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<DIV><FONT face="GoudyOlSt BT"><B>
<P>DATE:</B> July 3, 1997<BR><B>LOCATION:</B> Pittsburgh, PA, USA<BR><B>T/R:</B>
Gerdean and Hunnah</P><B>
<P>URANTIA BOOK STUDY:<BR></B>(1) Pages 113-115, Paper 10, THE PARADISE
TRINITY:<BR> #5, Functions of The Trinity;
and<BR> #6, The Stationary Sons of The Trinity;<BR>(2) Pages
303-305, Paper 27, MINISTRY OF PRIMARY SUPERNAPHIM:<BR> #7,
Conductors of Worship<BR>(3) Pages 1775-77, Paper 160, RODAN OF
ALEXANDRIA:<BR> #2, The Art of Living</P><B>
<P>Stillness and Sharing <BR>TEACHER SESSION<BR>Personal Messages<BR>Lesson:
Keep Truth Alive<BR>Q&A: Marriage & Relationships</P></B>
<P><B>TOMAS</B>: I am Tomas, your teacher. </P><B>
<P>Group:</B> Good evening, Tomas.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> I have been away, and it is good to be back. My associate, Merium,
has held down the fort for me and made my rounds and so I have been apprised of
anything pertinent, but it is, even so, noteworthy that I have been gone and I
am back.</P>
<P>Often you say, "Tomas, are you there?" and I tell you, "Of course! I am
always there," and yet I have been away. How is that possible that I can be in
two places at once? Well, it is because of the inner workings of the association
of teachers and other spirit helpers. You have not been alone and I know all
about you.</P>
<P>I have a personal greeting for each of you, in fact. I would like to begin
these personal commentaries with my transmitter Gerdean, and convey to her that
her apology is not necessary. [T/R choked up] This is not going to be easy, so …
I will skip her.</P>
<P>I am happy for you, Celeste, for the experience you had in making contact
with your spirit reality. It is a cognizance of your association with the spirit
worlds. This cognizant awareness, in and through realizing the intelligent and
loving presence of something good above and beyond yourself, is the first step
in associating yourself with the Kingdom of Heaven in its totality. Welcome to
the neighborhood, my child. Allow this truth to foster.</P><B>
<P>Celeste:</B> Thank you, Tomas.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> Jane, your desire to serve will be met. That you have been
simplifying your life on one hand and focusing your goals inward in terms of
your spiritual reality and your desire to be of good to God and your fellow-men
is a sure-fire indication that it will happen. It is always invigorating when
these attitudes are voiced, allowed, in company with your peers, for they will
one day then be able to turn to you and smilingly say, "You're the one who
wanted to be of service!" (Group chuckle), for surely, as Michael has said, this
spiritual path is "the sure pathway to trouble." Adventure and opportunity
abound.</P>
<P>You are being readied. Not only are you being readied, but the circumstances
and the situations that you are ideally suited for are also being prepared. You
are feeling the swell of the tide, which will surely meet the shore. When you
caress the shore, my dear, bring back your experiences and share them with us
for our entertainment and edification. Also, it is a group reward to be able to
work together in those avenues of service with each other in the spirit. We are
your support system, we in this room, both finite and morontial.</P>
<P>Hester, I have news for you. I live in Salvington. That is my home address.
You had asked me that and I recently went home. I didn't stay long, in your
terms, but inasmuch as time is different there, I was gone adequately to be
properly satiated and renewed and readied to return to my assignment - this crew
of mortals that is my privilege to serve. </P>
<P>One day I will, perhaps, tell you more about Salvington, but not today. I did
however hear you inquire and so now you know.</P><B>
<P>Hester:</B> Thank you.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> Hunnah, you petulant girl, I perceive that you need a boost. You
have sulked enough for one day and I know that it has to do with that dreadful
experience you had today, for you have been doing stalwartly well. You have been
striding right along, and as for your practice in providing service as a
transmitter/ receiver, I will also tell you that in spite of your own judgment
and criticism, you are doing admirable there also. </P><B></B>
<P>It is a process. You are willing. You have much to learn, but who doesn't? Be
gentle with yourself and even your most avid critics will ultimately confess
that whatever it is that you emote is comprised of and born in truth, beauty and
goodness. If [you feel that] all of your transmissions sound like the same tune,
it is because they come from the same Mother. Eventually the refinements of
personality will clarify. The roles of the teachers also will define themselves,
and you will readily recognize one from the other. Even if you do not, those of
us who know the teachers are already recognizing their unique aspects.
