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Further thoughts on the Teaching Mission-by Bob Slagle (Keynote address, Spirit Fest '94, Los Osos, CA. June 18, 1994)

MICHAEL'S MESSAGE

It is L Michael. Dear ones, I wish to speak to you, to offer comfort to you. I know that this time is hard, is difficult, both to experience and to understand. This time is indeed the early stages of the mission, the testing grounds, as it were. Although this stage reaches around the globe, in the years to come you will barely recognize this mission from what it appears today, for as you have thought! received, we are at this time going through the winnowing process. This is not to separate those who will survive from those who will not, but to separate out those who are willing to serve in the capacity of apostles, of teachers.

This is a time to explore the ways to reach my children of Urantia. I am the one who has asked for this process, for I well know that however the heart yearns to serve, there are those who will continue and those who will not. There are many factors that enter into this, and none who turn away from this assignment are to be judged. There are many reasons that persons come to this mission, and also many reasons why they turn away. Some come for wonders; many of these will leave. Some come for self-importance; most of these will leave. Some come with preconceptions; those whose preconceptions are not in line with the Father's will will change or leave. Some come with ideas of power over others; they will find no welcome here. Some come with extreme enthusiasm; many will struggle when the difficulties of serving this mission dampens their unrealistic high spirits, and many will depart. It will be unlikely that even a quarter will remain of this season, of this early testing time.

Again, all are loved equally by the Father and by me. All are not suited to be the same thing, to play the same role. You concern yourselves overmuch with this process, breaking your hearts against the rejections and the falsenesses that appear to batter you. I say to you, this is only a natural process, and one over which you have no control. Beyond doing your best at what is asked of you, you are not asked other. The outcomes are not yours. You can give your pains and your worries to me

and I will help you to heal the loneliness that is the lot of all who follow here. I know your loneliness, for I lived it on your world when there was no one to hear and understand my heart on Urantia, no one in human form who understood. Therefore will I most lovingly and willingly bind up your wounds. I ask you to turn to me in this, over and over, and I will give you comfort and help you to seek the strength from the Father to move forward. None of this is demanded of you; I have called you and you have come, but this is no mandate, but a request made in love. Think not that I will ever abandon you as you struggle on this rocky and lonely road, and know that wherever possible, I will not only light your path, but show you the wonders that all who seek reality will see along the way. You will not regret this, however many dark hours you must bear. There will always be the light. Your task is to try to remember this in the hours of darkness, that I am with you and I am the light of the world, that the Father shines in all his glory from within your very being. Draw on this, draw on it daily and often. You cannot expect from your human companions what they cannot give. It is of no use to expect these things. It only leads to frustration and pain.

In the days ahead, there will be yet struggles, but there will come also the joys and the serenity of fulfillment. When the mission starts up in its fullness, you will be teachers. Some will be asked to venture forth, but none will be required. There will always be teaching work for this mission that can be done at hand; you will not lose out on serving in this mission by remaining in your own communities, for there are enough souls present to minister to, wherever you pass by. You are the leaven in the dough. Not all can be the leaven, and there is no shame in this, but you will lighten the entire population of the world, and help to lift them up. Some of this you will do formally, and other you will do by loving all you meet, even as you will be teaching them to love as I have loved you. Truly you will eventually find that the gospel which I have brought is not so difficult. Trust in me; trust in my mission. Trust that all will come to pass and wear every rejection in my name with pride as a badge of honor. You who seek to serve me faithfully have no reason to reproach yourselves because

--------- .. ---- -----

others do not understand. Learn to love them and to forgive them. I love and honor you; the Father has you ever in his keeping. Let this be enough, let this be a sufficiency. Seek me and the Father, and in time this will satisfy your souls such that these things that now hurt you so deeply will be as pinpricks soon forgotten and put aside.

