[tmtranscripts] 04-17-96.PGH Stillness; Reflectivation

[Gerdean]

DATE: April 17, 1996
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
T/R: Gerdean

TEXTUAL STUDY: Urantia Paper 72

  5.. Industrial Organization
  6.. Old-Age Insurance
  7.. Taxation
  8.. The Special Colleges
  9.. The Plan of Universal Suffrage
  10.. Dealing With Crime
TEACHER SESSION:
The Practice of Stillness
Living with Revelation
Reflectivity/Reflectivation 

TOMAS: Greetings, my friends.

Mrs. M: Greetings, Tomas. Good to have you back.

TOMAS: I applaud your perseverance in accomplishing the task of studying the Paper which has occupied you now for many weeks and it was good to observe the disciplinary techniques which were necessary in order for this feat to be accomplished. And while I am strewing bouquets, let me say that some of your more rousing discourse on political and social and so forth issues was, as you would equate, a football game, for we were cheering for our various supporters. I say "we" because as you understand, we in the celestial realms also speculate among ourselves as to the possible best way to go about matters and you, in like kind, have not disappointed us.

So whereas you may have felt that your discourses this evening were far afield of the spiritual study which you are accustomed to, or which you seek, your format was invigorating not only to us but to yourselves, for many times we find in formal settings and traditional environments, if you will, that certain modes of gentility spring into being forthwith and thus the spontaneity of personality expression becomes stilted by convention, and so it was eagerly observed, and we also feel that the overall intent of installing that Paper in the Book and into your lesson plan was well met.

My friends, I suspect that (and I say this tongue in cheek) I shall need one of those questionnaires that you are passing out, for it is now late and we have just commenced, and so, having offered you my congratulations on your substantial accomplishment, and having greeted you once again in this configuration, I will defer a lesson of my selection and, rather, open the platform to your questions in the event that your eagerness to learn and share your spiritual life, . . .

Mrs. M: I have a question, Tomas. Were you finished?

TOMAS: I was on a comma, but I will forego the straggling tail end of my sentence in light of the late hour. Please proceed.

Mrs. M: My question to you is: if you had a preference, a priority, or a selection of ways in which we can focus more efficiently for the enhancement of the ... for the purpose of the Mission, what form would you suggest? I hope I made myself clear. I can rephrase it if you wish.

TOMAS: I would suggest, first and foremost and consistently and forevermore, that you engage in the practice of stillness, that you sit quietly in the presence of the First Source and Center, that you engage in this practice consistently and regularly, daily; that you set aside time to spend with God, consciously and conscientiously, for nothing will replace your relationship with Him; and in order for you to get to know Him better, you must spend time with Him. You cannot make a friend if you are constantly saying, "Good-to-see-ya-see-ya-later." You must spend time talking over things with your God. You must sit in faith and patience and allow Him to answer your prayers and enlighten you in your mysteries of life.

The stillness -- silence, meditation -- this is initial and important. It is also delightfully habit-forming! At first, as I believe I have mentioned, you may find it an inconvenience, but as you begin to reap the benefits of this practice of communion with Infinity, you will soon develop an appetite for more and you will not be disappointed, and in this state of being (as compared to "doing"), your life will be enriched in ways that you can only truly appreciate by experiencing.

One of the evident side-effects of sitting in the presence of God and developing the sensitivities to hear Him speak to you, is that you will begin to perceive Him when you hear Him speak through others, and so I lead into your question regarding "listening". The art of hearing with ears to hear stems from your relationship with Divinity. As you understand the nature of God (for it has vibrated in residence in yourself), you understand the call of other souls for presence with that Great Reality also. This is hearing with ears to hear, not the words which pass for communication, but the true voice of the soul which is the inner life of that other being that you recognize because of your inner life with the Father also.

That is where to start: in stillness. Have I addressed your question?

Mrs. M: Yes, you have. Very well, thank you, and one of the reasons I asked it was because I wanted to have it in print. Also I have another question, if I may, if another is not pressing. What about affiliated modalities that are compatible with the Mission? There are many groups that are seeking light and revelation. Do you encourage our group to also partake in them?

TOMAS: You have given me a double-barreled question. I will address first things first. The Spirit of Truth has reigned here [on this world] for some time, and all individuals are still guided and directed by that same Spirit of Truth, and so each of you need to look within your own heart to determine what methods of ministry you might pursue as a result of being a God-knowing individual.

