2008-01-20-Let It Be

Session

Opening

Music: Men-O-Pah on Piano, singing "Listen to Your Children Praying"

MERIUM: Send us power, send us grace, and send us Merium! Hi, my friends. This is Merium, your teacher, baby-sitter and friend, glad to be with you again today and glad to back in this cozy room with your timepieces and references to the mortal life. What an historic place you run here. I don't want to say museum, or mausoleum, but it's filled with memories. Just walking in this house is walking into a dimension that bespeaks history.

Some of these things you have -- pictures and furnishings -- have the mark of time well etched within them, decades of human experience, miles of earthly travel. And it is a comfort to the human to be embraced by such familiar things. I remember. And sometimes I only remember because I come here and see how you live, for I forget. In the realm where I live now I am not surrounded by these kinds of replicas and representations of human history and creature comfort.

Well, not that I came to talk about "things" or history, but I did want to acknowledge the environment and how humanly secure it feels in your home and what an honorarium it is to the human condition. I haven't had a chance to visit with you in this kind of construct with some while, and would like to reacquaint myself with you since we have this opportunity today with a small group and such charming intimacy.

And since the trend never did take off that you share your spirit adventures currently underway in your meetings, I will invite you to participate that way now. I will call for a volunteer rather than just going around the room, but I would like to hear from you as far as your personal spiritual contemplation at this point in your life, even at this point in your week since the spirit is alive and well and is adaptable. People come and go in your lives that call upon you to have different strengths and different focuses at different times. Who is the first to run out and tell me what spiritual story, to share with the class?

Reneau: Well, I guess I'll go. I always remember the admonitions that for years now has always been "fear not" and so I just take that to heart and I know that no matter what happens, where we go in the world around us, "fear not" because we are always safe, we are always protected, we are always watched over, and those little anxieties we have are … really should be very fleeting. So I recently quit my day job. With full faith and confidence, I step off into the void, knowing whatever happens I will be perfectly fine and okay out there and there will be another job waiting for me and whatever it is, my angels are watching out for me, hopefully guiding me and nudging me where I should go.

And also, on that note, it has given me more time in the mornings and in the evenings to do my stillness and I'm making a point of it now to spend that time, whereas before you always think that you don’t have time. So I'm working on that and what else can I say?

I heard a radio program this morning that was rather disturbing, but at the end the commentator said that when you come from a place instead of fear, that things really work out better, and things will be fine. Fear not. No matter what kind of doom and gloom things may be prophesized out there, rising waters, etc., "fear not." Keep love in your heart for your fellow beings and, like you say, when the children of God raise up their prayers, I know you guys are watching out for us.

MERIUM: What was disturbing about that?

Reneau: The radio program? The fellow talking was making some predictions that he was getting advice from "extra-terrestrials" and about how California is going to go falling off into the ocean and be under the water and those kinds of things, and there will be war in the United States and the population of the world will be decimated and that kind of thing. You know, doom and gloom. And to change everything into gold or silver.

And I was thinking today on the way down here, I remember back in the early 80s when everybody was talking about survivor groups and putting, you know, three years worth of stuff in your garage and guns and none of that ever came to pass. None of that ever came to pass. And people wanting to convert money into gold and that kind of stuff. So I have full faith and confidence that things will work out and be okay and we'll be here tomorrow and we are watched over and protected.

MERIUM: Well, you have had some interesting contemplation and some interesting unfolding in your life, having made some interesting choices. What else is going on? Who else would like to share?

Men-O-Pah: Our Assistant Pastor preached the sermon this morning and she's just a newly ordained minister and she's been to one of our meeting. M.L. She came at Elena's request probably two years ago. Anyway, she mentioned that along the way she'd had some conversations with a friend who is a Buddhist and that they had some very interesting conversations and that at times she became very angry because she didn't agree with what he said. "But," she said, "I didn't leave the room." And she said that would be a pre-requisite to getting along and trying to understand the many spiritual things that come at you. All sorts of things, but you may not leave the room simply because it doesn't think what you think it should or not agreeing with you. I thought that was an excellent point.

And for you, Reneau, there was this line from the scripture this morning of "Perfect love casts out fear." And I know that the doors will swing open for you. There were those lines, you know, from the old song "I won't be afraid because you're with me."

Oh! And my son has been here … last week … and we had a good time together. Had a meal together with my son and daughter and myself and Paula … most enjoyable. I haven't seen him in about three years. He lives very near Indianapolis, actually north of the city.

MERIUM: And do you have relationship with him in terms of father/son relationship that parallels yours with the Father in heaven?