You are on a wonderful journey and, oftentimes upon setting out, the weak muscles protest, once the initial thrill is past. But you are even now hardening and strengthening for the long journey. Do not give up now, dear ones. You will find your second wind, and truly the traveling will be wonderful. We are doing this together; you are doing this with me. Think upon that and realize what it means. And turn more frequently to my teachers who I have given you to be morontia companions on this journey. They love you and know you. They can give you comfort and good counsel. Turn also to your angels and seek to communicate with them, for they are always with you in this task. They challenge you, but they also strengthen and comfort you and urge you to prayer and worship which renew your souls. Truly, you have what you need. Do what I ask as best you can. Do not fear the mistakes which are inevitable. Be straightforward, and place all that hence comes to you in the hands of the Father. This is what is asked. Know that I love you, each one of you, tenderly and truly and personally. When you are uncertain, my spirit is with you, my mind is available to you and, if you seek the truth, will place you upon the true path of your soul. I am with you always as we seek together to fulfill the

I will of the Father in heaven. Be of good cheer, my children. You are surrounded by love and light. Call upon me and know that I will always hear.

Farewell.

This was transmitted about a year ago by Thea in Oregon. Recently she has been encouraged by their group teacher, LinEL to bring this forth. (Receiver: Thea Hardy, Corvallis, Oregon, March 24, 1993)

JARED'S GROUP

I would like to share with you some experiences from Jared's group. Perhaps I should say Jared's and Rayson's group since Rayson has been a nearly weekly participant in our group for over a year now. We know that those of you in the Southern California groups have come to know and cherish Rayson. We are blessed with a Rayson-tuned transmitter, so we are also his fans and deeply love him. In fact, let me read a passage from Rayson about the journey.

Rayson: To enjoy the journey is as if you are on a path and you are traveling, and you look out the window of your car, or of the vehicle you are traveling in, and you

see the scenery and it is beautiful. You look upon vineyards, or hills, or mountains, or lakes, or oceans, and you see the beauty that is all around you. So it is with your pilgrimage. As you are traveling forth, ascending to the Father, take time to enjoy those things which are around you, those lessons you are learning, those things you are being taught, lessons in learning how to love and to give, to forgive, to grow, to share your heart with others. These are adventures, and this is a part of enjoying the journey. (TR: Micki, Rayson, Sebastopol, 6/9/94)

Our teacher Jared, we are told, is a fused ascendant mortal from a nearby and advanced planet. He is in excess of eight thousand earth-years-old and humbly refers to himself as a teacher of teachers. Jared's style is simple and eloquent. The profundity of his messages may be overlooked by those who are easily bored by much repetition of the same simple message≠ seek the stillness daily and do small kindnesses to those whom you contact.

As time has passed, I have become more and more appreciative of Jared's philosophy of teaching and single pointed leadership. Our format in meetings is question and answer. Only in recent times have we received expanded teachings and lessons at the beginning of our group sessions. Also, we are blessed with a lead transmitter who is learning about the teachings of the Urantia Papers first by direct experience, since she has not yet read the Book. Lisa has lived a life of experiential religion and has been spared many of the sophistries of evolutionary religion. Her religious biases seem few, and she is courageous enough to transmit beings about whom she knows little from reading. We are charmed by her ability to find and recognize teachers experientially with a minimum from The Urantia Book.

Initially Jared's message was stillness, stillness, stillness, small kindnesses, kindnesses, kindnesses. And, of course, he was and is always willing to answer questions about our spiritual experiences and personal growth. He is very keen on respect for free will. For instance, he regularly asks for our individual agreement, the free will choice of each person in our group, before presenting a new teacher to us. He has been rigorous in deflecting our more idle curiosity questions about cosmic facts and teaching mission infrastructure. For example, when I asked him about the appearance predicted by some for April of last year, he simply said that some people enjoy looking forward to such anticipations, but that he would not discuss the matter further. In retrospect, I am grateful for his consistent focus and unwillingness to lead us very far into distractions. What are distractions? Probably most anything that is not about stillness, small kindnesses, and personal spiritual reaching. By the way, Jared has more recently informed us that there is no such thing as a small kindness. He

has also added to our instruction the suggestion that we visualize extending the light from our stillness to our neighbors. community and, indeed, the whole world. He urges us to first seek and share common ground before launching into our spiritual values with those not involved in the Teaching Mission.

