Pocatello Transcript 3-27-98

[Bill Kelly]

3-27-98

Business & Sharing
Opening Prayer

Daniel (Bill):  "This is Daniel; my warmest greetings to you, my dear
friends.  I am your guide and teacher, among others; and I like the sound of
that familiar cadence for it reminds me of our deepest and cherished
connections.  You know, of course, that you have many teachers.  You have
your personal guides.  You have your guardian angels.  You have spirit
influences from the most intimate connection or Mystery Monitor, Michael's
spirit of truth, and our blessed holy Mother Spirit's influence.; and there
is available to you the perfect balance and coordination of this marvelous
mix of celestial ministry.  

I am hopeful that some of you pursued the suggestion made in the last
several meetings to try to broaden your awareness of the presence, the
power, the love, and the reality of the spiritual world.  You are indeed
fortunate among mortals that your footsteps have led to the door, which upon
opening has opened to you these grand vistas of spiritual growth and
illumination.  This knowledge is not intended to be a gnostic treasure, a
special knowledge for the chosen few, for the spiritual elite, but this
knowledge of what is really true is all of our responsibility to
disseminate, to inculcate, to flavor with such generosity and compassion
that it will be the most appealing of spiritual food.  

We are not merely speaking of a smorgasbord of pleasant ideas, relative
truths, nor interesting thoughts.  No, this is not the realm of conjecture
or speculation that I am referring to.  This is that true knowledge, that
true light, that has been difficult to understand on this planet of darkness
until now, until recently.  It is a light which was never fully
extinguished, of course.  It kept burning through the centuries after the
disastrous rebellion claimed the Planetary Prince of Urantia, and then after
the less than complete effort that was terminated in failure by your
planetary Adam and Eve.  

You know, of course, the other efforts, the other epochal revelations which
culminate in the arrival and ministry, death and resurrection of none other
than the Planetary Sovereign who is also a Universe Sovereign, our own
Christ Michael.  And now in these days we have the fifth epochal revelation
which is not confined to the pages of the Urantia Book, although the Urantia
Book announces it and is the textbook.  But this epochal revelation is
inexplicably intertwined with and cannot be dissociated from the great Time
of Correction which has begun.  

Some of you were jesting about hearing voices in your heads; and yet this is
the goal of every mortal being, to become fully conscious of the voice of
their leading Adjustor, their precious God Fragment.  Put away your fear!
Put away your fear and trust that when you turn over to God you will not be
lead astray.  I'm not advocating foolish, intemperate rejection of intellect
or logic; I'm not advocating insanity.  But too much is being said that
draws upon your deep fears that somehow or other when you reach out to God,
He will deceive you, His hands will be removed, and you will fall, crash and
burn.  The leap of faith is never met with this kind of disappointment.
This brings me to the official lesson for this evening.

I desire to continue, with the assistance of others, to pursue the rewards
of risk.  Let me start by saying, 'nothing risked, nothing learned.'  This
is a variant on, 'nothing risked, nothing gained,' with the emphasis in such
a way as to take it out of the context of the business world, although its
truth there is often apparent.  Consider the opposite of risk, a life where
there are no dangers available to a person because they are unwilling to
take risks.  What would such a life be like?  

I would like you to help me with this question.  I will give you a moment to
think about it and then I would like your participation, those of your who
wish.  Please, very briefly, describe how you conceive a life that has no
risk.  How would it be?

Let us have a risk taker!"

Robert:  "I will begin.  Life without risk is the same as life without
stress.  We must have stress to live.  Without stress, our systems will
stagnate and die.  Without risk, we stagnate and die, emotionally,
spiritually.  We block things up.  We lock things up.  And they change in
negative, not in positive ways.  Risk is growth.  Risk is learning.  Risk is
striving to be what we are destined to be by our indwelling monitor.
Without risk, without learning, there is nothing."

Daniel:  "I thank you, Robert, for this contribution.  Are there others?"

Bob S.:  "I have two views of this.  One side of me says, 'wouldn't it be
wonderful to have a life with no stress!  I'd like to try this sometime
because it sounds great.'  I'm not sure what side of me is saying that.  But
intellectually I've become convinced, with what Robert is saying, that it's
absolutely crucial and it probably shows my ignorance to say it's taken me a
such long time to say that, but it's clear to me now that nothing ventured,
nothing gained, in spite of what one side of me wants to do."

Daniel(Bill):  "Thank you, Bob, for your input.  A life without risk.  Are
there others?"

Angie:  "On the other hand, Daniel, if you didn't take any risks would life
be safe and secure?"

Daniel(Bill):  "Ah!  I was going to address that question.  Thank you for
putting it so clearly.  Others of you may address it if you wish, or make
your contribution."

