2003-02-04-Your Joy

Session

• Rio Rancho Team meeting at Carl and Janet's home in Albuquerque
• Special guests include Virginia and Bill Kelly, their daughter Nancy and her daughter Abby, all from Pocatello, ID.

Opening

• Music: Dorenda on piano; "Morning Has Broken"
• Prayer: (Matthew) Let us place ourselves in the presence of Christ Michael.

Master Teacher, we bring ourselves to your presence as students and pilgrims along the way. Children as we may be, we aspire to being full-fledged spirit in the grandeur of yours and our Father's creation, to be of service to you and to all humanity that we encounter, at whatever level. So long as we serve one we serve all. And for us to realize that for ourselves to be included in that service of understanding compassion and love above all, is where it all begins.

We ask that whatever teachers you designate this evening for our edification and our continued growth along the path and in appreciation of fellow stewards and pilgrims along the way - Bill, Virginia, Nancy and the little one (Abby) in our midst, we are grateful as well. For those who cannot be here tonight we ask for their healing, unity of focus and spirit and for all of us to stand, in and among, with you for eternity. And for all else you know to be of need and request and fulfillment within our hearts and minds, we place that before you as well. Amen.

TOMAS: Good evening, my friends. I am a most ebullient presence this evening in your midst. The relationship we have developed is pronounced. I am reminded of my co-teacher Abraham, who rejoices each week to meet once more with his beloved students. Each time we meet we grow more fond of one another in understanding of each other's uniqueness and place in the unfoldment of our lives.

Our community here is well established. We have worked in the Spirit realms, as you have worked in your realms, for the founding of this base of comfort, strength, sustenance and joy. I am rejoiced in having in our midst this evening a teacher who is a part of my history and development in times past, and in more recent times as well: my brother Daniel.

In another era, he and I attended courses together in the Melchizedek University On High, in realms far beyond here and now. But we also met and worked with the Southeast Idaho group, known then as the Pocatello group. Because of my exposure to that experience I am a better teacher.

I also want to point out that my sojourn in Pittsburgh augmented my skills as a teacher, for it was there that I learned the social graces that endear civilized human beings, in this culture, to one another.

I regress, somewhat, and am reminded that those of you who know that those who pass on from this life to the next are actually celebrating a graduation to a new and glorious level of living, have no hesitation in expressing your joy at their departure. But those who have not your conviction of the hereafter may find your exuberance somewhat cavalier. And these subtleties of the culture are instrumental in accessing those with whom you work.

Granted, there are street people. There are suffering individuals. There are downtrodden, and they can certainly be met through the spirit. And through the words of our teacher and minister, Michael, we are able to make contact with those who are less socially fragrant than the denizens of these parlors in which we meet. But the fragrance of a Love-saturated soul is often, in your world, it would seem, made more believable because of your comportment. I am giving thanks this evening for my experiences that have brought me here to be your friend. My theme for the evening is one of Joy. The Joy that each of us knows, individually and personally, because of our Soul Source, and (which is) enhanced by our camaraderie as creatures of the Creator in loving relationship, gives testimony to that truth which reflects the love of the Divine.

(It is) that love which Jesus mentioned when he said, "They will know you have been with me." We have been with him. Not just "with" him but made a part of his family. We are being raised according to the standards that he proposes for us, and in this supreme plan of ascension, we are becoming more than we were -- and always and ever gratefully acknowledging the Source of our Joy. Your Joy will speak more loudly than your proselytizing. Your smile will relieve them of their burdens. Your calm will remind them of the need to seek solace in Him. In this we cannot fail. There cannot be failure in this reality, there can only be temporary clouds that obscure the horizon. Your radiant Joy is the Light that shines in the morning in this New Day.

I am eager to hear from my co-teachers, and to assuage my own ebullience, I will assign, if you will, our visitor, the task of communing with us now.

DANIEL: Hello my friends. I am Daniel, a teacher, a guide, a companion, a brother and, along with Tomas, a most enthusiastic supporter of your fellowship with each other and your camaraderie with us. Indeed does it bring to mind fond memories, to be with Tomas in the same meeting. On occasion Tomas has been a guest in our group, but this my first appearance with Tomas in Albuquerque, as T/R'd through Isaac (Bill).

