[tmtranscripts] 06-02-02 Rio Rancho TeaM

[ZooidODell at aol.com]

DATE:       June 2, 2002
LOCATION:       Rio Rancho, NM, USA
TEACHER:        TOMAS
TOPIC:      ENEMIES AND FOES
Q & A:      Resistance to the Spirit
            Energy Drain of Competition
            War is a Distraction
            Transmute Worry into Prayer
            Our Precious Liaison
T/r:            Gerdean
Music:          Dorenda:  "C Major Prelude" by Bach

TOMAS:          Good afternoon, my friends.  I am Tomas.  I am pleased to be 
your companion.  I am humbled every time I gather with you to share your 
gracious repose.  You are an oasis of delight.  

I have heard visitors testify that when they enter into an environment as is 
generally presented on this planet, they first array themselves with armor, 
psychic armor, as if to allay the assaults of barbarism which runs rampant 
here in this semi-civilized sphere of existence, so I applaud your cultural 
fragrance, that disallows my having to defend my very essence, as my essence 
is a welcome energy here, as compared to an enemy.  

Let's look at enemies and foes this afternoon, for surely you see how the 
lack of trust and faith in the divine lends a sense of defensiveness that 
could be construed as enemy or foe, when in actuality, miscommunication or 
misunderstanding is what we are really dealing with.  When this sense is 
exacerbated, when it is accentuated or left as the final straw, the bottom 
line, this state of affairs can develop into full-blown conscious resistance 
against further communications and serious results are possible.  Serious 
danger, that is.

All of this is a result of fear, you see -- fear of God or fear of another's 
God.  Is it any wonder our Master came to introduce a new concept: that of a 
loving God?  And yet, how do we bring this concept of a loving God into an 
environment that is so fraught with a sense of calamity and distrust and be 
at serious odds with each other all the way back to the origins of the race?  
How unfortunate it is that in the study of your history, it is so common for 
you to repeat what you know. And this is a pattern that is engaged in by you 
individually as well as culturally or racially, even globally.  Looking at 
your past is not a stimulus to repeat the past but to learn from the past, 
and so the idea that it's always been done this way is a shallow response to 
what is the potential of tomorrow.  Thus, teachers of truth would do well to 
learn how to cut through the wall of fear and resistance that is a part of 
the cultural composition of every individual.  

Last week Paulo spoke of rebellion in terms of that attitude being one which 
will provide a springboard out of a pattern of oppression or undue 
confinement.  In other words, a revolution into liberation.  And this is the 
standard pattern that, when you recognize limitation being expressed or 
superimposed as a value that includes even yourself, your sense of spiritual 
injustice rises up to rebel against that attitude or those who would promote 
sustained limitation.  There are those all around you.  

When you join here in this oasis of light and life, it is in understanding 
[of] that spiritual liberation which gives you the freedom to be yourselves, 
as, you will not be resisted; your reality is not qualified; your beliefs are 
accepted as appropriate and good according to your intelligent perception of 
truth, beauty and goodness.  In the world, however, where fear reigns supreme 
and where the seven adjutant mind spirits have more influence than the Spirit 
of Truth, it is not uncommon to run into resistance.  That limits Father's 
expression through you as well as through them.  And those of us who are 
devoted to the light of truth, to the revelation of the Father to the world, 
are frustrated in our attempts to dissolve the walls of miscommunication, the 
barriers of ignorance and prejudice, the fear of the ages which stands in the 
way of righteousness and peace.

You cannot do this intellectually, although reason is invaluable in conveying 
your reality.  It is essential that you draw upon the spirit to reveal itself 
as an overriding reality and not merely emotional.  Out of fear for God, fear 
of God, many people feel His presence and resist it; therefor you have a 
sense they are resisting you.  This is where so much of the reality that 
would benefit your world is thwarted and why it is so important there are 
others of like mind who can hear your expressions.  

I appreciate and understand that some of you who have attempted to instill a 
spark of divine reality into your arena -- your working environments, your 
neighborly associations -- have all but given up in your attempts to enhance 
godliness because of the seemingly innate resistance that comes from 
humanity.  I'm going to ask you to ponder this reality this week and, in your 
dealings with your fellow human creatures, perceive the resistance to the 
divine.  See how cleverly the subject is changed, the shift of energy is 
woven away from spirit reality to material reality.

