Growth

Spiritual growth is one of the most - if not the most - important subjects of each ascendent mortal's educational process from birth through eternity, certainly extending far beyond even that glorious moment when you shall behold the Father in Paradise. You shall never stop growing spiritually as long as you continue to exist, and indeed with each fragment of time that adds to your personal existence, you become ever more proficient at the process of spiritual growth and attainment. This is an inevitable result of experiencing the universe as an active participant, engaging in freewill decision making, expending effort - and indeed much, much effort shall be expended, my friends - worship, prayer, interaction with all of the father's creatures near and far. All these activities and many, many more beyond reckoning are integral, essential components of each of your individual missions - which is your own spiritual growth and development.

For some ascending mortals this begins at a very early stage to blossom into a more enhanced and aware
process, even while on the planet of origin - or shall I say in your physical form and presence. You have worked - each of you - very diligently, have striven to embrace the Father's will and have appropriately engaged in worship behavior, and therefore you have earned your present level of development. Others who are less wanting of spiritual growth progress more slowly. This is not to belittle them but rather offers some perspective and an answer to the unasked question of why there is not more evidence of advancement among your peers.

You see, my friends, so much - so very much - is tied up in your own freewill decisions. The Father gladly offers you the whole universe and all that is within creation, but you must wish to have it and must work and work very hard in order to experience the delight and wonder that awaits. Do not think that once you pass from your life in the flesh that things will necessarily become easier. I do not say this to disappoint you, my friends, but again to help you to gain some necessary and appropriate perspective. Mortals in particular, especially while living in the flesh, desire comfort and ease of living. And this desire has led many toward sin and iniquity, and has led others to delay their own spiritual growth. It is indeed true in your mortal existence and beyond that you never receive anything for nothing. Now and forever that shall be true.

The Father has not set up a system of rewards and punishments as you understand it. Rather you are rewarded - to use a poor word, but it will suffice for now - you are rewarded for your effort, your striving, your earnest wish to do the Father's will by personal growth and spirit advancement now and beyond this life, at all of the levels of your ascendent great careers and far beyond the Paradise visitation that will certainly come on one blessed day for each and all of you.

The only real punishment that occurs is the delay of your growth, or - in extreme and rare cases - the cessation of existence, but this is indeed rare. It is unfortunate that the notion of punishment has been used in existing and extinct religious forms. Nonetheless it has.

As you progress with your own personal individual growth, the nature of your service mission during your life now and beyond - will become clearer. It is unlikely that you shall awaken one morning and perceive this mission in its entirety with all details in place, which may be a disappointment to some. Instead, your perception will increase as grains of sand added to a small mound then becomes a hill and then a mountain. The accrual of knowledge in this respect may seem unbearably slow for you, my friends, but on the cosmic scale it is really quite rapid.

You must bear in mind that with each bit of growth that you achieve there are responsibilities, new responsibilities, incumbent upon you. Not only do you not achieve growth for free, in the sense of needing to expend effort, but your step forward brings you more work, more responsibilities, a greater requirement for service. Embrace this as it occurs and you will be much gratified, for doing so is a form of worship and brings you ever closer to the Father. And a sense of increasing inner peace will ensue, and the trials and tribulations of your physical existence will diminish accordingly.

Be not afraid! There is nothing to fear in this wonderful creation we have been given. Whether you progress rapidly or slowly is of no great concern - it doesn't matter that much. Spiritual growth is not a contest. God does not give blue ribbons, gold medals, plaques, for fast achievers and humiliation for slow achievers. There is no place in the great scheme for this sort of thing, and in fact, the difference in velocity of progress, if you wish to look at it that way, is so small that it is barely perceptible at the higher levels.

Once you leave the mansion world existence your perception of time will be greatly altered. You will not experience creation in terms of days, minutes, and seconds. There is a much different method of time reckoning at that level. And of course, by the time you reach that, your growth and your ability to learn spiritually will have matured to such a level that you will need these greater expanses of time for your activities. That is, your growth becomes greater and greater. It does not reach a certain level and then slow down and stop as you now understand the growth process. Rather, as you advance spiritually and grow to understand more and more the universe and the Father's plan, you become better and better able to guide your own growth, more facile in growing, and possessed of greater ability to grow. You will be able to expend much greater effort in this direction, and then you will be most gratified. But it will not be easy.

