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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>DATE</STRONG>: January
18, 2004<BR><STRONG>LOCATION:</STRONG> Wayawahili’s
Wigwam<BR><STRONG></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>TEACHERS: TOMAS &
ANATOLIA</STRONG><BR><STRONG>TOPICS:</STRONG>
Perspective from the
Riverbank<BR>
Why Don’t People Get
Along?<BR>
Barriers are Inherent in
Secrets</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Q & A:</STRONG>
Who is the Heavenly
Mother?<BR>
What's the Fuss about a
Virgin Mary?</DIV>
<DIV>
Where is God when ONE prays?</DIV>
<DIV>
Was my Ministry Effective? </DIV>
<DIV> Will
God sit him down for a talk?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>T/R:</STRONG> Gerdean
and Willie<BR><STRONG>MUSIC</STRONG>:
Elena on Piano: "We All Gather at the River"<BR><STRONG>PRAYER:</STRONG>
Matthew: Let us place ourselves in
the presence of Jesus, the Christ.<BR><EM>Master
Teacher,<BR> We come to you today with
excitement in our hearts and in our minds in anticipation of a new world to
come. Whenever that happens, as you said, this generation shall not pass away
until what was described as the end times arrive. We don’t know what that was
supposed to mean or if that was accurate, but we wish to live as if we will see
light and life in our time. May our steps be directed to the approach of light
and life when the millennium of peace and tranquillity and love will be here. In
our own lives, it is key that it exist prior to whatever being external, so we
entrust ourselves to you and to our Heavenly Father, Heavenly Mother, and all of
Deity to eventually join in that oneness of being which is now but we only need
to become aware. <BR> In appreciation
for the Teachers that you have made available to us, we are grateful and ask
that their teachings come through clearly and succinct today for our
enlightenment and for the accomplishment of the kingdom. For all that is in our
hearts that may not be spoken, we place before you as
well.<BR> Amen.<BR></EM></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>TOMAS:</STRONG> Good afternoon, precious friends. I am Tomas, your
teacher, your companion and guide and host for these festivities. Anatolia and I
are joyed to be among you again and to celebrate the largess of our community
and the power and strength of our communion today. "The family that prays
together, stays together." The power and strength that comes from such union in
communion will enable humanity to overcome all its difficulties, but when we
have dissention, even within the Family of God, wherewith shall we be
fruitful?<BR></DIV>
<DIV>This wellspring of living water that we gather at today is light and life,
indeed, for we have, figuratively speaking, gathered at the throne of God and
rejoice in our sonship stature humbly, with God as our Father, with the Divine
Minister/Universal Mind as our Mother, and the Creator and Descending Sons of
God as our witness. With this awareness in mind, it is easy to relinquish our
hold on the material fetters and philosophies and foibles, which hold us, back
from rushing pell mell into the rushing waters of spirit. This is a delicate
balance, a precipitous position for you to be in, but as you well can see it is
possible, even as each of you are different, and have your own opinions about
many things, there is sufficient commonality in your gathering together, that
you can transcend those differences in order to commune here with one another in
the Light of the Son. You become like sunlight twinkling on the top of the
water, moving, ever moving, coursing through the Stream of Time into infinity.
<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Why can’t everyone be thus? Why are there fights and disagreements, even
among religionists? Why must the various evolved religions separate themselves
from one another, as if they would become sullied by association? Why, indeed,
do human beings whisper among themselves and keep secret things from each other,
as if there were untold enemies at hand to undermine this sacred communion which
we are privileged to enjoy when our hearts are laid bare, our minds are wide
open, and our souls are fulfilled in this companionship in the Spirit?