Additionally, with the circuits having opened, with various individuals tapping into spiritual availability, many sensitive beings, human beings, are being impressed by various celestial hosts, spiritual energies and entities, and just because they have not been introduced to The Urantia Book, to the fifth epochal revelation to mankind, does not mean that their truths and their quest is not valid and worthy. They are also beloved sons and daughters of the Eternal Parent.

And so it does not behoove those of you who appreciate the import of this Book to look askance, or down, at anyone who has not yet encountered it's epochal truths, but, rather, if you formulate yourself such that you are learning and growing within your own community those truths and aspirations which have been introduced to you already, you will be able to act occasionally as a beacon to those who might seek you out and you might act as elder brothers and sisters in the spiritual ascent.

Spiritual superiority is not something that we foster. Indeed, we have spoken many times about the "chosen people" concept, and those of you who have made the decision to find God and to be more like Him are no more the selected than your neighbor or your 'enemy' who has also found God and seeks to be more like Him, even if their understanding is not what yours is. In your heart of hearts you know that you are a son or daughter of the living God if you know that you know, you feel chosen, you feel special, you feel selected because you have a personal relationship with the living God, but each individual is special.

I would not ask you to set yourself above your brothers and sisters, no, but I would ask you to recognize in context of what it is, precisely, what you study. What has impressed you? What has rung the spirit of truth within you when you have read these words, when you have pondered in your heart these concepts, when you have known in your deep soul, "I have known that to be true and it has now been confirmed." It is in some ways, my friend, as if we sat in the presence of Christ Michael, as if we sat in the presence of Adam and Eve, or Machiventa when he was here teaching Abraham and Abraham's children.

It is an honor to be part of this Mission. It is a privilege for me to be selected to attempt to teach, which is to say, to help you attain that within you which you yourself aspire to reach --Godlikeness and peace that passes all understanding. If this is so, as this is accomplished, you will become closer, for you will grow together and you will understand that that which is in you is also in your peer, and that is truth, beauty and goodness. The human foibles will take their place like little wooden soldiers and march into history while your own radiant and victorious soul marches forward toward Havona.

If others are impressed by your own quiet dignity and your own radiation of the exuberance of the love of the Creator, if this is seen by others, you will become teachers yourselves in drawing out that in them which is also of eternal destiny and they, too, will be chosen for they have chosen to follow Him. Yes. Another question?

Mrs. Ml: Thank you. (Pause) I'll make a comment about introducing the Urantia Book to people. I have not -- it is not there often. Perhaps it is my own inability to introduce the subject and I have a block within myself that ... I would say to a person, "I read a good novel!" and I wouldn't hesitate to say, "Ah, you've just got to see this movie!" but I never say, "You just must read this book! It will enhance your understanding of what you've already known." It would be nice if this could be ignited in all of us, that we could release this effortless witness, or effortless advertising, or something that has caused us to come together in love, and it is not the first time that we have been told that we have been given healings and feelings of empowerment and I hope that, for the sake of the Mission program, that this can happen because ... it just seems that we need to have a spring go off in us to allow this to happen. Or maybe instead of that, it's just by our example. Of living love.

TOMAS: Indeed, the Kingdom of Heaven is within you. And it is that which will touch your neighbors more quickly than referring them to a book, particularly to a book with large words and over 2,000 pages. There are many who would appreciate such a volume of wisdom but how often do you find yourself engaged with such individuals as would help you determine the depth of their intellectual tolerance? Normally, in your culture, in your experience, people chat about movies or novels on the best selling list or the classics, and even so, if you say to someone, "Have you seen thus-and-such?" and they respond, you can tell immediately by their response if you have anything in common in terms of what interests you.

If your enthusiasm is met with cynicism or boredom or disgust or any other emotional reaction of a negative nature, you are not inclined to say, "Well how about this one? Did you like that one?" because you have already been affronted. The same holds true with intellectual knowledge, and people do not normally stand around in a supermarket sharing deep intellectual knowledge such as cosmologies. 

But in knowing the history of your world, your planet, you can whet the appetites of your associates by titillating them with an occasional fact which they may not know but which they might pass on in conversation; you might whet their appetite by mentioning what Jesus said to such-and-such a character, if you were in a situation of a similar flavor yourself.