We are many tonight. We fill this room with spiritual presence, morontia presence, as well as your physical presence. We represent the three levels of Universe Reality which are traversed in your Ascension Career, the same Ascension Career that I and Tomas are a part of. Our Cosmic family is truly immense, my friends. And I am aware that your sense of its vastness is beginning to truly impress your minds and comfort your hearts.

Lesson

Tomas has named "Joy" as our topic this evening, and it is one of my favorite things. Some of you have been reading about happiness. And Joy and happiness are awfully close, in understanding. Our Joy comes as a natural result of being in harmony and synchronicity with the Love of God, which is the Will of God, which is the Flow of the Universe.

To be in harmony with the direction of progress; to have a life which has meaning greater than merely the squandering of moments and the pursuit of temporal satisfaction; a life whose meaning is focused upon doing the Will of one's Creator, one's Source, is a life which has the flavor of most profound Joy and happiness.

While all people seek happiness, as you know, it is, for many, a wearisome and discouraging endeavor, for their Treasure is not in the right place and their goals are disrupted, even as Jesus said, by thieves breaking in and stealing, and by moths that eat the fabric of their commitments. But you are fortunate, in so many ways, that you have the word of Truth. What does it matter what a person acquires? What shall one give in exchange for their Soul? Let your Treasures be in Heaven and there your Heart will be also.

Yes friends, I don't have to lecture you on these realities, for you know from your own experience, that if one does seek to do the Will of God first, that all necessities will be added to them. All their needs will be met. Not just temporal and earthly needs, but ALL their needs, throughout Eternity. And so, you do know this Joy. For you have placed your Treasure - your Highest Value - in seeking to understand God, to know God and to be like him: Perfect in your Human realm as he is in his Divine realm.

The Universe is a vast educational system. Your text (UB) gives you much information about this, so it is not surprising, that we, as your older brothers and sisters, share our information and our knowledge and our experience with you, so that you also may share your knowledge, your experience with others. But as Tomas has said, it is not so much in proseletizing as it is in the overflowing graciousness of the Spirit which fills your lives that impresses others, that there is something about you which is very appealing and which they don't see a lot of. Yes, indeed, you ARE the Light of the world. And your Lights shines forth for you have chosen to keep it uncovered.

Many, many people, without necessarily voicing these thoughts to themselves, are seeking for real and authentic happiness. Not the froth of temporary satisfactions but the deep and abiding, meaningful Joy and happiness which you have. And so you do well as you share your time together, for this is a recharging of your spiritual batteries, it is a confirmation of your Highest Values. It is an important time to take in, through your connectedness with each other, Spiritual Energy.

But always must we give what we have received. For the Love of God cannot be contained within us but must flow through us to our brothers and sisters and then back to the Supreme, as we, through our service, help co-create His Supreme Reality.

Joy, in a sense, is different than contentment, or rather, how 'happiness' is defined by Culture. For many people, 'happiness' is a fluctuating experience depending on circumstances and is not a continuous, underlying reality.

The Joy of which we speak is akin to the Peace of God. It is a constant underlying bedrock, which supports your emotional well-being. Sadness is possible at the same time as you have the bedrock of Joy and Peace. Other emotions can, like the waves on the ocean, fluctuate and move you up and down -- but underneath is the solid foundation of Joy and Peace.

And so I greet you all with fondest love. I know that our Southeast Idaho group would love to be here to meet you all in person and I do extend to you all, individually and collectively, an invitation to come and break bread and drink of the Spirit with us. Thank you, Tomas, for introducing me and it is such a pleasure to be here with your students and to get to know them. I am most grateful, and I will pass the microphone back in your direction.

TOMAS: I'll take it only briefly, for Anatolia is the balance we need for the evening. Her radiant spirit is called for, and we welcome her.

ANATOLIA: Welcome this evening, everyone who is here, friend and new friend alike. You are most welcome to bestow your Light onto the rest of us who are witnessing the bounty of Light shared in and among ourselves, as well as in the vestiges of Pure Love.

This is something which is rather difficult, or obscure, for you to fully appreciate, although it is not falling on deaf ears to say that each and all of you are bereft of the experience of Love, not only romantic or familial, but the feeling of Spiritual Love is not a foreign concept to any of you in this room as it is not to many people, regardless of denomination or official faith. There are those, however, who one could call the 'un-churched' -- the 'faith-less' -- but they too, know within the depths of their being the ache, the thirst, the hunger for true fulfillment. While that desire is there, it creates its own need and its own place for fulfillment.