Despite his repetitious focus on stillness and inner reaching, he is not without a sense of humor. Several of us have repeatedly asked him to provide us with lottery numbers, pony race tips, and to materialize things ranging from loaves of bread to gold pressed latinum. Rarely has a week gone by that I have not asked for some bars of gold pressed latinum. So far, no bread, no lottery numbers, and no latinum, but lots of patience and love. And, among our human group members I think we are getting to know each other better and share more joy and love each week as well. We frequently hear these words from our teachers, "It doesn't matter;" or "It's not important." I think we are all gradually learning to curb our curiosity questions, at least for the time being.

himself and had asked Michael several questions. After a pause Michael gently said, "perhaps you are not the best qualified to judge." Another time, Jared had been expounding on how we may be materially limited, but spiritually we are unlimited. Shortly, another teacher, Jordan, was transmitting about our spiritual freedoms and, referring back to Jared's comment, said that Jared had issued an understatement. During another transmission, this one from Lord Michael, a group member was distressed and down on himself. Michael had encouraged him not to be. This student thought for a long moment and then sighed, "I guess you are right." Michael replied, "I know I am."

FORGIVENESS

Our teachers place great emphasis on

forgiveness, forgiveness of others and especially of ourselves. The issue of forgiveness is paramount and has led us into derivative discussions about judgment, assessment, fairness, patience, and how our thoughts

Seeking

My perspective on Jared has also been enlarged by comments from other teachers. Another northern California group teacher, Lester; told us that we would appreciate Jared's insistent focus were we to see the training schools on the first Mansion World which he portrayed as rugged and like boot camp compared to Jared's gentle style.

With your permission, I would like to share a few humorous anecdotes from our group. As you may well know, much of teacher play and humor is based on understatement and sometimes you just have to be there to get it. I remember one occasion when one of our younger members was ruminating over his tendency to judge

Stillness

determine so much in our lives. There is great value in learning to forgive ourselves.

It so happens that I am a big fan of Mohandas Gandhi and would like to share with you a li tt Ie vignette about self-forgiveness from the life of a great soul, a true Mahatma, one who stumbled and erred just like we all do.

"During the thirties a woman came to Sevagram asking Gandhi to get her little boy to stop eating sugar; it was doing him harm. Gandhi gave a cryptic reply: 'Please come back next week.' The woman left puzzled but returned a week later, dutifully following the

Mahatma's instructions, 'Please don't eat sugar, Gandhi told the young fellow when he saw him. 'It is not good for you.' Then he joked with the boy for a while, gave him a hug, and sent him on his way. But the mother, unable to contain her curiosity, lingered behind to ask, 'Bapu, why didn't you say this last week when we came? Why did you make us come back again?' Gandhi smiled. 'Last week,' he said to her, 'I too was eating sugar.'" (Eknath Easwaran, Gandhi the Man, Nilgiri Press, 1978, pp. #170-171,)

Although I am not the Course in Miracles devotee that some of you are, I am especially impressed by its marvelous lessons on forgiveness. In her delightful commentary on the Course, Marianne Williamson says, "Forgiveness is 'selective remembering'-a conscious decision to focus on love and let the rest go. But the ego is relentless-it is 'capable of suspiciousness at the best and viciousness at worst.' It presents the most subtle and insidious arguments for casting other people out of our hearts. The cornerstone of the ego's teaching is: 'The Son of God is guilty.' The cornerstone of the Holy Spirit's teaching is: The Son of God is innocent.' The miracle worker consciously invites the Holy Spirit to enter into every relationship and deliver us from the temptation to judge and find fault. We ask Him to save us from our tendency to condemn. We ask Him to reveal to us the innocence within others, that we might see it within ourselves. 'Dear God, I surrender this relationship to you,' means, 'Dear God let me see this person through your eyes.' In accepting the Atonement (At-one-ment), we are asking to see as God sees, think as God thinks, love as God loves. We are asking for help in seeing someone's innocence ...