There are ways that you can bring the truths of the actual book into people's lives and on rare occasion you can comfortably find yourself strewing your admiration for it and its contents to a total stranger, understanding that it is being perfectly well received, and lo and behold, that person will never be a stranger again for they have validated you by hearing you profess your understanding of what is important to you and to the universe, and therefore to them as well.

But the singlemost best way in which to introduce the Urantia Book is to live a unified personality, harmoniously, with good character, walking, talking, singing fruits of the spirit . a love-saturated soul as much is as possible at any given time . for as you all well know love is more contagious than hate. And how can you uphold yourself, you say, when you are being brought down in your idealism constantly? 

And this is why I say the power of the group here, your family of fellow believers, your brothers and sisters in the spirit and in truth, will uphold you again and again as to the important reality, for although you may disagree regarding political appointments or military procedures or economic undertakings, and so forth, the important thing is your spiritual reality and that, my friends, one would hope, we would always support. That is my purpose and your purpose also.

Mrs. Ml: Thank you. 

TOMAS: You are welcome.

Mrs. M: Would you care to say anything about the process that you were describing last week called reflectivation? Can you talk again about that subject? And perhaps even explain it a little further for us, Tomas?

TOMAS: One moment. (Pause) 

Reflectivity is when you look at each other and see God within each other reflecting back to you. This is fraternity; it is also a reflecting. Reflectivity also is a process of reflecting upon your experiences, your perceptions. Additionally, reflectivity extends into the outer realms, technically probably to the Eternal Son. 

Reflectivation, then, is when you reflect outward; it is received by universe intelligence and returned by way of reflectivation as a response to your output, or input, shall we say. Reflectivation is not necessarily done with the intellect. It is done with the soul.

Mrs. M: That rings a lot with me, that comment.

Mrs. P: It reminds me of that "God will do the work". Is that .?

Mrs. H: It's not a conscious thing.

TOMAS: Let me suggest an idea, an example, and I will use this transmitter as a vague example. There was a time when she was outraged at the conditions prevalent in the prison system in this country. The matter of inhumanity was so striking and offensive to her sense of brotherhood that much soul-searching went into the matter of criminology, psychology, behavior modification and so forth. Quite a study was done, and much reflection was engaged in, in the intellect. 

But the overall and compelling aspect was how beings, who were indwelt by God, were being treated as worse than animals in a zoo, and this ate at her soul. That aspect, which her soul called for resolution, was that which went forth by way of reflectivation. For she did not pray for the prisoners or the prison conditions particularly, but it was a matter of reflectivation. And so, in her experience, within twenty years, the entire system was changed so that now, at that time, there were many alternatives to imprisonment. Many counseling avenues had opened up and a much more humane approach was brought into being.

I am not saying that this one individual affected the entire prison system of your country, no, but this is an example of how reflectivation can be used to bring about works. She did not discuss this with anyone in any position to make these changes; it was done without her direct input. But surely the reflectivation, which her soul sent up and out, was partially responsible for a forward movement in evolution, and that is an example of reflectivation as I am able to portray it through this mind.

Mrs. M: That's an excellent, helpful description because it's getting into something very specific and I was enjoying that description. Thank you very much. We'll think about that one.

TOMAS: It is particularly encouraging, my friends, in the face of, if you will, the Paper that you have recently accomplished, for as some of your societal foibles rankle you, and not only rankle you intellectually but rankle your soul, reflectivate on the subject, if you will, in terms of humanity and compassion for the Supreme itself in order to help bring about some of the changes which will ease the distress in your world.

Mrs. M: On another occasion I think I am going to pursue the concept of compassion for the Supreme for that is something that is extremely interesting and I've never entertained that too much, but thank you for the beginning of that concept It'll be fun to think about it.

TOMAS: I am eager also to commence many conversations, many lessons, many interchanges between and among us, but I now must remind you again of your human condition, and I understand that as your heart and soul hunger for quality time in these realms, your body, indeed your psyche also, requires patient attendance. As we begin again in our camaraderie, I give thanks to you again for your presence, for your willingness, for your acknowledgement of your soul's needs, in company with your peers in the spirit and in the flesh.

Courageous ones, this week as you set about doing your daily duties, look to your Inner Guide for companionship. Make a date to spend ten minutes in solitude in appreciation of Its existence in your life. Take that simple rest on a daily basis and see how it will affect you and give you impetus in all areas of your life. Such an experiment! Such an adventure! Bon appetite. Farewell.
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