[tmtranscripts] Michael 10.25.04 - Presence of Mind: Time

[JERRY LANE]

Dear Folks,    I hope that my capitalizing all the pronouns referring 
directly and exclusively to Michael, Mother Spirit, or God is helpful in 
keeping in mind just "Who" they are, and not an intrusion.  It seemed a good 
idea when I started, so hopefully this intention is worthy of the actual 
effect.  Jerry (Nytrayn at msn.com)

Michael 10-25-04

Marin TM group

Dear Mother Nebadonia and Michael,    We thank You for answering a basic 
need  of ours by letting us know again and again that there is no limit to 
how many times we, in turn, can call upon You for guidance, and just to 
share our lives with us.  Help us to make the whole realm of spirit real, to 
see the effects of what is invisible, to feel in our hearts what our minds 
can only intimate, and then to share with our fellows that which is almost 
inexpressible.  For this we are very grateful to invite You, again, this 
evening, to be with us.  Amen.

Michael:  Good evening, My children.  This is Michael.  Once again I welcome 
you to be in My peace.  Let it fill your hearts with an assurance that I am 
here.  I will never leave you.  I will be your companion to the end of your 
days here, and then on into the glorious future that awaits each one of you. 
  This is My promise.   It comes from our Father, through your Mother and I, 
and it is something that you can know.  You asked for Our help to make Our 
presence real for you.  This, My children, is within your ability, and your 
power, and your understanding.  It is within all of these that this takes 
place.

This knowledge is not affected by temporary doubts or questioning that may 
cross your mind.  It is larger than these.  So never fear to question, never 
fear to explore, never fear to test your own knowledge of spirit.  For 
spirit is beyond all of these and is capable of answering every question you 
put to it.  Indeed, this is how you know.  And so We welcome your questions. 
  Bring them to Us, your Mother and I, for We delight in answering.  We 
delight in any contact you offer Us.  Now: when events in your lives 
threaten to overwhelm you, remember Us then especially.  We realize that 
this takes a presence of mind, a courage of detachment in the very moment 
when you feel threatened or overwhelmed.  This can come from your own 
strength of character - a strength of your personality that preservers 
through anything that may come your way.  It is the strength of this 
continuity of your own presence of mind that is increased by contact with 
Us.  It is something that you co-create with Us.  It is a major dimension in 
which We offer you to grow.

Consider for a moment what this means: presence of mind.  This, my children, 
is the reality of your Mother.  She is the mind in which you think, and 
perceive, and are aware of yourself as existing.  This is Her!  The 
persistence of character in the face of overwhelming events is a strength 
you build by being open to Her effects, by being aware that She is this 
connection between your very essence and everything else that affects you.  
She is this connection.  And the more you are aware of Her doing this for 
you - Her presence the connection itself that you have with everything you 
experience, including not only the physical world and the whole realm of 
your fellow human beings, but even your own body and your own awareness of 
yourself - the more you can feel this pure connection with all of these 
aspects of your life, the more you will be able to summon this awareness in 
moments of stress or crisis.  Then you will have the presence of mind to 
call upon the very Creator Daughter of Mind.  When these times come, ask 
your Mother for help.  She is capable of giving you Her viewpoint on the 
whole situation.  This can be a knowledge beyond any price.  But this is 
exactly the reality of spirit.  This is the value of spirit.  How you use it 
will always be your choice.  But to be able to use it, you must nurture the 
reality of it.

There are even times when the farsightedness and the insight of spirit can 
take the initiative and warn you of those events which can threaten you, not 
only physically and mentally, but also spiritually.  The important thing 
here is to be open to the message contained in this sudden feeling of 
trepidation.  Again, this is a presence of mind that you may experience as a 
sudden super-abundance of awareness.  Be open to this.  Welcome this.  Do 
not seek to merely suppress this kind of fear for its very strangeness.  It 
is far better to feel and to understand any sudden, sharp, penetrating fear 
in order to understand the message it may be carrying.

Give it to Us.  Offer a heartfelt prayer for Our help in understanding the 
whole situation.  What a gift your Mother has in store to offer you, My 
children.  That which can literally save your lives, is also that which can 
enrich your lives, day by day, moment by moment.

