Daniel - Lesson on Aspects of Consciousness - Aug 02, 1992 - Pocatello, ID

Group: Pocatello, Idaho

Teacher: Daniel

Topic: Aspects of Consciousness

August 2, 1992

Opening Prayer: Invocation and Prayer of St. Francis

Daniel: "Good evening. I am Daniel. I am your teacher. I am, as always, pleased to be among you and to be back at home base. This has been an extremely busy week on my part. I have traveled far across the States to many points to be with you. And my friends, I am always happy to see you striving, to be mindful of the First Source and Center, that even when you travel, you attempt to drop seeds here and there.

This evening I would like to speak with you regarding the aspect of your consciousness. When I talk about this we must prefix it with an understanding about the nature of you humans on this plane. It has been an inherent trait amongst you to be often very slow, often very lazy in your fulfilling God given potential. Let us look at this.

Those who have been fortunate enough to receive truth, to know that there is purpose to this life are those who are called upon to help others to feel this, to understand truth, to be a part of it as well. Those of you who have been blessed with the wisdom of your personhood in the universe, those of you who understand your brotherhood and sisterhood on this plane, those of you who have a broad knowledge of the First Source and Center will help others if you transcend this trait of being almost slothful. Look to your Inner Being as, I have said for many weeks. It must start with the individual, within the individual's own consciousness. That which you know, that which you understand is who you show to the outer world. When you understand your own consciousness of who you are and life's purpose, then you must be accountable to not lie back and be lazy in striving to follow the Father's will. Do not be like the animal that you call the sloth who lives high above the ground in trees, who while he is only knowledgeable about these trees, hangs daily from them. And while he can live his whole life there, he is fulfilling that aspect of nature that he was created for. His slow motions allow him to understand where he is in relation to the ground. Should he fall, should he adventure out too far on a limb and fall, he would be without his bearings. And so you, too, must keep your bearings, must be always mindful not to go out too far on the limb, that you cannot come back to the source, the tree. And, of course, this source is your inner conscious and your knowledge, your understanding of the First Source and Center.

While slowness is a part of this animal it is also a part of life. That which needs to be changed cannot come too quickly. And let us look at the slowness that I spoke of earlier in a different realm, that by nature you as an ascending being are often slow and lazy. In this regard you are called upon to be ever ready, ever willing to gain knowledge to bring you to higher understandings. Do not be slow in this regard, rather open yourselves up to those things that will bring you greater goodness. Closed doors will come to you if you are too slow. Knowledge about who you are, who you are to become, will give you the momentum to be there when the door is open for you. And so look to your inner being daily. For you see, you are an ascending mortal and who you were yesterday is not the same as who you are today. So you must constantly be in touch with your inner realm, and in so doing you become close, you become in communion with your spiritual side as well. And when you can understand who you are, at that point, on a daily basis, you can bring about positive change in the outer realm, in your humanness and in life around you.

When you get so far off the track, so far out of harmony with who you are, you lose sight of the tree trunk. You are out on that limb dangling, hanging on for dear life. So my message this evening is to take the time daily to know who you are, to be with the First Source and Center so that you can be an open channel to do His will. It is only by this very knowledge, by this very characteristic of daily being there with Him, that you can know His will. How far you go when you are not in touch with Him! Look to your own lives, look to friendships that have gone cold. And why? Most of the time it is because you have not kept communication viable between you and another. My friends, do not let cold embers be a part of your nature with the First Source and Center. Rather, fuel the flame that will keep you in touch, in harmony, in understanding with Him so that your lives will hold purpose, will hold meaning, can carry you forward on your ascent.

Hold this thought this week, that you must always be knowledgeable of your own being. Search this week about that which you are so that it can be renewed again. And from now on, make this a daily habit, that you and the First Source and Center can be in that alignment. I will now take questions."

S2: "Daniel, this is S2."

Daniel: "Hello S2."

S2: "And tonight we would like to introduce you to D2's sister and her husband M1. They have been reading some of the papers and have made it into town to attend the meeting."

Daniel: "And, yes, welcome to you, T3 and M1. I am very much aware of you and your path, and the growth that you have shown in your coming to terms with your reality and the reality of the First Source and Center. And I welcome you and send you my love and peace."

T3: "Hello, Daniel. It is an honor to meet you finally."

