[tmtranscripts] Ham on the soul's increasing presence and the individual's quest for truth

[David G. Schlundt, Ph.D.]

How about a memorable quote to start with?

"To those certain of our Father's loving mercy, there is no task too 
great or problem too difficult to overcome with his help".


November 28, 2004

Ham: Greetings, children, I am Ham and I am happy to be with you this 
evening once more. Tonight let us continue our discussion of spiritual 
progress and increasing love. As you grow in the spirit, truly your 
spiritual presence becomes more real, more evident. The morontia soul 
grows and becomes evident to others who perceive through their souls the 
presence of yours as your soul perceives the presence of other souls, 
indeed, as you perceive my presence without the benefit of a material 
body. The fact in your experience of knowing me as distinct from any 
living human becomes a permanent part of your agondonter status and 
evolving character. As your souls shine forth from your bodies, more and 
more you will attract light and love from the souls of others. This 
knowing is beyond simply rational thought. It is the knowing of 
experience, not simply the knowing of the mental process.

The fact of spiritual experience forever separates those truth seeking 
adventurers from those who seek simply mental certainty. For true 
religion encompasses total experience and is not simply a rational 
formula. Rather, the thrill of discovering truth, beauty and goodness 
for yourselves becomes the greatest spiritual value. This experience 
cannot be transferred. Each human must embark on his own spiritual 
quest. Each person must discover for himself those spiritual values and 
moral certainties born of true spiritual experience.

Society may be stabilized by religious systems, but the individual must 
discover spirit individually in order to make spiritual progress. 
Society then can only move forward in the spirit by the movement of each 
individual religionist finding his own way amid the murky, moral milieu 
of the modern age. Each generation must rediscover the life of Jesus and 
must cultivate the seeds planted by his life anew. Restating the gospel 
is important, but each individual must rediscover his matchless life for 
himself or herself. You cannot remain trapped in the interpretations of 
the past. Rather, you must fearlessly examine the meaning and the 
purpose contained within the Master's words and deeds every generation.

The values contained within those seeds must be allowed to bloom and to 
make fruit in the soil of the present day. In this you will find the 
wisdom of the ages and moral certainty and comfort amid the chaos and 
moral murkiness which confronts every generation. The seeds of the 
gospel have sprouted many times and each time civilization has 
benefitted and morality has moved forward. Though the humanly preserved 
record is scanty, faulty, and lacking in many respects - the seeds are 
nonetheless available there for an even greater flowering of true 
Christianity that will move your spiritual concepts forward as you 
bequeath this world to generations of the future.

Religionists must constantly keep contact with the living spirit, for 
the spirit is your only true guidance. Religion, without spirit - that 
is religion of the mind - is dead. It holds no promise for the future 
and cannot meaningfully contribute in the present.

You my children have been given much and so from you much is required. 
You will certainly make your way in the spirit and this making of the 
way will be of great help to others who come after you. You have each 
dared to find the Master for yourselves. You have each dared to open 
your hearts to his spirit and his presence. You are living proof that 
spiritual advancement brings with it an ever increasing ability to feel 
the presence of God and to feel this presence at all times. Feeling 
God's presence is experiential knowing. It is the peace that passes 
understanding and this my children is what you are beginning to 
experience now. Let this peace be a source of strength, comfort, and let 
your words and actions reflect the peace and comfort you experience 
thereby giving peace and comfort to others as well.

To those certain of our Father's loving mercy, there is no task too 
great or problem too difficult to overcome with his help.

 

Q: Could you elaborate more on what you meant by religion of the mind? 
It seems to me that it can come in many forms, from the fear-based 
fundamentalism, to rule-based moralities, to the Urantia book readers 
who believe the words but have a hard time taking the leap of faith into 
real spiritual experience. Can you help me understand that better?

Ham: Yes my son. The religion of the mind does not escape the realm of 
philosophy. It may be rational and comprehensive but it cannot find true 
morality for often such systems replace what is moral with simply what 
is ethical. The Sanhedren criticized Christ for healing on the Sabbath 
day thereby elevating a system of religious rules over human need. Thus 
the religion of the mind could not escape from rational logic into 
higher spiritual truths. So in that sense, one can live one's life 
completely within the confines of religion and its rules without 
penetrating the morality behind the rules. You have the freedom to break 
rules and thus to lay hold of higher morality. When religion interferes 
with that freedom, religion itself becomes immoral. This is a great 
human battle that has been fought throughout human history and will 
continue to be fought for some years to come.

Often when I try to penetrate to the morality underneath the rules, I 
find that I do not end up in a position of moral certainty. I often end 
up with questions and doubts.