So in this, too, even those who are 'unaware,' are preparing themselves for the greatest act ever accomplished. That "greatest act ever accomplished" is in knowing that each individual is an Act of God, a creation of Divine Will, and a source of fulfillment of that Will. This is the Divine equation in which each and all will eventually be fulfilled.

There are those, as well, who may either not be as fortunate, or have turned off the Light within themselves to have followed other pursuits which take them down dark, dusty and forlorn roads. Abandoned out on the prairie, out in the desert, forsaken for nothing more than 'plants in the wilderness' -- this is where they place themselves. It does not mean that is where they will remain. For in every parched landscape there is the need, the desire, the obvious requirement for fulfillment of thirst, of nourishment, to be able to stand tall and to know one's rightful place. Even if it were a plant, it knows its rightful place, under the sun, within Creation, so all are found, all have identity and all are not nameless.

I welcome each of you into your Father's House which you are currently occupying in loving presence among your fellow brothers and sisters in and through the House of Radiance. This where you are. Consider it as a Threshold to the Greater Mansions yet before you -- if you can imagine this house that I speak of as a Welcoming Parlor - a Threshold to your future life in Ascension. You can color this (room) any color you would like or set it in the most brilliant of natural settings. Whether it is a Greco-Roman columned facade or whether it has all the color and natural beauty of a Monument National Park, it is yours to behold. It is yours to worship within. And it is yours to appreciate as a place that holds the Love between you and your Creator Source. Welcome all that you care to, to worship with you in the Space that is your Threshold to your future path, for it is the path that you are on and it is the path that is made for you. Stand there happily, joyously and courageously, knowing that this is where you belong and the future is the next step that you are about to take.

I welcome you all and I welcome the Radiance of your presence in, around and amongst the rest of us. Today is a day in which we are glad and happy to be part of this majestic service called the Teaching Mission. It is our pleasure to be of service and we welcome you for the continuation of our lives together.

Peace be with you. And for those of our friendly travelers, peace be with you, and may you have a safe and wondrous journey while here and in your safe return. Have a wondrous week, and until next time. May God bless you. Amen.

TOMAS: Amen. And thank you Anatolia and Daniel and Abby. (group laughter as Abby -almost 18 months - has been jabbering throughout)

Are there questions?

Dialogue

NANCY: Tomas, I don't have a question but I just wanted to thank you for your beautiful lesson on Joy and the encouragement that it provides and the reminder that it provides about how to function in our lives and among our fellow siblings and peers. I want to thank you.

TOMAS: You are welcome, my dear daughter. You may well recall many moons ago when we met at the home of Debbie Roberts. We mentioned often the 'coming of the dawn,' that the sun had not yet come up. But Lo! In these past 10 years much healing has transpired in you as individuals and as children of Go. You have benefitted from the counsel and companionship and caresses of your mentors. You have courageously forged your way through the obstacles that pulled a pall of gray over your countenance and you have learned to stand erect and Radiant in the full Dawn of your awareness of your Personhood.

This is an attainment, the acquirement of Joy, and you are entrusted with this gift because you have fully appreciated from whence it comes and how it has been forged. You know how to carry yourself so that your Joy does not inadvertently make others feel bad. You don't lord it over others that you are happy and they are not. This Joy is genuine, and the victory is yours indeed. And ours as well, as we bask in the warmth of the Son of your early Light of Truth. The sun is up. It is shining brightly in this corner of the world. And there are other corners where the sun is also shining brightly. A fresh new day has begun, even while there are those in, shall we say, other 'time zones' who have yet to awaken.

Carry your Joy quietly among the sleeping so that when they seek to rise you will greet them and assure them of the reason for being. Yes, "Morning Has Broken", and it has spilled itself into this room, dazzling the shadows and diminishing their effects. Shine on, students.

(After a long pause) Surely you are not going to let us do all the talking.

Virginia: Tomas, I heard you say that Joy was an 'attainment' and in the same sentence you said it was a 'gift.' I thought of that in terms of living as we can (through the 'gift') know God but we must achieve ('attain') the Supreme. So we have attainment and a gift…and I guess that's what it's all about, faith and works.

