[tmtranscripts] Rio Rancho TeaM - 3/30/03

[Karen ODell]

DATE:                March 30, 2003
LOCATION:        At the Bowen's
TEACHERS:        Merium, Anatolia, Cicoli
TOPIC:           The Sparrow
                        The Color Purple                
T/R's:      Gerdean (for Merium & Anatolia) Matthew (for Cicoli)
MUSIC:   "The Eye is on the Sparrow"   Carl:  Solo, A Cappella
___________________________________________________________
PRAYER:   
Matthew:  Let us place ourselves in the presence of Jesus, the Christ.

Master Teacher,
        We come to you today with uplifted and happy hearts, expecting
that our placement of trust and faith before you in our Father is of the
utmost importance and is what is right, and just, and the way things are.
        We correct ourselves and our minds to put ourselves in that
focus, to be in that place, to be one with you and our Heavenly Father
and all divinity, and to include everything and everyone as a result of
that inclusion. 
        We pray that our deepest and strongest needs and desires, that
are true to the plan of our Heavenly Father, be met with dispatch and
with purity and love as it is intended, within out hearts, minds and
wills. 
        We ask for a quick resolution to this war which is taking place,
and for the resettlement of sanity and unity of all humankind as the
lesson and the message to be learned through this travail. 
        For all other needs that you know within our hearts and our
minds, we ask that they be addressed and healed, and for the Teacher’s
message today, that it brings us ever closer to relationship with you and
with our
Heavenly father, now and always. Amen.


MERIUM: Round and round and round she goes. Where she stop, God only
knows. This is Merium, your Sister in the Spirit, and Sister also of the
Teacher Corps who ministers to you and accompanies you on your journey
forth. 

How good it feels to be in your presence, to rejoice in the opening of
the spring season. This is my joy: to open the windows and let in the
fresh air, to uplift the somber tones of winter with the harmonies of
springtime. These days invite the infestation of Mother Nature’s gifts in
the birds and the bees and the foals and the children, which all fall
under the watchful eye of the Eternal Parents. 

Embraceable ones, I have tucked you into your cradle in the tree of life
and rocked you into serenity. Let me now allow your Teachers to discourse
with you regarding the nature of the Melchizedek University curriculum
assigned for this moment in time. [Blowing kisses.]

ANATOLIA: Greetings, beautiful friends. Once again we conjoin together in
this Family embrace. Your joy resonates into the spheres, inviting the
Hosts of Heaven to smile upon you in your Celebration of Sonship.

The Sparrow, evidently, is the theme for the day, for the painting
Gerdean is working on features the sparrow in converse with the Mother
Spirit. The song from the service this morning and the golden throat of
Men-o-pah has brought to your consciousness the sparrow again, and the
scripture that remembers the value lesson of your importance in the
family of God. 

The element of creativity is something you all know something about. Each
of you have created something. Some of you, many of you, perhaps most of
you, have created children, and there is no finer product of one’s life
than new sons and daughters that will enter into the Kingdom of God, into
the life lived in these physical planes en route to the morontia worlds
and beyond, an ever advancing, ever replenishing army of workers and
chorus of singers advancing into perfection. 

Each one of you is like the sparrow, unique and original. Each like a
fingerprint, unique unto your self, and each registered On High as a
personality reality, just as in the pattern of perfection each bird and
bug, each tree and rock, is inscribed with the hand print of creation.
The
greatness of God is not limited to Paradise. The greatness of God is that
He spreads Himself throughout the universe, that all of creation might
reflect Him. 

The sparrow is a skittish little bird. It flies away at the slightest
movement. A wind can arouse its survival instincts and as it lifts up and
away, the flock follows. The flock, united, ascends to safety, and in
this flock they have companionship and camaraderie. They converse among
themselves as only their species can do, and their song is a unique note
on the air that may reach into your heart and reflect therein the purity
of the voice of God as it touches you in your innermost being, in your
moments of worship, in your ability to perceive our Creator in the most
humble aspect of creation.

