commit themselves in marriage and yet today there are those who approach it as if to say, "If it doesn't work, we can get a divorce next week," and this is another indication of how you have become soft and weak and have lost much of the steadfastness and stick-to-it-iveness of your more noble ancestors.

I would like to use this as a springboard now to return us full cycle to my words earlier having to do with your appreciation of your accomplishments and have you include in your review of where you are today, an understanding of your own efforts involved in attaining this appreciation of your spirit reality.

If you had not followed through on the prompts, if you had not enabled yourself to develop an appetite for your spiritual hunger, if you had allowed yourself to continue to abandon yourself in the cheap thrills and short-term gratifications of the animal, then your spirit would have remained stagnant and the lives of those you have touched with your faith would also remain undeveloped, and so I encourage you in some contexts, to realize that the work that you are doing today, as the new apostles for the living Christ, the disciples of the modern age, you who are a courageous vanguard of new divine truth to Urantia, are indeed a new breed of courageous sons and daughters that Urantia has long sought, long needed, long waited for.

Those of you who are willing to lay down your lives in order that Michael may be resurrected in the lives of these men and women of today who find themselves lost in fear and darkness, you have etched your names in the records as ennobled souls. You may not be remembered in history here, but your records will tell of your faith in these early days of Correcting Time when the circuits were opening and you stood for truth and you fought for faith.

In the light of my pep talk, then, I will cut you loose for the afternoon. I trust that our faithful midwayers have helped our sisters in distress and that your viral distress, Celeste, will be alleviated in appropriate due course.

Celeste: Thank you, thank you. Like in five minutes!

TOMAS: Yes. We will urge that virus, "Out! Out! Out!" and insert Love-Love-Love In-In-In.

Dear daughters, lovely girls, including you Merium my dear friend, I think we'd best go now because the day wears on and the page turns. Is it not a poem by one of your authors that speaks of "the moving finger writes and having writ moves on." Well, so be it. Amen and farewell.

Group: Thank you. Thank you for coming. Farewell.

*****

DATE: January 18, 1998
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, P.A. USA
T/R: Gerdean
TEACHERS: TOMAS, MERIUM

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
Paper 17, THE SEVEN SUPREME SPIRIT GROUPS, Pg. 202-206
#5. The Seven Spirits of the Circuits
#6. The Local Universe Creative Spirits
#7. The Adjutant Mind-Spirits
#8. Functions of the Supreme Spirits
Paper 133, THE RETURN FROM ROME, Pg. 1476-80
#7. Final Paragraph of The Sojourn at Cyprus - Discourse on Mind
#6. At Ephesus - Discourse on the Soul
#5. At Athens - Discourse on Science

TEACHER SESSION
TOPIC:
THE EFFECTS OF QUARANTINE

TOMAS: Good afternoon my loyal comrades. I am Tomas.
Group: (Celeste, Hester, Leah and Gerdean) : Good afternoon, Tomas.

TOMAS: Merium and I greet you in the spirit of Michael and Nebadonia and the troops. We are glad to be with you, glad that you have come forth in search of your own soul.

It is our challenge now to attempt to enable you to discern your soul and its needs. It is, of course, often that you don't know your soul or its needs until such time as it begins to reveal itself, or hunger, and then, like any child, you seek satisfaction for that yearning. I am glad that you bring your potential appetites, your yearnings, to our configuration. I am glad, in other words, that we are friends.

Leah: Thank you.
Hester: Thank you.
Celeste: I'm glad, too.

TOMAS: Your readings were provocative this afternoon. Your discourses also were titillating. Your humor is becoming keener and more elevated. Your personalities are refreshing and rewarding to yourselves and to each other and to us -- not that you weren't always adorable, mind you, but you're getting even more so as time goes by.

Let me talk a bit this afternoon, but briefly, regarding this thing of quarantine. We were listening when you discussed earlier that you had a childhood disease that disallowed your attendance at school, and the very idea of putting a sign on the door indicating "Quarantine" brought the subject to the mind of everyone present, that Urantia is a planet which has known quarantine, which was, indeed, detained from attending school with its fellows for some time.

All of you have experienced the time delay of quarantine, from measles, mumps or flu or some disruption in your life's plan that kept you from doing what you would do with your fellows; in terms of Urantia experience, a fairly long-term quarantine, certainly long-term by your standards and is truly retarded in terms of its development.

You could equate your terms of schooling, Hester, as you were doing about first and second grade and so forth, and assume that Urantia then has not been able to attend four or five of its original grades but is now an adolescent and is attempting to begin at the beginning; and this presents great difficulty. Not only are your approaches toward amalgamation of race obscured, your loyalties are cloudy, and your entire development is crippled. Now how it is that we resume from here is the challenge of the ages.

And so when we see you being radiantly witty and happy, refreshing in your personality manifestation, we are joyed, for it shows that the Spirit is in operation. The healing aspect of the circuits being opened is working. The sunlight of the Spirit is shining upon you and you are beginning to be familiar with your natural place in time and space, your natural course work of life.

In fact, your private school here has enabled you to play catch-up on your spiritual education in some regards. The difficulty of experiencing an extended quarantine from your peers is not something that cannot be overcome, but it is something that you will feel the effects of for some time, even though they will be subtle. You will not notice them so much here on Urantia as you will when you begin to intermingle on the Mansion Worlds with others.

But they will recognize that since you came from Urantia you have certain defects of character inherent. But, by the same token, there are, of course, certain privileges and prerogatives based on your agondonter aspect. One of the effects of involvement in quarantine is your tendency then forever to avoid the limelight, to say "I'm under the weather and want to stay home". It is a learning to go into isolation of your own accord.

If you are forced to stay out of the public eye (and this is easier), then it is a conditioning that you choose for yourself on occasion. It is easier to isolate and stay home than to go out into the milieu and deal with others, particularly others who are also retarded.

I will not dwell on that aspect of your status, for I understand your context is different than mine. You might begin to consider the various definitions of the word. It is not as bad as you think. Everyone on Urantia, in the term that I use, is retarded. Your growth is retarded and you who have been on leave from school, from having the measles, realize that when you go back, you have two or three chapters to catch up on, and it is in this context that your studies are retarded. They are slowed down but they are not permanently derailed.