<BR></DIV>
<DIV>A rhetorical question. It is because there has not been enough praying done
together. The effort entailed to open up a Vortex of divine light, such that can
shine on you and your neighbor, is no respecter of persons, cares not if you are
black or white, rich or poor, foreign or native, highborn or low. Under God, all
are equal. It is only when the politics of living intervene that there are
conflicts, and lest I be mistaken, even individuals within the autonomy of their
own unique identity are prone to these same sort of conflicts. Such is the
nature of growth.<BR></DIV>
<DIV>The fact of conflict is a side effect of growth. I realize that is very
peculiar teaching, that you would rather see harmony a result, not conflict, of
growth, but in the light of the many differences, different factions, religions,
cultures, et cetera, of Urantia, your planet, there is bound to be upheaval, in
particular as resistance to breaking down the barriers is put forth as warranted
and as individuals are unable to put aside their own prejudices, even in terms
of the spirit, and pray with thine enemy. <BR>In the meantime, pray for your
enemy, or your perceived enemy, but pray in the knowledge that they are your
brother/ sister/ beloved child, but you have not been given the opportunity yet
to gather at the river together. In this light, it is apparent that the task at
hand is to glorify the river, enhancing it and inviting it to flood the land,
enveloping all of humanity in the living water of sonship, such sonship as this
that we enjoy today, that transcends the differences, even the differences that
are a part of your unique inheritance. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>There was discussion before our session commenced, about secrets. Secrets
are barriers to the flow of the living water. The example was offered of the
town gossip who would think nothing of revealing intimate facts of the denizens
of its community, in the hope of expressing a perspective that would provide
insight into the character of the being/individual who was being discussed. Have
you not often wondered, yourself, what goes on in the heart of another? What
motivates their thinking and behaving? Ought not humanity be more open about its
motivations and less secretive about its designs? <BR></DIV>
<DIV>The thing about secrecy, as I see it, is that, like the gossip, there is an
intense striving for what can be regarded as intimacy in the practice – in the
practice of gossip, in the practice of international intrigue, in the business
of government and governing institutions, even in the domestic relations of
human association. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>"If they know nothing about me, they have nothing to judge" versus "If they
know everything about me, they have a chance of perceiving who I am" and knowing
who you are will then determine how open you are about who you are and how much
you will then come to expect from your fellows as fair exchange for the step
advanced toward gathering at the river. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>The resistance is part of the baggage. It well may be that resistance seems
justified, but the path of least resistance is more effective, for less energy
is wasted on piling up all these barriers to open communion with the soul of one
another that will result in harmony and peace on earth, for from this vantage
point, we wish only good for each other. We love each other. We recognize, like
the Ancients of Days, how difficult have been the struggles! We see with the eye
of divine mercy. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>There is the element of mores that colors everyone. This is a mere
microcosm of the politics of your world, which affects everyone, but the goal is
every and anon the same -- to be in a world which acknowledges the goodness and
the greatness of the God of all creation, there to gather and enjoy the fruits
of the long upward climb. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>Evidently, it will be necessary, then, for you all to learn to pray.
<BR></DIV>
<DIV>On that note, I will conclude my remarks for the afternoon’s message from
Tomas and open the podium to my contemporary who will join us and contribute
additional food wherewith to sup. <BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>ANATOLIA</STRONG>: This is a fine day in which to meet, on Sunday,
here in the Stafford’s home in upper Albuquerque -- (Group chuckles)-- not to be
confused with lower Albuquerque. Point being that in Upper Egypt it was the
reverse of what you would think. It was Upper because the water flowed North. In
this case, euphemistically, it is a fine day to be here. And besides, you can
see the City from the Staffords, so it is literally upward.<BR></DIV>
<DIV>And as far as gathering at the river is concerned, it is a fine day to
gather at the river whenever there are more than two people to take advantage of
what the offering is at the river – whether it be recreational, inspirational or
intentional pursuits that bring one to understanding what it is that rests
within the hearts of men … or women … meaning that water is a natural analogy
that can be a contributory factor for the pronunciation or demonstration of the
spirit, for the spirit flows through, past, under and around anything that may
appear to be an obstacle. So, too, does water seek its own level. As water is
refreshing, nourishing and life sustaining, so it is, too, that life could not
be as you know it without spirit. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>In fact, one could say the intention of life is to discover spirit. If life
were never presented as you know it, it would be as if the shell and nut game
would be useless as a demonstration, meaning, if you had full knowledge of who
you are before life as you know it began, you would have no reason to ever
question, doubt or seek to know that which is not at all evidence. Much as the
shell and nut game, if the shell and nut game were never utilized, you would
never know the excitement of finding that which you considered to be conspicuous