Of course my son. The thrill of living the truly religious life is not 
to be had in absolutes. You can only find truth by going through the 
veil of uncertainty.

Q: Ham, may I have a message please.

Ham: Of course my son, you are doing well. My son, you are doing well. 
You are finding ever greater peace and spiritual gladness in your heart 
despite the physical trauma and uncertainty of the body you are 
experiencing. Your soul will continue to grow and develop in spite of 
and even because of the difficulties and uncertainty of your health. The 
pearl of great price is being purchased in your life my son. Be ever 
willing to pay any price for the eternal life to come is worth any pain, 
any suffering, and any price. The pain of earthly existence lasts but a 
short time while the joys of eternal life are forever. Seek ever after 
the joy of the spirit through love of your fellows, your family, and 
your friends. The love of God, as it is tasted in the material life, is 
but a faint portent of the love you will experience in the worlds to 
come. Demonstrate your faith through love. Reinforce your faith through 
love and give of your faith through love. Love is the path of the 
Master. Follow him and all is well.

Q: Ham, may I have a personal message this evening please?

Ham: Of course my daughter, you are doing well. As you make your way 
forward, you will find steps placed before you and as you climb these 
steps you will find ever greater loving acceptance and ever greater 
self-acceptance as well. My daughter, you are unique in the universe. 
You are uniquely loved by God. You are a unique expression of his love. 
So as you express your self in the world, you are giving something 
uniquely valuable no one else can give. For each of you, this is so. As 
you, my dear, grow in the spirit, you grow in your value estimation of 
that spirit. You cannot do this without growing in your value estimation 
of your self. Embrace this growing awareness. Be unafraid of who you are 
and unafraid to give what you have to offer. May our Father's blessings 
continue to multiply in your life my dear. Continue to accept those 
things the Father give you with gratitude, humility, and faith.

Q: Do you have anything for Rebecca?

Ham: Yes, my daughter, you are doing very well. You are stepping up upon 
the steps the Master places before you with courage and grace. Be of 
good cheer as you go about the tasks before you. Have great faith and 
let your faith multiply as the evidence of things unseen becomes clear. 
Let your faith be a light in the darkness and let your faith be a 
comfort for those in distress. Lean ever upon the Master's arm as he 
leads you forward upon the path of his choosing. Step-by-step you will 
arrive at your true destiny and thus be a way-shower of sorts for 
others. Be at peace my daughter, you are doing well.

Q: Jarad?

Ham: My son, you are doing well. You also have much before you and must 
advance step-by-step through each successive level of spiritual 
awareness. As your spiritual comfort grows, you will find ever 
increasing realms of action as well. You artistic realm of action 
continues to grow and expand. You will soon find new voices of influence 
and new audiences of appreciation as you move forward in your work. You 
have always been a student of human nature and a great lover of people 
as they are. This is an immense gift and one filled with great promise 
for future work and future influence. Be at peace my son, you are doing 
very well.

Q: Can I have a message please Ham?

Ham: Of course my son. You are doing well. As you continue striving in 
the world, always remember the spiritual work must come first for the 
spiritual work is the engine that will drive everything else. Spiritual 
progress and advancement creates progress and advancement in all other 
areas of life. Without the spirit, life grinds to a halt even 
unknowingly. With the spirit, there is nothing but progress even unto 
the very end of life and the very final moment. Do not worry my son, for 
you have before you great adventures of the soul. As the Master used to 
say, you will be none too ready when the Father calls. Prepare in the 
spirit and all is well.

Q: Yes Ham, I would like to have a message if possible. I have noticed 
for the last month now that a lot of fear has been coming, even in the 
little things, and I wonder if you could help me deal with that.

Ham: Yes my son, of course. All human beings have fear and a major fear 
is simply the fear of self-knowledge, the fear of self-discovery. This 
fear is a great fraud for it is always baseless and yet human beings 
torment themselves with the fear that if they should tear away the veil 
of who they really are they would find inadequacy. But the joy in the 
spirit comes through this self-discovery, through the understanding that 
you are God's beloved son not his slave, not his servant, not someone 
unworthy of his love. Discovering that you are worthy of God's love 
comes through the hardships and battles of life and out of the hard 
lessons of moral decision making. Continue my son to accept who you are, 
to accept the strengths as well as the weaknesses and to do this 
honestly without turning from the truth of what you find and you will 
find the Master's yoke and his burden of truth is light and bearable 
while the burden of denial is unbearable. Put everything on the table. 
Lay it all out before God and you will find him saying, "come my son, 
let us reason together. Though your sins may be as scarlet, they shall 
be white as snow". You will be reborn into the life of the spirit, a 
life rich with meaning, challenge, love, and spiritual comfort. Make 
your leap of faith and you will have all else needful.

