MEETING WITH ABRAHAM

THE HUMAN-SELF IS A VEHICLE FOR YOUR DIVINE-SELF

AUGUST 5, 1997

WOODS CROSS GROUP

I am ABRAHAM. Well done, my friends. It is such an honor to be witness to your striving to make the brotherhood a reality from where you are. I would give my greetings and love to you each. Know that you have my support in your strivings for spiritual understanding.

Last week our question was to ponder upon who you really are, to perhaps gain some understanding concerning your total self. It is my understanding that many have reached the same conclusion that each one of you are human and divine.

As mortals begin their spiritual journey they learn of those reverent values that make them holy and righteous. It is learned that to be anything less than what was thought to be righteous was to be cast out, in fact many mortals become ashamed of their human frailties, and attempt to hide them, hoping that they would be perceived as holy and righteous. This dilemma would go back many years to the times of Christ when He attempted to renew the peoples thinking of a new and better way to live. The perception many mortals have of their human-self is one of selfishness, conceit, vengeful, and defensive. Most mortals are overlooking the positive aspects of being in the flesh, even those of the lowest order in the animal kingdom are known to be nurturing, protective, loving, and social.

There is such a desire among mortals to forsake their human side, to do battle with it, so to speak. It is not a well known concept that the human-self is a vehicle for the divine-self, so the human-self is often repressed and rebuked. The animal-self is a host of sorts for your more divine while sojourning on the earth. To do battle with your human imperfections is to most likely see them come out in full force. To stifle your human-self is to reject what God has made. Yes, the human-self is a great amount of imperfections, and to fend them off with negative inner chatter is to stumble, and miss your purpose for being on the planet. This stifling of the human-self causes a great amount of pressure, and I can say that pressure from oneself, or their fellows, is not an ideal way for the soul to grow. This negative inner chatter is pressure. Your self expectations are pressure. To battle the human side is to create pressure which induces fear, which depletes the energy system you each contain.

A flower that would grow under the pressure of hard clay would work its way through the soil to find some sort of opening, and eventually grow, but there would be some deformities. With proper cultivation, and added nutrients, the pressure would be released, and the flower would grow of its own momentum. There is a great need to remove this pressure as an individual, a group, and a society, to allow for natural growth.

You seek self mastery, and you are believing it is in stifling the more animal like self within you. I would enlarge your concept by saying, to remove this pressure by having your divine-self take your animal-self by the hand, like a small child, and show it a new and better way to live. All those things you see as shortcomings, or flaws, are to more likely be mastered by love than with self-loathing.

The Master learned early on that His human-self was a method in which His divine-self traveled. He recognized His human-self grew towards His divine-self if handled with love and humor. He knew to battle and reject His human side was in sorts an offense to Father. He embraced His mortal-self, and learned from His divine-self. I say this is the beginning of mastering the self. Yes, it is said by our Father, "be you perfect even as I am perfect." I can guarantee a continued pressure upon any living thing will indeed stifle normal growth.

I would say a word concerning the brotherhood and this pressure. There is a great need in society for each one to conform to certain societal patterns, and great pressure is applied upon mortals who continually fall short, and feel such self-loathing. I would go so far to say that this pressure applied to some mortals by their fellows is the highest cause of suicide, divorce, and isolation. Relieve yourself of this pressure put upon you by others. Let go of your concerns to others definition of who they would want you to be. Let go of your desire to apply any pressure to your fellows, and trust that Father is completely knowledgeable about their well-being. In the relieving of this pressure there is an allowance of natural growth to occur.

This week I would ask that you relieve yourselves of this self-pressure, and trust that your Father is near and guiding you with His unlimited abilities. Watch your negative inner chatter. Be not overly drawn to chastise yourself for your human shortcomings. Ponder upon the fact that your human side is a method in which your divine-self would travel this life. We are on the road to self mastery. Have you questions?

NORWOOD: Yes Abraham, this past week I have been doing a lot of thinking and reading. I was reading about the morontial lessons in the Urantia Book regarding the soul and the Thought Adjuster. I have been trying to understand that as much as I possibly can with my limited knowledge of this. I am trying to listen to my Thought Adjuster more. I am trying to let myself become...let my Thought Adjuster guide me more, let the Father help me throughout the day. In doing this I am trying to feel that process take place. I sense a real awakening. I am not sure if I am in understanding, if I am doing what I am supposed to do. I am not asking you to say if I am right or wrong here. What I am asking I think is can you give me a little help on understanding or recognizing if I am doing that thing correctly?