It is like emotional retardation, which is a strong, strident condition on Urantia. Your emotions are undeveloped; your emotions are undeveloped largely because of your misunderstanding of what love is, and love being the supreme emotion, your comprehension of love is retarded. You are therefore emotionally retarded. Now I don't say this -- again I reiterate -- to make you feel bad but to help you understand that you have work to do, that we have work to do, and that when you look at your status and wonder where your soul is, you have an understanding of what you have to work with, for, against and about.

It was not long ago that I discussed with you your accomplishments, your spiritual accomplishments, and this is very real, very real growth. As you develop in your own dignity, your own appreciation of sonship, your own affinity with divinity, you become more real. That which is defective and retarded will fall away, but only as you seek to regain reality standing. You must strive.

It is necessary for you to work hard when you go back to school, to catch up, and to excel and to learn to love school and the association with other students. It is too easy to remain out of the mainstream and use the excuse of illness to not grow. It is important that you begin to hunger for knowledge and understanding. As you begin to whet your own appetite for truth, beauty and goodness, you begin to thrive. You fatten up your own soul's opportunities and rewards. This is your responsibility.

It is through your choices. We have seen with eyes to see -- as you will see with eyes to see -- those who seek to remain in a lesser state, who says, "I have been sick. I am retarded. I am crippled. It's not my fault. I can't." Instill in them hope that they can indeed and that it is our destiny to advance. It does not serve to stand around and mope or to blame. It is common practice to blame others, and particularly when you feel helpless about the situation.

"It was Lucifer; it was Caligastia; it was Adam and Eve; it was the other guy. It was my parents; it was my upbringing; it was that teacher; it was that spouse; it was that accident; it was that mishap that stands in my way of full radiance of spirit". This attitude will get you nowhere. It will continue to allow you to remain in quarantine of your own making, your own isolation.

And you as apostles, disciples of the living spirit, are in a position now to encourage those who have been bed-ridden and home-bound to come forth, to come out of their cocoons of isolation into the sunlight to play, to work, to strive, to grow, to be. Allow them to realize that the universe is a healthy, happy place to live; that our Parents in Heaven are loving and concerned parents; that we are happy, joyous children, entitled to our heritage as sons and daughters of the living God. This is an assignment.

This is our assignment in the Teaching Corps. And as we are your teachers, we have come to teach you to teach others these enduring truths. Come out and play. Be with us. Come forward. Dear children, are there any questions today? Would you like to come forward with your inquiries?

Celeste: I would like to just say one thing. It's not a question exactly, but, if being a little bit retarded has made it possible for us to know you and for you to pay attention to us and to teach us, it's probably well worth it. We're all so willing to grow in love and joy and you certainly are helping us to do that.

TOMAS: I join with you, my daughter, in giving thanks for this opportunity. It was indeed Michael and His Consort who heard your prayers, those of you who have long been held in quarantine and who have lamented your isolation, who have long sought and prayed for this coming. Yes, indeed, we are all very grateful for the opportunity to now rise up and afford Him the glory He has coming, as do we who work and serve in His vineyard.

Celeste: We all seek the joy of life, I know, so I'm presuming everybody seeks that great feeling of joy and life, and when you have it, it's just the best feeling in the world! But I also think that sometimes we draw too much on those negative things that happened all during our lifetimes. Do you think that when your joy of life reaches that great peak of joy you can finally forget the negatives of your past and really let them go?

TOMAS: Yes, I do. In fact that's part of the plan. Now, I am not saying that the lessons vanish, no, for the lessons are part of you and your personality and your integrity forever, but the pain of the experience subsides, and I have mentioned this before, in terms of childbirth, you have heard the equation that you forget the pain of childbirth in the love of the child, and this is how it is with your experiences.

You gain wisdom through adversity, and although the realization, the insight may have come under dire circumstances, you have now the wisdom that will enable you to rise above those circumstances that would give rise to yet more pain. And so you get smarter as you evolve also. Now when you learn your lessons, you don't dwell on the labor pains, you dwell on the birth and the truth of the experience. This is a result of maturing and realizing the fruits of your labors.

Celeste: So actually the experience has been good, but you have to let go of the negative aspects of the experience.

TOMAS: You need to put it in perspective, yes. Part of the difficulty goes back to your quarantine. You have not been assisted by counsel as you would have been had you not had this deficit. If your family has been imbued with the love of God and each other (and many families have been; there is great culture in existence on Urantia), you are at an advantage here, for you have already learned the truth that it is a friendly universe. It is not true, however, for much of humanity.

Hester: Tomas, is it not true that we can take an experience that seems to be negative and learn from it, and therein it becomes a positive growth program for us?

TOMAS: Yes, of course. Let us take, indeed, the Lucifer Rebellion, which has had devastating effects, and yet it is reported that the positive effects of the Lucifer Rebellion have already begun to outweigh the negative effects; and depending upon your perspective, you can agree or disagree with that, but if you see it from the eyes of those advanced in wisdom, you will be able to see that that reality is true, that your survival techniques, your stamina, your intuitive natures, your ability to have compassion, your understanding, many things, the Lucifer Rebellion has given rise to many qualities of perception and comprehension that would not have been felt and experienced had you not had this set-back.

It is like when you have a human condition. If you have (and this is a very difficult example. Let us say you have) a person who has been in the war and who has had spinal damage and paralysis is now in existence and you could very readily say that this person's life was ruined, thanks to the war, but there are living examples of human courage and stamina that fly in the face of such devastation. The soul and spirit of the man, the woman, is such that they go on to be an example to others who would lie down before their troubles without a struggle.

The artwork that has been performed by people who can only hold a brush in their teeth; the story of "My Left Foot", the brainpower of some of these lads and lasses who cannot speak but who can think vividly and clearly, are inspirational; and these examples are somewhat paralleled to the experience of the Lucifer Rebellion. No one in their right mind could ever consciously ask for such devastation to take place, but since such devastation does take place, has taken place, it is a testimony to the spirit, the human spirit and the divine Spirit within, that victory IS, even in the face of such difficulty.

