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<DIV><FONT face="GoudyOlSt BT"><B>
<P>DATE:</B> August 7, 1997 <STRONG><BR></STRONG><B>LOCATION:</B> Pittsburgh,
PA, USA<BR><B>T/R:</B> Gerdean</P>
<P>Stillness and Prayer <STRONG><BR></STRONG><B>URANTIA BOOK
STUDY:<BR></B>.....(1) Paper 113. SERAPHIC GUARDIANS OF DESTINY, Page
1241:<BR>..........#1. The Guardian Angels; <BR>..........#2. The Destiny
Guardians;<BR>..........#3. Relation to Other Spirit Influences;<BR>.....(2)
Paper 12. THE UNIVERSE OF UNIVERSES, Page 134:<BR>..........#5. Space and
Time;<BR>..........#6. Universal Overcontrol;<BR>..........#7. The Part and the
Whole;<BR>.....(3) Paper 159. THE DECAPOLIS TOUR, Page 1769:<BR>..........#5.
The Positive Nature of Jesus' Religion</P>
<P>Stillness and Sharing <BR><B>TEACHER SESSION<BR>TOMAS and
MERIUM</B><B><BR>One Short Life in the Flesh <BR>Promulgating
Sincerity<BR>Turning the Other Cheek <BR>Walking the Second Mile</P>
<P>MERIUM:</B> This is Merium.</P><B>
<P>Group</B> [Elizabeth, Celeste, Jane, Wendy, Bruce, Leah, Gerdean, Ann,
Hester]: Thank you for coming.</P><B>
<P>MERIUM:</B> I am happy that you have invited me. I am glad to be here. I am
glad to be given the opportunity to come on-line first and greet you. My
associate Tomas is in the wings and available also, but in this configuration
this evening, it was deemed that my more gentle manner should precede him. </P>
<P>I am glad for the largess and the youth of this configuration. Welcome to you
lovely young people. You have brought with you the vigor and enthusiasm that
will indeed stir up the sedentary ways of a kind routine. Everyone benefits from
these kinds of gatherings. It is similar to your reading this evening that when
you feel you have it down, whoops! Along comes a surprise and the settling
process begins anew and the assimilating begins again - the attempt to
comprehend who you are and how you fit, in association with others in the scheme
of things.</P>
<P>[Pause] Please forgive what seems to be a delay. We are having consultation
and we are also enjoying your stillness. It is very difficult to allow your
minds that clear space to attain poise and a prayerful attitude when the
energies are so active, when the physical realm is dominant. It is of benefit to
you and also to us to have this moment. In your words, we can "hear ourselves
think."</P>
<P>And so we are "thinking" about what, of the many aspects you studied this
evening, and of the many things you discussed, would lend itself well to a
sermonette by your loyal teachers. Perhaps the core truth of the evening's
events and interchanges has been the question of how can you accomplish all the
things you want and need to accomplish within a short time frame, when
everything has merit.</P><B><U>
<P>One Short Life in the Flesh</P></B></U>
<P>How is it possible to accomplish all the things you want to do, you need to
do, you feel are important, and how do you do this in an arena where there are
others who also have an understanding of what is important, is indeed a dilemma
which constitutes the human condition. It brings into being all manner of
competition and stimulation and discord and accomplishment. Indeed, it makes the
world go round.</P>
<P>You are correct, Bruce, that, when someone is genuinely seeking a response to
a need, a soul question, it is arbitrarily rude to put aside the need in honor
of a format. How often have you considered the baseness of organized religion,
which sets aside the spiritual hungers of the parishioners in exchange for
formality? Always is it important to meet a soul's need if you are aware that
the need exists.</P>
<P>I am not going to offend anyone here, I hope, by discussing a situation that
entails human need for understanding which is different from the soul's need to
feel an association with spirit reality. Indeed there are many, many kinds of
need -- emotional and physical and financial and so forth -- and when the need
is loudly crying, it can attain the heights of a piercing cry in the wilderness
for divine intervention. Even a child's falling in the gravel while chasing his
toy can emanate up like a prayer.</P>
<P>And so we must consider the need of the part, the need of the whole, the need
of the configuration, the need relative to each individual. Each individual here
is precious and priceless and unique. Each one here is indwelt by the Father.