ABRAHAM: Certainly. It is my understanding that you have excellent Thought Adjuster communication. It is growing, and encompassing more of your life, more areas, such as work, family, and rest. It is becoming unspectacular as you advance. My understanding is that as your communication develops, and strengthens, your watchword becomes peace. The amount of peacefulness is an excellent sign for affirmation--sign or affirmation--pick one. [Let me say that again.] Your best indicator of being within Father's will is a feeling of peace, of feeling there is all the time in the world, un-rushed, unknown origin of joy. Do you see? (Yes I do. Thank you very much.) You're welcome. Another question?

MIRIAM: Abraham, remember some time ago you gave me a assignment to work on myself loathing, and being hard on myself. The way I approached that was to try to be in receivership that I am child of God, and realize that I am lovable. I am loved. That would flow on for awhile, then I would get back into...I love this lesson tonight. I just love it...the negative chatter, the imperfections, and whatever. Then I would feel like, oh, I've got to work harder, work harder. So I feel like I made some progress, and I have enjoyed the process, but what you are saying tonight is that, like in a way I know that process is good, but you are also saying to love the host. You know, just like the Father loves us. What you are saying is to look at this host called our mortal body, and be in self, and say, hey, thanks, not expect ourselves to be perfect. This is just really great. If you could just expand on that a little bit?

ABRAHAM: Yes exactly. Allowing yourself room for mistakes, and treating yourself with love, and humor, is to cultivate your soil to allow for growth. It is a long process to overcoming self-hatred when so many have been brought up believing this is a most humble route to soul growth. Absolutely untrue! Self loathing is not anywhere near the nobility of humility. True humility is believing you are no better or no worse than your brothers or sisters in the kingdom. You are with the belief you each stand side by side destined for Paradise. The path to self mastery is to cease your battling with your human side to cause it to stop rebelling, to stop showing itself in full force. To embrace your human self as a parent would a child is to have your more animal-like-self's cooperation. Is this helping?

MIRIAM: Yes. Abraham, I am going to be gone next week, and I was just wondering if you could tell me just real roughly how you think I am doing to just help give me some guidance for the next couple weeks?

ABRAHAM: I am aware that the intricacies of self mastery will often appear in everyday experience requiring your attention. It would be very helpful if your focus could be on removing everyday material pressures that would stifle any growth, but overall my information is that you have done well, and will continue to do so. Does that answer? (I don't know what you mean by that, but I will focus on it, and try to find out. Thank you.) You're welcome. Another question?

CALVIN: Self examination--is that a good thing or a bad thing, to take a look at our self, and say, where have I been incorrect in my viewpoint, or are you saying relax, and just let Father's correction take its place, and not worry about self examination?

ABRAHAM: There are certain things that mortals do not recognize about themselves until they take a moment to be conscious of certain mannerisms, likes, and dislikes. Yes, Father will certainly show you your areas of needed work, but it would do no good unless you were willing to look. Self examination is pertinent to self mastery. In knowing the total self, and becoming a unified being, self knowledge is a stop on the road to self forgetfulness, which we will discuss at a later time. Does that help?(Very, very much. Thank you.) You're welcome. Another question?

ROLAND: Abraham, in reading the lesson that Jesus gave the apostles on self mastery, it said in there that...I would like to hear an expansion of perhaps this idea, the idea being that faith is not of us, the individual child of God, but is given by grace by our Father. For all this time I have been thinking, oh, I've got to have faith, I've got to have faith, and here the Urantia Book says faith is a gift. What is our role in obtaining faith in the beneficence of God, trusting Him, and [find love?]?

ABRAHAM: The Master said, "to obtain salvation, you need faith." I would say that the gift of faith is from Father in that it exists. Faith is free to those who desire it. It is difficult to always posses full faith because you are in the flesh. You experience certain events that would cause you to stumble in your faith, but I can guarantee that in your stumbling is the stepping stones to higher levels of faith. In your doubts there is growth. There is always renewed faith for those who reach. Faith is at times work for you who must believe without seeing. You are made to go on your inner spiritual vision and feelings, and I can say this is well and good. As you attain higher levels of self mastery is your faith more likely to be consistent, just as the Master, who experienced perfect faith. I am understanding your perplexity on this subject, and I can say that further reading and study could very well aid you in your search for understanding. Is this helping?

ROLAND: Yes. I am understanding your words that further study will help. I certainly believe that to be true throughout the universe. The thing that I am recognizing right now is that the son or daughter of God needs to have desire to know of the spiritual reality. It seems like in adversity, the chaos of life, we desire a better thing, a better life, desire God. So in our desire, God in gifting us with faith through the manifestations of spirit. I think Jesus said, "do you see the wind that blows the leaves? You don't see whether is it coming from this side or that side, but you see the manifestation of it. So you believe in the wind." [Inaudible] saying the spirit then does things in the world that you see the manifestation of it, you have a strengthening of belief. That's what I am getting.

ABRAHAM: Beautiful. Well said. You are in understanding, and on that note, I shall take my leave. I am growing in love for you each every time we meet, my friends. Until next week, shalom.