Celeste: But you would have to release that, the pain.
TOMAS: You have to release the anger...
Celeste: Yes.
TOMAS: ... the blame...
Celeste: Uh-huh.

TOMAS: ... the frustration. You cannot stay inside and say, "Look what they've done to me," and feel sorry for yourself. These many, many handicaps of time and space are necessary to be overcome. This is my pep talk for you today, that as we overcome these defects and debilitating conditions, we can be stronger and more vibrant believers than if we had not experienced the difficulty in the first place.

It is an opportunity, if you will, in sports-like terms, to rise from the bottom of the heap to be the national champion. It is like the horse that is such a nag no one would bet on it, but it comes in by a nose. It is an opportunity for you in the left field of this system of Satania, to rise to the challenge of creating a sphere of perfection for yourself and for the honor of Michael that would be the envy of all Nebadon. You have that opportunity here. You have that opportunity. And so I call it to your attention today that in spite of the odds, you are obvious winners, and Urantia is, in potential, a trophy.

I will point out one more thing, and that is that you need to choose to do this. You cannot sit back and trust mercy to get you there without effort, without your decision, without your cooperation, and I will point out that this is one of the problems with Lucifer. He opted not to go forward, and so he is as if he had never been, because he opted not to be. And you have that same right, that same privilege, that same decision. If you opt to be, then you have no virtue until your acts make you worthy of it.

Celeste: It's hard to believe that he would not opt to go forward.
Hester: Could it be possible that he could still opt to go forward?

TOMAS: He is as if he had never been. The Lucifer Rebellion is adjudicated. He is no more. His opportunity for mercy has been extended, over-extended and refused, and he is no more. It was his choice. Why would one make such a choice? In this case: pride.

Celeste: Oh, yes. Pride. We all have some of that.

TOMAS: Pride will not serve you in eternity. It is well to consider the defects of pride, and yet when you think in terms of pride it is not without merit if it is appropriate pride. You have been encouraged to appreciate your own accomplishments and in truth you can feel appropriately proud of your accomplishments, realizing that you have made them in accordance with His will and with His strength and for His glory. Yes.

Celeste: What could have ruined his pride? What did he come up against that destroyed him?

TOMAS: I will speak to you as if you were a creative person and you create something. Perhaps you create a painting. Perhaps you create an idea, an institution. Perhaps you create a human being, a person. You have created something that is of your making and you like it, you'll stand behind it, then someone comes along and says, "It's flawed," and you say, "I refuse to accept your opinion. I stand behind my creation," even when your creation is not made with good material, when it is not authorized by the Manufacturer.

This is a peculiar metaphor, perhaps, but he became so committed to his error, he could not back down. Had he backed down, he would have admitted he was wrong and he couldn't do this, so he stood behind his error. Now this is very interesting. This is something (tape turned) ... their devotion, their commitment to an idea, an ideal even, of their own making, of their understanding, of their perception. Even Adam and Eve erred.

It is possible to err and so it is a good idea always to be in alignment with the Father and ask Him for guidance and direction. Always discuss these things with the Father, with Michael. Always ask for counsel. It is when you go off on your own, tearing into the night with a great idea, that you are liable to get into trouble.

Celeste: Yes.

TOMAS: It is one of the reasons we encourage you to sit in stillness with the Father; it is another thing that we encourage that you share your inner life with your fellows. We encourage you to support one another and bring your concerns to each other in confiding trust, for in the socializing aspect, you share all knowledge and ambition. Ambition is dangerous unless and until it is fully socialized.

Celeste: Thank you. That's really wonderful to hear.

TOMAS: It is wonderful to be your tutor. It is wonderful to have the curriculum as presented by the Melchizedeks and this wonderful class to teach. It is wonderful to have such a wonderful format. It is wonderful to see your living reality growing and developing in living love.

Celeste: Thank you.
Hester: Thank you, Tomas.

MERIUM: I am Merium. Good afternoon, my friends. I am glad to be here and come in and fluff up your pillows a bit. Tomas can get ponderous, can he not?

Group: Welcome, Merium. Yeah, but he's for real. He is wonderful.

MERIUM: I love him also. It's just that any monopoly of personality can be tedious, and so I am here in obedience to your needs to be fluffed up. Are there any matters that you'd like to address to the feminine half?

Celeste: Speak up, somebody. Maybe you should ask us that which we should be asking you.

MERIUM: We have been working very hard, we girls, in the realms of tutoring. I am very happy with Our Mother's adjuncts, the personal teachers and seraphim that are constantly ministering to the creatures of time and space. It was a pleasure recently to behold Jay-Orzh and Trieste discuss your spirit needs as needs which you have not begun to identify and pursue.

You have, for example, the need for devotion and your society does not provide you with adequate resources to express your devotion. You have an understanding of marital devotion and you have an understanding of material devotion and also devotion to your job, but by and large these are for your human survival and your material needs. You do not practice devotion for the joy of devotion.

It would be as if you were to sing just to sing, not to be in the choir, not to provide a role for the instruments, not to cut a record, not to entertain, but just to sing, in praise, and it is that facet of you that is underdeveloped, undernourished.

Celeste: That would be a good thing for us to practice. Each time, everybody come with some kind of praise. That would be wonderful.

MERIUM: It would be a wonderful exercise, indeed. And not to become overly structured about it, but to have a thought, a phrase, a concept, a gem, of devotion that you would offer up to Our Mother, Our Father, to each other, and to yourself as an offering to your need to know and experience and express your devotion.

Celeste: That's a good idea.

MERIUM: Oh, good! Tomas, I think we've got them here. I think, indeed, it's a good idea that we experiment for a week or two with the idea of devotion before we go on to reverence and yet other aspects that are part of your reality that you have not garnered.

Hester: Can I ask: is not gratitude the basis of devotion?

MERIUM: I would not say so, although they are certainly on the positive side of the ledger. Gratitude is a method of enabling you to find a reason for being, even when life is at its worst. Gratitude is a silver thread you can hold onto. As you hold onto this silver thread of gratitude, it may indeed knit itself into a tapestry of radiant joy, but it is not going to, in and of itself, provide you with stimuli for devotion. It may just enable you to keep your head above water.