and obvious, for the skilled craftsman who can present the shell and nut game
can be thoroughly entertaining, surprising, and baffling.<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Such it is, in simplistic terms, that your life has meaning only because
you are unaware of its actuality ~ beyond what you know it to be. So if you had
never experienced this …what you call life … you would never know faith in its
truest sense, for your belief system, as it is, is truly courageous and
magnificent. To be able to believe and to know without a doubt that you are
eternal is truly the insight into life. It, in itself, is not the key to eternal
life, but it is certainly the beginning. If there is a beginning to unlocking
the mysteries of life, certainly this is it. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>To lose a partner, a family member, a loved one of any sort, you know all
of a sudden the sense of loss and truly missing that individual, although you
may in your faith belief system know that that individual is part of everything
that is and has his or her personality intact, yet you do not see, you do not
know of their whereabouts. This gives you an impression and an experience in
which to know that life proceeds its physical form, for you know in your heart
and mind that that individual exists. Again, without this experience, you might
not begin to know that life is the mystery that it is, going through this
corkscrew as you do, knowing you have meaning and purpose. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>I wish to entertain the idea of questions, if you have any, at this point.
Are there any questions pertinent to today or in general that anyone may
have?<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Paula:</STRONG> Yes, I’ve got a couple. One of them is … different
times I’ve heard ministers use the expression and I heard Willie use it this
morning, about the Heavenly Mother, and I have never been able to figure that
one out because all through the Bible, Jesus talks about his Heavenly Father and
the only mother he had was Mary, so who is the Heavenly Mother? Can you explain
that?<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>ANATOLIA:</STRONG> I will advise you that the term is used
figuratively, in the sense of the Holy Spirit as the lighter side, the feminine
side of the Trinity is the essence of what we refer to as the Heavenly Mother,
in that, what the Father may actualize in terms of First Source and Center, the
first action that flowed and the Eternal Son, who in transpiring progenitor
reality, may or may not have preceded the spirit, nevertheless, the Spirit which
is the lighter, feminine side of the deity head presents that which we know of
as feminine or motherly characteristics. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>The combination of these deities and their relative spirit personalities,
make up the vast array of the heavenly creation, part and parcel of which you
have presented to you in your third dimension reality, but is only a fraction of
that which does exist in the breadth, depth and heights of creation. Does this
help any? <BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Paula:</STRONG> Yes, it does, because I never read the Bible from
cover to cover. There was too much war and kings killing each other and all that
and I got kind of bored with the whole things, so I didn’t bother reading it
through, but I was wondering if somewhere in there they were talking about God
having a wife up in heaven and that was the Heavenly Mother. But I never heard
any ministers talking about it.<BR>Now, my other question is this: why does
everybody make such a big deal about saying "the virgin Mary." Why is it any of
our business whether she was a virgin or not? What difference does it make? I
think it sounds, again, like a big lot of gossip.<BR></DIV>
<DIV>(Group chortles) If she and Joseph got together beforehand, well, that’s
not unusual. So he got born a couple months before he was supposed to, but what
is the difference? It’s the kind of person he became. Who cares if his mother
messed around a little bit ahead of time! It’s not our business! And why should
they keep talking about Virgin Mary business. I never could understand
that.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>ANATOLIA:</STRONG> The question of the Virgin Birth is one that was
carefully crafted, if you will, as a means to explain the unique nature and
birth of the Christ. After all, to simply allow (in the explanation sense of
things) a Son of God, or THE son of God to be born to mere mortals, with every
type of frailty – for the construction of a belief system in the early Christian
Church, it was seen to be necessary to erect a system whereby the son of God
needed to be born to a supernatural situation, that ordinary procreation would
have nearly been an insult to the functioning of a God-man among us. Therefore,
the woman chosen to deliver such a child had to, in the eyes of the Church
fathers, be flawless in every way and above human desire, let alone temptation,
so what does this mean in actuality?<BR></DIV>
<DIV>The actuality is that the spirit of God was upon Mary and enabled the seed
of what we know as Jesus to have been planted. The pre or post marital life of
Mary and Joseph were not, nor is it, subject of doctrinal or ecclesiastical
purity, but rather the purity of heart that enabled such a function to take
part. Therein is the immaculate conception -- in the purity of Mary’s heart, it
allowed to be a host to such a life. This is the grandeur and the miracle of the
virgin birth, euphemistically. Is there anything else in this regard.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Paula:</STRONG> Well, she certainly didn’t stay a virgin, if she
was one, because she had other children.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>ANATOLIA:</STRONG> Correct. It is immaterial – again, it was a way
for the church fathers to give particular homage to Mary and to justify the
physical birth of a God-man who, if brought into life in ordinary procreative
manner, was perceived to have somehow demeaned his purpose and his deity status.