God is fully aware of all of his little birds—those who are frightening
and those who are being frightened; those who are vigilant and those who
are in song. There is no real lesson here but for symbolism—the symbolism
of each of you as an entity, unique in the far-flung creation, and known
personally by God. [An ice cream truck passes, whose tune is "Rock-a-bye
Baby".] A lullaby they send us, to accentuate the cradle of love in which
you rest on the branches of the tree, rocked by the winds of time. 

Sing your song of joy. Warble your very heart song. This is an
opportunity
to indicate that in the symbolism of life, there are movements which are
part of the composition of your existence but which have little value, as
compared to the value in relationship, just as in your ministry you find
brothers and sisters with whom you cannot sing, who sing a different
song, as if they were another species of bird entirely. This affords you
an opportunity to dedicate yourself to that which you know and that which
is true for you. Give yourself fully to your reality as you perceive it. 

We are aware of what goes on, on your world, of the frightened birds and
the joyous birds, but remember that God is mindful of each of them, even
as they flutter and fight over the use of the birdbath or the birdseed.
Perhaps I am suggesting that you not take life so seriously. You are so
conscientious and so mindful of the human condition. You have such deep
compassion for those who suffer and [you have] such an ambition to serve.
But remember the story of the sparrow, who finds his beauty in singing
what he knows. If you sing, they will know you are not afraid. If you
stop singing, they will feel there is something to fear. 

I have been smitten by the message of Merium, to allow the radiance of
the new season to overpower the dark and the cold of winter. While half
of your planet faces autumn and its inherent qualities, you are facing
springtime. Apply your symbols to your season as the children of God
opposite the world also sing the song symbolic of their season. I tell
you about joy, and yet I feel your heavy nature. Either you are
suppressing your concerns or you are ignoring me. What is it? Where are
your fears or concerns that make you feel so heavy-laden? 

Matthew: I may be a guilty party. I have immersed myself in this war
business, only to try and understand it, and I’m trying to not carry it
around like a house chained to my ankle, but maybe it is. I’m just trying
to understand "insanity" and that’s dangerous business. So maybe you’re
picking up on me, I don’t know.

Esmarelda: Well, I think probably all of us, to some degree, -- I think
we’re all concerned about the war situation, and people being killed -
both of our country and the country in which the war is being fought. But
I think it’s also equally good that we are joyous as well, and that we
can enjoy each other and feel lighthearted and laugh and still enjoy
life, but it is difficult not to be concerned about the world situation
right now.

Men-o-pah: I was reminded yesterday that the country is at war. Most of
you know that I do some volunteer work at the airport here. I went in to
do my shift yesterday. The traffic into the airport was backed up all the
way down to the interstate, and the people, where I park my car, they
were standing up and they were all over the place. They had a bomb threat
inside the airport. It turned out not to be anything, really, but they
evacuated the whole airport. Some camper had ... I don’t know how this
happened, really. He had a little bottle of propane. It was empty and he
wanted to get rid of it, so he put it in a trash barrel in the airport,
of all things, and somebody saw him do it and, man, they rained on that
guy! And at the same time, you know, they chased everybody out. There
were people that had just come in on various and sundry flights and they
didn’t have time to get their luggage. They run them out. So it reminded
very, very much that the country is at war.

Miriam: How did that make you feel?


Men-o-pah: I wonder how many wars we’re going to be engaged in before
we learn to do better. You know, it seems that we just don’t learn. It
isn’t that we don’t know better. I think we do.

Miriam: Did you feel fearful in that situation? Was your heart beating?
Were you feeling scrambled? Or were you feeling calm?

Men-o-pah: I’m calm most of the time, and it didn’t really bother me
much. I knew that there was something happening, and I didn’t really find
out until I got into the place and ... well, there was ... I’m sure these
GI’s were part of the Reserve, the National Guard, and I haven’t seen any
GI’s there since the 9/11. They were there quite forcibly during that,
and they were there yesterday, too.

Esmarelda: They were there a week ago. 

Miriam: Really? 

Esmarelda: I went to pick up Deborah and I heard it on the news that they
had been called in. Ever since the war began in Iraq. So they had been
there.