"It's easy to forgive people who have never done anything to make us angry. People who do make us :ingry, however, are our most important teachers. They ::-.dicate the limits to our capacity for forgiveness. :-:olding grievances is an attack on God's plan for s aivation.' The decision to let go our grievances against : ::-.er people is the decision to see ourselves as we truly

"There have been times when I have had a very :".:.rd time giving up my judgment of someone, mentally ?1-:'testing, 'But I'm right.' I felt as though giving up my ;'.ldgment amounted to condoning their behavior. I felt, We II. somebcdv' 5 got to uphold principle in this world. if we iust forgive things all the time, then all standards 2£ excellence will disintegrate!'

But God doesn't need us to police the universe. ~:-.a..<:;.r:g our finger at someone doesn't help them change. =r anything, our perception of someone's guilt only keeps :.",er.. stuck in it. \\'hen we are shaking a finger at 52::'.e::-,e fi~'3.b\∑e~y or literally, we are not more apt to (2:"!':~ :'-.e:: ',.;:-:c:-.g::'..J behavior. Treating someone with ::::-.?~~:::-. .:.:-': :,::-~,.∑eness is much more likely to elicit

a healed response. People are less likely to be def.::-.~." and more likely to be open to correction. Most of us .::-: aware on some level when we're off. We'd be dcir.z things differently if we knew how. We don't need attack at this point; we need help. Forgiveness forges a new context, one in which someone can more easily change." (Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love, Harper Perennial, 1993, pp. 93-96.)

As The Urantia Book says, "You should never forget that intolerance is the mask covering up the entertainment of secret doubts as to the trueness of one's belief, No man is at any time disturbed by his neighbor's attitude when he has perfect confidence in the truth of that which he wholeheartedly believes," (UB, 1641 :4)

And how do we start this process of self≠ forgiveness? Rayson says, "Begin by the acceptance of your circumstances in joy and in gratitude." (Rayson, TR:

Micki, May 19, 1994, Sebastopol.) "You can choose happiness and joy and abundance in every situation." (Rayson, Mar. 3, 1994.) "You tend to have many heavy burdens on your shoulders, when what the Father would give you as a work would be the work of joy and spreading the love ... " (Rayson, April 14, 1994, Sebastopol.) In other words, "enjoy the journey." " ... fear and shame cannot lead to a good moral decision in your life ... those decisions that you make to follow the Father's will should be based upon the joy that following this will brings ... The courageous warrior has love as his weapon and forgiveness as a shield ... " (Rayson, Mar. 10, 1994, Sebastopol.) "Your creativity is only limited by your opinion of yourself. "(Rayson, 3-24- 94, p.9) "The attitude of the spiritual warrior is joy and confidence." (Rayson, April 14, 1994, Sebastopol.) " ... The attitude of defense, for instance, it is the same as the attitude of wanL.a true spiritual warrior. .. sits naked on the ground with his heart open." (Rayson, April 14, 1994, Sebastopol.) These are Rayson transmissions from Sebastopol, March and April of this year.

And as Jared so gently points out, "It is actually important that your goals be beyond your reach as it will assist you in continued growth and continued reaching and a continued searching. So if it is important for your goals to be beyond your reach, it would be inappropriate for you to be able to attain them. Consequently, you must remind yourself not to be discouraged when you are unable to reach the unattainable." (jared, 4-7-94, p. #1)

Teacher Ambrasia comments, "See through the eyes of perfect love. Not always easy for you judgment≠ prone and self-condemning mortals." (Arnbrasia, Epoch 5 phase II., No.9, April 1994.)