This is not a creation of lying around and taking it easy. We all work very very hard, to the limit of our capacity. Not to say that we are slaves, for we work of our own free will and in loving service, though we work - indeed we work. So, the idea of a heaven where the lucky lounge about on a cloud doing as they wish mostly nothing - is absurd. And indeed, if that were the case it would be extremely irresponsible of advanced creatures who had achieved survival status to loll about in such a way.

Fear not, there will plenty to keep you busy and it will be fascinating, always interesting. None of us in this room, mortal or beyond, will have a dull moment in the service of the Father. What does this mean to you, each of you, personally, individually? And what does it mean for your group? You may look at our mission as a flower which has been carefully nurtured which has grown to maturity, and is in the process of blooming. And soon the petals will fall and the seeds will be dispersed by the wind.

This does not mean drastically changing your life, nor does it mean selling books, appearing through mass communication forms, and proselytizing. Rather, it means you will - if you wish - become increasingly adept at imitating the life behavior of our master, Michael, while incarnated on this planet as Jesus of Nazareth. Of course you will not be crucified, but you will become better able to exemplify the art of living. And this, my friends, will have a very profound effect among your associates and even the most casual of acquaintances. You see there is no being on this world that can fail to detect, consciously or unconsciously, the glow that you will emanate and this will become increasingly strong as you work and progress.

It will not always be easy. But it will be, as I was saying, most gratifying. And it is likely that you will prosper materially - not as a reward from the Father, but as an inevitable result of spiritual consonance as opposed to spiritual dissolutes among your fellows. You will be the seeds of a new world, a new era for this planet which has had such difficulties.

Those whom you influence will, in return, be motivated to seek spiritual growth themselves, and so on. And this will spread rapidly. It will be wonderful to observe. In fact, it has already happened and we are pleased. I therefore commend you all and encourage you to continue your efforts. Seek your inner voice. It is there, always. Trust that feeling that you have that guides you. And the blessings of the Father and all of His faithful servants shall go with you. This is the conclusion of this lesson. I will be happy to accept questions.

R = Rayson the teacher, S = students

Question: I'm a little bit confused as to what you mean by our being seed, specifically, in this mission, and its nature and direction, or more or less specific spiritual goals? For example, I find that there are at least three arenas in which I am in contact with many people, and perform different roles. In a leadership position there is a natural flow of people who seek counsel, advice, and information from me. I am noticing lately that there have been more opportunities to talk about spiritual issues, points - God even - in situations where I would not normally have brought it up. Is that the kind of thing? I've been feeling more at ease in doing that, and also a bit of a pull to do that. Is that what you are talking about?

Answer: Yes, yes. Your question is a very good one. You are sought for spiritual information because your own level of spiritual growth is perceived by others. And by all means proceed. Be discreet and protect yourself, of course. But you have done very well and will continue to do so. Your individual mission is inextricably intertwined with the mission of restoring the spiritual balance on this planet now that the universe circuits have been reopened and the planetary government restored. You might say that you have had the luck to be born at the right time.

Of course, once you pass from this physical life there will be others who take your place in terms of planetary spiritual development. However your own personal mission and personal spiritual growth will be enhanced and much - very much - influenced by your role here, first as student and seeker, developing into teacher.

Question: I would like to see if I understand parts of today's lesson correctly. You were talking about
punishment, the doctrine or theory of punishment, and you said that it was rather unfortunate. Is it more
accurate to say that it is the natural consequences of breaking spiritual laws instead of punishment? Can
we look at it that way?

R:  Could you elaborate?

S: When we sin we merely - as I see it - break a spiritual law. And the results - instead of being a punishment for sin - are really the spiritual consequences of doing whatever it was that we did. Is that a better way to understand it?

A: Yes. Yes. You put it very well. There is an established harmony in all of Father's creation. Sin, iniquity, break that harmony. It is like trying to swim against a river. It is much, much easier, and more productive, to go with the river than to swim against it.

But mortals are created imperfect and therefore have great difficulty with naturally following the flow of the universe. There are very strong animal urges such as the one I alluded to earlier, the desire for comfort and ease. Look at the lower animals. You will observe that they spend much of their time sleeping. When they are not seeking food or procreating they generally sleep. This is the way of all animals, and it is a very strong urge in man as well, and of will creatures of animal origin on other planets as well. It has taken many millennia for man to accept the work ethic, let alone embrace it, and even now as you are well aware there are many who spurn that work ethic to their detriment and, of course, to the detriment of the planet. A very important part of the work assigned to the first Planetary Prince and the first Adam and Eve of any planet is the teaching of work to the will creatures of that planet. And it is done through a system of rewards.