Miriam: I was thinking about what Anatolia said about the one sparrow,
when he picks up to fly, the whole flock comes with him, and if one voice
is singing with joy or his love for Our Father, and you know, the joy is
easy to resonate when joy is being resonated. Like, when I hear the choir
sing, as Mother did today, I cry from joy, it’s so wonderful! But then
when all the voices are lifted up in, "Oh, no! What are we going to do?"
and it’s "Run for it!" and its Fear Fear Fear, that is a hard time to
sing. "What? Are you just going to sing peace and joy?" But I can
imagine, if all the birds were starting to fly, with fear, if there were
a couple of birds singing with joy, a couple of birds that were getting
ready to take off and fly, would hear that thought. "Hey, maybe that’s
the deal."

The images today were wonderful! The cradle, the sparrow, the whole
thing.  I guess it’s a matter of choice. 

Elena: The one thing that’s bothering me, this morning going to church—I
love the green around the river and it was just a little patch of
blossoms on the fruit trees, but then, all of a sudden I just got really
sad because I thought, "Yeah, but I’m here and I’m having this wonderful
spring experience, but there are other people who are in a dust storm,
thinking that they may have to kill somebody the very next second,
and it just ... Whoom!

Esmarelda: Or be killed.

Elena; Well, yeah! And the choice being that. And, oh boy, that just
really got me this morning, so maybe I’m responsible for a little bit of
that. I’ve been singing, too, but I kind of waffling. There’s a couple of
warbles and then a couple of squawks. 

Esmarelda: Well, we all know Myra has been singing.

Myra: Well, of course, I’m feeling good, and of course I’m feeling
joy, but I’m not stupid, and I do think that there is a burden that
people carry around with them because of what is going on in Iraq. It’s
not only going on in Iraq, it’s going on amongst all of our friends and
families, because you don’t bring up the topic, willy-nilly, unless you
know how people feel about it. How many times have we been called on in
the last couple of weeks, when people in strong, strong support, "Rah,
rah, go kill," when is our responsibility to say, "Whoa, wait a minute,"
and be that voice in the wilderness, which is not really my favorite
thing to do, but I also, often in the last couple of weeks, "If not you,
who? And if not now, when?" And so that is a burden, and you don’t want
to start another crisis. You just want to open other people’s minds to be
able to see—the whole middle east is not filled with Saddam. There are
people who treasure their homeland and have a right to protect it, and
they are pictured to us as being demons, and yet when I think, if
somebody were coming into my home and they were four times bigger than
me, I would be a little deceptive in my motives in protecting my house,
so yeah, I think it is very important for us to be joyous, and yet
sometimes we are the only alternative voice of just quietly saying,
"yeah, but there is another side of the story." And it’s heavy.

Paula: And you know, totally aside from the war and all the problems,
it’s amazing how many different kinds of people there are in this world,
and when we were in Southern Illinois, I found the warmest, the most
wonderful group of people I think I ever met. I met all kinds of
different people. There was a little restaurant in the nearby village of
Vienna, called Dolly’s, and everybody goes to Dolly’s. They have good
food and its inexpensive and everybody gathers around. Instead of sitting
at a table for four people, you sit at a big table, which we did for
lunch, when Bob and Pat, the people we stayed with, took me for lunch.
And all of a sudden all of the farmers from around there ... well, it’s
really funny. They were the original hillbillies, and they murdered the
King’s English, but they had hearts of gold, every one of them. Weren’t
they, honey? 

Men-O-Pah: They’re my kinsmen! Of course I think they’re wonderful.

(laughter)

Paula: But you go from people like that to plain ordinary folks like the
rest of us, all the way up to some of his friends with their Ph.D’s and
still and all they were still the same. This one gal, she and her husband
were Barbara and Harold’s best friends. She was the Assistant Dean of the
University where he went. She has a Ph.D. There was none of this
murdering the King’s English there but, as I say, I went from all these
different types of people but every one of them was just the warmest,
friendliest, kind people. And they took me right in as if I’d been right
there among them forever.

Elena: Don’t you think it would be like that if we went to Iraq? They
would be, you know, just normal friendly people there, beyond the table. 

Paula: Probably.

Elena: It’s kind of difficult to go towards the things that we have in
common. To sit down at a round table would be a really good thing.
That’s a neat story, Paula.