And judgment-prone we are, at least I certainly am. And I do desire to replace my judgmental tendencies with tolerance, patience, and understanding. On this

topic I would like to read you a little story from a book called Chicken Soup for the Soul.

P"CPPIES

"A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read 'Puppies For Sale.' Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner's sign. 'How much are you going to sell the puppies for?' he asked. The store owner replied, 'Anywhere from $30 to $50.'

The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. 'I have $2.37, he said. 'Can I please look at them?'

The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind, Immediately the li ttl e boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, 'What's wrong with that little dog?'

The store owner explained that the

veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. 'That is the little puppy that I want to buy.'

The store owner said, 'No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you.'

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, 'I don't want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.'

The store owner countered, 'You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.'

To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the storeowner andsoftly replied, 'Well, I don't run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!" (Dan Clark-Weathering the Storm, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Compiled by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, Health Communications Inc., 1993, pp. 65-66,)

TRUTHISEVER~ERE

I have been noticing how much truth is available to us, literally all around us for the taking. I'm sure this is not a completely new thing on earth but, in my opinion, the Teachers' presence may be amplifying and guiding us into more openness and receptivity. I'm amazed at how biased I can be sometimes and how resistant to openly examining something that I perceive as besmirched by worldly error. Yet, if some part of me were not open, I would not have accepted this Mission, for I have had

the same prejudices that many Urantia Book readers have and also have been burdened by my scientifically trained intellect.

I have tended to avoid so-called "channeled" material. I have especially steered clear of communications tinged with astrology or reincarnation themes which somehow grate against my well heeled Urantia Book belief system. Nonetheless, I have recently perused some of the other "channellers" as they are called, and by tip-toeing around some reincarnation and human perfection and election sophistries have found some truth jewels. In particular, I would like to share some transmissions from a teacher named Emmanuel who is now popularized through two Bantam New Age Books. Emmanuel is channelled through a woman named Pat Rodegast with introductions by Ram Dass. I do not know if this teacher is part of Christ Michael's Teaching Mission, but I think you will note some remarkable similarities.

On one occasion, Emmanuel was asked about spiritual teachers. This was his reply, "All true spiritual teachers in any country and in any faith have served the great purpose of directing the human consciousness individually and collectively to the God within." (Bk. 1, p. 67.)

Another question was, "How do we access our own inner voice?"

Emmanuel's reply: "Learn, in your solitude, the way to your inner sanctuary. You will eventually wear a path there.To get to the silence, you must go through what might appear to be a mined field. There are so many denials, objections, what if's. The way to that sanctuary can indeed sound like the Fourth of July. How, then does one get there? One first must be willing to listen to the fireworks, it will be educational. You have no idea how filled with noise you are, The illusion that seems to demand your constant attention is insatiable. Only in your silence can the Greater Reality touch you. Only in your silence can it be received," (Bk. II, p. 204.)

At a later point, Emmanuel also said this about what our Mission Teachers call "the stillness.-

"Some of you tend to become too rigid in form.

There are as many ways to meditate as there are people to walk the earth. Everyone needs to go into their own inner silence, their own inner truth, in , .. ;hatever way they can." (Bk. 1, p. 64.)

"In your meditative practice see that time of quiet as an open door. Through that door you walk into a broader light, into a wider sense of self and reality." (Bk 1, p. 65.)

o o

At one point Emmanuel was asked, "Who are our nearest neighbors in the universe and what will be our first contact?" Emmanuel replied, "We are, and the contact has already been made. Oh, I know you are speaking of extraterrestrial beings. Contact has already been made regardless of how you translate extraterrestrial." (Bk 1, p. 240.)

He also says, "Meet us as friends. Allow us into your lives. We do not wish to be worshipped. Worship belongs to One only. That is God." (Bk 1, p. 76.)

