2006-08-24-The Brotherhood of Man

Session

Opening

Gerdean: I'd like to start with a little prayer here. I always like to incorporate Christ Consciousness, so I invite Jesus to come into my presence/ our presence and lift me up from the routine existence into the realms of the superconsciousness so that I am closer to the morontia realms for which we reach and in which we learn our vital lessons. That's the playing field that makes the difference.

Jesus, come into our presence, if you will, and remain among us as we open ourselves to the good thoughts that you would have us think, the good feelings that you would have us feel, and the valuable concepts that you would have us incorporate as part of our consciousness so that we might know you better and know ourselves better, that we may be happier and be more of service in ways that make a difference.

Send the Teacher that is appropriate and teach us what you feel we would benefit from knowing or reviewing. Thank you, Jesus.

JESUS: I would have you know Our Father. I would have you know the fragment of Father that indwells you, for this is the most meaningful approach to life you can find. It will bring you the greatest challenges, the most sublime happiness. It is the alpha and omega of your existence.

I am happy to help you in your journey of understanding how to live your life, having had the experience of living the same mortal life as you when I sojourned on your world. We have many things in common, even though there remain unique differences. We are in many ways siblings in the Father's Family.

I would like for your Teacher this evening to spend some time with you discussing this relationship that you enjoy among each other as siblings in our grand Family, that which is known to you as "the brotherhood of man." I will remain here with you during the course of your session this evening as I am with you in all matters as you call upon me. Proceed.

Lesson

TOMAS: This is Tomas coming to you from the architectural sphere prepared for us of the Teacher Corps as we prepare to once again approach you and deal with those matters which assist you in acknowledging your connection to the greater universe, you in the family of universe citizens.

Not only are you fellows in the human sense of brotherhood, but in the galactic sense as well. And so what I speak to you about this evening can be taken to the nth degree, for what works for you in the brotherhood of man, works also for your extended family throughout the worlds of time and space.

But the nuts and bolts of your experience as fellows in this family of believers is the siblinghood of those of you who allow Our Father the pinnacle of devotion. In His spirit we all reside and under his counsel we thrive. Even the Divine Minister serves us all and you through the adjutant mind spirits.

The unique fact of fraternity in the material world sets you above the animal and gives you dominion over those realms as if you were stewards of the earth, which indeed you are and which we will help you be better at as you reconfigure your mind in alignment with divine wishes.

All of you have a frame of reference for family life and have in your prayer life spent quality time worshiping Our Father, understanding He provides all your needs. He sees you through your experiential ventures and rewards you with insights that allow His spirit to be brought to life in the lives of others, thus incorporating you in the creative process of revealing Himself to His children.

This superlative experience is too readily forgotten in the throes of your material existence. All too often the authority of men and nations supplant your intention to remain loyal to and in constant contact with your First Source. It is for this reason we tend to you as much as possible and will not allow you to graduate, for there is still much learning to do in this regard.

You are so young. You are such exuberant children, filled with excitement and joy at the prospects of what you can do with and in God's grace. If you were [literally] children you would be creating a tree house, floating a raft on the river, dressing your dolls, rocking the min the cradle, building houses and institutions for the life you know -- all the while romantically and dutifully following the ideals you have learned from your elders and that your own imagination allows.

Invariably, however, as you become wrapped up in the affairs of the material life, those pressures and those vagaries overpower your dreams, and your ideals, and while this can be discouraging and disconcerting, I remind you that while the spirit is a goal, the flesh is a fact, and it is indeed essential that you learn how to get along, to prevail with one another, to learn to communicate succinctly and clearly, without implication or innuendo, even defining your terms as necessary, and factoring in cultural differences, so that all the while you may cling to that tether of divinity that keeps you above the level of animal and that gets the job done in the spheres of morontia, as well as in the spheres of the material.

There is no difference between you and your fellows who are un-inaugurated except that as you incorporate the spirit, your perspective is extended, broadened and made greater, but the process and the practice of living the life and manifesting the brotherhood is something that must be done by you as humans in the world where you live.

Jesus advised this when he said his followers were [to be] in the world but not of it. When you become part of it, you follow its lead. When you are in it, without giving yourself over to it, you are able to follow Father's lead. Do not upbraid yourself if you are unable to hold onto that tether "24/7." The perfecting process is just that -- a process. And it has been written into your lives that you shall go through these growth processes as you have been taught about the seven psychic circles that allow for your growth on your level.