I'm reminded of the woman at the well.  When Jesus approached her, she sought 
to change the subject.  She became philosophic, or otherwise attempted to 
distract herself and the Master from the focus that he would bring her to -- 
that being her sonship, her daughtership, her very reality in truth.  And he 
would not abide by her skirting the issue, but rather, by taking the kingdom 
"by spiritual assault" he directed her focus back to the reality he would 
have her see and when she saw, she was altered.  

And even as she set out to speak praise of him who helped her realize her 
potential and understand her human foibles, she nonetheless was renewed as a 
result of an instant in which he was able to allow the Father to penetrate 
through those barriers of fear to tap into the font of joy and spiritual 
freedom which is the rightful inheritance of every faith child.  So rather 
than denounce individuals as too stubborn or hostile, too much trouble, more 
trouble than they're worth, obnoxious, unhappy, unfriendly - look beyond 
their defenses to see how/ what/ how cleverly and to what degree they are 
running from the Greater Reality.  

Even if you, in your own consciousness, are aware of the fact that they are 
side-stepping reality, and if they know that you know that they are 
side-stepping reality, that in itself is a communication.  I think you 
probably all remember how your parents taught you as children.  Many times 
they didn't have to say anything, they just gave you "that look" -- the 
raised eyebrow perhaps, that told you all you needed to know about how you 
were supposed to comport yourself.  And while this example may be interpreted 
as a coersion or a manipulation on the part of seed-planters, if your motives 
are loving and if your desire is to enhance the evolving Supreme by bringing 
these children of God into the light of His presence, it will be fruitful.  I 
will cease my lecture portion of our association and allow for intercourse 
among us.  Are there questions about the lesson?

ELENA:      Tomas, I am so glad you brought this subject up, following 
Paulo's topic last week.  I think that's really helpful.  The lesson last 
week was great, but what you're talking about brings it a little more 
directly and more clearly into our own environment about what we can and what 
we might be able to expect to do.  Now, I'm still really confused about what 
you were talking about in this respect, that there are many times, and we've 
had in other lessons possibly, saying that our own light would shine and 
speak for us, and that we didn't have to do anything or push the Urantia 
Book, that our own light and our own joy of what we had found would be the 
main thing that we needed to do.  And yet, what you are saying here this 
afternoon is just really intriguing because there are times when I find that 
I do need to say something or I need to act, and that we're talking about 
this is just really helpful to me.  So I'm a little bit confused.  I'd like 
to hear your feedback on the difference between just letting our own inner 
joy or light shine through, and then going and being a little bit more 
assertive, like I'm interpreting that you are saying this afternoon.

TOMAS:  I cannot deny that it is imperative that you let your light shine. 
This is your "right to be here" and a reflection of your relationship with 
our Father and His many agents.  It is a beacon of light which illuminates 
the world, yes, and this is how you can comport yourself "as you pass by."  
And yet, in certain situations it is the human experience to have someone try 
to douse your light or throttle you because they see your light and they are 
angry with God and so they throttle you, you see.  

The situation I suggested is one example of how it is that as your light 
shines, you will have an impact on others and it won't always be a positive 
experience.  That is to say, in most cases it will result in having you work 
for the furtherance of the gospel.  How is it that you have such happiness?  
Such an attitude is an affront to many.  Many people don't want to see other 
people happy because they are unhappy.  They would rather you join them in 
unhappiness than make the effort to find out why you're happy and think they 
could attain such an emotional state of mind.  I say "emotional" because they 
have not experienced the spirit sufficiently to credit the spirit with the 
reason for happiness. 

But as people are in fear and rebellious by habit, they have peculiar 
reactions to those who present godlikeness as a part of their being.  If you 
were an overt preacher of the gospel, it might be easier for them to deny 
your reality because their mind can say you are simply mimicking those who 
have gone before, and yet, as your light of truth speaks for itself, they 
will be attracted in their spirit even while they are still confused in their 
mind, and this confusion reflects in their emotional impulse.  

I am trying to help you understand why people react to you the way they do 
and how you can rise above the emotional downpull, even as you recognize the 
emotional roots, so that you can appreciate the mental configuration that 
resists the light of truth, even while you respond spiritually to that lost 
sheep in such a way as to encourage divine reality rather than creating yet 
another barrier to their growth.  Am I in the abstract so far you are unable 
to see what I am trying to say?