Men-O-Pah: I would say we do. He still goes to church. We're very close. We are. He has been a good son. He's actually made a contribution to society, not part of the problem. And my daughter is also. Really she is more so. She is a psychologist and her employer is the Albuquerque Mission for the Homeless. She's the Psychological Director of that organization and I tell you she sees some hard wrenching cases. She was such a tender-hearted little girl, I don't know how she's managed to toughen herself to deal with some of the problems she has to deal with, but she has. I'm very proud of her.

MERIUM: And I am sure the Father is very proud of you. And what of these other two girls here?

Paula: Well, I have three children and I am proud of all three of them. They have really worked hard. Of course, my youngest -- she had the injury to her back, and will have to always have that, you know, assisted living thing. She has to push it in front of her and when she gets tired she has to sit down in it, but she manages to work at the museum. She's a volunteer. She does that and loves it, and works with her church group and so forth, and she manages beautifully, and she is the reason that I came out here in the first place!

I've watched my children, and they've come through it, each one of the three has had problems in their lives but they've each come through it and I can say I am proud of them because they've handled it pretty well. And now everybody is pretty much, you know, floating along and managing. Nobody's rich and never will be, but they have good families and I'm proud of that, so I must've done something right when I was bringing them up.

MERIUM: And what about you, Gerdean? What would you like to share with the group as to what you have been dealing with recently in your spirit life?

Gerdean: Well, I have been dealing with trust issues and distrust issues, and have engaged in a lot of discussions with people and the Teachers about trust, trusting ourself, trusting the universe, trusting the Father, trusting providence, trusting our peers, and have a better understanding of what is trustworthy and what may not be for various and sundry reasons and last night I was with a group of people who were engaging in a bit of a ceremonial sacrifice of negative things they wanted to get rid of and so, due to my pondering of late on trust and distrust and trustworthiness and so forth, decided that I don't necessarily want to get rid of distrust, because there are still some things that I don't trust, that I cannot leave to providence. Now whether that's my reluctance to 'Let Go and Let God' or if that's just plain good horse sense, I haven't decided yet -- which is why I am not going to ask to let go of distrust completely, but I am asking to let go of suspicion. I don't want to go walking around approaching every situation in life with suspicion, like "Is this person going to betray me?" "Is this situation going to bite me in the butt?" So I am aware that the suspicious nature can be a handicap to faith and progress, so I've been working on that kind of an issue, for me personally.

Otherwise, socially, I've been having a wonderful week, very productive, very filled with friends and family and good life, generally having a great deal of gratitude and joy. But there is always something to work on, and so that's what I've been working on lately. Thanks for asking.

Lesson

MERIUM: And thank you all for sharing a part of yourself, for that gives me greater breadth of appreciation for the things you bring with you when you come to our sessions. Those things which are bearing upon you, that you may seek reassurance about or insight into. The fact, as I mentioned before, about walking into this environment, or entering into this environment, and discerning the real qualities of historicity and material value is made evident by your sharing, Men-O-Pah and Paula, for your discussions are very much focused on your children and their contribution to society and to your church.

You are exemplary when it comes to those kinds of people who represent the civilization that "God-fearing" people generate and cultivate, the maintenance of civilization being the accomplishments of the homes such as we see and know here through you, the home, the church, family, ministry, service, institutions such as the libraries and the missions that contribute to the value of humanity.

And while we have this tremendous stability, we have exemplified in Reneau and Gerdean here, in their sharing, the tendency toward provocation and aspiration to yet other and possibly greater adventures and insights in those dimensions that lie just above or just below the human consciousness.

The fact that Reneau would feel confident enough to quit her day job in full faith that she would be covered and would find her way into a new situation, is an act of faith indeed, one which is not surprising in youth but would be a concern for those in their productive years. And yet here we have a full grown woman with obligations, setting sail for new horizons in confidence of a successful journey. And this may come from the fact of faith or it may come from the fact of experience that being in the arena for as long as she been in the arena, she knows where her value lies and that it will not be laid to waste. Someone will take advantage of her.

And so you have the confidence of your experience, not simply blind faith but faith based on experiential wisdom. I would not recommend everybody just go out and quit their day job in hope that tomorrow would be fine, for while that may be true, or may not be, there are always those opportunities for learning big lessons. In your case, I commend your choice and trust that all will be well.

I am a little concerned about your choice in entertainment, but it is not uncommon these days for people to talk about doom and gloom. If it's not one kind of doom and gloom, it's another. And you are right, the cycles are such that every now and then a scare will run through the heart of humanity that will give rise to new methods of survival mechanisms. It wasn't long ago there was the bomb shelter, and some time after that there was the Mother Earth News era, and again we have global warning and climate changes. These are natural and periodic outbursts of the human consciousness that keep you involved in your evolution. As these concerns come to the fore, there are those who create business around them and movies and all sorts of things to engage you and advance your world.