Personality is developed as you spend time together. Merium is very happy with
the product.</P>
<P>Elizabeth, I need for you to know that I am not perfect, and that I
<B><I>do</B></I> get impatient, and I have manifested what you might construe as
anger. I will also remind you that the same could be said for the Master himself
when he, in trying to make a point, would say, for instance, "How many times do
I have to tell you!?"</P>
<P>I understand your stance that surely it was the transmitter and not the
teacher, but be advised that when we work together <I>we are one</I>, and my
attitudes are hers and vice versa. If they did not work harmoniously, we could
not communicate in this way. Indeed, I cannot convey what she will not allow,
and if she tries to run the show I will leave. Fear not. You fully well
understand in your deep heart that I am a loving and compassionate personality,
but I am also imperfect, and that really makes me a better friend, don't you
think?</P><B>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> (Chuckling) Absolutely. </P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> Leah. </P><B>
<P>Leah:</B> Yes.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> I would like to just spend a moment with you. I cannot think of
anything profound to say except, perhaps, "Happy Anniversary" and that is a
peculiar celebration, and so I will sidestep that and go back to your most
capable globetrotting ventures. The reading public, you see, appreciates that
the [Pittsburgh] Pumpkins have such an aerial view of what goes on in the rest
of the world through the eyes of Leah the Traveler. It was Syracuse and Buffalo
last week, London the week before, tomorrow it is Ohio en route to Vancouver
Canada. My, my! Is it any wonder that your husband and yourself are celebrating
22 years of 4 1/2 years of togetherness? (Group laughter) Perhaps that is the
secret of your success.</P><B>
<P>Leah:</B> That might have something to do with it.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> I have enjoyed my personal chat with you each. I am going to give
only a brief lesson.</P>
<P>I would like to call to your attention once again the reality of living
truth, that when truth is crystallized, it dies. This is true in your most
intimate spiritual life, your prayer life and your worship life, your
friendships, your work, your very existence. When the truth becomes
crystallized, it becomes dead. In order for you to keep truth alive, it must be
approached each day as something new: a new day, a new face, a. new facet of
growth.</P>
<P>Your prayers are not to be a repetition of words and attitudes, but a fresh
conversation; and your worship is never going to be attained if you approach it
as a duty to perform. Your friendships will not flower if you assume that they
are the same persons today as they were yesterday, for the truth is alive and
growing, changing, all the time. Begin to appreciate the fact that there is
something new going on all the time, and if you allow yourself, you yourself
will be renewed with each new day, even several times in the same day.</P>
<P>I am going to settle down. I would like to see if Merium would like to say a
few words. No, I would like to ask you if you would like to pose a question to
Merium, that she can have an opportunity to speak, to greet you, to teach and
also to provide our associate Hunnah with the opportunity to practice her skill
as a transmitter for your teacher and my co-worker, Merium. Are there
questions?</P><B>
<P>ELIZABETH:</B> Well, yes. Merium, we were reading about married life and I
was wondering, what do all of you teachers think about what's happening to the
institution of marriage on our planet right now? I'm surrounded by people who
are in pain, and I don't think our society is helping. I wonder if you could
comment.</P><B>
<P>MERIUM</B>: Good evening. First of all, I would like to thank Tomas for being
so diplomatic and gentle this evening. I think he's been spending too much time
in my company. (Group chuckle)</P>
<P>Regarding marriage. Let us first regard relationships as partnerships. The
times are not the same; the individual needs have changed. Materialism has a
great deal to do with the effects of the need to be married. Never before on
earth in its civilizations has being single, being physically single, been as
provided for in every way. Never before has it been so glamorous and never
before has it been so easy to be comfortable. If you have the material needs and
you have friends, then the need for that one relationship is not what it was
many years ago.</P>
<P>And you must remember, if you look at the book, it will give you fresh
reminders of "why marriage?" Marriage can be an attitude. Any partnership and
any relationship is a marriage, it is an interaction. In Hunnah's immediate
situation she has young people who are both married and not married and she is
able to witness the fears and the challenges of both situations, and it has made