Presence of mind - feeling your Mother in all that happens to you - is the 
very means by which you experience life itself.  Your worship of Her is none 
other than this profound thankfulness for all that She does.  And this is 
something you can absolutely know as you know no other thing.  Consider this 
a minute or two.  Remember those times of crisis in your lives - the very 
suddenness of events and what it is to be overwhelmed.  We’re talking here 
about those situations you cannot possibly foresee.  And so we are talking 
about an amazing, saving grace.

Can you take some small portion of your life, now, from moment to moment, to 
give to Her who provides the very connection to your life?  Can you worship 
and give thanks that it is possible, it is within your power to acquire this 
ability to be aware of Her presence, the presence of mind?  Consider this 
awhile, my sons, and if you have any questions about this, or anything else 
weighing on your hearts this evening, it is always Our delight to answer 
you.

Student:  Michael, I have two very difficult questions I would like to put 
on the table this evening.  They are weighing heavy on my mind.  The first 
question concerns relationship, relations between a man and a woman and a 
marriage.  I would like to ask: at what point, how does one know when the 
dimming of love in a relationship has reached such a point where it is no 
longer feasible to continue on with the relationship, especially when 
children are involved?  I present this very difficult question to you this 
evening, Michael.

Michael:  R, My son, all decisions are made within a context that gives them 
meaning.  So, first, I would offer this insight: ask yourself: can I make 
this decision?  Whether your choice is to separate, or to stay together, do 
you have it within your personal power to make this decision?  For the 
context entails more than the consequences that you can foresee.  Is this 
not a large part of the difficulty - that you know from the experience of 
living, many consequences cannot be foreseen?  You are dealing here with 
other human beings who have their own relative degree of freedom of choice.

Your own assessment - of your freedom in this situation - is necessary for 
you to remind yourself that you do have this freedom.  You may be willfully, 
yet not always consciously, assuming a certain course of action in order to 
keep certain options open, and this entails an amount of worrying and actual 
suffering.  But this is a valid choice, is it not?  You are trying your best 
to aim for an optimum future.  And you may be paying a certain price to do 
this.  Only you can decide if this cost is worth it.

The other thing I could offer is: to clarify this optimum future you 
envision, and to share this with your partner and your children.  Be as open 
as possible to the response you receive.  Give them the freedom to envision 
their own most optimum outcome, for it is in this realm of creative spirit 
where you must start.  Understand this level, that is, share this level 
among yourselves with as much freedom as you can, before you then evaluate 
the practicality of each others desires.  Does this help you understand the 
situation?

Student:  Michael, I will take your counsel to heart.  It is a very 
difficult situation, and You have given me much wisdom tonight in Your 
words.  It will take some time for it to take root and to truly understand 
all that’s involved here.  So, I guess, my answer is, yes, it does help.

I have one other difficult question, and this concerns some words that came 
from Machiventa Melkezedek some time ago about the shock waves that will hit 
this planet.  I’ve heard more, recently, from other sources about these 
so-called shock waves and tonight, when you spoke of Mother warning  us of 
danger to come, these came back to mind.  So I would like to ask You to 
speak about these shock waves, supposedly from Paradise, that are soon to 
hit this planet - so I can understand this more fully.

Michael:  I think it would help to remember Who is at the center of 
Paradise, and what the emanations of our Father are.  The shock waves of 
Paradise are love, and caring, and support.  Keep in mind that, from the 
very beginning of humanity – using the definition the text gives you of what 
it is to be human - how one afternoon (on Urantia) when a brother and a 
sister made a certain quality of decision, this registered instantaneously 
on Salvington.  (Note: I believe this is many light-years away)  Remember 
Who it was that came to indwell their minds at that moment, and Who lives in 
your mind this moment. Does this answer your question, My son?

Student:  I guess the only confusion that still remains, Michael, is why 
these emanations would be referred to as shock waves?

Michael:  This is an attempt to honestly describe phenomena from a human 
point of view.  Even on the most basic human level, an unexpected smile - a 
genuine smile, from a supposed enemy is very shocking, is it not?

Student:  Yes.

Michael:  Just so, at times, love and warmth and caring can be very 
shocking, and it is just these shocks that make our hearts rejoice.  When I 
spoke earlier about presence of mind, I was not referring to any 
planetary-wide cataclysm, but to your daily life.  For if you look around 
with your hearts open, you will see your fellows perishing - in agony! - for 
lack of this very thing.  You don’t have to look for an apocalypse to come, 
my children; you are living in the middle of one.  Let us thank our Father 
these shock waves of love are arriving.   And be in My peace.  Project it 
into others as much as you can.