And there is no task more important to you, each of you, than that which is in front of your face -- that experience in which you find yourself now, that garden in which you have been planted -- for that is where the lessons are learned. And only as they are learned are you free to disengage experientially and up-step to the next level of lessons, even as you remain unaware of the passage from one level to the next. Even when you attain the first psychic circle and are able to communicate directly with your Adjuster, it will not be a constant, as long as your material existence is dependent on the material life.

Greetings [addressed to a latecomer]. We are discussing brotherhood. I will use this opportunity to extend that limited phrase to include sisters as well. In fact, it is frequently misunderstood that this family of believers is hardly a level of consciousness that is rightfully male dominated, for Jesus, again, taught that in the business of kingdom building, men and women are equal. And thus I address you equally with the words that are available to us and which, as you already know, have to be qualified because there are no words in existence to express that which we would say unless and until, of course, we teach you new words.

And so, siblings, brothers and sisters in the spirit, do your part to keep your conscious connection with divinity intact and active, especially when you are engaging with other individuals -- whether or not they are acknowledged siblings in the spirit, for the spirit will prevail even in the ways of the world if you give them a chance. Your words might be to the effect "you can be more effective with honey than vinegar." I don't mean to say that being sweet and nice is more effective than being straightforward or terse, but there are ways and means of endearing your fellows to you that enables them to relax in your presence and trust you more readily when you are more like they perceive themselves to be. It is an art to learn how to prevail with men, how to elicit the support of women, how to gather your resources together in order to be most efficient, effective, productive and thus joyous. And of course from that state, there is greater opportunity to give thanks and offer praise to the Origin of your energy and your joy -- that First Source of us all, Father of Life.

We teachers meet regularly to discuss you. We spend quite a bit of time, in fact, in meetings, in consultation, very likely similar to those days when the apostles of old met with Jesus around the campfire to discuss how to extend the kingdom into the world -- a world that was not universally endowed with God Fragments -- a challenging world indeed. You are in some respects most fortunate, for the Indwellers are there to assist you now. They are able to communicate clearly and freely with each other. If you could just remember, in your dealings with your peers and with those you would introduce to the Father, to direct your remarks to the Adjuster, to acknowledge the Adjuster, to allow that stimuli of acknowledgment to awaken the Adjuster, so that it has an opportunity to act, rather than, as in many cases, having to await the time when the mortal awakens from the flesh to acknowledge its existence, you would advance our work immeasurably.

I know you like to approach each other through the emotional field and the intellectual field and these are all well and good, but do not abandon the spiritual connection that exalts your relationships with one another from that of the ordinary mortal to those of superhuman men and women devoted to the cause of uplifting mankind through introducing them to the divine will within.

Once they have met Our Father, Our Father's options are His and He will prevail.

Dialogue

Question and Answer Period

I am reminded now of an invitation that was rendered to you many years ago by our Administrative Head at that time, Teacher Ham, who said to his audience, "How may I serve you?" [Pause] Are there questions?

Teacher Corps Administration

Q: Who is the current administrative head?

A: It is a teacher you are unaware of. Ham is on administrative leave; he will return. And the interim administrator is a visiting celestial from another venue, one who has experience in the ways of working with teachers and their students.

You might say, "Who could that be, since this is a unique situation with the teachers and students of this Teaching Mission?" but there are other opportunities for sons of God to gain administrative experience in these worlds of time and space besides the one you know of in this Teaching Mission. There are many worlds that naturally have spirit counsel; many worlds talk naturally and often and openly with their celestial helpers. And there are administrators who counsel these guides very much like the governor general counsels us and others in the administration of this System.

Gabriel is the name that comes to this consciousness but the Teacher is not Gabriel of Salvington. It is best sometimes to disregard names because they are prejudicial, but since you asked, I venture to say the visiting administrative head of the Teachers of the Teacher Corps is one Teacher Gabriel.

Architectural Spheres

Q: Thank you. You mentioned an architectural sphere. Is that nearby?

A: Yes, there are in fact many architectural spheres in the vicinity. We reside in one, we in the Teacher Corps. The midwayers have an architectural sphere. The sundry angels are given architectural spheres in which to operate. You who watch Star Trek should understand that there are different levels of reality that may or may not be visible to others that nonetheless exist.

The Father always provides housing for His helpers, His workers in the field, and it is appropriate to the needs of those who He sends forth. Thus you might say we have been provided with a dormitory or grounds where we can gather and consult when we are not engaged in overt contact with our students. From our architectural sphere it is possible to observe you on what you might call monitors.