It is interesting that you bring up the topic of punishment. It is the higher way not to punish for misdeeds but rather to withhold rewards. To do so helps the spirit to grow from experience more than out and out punishment. However, where there are animals involved, punishment inevitably becomes necessary in order to maintain civil order so that work can be done. As your world continues to progress as a planet
spiritually you will see less need to invoke corporal punishment, but that day is not here yet. Indeed, it is
far off.

Lucifer erred greatly, and part of his doctrine was the idea that the desire to work would evolve of its own volition if will creatures of animal origin were given their own hand. This, of course, is faulty, and has led to much suffering and has retarded progress greatly on this and other planets involved in the rebellion. But that is behind us now. Lucifer did not recant despite the abundant evidence that he was incorrect. The basic notion that one will get something for nothing has been proven again and again to be incorrect.

Question: It seems to me that when I'm trying to reach the stillness - and most of the evenings I make
the effort - that I am still not able to communicate with either you or my Thought Adjuster, but during
the day time when I'm working on the editing of the papers which I hope we will call “Rayson and
Friends” that I seem to be guided by you and by my Thought Adjuster in my selection of concepts and in
editing. Is that correct?

Answer: Yes, we are there helping you when you ask. 

Today's lesson is on education and spiritual growth. This is an interesting topic in many ways. As you may have guessed, a very important part of this teaching mission is, as its title says, education. The way that we understand education varies somewhat from the concept as grasped in the material life. There is the presentation of a novel concept to the student. And the act of presenting the concept requires not only diligent effort on the part of the teacher but also the spiritual ingredient of love for the student and the sincere desire to impart that which has been gained through effort, that is, information. Without these two elements, as well as a third element, namely the sincere receptivity of the student, himself or herself, and the student's reciprocal love of knowledge and search for truth, then no real learning will occur.

This is like a chemical reaction you may say. And, in fact, physical and electrical forces are very much involved in the education process. There is actual exchange of energy between the teacher and the student when true learning occurs. I am sure that everyone here has sensed that at one time or another during your lives. Think back, and remember the occasion when you acquired knowledge - and the teacher - and the occasion was marked by that different feeling within; not just a pedagogic exercise, but not so different from a dance in which both partners must coordinate their efforts and actions in order to achieve a successful result. There is nothing passive about education, about the learning process, and it may well prove to be the most difficult work that you perform for much of the first part of your eternal career.

Additionally, part of the mission for each and every will creature created by the Father is to continue learning for the full period of your existence. Father has placed in all creatures abilities that are geared to
assist in learning. And the act of learning can most definitely be placed in the category of “miracle.” Like the secret of life, the secret of learning is unfathomable to the mortal mind. And like life, the mortal is able to perpetuate learning. And the analogy extends further for - as you are aware - many mortals believe they are responsible for life, and they are responsible for learning - lacking humility - in ignorance and denial of truth.

As you grow in your ability to worship through your efforts, you will find that your capacity to learn is enhanced - yet another beneficial result of spirit growth - not a reward as you understand rewards, but more a result of following Father's plan rather than resisting. There has been talk in some of our recent lessons about Caligastia. And it is interesting to note here that the moment Caligastia received the idea of rebellion during communication with Lucifer was the moment at which his ability to learn ceased, and his ability to worship. And it could be said that he started to die at that moment, truly die, not a material death, but the profound death of the spirit. This can happen to mortal beings, of course. It is rare, but these are the ones who elect non-survival.

You are given all of the perceptual qualities that your particular brain is able to accommodate to assist you in learning in the mortal form that you now assume. Your capacity to see, hear, feel, taste, smell, are major tenants of your perceptual cognition. And there are a great many sub-categories that are also very useful. The entire human brain participates in learning, although this may not yet be recognized by your scholars. And in fact the entire body also participates, but not with exactly the intensity that the brain does.

How is education and learning different among will creatures compared to those who lack free will?

Because of the capacity to make free will decisions, an extremely important dimension in processing information belongs to the will creatures. Without this added sense - for it is a sense as your vision is - a
being is unable to learn sufficiently to achieve the requisite spiritual growth needed for survival. So you see, that is why the appearance of creatures capable of freewill decision making is such a critical event on a planet. A critical and wondrous and miraculous event indeed. When you pass from this life and move on to the next level, the joy that you have now, from such experiences as procreation, will be imparted through learning and through worship and through assisting Father and His loving servants in creating that which is. Your memories of joy will most definitely be preserved as this emotion is really important in spirit growth.