TOMAS: Yes. And I will take the liberty of borrowing from The Zooid Mission the concept of the fullness and the promise with the moon. There is a "promise moon" in the sky this evening and the full moon will be along. The same truth holds therein with Joy. Having accepted the fact of relative perfection, there is simply more to come. And even while the struggle may prove wearisome, there is that Underlying Joy that Daniel spoke of that can sustain you through troublesome times. That is the 'gift' of faith and the Joy of living. These are Truths you may bring into being and be mindful of, for your teaching purposes.

Frustration

Elena: That really helps me a lot, Tomas, because this week has been a little bit frustrating and I've felt a little bit less Joy than I ordinarily feel - encountering a little frustration too … but thank you, because what you've all said about joy is good information and encouragement that I can put to good use.

TOMAS: To many, the idea of being Joyful or Radiant is an affectation. And those who are not well versed in Joy are misled by their own mind when they feel they are without Joy when they are frustrated. This is simply confusion. Remember the underlying level of reality that you have attained, then see the challenge that you face as the opportunity to cement that underlying reality, to forge your underlying self so that you know the victory of vanquishing that which stood in the way of your expression of Joy.

Take lessons from the little ones in their search for experience. They are quick to forget the difficulties and eager to renew their approach. Yes.

DANIEL: I would also comment, my dear, that there is no way that the lessons of life can be taught except through the repeated yielding of the soul to the Comfort of God within. When one's perception of how-it-is for them, how-it-is for you, is troubled by disappointments, unexpected events, personal failures or any number of things which result in frustration and can result in further spirit poisons, do as our Master has shown us by his mortal life example - and when I say "do it" I don't imply that you haven't been doing it, so I'll rephrase that - continue to do as our Master did, which is to turn to our Father who dwells in each of us. Make that connection in the face of frustration. Also, when you do that, you contact that Wellspring which bubbles within you and you sense that Peace, coupled with Joy, that Jesus was sustained by, as you have been, also, in the past.

Life will continue to provide all of you with moments of frustration. The important thing is to learn to let go of the Cause of your frustration. To come to that conclusion which Jesus reached when he said, "What does it matter if kingdoms fall?" All things collapse. You are secure in your relationship to God. You have nothing that can really touch your Soul - your True Inner Reality. It is an ideal which most on this planet have not achieved in their mortal lives. But you will achieve it as we all continue to work on these things.

Elena: Thank you for that encouragement

DANIEL: You are welcome.

Paula: We should all be thankful that we have happiness in our lives after what happened this week with the tragedy that those on that space shuttle suffered along with their families and loved ones.

TOMAS: There is compassion in your voice, Paula. I sense you tenderness toward the people who have been wrenched from their loved one's victories as well as their personal relationship. Death is, indeed, an abrupt adjustment for them to make. These are throes of the ways of man, not to be disdained but to be anticipated.

Such adventures as so many of you undertake are double-edged swords. But the passion you see, with which these individuals approached their work, has been an inspiration for so many. The early explorers of your world, the early, pre-historic civilizations, all these individuals have had their dangers to overcome and their adventures to pursue.

There is no point in blaming God for any of these, if that is what you think, for there are choices to be made, risks that are taken in the unfolding of an evolving world. The lessons learned are a part of your accumulated cultural endowment, and all of you are enriched by the experience of those who impact your life, whether through heroism or through foolishness. This is the consciousness of Urantia.

Your consciousness as God-knowing, Spirit-led, Sons and Daughters of the Living God, are vital energies that add another dimension to the adventure of living. And this is your calling - those of you who are led to hear the Voice of the Master and to be curious about the Teachers he sends to counsel and befriend you in your quest. Your hearts are in the right place. How can they not be when they are embracing, and embraced by, Living Love, the Living Love from our Creator and our Father.

Keep that focus with you. Keep this underlying understanding of your True Self and minister to those you meet in the world who long to hear the sound of his voice and who yearn to feel the morning sun upon their face. You are able to influence many and greatly, even when you don't know what you are about, simply by allowing yourselves to be guided by the Light and reflecting your Joy as you pass by.

Closing

We are aware of the time and wholly reluctantly relinquish you for the gathering is food for our souls as well as yours. Thus, rest in the knowledge of this reality, for we will return to it again and again, alone and together, therein to seek the succor of God. Amen and Farewell.