Changes

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[Note: Dear Folks, Whew!--this was a long session, nearly two hours, but it left us laughing and feeling new-born, as usual, all the same. Hopefully the words will let you too spend a longer time in His presence, not that they are needed to feel Him, but they do help--me anyway--follow His way of thinking and seeing things. Enjoy. Jerry.]

Prayer: Dear Michael and Mother Spirit, I have no prayer prepared for this evening so I‘ll just bid You, as always, welcome to our group. We do look forward to meeting and talking with You this way; it holds a special place in our hearts. Though all the controversy and upheavals surrounding the Teaching Mission, we do know deep in our souls the validity and reality, the value of this contact. We thank You for this is fundamentally Your will that we acknowledge. Without You, this teaching would not exist. So: thanks again. Amen.

Prayer: Dear Michael and Mother Spirit, I have no prayer prepared for this evening so I‘ll just bid You, as always, welcome to our group. We do look forward to meeting and talking with You this way; it holds a special place in our hearts. Though all the controversy and upheavals surrounding the Teaching Mission, we do know deep in our souls the validity and reality, the value of this contact. We thank You for this is fundamentally Your will that we acknowledge. Without You, this teaching would not exist. So: thanks again. Amen.

MICHAEL: Good evening My dear sons, this is your father, Michael. I too look forward to these meetings for they add to Me as well—this group consciousness you all were talking about just a bit ago. Your devotion shines forth and does as much as My part in supporting this communication. So I want to credit you with this devotion, and acknowledge My appreciation for it. In this group you have experienced this is not automatic or universal. You have had your guest students come and go who were not able to perceive or feel Mother Spirit’s or My presence. And you well know it‘s part of Our wisdom not to respond to demands of proof of Our presence. It is within Our power, of course, to meet any kind of proof demanded of Us, but We would consider this only a short-sighted assuagement of someone else’s need to look deeper within themselves to find within their own powers of recognition, the ability to perceive Us and feel Our presence, or at the very least, recognize the truth and the love in Our words. And so like good parents everywhere, even on a human level, We cannot in all wisdom and love pander to any kind of demand like this.

MICHAEL: Good evening My dear sons, this is your father, Michael. I too look forward to these meetings for they add to Me as well—this group consciousness you all were talking about just a bit ago. Your devotion shines forth and does as much as My part in supporting this communication. So I want to credit you with this devotion, and acknowledge My appreciation for it. In this group you have experienced this is not automatic or universal. You have had your guest students come and go who were not able to perceive or feel Mother Spirit’s or My presence. And you well know it‘s part of Our wisdom not to respond to demands of proof of Our presence. It is within Our power, of course, to meet any kind of proof demanded of Us, but We would consider this only a short-sighted assuagement of someone else’s need to look deeper within themselves to find within their own powers of recognition, the ability to perceive Us and feel Our presence, or at the very least, recognize the truth and the love in Our words. And so like good parents everywhere, even on a human level, We cannot in all wisdom and love pander to any kind of demand like this.

 

The whole thrust of Our lessons has been to help you augment your own abilities, to realize, then grow the spiritual dimension of your personalities that you have innately, but only latently. Developing yourself spiritually is almost wholly a matter of your freewill choice. You develop yourselves physically and mentally because this had always been the intention of even the most primitive human cultures. But spiritual development is a super-addition, and it is only after you achieve a great spiritual recognition and power that you realize the extent to which Mother Spirit and I have always been with you, always been a part of your life.

The whole thrust of Our lessons has been to help you augment your own abilities, to realize, then grow the spiritual dimension of your personalities that you have innately, but only latently. Developing yourself spiritually is almost wholly a matter of your freewill choice. You develop yourselves physically and mentally because this had always been the intention of even the most primitive human cultures. But spiritual development is a super-addition, and it is only after you achieve a great spiritual recognition and power that you realize the extent to which Mother Spirit and I have always been with you, always been a part of your life.

In addition you have My Spirit of Truth helping you in this evaluation—what you can recognize as feeling for the reality, the realness of what you are thinking and experiencing. Even your most fundamental perceptions of sight, and hearing, and touch, are constantly beset with thousands of little bits of sensation that you have learned over the course of your life to weed out or disregard as you constantly strive for reality. This is so pervasive, We have given you our lessons on projection, of how what you perceive is so processed through a filter of recognition—re-knowing, that you yourself are part of what you perceive to be totally objective and outside of you. Is this getting complex enough for you? (laughter) You rightfully see the humor in this, but this is your human reality. It is this complex. There is nothing you know that is purely physical or mental or spiritual: everything you experience is a mix of all three. There is no such thing as a purely physical human world such as a materialist conceives it, and subsequently perceives it to be. Nor can you in your present human state reduce everything to mental phenomena. Your type of mind is primarily a connection between the spirit reality of your personality—this unique creation of God, and your physiology—the world it senses. So you are a part of everything you perceive, and everything you’ve known is a part of your soul. Your sense of freedom within this mix is largely dependant upon the quality and extent of your consciousness. As your Urantia book puts it: this is one of God’s wiser provisions, that you are only free within the realm of what you can be conscious of.