Daniel: "And the feeling is mutual."

M1: "Thank you Daniel. This is M1. It is a pleasure to be here and be able to actually sit in and listen to one of your mission teachings."

Daniel: "Yes, M1, and welcome."

(long silence)

Daniel: "The heat must be upon you. I am aware that you are uncomfortable in this regard. Do we have further questions?"

N1: "Hi Daniel. It has been a honor to have you in my house. I know you have been here before but I haven't been aware of your presence. And thank you for being here. I was slightly distracted realizing I hadn't turned off the phone so if I have missed what you already answered in your teaching, please forgive me. You said that when we are lazy and slothful in reaching out to people and sharing our understanding of truth, that's how I heard it, and what I'm wondering is..often times I am unclear about where the barriers are; that is, what is planting seeds and sharing the right amount and what is overstepping and being a kind of co-dependent caretaker or feeling like I am being a little 'savior' or something like that? Could you address that delineation, please?"

Daniel: "Yes, most certainly. My intent was, of course, of dual nature here, in that you are often lazy in helping to plant seeds for others, but most importantly I was addressing the fact that you are lazy within your own being as to how you carry forth the truth in your own life; that many may know the truth, but do not live it. And my message tonight is that those who know the truth are to be accountable for it within their own lives, within their actions. And you see, when you live the truth, you are planting the seeds for others, for through example you are being the best teacher possible. 'By their fruits they will be known'. The fruits are those that bring positive effect upon all. You see, in life often one wonders at what point is something real, at what point do I know what to do. And the bottom line falls on you having built your foundations, so that the tree is strong. When the tree is strong, that which you do will produce fruit. If the foundation is weak the fruit will not be sweet. And know that when the foundation is strong you will know when you err, when disharmony comes about, for that which you do will not work. You must always know that when you are on the right path the things that you do will be right when they work. Is this helping?"

N1: "Yes, very much so! Thank you."

Daniel: "You are welcome."

F2: "Hello, Daniel. This is Gloria. I just want to thank you for being with us on our vacation and all the beings and healers that were with us. I am a different person now and I am really overcome with emotion with all that happened. And I really, truly want to thank all of you. It was really tremendous and it changed my life a lot. Thank you."

Daniel: "Thank you F1, and let me say that it has been you who brought change in your life. You see, my

message tonight is that all people can behold the truth if they are within conscious awareness of their being. If their life is not working and the outer part is in disarray and not in harmony, then they can choose to change. Part of the slowness, the slothfulness, the laziness falls into the category of being unwilling to change, to grow, to actualize the potential that you have been given. Those of you who are experiencing the joy of life are those of you who have been willing to change and to work toward this greater end. I applaud you F1, you, L1, and all of you who are so willing to risk, to be willing to change, to follow in the footsteps of Christ Michael, our Teacher/Brother. Yes!"

T3: "Daniel, this is T3. And that brings up a question for me. I feel a lot of resistance to some change and I have been very confused in the last couple of weeks as to how to overcome that. For instance, I have been invited to be involved with a Bible study course starting this Fall. Part of me wants to do it for the knowledge of the Bible. But the other part of me has a resistance to doing it because I feel, though I don't know, I feel there is 'fundamentalist' attached to it. And I don't understand why I have the resistance and how to overcome that. Could you give me some words on that?"

Daniel: "Yes. And I am pleased this question has been brought up. For it involves what I have been speaking about for many months. As you grow and make your foundations firm, as you broaden your horizons through study, through knowledge, you will be brought into many areas that you will have to make decisions based on what is that which you, in your life, know to be right, to be the truth. You have, T3, in this regard already started to formulate your own answer. For while you want knowledge you must also understand that there are areas in your life that still need to be resolved so that you can approach this study from an educational and spiritual aspect as well, and not be towed under by what you termed 'fundamentalist' principles. If you have already a knowledge about this, you then can be on the lookout for those areas that will drag your down. Do not be afraid to explore areas, to look at all avenues. For you see, there may be a lesson for you that will bring about truth. Those who are afraid to grow are those who are afraid to risk; are those who are afraid to allow knowledge, new ideas to come into their life; are those who stagnate, who put a top on their ascension, their experiences in this life. So my words to you are this: Go, glean what you may from this study group. As with all things in life you are not forced to believe, you choose what you wish to believe. And you will receive guidance in what is truth, and what only appears to be, if your foundation is strong and if you can continually know who you are and be in communication with Father daily. Has this helped?"