We take our rest there and we also are visited by teachers and counselors there, for this work is unique and often trying. The circumstances of Urantia are unlike any other world, and it is necessary to have frequent consultations with those On High to make certain our counsel is in alignment with our mandates and their expectations. Remember, the universe is one great school. We are all learning; we are all teaching, and there are different fields of application at different points in our eternal career.

An Issue of Sovereignty

Tomas: I have a question here in front of me. (One moment) Student Tiajuan asks, "Could we have a suggestion from those concerned with the textual artifact of this Teaching Mission as to how we may best manage the tensions inherent in the need to coordinate personal editorializing with a professional presentation." [Long pause]

I am pondering my response, as you can well imagine. But I will forego my inclination to delve into the "politics" of your interpersonal relationships and the importance you place upon the transcripts of our discourse to, rather, focus on the essential question of "how we may best manage the tensions." This puts the question in the context of my lesson today, one of the Brotherhood, the Siblinghood.

I am reminded of your text that discusses the Urmian Schools. They were able to keep the peace because they allowed all takers, all players, all teachers, all participants, as long as they supported a religion that had a God. These schools were much larger than this Teaching Mission. The Urmian Schools were more like "the Greater Teaching Mission" that would include all of the avant-garde and new age investigations into spirit above and beyond that of the evolved religions, particularly the major religions. And that is a task that will be, no doubt, undertaken at some point, since you are so ambitious and challenged by the recent invention and popularity of internet communications and on-line publications.

The question is: How do we get along? How can we have in our midst that same respect which was required of the participants in the Urmian school in which many religions and their teachers taught philosophies and beliefs that may or may have had no bearing or resemblance on others, but they were accepted none-the-less as part of the forum because they honored God.

Today we are in a new dispensation, working with a new revelation, but the principles are essentially the same. If we respect one another's beliefs and allow them to have their beliefs, even honor their beliefs as something far better than no belief or no God at all, the Family is upheld and expanded - but only as one is not forced upon the other. It is when one's personal religion is set up as being superior to others that trouble occurs.

Sensitivity to this basic need of each believer to be acknowledged and respected for his or her own relationship with divinity is essential, even if it is seen by others as erroneous or ignorant. The problem arises when one presumes to know more than the other and/or when it presumes to assume authority over others.

This is an issue of sovereignty. As each individual and/or each group of believers, each sector or cluster of like-minded religionists convene and establish a communal belief that is their sacred right and obligation to uphold. As it differs is not the concern. The purity of their own worship is what their concern must be, and continued respect for those others who seek differently but also worship divinely.

This can only be done through mutual respect. Mutual respect can only come about as individuals respect themselves. Individuals only respect themselves when they have something within them that fosters self respect, and the greatest seed of genuine and liberating, lasting and powerful self respect is that which is found in the relationship between the mortal and their Adjuster. That is a loving relationship, and the power of love that emanates from such a bond is apparent to anyone. Such a love-saturated soul will readily garner the support of his fellows.

It is to this end that we apply ourselves, that you in your relationship with your adjuster may become so conscious of divinity, as an essential part of yourselves, that you begin to act godlike in all your affairs. And this godlikeness will spread as a benign virus into your realm of influence such that in time the entire community, even the world, will find itself in light and life.

And as for the question from Felix, I have not been there. I could not tell you how many worlds there are in those sectors of Havona, but I am certain that we will both find out much more of that after we have left the local universe and begun the ascent into the sectors and beyond, when mathematics and physics will play a far greater part in our ascension. Something to look forward to!

I feel I have dominated the evening and have not had a well-balanced repartee with you, my students. Help me engage with you. Are there further questions?

The Joy of Living

Q: Well, Teacher Tomas, I'm just over full of joy hearing from you, and the tenor and tone is really going to help to appeal to the Adjuster in others and contribute the stripes of joy that I'm feeling and sometimes I wonder if I am too much bursting with enthusiasm but I just love you all and I wonder if you have any specific directions for the next few days and weeks ahead in direction in how I should conduct things in life.

A: You are enjoying robust health -- physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Under no circumstances should you hide your light under a bushel. I realize that many people are intimidated by such exuberance, and distrustful of such a joyous countenance, but it is necessary that humans begin to realize that it is okay to be happy and that it is not necessary to have the biggest car, the fattest bank account, the sexiest woman, the handsomest man, etc., etc., etc., to be radiantly happy with life as it is.