In addition you have My Spirit of Truth helping you in this evaluation—what you can recognize as feeling for the reality, the realness of what you are thinking and experiencing. Even your most fundamental perceptions of sight, and hearing, and touch, are constantly beset with thousands of little bits of sensation that you have learned over the course of your life to weed out or disregard as you constantly strive for reality. This is so pervasive, We have given you our lessons on projection, of how what you perceive is so processed through a filter of recognition—re-knowing, that you yourself are part of what you perceive to be totally objective and outside of you. Is this getting complex enough for you? (laughter) You rightfully see the humor in this, but this is your human reality. It is this complex. There is nothing you know that is purely physical or mental or spiritual: everything you experience is a mix of all three. There is no such thing as a purely physical human world such as a materialist conceives it, and subsequently perceives it to be. Nor can you in your present human state reduce everything to mental phenomena. Your type of mind is primarily a connection between the spirit reality of your personality—this unique creation of God, and your physiology—the world it senses. So you are a part of everything you perceive, and everything you’ve known is a part of your soul. Your sense of freedom within this mix is largely dependant upon the quality and extent of your consciousness. As your Urantia book puts it: this is one of God’s wiser provisions, that you are only free within the realm of what you can be conscious of.

Because you do, of course, do things unconsciously. Much of the maintenance of your body is totally unconscious—how you digested your last meal, how you reach out and pick up an object, get up and walk. Then too, so much of your overt behavior is culturally conditioned. It is what you absorbed during all those years of growing up with your family, and then your friends and schooling; all those thousands and thousands of hours of listening to the radio, and watching television, reading your magazines and newspapers.

Because you do, of course, do things unconsciously. Much of the maintenance of your body is totally unconscious—how you digested your last meal, how you reach out and pick up an object, get up and walk. Then too, so much of your overt behavior is culturally conditioned. It is what you absorbed during all those years of growing up with your family, and then your friends and schooling; all those thousands and thousands of hours of listening to the radio, and watching television, reading your magazines and newspapers.

Think of how the more gross kinds of copycat behavior, simply aping what the current celebrity or power-figure is doing, will fade away as people become more interested in what they themselves are uniquely endowed with creating. Think of the world that will become through this process of individual blossoming. Your Urantia book paints you marvelous pictures of other, more advanced societies on other worlds that can be your own on Urantia some day, clear to the point when individuals become so self-creative and -determining, and wise, that much of what you now know of as law and government will also fade away in that far distant future on your planet too. It does you well to think of these ideals that point you the way to take the next step tomorrow, right within your own family, your own community.

Think of how the more gross kinds of copycat behavior, simply aping what the current celebrity or power-figure is doing, will fade away as people become more interested in what they themselves are uniquely endowed with creating. Think of the world that will become through this process of individual blossoming. Your Urantia book paints you marvelous pictures of other, more advanced societies on other worlds that can be your own on Urantia some day, clear to the point when individuals become so self-creative and -determining, and wise, that much of what you now know of as law and government will also fade away in that far distant future on your planet too. It does you well to think of these ideals that point you the way to take the next step tomorrow, right within your own family, your own community.

This is the glory that God has in store for you, and it starts the moment you are willing to give up some small part of your usual routines and comfortable familiarity of what you’ve done these last few days, or weeks, or years, step off your well-worn rabbit-path of habit, be still, and open your mind to the real essence of your soul’s experience. Rediscover the trace of what was new in each moment of your life; then--for generally speaking, only then can you look forward to, and welcome with open arms, something new again. Only then can you welcome and not fear the fact that everything is changing, the complex mix of your living human reality is unique each moment. For this is nothing to fear. Rather, it had been the basis of your health and your strength all along. You are merely getting out of your own way and giving consent to the spiritual forces that renew you.