T3: "Thank you Daniel. That has helped immensely."

N1: Daniel, this is N1 again. On this question of 'who I am' is a question that has bothered me for a long time. And you have said it to me before in a private session and I have heard you say it before in meetings that we need to know who we are. And whenever I contemplate who I am I feel overwhelmingly lost. Could you address that, please?"

Daniel: "Yes. And, of course, there are always extremes. Let me address this before I address your question.

One must seek a balance. One must not become so overly involved in self tearing apart, self trying to discover self knowledge that they lose touch with reality. Rather one must meet a happy ground where they can look at themselves and realize that they are who they are because of the experiences they have had in their lives. For instance, if you find that when you are out, that you have a tendency to see the negative in everything and you come to a quiet time with yourself, this would be the time to discover why you tend to be negative, or why you tend to be positive. Searching this out will give you a clue to that characteristic that you hold, and if this characteristic is not one that leads you to the joy that God has told us about, then you can look to ways that can help you change, to make choices so that you do not see everything in a negative light. This is the type of self analysis, so to speak, you should look at, to help rid yourself of characteristics that suck you down, that pull you away from the Source.

And know now, (back to your other question), that who you are, all of you my friends, you are a child of the First Source and Center! You are part of the cosmic brotherhood and sisterhood of all, not just Urantia, but all of the universes! You are the vessel that carries a particular aspect, a Father Fragment that is so individual, so different from every other ascending being! You are this and when you understand who you are in this regard, then the mechanism of your humanness can be addressed; always addressing it from the light of being a child of the First Source and Center, of a person who has that Spirit within them! Do you see?"

N1: "Yes, Daniel. Thank you."

V1: "Hello, Daniel. This is V1."

Daniel: "Hello."

V1: "I am reflecting on the two questions that were asked by T3 and N1. And I heard your answer to T3 about a Bible study and of course everything is so individualized..but I find myself afraid to expose myself to study groups where I feel like they might be the way I used to be. And I think that would be the honest way to put that in that my past scares me of people who think like I used to. And so I'm wondering when you say to expose ourselves to this kind of knowledge, and that we can grow from it...If we have already been there, should we go again? I'm not sure that I want to. I am trying to reflect on your answer to T3 there."

Daniel: "Well understood. Yes, there is great fear in this regard. The aspect, the point that is to be understood here is this; that you should not be afraid to learn, to glean knowledge from the outer world; that when you are in understanding about that which you know to be right, that you can look at different paths, different ideas, different cultures, different religions, different philosophies, or what have you, and you can still study them if you so choose. Those things that will bring you the most joy, the most knowledge will be those things that you can choose to learn about out of the real desire of wanting to learn, rather than from fear. So I do not advocate that all of you should run out and seek a Bible study course. Life is full of diversity.

Each individual is on their own path. Each has their own experiences. This is why it is so important that you are strong within so that you can take and learn and understand that which keeps you on your path to the First Source and Center; that you will know truth when it is presented to you. Look to your life. Have you not seen those times when you reached out and grasped the truth because you knew, you felt, you were in clarity? Each person, because of their diverse natures, their backround, will be ready for truth at a different level, a different time, a different way. Make yourselves strong. Make the tree that which can weather the storms, that can sway in the breeze and not be uprooted by every false teaching that comes around. Do you see?"

V1: "Yes, Daniel. Thank you. And I think that's the thing that at that time in my life, that was a very necessary step and I needed that security of dogma. I hesitate to say that out loud. I certainly did and that was a step that led me to where I am now. To expose myself to that again..I don't thing I would want to do that. Which is all right for me at this time in my life, I think is what you are saying."

Daniel: "For sure. But do not close the door simply out of fear. Recognize it for what it is now and at some future point there may be a reason that you will do this. You see, understanding who you are will give you knowledge to know what is right for you at any given time. But do not narrow yourself. Always keep channels open. For you see, by your keeping your channels open, you have brought yourselves into a plane of broad knowledge; that you have been willing to grow. And each step, each experience you encounter in this life is another step on your ascension. Do not narrow your channels are my words to you. Has this helped in your understanding?"