Since you are of animal origin and nothing is wasted, those strong feelings that are beneficial to animal survival - procreation, hunger and seeking of food, the desire to rest the body, aggression in the face of danger - once free will arrives, it becomes possible for the possessor of free will to channel these strong animal emotions into the service of the spirit most constructively. For each of you here doing that, channelling these emotions into your own personal spiritual growth is a part - an important part - of your own personal mission here. Many of the components of these lessons are aimed at teaching you how to achieve this end. We know that this is very difficult.

Do not have remorse for your animal behaviors. Remorse is not very useful in service of Father. If you regret some of your actions, reflect on them and learn a way to - in future - direct such emotions and energy toward your own personal spiritual growth. Review these simple lessons that have been presented and the most excellent presentations provided in your Urantia Book which go into great detail in this matter. Think of The Urantia Book as your textbook for learning in conjunction with this teaching mission. In this way you will aid in your receptivity of spirit teaching.

Now that the universe circuits are open, fully open, it is possible for each of you to tap into the transmissions, albeit less than a fully conscious level. You can do so through worship, through acts of loving service - not servitude, but service - through your own earnest desire to grow, to improve yourself and those about you, and through sharing in discreet ways that which you have gained with others. Not your material acquisitions. But those which are spiritual. When you do this you complete the final part of education and learning, which is that the student shall always become teacher. The true test of learning resides in this act.

There is no teaching without somewhere in the being a love for the Father, even though it may not be
acknowledged. That is teaching as we understand it as will creatures. And this is also required for true learning. Every step that you take in your spiritual growth career you shall be receiving from those who are one step beyond you and you shall be giving to those who are one step behind you.

R = Rayson the teacher, S = students.

S: I have two statements that are related to the lesson but not related to each other. My first comment is that The Urantia Book says that the universe is one vast school. That thought is quite appropriate to underline your session.

R: Yes, very much.

S: The second comment: I found it amazing, even astounding, that Caligastia lost the only two spiritual qualities or components that make the difference between animals and humans in this lifetime. He lost the sixth and seventh adjutant mind-spirits, the equivalent of wisdom and worship. I know the adjutant mind-spirits do not work beyond the animal level, but I think it is fascinating that the spiritual equivalent of these two adjutant mind-spirits are what he lost. So he then became a spiritual animal for all practical purposes. Is that correct?

R: Yes. That is most astute. That is what happened, and this is an illustration of the true extent of Father's - of what Father will allow His creatures to do. 

Question: Is it normal for us to have periods of forward growth in our spiritual growth? There is an old saying: one step forward, two steps back. Is it normal for us to have periods of regression or that seem like regression? And are they really regressive? Is it possible that we come out of those black periods with more resolve, better understanding? Or are we just starting over again?

Answer: Well, remember again that spiritually only the positive is perceived, so it is most likely that what you personally experience is not regression, but rather stasis. That is, the forward progress you make may slow or even halt for periods. It is unlikely that anybody in this room today has actually regressed in their spiritual growth, because a true spiritual regression requires iniquitous decision making, and none of you have done that. But as I said earlier, at the spiritual level - and this will be far more apparent to you once you pass from the material life - it is the sense of awe and wonder that one gains from forward motion in the terms of spiritual growth that is such a strong incentive for beings to journey Paradise-ward. And a slowing or a delay in that journey in not necessarily painful, nor is it regressive, but the wonder and awe stop. And the cessation of the wonder and awe just is not a desirable state to be in.

You are probably experiencing that yourself. Do not be so harsh with yourself. Accept the fact that you are not created perfect and that you are very much feeling your way in your spiritual growth on this planet that has had so much misfortune. You are not in conscious contact with the universe circuits, as are beings on other planets. Rather, your guide is your own faith, and that is far more difficult to follow, far more difficult.

And you have done very well, and will continue to do so. Think about the factor of faith, and remember that Father punishes no one for a stuttering journey. In fact, He does not even punish those who decline to take the journey. The only spiritual punishment that exists in the universe is the lack of spiritual perception, or eventually, the state of non-being. But this is a choice. You have not made that choice. None of you has made that choice.