Each one here is flanked by spiritual associates. Each one here has the active
ministrations of the Spirit of Truth.</P>
<P>Our format has been in process of development for we have been, this year, in
process of assimilating the individuals comprising the group, understanding
their uniqueness, and considering the benefit of the whole, of the community;
not that the format has replaced the call for help, no, but so that the
community can learn to operate as a unit rather than as a vehicle of
discord.</P>
<P>That is neither an apology nor an explanation, merely a statement. For our
goal as a community of believers is to serve, and always would we seek to serve
within our ranks, as any family would, but also to serve outside, in the general
and greater family of man. We are our own support group here and we seek to
assist each other, and in the genuine needs of the individual, it is all of our
jobs to assist and nurture and care for each other.</P>
<P>It requires great faith and great trust if not great innocence -
childlikeness - to come with the attitude of needing help and prevailing upon
your brethren for the help you perceive you need. It is a courageous and noble
attitude, and each one present here, who may or may not have responded, in a
one-on-one situation would have poured out their heart and told you of more
examples than you would have had time for.</P>
<P>And we do not have a spokesman here, so no one could speak for the group to
simplify, and as Leah has rightly pointed out, "We cannot take all our questions
to the teachers. They have come to teach us to be teachers, and sooner or later
we have to teach each other."</P>
<P>It is very gratifying that your innocence and sincerity is leading this
discussion. Sincerity indeed is underdeveloped in your culture, in your world,
in your social arena. In a one-on-one situation it may be more possible, but in
your social arenas, sincerity has been pushed far into the shadows, into the
cloakroom. Community socialization can be very glib, very polished and
politically correct, and so deep-seated in your <I>modus operandi</I> you are
not aware of the <I>in</I>sincerity that you have learned and that you have
brought with you.</P><B><U>
<P>Promulgating Sincerity</P></B></U>
<P>The idea of sincerity makes many people nervous. They are uncomfortable
around sincere people. It makes them realize, perhaps, how shallow they might be
or they might appear, and so often sincerity is persecuted and rejected, which
causes you then to create barriers and layers and layers of defense mechanisms
and toughness, which is very, very difficult for the spirit and for the
sensitive to bear up under. It is lonely behind all those barriers and defenses,
but to be sincere and childlike and say "I seek your counsel" requires great
courage and so for that we thank you.</P>
<P>In the mansion worlds you will work to learn how to leave behind every
vestige of insincerity. It is a good practice to begin here to learn what is
insincerity and leave it behind with your animal vestiges. Sincerity will carry
you into reality. Forgive those who do not recognize sincerity. How often do we
see it, after all?</P>
<P>Sincere fairness is a fruit of the spirit, and to be sincerely fair, we have,
each of us, acknowledged our own sincerity also and have worked on this fruit
and will continue to work on this fruit, but we will be fair in our dealings
with others and with ourselves.</P>
<P>I wonder if sometimes when you think that Tomas has been ponderous and heavy,
you might be stumbling on his sincerity.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> I am Tomas. I am the one now to clap my hands and say, "Let's
dance!" Shall we dance? Good evening.</P><B>
<P>Group:</B> Good evening, Tomas.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> I have been enjoying Merium's discourse. She enjoys an opportunity
now and again to proselytize; I am happy to give her that opportunity for it
relieves me of having to review my notes. How are you, and is there anything I
can do for you this evening?</P><B><U>
<P>Turning the Other Cheek</P></U>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> Well, perhaps you could add a bit to the reading about turning
the other cheek, because you have talked to Jesus and you have been with him on
Salvington and no doubt he's spoken about this many times to you individually,
Tomas.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> We have shared on this concept, yes. I must confess to you that I
feel rather in the middle here, for in the Master's portrayal of turning the
other cheek, his majesty, you see, was such that when he pulled himself up and
showed his cheek, that mortal knew that that act had been presented. It was
decisive and not weak.</P>
<P>Now, on the other hand, there is the mortal, who has an entirely different
background on which to draw, and when the mortal turns the other cheek, he fully
expects to get not slapped but stepped on! It is an entirely different
understanding of the same words; it's almost a different code of ethics because
of where you come from and where Michael comes from.</P>
<P>Now, that is not to say that that bridge cannot be gapped, and it is truly in
the understanding of how it is that you can return evil with good. I know that
you can understand the example of a feisty, even rebellious teen-ager who argues
with everything the authority figure offers; he is turning the other cheek right
and left. He is saying, "Yeah? Who sez?" and there is no victimization here! He
is ready to take on the world. Action personified. Even if it is defiance, it is
certainly action.</P>
<P>The current vogue of understanding regarding turning the other cheek brings
to mind "victim," "abuse," "codependency," "doormat," unfortunate emotional
connotations, and when these words strum the emotions, when they affect the
emotional condition, they trigger emotional responses, and the mortal becomes
debilitated by non-action; they are paralyzed by fear of the emotion that
triggered the initial feeling of victimization.</P>