her uneasy because it pulls her down into fearfulness for them, and in that
fearfulness she is receiving the exercise of reminding her where she is supposed
to be in that judgment.</P>
<P>Marriage will not go away, but the kind of marriage that you are seeing is
becoming a partnership. Perhaps you see it in the eyes of a negative view. The
people are living in different versions of cooperation, but they are hiding
within those relationships the same way some people hide within "legal
marriage." Some people are in marriage because they feel secure. There is
someone that Hunnah knows that says he loves being married because when he
doesn't want to do something, he can say that his wife would not approve, (group
giggle) and therefore he is using this relationship socially to protect
himself.</P>
<P>So I cannot tell you that there are any less opportunities to honor and obey,
but the format of whom they are honoring and whom they are obeying has perhaps
changed. These young people are, in spite of appearances, in touch with their
inner feelings and choices. They see the error of the ways of the past. They see
the artificial, the shallowness of many relationships, and they also see the
stubborn staying together in bitterness, and yet the lack of self-fulfillment
within that framework of marriage.</P>
<P>There is no right answer to this question because what it all is is a
poultice of sorts. To bring out the longing for the recognition of what you are
truly seeking, you may choose to celebrate your fullness within the framework of
marriage or you may do it equally well within the framework of communal life or
a single life. Let us remember that there were many people that hid in the
churches in the secular orders who were feeling misplaced in their social
circumstances; they retreated to convents and to the priesthood to seek
fulfillment, shelter and social fellowship under the reigns of religion.</P>
<P>There are those who go undercover, who become rebellious and choose to stay
with the "underdog," so there really is no right answer to your question and I
do not want you to feel that I'm avoiding it. I want you to see that any
exercise and any choice in your human situation is an opportunity for you to
live it well, and that at the base of this, you will and have to eventually seek
the one God, seek the truth of yourself, and therefore set out onto the
wonderful adventure of knowing who you are and who your fellow beings are. I
hope I have not disappointed you...</P><B>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> No. No.</P><B>
<P>MERIUM:</B> ... but I would like to see you observe what you feel is the
breaking down of relationships that are close to you. It hurts you. It is
hurting, because you don't want anyone to be suffering. You want children to
grow up in a hope where they know that their parents love each other; this is
only right in the role that you are playing.</P>
<P>Tuesday evening we had a wonderful interaction on this subject of
role-playing. In spirit you are always the same: you are brother and sister to
each other, (this will be in the paper that you have just received) but in your
humanness you will be playing roles and you play many at one time, remember. You
go to the office, you go to the store, you are someone else, a different
identity to everyone you meet. So it is up to you to bring the best to that one
identity, the truth of your being. Live out from it and let others discern who
and what you are about. Thank you.</P><B>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> Thank you. <STRONG><BR></STRONG><B>TOMAS:</B> Thank you,
Merium.</P><B>
<P>Celeste:</B> Tomas, I get concerned about the marvelous young people who are
not marrying and not having children and yet there are all kinds of children
being born today that people don't really want, and so I'm wondering what that
means for the future of our country.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> "Have you heard of The Bell Curve?"</P><B>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> Oh, yes. I've heard of the Bell Curve. I thought it was a
pretty important point that somebody was making recently, in the last couple of
years.</P><B>
<P>Celeste:</B> Explain it to some of us.</P><B>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> Well, the Bell Curve was saying that there's a difference
between the ethnic groups insofar as their ability to be intellectually
challenged. There is a difference between these ethnic groups and we should
actually be kind of cognizant of it in order to help them be more effective, in
teaching the different ethnic groups. They learn differently. That's what the
Bell Curve said.<BR><BR><B>TOMAS:</B> All groups have to learn how to produce
intelligently ... <STRONG><BR></STRONG><B>Elizabeth:</B> Oh, boy, yes.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> ... for if we do not reproduce intelligently, we will be producing
mental defectives and heading downhill, and that was my reference to the Bell