Lest I say that this attempt to glorify and party deify Mary was unnecessary, as
much of mystery and somewhat mythical qualities were presented as the Church had
an opportunity to construct that which they wished future generations to
believe.<BR></DIV>
<DIV>If it had been "allowed" to have Jesus born by an ordinary pro-creative
means, it would (in their minds) lessen his God-like status. Therefore, it is
merely a medium for attempting to demonstrate the unique, divine, and
superlative nature of this individual who took it upon himself, in union with
our Heavenly Father, to visit such a world at such a time. This is the miracle,
and this is the fabulous nature of what was accomplished, sex being immaterial,
truly, and unnecessary to explain the pros or the cons of human existence.
<BR></DIV>
<DIV>I hope that this satisfies the desire to understand this concept. It is not
a key factor, but you can rest assured that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was not
an ordinary individual. That is, as good as any a vehicle to bring forth the
life of the Christ. Rather, she had a pure heart and truly a devoted individual
to her God. This made it possible for her to be the host to the Christ. This is
what we can celebrate and rejoice and not worry about pre- or post- purity. Is
there anything else?<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Myra:</STRONG> Yes. About prayer. The statement "where two or more
are gathered in my name, there God is" so I would like to know where he is in
personal prayer.</DIV>
<DIV><BR><STRONG>ANATOLIA:</STRONG> I would say, in a literal sense, as the
statement is made, you can rest assured that by your stating a prayer, placing
yourself in a prayerful state, this can be done in any number of means – whether
kneeling, standing, sitting, in deep meditation or respectful communication –
"Where two or more are gathered, there I am with the God-presence within you"
and yourself to acknowledge such presence, the two being there make or create a
host opportunity to allow the God force to come forth, to be present. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>As was said before, without this gift of life to truly host and to enable
your sense of the unknown to become aware to you, how can you know any better
than to live a life without total assurance and guaranteed that you are eternal
beings, other than to believe truly and become then convinced upon your
transmission to the next state of being. In your opportunity for such awareness
gathering, it can only be done behind the veil or in the dark, so to speak. In
the light terms, for you to be able to give God the opportunity to speak to you,
you must be quiet and become the host to allow for that communication to take
place. Therefore God is present. Does this help any?<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Myra:</STRONG> Yes. Thank you.</DIV>
<DIV><BR><STRONG>Maria:</STRONG> I had a man working for me, Greg. And at the
point I met him, I think he was quickly dying of cancer. I did a significant
amount of healing work on him and he worked on getting some resolution with
people he had left along the way. I encouraged him to get in touch with family
and finally he did and he is now back with a family that loves him, and although
… -- I think the important part is that he is with family – but, I just wondered
if maybe he has done enough healing, he will get better. Or maybe he’s just
getting done what he needs to before he dies.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>ANATOLIA:</STRONG> You can be assured that you have helped
tremendously in the opportunity for a soul to find inner peace. The greatest
obstacle to his absence from family was to enable himself to finally give in
that he does need the love and security of family around him, which is healing
in its own right, for inside the physical being is an individual who, partly out
of stubbornness, refused to believe that others presented to him in his life had
true meaning and placement within him. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>It was much like having to find the heart of the onion without stripping
off all levels. By facing a critical life challenge, he was able to allow
himself to finally allow himself to go to the kernel, or heart of the matter, to
allow himself to love himself enough that he was willing to relinquish his
apparent need to not need anyone else, but that his self-sufficiency would
suffice without the external influence. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>Regardless of the amount of physical healing that may be encountered, the
healing of his soul and his heart is what truly is at hand, and for self-love to
be enabled, he is able to allow others in his life, which is the first step into
eternal life. So this is a sign of great relief and healing of which you have
been a part.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Maria:</STRONG> Thank you. That helps a lot.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Paula:</STRONG> Oh, and do you think that when Roger-- [Editor’s
note: Earlier in the session there was a telephone call advising the Staffords
of Roger’s recent death. A noted curmudgeon, he died peacefully in his sleep.]
