Daniel011703ThePracticeOfStillness

Group: S.E. Idaho TeaM, Pocatello, Idaho

Teacher: Daniel

Topic: The Practice of The Presence Of God (Stillness)

The Difference Between Interdependence and Co-Dependence

January 17, 2003

Daniel(Bill): Father of mercies, God of all comfort, we worship You, Father, Son, and Spirit, one God indivisible. We thank You, with the most profound desire of our hearts, for Your indwelling Presence in us as we are drawn toward Paradise and toward each other in unity of Supremacy. We thank you for our Creator Son, Christ Michael, Whose way, truth, and life shows us how compassionate, merciful, and ever lastingly loving is Your program of ascension perfection.

I, Daniel, ask that these, my brothers and sisters, cherish in their hearts all the relationships which You give to them as they proceed through life. Tonight may we sit in harmony and mutual friendship at the feet of Jesus of Nazareth, Michael of Nebadon. Amen.

Daniel(Bill): Dear friends, it is I, Daniel, here among you this evening as well as our staff of personal teachers and our resident Melchizedek Instructor, Minearisa. Thank you for your comfortable family conversation which included us in a most natural manner. I am pleased with the results of your practice of reading the lessons because it is a connecting thread from one session to the next and serves to accentuate our progress as well as assist you in remembering the previous meeting, especially if you were not present. In listening to your conversation I observed that you brought up areas of practical concern which I would like to touch on for a few moments.

The first concern has to do with the scheduling of time for the practice of stillness, meditation, worship, prayer and thanksgiving. At the beginning of this Mission we presented you with a recommendation that you spend ten minutes once or twice a day, set aside from all other distractions in order to become attuned to your Spiritual heritage, the incoming information from the universe regarding your true status as sons and daughters; as well as teaching you to be still and hear the small voice of God within. Now, as the Mission has developed over the last eleven years, and we, indeed, beginning our twelfth year, there has been intimations of the desirability and possibility of practicing stillness in a more diffuse and constant manner so that your consciousness of God is not limited to one or two small time segments during the day. The practice of the presence of God requires a long maturation to become second nature; and it is never intended to displace specific stillness times. It is not a discipline essentially, but an overflow from the well spring within you that results in more and more awareness of the still small Voice speaking to you. Yes, of course it has to do with circle attainment. But that is just an illustrative concept, real in its essence, but not a methodology so much as a description of progress. If enhancing stillness were a discipline, which it is not, I could say: number one, number two, number three, number four, etc. Do this; then do this; and then do this, etc. A discipline would be more likely to be understood as applying pressure from the outside toward the center. But this increased awareness of God is not applying pressure from the outside. It is the opposite...releasing the gates at the headwaters of the spring of spiritual life so that the flow may increase. Yes, it more like letting go than grasping. It is more like stopping the urge to control than it is to discipline one's self.

I will share a concept which Isaac has heard. It is very simple. When you think of a person(s) or of a situation involving people, instead of only thinking about them and musing on whatever aspects have caught your attention, take just a moment and convert your anxiety, concern, or worry from a desire on your part to have them behave as you think would be best to a brief prayer of compassion, in which you offer your love to them and you request that they more diligently listen to their inner guidance, even if they consciously do not believe it exists. You do not force them to think in these terms, but you apply a gentle pressure of soul energy in the conduit of your prayer. This can be very, very quick and easy. It is not to be a struggle or a thing to worry over. However you word your prayer request is of little consequence and is mostly for your mental concentration. But, change from worry to compassionate empathy. If you need to visualize, imagine yourself giving a hug to this person, if that's the way you like to show love. That is just one simple suggestion which makes it possible for you to offer prayers throughout the day. Isaac has attempted this technique, and when he remembers, finds it useful

When you go without conscious attempts at stillness and awareness of God you will feel uncomfortable. You will be immediately relieved of your discomfort when you turn your will and your mind back to that guidance within you, that Voice of God speaking.

The other issue I want to comment on has to do with the difference between interdependence and what your culture has termed co-dependence. These are not new ideas; but you are all emerging from the cultural confusion which has clung to your clothing like sticky mud, making it difficult for you to pull your boots out of the muck and stand firmly on the rock by the side of this cultural morass. The sense of "love" has been tainted from the days of the planetary rebellion by the misunderstanding that love somehow has the right to control the decisions of other people. This right to control has been institutionalized in societies as patriarchal structure for the most part; sometimes as matriarchal structure. Only in recent times has it even been consider "normal" for children to be allowed to choose their own life's path rather than following the dictates of their fathers and sometimes their mothers.

Lucifer, in his rebellion against the universe, had no compunction about influencing and controlling the minds of enormous numbers of individual beings: angels, midwayers, other Lanonandek Sons and mortals. You know the catalogue. It is from this "Father of Lies", as Jesus called him, that the great lie has come...that anyone has the right through patriarchy, matriarchy, parenthood, employer/employee, whatever, to dictate to another person the decisions they must make. True, in the military structure there are lines of authority. But, for the most part, those who take part do so voluntarily. I will not deal with conscription aspect of some military service except to say that even that can be refused if one is willing to suffer the consequences. Therefor, there has been confusion between the concept of interdependence and co-dependence.

Co-dependence I will define as the belief that you have the right to control the thinking of another person because your identity is dependent upon applying that control. In a co-dependent situation the control is actually both directions for the dance requires the movement of both partners in agreed upon steps. Controlling someone else gives your life meaning and purpose; it is thought to make you a whole person.