Curve. It is not necessarily an ethnic situation, but it is a racial situation,
and as the human animal propagates as a dog has puppies, there will continue to
be difficulty in developing a solid society.</P><B>
<P>Merium:</B> We have a generation that is growing up, coming in, that is, has
a tendency to be newly more enlightened. We have a society coming in that has
had a divided home, that has had a mother who is never there or a father who is
never there, and it weakens a need in them that states, "when I find my friend,
and the one I choose to love and share with, we are going to talk about the
importance of having someone home when my child comes home from school."</P>
<P>Materialism is going to meet its challenges. It is always changing. This
whole society is constantly living in change. The young ones growing up today
are constantly experiencing change. The generation that is sitting at this table
is experiencing what you might call "having had the opportunity of remediation
and a repetitiveness in the development of new ideas." The children of today
have been living at a very fast pace. They are like little sponges. They will
absorb and learn, and when they are entering their 20th year, they are going to
have quite a portfolio of reference material to help them make their
decisions.</P>
<P>In the meantime, let us not forget that this light of truth is here and it
will be compounded and compounded, and that it will be here to assist them with
their decisions. A teacher that Hunnah heard many years ago gave the metaphor of
making jam. She said, "when you turn up the heat, the impurities come to the
surface," and indeed these young people today have been living in a state of
having the heat turned up, listening to the ugliness of the narrow-minded
opinions of people who are in their lives.</P>
<P>There is a television program of many years ago that Hunnah at first was very
offended by and then she realized that it had to be aired because it's nearer to
people, the sound of their own voices, and that was the one that had Archie and
Edith, and the contrast in their attitudes about life, and that family had a
great impact on people because they stored this in themselves and realized that
they did not want to be an Archie and be ignorant and obnoxious and illiterate,
or totally an Edith, who was not strong enough to take the best that she had and
to apply it in a more creative way.</P>
<P>I am reminding you one more time of some brilliant scripture of "taking no
thought." That does not mean to hide your head, but it does mean to rest in the
truth of your being and let it develop, and become your new reality, and as you
do this, everyone in your world and in your community will be affected, and the
poultice that is being applied is on many people of misery or conflict of
ideas.</P>
<P>Our young friend Jane spoke of having to simplify her life. You people find
yourselves literally toxic from an overload and they suddenly will reach out and
accept that Helping Hand, and It is always there for you Inside, and It will
pull you aside and let you simplify your life and make finer decisions,
unselfish decisions.</P><B>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> That's good.</P><B>
<P>Celeste:</B> When I think of beautiful marriage, you never overload! And so
many marvelous young people choose not to marry some day for some reason or
other. I don't understand it.</P><B>
<P>Hester:</B> They feel unready. They feel they've been ... not too much ... In
the last few years there's been very little emphasis on good marriage. And the
children, all they had was the pattern they grew up with. I was an orphan from
the time I was seven years old on, and I had the advantage of having friends who
were wonderful people and I could compare them. If I had no mother and no
father, I could compare them as against somebody who didn't quite meet their
standards. And it was up to me to make the decisions. From the time I was seven
on.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> Marriage remains an ideal. Even those who do not make that
decision or those who cannot find an appropriate partner, still maintain an
ideal in their heart, in their minds. Always will these partnerships emerge, as
Merium has said. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to experience those
long-term supportive and devoted relationships must treasure that experience in
your heart and appreciate the gift that you have been given. Never look with
disdain upon those who have a troubled marriage or those who find themselves
outside the bounds of matrimony. Be grateful for your experience.</P>
<P>And it is difficult to answer for young people today when you are not one of
the day's young people, and so leave the speculation to them as to why they do
or do not engage upon the hope of finding a companion who will suit their
purposes, whether they be for financial, for legal, for parental, for spiritual,
for cultural or whatever reasons. These are human decisions; marriage is a.