Virginia:  "I think that any time one is in a relationship with another
person, with an animal, with maybe life itself, I'm not sure, you are at
risk, period!  I think even the hermit would be at risk with material things
and physical things, but I think the greatest risk is trying to be in
relationship, honest relationship, open relationship with the people we come
in contact.  I think that's where you grow, that's where you learn, and
sometimes I think that it would be much easier to throw away a relationship,
than to work through it and to keep that relationship going.  That's risk to
me."

Daniel(Bill):  "Virginia, can you say a word about what a life without risk
would be like?"


Virginia:  "It would be living on the top of a hill, with all of my needs
met, and no one questioning what I am, or what I'm thinking, or what I'm
doing.  To me that would be a life without risk.  And nothing to do, by the
way!  Oh, dear."

Bob S.:  "Can we conclude that risk is important to life because life is
full of that?.  So, can we conclude that life naturally alludes to that, or
leads to that, or it's a natural part of life because it's important?"

Daniel(Bill):  "Another good question.  Ponder it."

Robert:  "I would suggest that we are hardwired to take risk.  It is built
into the very genetics that we have.  And while we may wish to avoid it at
times, to avoid it, I would repeat, is to stagnate.  It's built into us,
because without it there would have been no progression from life plasma
orientation to now."

Daniel(Bill): "Exactly.  You have come to the core of the issue, Robert.
Risk is not optional, it is inevitable.  It is, of course, necessary for
evolution to occur.  It is also, as you have all implied if not stated
directly, impossible to avoid.  

The only thing that could be thought of as the opposite of risk would be
death, mortal death.  The fewer risks that you take the more restricted your
life is.  Consider the plight of the person with agoraphobia who is unable
or unwilling to walk out of their home, even to cross the street, who lives
as a virtual prisoner of the walls of their very house.  And that is a
physical risk.  And as Virginia has noted, and Robert, and others, without
emotional risks you cannot have relationships. You are not available if
you're behind the safety of your defense mechanisms.  

I would now like to add one more dimension to this process of thinking, and
this is to ask the question, what really is there to be afraid of in the
final analysis?  What truly is so fearful that it makes it difficult for a
person to challenge it and take the risk?  Again, my friends, your wonderful
minds are appreciated.  Give this a moment and let's talk about it."

Steve:  "It doesn't even take a moment.  (laughter)."

Bob S.:  "You've got it figured out already!"

Steve:  "Well, I think so.  I've taken some pretty good risks by the
terminology of what Virginia was saying, and what I've had happen in my life
so far.  And to follow up on the first part.  I wouldn't have enjoyed the
life I've had so far without the risks.  But to get into the answer now,
after going through the risk a few times, it's real easy to say that the
pain, the sorrow, the self-doubting, the self-destroying, the lack of
self-confidence, all of it comes into play that puts you right down into the
bottom of the hole which you don't want to come out of.  I think that's what
scares most of us.  After being right at the bottom I know it, real well.
But I haven't learned to be smart enough not to stay there, and I keep
coming back and trying.  The risk is still there, I've still got to try the
risk because I can't live without the risk.  I need to have that risk in my
life, or I'm lost.  It's real easy to say, no, I don't want to because of
the hurt that I've been through so far as I risk.  And it gets real scary
for me, and you know all to well because I've tried to talk to you a few
times.  I know you're listening, but I just don't receive real well.  My
tuner, my receiver is broke.  (laughter)  I'm working on it.  You know just
what I'm saying."

Daniel(Bill):  "Steven, my dear friend, I do indeed. You have stated well
that the fear that is greatest for you is the loss of the love of another
person, as well as the loss of self-respect and self-confidence.  Have I
understood you correctly?"

Steve:  "Yes, you have."

Daniel(Bill):  "Very good.  I will refrain from commenting on your
statements until others have their say.  Thank you for your contribution."

Robert:  "I would speak to another aspect of what is there to be afraid of
after all, in risk.  Conservatively, what will risk cause me?  There is, as
well as being hardwired, being genetically implanted into the organism the
necessity of risk, the conservatism of survival, whether it be physical or
emotional.  So with each risk the organism must decide whether or not
there's a possibility of ceasing to function on some level.  I see that as
just as basic as the necessity of risk.  There's a balancing act.  One that,
by inheritance and by training, each of us must choose for any given
situation.  Negative experiences are very powerful, much, much more powerful
than positive experiences within our species.  I don't know the origin of
this or whether it is consistent on other spheres, but it seems to be true
on this one.  So there's that balancing act involved.  Yes, there's going to
be risk because without it there may not be survival.  But what will that
risk cost me emotionally or physically or mentally or spiritually?"