It is altogether possible to enjoy sublime happiness with a regular job and an ordinary house in a common neighborhood, for there is nothing common about a home and being able to take care of oneself and one's family. There are so many things available to you to give joy that people tend to overlook. They become mesmerized by the latest craze or fashion or holiday or TV show and forget the joys of interaction and exercise among their peers.

Play is essential to a well-rounded personality, and yet it seems so many people have put away play as a childish thing. How unfortunate! Art, music, play, frivolity, even silliness are all excellent activities to help counterbalance the dreadful solemnity of some of the matters that you must contend with on this earth. A planet at war requires someone to stand up and express the good news of sonship, whether or not they use the words; it is the attitude that counts. Therefore when the affairs of the world beat about your head and shoulders, allow them to fall off like water from a duck's back and continue to hold your head up and claim your rightful heritage as a Son of God -- happy, joyous and free.

Q. Thank you, Teacher. It's great to b happy and not feel guilty about it.

A. Indeed. The other shoe has already dropped. Run barefoot in the park.

Sharing Your Inner Life With God

Q: Tomas, I'm just very, very grateful that you are with us this evening and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your incredible lessons through many years. I've had the benefit of reading transcripts on a weekly basis, thanks to Gerdean, and I've grown a great deal due to your teachings, and, again, I thank you from deep down inside.

And on that subject of fellowship, I'm going to have the benefit of gathering with other wonderful souls this weekend to have a belated celebration of Jesus' birthday and each of us are going to bring an excerpt or a paragraph or so from the Urantia Book that caused us each to have an experience, a personal experience of truth, and share it to the group so that each can see through that other person's eyes their perception and experience of the Father.

And something that I read recently in a transcript, maybe from ten years ago of your teaching, that I want to share with the group that has moved me -- because I have a tendency to maybe be a little bit too transcendental in my devotion to God and have it be a silent matter, but what I read in your transcript is another technique for coming closer to the Father is to speak to Him out loud, in conversation if you will, and ask for help and be vocal about it and in that beginning to refine the connection. And I want to speak of that to the group and share it in the context of Jesus life here on hearth and find an excerpt in the UB how he did the same, and so anything you can add to that or share more, I would appreciate.

A. Thank you, my friend, for your kind remarks regarding my teachings of these many years. It is a pleasure for me as a teacher to hear feedback from my students, whether in my immediate environment or from afar through these transcripts and broadcasts. But as to your query, I would add that you might encounter the reluctance of those to talk aloud to God, as if they were only talking to their alter ego, and negating the practice as less mature, perhaps, than those who worship more formally or who pray "in their closet" as a private matter.

But I would encourage you to remind them that one must begin somewhere in this dialog with God and that keeping company with something greater than yourself, something outside your self in terms of consciousness (for many people cannot discern the difference between their own thinking and that which might be Adjuster input). And so these dialogs that I have engaged in and that Jesus has engaged in are a way of stepping outside the self sufficiently to hear another aspect of the mind respond -- as if you were to say "allowing the mind of Christ to intercede" to help uplift your thoughts from your troubled perspective to one which provides some sense and solace, and so that you are not alone in a soliloquy but are, in fact, sharing your inner life with God.

Sharing your inner life with God in such a way then makes it so much easier to simply extend that God-consciousness into the Adjusters of those around you. And as you accustom yourself to speaking aloud to God, allow yourself to speak aloud to God that indwells your peers, as well. In this way it is not such a reach. You see?

I hope you enjoy your gathering with your peers. I am sure you will, for every one of these Jesus birthday party celebrations are an opportunity to remind the participants of the presence of a Creator Son on our world, eventually and gradually, as this fact sinks in and their spiritual life enlarges to see themselves as walking a similar path toward finding themselves engaged in becoming more and more aware of the soul self they are becoming and will be throughout eternity … has repercussions -- social and spiritual repercussions that help advance the planet, similar to those who walk around in joyous exuberance invites the world to be of good cheer.

I see that we are extending ourselves beyond an hour of your time and there are those who feel we can only absorb so much in one sitting, and so I will let you go for this evening, and before I go I want to acknowledge once more what a privilege it has been for me and continues to be to serve in this Teacher Corps. I recognize that there are others who serve on this world and in many other capacities, but my appreciation for the experience I am having as a teacher at this phase of your unfolding in the reclamation of this world to join it with the greater universe, the greater family of sons and daughters of the living God, makes me proud indeed.

Closing

I hope you can take the same pride in your inner life and your relationship with your beliefs and your trusted peers, for there is no satisfaction quite like having the experience of fraternity in the spirit. And on that note, I will bid you a very loving farewell.