Q: Do you have a message for me Ham?

Ham: Yes my daughter, you are doing very well. Readily you have taken up 
the tasks the Master has laid before you. You are demonstrating your 
faith to all who have eyes to see. Be at peace as you make your way 
forward amid the uncertainties and difficulties of life. Take no step 
backward, rather move forward in every area. Shake the dust form your 
feet and allow the past to be past as you move from the present into the 
future that God has prepared for you. Set down the chains of guilt 
accepting what was done as done. Release all manner of bondage allowing 
yourself the freedom of finding who you truly are as you embrace 
step-by-step where you are going. Let your faith be a source of light 
for all, but let others accept the light of your faith in their own 
ways. Do not be concerned with the judgement of others. You have and 
will have everything needful for this journey. Trust your heart 
completely to the Master's care giving his love to others as you have 
been given his love for yourself. Trust in the Master's guiding hand. 
You are doing well.

Q: From Norbert: First: I would like to ask Ham for a message for my 
friend Irene Bakker.

Ham: Yes, my daughter, all is well. Do not be afraid to grow in the 
spirit beyond the place of your friends and family. Place no 
restrictions on your journey or on your acceptance of the light of the 
spirit. The lessons of the spirit are often hard for they involve some 
sacrificing of the ego to be realized. Do not fear this process for all 
who undertake the spiritual path must lay down their lives in order to 
be reborn again. You will find that which you need at every step. Be at 
peace my dear, you are doing just fine.

Q: Second: After the murder of a Dutch writer by an Islamic 
fundamentalist the country is in an identity crisis. Any words of advice?

Ham: Yes my son, this struggle between the law abiding majority and the 
minority who wish to impose a different set of laws upon the majority is 
painful in the extreme. You must not give in to the temptation to return 
hatred for hatred but in loving your enemy you are not required to 
submit to him. Your country, indeed all of Euro-American civilization, 
must indeed take steps to responsibly protect the majority from a 
determined, unscrupulous, and vicious minority in your midst. You must 
not compromise the principles of freedom of expression and you must 
allow the democratic process full latitude to find recourse for this 
growing and dangerous problem. Trust in your fellows to find the way. 
Insist on liberty at all costs. In this way, you will find a way 
forward. Be of good cheer my friends. Good people have fought for truth, 
liberty and justice throughout the ages and so you must now do the same. 
Have peace in your hearts. Trust in God and in your countrymen. All is well.

Q: Marije would like a personal message.

Ham: Of course my daughter. You are also doing very well. Be not 
disturbed by the difficulties in finding the Master's will. The Master 
showed always great patience with those in confusion, but he did not 
become confused himself. The Master's truths are sometimes harsh, for 
the Master's truths never compromise with evil. Sometimes, there simply 
is no middle way. Sometimes, truth must be defended and this is a part 
of life. Be unafraid my daughter. You will find at every difficult 
crossroad the Master's voice saying, this is the way. Trust in this and 
you will find ever greater measures of peace and tranquility in your 
heart. Have courage my daughter, you are doing just fine.

Q: Do you have a personal message for Charlie B?

Ham: Yes my son, you are doing just fine. There is peace on the surface 
but just below powerful currents are moving. Be aware of this for you 
have some decisions to make that will change the direction your life is 
taking. Small those these decisions may seem, turn to the Master for 
guidance at each step. Demonstrate your faith through these steps 
forward. Let others be comforted by your firm grasp of truth, and your 
open expression of love.

Q: Do you have any feedback for me this week Ham?

Ham: Of course my son. Be at peace. You are doing very well in all 
areas. You have before you a clear path and you are walking with firm 
footsteps through each step. Allow the Master ever greater contact in 
your soul by continually thinking of him and experiencing his presence. 
Bring him into your decisions and let him lead you as he would lead you 
forward. Do not worry as you make your way through the moral 
uncertainties and difficult decisions ahead. Let his arm be about your 
shoulder and his confident gaze point out your destiny upon the horizon. 
Have peace my son, for you are doing very well. Find ever greater 
comfort as your mind is spiritualized through the working of the Master 
and God's spirit within. You have all that is needful for this journey. 
Rest in complete assurance, you will know the way. It will be made plain 
to you.

Until next week, my love and prayers are with you each. Farewell.

 

 

-- 
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
David G. Schlundt, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
Vanderbilt University
301 Wilson Hall
Nashville, TN  37203

Phone: (615)322-7800
Fax: (615) 343-8449
Email: David.Schlundt at Vanderbilt.edu
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
To science God is a possibility, to psychology
a desirability, to philosopy a probability, to
religion a certainty, an actuality of religious
experience

The Urantia Book, page 1125
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