Devotion is a full, consecrated commitment, an elevated appreciation. It is in advance of gratitude. Gratitude is, however, an excellent start. Has that been helpful? (No) Do you disagree?

Hester: I disagree. I disagree positively, not negatively. I feel that gratitude is the thing that awakens the spirit of joy within you. I feel that gratitude for the greatness of the divinity of Jesus that he laid down to come to be just for us, just for us -- this is true gratitude! And it is the basis for adoration, rather than for something less. In my life. Maybe it's the way I see it.

MERIUM: I see that you have already usurped the privilege of presenting your devotion. You go to the first of the class. I am in full appreciation of your devotion to truth and I am grateful, Hester.

Hester: Bless you.

MERIUM: I will remove myself in full appreciation of your on-going enclave and of Tomas' ability to handle your wonderful personalities. I will be in attendance as always. I look forward to our next discourse. I'll see you soon.

Celeste: Thank you for coming.
Hester: Thank you very much. Very enlightening; very opening.

TOMAS: I am, as always, delighted at my cohort Merium who has so graciously provided our assignment and I didn't even have to work in order for it to come about. What a true helpmate. I am going to then wind it up. Is there anything further?

Hester: Thank you for a very enriching time.
Celeste: Yes, thank you.
Leah: Thank you.

TOMAS: Likewise. You are well loved and deeply appreciated. Let our spirits soar throughout the week as we realize the confinement of our quarantine is behind us and the liberating freedom of soul growth is before us. Let us rise up in devotion to that spirit which has given us wings. Farewell.

*****

DATE: January 25, 1998
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, P.A. USA
T/R’s: Gerdean and Hunnah
TEACHERS: TOMAS, MERIUM, SPRING

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
Paper 18, THE SUPREME TRINITY PERSONALITIES, 207-213
#1. The Trinitized Secrets of Supremacy
#2. The Eternals of Days
#3. The Ancients of Days
#4. The Perfections of Days
#5. The Recents of Days
#6. The Unions of Days
#7. The Faithfuls of Days

TEACHER SESSION:
TOPIC:
SWIMMING IN THE LIVING WATERS

TOMAS: Good afternoon. I am Tomas.
Group Celeste, Hunnah and Gerdean: Good afternoon, Tomas.

TOMAS: I am coming in here and standing at the lectern. I have my pointer stick in front of me and I am tapping it upon the lectern and getting your attention. I am doing this, class, because you are all out in the universe, in thought and devotion, and it is heartwarming to perceive the depth of your devotion, but it is a matter of time and space that we have got to get underway or we will not get our lesson in this afternoon.

How tedious of me, you say. No, I am simply disciplined. I was amused at even Gerdean's mind meandering all over the cosmos in partial response to your diligent reading. The universe personalities are truly something to distract you, but we are bringing it back into focus, for our work is here and as you well know, there is nothing more important than the work of your realm.

I will tell you that our associate Hester has sent her personal teacher in her stead today and she would like to speak a word of greeting. One moment.

SPRING: I am Spring. I am glad to be here and have an opportunity to verbalize my personality. I am a counter-balance to the woman you know and love. Indeed, in her heart she is pure and refreshing, like the water that bubbles up from the fount of eternity. I am her personal teacher. I am her companion in her spirit ascent. Her devotion to truth, although on occasion faulty in fact, is sublime in truth and in devotion to her I greet you this afternoon and also take this opportunity to introduce myself and to speak a word of greeting to my fellow teachers. Thank you. Farewell.

MERIUM: Good afternoon.

The group is small; it's intimate. But it is also open and receptive, and we will put playful but intelligent information in your little birdlike mouths so that you will be fed something that is very digestible, that will strengthen your beings and tweak you to remind you that devotion is upon you. Tomas?

TOMAS: Thank you, Merium. I will opportune myself of Spring's presence to draw you a picture of the living water. There is a resource in the text that speaks of the river, that river of life and love which pours past and of which you are a part [U.B. 404 d-- ... "the river of life which is poured out upon all creation."]. The reflection is that "the riverbed is not the river" [U.B. 1098 d-- "The symbols of socialized religion are not to be despised as channels of growth, albeit the river bed is not the river"].

The river flows through you, with or without you. As you have seen in some rivers, the water will move, whether it moves quickly or slowly, whether the river is broad/wide or whether it is narrow and fast. The water is always moving. Always is the spirit alive and moving within you.

We have spent some time discussing devotion. You have been asked to consider, "What is devotion?" and your fleeting yet poignant thoughts on the subject have made an impression on you and I hope your minds and souls will continue to be open to the concept of devotion, but let me point out to you the parallel of devotion and the river.

If we say that the river is love, the Father is love, and living love is always moving, if we say that your heart is in the depth of this river, you will become part of this living water and be swept along in the stream, in the path, and become one with its Force, with its life-giving qualities. Part of love is devotion, and so you can be devoted in your movements and in your activities, even though you are not aware of being devoted.

Does the river know that it moves? Does love know that it loves? Does devotion know that it is devoted? It simply IS. It is activated, and it is activated with or without you. How it is that you make this a quality of your own is to devote yourself to that truth which gives reality to you, eternal reality to you.

You can very easily slough off the flow of water and become the riverbed. It is very easy for the mortal to allow the living water to wash over them and then to settle to the bottom as silt, as sludge, and assume that they are part of the stream. The living water is that which is active and alert, that which is moving, that which is constant and not that which lies inert and dead on the bottom.

When you are lying on the bottom -- perhaps in a healing space, in a rebellious space, in a resting space from the rigors of the living waters -- when you, in recovery terms, are in denial of the life swirling around you, when you are separating yourself from the living water, you may regard yourself as aloof from it or apart from it and determine that you have value in and of yourself, that indeed the river could not flow were it not for you. You fool yourself. For this river will flow with or without you.