Student:  Yes, Michael.  Very soon I will be turning fifty years old, in 
December, and there is a strong part of me that wishes to enter into a 
different line of work, a vocation or purpose, something that’s more 
fulfilling for my soul, for my creative expression.  And I feel like I need 
guidance into how I can create that and relieve myself, in time, of what I 
am doing now - if it is all for my career good as well.  Because there are 
times when I feel…I wish to pray and meditate and write most of the time, 
and to spread Your hope in whatever I do.

Michael:  Yes, D, I would suggest a two-fold activity.  Keeping in mind that 
you are a living being, I will offer a horticultural example here. (Note: D 
is a commercial gardener.) Think of yourself as a little shrub reaching for 
the sun.  You have all those little feelers in your being reaching for 
growth, for spiritual substance on the most pragmatic level.  This can mean 
taking time to sit down and articulate to yourself, write down those things 
which appeal to you.  In a way this is so simple and seemingly 
simple-minded, that it’s difficult.  It’s like: why should I make another 
list?  But you need to have some ongoing record of this quest, some way of 
communicating with the D of tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day - 
some way of feeling: from where does that  glowing sun of desire call to me? 
- and then writing this down so you can get to the real work of deciding 
what various alternatives mean to you.  This is part of the meditation and 
stillness you speak of needing.

The other, parallel and concurrent effort you must make is the pruning.  Try 
to be aware of blank moments in your day.  These may be habits associated 
with a certain time of day, or of the week, shall we say, like weekends - 
times you should give to the spiritual adventure you feel you need to 
explore.  In other words, how much time and effort are you, I would suggest 
the word wasting, though this may be too judgmental for you to hit yourself 
with right now.  But just moments or times, when you reflect back on them, 
you wish you had done something else.

Student:  Can you give an example…please?

Michael:  No. (Group laughs, including D)  This is part of your creativity, 
My son.  As I said before, the parent can tell the child what to do, but it 
is your creativity We wish to nurture.  And this is a judgment to make.  If 
that word sounds too harsh, say evaluate - e-value-ate.  You are well 
schooled that value is a spiritual assessment.

This is another step forward in the self-honesty that was brought up last 
week – a way of being when you have this desire for a more full spiritual 
life.  Rather than jumping off and pulling up various parts of yourself by 
the roots, it is better not to be so melodramatic and just patiently, but 
thoroughly, look at your life for those times when you can meditate, rather 
than thinking of some future time when you will do this if only…(Pause…) - 
then that’s what you fill in.

Student:  Kind of like procrastination?

Michael:  Exactly.  Here again you can ask yourself, and use this as a tool: 
I would meditate more if... such and such were not happening.  And then what 
is the first thing you would exchange?  What I’m suggesting is an overall 
gradual changing of your life.  For most human beings, it’s the small 
patient steps, rather than the large melodramatic gestures, that hold.

Student:  Yeah, so true.

Michael:  But you need a way of saving, of preserving your efforts, a way of 
communicating with yourself through time, and you have all of these physical 
means of doing this.  For most of human history, men and women had no notion 
of keeping a journal, let alone a means of doing so.  Such a thing can seem 
so mundane that you can miss the essential nature of this communicating with 
yourself through time.

As you remember several weeks ago, another of your brothers here was asking 
the same question: how do I go from a general desire to specific actions?  
And the answer is the same.  You think about them, then you focus on them, 
then you write them down so that this effort today is not lost to you 
tomorrow.  Can you do this, my son?

Student:  I will try.  I may do so.  I used to do a lot of writing in a 
journal, something I kind-of stopped.  I did some writing yesterday morning, 
and I felt good to do so - just random thoughts, random ideas and things of 
what I was feeling.  It helped to relieve the pressure and it kind-of made 
things more clear, seeing them down on paper.  It kinda…and also, this is a 
sense of: this is part of who I am.  These are my thoughts, my ideas, my 
feelings.  There was even a sense of relief and release.  I will definitely 
do so, ‘cause my soul wants to be heard by me.