ELENA:  No!  I see what you're saying exactly, and I can think of more than a 
handful of examples.  I mean, even in this last week I had an experience 
where I had my energy sucked out, and I thought, "Gee, I only wanted to do 
something nice here, and I get back a little whammy!"  My feelings were hurt; 
my energy was drained, and I had to work a little bit at overcoming that.  
And what you've been talking about has been helping me tremendously.  There 
are endless possibilities here, where people fall into the "foe" category.  
Previous relationships, for instance.  So your words are very helpful to me 
personally.

TOMAS:  Let's pause here.  Many times you will find yourself facing a 
competitive response.  You introduced your joy and your joy was a threat.  
Thus there was a competitive response that says, "My God is bigger, or 
better, or more tragic, etc., than your God."  The fact that you took a 
moment to gather your strength from your own Source, and acknowledge that 
that their position was valid and good, was an affirmative step; it was good 
seed planting.  It helps to break down the barrier of competition and open 
avenues of cooperation and communication and you can do this without apology 
or without feeling you have "backslid" into "people pleasing" because you are 
attempting to be a peacemaker.  

ELENA:  Thanks, Tomas.

TOMAS:  You are welcome.  There are so many incidents that occur in the life 
of a fledgling soul that are wounding, that bear reflection on old values, 
that have not been comprehended by the spirit, by the higher mind.  I intend 
to encourage you where I can and commend your continuance in that direction.

ELENA:  You are very encouraging.

TOMAS:  I will likely also have opportunity to discourage certain thoughts or 
behaviors along the way as well, and so I hope my constructive criticism or 
commentary is received in the spirit it is intended.  I want to help you mold 
your mind so that you can be a better teacher and promoter of a way of life 
that will reveal the greatness of God in your "kingdom on earth as it is in 
heaven."  That way, in time, it will be possible to see these oasis of light 
and life increasingly spring up in the midst of the status quo; and as we 
encourage and nurture the development of these qualities of existence that 
reflect the nature of God, we will indeed bring Him to life on Urantia.  

JANET:  There's something I wanted to say.  A little over twenty years ago 
was a very bad time in my life and I saw bitterness and so much of that sort 
of thing, and it was hard to get through, but I did get through it.  And in 
the last twenty years, I would say I have met 9 people out of 10 who are just 
really fine Christian people trying to do the best that they can.  I've made 
a lot of friends and they have been really fine people.  And I've found 
something else.  When I was away on this little trip of mine that took a 
week, I met perfect strangers who were just wonderful to me, and took me 
right in, and were so kind and good to me.  I mentioned that at dinner one 
night, that I was grateful for all the people who were so good to me, because 
I was traveling alone and they certainly didn't have to, but they were good 
enough to take me right into their circle and make me welcome.  

And one man at the table said, "You know, maybe something good came out of 
something bad last September 11th".  He said, "I think that since then people 
found how their world could turn upside down and all those people lost their 
lives, and that since then, people have been kinder to one another.  So maybe 
that's a good thing that came out of something horrible."  What do you think 
about it?

TOMAS:  Thank you for your expressions of appreciation.  I do appreciate what 
you are saying about how it is that people respond in times of tragedy - more 
brotherly and fraternal than they do in ordinary times, but first I want to 
commend your perspective on seeing the good in "nine out of ten people".  
Usually if you look for good, if you have a positive attitude, you will find 
good reflected back to you, and this indeed augments human happiness all the 
way around.  However, in the work of the realm, in those situations where you 
are forced to roll up your sleeves on behalf of truth, beauty and goodness, 
it is good to understand why those who are unpleasant project such attitudes. 
 

For me to discuss the world situation on that note would be like pole 
vaulting into a whole different paradigm of values, but there are universal 
truths to be found therein.  It is common knowledge that during times of 
stress, humans will bond together -- at least until such time as the threat 
abates.  But to be superhuman, to be among those who alter the course of 
planetary destiny, a more substantial growth is required.  Otherwise, history 
repeats itself in this method of creating disaster in order to create the 
conditions for a spurt of growth, rather than allowing and enjoying growth 
for growth sake.

It would appear as though your psyches are being prepared for war.  This 
institutes circumstances which are horrendously constraining, however, it 
does allow people to join together in fear against a common enemy.  Our work 
is virtually set aside while mankind is embroiled in such conflicts, for they 
are convoluted by history and lesser loyalties than the impelling force of 
divine love, mercy and ministry.  It makes it far more difficult then to cut 
through the fetters of fear and the material reality to augment, enhance and 
enliven the spiritual reality and the natural process of growth rather than 
as "the opiate of the masses" or a sanctuary to hide in instead of a way of 
life for all to enjoy.     