Not only does he have some good ideas on self≠ judgment and judgementalness but he also has a sense of humor: Emmanuel's terse comment is, "Not only is there no punishment in God, but there is no punishment in the universe. You dear human beings seem to feel that punishment had better be self-inflicted before God gets to you." (Bk 1, p. 103.)

In another book he says, "Ask your higher

wisdom if it is not true that without worry, you would have arrived exactly where you are now, and more pleasantly. Doubt is the rabbit's foot of fear. Worry and fear are not tickets on the express train. They are extra baggage. You were going that way anyway." (Bk II, p. 6.)

.. .And in that moment he knew he had experienced the otherness ....

Here are some intriguing one-liners.

"Death is absolutely safe" (Bk. I, p. X)

"Jesus Christ is the supreme example of the reality of Light in the human world." (Bk I, p. 42.)

"You are in the business of transforming your planet. That is your real work." (Bk II, p. 75.)

"Contrary to Chicken Little's expectations, the sky never hurt anyone." (Bk II, p. 14.)

"Love says, 'Open your arms and fly with me.'" (Bk II, p. 4.)

"You live in a loving universe. All of the forces are here to give you assistance, to give you support." (Bk 1, p. 5.)

"Minds were designed for carrying out the orders of the heart." (Bk 1, p. 31.)

"When you touch a fellow human being in love you are doing God's work." (p.23.)

I especially like this one. "Death is like taking off a tight shoe. Even when you are dead, you are still alive." (Bk I, p. 169.)

I will bring this little glimpse into the teachings of Immanuel to a close with his answer to the question, "How did you get to be a God-realized being?"

/I Along the way .. .I found myself wallowing, it seemed, in a world so separate from God that when the full realization of that horrifying belief came to me, I felt darkness all around.

"Yet as the longing and the pain increased, I began to turn, just as you have all done, to seek the Light, knowing that if I felt pain because of lack of Light then there must be Light. If darkness were my natural home I would be comfortable there.

"So I turned, as you have done, and climbed mountains and forded streams and prayed in mosques and temples and churches and followed teachers and stumbled and walked again until I came to the time of evolution when I could say truly and completely, 'I am one with God.'" (Bk I, p.38.)

(Emmanuel's Book, Compiled by Pat Rodegast and Judith Stanton, Bantam New Age Books, 1985, and Emmanuel's Book II The Choice for Love, Compiled by Pat Rodegast & Judith Stanton, Bantam New Age Books, 1989, pages are given by each quotation.)

I can't help noticing some similarities between this story and a story Father Abraham told us about a year ago when I requested an anecdote from his mortal life.

/Abraham: "I remember seeing a long road ahead of me. I

/' remember feeling very hot and very tired and very parched. I remember being laden down with much armor much of my warrior life. As I trudged along this long, hot path it was very discouraging for me. I did not know where to turn or in what way to change this that had become so uncomfortable to me. And I was amazed when I found a different place, a different way. I looked and there was green and water and much lushness that I did not expect. But I could only go to this place if I were willing to relinquish much of my armor. I had to be willing to open myself to go forward more unprotected than I was willing to in any other situation. I remember it being a difficult choice ... I chose to go toward the lush growth. I chose to shed my armor.' (Abraham, 3/25/93)

HEALING

No talk about our spiritual journey would be complete without some words on healing. Since I know that healing and its many ramifications is a major

direction in this Mission, I would like to recount some of Jared's words on this topic.