Bob S.:  "I think for me what Robert is saying comes down to a fear of
losing position, status in somebody else's eyes.  I don't know if this
belonging is a need or whatever it is, but I seem to need to hold a position
of importance, esteem, status in other people's eyes, and I fear losing
that; and that keeps me bottled up."

Angie:  "Well, I don't know who it was who said, 'there's nothing to fear
but fear itself.'  I certainly am not afraid of dying, but I think living is
very fearful."

Daniel(Bill):  "Could you elaborate a little more on what aspects of living
are fearful?"

Angie: "It's just everything that happens.  It's just scary."

Gwen:  "Risk for me has two opposite ends.  Risk in the physical world is
not a problem for me.  I love, I enjoy risky activities- climbing the Grand
Teton, skiing 40 degree slopes on my Telemark skies; I live for that.  It's
good. Challenging my physical ability is something that I enjoy.  However,
at the opposite end of the spectrum, at the emotional level, I'm very afraid
of risk, mostly because of my disappointment and loss of trust in many
different human beings.  And, therefore, I'm so much more cautious now and
more so as I get older, to take the risk. Recently, in my new relationship I
can honestly say that if he were to break up with me tomorrow, if we're not
together, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest because I haven't allowed
myself the risk, because I'm too afraid of my long, long train of unhealthy
relationships with people, just getting involved emotionally with unhealthy
relationships.  So risk to me is two opposite things.  I'm not too sure
which one you were asking.  But that's my answer."

Daniel(Bill):  "Excellent, Gwen, I was not asking for only one definition,
obviously.  You have given exactly what your feel, and stated it very well.
It enters this stew of consideration with appropriate flavor.  Now, my
question was, what for you is the bottom line, what are you most afraid of,
that is hardest to take a risk for?  And so this answer will vary according
to each of you.  Are there other contributions?"

Barbara:  "The only thing that I was thinking of is that we are also
hardwired to be social, and need other human beings.  And, therefore,
anything that threatens that connection is very fearful.  And fear of the
unknown, people certainly remain in situations that are not healthy because
they are afraid to take the risk, they don't know what lies beyond.  Fear of
abandonment, fear of rejection, all of those are fears that get put in the
forefront when you think about the hardwiring for social interaction.  I
guess that's .... well fear of failure.  I think it comes down to fear of
the unknown, that's the bottom line."

Daniel(Bill):  "I am appreciative of all of your contributions.  Thank you,
Barbara.  I think you have pretty well covered the gamut of human needs and
fears, both biological, emotional, psychological.  And you've done a
splendid job."

Virginia:  "Daniel, everything that people have said here tonight I can
identify with and probably have experienced everything that has been said.
How do we know .... yes, I know, you're going to say, go into the quiet and
talk with the inner guide... it just seems such a difficult thing to know
when to be assertive, stand up for yourself and break relationships, whether
they're with spouses, peers, or people that walk on your toes and impose
their physical body on you, or when you try to keep that relationship going
for your sake and their sake so that healing can occur.  II know I said that
relationships are what our life is all about, but I think it's still very
difficult.  And I'm positive that we've discussed this before!"

Daniel(Bill):  "I will return to your question, Virginia, after this
conversation, this lesson has been completed.  Is this OK with you?"

Virginia:  "Sure.  I have a choice?  No, I'm teasing."

Daniel(Bill):  "You could say, it is not OK with you ....."

Virginia:  "It doesn't matter.  Postponing it is fine."

Daniel(Bill): "and then I would have to negotiate.  But if you can sincerely
wait..."

Virginia: "I can wait."

Daniel(Bill): "Now my friends, I would like to have you consider some of the
'hard sayings' of our Master, as they're termed.  He said, 'whoever wants to
save his life will lose it, but whosoever is willing to lose his life for My
sake and the kingdom's, will gain it,' or words to that effect.  He said,
words to this effect, 'what if kingdoms fall, everything crashes and burns,
what concern is this of a God-believing faith son and daughter?'  What was
he getting at?  Of course Jesus knew of spiritual reality, for he, as a
Creator Son from Paradise, knew from his own experience the reality of the
Trinity.  For Him there was no uncertainty at all.  His difficult task was
to try to convince us that this spiritual reality, unseen by our eyes, was
really in existence.  