But if your populace is indeed going to be saddled with extra layers of 
anxiety, it is going to create chaos in the minds of humanity and you are 
going to have to work through those fetters to promote the enduring truths of 
the gospel - some of which are to turn the other cheek and the like and it 
will become increasingly more difficult to promote peace and love and mercy 
and ministry in a collective consciousness that is wearing armor and 
distrustful of all power, or is so concerned about the current temporal 
circumstances as to forestall applying themselves to developing a 
relationship with deity.  

ELENA:  Tomas, what you were talking about earlier.  Can I just see if I got 
this right?  So basically understanding and being able to see what we're 
going through and what we're up against is one thing that you're talking 
about, of being able to recognize the fear and be aware of it, rather than 
reacting to it.  And then, the other thing that you were talking about, of 
watching how people just kind of maneuver the topic away.  That was a very 
interesting point, too.  Frankly, there are sometimes I go along with that, 
too, thinking, "Okay, I've made a little trial here," and then coming in with 
either combative things or not an acceptance of the other person, so I'll go 
the other way, too, at times. 

So number one, did I understand the first point correctly?  And then, do you 
have a suggestion, other than probably just on a case-by-case basis about 
whether you would stand your ground or let the river form a tributary 
someplace else?  

TOMAS:  Your instance wherein you recognize your own occasional beligerance 
is a fine example of how it is that you are willing to learn from your 
experiences and to take counsel and consolation in stride.  If you expect 
mercy in your growing, it behooves you to show mercy as others grow - 
especially as you are the one who has instigated the growth process!  It is 
an awesome responsibility, therefor, to take it upon yourself to enlighten 
and illuminate humanity.

I don't mean to sound grandiose here, because this can occur in a simple 
dialog that you engage in at the water cooler at the office or across the 
picket fence in the back yard.  These indeed are the crucial instances of 
enabling a spirit reality to come into being - in that pause, in that instant 
of a reflective moment in prayer with your fellows.

In fact, using the word prayer, I will footnote my lesson by suggesting that 
when you recognize what you are seeing is worry (which you will see a lot 
of), help them uplift their attitude from one of worry, as a result of fear, 
to one of prayer, as a result of faith.  For with prayer there can be 
effects, but with worry, there is only a stagnant pool of swamp water rather 
than a stream of living water.  If you only interject casually a comment 
uplifting worry to prayer, even by using the word prayer, you have helped 
plant a seed in their minds and reintroduced the idea of prayer as a practice 
that has a positive effect.  It is something even the most fear-ridden soul 
can do.  They can pray, rather than worry.  If they will!

ELENA:  That's very helpful.  Thank you.

ESMARELDA:  A word in your lecture, Tomas, that I've been thinking about was 
"resistance" and wondering how much each one of us - or especially myself! - 
how much resistance I have, and how much I resist the Father.  
Unintentionally, but … possibly resist, maybe, knowing His 
will for me.  But the word resistance, will give me,...  I'll think about it 
this week.

TOMAS:  I'm glad to have sparked your perception as to your common practice.  
"Know thyself."  Even while I don't mean to encourage you to spend overmuch 
time thinking about you and your reactions to life, I do not apologize for 
encouraging you to recognize how you respond emotionally, as that is how you 
become aware of your thought processes, which are the processes by which you 
make your decisions.  And so, we enter into the mind arena of choice where 
you can make better decisions and enhance your spirit quality.  

It is compassionate of you to realize that you resist accelerated growth, and 
yet in your faith you are open to His guidance.  Thus you have simply 
acknowledged a spark of humility within you that recognizes you have not 
grabbed the ball and run with it with the gusto that you might if you were 
not resistant to His prompts.  This is simply appreciating your human 
limitations and, as they become troublesome, you know where to go to do 
something about it.  You ask our Father to remove that shortcoming.  

But resistance is a facet of experience that we all intimately know and in 
particular those of you who have been betrayed by your trusted leaders, 
authority figures, and cosmic overseers.  Resisting clever sophistries is a 
wise approach, if you ask me, for someone from this world.  But again, it 
takes you into the mind arena of choice where you can chew on that concept in 
the privacy of your own stillness.  You don't have to buy into anyone else's 
construct of reality.  