Michael:  Well, it seems you have anticipated My suggestion.  I would remind 
you to read and reread again your own messages to yourself, just as We have 
been counseling you to purely relive moments in your life.  In other words, 
tap into your own soul to know, to really relive who you were before.  So I 
would suggest getting out those old journals and having a little visit with 
all the D’s that once were.  And be in My peace.

Student:  Dear Michael, it seems we are all in this journey at a similar 
spot in our development.  Dr. Phil has a book out on family and the goal in 
that book is to put the family first.  Along the way of the TV show, he 
mentioned that all successful people - he spent many years studying 
successful people - had common characteristics - and I have read many books 
like that myself - and, of course, one of them is to have a goal  So I want 
to thank You for Your inspiration, and Nebadonia’s inspiration last week.  
It made me realize that my goal is Circle Attainment, which is sometimes a 
little nebulous.

But in context with Dr. Phil’s show, and having intermediate goals too, and 
of course, President Clinton’s book on meeting long term goals, made me 
re-institute my goal for Circle Attainment, and various other projects along 
the way.  His point was: it’s very easy to make choices when you...when 
you…something comes up and you say, “Well, this doesn’t line up with my 
goals, so I don’t need that, thank you.”  That was very helpful, and also 
while we put family first, this idea of Circle Attainment or fusing with 
your Thought Adjuster - it’s a goal that  can make self-respect, even if one 
never has to waver from that.  I want to thank You for the priority on that, 
and the calmness of my spirit too, You and Nebadonia.  Thank You.

Michael:  You’re very welcome, My son.  This is Our delight: of being able 
to share with you, Our children, that which you can really use.

Time is a very complex dimension as most of you think about it.  It is 
actually many, many more dimensions than you are aware of.  How to use these 
various possible dimensions is something you will be learning for a long, 
long time.  You have a saying: time is what you make it.  And so it helps to 
be conscious of these different uses.

Mother Spirit enables your personality, which is changeless, to connect with 
a physical body that operates in a kind of organic time.  Linear time, based 
originally on day and night, then the phases of the moon, the passing of the 
seasons, and only recently, the segmenting of this linear time through the 
human invention of ever more precisely regular devices, has given you such a 
feeling and awareness of time as a linear dimension that you can now think 
in terms of goals, and even calibrate them in terms of size.  In other 
words, how long it will take to get to a certain goal; and also sequentially 
- what goals come before others.  You are so used to this you lose sight of, 
or you forget, as it were, that this is a creation of yours.  Here is where 
you need to feel your heart beating, feel yourself breathing, wiggle your 
toes, and then marvel, perhaps, at how seldom you need to do this, and how 
much you are living in your own invented time.  This should bring a great 
joy to your hearts, My sons.  It’s a marvelous ability you have - to create 
these different dimensions of time, and then realize them - literally make 
them real.  For this is the gossamer web that all those goals are hung upon, 
which makes them all possible.  For you will get there! - someday.  And be 
in My peace.

Student: Thank You, Michael.

Student:  Thank You, Father, for Yours and Mother’s support and 
encouragement.  I’m learning, little by little, to turn life over to You for 
guidance, and loosen my own grip on life, and I’m experiencing more peace 
and faith when things start to work out.  And as You mentioned, time doesn’t 
seem to work out in my own time frame - that I want it to work out in, but 
it does work out.  I’m learning to give my own time frame up and let You and 
Mother govern the time frame, because You do a better job on this than I do, 
obviously.  So thank You very much.

Michael:  You’re welcome, My son.  Tonight I wanted to offer a vision, an 
insight, into all the different kinds of time that human society, as a 
whole, has both invented and discovered, and remind you of the organic, 
living continuum that they are based on.  This way you get an appreciation 
of both the living continuity of time, and also the extremely precise 
measurements of it you all enjoy so casually.  I thank you for your growing 
trust in Us, My son, and let Me assure you there are many, many, many more 
kinds of time to encounter.  And be in My peace.

Group: Thank you, Michael.

Michael:  My sons, I would ask you to keep tonight’s lesson in your minds in 
the coming weeks.  It answers the question: how can we be prepared for that 
which we cannot foresee?  Your trust and your faith in your Mother and 
Myself is growing - wonderfully.  You are all experiencing how it truly – 
works!  The question then becomes: how can I remember to call upon You, 
Father and Mother?  And this is - presence of mind.  Good evening.

Group:  Good evening