Jared: "Healing is God's love shared. When God is within you and truly part of you, you will not make grievances worse. You will trust and look forward and be positive in your life and will genuinely know God. There are many levels of healing, as there are also many levels of disease and illness. Let me first speak of the disease and illness to dispel possible concerns. I am not trying to say that you bring on disease yourself, or that, because you are ill, you do not believe in God or feel God. That is not the case. There are disease and illness and accidents in this world, and each of you is afflicted or has been afflicted and no doubt will continue to have this happen. It does no good to assume you are at fault. Accept it and move on, and know that also some are less inclined to physical ailment and others are more inclined. That is also not any reflection on the individual. That aside, most of you would be, are desirous of removing the ailments that are currently afflicting you. In this way God's love will be of assistance. There are many beings in your world who assist with healing. The [Chief of] Life Carrier would like to speak to you."

Life Carrier: "I wish to share with you that there is much healing each of you can do for yourself. We are here as part of your world and work with you healing yourself. If you can work with us, you will heal faster; if you attempt to fight us, it will inhibit our work. We work in much the same way that God's love works-your perception of it. As you allow the feeling of God to flow over you, you also open yourself to us and our healing and our work with you. We are able to help mend and assist your body in its healing. It is slightly different from≠ no-it is very different from feeling God's love, but you are unaware of this, and it is unnecessary that you distinguish it. If you wish for us to work with you more efficiently, it is helpful for you to take your stillness and, in your quietness, for you to feel God's love. Find it within you; place it clearly there; feel its warmth and love and boundless energy; and allow it then to escape from the confines of where you have placed it and spread throughout you, all of you. In this way you are opening each part of you to our healing, and it allows us to work more effectively with you. Some people are able to do this easily and have been doing it for a long time. Some people have found it more difficult and will need to work diligently to allow-to trust us-to trust us to come and heal you and for you to be open to us. Thank you for allowing me to share with you."

TRANSMISSION FROM MICHAEL

Since we are this summer celebrating Lord Michael's two-thousandth birthday as Jesus of Nazareth, I would like to close this talk by portraying a

rather intimate conversation between Michael and our group.

Michael: "I am your Lord Creator. I rejoice at this time in my creation when I can come to you and you can know me as I know you. I am open to all of you and beseech you to seek me. I will not fail you ....

"This is a special time in your creation. I ask you all to reach further in your ability to love one another. Know that I have created earn of you equally. Love one another as you are each my own creation. I want to be available to you this evening, to be real to you, to discuss with you, to answer questions if you have them. But my main reason for being here is to reveal myself to you. Are there those who wish to speak with me?"

I thanked Michael for coming to us but was too dumb-struck to say much.

Michael replied, "Blessed Philip, you are so cherished. Each and everyone of you has the unique gift of personality. I implore you to recognize your uniqueness and to share the Divine Light that exists within each of you. Do not be afraid. Speak with me."

So, I continued: "I'm so grateful that I'm feeling you .. .I would welcome any lesson or anything you would share with us."

Michael: "My lesson for you this evening is brief but crucial. Love your fellows by knowing they are my creations. See me in each face you see. Know there is not one that walks on this earth that I love less than you. I am smiling, I am gentle, I am all loving. I nurture, I heal. Speak with me."

"Michael, this is Andrew. We have gathered here in your name and in the Father's name, and I know that you're here."

Michael: "Beloved Andrew, I rejoice for you. I could not love you more."

Andrew: "I want to ask you tonight: what can I do to let go of my fear? And the feeling of being blocked-of feeling like I'm held back from my brothers and sisters?"

Michael: "You are doing much already. Continue on your path, continue seeking me in your stillness. Your desire is most important. Your desire will lead you. Do not chastise yourself for not being perfect as I. You are most beloved. I could not want more from you than to continue on your path."

Michael: "Arleena, you will speak?"

Arleena: "Hi there. I'm just so overwhelmed and wonderfully happy that you're here this evening, and want to thank you, I wonder if you could say more about how we can better love your children."