This is the glory that God has in store for you, and it starts the moment you are willing to give up some small part of your usual routines and comfortable familiarity of what you’ve done these last few days, or weeks, or years, step off your well-worn rabbit-path of habit, be still, and open your mind to the real essence of your soul’s experience. Rediscover the trace of what was new in each moment of your life; then--for generally speaking, only then can you look forward to, and welcome with open arms, something new again. Only then can you welcome and not fear the fact that everything is changing, the complex mix of your living human reality is unique each moment. For this is nothing to fear. Rather, it had been the basis of your health and your strength all along. You are merely getting out of your own way and giving consent to the spiritual forces that renew you.

Student: Hello Michael. It’s good to be back with You. I wanted to ask You more about stillness, and in particular, where in the Urantia book does it talk more than once or twice about stillness? Once it mentions when You were off in the hills as a youngster, you were breathing in with one eye to the glory of God—Not my will but Your will be done—and part of that passage alludes to something like stillness. There is only one other passage I remember, about relaxation and meditation, in the whole text. I think it’s wonderful You’re amplifying it tonight, and I wanted to ask You, what was it like for You when You were in human form on Urantia, and how did you do it at that time?

Student: Hello Michael. It’s good to be back with You. I wanted to ask You more about stillness, and in particular, where in the Urantia book does it talk more than once or twice about stillness? Once it mentions when You were off in the hills as a youngster, you were breathing in with one eye to the glory of God—Not my will but Your will be done—and part of that passage alludes to something like stillness. There is only one other passage I remember, about relaxation and meditation, in the whole text. I think it’s wonderful You’re amplifying it tonight, and I wanted to ask You, what was it like for You when You were in human form on Urantia, and how did you do it at that time?

MICHAEL: Yes, My son, as has been mentioned before in different transmissions, encouraging stillness has always been one of the main purposes of the Teaching Mission--which We have compared to a college professor giving lectures on the text to further spell out that which the text may have overlooked. When the Urantia book was given to mankind, it was felt that you already had so many meditative techniques in every culture of the world, this was not so necessary to include. Yet We soon realized the Urantia book was becoming almost too much an intellectual curiosity, and Our most loyal and fervent students still needed a technique to ground themselves in their day to day life in order to avoid getting a dichotomy between what they felt was a spiritual revelation that might not apply to the greater world of men and women for quite some time, and what they themselves were capable of realizing in their immediate daily lives.

MICHAEL: Yes, My son, as has been mentioned before in different transmissions, encouraging stillness has always been one of the main purposes of the Teaching Mission--which We have compared to a college professor giving lectures on the text to further spell out that which the text may have overlooked. When the Urantia book was given to mankind, it was felt that you already had so many meditative techniques in every culture of the world, this was not so necessary to include. Yet We soon realized the Urantia book was becoming almost too much an intellectual curiosity, and Our most loyal and fervent students still needed a technique to ground themselves in their day to day life in order to avoid getting a dichotomy between what they felt was a spiritual revelation that might not apply to the greater world of men and women for quite some time, and what they themselves were capable of realizing in their immediate daily lives.

I was aware that this was somewhat unique to me, as I grew up, insofar as most of My playmates had no similar experiences. I was also aware of the degree to which this gave Me a power of leadership among them, yet I never felt compelled to be in any way stand-offish, or removed because of it. Rather I became aware of what I taught you tonight, that the deep stillness--in the sense of feeling the completeness within yourself, is actually the spiritual connection by which all your mental and physical experiences become ever brighter, more real. Does this answer most of your question, My son?

I was aware that this was somewhat unique to me, as I grew up, insofar as most of My playmates had no similar experiences. I was also aware of the degree to which this gave Me a power of leadership among them, yet I never felt compelled to be in any way stand-offish, or removed because of it. Rather I became aware of what I taught you tonight, that the deep stillness--in the sense of feeling the completeness within yourself, is actually the spiritual connection by which all your mental and physical experiences become ever brighter, more real. Does this answer most of your question, My son?

 

Student: Most of it. I wonder if…I just can’t hold back…can I ask You about how the Apostles practiced this, and did they have degrees of success with stillness as well?

Student: Most of it. I wonder if…I just can’t hold back…can I ask You about how the Apostles practiced this, and did they have degrees of success with stillness as well?

MICHAEL: My son, you need not differentiate between Us. So rest easy on that score. Again, your Urantia book puts it objectively as the fact the spiritual community is united in such a transcendent way that you will spend some time, both in this life and in the phases to come, before you can fully realize this. For this is yet beyond most humans’ abilities to credit, while at the same time realizing the uniqueness of each member of the Celestial Family. In other words, this spiritual unity is not some kind of uniformity. Do not concern yourself if you cannot distinguish between different spiritual sources. I’m trying to put this in terms of how you feel Us subjectively, how you experience the spiritual truth of Our unity. Is this understandable to you?