human institution.</P>
<P>It is that institution which provides for self-maintenance, self-perpetuation
and self-gratification within the sanction of your civil mores/social mores. It
is the home, therefor the seat of culture; and the family, which is the
foundation of all value --the Father having established the family unit as the
ideal. If you have attained the ideal, be grateful. If you aspire for the ideal,
keep your chin up. Otherwise, let's get on with it. There's a lot to do in life
-- many, many rewarding and satisfying situations, accomplishments and
relationships that provide stimulation of the imagination and all sorts of
wonderful things, as you read this evening in Rodan. (Good selection of
readings, by the way.)</P><B>
<P>MERIUM:</B> I would like to once again draw your attention to commitment.
Commitment and responsibility. And let yourself hold the idea of the puzzlement
about marriage very lightly, because we are observing so many generations'
examples about marriage, but we have many couples who are of the same sex that
are living together, and this relationship that they have chosen carries the
same responsibilities of commitment and respect and consideration that a
heterosexual relationship would be.</P>
<P>If you took an elderly person who inherits an 8-year-old child, much to their
dismay, that relationship will have to develop a loyalty, a respect and a sense
of responsibility with it. Please, release yourself from the judgment and the
bewilderment and concern of all relationships and be an encourager.</P>
<P>If there are people who live differently than yourself, or if you have
friends who have troubled relationships who are perhaps bored to tears with the
so-called, what appeared to be "ideal" marriage, or they have been married 30
years -- "Isn't that wonderful!" -- but they could be 30 empty years, or 30
personally boring years, or years without structure or direction.</P>
<P>Please consider the marriage of yourself to the Christ of your being. In
Hunnah's books, in her early days of writing, she wrote something that might be
interesting to those who are, perhaps, over 35, and it was very brief and it
went something like this: "For those who feel the rising of the second heat in
their life, turn to the Christ." I do not have on tap the remaining sentences
here, but when there is this stirring of your physical beingness or your mental
yearnings, there is the perfect mate waiting for you.</P>
<P>If you are married, it is as important for you to be married to the Christ
personally for you as it is the mate of your choosing, and it is when the two of
you have chosen the same mate, the Christ of your being, then you do indeed have
a marriage made in heaven. It is a safer journey with a greater possibility of
being a success. Thank you.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> Thank you, Merium. And thank you group. I and we are going to take
our leave. Again, your assignment has been outlined by my able colleague, and
that is to look this week at the myriad working relationships that are in
existence in and around you --your own relationships and others relationships,
and look at them much as you looked at personality -- not for judgment, but for
observation of how many incredible possibilities of relationship there are.</P>
<P>Group is relationship. All relationship comes from a Trinity base, even to
your own relationship with the Father. Let us end this session with a prayer. I
would like for you to hold hands.</P><I>
<P>Universal Father, we come to you as Your humble children sitting at Your
table, knowing that You have prepared a feast for us. Enable us to kindle our
appetites, Father, for the servings that You have provided for us. Allow us to
be appreciative diners, Father, and not picky eaters. Whatever it is that You
have provided for us for our nourishment, allow us to take it and savor it and
know that it has been given to us by You for our own benefit, for our own
understanding, for our own growth in the opportunity to see all the myriad
differences in your creative universe, that we might honor and love Your Son,
our Father/ Brother Michael and know him even more.
Amen.</P></I></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>