Michael: "When you encounter an individual, it is not always pleasant. Stop; before you do anything else, seek your stillness. Find the place within you where I exist, and know that same place is within the other. I do not ask perfection-it is not possible to always feel love for another, a fellow being-only to recognize that I am within them as well. This will be a great undertaking and a blessed start for all of mankind. Many of you already attempt this practice. It brings me much joy. I love this world. I feel boundless joy at the progress of this creation. Do not dwell, do not dwell on where you have not yet come. It does not matter. All that matters is the path before you, ahead of you, the infinite, eternal path to the Light. You are so very loved, Arleena. Please, each of you speak with me."

Gunther: "Michael, this is Gunther. I'm so happy to have you here tonight. It has been a long wait."

Michael: "Blessed Gunther, you have been so faithful."

Gunther: "I don't really have a question, unless you can nudge me one way or another. I almost take you for granted, and over these many years, having made up my mind to follow you, I just kind of plod along like a mule, and-"

Michael: "Ah, but you must understand that plodding is my greatest joy. I do not seek miracles, great deeds, or great acts. I seek your plodding, your small daily, your tiny recognitions of me, frequent tiny recognitions."

Gunther: "I wasn't apologizing as much as feeling at ease with this mode that I've picked up. I hope that it pleases you."

Michael: "I hope that you have received my pleasure. I was not chastising you. Please do not misunderstand. I felt such extreme joy, I expressed my feeling of joy."

Lisa: "In what ways can we overcome our fears?"

Michael: "Small ways, always small, tiny, like children'S steps. Do not try to take great leaps. It will not happen overnight. It will happen daily. Speak with me all that you can .... "

Caroline: "Michael, this is Caroline."

Michael: "Yes, Caroline. You are welcome."

Caroline: "Thank you. 1 am distraught. 1 find myself in great upset, sorrow, anger over what 1 see happening daily. How do you come to live with the sorrow?"

Michael: "Know that 1 share the sorrow. There is no hurt felt, there is no pain created on this Urantia world, that 1 do not share. 1 cherish your deep feeling."

Caroline: "1 need more."

Michael: "Seek me. Seek me daily. Put me above all else. 1 will not fail you."

Caroline: "There just seems to be so much suffering."

Michael: "There is much suffering. There are reasons. There are historical reasons for the suffering. Let them go. Know that the path ahead is bright. Care for yourself. Seek me daily. Allow me to share your burdens, for 1 share them regardless .... I will take my leave in this form at this time. Do not forget that I am always with you ... Bless you, children." [Enjoy the journey. Farewell.] (Christ Michael, 1/14/93)

AUDIENCE SURVEY

[Questions to the audience, please just give a quick reply; don't analyze too much. By show of hands, how many of you try to take daily stillness time? Who transmits for group teachers? Who visualizes higher beings? Who records sessions? Who copies tapes? Who transcribes? Who does correspondence and mailing? Who goes to the copy center? Who talks on the phone? Who provides meeting places? Who belongs to the Cedar Post Society?]

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank all the people in teaching groups who have granted me permission to quote their teachers. I want to express my gratitude to the teachers for the gift of their words.

Robert W Slagle, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, P. O. Box 462, Sebastopol, CA. 95473 USA Phone: (707) 823- 0876

* Copyright © 1994, Robert W Slagle. This document may be copied by any means and distributed in whole only, but may not be sold or incorporated in part or whole into any book or product for sale or any other commercial activity without written permission from the author.

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do not necessarily represent those of URANTIA Foundation. Page references are given by page and paragraph, e.g., (UB 1098:2-4).

Group photo of some of the Teachers attending Spirit Fest '94 (You know how difficult it is to get everyone together for a picture.) From top left to right: Olfana, Tarkas, Ramsey, Hilson, Jared, Alista, Loriyana, Margaret, Bertrand, Signa, Su-Li, Lestor, Lester, Lauren, Rowan, Alwyn, Ho, Ham, Rayson, Waldos, James, Altheena, Rose, Abraham, Duane, Jordan, Walter, and Sarah. (Courtesy Celestial Photos Ltd., Box 606, Cosmos Beach, CA)