Sometimes it will rise up to become a swamp and cover the land, waiting for the time and space, the circumstances, to surge forward, to torrent along, to fall in a waterfall of power and energy, but the Living Water is a reality that is greater than you, and only as you allow yourself to swim in the living water are you made greater, and as you allow yourself to be made greater by your association with this living water, you then have within you all of the elements of the water:

You have courage, you have devotion, you have love, and you have nourishment, all within yourself, for you have given up your tenacity to the sidelines. You have jumped into the living waters and you swim in faith that you will come out where you are supposed to come out.

Celeste: Tomas, I think I got an answer that I was asking for. When we were in the silent time, I was thinking about how much I love God and then I had this thought: "God, do I love you? And how should I love you? How much should I love you?" And it seems to me that I got the answer from what you've just said.

TOMAS: Perhaps I am prompting in you your identification with Divinity. I am glad for our association and glad to be a part of your musings. There are more thoughts along these lines. Merium?

MERIUM: "How shall I love thee?" It seems to me that I have heard Celeste express love and devotion at other gatherings. That is a second nature. This is a portion of her development that has come through rather effortlessly, and what I hear is a call to greater understanding and new expression, and this too will flow from you quite effortlessly because you are already an activated fountain of living water and love.

You have your own gentle, generous manner of expressing yourself and you are a delight. You have the ability to mingle very silently among people and you take the wreath of cologne that you wear so well, your very own fragrance, into your social setting. But you, too, like all the others in this group, are wanting to stretch and to have the feeling of greater fulfillment in this reach.

And you have already revealed the fact that it is coming to you, and that is why you are sensitive to it and asking, because it is on its way. "Ask and it shall be given." The very releasing within you is part of the development that makes you ask, and therefore you will be shown an expanded arena, an expression of this fullness that you want to hold.

And it does not require a lot of description from us; it is simply that you have lifted the window (which is something that people do not do anymore). It is as if you went over and opened the window to let the fresh spring air in and fill your house, and so it is just in that simple effortless way that you will experience this greater fulfillment and this diversity of service. It will come to you beautifully.

Celeste: Thank you.

MERIUM: You are a lady gardener. You do not carry a pick and shovel. You have a small trowel and a hoe, just as you do each year in your garden. It is something that you do in a natural affinity and it does not require the intensity of gardening in the past, but it is like little attendings to pots and such that you will find it a very pleasant, naturally woven, aspect of your personality and it will simply be expanded.

It is Valentine's Day that you celebrate in the future here, the season of the heart. Hunnah used to belong to a poetry group and she talked about the oasis of color in the dreary days of winter that would not be depicted as it is today here in your realm, but this little point of bright surprise that is coming up; and I hope you will allow yourself to enjoy this freedom of this color.

It is not inappropriate that we should be talking about devotion today. There is also an aspect of devotion that I would like to comment upon, and it is devotion to the self, of the caring of yourself, and it is so easy to be stretched too far and to feel the quaking of the string, and it is in your refined judgment that gives you the muscle and the self-discipline to pull away and say, "No, today is going to be a personal sabbath for me and I am going to be removed and take care of myself."

TOMAS: I am still on the river bottom.
MERIUM: I thought you were in the energy of the flow of living waters.

TOMAS: Of course, but I have a thought relating to the river bottom that ties in with your opening the window, and it is in total support of our afternoon's chat. As you are humble in your realization of the infinitude and largess of the universe and in the wonders around you such as you spoke of earlier, your humility, your understanding of your smallness, it is very easy for you, in this honest appraisal of your own limitations, to allow yourself to become the color of the mud at the bottom of Rathbeggin Creek, and you are not meant to stay there, even in your humility.

It is true that the scripture states that he who pumps himself up with pride and says, "I have done this, I have done that, and so surely God will look with favor upon me," is not as sweet as the man who says, "Forgive me, I have sinned. I am a sinner." And there is a certain residue here in realizing your smallness and your powerlessness in life. The river is powerful and sometimes when you feel small you feel like you don't want to be swallowed up in this huge, vast, powerful river, but it is very much as Merium says, you open the window and feel the cool breeze.

It is a friendly universe. It is a gentle Lord we serve. Even in his strength and power he is gentle with his children, and so I will bring in a message, a lesson from Abraham, and that has to do with turning on the light switch. When you find yourself in the dark, at the bottom of the river, feeling that the swell of life is too much and that you are not up to it, go over and turn on the light switch. It's a simple matter of turning the page, turning on the switch, opening the window, and allowing life to embrace you once again.

It is perhaps a little lull in your life that allows you to nurture that tender selfishness of self-pity that you cannot conquer all the needs that you cannot comprehend all the wisdom that you cannot rain upon all the loveliness; and so your sense of smallness is delightful but it is not meant for you to stay there. Even as you come up and out, and become embroiled in the duties of the river of life and love, it is, even here, not always required that you take your energy into service as compelling as that need is and may be.

Again, as Merium has suggested with your Valentine Day holiday coming up, learn also to love yourself, and to spend time serving your own higher nature. Allow yourself to develop qualities within you that are generally overlooked in the tumult of life -- your own qualities of graciousness and tender-heartedness, of kindness. Use these qualities to fluff up your own relationship with yourself.

MERIUM: In spite of the size of this group, there is not one student being deluged with our teaching comments, for these transcripts go out to the group as a whole, so that when we speak, we speak to the group, whether they are in physical presence or they are absent. And then the echoes of this message will go on out into all of the realm of your world; all of the receptive hearts and minds will be acquiring this intent, just as you would, like an osmosis.

And so in a sense it's like feeding the birds. When we throw the seed, sometimes there are only a few birds at the feeder, but in no time the word will be out and the gifts that have been shown will be gathered and taken out and exercised in new ways with great possibilities in hand, or in wing. So I would like to comment that there isn't any heavy-duty work today. The word "mirth" keeps coming over and perching on Hunnah's ear and she is looking forward to the suggestion that it brings, and I might add that when you enter a state of devotion, there is mirth.