Sometimes, remember, fear is a great motivator! And when the human race gets too complacent, too much of a "couch potato," too fat and sassy to do much toward real progress, a scare will alert them to the possibility that it could happen to them and thus they begin to think and invent new ways around those things that scare them. And so they contribute to advancement of civilization whether they wanted to or not. Fear is a great motivator. It is particularly a great motivator for those who choose not to think in advance. But for those who choose to think in advance, and dream and hope, there are problems and solutions already in the hopper, already in the making. And without much of the concern and anxiety from those who wait.

You know how it is. There's that thing about those who make things happen, those who watch what happen and people who wonder what happened. Those who are not paying attention now will be alerted through fear or will sleep through the whole thing and wake up … or not. I end that sentence on that somewhat direful note, because it is, in the end, necessary for you to make choices. It's all very well and good to act on faith, but it is also necessary that you manifest a certain amount of responsibility in your own development. You need to cultivate your soul, just as you need to pay the electric bill. These are part of the obligations of maintenance, not only maintenance of civilization but maintenance of a spiritual condition.

Getting around to maintenance, let's see, Gerdean was doing some housecleaning, polishing some of her lumps of coal, attempting to press them into diamonds, perhaps prematurely. It does take time for these gems to manifest. Some of you are in such a hurry to be perfect and reflect perfection in all you do, you make it more difficult for yourselves. This is where it is said you take yourselves too seriously. And where does one find the balance, then, between taking oneself too seriously and not serious enough.

Well, there's the rub.

Perhaps this relates to M.L.'s sermon about how other religionists impact on each other. It is one method of coping to simply get up and leave the room. But that does not change the fact that others do think and act differently from you, and there is always the concern that they may be gaining on you, and since there is might in numbers, it is a concern to the forerunners of civilization to notice the trends and attempt to steer and gear accordingly. Rather than objecting to those who are trying to manipulate destiny, find those of like mind with whom you can work shoulder to shoulder and Heave Ho in the direction you would like to see the family of man advance. Rather than lingering in the fear of disaster, know that there will be disasters and work in advance to thwart the negative effects. Knowing that there are untrustworthy individuals, proceed in faith of those you can trust, and work with those people shoulder to shoulder, to move mountains. And again, advance not only spirit reality but civilization as a matter of course.

The thing is, all these efforts are an essential part of the unfolding of the Father's will. Sometimes the striving you undertake seems wasteful, especially when you discover you have been barking up the wrong tree or rolling the rock up the wrong hill, but the point is you have made an effort. You have been striving. Just because it was not what was best suited, does not mean your efforts don't count.

I am sure those of you who have children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, are able to observe the tremendous effort that the little ones invest in their task at hand. Perhaps it's building a tent out of blankets in the living room. Perhaps it's building a cave out of boards in the back yard. Neither of these structures are going to endure. They are likely not going to last until next week, even if they are allowed to stand because they will blow away at the first gust of wind, and yet the striving to build them is what was important, for they applied themselves. They gave it some thought. They put some energy into it.

They had to talk about what they were doing. Even if it were only to accuse the other of doing it the dumb way or commending another as being the leader and knowing what to do and asking that person all the questions as to how to proceed, or determining if there would be a kitchen, and will there be a bathroom, and will we hang curtains.

All of these elements of play, whether they are in little children or big children, are the elements that go into the striving. And that is an essential part of progress, for when there is no cooperation, no co-creation, no co-creative effort, it is none too fruitful. And still, even with the individual, the individual's striving, such as Gerdean's striving to give up suspicion, or Reneau's striving to give up fear for her future without a job. These concerns, though personal, are part of the integrity of the individual, part of the striving to grow in faith and in value. It's the striving that matters.

Try to see those people, place, things, movements, organizations, political parties, religions that are different from you as strivings that may be of permanent value and may not be. They may all be simply representations of dream and, like dreams vanish in the light of day, they too will vanish on the morrow. But it is having that dream, that goal, that ideal, that idea and striving toward it that represents life itself -- flawed perhaps, valiant perhaps, silly perhaps, somber perhaps, but viable simply for its being. Let it be. Let it be.

What's on your mind as far as questions are concerned? Or concerns? Any? Let's take a three-minute recess and touch base with your conscious mind and see if anything comes to the surface. If not, I'll sign off, but let's take that moment to ascertain our direction.

• [Recess]

Closing

Well, I can see that you have matters well in hand and you are revved up and ready to go now into some invigorating discussions, as you have had in this extended three-minute recess. Let me not keep you then from you enjoyment of this wondrous day and your fellowshipping as you break bread and sup with one another as the Master commended, to gather together in remembrance of him and take in food for the body and food for the soul. It has been my pleasure to participate in this process with you and we delight in your company. See you next time. Bye-bye.