You have all presented with good arguments the various types of fears that
mortals experience, that make risk difficult, even though it is built into
your systems by evolution to take risks..  The good news that Jesus
announced was the reality that your lives, our lives, (for I include myself
here as a former mortal), take origin in two sources, one biological, the
other spiritual.  His great good news was that we're not merely children of
our material parents, children of the earth, but we are sons and daughters
of the very Creator of all that is; and because of this fact, if we choose
this relationship of trust, obedience, and joy, the material fears will not
ultimately destroy us.   It is hard to bear in mind on a daily basis that
there is this other reality, that we are truly immortal by our consent; and
that there is possible a trust relationship in a Person who is unfailingly
perfect, good, and caring.  Actually, it is idolatry to trust fully, 100
percent, in another human being, including yourself, for only God merits
that kind of faith and trust.  

I suggest to you that the most important risk you take in your lives is to
believe this good news, and once you take that risk, which you all have
done, you taste reality.  You sense that you have not been conned; you know
there's something real.  You feel the presence and love of God.  Some
skeptics would come back with, 'That's all fine and dandy pie in the sky,
but how does that help me deal with my daily problems?  Does that just
automatically cancel the risks of courtship, the risks of friendship, the
survival needs for daily bread, a roof over my head, and so forth; what does
all that have to do with my real life?'   And the answer is, you must
discover this individually.  

However, I would also suggest that the one who has made the leap of faith to
believe in their sonship and daughtership, and their grand universe parents,
is not any less connected to the material reality than a skeptical brother
or sister, but rather has that settled peace making it possible to deal with
all the risks of life that have been elaborated in the material sense, and
find that balance that was stated between surging ahead, taking risks, and
drawing back cautiously to preserve some aspect of your life.  There is
another who wishes to add some comments.  One moment, please."

Minearisa (Cathy):  "This is Minearisa.  The topic at hand is one of core
importance.  The bottomless pit, as described by Steven, seems very real.
There is, however, that safety net of God's love which prevents us from
plummeting every downward.  As God extends a hand to you it is your
responsibility to reach back and grasp that hand.  And what is required in
order to reach out is self-love, for without self-love you cannot fully
accept the love of another, including God.  

It is this self-love, Virginia, that answers your question regarding when to
sever relationships, for when people treat us with less love than they
extend to themselves, that is the point at which severing the relationship
is the healthiest alternative.  

Regarding risk, risk is a requirement of change, and change is the
requirement of growth.  If you think of a bubbling brook, what keeps it
clear and pure is movement, constant change, for if the movement stops,
indeed it becomes, as Robert said, stagnant.  People stagnate just as water
can.  When one refuses to accept risk as a corollary of growth, and
therefore, life, the mental stagnation that sets in is much like an early
death for that person.  And one common way in which people stagnate is by
making assumptions that are convenient, that allow one to avoid that which
he knows in his/her heart to be, perhaps, not the easiest path, but the
right path.  The example that Isaac gave earlier is an excellent one, and
one to take to heart.  

I would like to give an assignment this week, for you all to be on the alert
for assumptions made about others, and then to consciously challenge this
assumption you have made,no matter how certain you are of it, and then face
the person with your perceptions.  For example, you might say, 'I have
observed this or that, and from that my perception is that you are feeling
this or that,' and see how close or how far off you are in reality.  This
concludes my comments.  There is one other who desires to speak."

Aaron (Bill):  "Hello friends, I am Aaron.  I have enjoyed our interactional
format this evening, which allows you to add your two-cents worth, and I
would say your thousand-dollars worth.  We will continue to use this
interactional format more and more, even though occasionally, or perhaps
even more frequently than occasionally, we may lapse into the lecture mode
at times.  

My vote is for the wisdom of one of your great presidents, who did say in
fact, 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself'.  And I vote for this
because it was the habit of our Master to say, 'fear not, fear not little
flock, you are taken care of, God knows your needs.'  He takes care of the
grass, the flowers, the birds, He surely will take care of you.  Don't be
anxious, because you can't, by being anxious, add a day to your life.  Your
hairs are counted, and even if they are falling out, you are still valuable,
even if your society prefers you in a wig or a hair piece.  You see how
superficial and unimportant in the eternal perspective are so many of your
fears, and I would say our fears, for we had them also to some degree.  When
you take the risk of faith, that leap into the arms of the loving Parent,
you will not be disappointed.  Daniel has stated this already; the Urantia
book states it consistently; I add my testimony as well.  So throw those
heavy weights off your back, relax those stressed muscles of
self-protection, loneliness, and abandonment and see this sparkling,
gorgeous universe, fully cared for, administered, and all moving in the
direction of perfection. Some day you will literally stand on the perfect
worlds of Havona.   You will be amazed at what you see.  The life ahead of
us is incredible.  

My friends, take heart.  You are all precious, precious children, lovely,
wonderful brothers and sisters.  My love, Daniel's love, Minearisa's love,
but most importantly, God's love be with you all tonight.  Good evening."