V1: "Yes, Daniel. Thank you very much."

N2: "Hello Daniel."

Daniel: "Hello."

N2: "This is N2."

Daniel: "Yes, N2."

N2: "Regarding the study of the Bible. In our family we have recommenced the study of the Bible with both the versions. I think it has been very important for me to re-establish the basis of the fundamental beliefs. It seems like there are two camps of people whose reliance on the Bible is the basis of their Christian faith: those who believe that every word of the Bible is essentially dictated by God, is essentially the whole truth; and there are those who feel that within the Bible is God's truth, but it requires a search. For me to approach a fundamentalist, one who believes in the 'whole truth' I must understand and fully review what was my previous experience with the Bible, my basis starting out as a fundamentalist. Is there a possibility of answering any fundamentalist using only the Bible as a source of reference without invoking the knowledge that we have now gained from the Urantia Book, which to a fundamentalist would be totally unacceptable. Could you comment on this please?"

Daniel: "Those who have gained that which is within certain books, certain dogmas, certain religions, certain organizations; those who have embraced this with such firmness have, as I have spoken, closed themselves down; have reached a plateau where they are not in openness. They are essentially close minded and because of this, it becomes very difficult for them to see beyond the narrow confines that they have limited themselves to. For you to approach these people to help them to see broader, to envision more, is very difficult indeed; must be done very tactfully; must be done very sincerely. For you to approach them, you can look to Christ Michael Himself. For even when He felt there was an opening, He planted a seed.

For those who were closed, He did not. He had respect for all, for all personalities, and their experiences and their levels of growth, their level of spiritual maturity. With these people you must be a catalyst that sets forth examples that you can, perhaps, through your example help them to see with broader vision. For you to say that which you have seen in any particular passage, you may present it in just a little different perspective, phrasing it..'I perceive this to say this. What do you think?' By allowing them their chance to speak you have left them on an open plateau. You have not put them on the defensive. And then you can say..'Yes, I understand that point. What would happen if we looked at it this way?' You must always take those around you and help them to grow. But you must do so in a context that does not coerce them, does not bring them any fear. If you can validate that they are where they are; that you perceive their point of view, then you will give them, you will give yourself the advantage of then being able to add another dimension for them. But always be loving and sincere, respectful of others. For, you see, when they are ready, they will allow themselves to open doors. You will be the one who will, perhaps, bring the door a step closer for them. Is his more helpful?"

N2: "Yes, it is helpful. There is still a lot of study that I wish to do. I more or less still want to review the basis of the Christian faith that I started with, and for a period of my life went away from. But this is helpful. I am hoping I will be able to use it one day."

Daniel: "Do not feel that you are in error for what you are doing. Know you are, in fact, broadening your horizons for you. Yes, continue."

N2: "Thank you."

S1: "Daniel, this is S1."

Daniel: "Hello S1."

S1: "You mentioned the word, 'foundation', when you were talking to T3. Would you identify what you meant by foundation? When I think of the word foundation I also think of the word, truth. What type of foundation would one glean in order to obtain the truth, let's say, from the Bible or the Urantia Book? What type of foundation would one go to?"

Daniel: "You have, from your life experiences, already established a core of thought, a core of who you are. And this is, at any given moment, your foundation. When I speak of foundation that needs to be built, I speak about that spiritual core, the spiritual foundation of who you are. The teaching mission that is now in progress is essentially here to help you to form these foundations. If you will review the lessons that we have spoken about these many weeks, you will see those virtues, those characteristics that go into forming the foundation. These essentially are: the understanding of your perception of the First Source and Center; your understanding of your cosmic citizenship; your understanding of your brotherhood and sisterhood on this plane; and your understanding and willingness to serve one another. That is the essential core and around that core are the fruits of the Spirit; love, hope, faith, loyalty, tolerance, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, service. All of these things help to build your foundation so that you are strong, so that you can weather the storms of the human daily life struggle; that these storms become glad occasions for you, that you may use them to further your experiences on this plane. Is this helping?"

S1: "Yes it is, Daniel. Thank you." Daniel: "You are most welcome."

B1: "Hello Daniel. This is B1."

Daniel: "Hello, B1."

