1997-09-21-Comments on TM

Session

Opening

Elyon (Sandy TR): Hello, this is Elyon. We see that you were successful at bringing Jeff here. [Sandy said that she wanted to introduce the teachers to Jeff.] We have watched Jeff before, and he has touched our hearts.

Lesson

Teaching Mission

I would like to see the group ask more questions, because that is where we are now. We have given lessons, and we don't know for sure that we are on the same track as you are because we look at it differently, in fact we are not always right. For instance, in the case of personality, we make mistakes. A lot of the time it is because of personality and our egos. I would like to stress the point today that we have no leaders out in front of the others. We wish for you to think of Christ Michael and God on the same level as an angel or a guide or a teacher. They want to embrace you, and sometimes you make this difficult for them because you have put them on a pedestal. You are in the same boat as I; I just live on another plane of existence.

We love to watch you day by day going about your chores and your meditations, and forgive me, but some of the things you do are hilarious! This is the human side that we would like to know more about, so I bid you to start bringing up the questions that you have not dared yet ask us, mostly because you think it is too small to get heavenly advice on. If any of you did not know how to tie your shoes, we would be very happy to show you. Believe me, we do not tie them the same as you do!

So, I will go to the back of the line now. Thank you.

Machiventa (Mark): Greetings, this is Machiventa. As Elyon has stated, we have reached a turning point in our studies. You all have voluntarily enrolled as students in our spiritual classroom. We have faithfully executed our lesson plans to date. We have thoroughly discussed many subjects. We now desire to ask you, our students, for your observations, your level of understanding, your questions off-topic. These are a natural part of the dialogue between students and their teachers.

It is all very well to remain attentive and observant as the teacher fills the entire blackboard with principles, relationships, and truths. However, at some point it is incumbent upon the student to clarify misunderstandings around relationships and principles, to ask for deeper understanding of details surrounding the major principles, even to ask how these principles may influence and pervade into your everyday existence. This is how the student internalizes and becomes able to externalize these principles once again. You all do very well to listen, and this is an aspect of your learning. At this point we would like to encourage you to offer a report of sorts. You have occupied a seat in the classroom for an extended period of time, and now we may ask of each of you what have you learned? How do you understand? What is it that you do not as of yet understand? How can we augment and change our lesson plans to be more effective for your learning?

It is your role to be observant students and spend much time questioning within your own minds our lessons. It is also your role at some point to be asked to give an accounting of what you have learned, how it has affected you, how your outlook and approach on life may have been altered, how you intend to use this new knowledge you now possess. What about all this still has not settled into place? It is an ongoing process one could not expect to read or be present or hear a specific number of times, and then the job is done. Truth is an ongoing, living process, one which takes your active participation.

Reflection

So, I would ask each of you to consider what has had a major impact on your spiritual progression? How much of the lessons has sunk deep into your spiritual wisdom? Ask yourself, what do I still not understand? What do I need a little extra tutoring to completely embrace? What do I fully understand, and therefore am qualified to disseminate this truth to others. The final step in many cases to finally internalizing or thoroughly learning a principle is to be asked to relate this principle to those around you. It is the formulation of passing on this information that really proves the depth of knowledge of a given topic. If you can accurately recount to another a principle, an ideal, then you possess the knowledge of this. Each of you may think: Could I accurately convey a given principle? If not, then what do I not completely understand about this that I might learn.

I would ask that, not that we go around the circle here today, but that each of you give some thought this week, from your desk, what have you observed? What principles are firmly captured within your being and what principles still need some illumination? It is never a negative thing to realize that you do not completely understand any given principle. Rather, this knowledge provides you the insight of what is needed to gain full knowledge.

It is time that we begin to reverse these roles, you of so patiently and so earnestly listening and us of so faithfully attempting to impart our lesson plans. There is a great distance between what we project and what you internalize. We now need to illuminate this difference to root out any dark corners that are yet unilluminated and to aggressively establish our ABCs. If we stumble we must return, through practice and diligence get it right the next time, or the next. There is no time limitation. You are in your seat in the classroom; you have shown your diligence and patience to remain there. We have complete faith that you will stay for the duration and that you will all be in complete possession of the principles we endeavor to outline to you.

I thank you; we all deeply thank you for your devotion to our classroom. Without students there is no school, and you have come freely of your own accord, filtering into our classroom, returning week after week to build lesson upon lesson. Unlike your formalized schooling on your world, you are not required to do this. This is simply your freewill choice. The benefits of your faith reaching in this direction are numerous and plentiful.