It is not a muffle that you are developing; it is just as our friend Gerdean expressed earlier with her song, it's a delight that escapes from you. It's a sound of the bird explaining that this is my territory or I might remind you when I say that this is hallowed ground, this is sacred song, because I know whence it comes. So I do greet you all and hope that you have a wonderful week of experimentation with the versatility of devotion and find out that you can become so enthralled with it that you will forget that you have touched the murky places in the riverbed and that you will be up and splashing about and being about the glory of your day. Thank you.

TOMAS: Thank you, Merium. I will use one more brush stroke on this river and remind you that there are days when you, as a particle of water, float near the surface and are readily available to reflect the light of the sun. Those days you trippingly rumble along the rocks of the stream, dancing in the light. There are also days when you are part of the heart of the torrent, that you are not far down, not far up, but in a working mode, working in the Kingdom, joyously applying yourself to the task at hand. The very concept of living within the living water is rewarding.

Are there questions this afternoon?

Celeste: No, I just wanted to say that I'm thankful that I'm here. I'm sorry that all the others weren't here to hear you today, but I'm very fortunate. I feel very thrilled with the answers you've given, and I know that all of this is going out to everybody else and I'm happy about that, but I'm thrilled to be sitting here with you, Tomas and Merium. Thank you so much.

Hunnah: I'd like to comment about the answers and the teachings in general. The observation that I had made, and in my humanness it's a perplexing affair. A friend will come and they will say, "This is my plight," and then you are embraced by the fact that you have a possibility of communicating divine guidance, and so you seek the divine guidance and it comes back totally absent of mention of the particulars that were involved in the misery that brought you there.

It's as if you've been sent home, and when you get taken home, the trial does not exist anymore because you're in a different realm, and then when you come back to this realm that you're in, you think, "Well, they didn't tell me what to say to So-and-so, or they didn't tell me what to do!" And this is what, humanly, we want -- is to have someone tell us what to do and the doing becomes "lovest thou me" -- the wake-up call. And it just ... it's just surprising to see the consistency.

Tomas has, you might say, he puts the meat on the plate and Merium brings in some vegetables and dessert. He goes out with the gun and brings back the main course, and I am just fascinated by the fact that it is not of this world. It is of the Kingdom. Would you like to comment on that?

TOMAS: I have a little comment, and it is directed to this little grouping, this filet mignon of a feast -- this is in some ways my favorite, for it allows us to be focused. The larger energy configurations are always fascinating and always a challenge, but I feel that the lessons to the larger groups are more generic, and that these smaller groups, in their intimacy, are more poignant. But it is my way of saying, Celeste, that I too am glad for our time together. I indeed treasure our quality relationship.

I appreciate your help today, Merium. It is good that we are learning how to roll together and be sensitive to each other's circuitry through these mortal vessels. It brings ease and viability to the Teaching Mission when the teachers are so supportive of each other, of the students, and of the living truth.

I am very glad of the representation of these three beings here today. In some ways, are they not a mini-representation of the Paradise Trinity -- the Father, the Son and the Mother Spirit? All ways and in all configurations, there is joy and harmony. Proceed then, daughters, throughout your week, and include mirth in your devotion indeed. I look forward to our next gathering. Farewell.

Group: Farewell, and thank you so much.

*****

DATE: February 1, 1998
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, P.A. USA
T/Rs: Gerdean and Hunnah
TEACHERS: TOMAS, MERIUM, DORIAN, SPRING

URANTIA BOOK STUDY:
Paper 19, THE CO-ORDINATE TRINITY-ORIGIN BEINGS, pg. 214-19
#1. The Trinity Teacher Sons
#2. The Perfectors of Wisdom
#3. The Divine Counselors
#4. The Universal Censors

Prayer, Stillness,
TEACHER SESSION
TOPIC:
CAME TO BELIEVE

TOMAS: I am Tomas. Good afternoon, my faithful flock.
Group: Celeste, Liana, Gerdean, Hunnah, Beatrix and Hester: Good afternoon, Tomas.

TOMAS: It is indeed wonderful to be here with you this afternoon and to observe and to experience your united energies in this dynamic configuration. How we have enjoyed your studies this afternoon and the stimuli depths and heights that you attain to in your mental realms and in your spiritual appreciation of the cosmos and its grand administration.

The personalities of which you are somewhat, albeit academically, familiar, are indeed reiterated/listed for a reason. You see how your evolutionary growth, your spiritual ascension, is orchestrated by divinity. As you aspire, you see what you aspire to, and why. You may find it interesting that, to me, I, Tomas, aspire to attain to the levels of a Trinity Teacher Son. I enjoy the prospects of teaching into infinity.

How wonderful to see you again, Beatrix. It is a true joy to embrace you again in the spirit of our community.

Beatrix: Thank you, Tomas. I'm glad I'm here.
TOMAS: How have you been, daughter?

Beatrix: I have been very well and I was just thinking that I would like to thank you for that one thing you taught us that was a lesson to practice giving our day over to God every morning and that particular discipline really stuck with me and I never stopped doing it since you taught it to us.

TOMAS: It is heartwarming to me to hear that you have learned a significant reality truth that pertains to your spirit day, that you have garnered this through your association with me and with us.

Beatrix: And, Tomas, I also teach that to a lot of people, even people that come for therapy, I teach them that one simple thing to do in the morning.

TOMAS: It is wise to remember, indeed, that even with all of these complicated understandings and far-off wisdom and perfection and so forth, that a simple life is the life that Jesus taught -- a simple relationship with The Father, such as a child will enjoy, and in the morning saying, "Father, be with me throughout this day," is such a simple truth but it is a truth that words all the way throughout the superuniverses, even into Paradise.

Many times these simple truths are those that are the ones that will get you where you need to go. The truth of today for thousands, perhaps millions of personalities is bound up in a simple phrase bespeaking Step 2 of a recovery program, and since Urantia is in recovery from the Lucifer Rebellion, I will offer it to you, and that is: "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." And I have a hunch you all have an understanding of what sanity is, as you all enjoy and savor a serenity of spirit in your lives that you regard as sanity, even in the face of your busy realms and the insanity of many confusions, energy levels, berserk patterns, and so forth.