gets up to heaven, that God will sit down and talk to him? Does he talk to
anyone, I wonder, when you get there, and try and straighten him about
things?</DIV>
<DIV><BR><STRONG>ANATOLIA</STRONG>: Let me assure you that Heaven as you will
know it has any number of possibilities. It is not a central meeting all that
everyone goes to, but rather, depending upon your heart and mind, is where you
will find yourself. He will eventually meet God, as each and every one of us
will, but not until his heart and mind have changed to be able to receive that
which he is given. Imagine someone who is of the dark who resists the light,
whether it be a cave dweller or what-have-you, but will not go toward the light,
to all of a sudden bask in total love and light. The individual could not
relate, would not be able to relate, so it is with gradual love that the light
is presented, so that the individual can accept it. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>This is a case of self-loathing, and as long as the individual loathes him
or herself, there is little opportunity for even God himself to convince the
individual that they are worthy of love. So, as it is in divine providence, each
and every opportunity is presented for the individual, the soul, to gain
recognition of love worthiness. And in that union with God as we know our
Creator, in concept and in beauty, is made possible. Generations or eons
regardless, it is and will be accomplished, provided the individual opens his or
her heart accordingly. Is this helpful?<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Paula:</STRONG> Yes.</DIV>
<DIV><BR><STRONG>ANATOLIA</STRONG>: I wish to thank each and every one of you
for the opportunity to be entrusted with your questions, and to give you my
perspective as I see it from my side of the fence. It is, after all, merely a
side of the fence that I have perspective broader than your own. I wish to
aspire to true wisdom, as is my aspiration. My teaching capabilities are my way
of contributing back much of the grace and love which I have been given. It is
my pure desire that you, too, may be able to give back as you have been
presented. It is the open heart that is willing and able to give as they have
been given to. I know each of you to be such individuals and I continue to
entrust you with the love that is given to you. So give back all that you are
able, and love will hence continue. Peace be with you, until we meet
again.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Group:</STRONG> Thank you.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>TOMAS:</STRONG> As your host, I insist upon the last word. Thank
you, Co-Teacher Anatolia, for your testimony and for your teaching today. It
gives Gerdean a chance to be a student and perhaps one day we’ll get her to ask
questions. It is in such fearless seeking that the door will be opened.
<BR>While I feel the session this afternoon has been replete in every way, I
will none-the-less pause to inquire before we go if there are questions. (Pause)
Then let us be on our way, prayerfully advancing into light and life.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Elena:</STRONG> Tomas! I do have one question. One of your closing
comments on your lesson was that we all need to learn how to pray. In future
lessons will more attention on how to pray be provided? Is that an upcoming
topic?</DIV>
<DIV><BR><STRONG>TOMAS:</STRONG> Evidently. I will check Machiventa’s roster for
your curriculum, but it would seem so. Beautiful children, farewell until next
week.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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