If you were totally non-resistant, you would be half way and beyond to 
fusion.  You would not let these things linger and tormet you.  They would 
fall away as illusions, and this is a goal but as they are still a part of 
your consciousness, love yourself anyway.  Know yourself, so that when you 
gain faith in your reality you are able to let go of those things which you 
have resisted.  You will derive more energy from the refusal to resist that 
which you know is in your best interests.  

ESMARELDA:  Thank you, Tomas, and I will look forward to reading this again 
and going over what you've said.  It's very helpful.

TOMAS:  I'm glad of it, and I trust we will opportunity to touch base with 
this subject again as time goes by, for it is a range of soul-growth, of 
character development, of sonship realization, and this is what satisfies our 
longing to be a part of the advancement of the Supreme, to be in God's 
family, a happy and productive member of cosmic citizenship.  

ELENA:  There is a lady that I knew that died this week.  Do you know 
anything about her?  Can I ask about her?
TOMAS:   I am not apprised of her.
ELENA:  Okay.
TOMAS:  Sorry.
ELENA:  That's okay.
TOMAS:  Why do you ask?
ELENA:  Well, she was ill for a long time and she was a lady who had a shop 
next door.  I talked to her in the last month and was rather surprised when 
she died, although she had been fighting an illness for quite a long time.  
So, in the main, I'm relieved for her, but just… I don't know.  I just 
wanted a little pat.  "Yeah, she's over on this side and everything is going 
well," I guess is what I was kind of hoping to hear.  Which I guess I could 
rest assured that was the case for anybody, I guess.

TOMAS:  Indeed.  That is something you can assume, even if she is destined to 
sleep until the next roll call.  It is a merciful Son who calls his children 
from the sleep of the ages to conjoin with him and the next level of 
morontial growth.  

These cases of terrestrial escape, that happen to your associates unbeknownst 
to you, are opportunities to remind you of the gift of association; that 
"when you pass by", if you are a buoyant and faith-filled child of God, you 
will have encouraged their faith path simply by being.  And if you had 
opportunity to be involved in her circumstances or the circumstances of 
others, you would know your work even before you entered in to the 
association.  "Life is but a day's work; do it well," and you need have no 
regrets as to how it unfolds.

ELENA:  Thanks, Tomas.

TOMAS:  "Be of good cheer" has great power as an admonition.  In particular, 
those of you who deal with disease, dysfunction, decay and destruction.  This 
gives even more importance to the practice of coming together to enjoy the 
light of truth that you all shine in your lives as children of God.  That you 
come together in appreciation of the Son and his mercies, of the Mother and 
her ministry, as you enjoy the aspects of the human existence including the 
history of your world, its many impacts upon your planet, the geographic 
areas and myriad peoples, its music, art, and all, are opportunities to 
"lighten up" the job of dealing with a dirth of spirit reality in the outer 
realms of human association.  

What flowers you are in God's garden!  How marvelously you depict the type of 
flower bed you grow in.  Your beauty is reflected by the way in which you 
grow and how you enhance the beauty of those who grow around you.  Some of 
you are manicured and some of you grow wild, but all of you are so beautiful 
to behold.  How we enjoy observing your growth, your upturned faces, even 
your reality when you become limp and weary from need of a draught of living 
water.  
How you feed the fine feathered friends of the celestial spheres who come to 
use you, to plant seeds of growth, and to draw from your courage and your 
font of spirit reality, for if you can do it, we can do it.  You are our 
inspiration.

ELENA:  Tomas, can you tell how much the wealth of love is just beaming up 
and kind of gushing out towards you?

ESMARELDA:  From all of us.

TOMAS:  I bask in it, as you bask in it also.  And how precious is this 
liaison we share.  How powerful is this truth we enjoy.   The energy that we 
all derive from this gathering of spirit luminosity is sufficient to light 
the world, if we but knew how.  Therefore, release your fears.  Let go of 
your resistance.  Trust in spirit guidance to lead you into those areas where 
you can radiate His love into the lives of those who yearn for His grace, and 
return to Father daily and to each other next week and we will continue this 
process of perfecting and appreciating the moments that we share in the 
experiential aspects of our developing existential reality.

I and those others who are in attendance this afternoon bestow upon you our 
affections and encouragement, our appreciation for your very being.  Peace be 
upon you.  See you next week.  Farewell.

GROUP:  Thank you, Tomas.  Farewell.

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