Coming to believe that the universe is administered by order and judgment of an order so far beyond your comprehension of judgment, divinely guided and seen to, even in the administrative aspects, is enough for the most hardened materialist to appreciate a possibility of being able to "come to believe" that something, some divine order, is in charge, even if it does not attach to it the phenomenally loving personality of Our Father and his associates, the many multi-faceted personalities throughout these universes, and not excluding the Infinite Spirit, the Divine Mother, the feminine aspects of divinity which are not excluded from administration but are often, in your minds, not considered under the heading of administration.

The fact that you all in here have come to believe that Our Father is the presence that you knew Him to be and beyond, has given you the perspective of realizing how you belong to this universe and how you will be brought to grow in understanding of it. We have often spoken to you of the lily pads of faith that allow you to walk upon the living waters without succumbing to the downdraft of fear and confusion. There is a contract that you can take with you now into your lives that is from The Father who promises to do everything. Everything. All you need to do is believe.

And herein, my children, my co-workers, is a mighty truth, that your only battle is the good fight of faith, that you continue to believe, that you will be lifted up into the arms of that God that you have devoted yourself to. I am concluding my formal remarks. My associate, Merium, is also eager to participate with us this afternoon.

MERIUM: Good afternoon, everyone.
Group: Good afternoon, Merium.

MERIUM (Hunnah): I am sitting over here in a swing on the branch of a tree and listening to this wonderful discourse. As you know, I do not carry books, but I do carry the understanding of the importance of order in your lives, because without order in your lives you are not able to be taught as easily. There is clutter about you and distraction and with your ever-so-lightly tendency to put order in your life, you do manage to make it to your meetings and you do manage to find others and you do manage to feel our cues, but I will readdress the subject of order in your lives because only you know the areas that need to be gently rearranged or laid aside for room for something more important.

It is spring-in-the-distance, and that is usually the time when the housekeeping is to be considered, but housekeeping can be simply an orderly habit or it can be taking advantage of seeing some little thing that needs to be cleared at the moment of your discovery and therefore it is not on your "things to do" list; it is simply something that you effortlessly attend to and you will be able to reflect, "Oh, I did this and I did that and I was not having any difficulty taking care of it." Whether it’s bills or a phone call or it's checking out some long-range plans where you can carry your truths to a new community.

So I really don't have anything very technical for you today. I just sort of want to continue in the vein of merriment that was discussed the other evening in Butler. We were told to take our play to work with us, so you may take your play into the moment of discovery where an opportunity of tidiness is appropriate. You may whistle while you work, like the dwarfs. So I will leave you to be the Snow White finding her way in this world and holding onto your inner Compass and your awareness of your Companionship that will nudge you and help guide you through the patterns of daily living. That is all I'm going to say today, Tomas.

TOMAS: I like your view from the swing, Merium. I am humored to think of the seven superuniverse administrators as the friendly dwarfs. Are there questions from you this afternoon?

Hester: I have no questions. I just love it.
Celeste: And we don't want you to go, so let's just talk!

TOMAS: Let us. Shall we dance? I understand we are impatient for the name of the personal teacher of you, Celeste.

Celeste: Oh!

TOMAS: It has been long on a back burner and I know that you are observing with interest and fascination the associations of those peers who have a personal teacher they are able to relate to. It will take a moment for this reference to come through. Please bear with us. (Pause)

You have a personal associate, Celeste, of an androgynous nature. It is a being so well balanced, the harmony is such that it is ineffectual to distinguish its feminine and male aspects at this point. It is a being you may refer to as "he" or "she" in full confidence of his or her harmonious understanding and embrace. You may call your teacher Dorian.

Celeste: Thank you.

DORIAN (Gerdean): I am Dorian. I am very honored to be here this afternoon. I am as mirthful as I am able to be under these most profound and -- there is no word -- under the circumstances that allows me to be here with you to present my reality for your observation, if you will. It is such a thrill for me, as it has for the other personal teachers (indeed the group teachers as well) to be able to make our presence known, our reality presence known to you as a part of your on-going reality.

Long have we worked in isolation and in darkness. Even though we were in company with each other and in co-working relationship with the loyal midwayers, we were, as you would say, carrying on a correspondence with our lovers and unable to touch or feel your embrace; and now we are kissing you right and left and can't keep our hands off of you, for we treasure the pleasure of our association. We are thus so delighted to be part of your lives and the lives of each other in awareness of this divine association of friends, believers, workers and players in the Kingdom of our Father Michael.

I have been with you long, my dear. We have worked through many, many of life's vicissitudes and shared many of life's supreme joys. You will continue to savor your understanding of me but now it will be embellished by an understanding of a name and a personality that you can understand. I am much more than what you have come to see and know this moment, but for now I am more than you had yesterday in your consciousness, and so I am so glad to give you this gift of knowing me for you have been such a gift in my life that I have been able to share with so many others.

Blessed child, my charge, how I adore thee and thy potential. How I cherish our experience together and how delighted I am to be able to be here with you all this afternoon, to share my good cheer and humble pleasure at this occasion. I engage myself to you and with you in our efforts in bringing love to our flower of Urantia. Farewell.

Celeste: Farewell. I'm overwhelmed.
Beatrix: That's beautiful.

Celeste: I'm overwhelmed and so thankful and thank you for all past help you have given me. I'm too speechless to talk anymore, but thank you. I'm so glad I have my personal teacher.

TOMAS: Indeed, you have. Our ranks grow. I am somewhat amused, my children, for it is not a secret to me or to Merium that you are well attended, but only as you begin to personally develop your relationship with each other and with yourself through the Father are you brought into a fuller understanding of your very real relationship with your spirit helpers.

Yes, now you see that when we speak of the many, many celestial helpers who are in attendance, you can begin to appreciate our perspective, for your perspective is gaining momentum and substance as you also are able to identify the many, many in attendance, indeed. Now your consciousness may expand to include the influence of these new characters, these fellows from Trinity reality, such as you read about today.

SPRING (Gerdean): I am Spring. I am here and I didn't miss the boat today. I brought my charge with me. Good afternoon, my darling girl, and good afternoon to all of you who are my friends and co-workers.

