2005-11-13-Communication, Listening, Stillness

Session

Opening

[ED Note: Before the lesson tonight we had an open forum discussion, as was suggested in last weeks lesson, about avoidance. Each of us took the opportunity to speak of what personal concerns we had on the subject. We listened and felt that we had many similar issues. Our concerns are evaluated and addressed by those with greater understanding and insight.]

Prayer by KLARIXISKA (Virginia):

Great God that welcomes us as we are, we thank You that though this is true, You are constantly causing us to see what we can yet be. Help us to focus on ourselves and the issues for each individual life. Help us to look to You, rather than others. Help us to compare only with where we have come from, not with others. Help us to reach for the other perfections that You offer and, yes, demand. We ask that You would open each student’s heart tonight and, yes, each of us teachers, that we might all learn another step, another lesson to take towards You.

DANIEL (Bob S.): This is Daniel, your guide, friend, teacher and most ardent admirer for your willingness tonight to open yourselves to the truth. We, your elder brothers and sisters, understand as former mortals how difficult this is for those in your stage of spiritual maturity. So we are thrilled with what we have heard and pat you all on the back for your willingness to show your humanness and your desire to grow spiritually.

I will not be giving the lesson tonight. I am the welcomer. But I did want to thank you for your efforts this evening. One moment please.

Lesson

MINEARSIA (Nancy): Greetings, I am Minearsia, Instructor in Residence, here with this South East Idaho Teaching base, pleased to be a part of this continuing dialogue.

Indeed do we commend you on your willingness to participate through heartfelt evaluation and by trusting your listeners to be gentle, to hear that which you intended them to hear, and to add no more. For indeed in communication is there the risk that your intention will not be perceived accurately. This risk is factually quite high in common interaction, because Urantians are not skilled in careful dialogue. You avoid clear communication at many levels. Some of this dynamic was brought forth in your discussion. To communicate clearly what you intend requires awareness on many levels and the willingness to confront the consequences.

Let me be more specific. Clear communication requires, first, that you understand yourself. You can identify your emotion. You understand the reasons behind it which requires, again, an understanding of yourself and from whence you have come. Next, clear communication will require the unknown quantity in dealing with your listener, the one or ones for whom your communication is intended. If it is clear, and you say exactly that which you mean to say, it might bring a variety of reactions. If your listener does not have self-awareness, a desire to be self aware, connection to—to use the term from last week—"the Great Conductor," then they may completely misperceive your intention, despite your clarity. For they bring to the party their background, their filters, their desire to hear or not, and so forth. As you think about this you may begin to understand what we perceive as we observe Urantian communication. There are wide gaps between the hearts of those involved and the outcomes.

Our purpose in this Teaching Mission is to improve the quality of communication by assisting you the participants in becoming better listeners, in becoming more self-aware, in becoming more willing to flex with the change required by growth, and to become more aware of that which you wish to communicate.

This week’s exercise we deem a "grand success" of all the levels I just overviewed. Sincere congratulations to each of you. Most of all, congratulations for your willingness. Willingness is the key to overcoming avoidance.

I thank you for your attention. We have a three-part lesson prepared. I have provided my piece. At the end we will take questions, comments and encourage discussion.

DANIEL (Nancy): I am Daniel; I will participate in tonight’s topic. The topic is communication - what enhances communication - what hinders it- what is it? Minearsia has laid out the grand scope of communication from the understanding of the one initiating to the hearing of the one receiving, and suggested the many stages at which communication can breakdown, leaving it garbled with lack of understanding.

I desire to narrow the discussion somewhat. What enhances communication? Listening! Yes, my friends, listening is a powerful tool, critical, and, yet, you see, this listening must happen on many levels. Let us begin at the opposite end of where one might expect we need to begin given, that I am talking about listening. Let us begin with the one initiating the conversation. Listening to one’s self is an important aspect. What is it that you want the other one to know? Do you want them to know your anger - probably not? Although that is easy and that may be your first thought. Do you want them to know your joy, your hurt, your fear, your creative thinking process, your observation of the connections and the patterns of life?

If you are, the receiver listening is again important. Do you hear routine information? Do you already tune it out, or fill in the end, having decided that you have been over this ground before? Or, do you listen to hear something you haven’t heard, haven’t caught, to validate another’s experience, to understand how you could be of real service in the situation. And there is so much more we could say about listening.