<P>And so they do not have that majesty of spirit; they do not have the
self-respect; they do not have the understanding of their nobility and their
divinity potential, their dignity as a child, a son or daughter of God. You've
got it! It's in there! Just like it was and is with Michael. He, however,
devoted his life to fostering that relationship. That was his entire purpose for
being here. That was his calling and he succeeded admirably. He lived the
perfect life, the perfect human being. You can do the same thing.</P>
<P>He had struggles, he had difficulties, he was a human being. He had the same
things you have, and he had his priorities in order. He spoke to the Father
often and sincerely, asking for understanding, for guidance, for direction, and
when he got direction he acted upon it, in faith, courageously, even when he
stood out from the crowd, alone, with no peers, no one to talk to, no one to
consult except his spirit companions and his understanding of Higher Power.</P>
<P>And he has said that you have it within you to do these things also. And so
the thing we all must do is learn to identify with that aspect of God that
indwells us, that is so personal to us, that is perfect and good, until we
realize that <I>we too</I> are perfect and good -- relatively speaking, of
course -- but we have a right to stand up in dignity and majesty of being a son,
a daughter of the living God. All it takes is truly knowing and truly living
what you know.</P>
<P>There is no greater experience throughout all eternity. This is my response
to your question having to do with turning the other cheek. In the face of your
potential, indeed, in the face of the potential of any and all, how could we
deny the positive? With the strength and the power of the knowing of the
association with the Infinite God, how could we lack driving power to give it
back to them a hundredfold, with love even?</P>
<P>You align yourself with weakness when you embrace the human part of you while
you deny your better half, your other half. You are of dual origin, my children.
You are not just an animal, you are also indwelt by God. This unified
personality -- the personality of the human and the Father-bestowed personality
of the Father functioning as one well-rounded, well-unified human being -- is a
dynamic personality, engaging, infectious. Dynamic indeed. Turning cheeks right
and left, stopping traffic. You can do it. Just stay close to your Source.</P>
<P>Don't just stay close to your Source, Merium tells me. Talk to him! Love him!
Sit on his lap, tell him stories, let him tell you stories, have an actual
relationship with this God. Let him be the most real, the most intimate, the
most exciting, the most compelling, the most entertaining, the most satisfying,
the most amusing, the most marvelous experience in the world for truly He is.
Truly He is.</P>
<P>Now. I believe you also read somewhere this evening that you are not to be
overwhelmed with a lot of flowery language, and so I withdraw my flowery
language, for I would not stoop to coercing you with mere emotional ploys and
fancy language, although I daresay if the Father has given me the words to speak
and the mouth through which to speak, I cannot shut off the flow of His words,
and so, again, I do not apologize nor do I explain, but merely state.</P>
<P>Are there other questions this evening? Are there further questions regarding
turning the other cheek or walking the second mile?</P>
<P><B>Bruce: </B>What?<BR><B>TOMAS:</B> Walking the second
mile.<BR><B>Wendy:</B> Oh, I'm not done with the first! (Group
laughter)</P><B><U>
<P>Walking the Second Mile</P></U>
<P>TOMAS:</B> Walking the second mile is a parallel to turning the other cheek,
that if someone makes you do THIS, then you do THAT and then some, so that you
have shown them, as in turning the other cheek, that you are willing to do even
more, only through love. Now, in this context, it is very difficult to conceive
how anyone can make you do anything, although I suppose we could say you MUST
get up in the morning. You must pay your taxes, you must abide by certain civic
laws, and so on and so forth. And so let us take an example out of the hat.</P>
<P>You must get up at 6:00 in order to catch the 7:00 bus to get to where you
need to be at 7:30. Is that fair place to start?</P><B>
<P>Group:</B> Yes.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> You must. All right. If you must, then get up at 5:30, and by
getting up at 5:30, you have robbed 6:00 of its control over you. By 6:00 you
are ready for 6:00. You are awake, you've had your caffeine, you've had your
shower, you've eaten your Wheaties, you talked to God, you have the whole day
laid out. You are ready for it. 6:00. That is an example of walking the second
mile.</P>
<P>Now, that may be a humorous example to show how it works, however, in real
life it is really quite difficult, and I do not make light of it, for when you
are forced to do something that is unpleasant and indeed difficult if not
painful, how can you willingly do it and then engage yourself in even further
what you might call "abuse" in order to make a point to a "sadist" who wants you
to be miserable in the first place?</P>
<P>In the mortal understanding that may be a rather sick and sadistic philosophy
to follow, but let us now infuse it with the Father's love. Let us now think in
terms of that majestic personality who is in love with God and life, who has
discovered the appreciation of being and noting parts of perfection, who has
thrilled to an understanding of an eternal plan for survival, who has seen the
miracles of creation, who has wept in an understanding of love, who has touched
infinite kindness, who has known ideal circumstances.</P>
<P>This rich human being has something to share with others, has known a depth
of feeling that is worthy of the belief of every other person. The worship
impulse has wanted you to call out in broad daylight, "Thank you, God! You've
brought the sun, the clouds, the rain, the colors, the balloons, the children,
the laughter, the wonders, the growth, the possibility, the miracle of life."