MICHAEL: My son, you need not differentiate between Us. So rest easy on that score. Again, your Urantia book puts it objectively as the fact the spiritual community is united in such a transcendent way that you will spend some time, both in this life and in the phases to come, before you can fully realize this. For this is yet beyond most humans’ abilities to credit, while at the same time realizing the uniqueness of each member of the Celestial Family. In other words, this spiritual unity is not some kind of uniformity. Do not concern yourself if you cannot distinguish between different spiritual sources. I’m trying to put this in terms of how you feel Us subjectively, how you experience the spiritual truth of Our unity. Is this understandable to you?

Student: The way I understand it, You and Mother give the Absolute Father personality, to me. You make Him reachable. When I try to conceive of Him, just alone, it’s almost impossible for me to do this. But when I try to conceive of Him through Your personality, through Your love, through the relationship I share with You, it’s much easier to understand Him, His personality. So that’s what it is for me at this point.

Student: The way I understand it, You and Mother give the Absolute Father personality, to me. You make Him reachable. When I try to conceive of Him, just alone, it’s almost impossible for me to do this. But when I try to conceive of Him through Your personality, through Your love, through the relationship I share with You, it’s much easier to understand Him, His personality. So that’s what it is for me at this point.

Student: Yes Michael, You said something to me last time we were together. You mentioned accidents of my birth, and I was wondering what You meant by that? And where was I before I was born?

Student: Yes Michael, You said something to me last time we were together. You mentioned accidents of my birth, and I was wondering what You meant by that? And where was I before I was born?

MICHAEL: Yes, My son, the question of where you were before you were born implies a lingering notion of reincarnation from some previous existence, and you can review the lessons I’ve given on the general subject. If you are coming from this viewpoint, you cannot always recognize--because you are so familiar with it, some of the implications of this viewpoint. One would be that you had a conscious existence in which you chose the circumstances of your birth. In other words, your parents, your family, and then the surrounding society and location into which you would be born, would not be an accident to you.

MICHAEL: Yes, My son, the question of where you were before you were born implies a lingering notion of reincarnation from some previous existence, and you can review the lessons I’ve given on the general subject. If you are coming from this viewpoint, you cannot always recognize--because you are so familiar with it, some of the implications of this viewpoint. One would be that you had a conscious existence in which you chose the circumstances of your birth. In other words, your parents, your family, and then the surrounding society and location into which you would be born, would not be an accident to you.

Student: Hmmm… This is great! (much laughter, then everyone joined in) This is good! Wow! This is pretty good! I love this kind of stuff. To move on to something else: Saturday I went to a special gathering where we were celebrating Buddha’s birthday, and there was a full moon, and we were talking about Christ-consciousness; and we were all experiencing a really delightful… The person who was leading us—her name was C—said we could now ask the Celestial Beings who wanted to give us a message. My message I got, and I’ve had it before, was I am being a conduit of love. I felt really powerful, and so when we got out of the meditation, I felt this love, and I wanted to be kind-of quiet, but I also wanted to connect with people. What I noticed was a sadness in my inability to connect because the others were so...for lack of a better word, so self-involved? I really wanted to know who they were as human beings, as expressions of God. When I got home I felt this sadness again because I wanted to love these people, not because they were healers, or whatever they were doing in their lives—You know, what they were talking about, but because of who they are—beyond their culture, beyond their religious upbringing. I just wanted to express that. I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt so sad.

Student: Hmmm… This is great! (much laughter, then everyone joined in) This is good! Wow! This is pretty good! I love this kind of stuff. To move on to something else: Saturday I went to a special gathering where we were celebrating Buddha’s birthday, and there was a full moon, and we were talking about Christ-consciousness; and we were all experiencing a really delightful… The person who was leading us—her name was C—said we could now ask the Celestial Beings who wanted to give us a message. My message I got, and I’ve had it before, was I am being a conduit of love. I felt really powerful, and so when we got out of the meditation, I felt this love, and I wanted to be kind-of quiet, but I also wanted to connect with people. What I noticed was a sadness in my inability to connect because the others were so...for lack of a better word, so self-involved? I really wanted to know who they were as human beings, as expressions of God. When I got home I felt this sadness again because I wanted to love these people, not because they were healers, or whatever they were doing in their lives—You know, what they were talking about, but because of who they are—beyond their culture, beyond their religious upbringing. I just wanted to express that. I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt so sad.

MICHAEL: My son, I asking you to consider if your sadness might have been a

MICHAEL: My son, I asking you to consider if your sadness might have been a

Student: Yes…yes, I will do so. Thank You.

Student: Yes…yes, I will do so. Thank You.