Mirium: I had a great experience on Saturday. I was thinking, while you
were sharing, it’s easy to think people are great when everyone is
friendly and being kind to you, but when they are shooting at your or
shouting mean things to you or pushing or shoving you, it’s a little more
difficult to keep that attitude as well. And I was sitting in the car,
talking to my sister, and there were two Native American guys sitting in
the car next to me, in a beat up old car, and they had cans of stuff in
their hands and they looked scary. They really did. They looked like some
pretty scary dudes, and I was thinking, "Mmmm." I really did. I started
to get nervous.

Then they turned on this music and it was Wonderful! Drums! They were
singing! Well, you know what they do, Men-O-Pah, and I found my body,
without my mind’s permission, "groovin" you know? Bouncing to the rhythm
and my head was moving, so anyway, the guy came back and he was putting
balloons in the car and I looked over at him and this guy was so cool. He
looked straight at me and said, "Did you like the music?" And I was close
enough to him so say in this voice, "Yes, I did! I love the drums." And
he smiled at me real big. And the point is, I had this fear thing going
on. I had this feeling like maybe I should lock the doors, and this is
the fear thing I was doing with my mind, and he also said, "It mellows
you out to listen to drums." (laughter) 

Who knows? Maybe they had soda in those cans. But my reality started to
make that a scary deal and his reality kind of flowed over to my reality
and knocked over my barriers. At first I was thinking, I don’t like this.
I don’t trust this. I’m going to lock my doors. So that’s what I was
thinking. When it’s like kind, we can embrace it. When we’re in
environments where people are so friendly, but .... I don’t know. Anyway.
I’m finished.

Group: A great story!

Men-O-Pah: Have you ever been to any of those huge pow wows they have
here?

Elena: It’s coming up. The end of May. And Willie and I want to go.

Men-O-Pah: I encourage you to go. I think, you know, that sometimes
they lose sight of the spirituality that’s associated with most Native
Americans. Most Indians don’t do much of anything until they talk to the
Big Spirit. I know it’s even so in our culture that when a man went out
to hunt, for instance, that he asked for permission to take the life of
some animal that he was going to do so that they would have something to
eat. And I’ve heard some of my brothers criticize my pow wow, "It’s a
place for show horses," but the beating of the drums down there. You
know, they’re all around that gym, and there must be a dozen sets of
drummers, and they get tired you know, and when one group gets tired, the
next group picks it up, and so ... but it does make your molecules
bounce. Yeah. 

ANATOLIA: What you have done, in taking advantage of the moment provided,
is shared not only with yourselves but with your brothers and sisters
around the world who receive these transmissions, expressed your valid
concerns for humanity, your human joy in living, your experience at
discovering the differences between you are not enough to separate you
one from another when the spirit within you each makes that connection
which allows you to all rejoice together that you have this commonality,
and at the same time, to weep together for those who have it not, for
those who are subjected to the warlike attitudes of those whose
differences conflict. 

We cannot stop our prayer and rejoicing, for now more than ever the song
of songs is necessary. To sing the song of joy is not to forget the
underlying song of sorrow. This is the message of the cross. This is the
path Jesus walked when he was here. He sought to set the spiritual
captives free so that they, too, would sing and praise that glory which
is the Unifier of Humanity. 

Rejoice in the light. To rejoice in the light does not mean you ignore
the darkness. The darkness is where you serve. Service work is not
singing to the choir. It is serving those who have not learned how to be
joyous, who have not found their Source of Joy, who have, rather, found
themselves in a situation where they are surrounded by the conflicts of
growth, whether theirs or their associates, which even so, are en route
ultimately to the same path on which you travel. 

All of the universes of time and space are destined to find their way,
finally and individually, into the Almighty Supreme, and radiate the
Harmony of Perfection throughout the known universe. Therefore, throw
open the windows; let in the sun shine; let the fresh air circulate
through the hidden corners of your being. Fill your lungs and your
spirits with the breath of life and the fragrance of love, which is in
every fiber of life as you see it. Sing now. 

This piece of equipment is quite overextended. Matthew, are there
presences pressing upon you for expression?