Something good. And I know that if you are touched by the spirit you understand
what I'm saying.</P>
<P>And so then you come along to someone who has not seen this. They are not
acknowledging the greater reality. Imagine the darkness in which they live!
Imagine the cave of existence. How sorrowful it must be. Of course, they are
grumpy! Of course, they are sadists. They are miserable! They have not met the
Lord. They have not known these wonders that can make you weep for their beauty
and their glory.</P>
<P>Have mercy. Have mercy. Is it not said that this is the planet of mercy? It
is indeed.</P><B>
<P>Elizabeth:</B> Well, Tomas, I'm so interested and I have enjoyed this so
much, and I do want to interject this point that one of our dear ones here is
suffering not just for herself, but she -- there is an involvement with the
little innocent ones, that even tonight we read that their seraphim always
behold God, and so when the dear little ones are involved, it gets complicated,
in my opinion. Could you address that issue just a little bit?</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> Well, yes, and I will incorporate that with what I was talking
about, and I believe you can analogize that these wonders, these perfect
glories, these smells and sights and sounds of laughing children and balloons
and gaiety indeed are your children, your own children, and yet there is this
one or others who are in the darkness, who are lost in dis-ease and despair and
angst and anger and fear and fury and a set of values far removed from those who
have seen the light.</P>
<P>Even so, it is necessary that you stand tall and, with the forces of good,
overcome evil, by having faith that in the long run God's will will prevail.
Remember we did discuss "The Part and the Whole" and that although the part may
or may not be in accordance with God's will, in the large His will <I>will</I>
prevail. And it is not as though you are not still available to these children.
</P>
<P>You are still in radiant presence of them, and perhaps if you were to stand
tall and align yourself with your Parent and the Parent even of you and your
children, you could gain that dignity status that would enable you to support
your children in love and even walk the second mile in praying for their father,
their daddy, that he become a second miler with you, with all of those, of us,
who march forward in the good fight of faith.</P>
<P>Always does spirit lend a dimension to the human experience which lifts it up
out of a mere animal existence with its tribal conditionings and behaviors into
the light of spirit illumination. Always is the power and strength of the First
Source and Center available to you to elevate your approach and your delivery in
your seeing your life's experiences.</P>
<P>Far better for you to arrive flanked by spirit reality and good faith into
the courtrooms and into the battlegrounds of life and face the challenge in
grace and peace than to allow them the pseudo-power of the Christians and the
lions. I will not tell you to turn the other cheek, for that, to you, represents
victimization. To you I will say, stand up. Stand tall in the spirit. Get your
chin up, and you can do it! and your children will admire you. They will admire
you for they will sense your inner strength. They will want to grow up to be
like Mom. They will want to be with Mom. And you can teach them how to love
their Daddy, also.</P>
<P>My dears, it grows late. Part of the concern in our formatted evening is that
there is not enough time. It is much like those of you who want to accomplish
everything in one short life in the flesh. How can you be a suave bachelor and a
family man? How can you be an airline stewardess and a llama farmer in the Andes
at the same time? How can you do all the things you want to do? Well, I tell
you, we have to do what we can and determine our priorities, and understand that
those things that you truly crave to do will be done in eternity. It is not
necessary to do all things in one short life in the flesh.</P>
<P>Enjoy your lives. Appreciate your lives, but recognize that life goes on and
on. Your learning is only beginning. Your joys are only beginning. Your
challenges still lie ahead. Not all of them. You have done well. You have come
thus far. I do not mean to deny your accomplishments and your growths so far. It
was simply my way of saying that we have run out of time for today.</P><B>
<P>Group:</B> Thank you very much.</P><B>
<P>TOMAS:</B> It has been my and our pleasure. I look forward to our next
interlude. Peace. Farewell.</P><B>
<P>Group:</B> Thank you, Merium, too.</P>
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