2005-06-12-New Spiritual Institutions

Session

Opening

Elyon (Mark TR): Greetings, this is Elyon. . .. into our conversation I would seize on the comments made in regards those youth who are seeking direction in their lives. The example that they provide for us is of great significance, for it portrays the desire of all human beings to identify a direction and to possess a purpose.

Lesson

Institutions

The human soul and mind desire to have certainty about what direction to proceed and are willing to readily adopt the direction provided by others, particularly in larger institutions whose formulas are tried and proven, and therefore the direction and purpose are well provided. This illustrates the need on this world for those to provide alternative methods and directions and objectives to be available and to be stirred into the mix so that there will be options and choices provided where now there appear to be very few.

Those of us dealing in spiritual truths and universal perspectives find it difficult at times to offer food for those who are seeking new direction because many of the methods currently employed by the existing religious frameworks are proving to be unsatisfactory to this new generation of seekers. We must formulate new patterns and approaches designed around new ideals and our new universal perspective and provide these alternatives to those who hunger for direction. Our competition of the established institutions is formidable because these familiar institutions have as part of their attraction long track records and cultural acceptance on their side, but they are vastly becoming outmoded and are in need of replacement by new institutions of even higher learning.

While we for a long time have been resistant to the idea of becoming akin to the institutions we are familiar with, nevertheless we must formulate a new ideal institution, one which provides the same elements that individuals are seeking of support and networking and methodology to aid all those who would seek the new alternative institution of faith and spirit.

The desire of humans to be a part of a club or a clan or an organization is great, albeit there is some mass discontent at the current state of these fraternal organizations with their exploitative natures, profit motives, and stifling agendas. Our new spiritual institutions will promote the individual seeker’s identity within the context of universal acceptance and cosmic principles. When these other institutions no longer are seen to provide for the needs of the masses they will turn away as they have begun already to do from the churches and military, and they will still be searching for the fraternity of belonging to a group of individuals who will accept them, love them, support them, and help them in their growth processes.

We are currently engaged in the formation of such schools of thought, schools of behavior, schools of attitude. Without having set out to form such institutions they are being built as a result of the collection of those individuals involved. I point to the formation of your Teaching Mission lists and circles of your Urantia Book lists and circles. These are institutions of their own with their own sense of conditions, and they attract to them those individuals seeking that set of conditions that they feel meets their needs.

So, as we proceed in our efforts together among the many circuits that we build together, I encourage you to hold some perspective to the idea that we are creating a network, indeed, an institution wherein others may find what we have found; we are providing certain frameworks wherein we engage in this pursuit, and we are accumulating our own track record of success. At some point we will begin to recognize the value of the institution that we have built from the grassroots to where we have arrived today and be willing to offer that which we have come to build and come to know to others who will find it a useful format for their spiritual growth and development as well.

These conclude my remarks. I welcome your comments and interactions.

Dialogue

Responsibility, Work

Evelyn: It is formidable to imagine creating an organization on a par with the military, but I appreciate the big picture.

Tom: The kids today who are getting out of school are looking for ways to make a living right now. Contrasted to these large organizations, we are creating a series of small organizations. It’s right under our noses rather than so far away. Still, what do you do now to put bread in your mouth? I’m sure kids in foreign countries with ailing economies have it even tougher.

Elyon: There has been a great shift on your world in recent times wherein the population has determined that they would rather give over their options and choices to another, be it a corporation or an employer, rather than to take their own personal responsibility for their welfare and their living, as you call it. Only a relatively short time ago when your young country was in its infancy nearly all of the people were employed by themselves and thereby took their own responsibility for earning their livings. While it is true that this approach is often more difficult, it is also true for those individuals, their destiny is in their own hands and under their own control. A short time later we observe that this generation simply desires to be employed, simply desires to let others make the decisions for them, let others take the responsibility for their livelihoods and then when those others betray this trust and shut down the factories or modernize the equipment those who have entrusted their livelihood to others feel helpless and betrayed.

This is a recent phenomenon on this planet, this idea of relinquishing responsibility for your livelihood to a select few set of employers and then trusting that these employers will have your best interests at heart. It is a pendulum swinging to the opposite extreme, and we are beginning to see the breakdown of this extreme when the employers are few and the employees are many. This relinquishing of personal responsibility for your livelihood must swing back in the other direction, and individuals must be given more control over their own destinies, must seize back the reins of control from those powerful individuals who hold the destinies of others in their hands. It is putting too many eggs in one basket to assume that large scale employers will take care of vast numbers of employees with proper stewardship.

This scenario will further break down as the scope of the picture is enlarged to include the massive numbers who would be employed around the world. No longer will there be enough jobs to go around handled by few large conglomerates of employers. We must encourage individuals to take control of their own destinies and do what appears to be the harder job of taking personal responsibility. This shift will not be an easy one, as generations have now gone since the days when your grandparents knew this lifestyle and were familiar with this sense of personal responsibility. There is great danger in allowing your livelihood to be entrusted to others that they will not fulfill this trust either by choice or by factors outside of their control. Then we see large numbers of people’s lives disrupted when the large employers break down.

Empowerment

Tom: Even in our text it warns of economic downsizing that floods the market with workers. It encourages to have more than one pursuit, to arm yourself with a number of blue collar trades to fall back on in times of crisis.

Elyon: The issue really speaks to empowerment because this generation feels as though their lives are determined by what employers they may seek, and find that their very livelihoods and existences would become governed by others who will dictate to them what they will do, where they will do it, and for how much they will do it. This generation has lost sight of individual empowerment, of the fact that each man was to work, each man would eat. Rather do they feel, "what do I have to do to comply with my employer’s wishes so that I may eat?"

This sense of empowerment can be helped and portrayed through this avenue of spiritual institution we discussed wherein individuals may find comfort and reassurance and indeed empowerment in the realization that they are a cosmic citizen, a son or daughter of God, and that as part of their birthright they should be able to expect that if they work hard they should be provided for. These are basic tenets of cosmic citizenship which has been overshadowed by corporate domination and institutional guidelines. These are the challenges of the times we are in.

Closing

If there would be no further comments I would allow for the consideration of the statements made herein today. I know you all consider the lessons and that they do impact your lives, and this is a wonderful thing to perceive. No teacher could ask for anything more than such eager students as yourselves. I complement you on your growth processes. I would take my leave. Have a good week. Farewell.