B1: "Perhaps some of the reluctance to talk, at least at first, may have been due to feelings similar, or maybe identical to mine, which were some concern about addressing the issue of slothfulness(laughter)..the thought that we are lazier than we might like to think. I know that word occurs in the Urantia Book and offends people also, but it is obviously something that is true. I guess my question is,...are you telling us about this because you feel we are falling behind and getting lazier or is it just that you want to encourage us to get with it and so forth. Are we falling behind, or are you just wanting to keep us going?"

Daniel: "Of course, B1, you know if you are falling behind or not. And you all must know that I do not come here to judge that; that what I bring here on a weekly basis is for you to broaden your horizons, your perspective, your knowledge. Many things will be addressed that may not pertain to you in exact areas, but every lesson taught can benefit all in their own individual experiences. You must look to your own lives to judge whether or not you have been slothful. I will pat you on the back though, and say that you strive, you work toward gaining, growing, becoming. And in my realm of knowledge I would say you are working toward greater heights. My message also is to let you know that you must always remember that just because you 'have it all together' today, that you do not need to tomorrow get back and have it all together again; that daily the experiences you have change you, and through change you grow, if you can see these changes and use them for further opportunity, further growth. Is this more helpful?"

B1: "Thank you. Yes, I understand that you have basically said that there isn't some particularly present circumstance in some of our lives that caused you to address this issue, but that this is a thing that we always need to keep in mind... and that everyday is a new day and just because we did well yesterday doesn't mean that automatically we are going to do well today unless we deal with it, and pay attention and work at it. Is that correct?"

Daniel: "Correct. The road to the Father is not paved with silk. You must work to gain your ascension. Yes."

B1: "And I understand that you are not judging us, so partly, I suppose, that first part of my question is obviously in error because I guess that would be assuming that you were going to come and say as some of the teachers in our society do to their students, you know,..'You guys are not doing a good job! You haven't done your homework, and you haven't done this' and you know, scold and kind of get on their case. And so maybe part of the reason I even asked that question is I've been a student for years at universities and high schools where some of that approach goes on, Daniel; and it is a little bit hard for me to understand the level at which you are teaching which is so far above this. You know, I'll believe you when you say you don't feel judgmental and I accept that. That is one of the things that impresses me about you and the rest of the teachers".

Daniel: "Yes, and let us take a moment here for you to realize what you are, what you do because you are a free will choice creature. You will be making those choices throughout eternity! When you can understand the freedom that has been given to you; that it is you who creates your own path to the Father, then you can really start to build the morontia soul of your ascent; that you, my friends, have been gifted, have been given that beautiful, beautiful gift of free choice to use in your own life. And all teaching must come down to the point that it is only the individual that matters, that only the individual, himself or herself that can bring change within their own life."

B1: "Thank you very much. I appreciate that."

Daniel: "You are most welcome. I will accept another question. I have been perceiving that M1, you have a question." (much laughter)

M1: "Daniel, this is M1. We have received some of the transcripts..I guess the latest ones were through May. And it's funny, I've written a lot of the questions down back before I resigned and we started taking the summer off. Where do you start with so many questions? I grew up in the fundamentalist Christian standpoint and so much of your teaching seems to be using so much of the Scriptural language, and I'm curious, cause I haven't studied the Urantia [book], what is the evolution of the Urantia Book or the Bible or that type of thing?"

Daniel: "This can be spoke about to you by the members of the group. It would take far more time for me to do it now. B1, would you please address this later for him? And know, M1, that the Urantia Book is revelation that has come down to this plane at this time to help you to take the teachings that Christ Michael brought to Urantia many years ago and see them for what they really are; to help the Christian Church to get back on the path, to rectify those errors of so many years ago, so that you, the individual, can understand who the First Source and Center is..is love, is mercy and your relationship with Him. I know that you do have many questions and perhaps over time, you will have opportunities to speak with me about these, or there will be other ways they will be answered. Is this helpful?"

M1: "Yes, Daniel. Thank you."

Daniel: "And now, because D3 is tiring due to the heat and her fast paced week, the channels are weakening quickly. So I will give you all my love and my peace and I say to you, 'Look to who you are that you may serve Him in all of the potential you are capable of doing'. My love to you. Good evening."

Group: "Good bye Daniel."

END