Interdependence is quite different. In interdependence there is still the system matrix of interaction, but there is no swallowing up of one person by another. Rather each individual has worth and value in their own right and does not anyone else to make their lives of value. You can see that the Cosmic Family consisting of brothers and sisters is a system of individuals all of whom have dignity in their own selves because they are created, sustained, and loved by the members of the Paradise Trinity. Each person is also valuable because they are unique personalities, as well as creatures. Each person is valuable because each person has a unique contribution to make to the enlargement of the Whole, to the completion of the Almighty Supreme.

Now in interdependence there is still influence, for influence is not the same as coercion. Influence is legitimate. It never violates the free will of another person. It does not offer advice unless it is asked for. However, you do exert influence through prayer and you are entitled to pray for any and all situations. That is not a violation of free will. That is an application of influence. Dysfunctional family systems have been a part of this planet's history virtually forever, at least when a certain stage of social evolution has been reached, beyond the level of primitive societies. I do not tell you this to add to your discomfort or to experience any guilt feelings. No, we are simply talking about the evolution of relationship styles from the most primitive and Luciferin concept to those which comprise societies that operate in Light and Life.

Well, my friends, I had no fixed agenda tonight for I felt like it would be good to discuss things and you all brought these two issues to the surface. There were other concerns as well. So, I will stop at this point and let's talk about these two concerns: developing an ongoing awareness of the presence of God and practicing prayer; and the issue of interdependence/co-dependence; or other things which you deem to be of importance. Have you questions, comments, disagreements?

LaReen: Daniel, I would like to thank you very much for this particular lesson. It feels like another private lesson for me. I do appreciate it. I have been reading Welmek's lessons on prayer and I appreciate you taking it a step or two forward for me tonight. It has been helpful. Thank you.

Daniel: Thank you, LaReen. I did not prepare these comments simply for you, but you are one of the people that inspired my thoughts. So I appreciate your feedback. (Long pause) Perhaps I gave you more on your plate than I intended to. Maybe it would be better for you to gestate on these comments and if there are things you want to talk about we can address them at another time. Perhaps you have other things you would rather talk about.

LaReen: I have a quick question. Are we seeing more results from our prayers because of the circuits being open and because of the Correcting Time? Are we seeing more results?

Daniel: When you see we, are you referring to the entire planet?

LaReen: Yes.

Daniel: In a sense the answer is yes, but probably not in the way that you anticipate. The opening of the circuits did not make prayer more effective as though the prayer circuits were deficient and needed more energy, which the opening of the circuits provided. The prayer circuit has always been fully effective. However, the connecting of the planet back to its peer relationship with other planets in the Constellation of Norlatiadek has resulted in a largely unconscious/superconscious awareness that Urantia is not this abandoned orphan that so many people have felt for thousands of years. The consequence is that some people, in practicing their religious devotions in whatever religion they may embrace, are actually praying at a much more mature level. Therefor, because the level of their praying has matured, their prayers are more effective. Remember that totally selfish praying does not get beyond the mouth of the prayer. The more altruistic, the more outside of self you are in your prayers, the more effective they will be. So you see, in an indirect sense the answer is yes. The circuits have made a difference in the effectiveness of prayer because they have actually enhanced the effectiveness of the prayer process. Has this helped you?

LaReen: Very much. Thank you, Daniel.

Virginia: Daniel, I am thinking about prayer as LaReen has brought it up and we have talked about it. Is it possible that...I think about the fact that prayer really changes the one who prays. Is it possible that we just simply are able to see the glass as half full, instead of half empty, as a result of prayer?

Daniel: Absolutely! That's a very good way to describe the difference. But that isn't all that happens.

Yes, most of the value of prayer is to the person offering prayers. But there is spiritual pressure which is applied through the mechanism of the collective consciousness of the mindal circuitry as well, that same phenomenon that manifests as the "one hundredth monkey"at times. That is why we always encourage group prayer for those who wish to pray in a unified fashion.

The only caution that I would offer is that you remember that, even though prayer evolved originally from magical incantations, it is in no way a form of magic. Magic is about controlling other people. It is a contravention of natural law and a violation of free will. So, when prayer is immature, it is much more like magic. As a child prays for a toy that he wants, he is really engaging in magical praying. So when I say that it is more than just affecting the person praying, I don't mean magic. I mean that it applies spiritual, moral, and intellectual pressure by virtue of adding to the pool of consciousness, enlarging the pool of good, moral, and spiritually appropriate soul desires expressed in prayer. Does this make sense to you? Or does it raise more questions?

Virginia: (laughing) I think I am trying to understand all that, all the words. Some of them are new to me. So I am going to have to take a look at the transcript. But, thank you. I appreciate that.

Daniel: You are welcome. I sense that we have reached the conclusion of our evening. If I am incorrect someone may jump in here, otherwise, Klarixiska desires to close our meeting with prayer. Any other last words, thoughts, or questions? Let us then stand and join our hands and hearts.

Klarixiska(Bill): I am Klarixiska. Let us pray.

Loving and compassionate God of all creation, You Who are our Father, You Who are our Mother/Son, You Who are the Spirit Who empowers the universe, one God unified in love, in truth, and in mercy: We, Your children, thank You for the universe which we dwell in and for the opportunity to co-create ourselves so that one day we may fully understand God the Supreme and all the experience to fathom for eternity. We also thank You that we shall stand in the presence of Spirit, Son, and Father, the very Sources of reality and be able to commune with You in a manner which our minds cannot even fathom. Finally, we thank You that this will just be the beginning of our eternal careers. But these, my friends, are just out of kindergarten, and that vision is immensely distant. May they, nevertheless, hold it in their minds as the ultimate goal, so that as they learn the three Rs of spiritual reality they will know that one day they will graduate and join the ranks of Paradise Finaliters. I, their big sister, gather them in my arms and give them a kiss on their foreheads, each one. Amen.

END