My desire tonight is simply to raise it to your attention, once again, that through the week you may become aware of yourself as a listener, listener to yourself, listener to others. This simple exercise will enhance the quality of your communication. Now, I too, step aside to allow another to share, to contribute to the dialogue. I am done.

UNNAMED (Simeon): It is worth mentioning, tonight, the emphasis that several of you placed on the stillness. (During discussion) And while intellectually, each of you realize that the Source of All Things is the most real and tangible reality in all the universes, there is a level of truth on your plane of existence that you find what you can touch, feel, see and sense with the many faculties of your mind seems more real to you than "jousting at windmills," believing in fairy tales, or putting faith in a practice that, although you know, intellectually, is of value, can still seem semi-unreal when you have so many more pressing issues and concerns right in front of you of a material nature.

It is worth pondering, and yet the most popular subject matter, by far, in our curriculum has to do with this very unseen reality and your building the fledgling connections through the stillness practice that can let you know undeniably, over time, that what your intellect has read or heard is true. While many like to use the word faith quite often, what they are actually referring to is belief. Belief is when you think something is true; faith is when you know something is true. And when you know the validity of the stillness practice, you will find yourself looking for any excuse to spend time alone with this Source of Reality.

While some of the avoidance may be due to various other factors, it is worth contemplating the extent to which your fear might be in the finding out that your beliefs are folly, or that "no one is home" at the other end of the line.

The purpose of the stillness practice is not primarily to gain conscious communication with a spiritual being, and yet, if you do consistently practice this you will become more conscious of The Spiritual Being. Rather is it your effort to spend time opening to this Source so that you may be able to find illumination as you contemplate the issues and problems of your life.

The structure that is built during the stillness time is largely unseen and yet the result will be undeniable. Our encouragement for you is to recognize that your efforts to build the structural foundation for your eternal platform of progression are quite worthwhile regardless of any particular conscious illumination you might feel.

Rest easy in knowing that our perspective is not as the stern overseers who see you as faithless souls, cowering from reality. We are quite cognizant of many factors which have created this sense of isolation and your species-wide distrust, born from ages and ages of manipulation and deceit. It is understandable that humans have an underlying suspicion. And yet, our efforts now are to begin to build bridges that lead you away from isolation, from "going it alone," to recognizing your part in the vast universal family.

I would encourage you to contemplate these thoughts this evening and then take a new or fresh approach to your quiet time. See it as though a person, out of shape, is seeing the treadmill, recognizing that the discipline and effort, if you can make it ahabit, will be worth the struggle. Between now and the next meeting, use your calendar as your friend. Make a mark each day that you choose to "exercise," so to speak. Give yourself an incentive. Believe me, the Father of All will not be offended that you need an incentive to come and visit, for like ourselves, He is quite cognizant of the benefit of creating patterns and habits—healthy habits. r we meet again, talk about your progress, where it worked, where it did not, and utilize each other as a support mechanism for creating techniques that help you better, attain your goals. Alcoholics have the support structure, and weight watchers, so it is quite appropriate that spiritual seekers also have the support structure to keep them on track. There is not weakness in sharing the struggles with one another; it is what the universal family is all about.

It has been my pleasure to be with you tonight. I am one who will remain nameless. Good evening.

[Group: Good evening.]

MINEARSIA (Nancy): I am Minearsia; I welcome interaction at this point in time. And if you are not inclined to interact now but desire time to reflect, then we enthusiastically look forward to interacting with you the next time we meet. Are there thoughts anyone would like to share tonight? Questions? Reactions?

Dialogue

Ken: I just wish to say thank you to the unnamed personality for that insight into stillness. Thank you.

MINEARSIA: Thank you Kenneth, your gratitude is noted and acknowledged.

Closing

Well then, my friends, the time has come to close this evening’s delightful session. I request that you close in your usual manner. We ask that whoever feels so moved provide the final closing. It has been my pleasure to be at your service tonight. I am Minearsia saying farewell, shalom. My love to you all.

LYNDA (Nancy):.Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the earth. I am Lynda.

Father, Brother, Mother, Spirit, God, Creator of all that is and ever will be, I offer you my gratitude for my experience in service to You. Blessed be these, Your students, for while they do not recognize it, they are peacemakers and they are the inheritance of this beautiful planet Urantia, Earth. I thank You for this opportunity to know them, to serve with them, and to be the guiding light. Send them forth with their flames fully lit, to seek You, to enjoy You. I ask this in the name of Michael, our Father, our Brother, our Creator Son.

Amen Amen.