Matthew: Let’s see. [ pause] I have a teacher of mine, Cicoli, who
apparently wants to say something.

CICOLI: This is the day the Lord has made. Let us give thanks and praise
and rejoice. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us give thanks
and praise. This is the day the Lord has made, therefore let us not
question it but enjoy it. This is an attitude that is incumbent upon us
to take advantage of, since this is today’s lesson. 

I am a friend, neighbor, relative, cohort, teacher, advisor, and
otherwise all-around spiritual guy who is that as previously stated, with
your speaker at the moment, for our experiences and spirit are far and
wide and varied as are all of yours here in the now as well as the future
and the eternal. This I hope to lend some credence to our discussion, or
lesson for the day, as well as to add a new, different, or expanded
concept to the message of "Don’t Worry! Be Happpy!" 

The concept of eternity certainly has beginnings, as well as endings, in
your time-space continuum, so I wish for you to simply entertain the idea
that in your humble beginnings here in this world, you were preceded by
thought concept, or existence in the realm of spirit that precedes you—
whether in the concept of pre-existence of the heart, the mind, or the
soul, at least in the concept of the spirit presence of our Heavenly
Father made known alive and co-existing with you in your experience here
in the flesh. 

At least let it be known that THIS experience of the God/Father fragment
part and parcel of your being, has known through all time and all space
and beyond, the existence of nothing but sublime bliss. This you can take
to heart—and in the manner of speaking in your world, "take it to the
bank" if that needs to be the expression. Regardless, be assured that
this part of your being knows the eternal now as purity of light at heart
and that all are one in this presence. 

Imagine for a moment, if you were able to enter the energy field of
violet. If, for example, you were able to enter an African violet or
natural violets in the field, and you were able somehow to enter that
aura of color, of vivid vibrating energy, that is the color of violet.
Imagine that presence and the feeling that you obtain from that energy
field of violet. This is certainly not filled with terror, with strife,
with anguish, but on the contrary, all that is pure, holy and at one and
certainly peace. 

This I wish for you to enter whenever you are feeling threatened or in
anguish or, worst of all, terror over what your conditions may be.
Visualize a violet. Enter those petals and bathe yourself. As water
aerobic experts, pirouette throughout the color. Drench yourselves in the
feeling, the presence, of that which represents the color of our Heavenly
Father and his environs.

Be of pure heart and mind, for your presence in the Eternal is now. It is
not when you earn your way that you may find eternal bliss, for bliss is
now as it always will be. I leave you in this state of mind and being,
with the knowledge that you are love, and as the verb of that expresses
itself as "love", know that you simply ARE, as in eternity, our Father
has always been one with us. Be of clear mind and know your presence in
that love, and all else becomes secondary. Be mindful of who you are as
you go from this day forward, and when necessary, enter the field of
violet to be in that presence.

I leave you with good hearts and minds, renewed and refreshed, as you
know yourself to be the beautiful children that you are, and we all are
in our Father’s heart and mind and presence. Peace be with you.

GROUP: Thank you, Cicoli.

ANATOLIA: When you remember the harmony of life and the balance sought

and enjoyed in your dual nature, rejoice that the effort of learning, the
exertion of serving, is naturally balanced by the power of prayer and the
sanctity of worship, the joy of praise and the art of living. This
richness that you know is enhanced by the love you share with each other.
Recognize your siblings as purple swallows in a flock lifted off, lifted
up. Let it be so.

Let’s enjoy the wonders of the day, the approach of springtime, advent of
a new beginning, and let the new beginning be eternal, and everyone’s.
Thank you so much for your exquisite graciousness in convening with us in
the celestial spheres. We work with you while you go about your daily
doings, and so appreciate that you return to the bosom of your being in
these gatherings of glory and light and we’ll look forward to the efforts
of this week in anticipation of gathering again around the campfire with
the Master next week.

Elena: But, Tomas, are you okay, though?

ANATOLIA: Tomas is well, and would no doubt convey his best and his
love if here were to have put a message on the device, but he did not, so
be assured all is well. 

TOMAS(?):   Hello. And Good-bye.

GROUP: (Laughter!) That was brief! 

(More laughter.)