I look forward to seeing you back in class again. Perhaps this week you might start the first draft of a book report to be issued so that we may all understand each other better. We need to have a complete understanding of what is understood, what is still foggy, and what we need to address to tie together the loose ends so that we have a nice, neat package to work on. I ask that you take this next assignment and return with observations, insights, even suggestions. We need to know what your perspective is, each one. We need this to see how our classes are being accepted, to test their effectiveness. I ask you to rate us, to give us honest and direct feedback as to what you need as a student, as to what you would like from your teachers, and how we may best serve each other.

I look forward to hearing from each of you. I will now step aside to allow for others, as there are always many more teachers than you all have patience for. Thank you for your time.

Dialogue

Growth

Evelyn: I would like to ask one question. A week or two ago there was a transcript where you pointed out how similar you are to us, and you mentioned many categories where you are similar to us, and one was that you ascended like us. I would like you to briefly you don't have to go into detail explain this. I didn't think melchizedeks ascended.

Machiventa: Any being who has spiritual capacity has the capacity to ascend. By this I mean that we as melchizedeks are not stagnant in our condition; we attain different levels much as you attain different levels. This is the Father's gift to us as it is the Father's gift to you. If we were created to simply maintain a position or station throughout eternity, never growing, attaining, or learning, we would be shortchanged by the Father. He builds into His plan for all creatures the potential for growth and growth satisfaction. We may not have the same destiny, but we are indeed allowed the growth and attainment of levels within our own career. You would see these as perhaps apples and oranges, different goals, different relationships, but we are allowed the precious accomplishment of attaining yet even greater levels, just as you are, in a sense. Your destiny may be different; your career will certainly take different paths, but we are similar in that, as creatures both loved by the Father, we are both given the opportunity for growth, accomplishment, for the gaining of an enhanced spirituality.

Does this loosely address your question?

Evelyn: Obviously I understand that you grow. I think it was just the choice of words. Thank you.

Machiventa: There are many, many, as I think you are aware, orders of beings with their individual career paths of spiritual progression. No two would be necessarily equated to the other. However, all may be said to be attaining greater spiritual awareness, plateaus, in their careers, and this is a gift of the Father to each order of being, this sense of growth and accomplishment and learning. While I do not share the same end result as you or many other orders, I do enjoy my own spiritual progression and attainments as you will enjoy yours along the way.

Elyon (Jonathan): This is Elyon stepping forward again to provide another of my well received visual aids. I have for you today a picture, and it is this: You each are like a fence post firmly embedded in the Fatherhood of God. You are each connected by line, by strand, by wire which is your brotherly fellowship. These lines can be thought of as mercy, ministry, and love; truth, beauty, and goodness; of learning, loving, and living. Your connection as a fence line is community and fellowship. Some of you are in the position of being a corner post in the role of supporting two lengths.

Today I ask you to provide me with a meaningful interpretation of the gate. I await your replies.

Mark: I would offer that the gate implies flexibility. It can be open to allow the passage of truths, and it can be firmly attached to corral these truths. It's flexible, yet when required it can hold fast to the connecting wires. Without the gate you have a rigid corral with no entrance or exit. With a gate you can let out or take in as necessary.

Tom: I see a fence as something that either keeps something out or keeps something in. In our role as fenceposts, I see you all as the gate itself. Like the shepherd and the sheep, the gate and the fenceposts go together. As to what we are keeping in or out, I haven't come up with anything yet.

Elyon: You have well expressed a meaningful interpretation of such a configuration of a gate within the fellowship fence, for the development of community does imply a certain degree of circumscription and does run the risk of exclusion or specialized inclusion. The fellowship fence benefits from the understanding that it equally and simultaneously contains and excludes, that it is not one-sided. You are facing both sides of the fence at one time. Within your fence line are all your brothers and sisters who mutually share one another's support. When anyone of you begins to lean from the burdens of your life, be they pressures from the outside or confusion from within, you as fellows must pull tightly upon your connections, your circuits with each other to lift your fellow back into straight standing. Because the family of God is composed of nearly unlimited numbers of beings, as time unfolds, this fence will stretch on forever.

Closing

I thank you for your comments and I emphasize to you the importance of reflecting on Machiventa's assignment this week. Should you be at a loss to compose your questions or comments, remember the other fenceposts and communicate with each other. It is not that we require you to solely develop your report. In our classroom we do not forbid you looking over one another's shoulder. This is a group-run classroom.