Hester: Good afternoon, Spring.

SPRING: I trickle on you, dear. It is such a joy for me to have the name Spring. I, as well as many others, find a particular delight in my own identity. Is it not a true joy when we can find ourselves such a treasure in the Father that we can assuredly delight in who we are because we are of Him?

How many of us, of you, are constrained from appreciating and enjoying your very being because of some deficit that has been superimposed on your understanding of yourself, of some supposed scar that you have placed upon your face. I tell you we are all delightful! And as we begin to accept our delightfulness as these innocent -- innocent -- newborn babes of our Eternal Parents, we will be love ... we will be love personified.

Think of yourselves as pure and living water. It is difficult, I understand, for you are encased in a carcass of mortality and your mortal lives have not been easy, for the most part. Indeed, those of us who are not hampered by the corporeal aspect that you carry, often wonder and admire how it is that you manage as well as you do, particularly coming from Urantia and her problems, but you are moving right along. There is great progress being made.

I am a part of Our Mother and part of Our Mother brings to mind Mother Nature and how it is that Mother Nature washes her children, her earth, her baby, how Mother weeps over us and through her tears we are cleansed. Allow yourself then, to be lifted up into the arms of The Mother, that She may weep for joy at knowing you, you who come to Her for your sustenance and for your guidance, you who are the face of delight and glee to Our Mother, your Creator.

I am glad to have been here today. It is a joy. It is a joy always for all of us to be brought into reality for you and for ourselves. There is no joy greater, perhaps, than being able to effuse the personality that God has given us each it's own unique delight, and so my gift to you this afternoon, my precious child, my charge, and in witness of these our friends, I encourage you to be your own perfect and delightful self. I love you and I'll see you soon. Farewell.

Hester: Thank you. And blessings.
Celeste: That was beautiful.

TEACHER (Hunnah): Is it not a comfort to receive the tender touch of the pen pal that you have had for so long? You have been companioned for so long and now the light is on, the proverbial light that says "Perhaps it is possible to meet the Author of this divine wisdom, this endless encouragement, this beauty that I seem to express at moments and I wonder if it is really mine?"

Yes, it is really yours and we are here to encourage you in this great loving embrace. It will be the fire in the belly, to give you the courage to go forward and to keep that attendance of that personality and that friendship and to nourish it and to honor it more completely than you would any little four footed friend.

I am pleased to be able to speak to you in this way because these are gifts. These are the warm fuzzies that ministers talk about on the pulpit once a week. You have warm fuzzies with you at all times. You have the fuzzy machine that will be able to hand them out to others. This gentle love that can go incognito and someone can take away a great armful and not, perhaps, realize it until they reach their destiny or in reflection of their conversation.

I am the Spirit of Good Will and you are our messengers and the harbingers of this good will, and I want you to go away carrying all this weightless wonder into your daily lives and when you come back again, you will be celebrating your adventures in a new way. Thank you.

Group: Thank you.

TOMAS: Let me give an assignment to those who consider yourselves to be ambitious and advanced students.

Group: Oh!

TOMAS: Allow yourselves this week to hear the voice of the Universal Censor in your associations, in your dealings, in your communications with your own students. As you are dealing with your peers, your fellows, with your kind, allow the Universal Censor to enter in to your engagements and perhaps the Divine Counselor will also admonish you as to how you may present your truth in such a way as to allow it to be received.

We are looking forward to this next romantic season of yours. It is coming up on yet another party-time. I will have been here, February 14th, yet another year on Urantia; and my co-worker and intimate companion, Merium, will soon be celebrating her one year anniversary; and along with these events are other events of the season that we look forward to in our realm as you look forward in yours. And one of these is the up-coming Easter season, that which brings again to mind the resurrection of Christ and the afterlife that he has promised -- this immortality that we have realized in our acceptance and association in sonship.

And so we have invigorating work ahead. Indeed we have righteous and joyous play in the near future, and so rest well, my children, while these last days of the winter wane and spring bodes well. Are there any lingering questions or commentary?

Hester: I have one question for Spring.
TOMAS: Yes, daughter.
Hester: Did you have something to do with the word "kind"?
TOMAS: One moment.

SPRING: I will jest with you, my dear, for I have nothing to do with the formulation of your language! I did not bring the word "kind" into being, but I have brought the concept to your mind in conjunction with the ministrations of your own indwelling God fragment. The Father within you and I are aware of the medicinal effects of kindness. Not only are they applicable to your applying them to others, particularly as a salve on an open wound, but in your own appreciation of your own life that you be kind to yourself and not take upon yourself the would-be wounds inflicted on you by others.

Be kind to your own perception of yourself, and in being kind to yourself, you will have increased capacity to be kind to those around you who also suffer this same affliction.

How hard you are on yourselves! How hard you have been on others. How hard others have been to you. The way has been hard, has been difficult. It is not a path that you have walked alone, for the Master has an understanding of the weight of the cross that he carried to the hill of Golgotha. He also understands the scourging of ignorant peoples and the derision and laughter of those who feel themselves superior only to hide their own shame. Again, a condition that has been inflicted on them by their own and others' ignorance.

It is important, not just that you take a word ... k-i-n-d ... and hold it up as a clear light to behold, but as a true reality to grasp and to wear, indeed, to illuminate your own reality with, to rise up and cast off that crust of yesteryear that has held you hunchbacked in the darkness of the blows of others. Be kind to your own Indwelling God Fragment and let it sing in you, in communion with you, of your joyous release from the wounds of the world, and the washing of them away with the Mother and in the walk with Father into the light of eternity. Rejoice. Rejoice.

Hester: Thank you.
TOMAS: I am Tomas. You are welcome. You are loved. All of you are deeply loved.

I am going to close our session with a fond embrace and I urge you all to rise and rejoice indeed, to lift your voices in praise and in salutation of these gifts of the spirit that have come to be part of your life, to be an integral part of your life with Jesus and in His mission, here at this table and attended out into your realm -- the most important, the most important reality in the universe. Farewell.

Celeste: Tomas, I want to give you a warm embrace, too, and one for Dorian.
Hester: Thank you, Tomas.