Do not let the fear of pagan religions and of your own animal heritage seep into your spiritual journey. There will be no punishment. You all know that deep inside. Think of it during the static periods. Even the best need to rest from time to time. 

R: Remember again, my friends, that spirit growth in man does not occur by virtue of outside influence, material outside influence. It cannot be forced, persuaded, bought or arranged in any way by another being. It is, and always shall be, a matter of an individual decision to accept and work with the indwelling Thought Adjuster.

There is every example imaginable of this happening in the face of love, kindness, terrible cruelty and torture, enormous handicap and great wealth. There is no easy formula that you can follow to influence your fellows. You must lead your own personal life as you, in contact with your Adjuster and your own sense of universe message, deem appropriate. You are responsible for yourself while on this planet, and by conducting yourself as Jesus did you will be doing the most that you can do to positively affect this planet and your fellow beings.

I know that this is hard for you as it was for me. One asks, “But is there not more that I can do? Please, please tell me where can I spread my wealth? How can I spend my time? Who can I speak to? What can
I do? It must be more complicated than that.” Well, the material acts of giving, speaking, doing, while well-intentioned are not the way to influence spirit growth and actually are far easier than working on one's self. As you endeavor to lead your life truthfully, kindly, with loving and goodness, your example will be observed by one and all, and your light will be perceived at least by the Thought Adjuster of others, if not by their conscious minds, and there will be a deep awareness of your goodness and your courage and faith. It requires great patience to persevere in this way. Have faith.

But consider the lighthouse. It does not go to ships, swim across waves. It faithfully turns. And as the lighthouse mechanism turns, the searchlight flashes across the waters through the air, rendering service to one and all who perceive its brightness. Be like the lighthouse.

Question: I believe I understand the plan well enough, but I'd like to know; a person who does not know about God's ascension plan in the manner of the teachings in the Urantia Book, but who has a religious relationship with Father, is a believer, is a loving person, lives in his belief, can he or she actually skip the long sleep and be resurrected on the mansion world on the third day, if they were prepared spiritually?

Answer: Yes. At present this is quite rare. Remember as you ascend with each step Paradise-ward your power to perform spiritually increases. With that power goes greater responsibilities, and it would be most unwise to allow too rapid progression of the unprepared. This does not mean that there are not beings on this world who are most virtuous and devoted and work-oriented and service-driven. But imagine that you are in a storm at sea and every bit of your effort is required to keep the ship afloat. When that storm subsides and you find yourself at a distance from land, what would be the point of giving you a wheeled vehicle?

Today we will discuss one facet of the Master's teachings “to be in the world but not of it,” - spiritual
living.

When Michael was incarnate as Jesus He had much firsthand experience with this all-encompassing concept. As a youth He experienced a conflict between two moral-ethical tenets; the first being to do the will of the Heavenly Father and to reflect the Father's truth to others, to tell the truth - spiritually - versus the injunction to honor His parents and their teaching. This became a conflict of the young Jesus because Mary and Joseph, although not classified as fundamentalist Jews, were nonetheless religious Jews in their day, of their time. Many of their beliefs contradicted the spiritual truths which Jesus became more and more sure of as His Divinity was revealed to Him in His human mind. He experienced a conflict between loyalty to truth and duty to His parents and culture.

This would arise on many occasions. One example being, Mary and Joseph, like most others in their religious culture, believed in a wrathful, judgmental and punishing God. The young Jesus could not accept or endorse this description of His Heavenly Father and many discussions would ensue between Jesus and His parents over this. Consequently, Jesus felt much inner turmoil over which injunction to follow as He perceived them as contradictory.

The resolution of this conflict came about in a very perfect way, as the Master would - over and over again in His life - find the perfect solution to what we might think of as an irreconcilable situation. He talked from His heart to His earthly Father, Joseph, and said, “Father, I cannot believe that whatever mistake I make, you would ever withdraw your love, or be angry and punishing towards me and not be able to forgive me.” And He said to His earthly Father “therefore, if you yourself could have such love for your child, and such compassion and tolerance for when I make mistakes, how could you not think the Father in heaven, who created this goodness in mankind, could be any less loving, merciful and forgiving?” And Jesus was so sincere when He asked his father these questions that Joseph and Mary never berated Him again about their erroneous concept of God, but rather kept silent and allowed their son His own truth.

There were many examples as Jesus grew of the application of “being in the world but not of it” on a day-to-day basis. Because Joseph and Mary were such products of their times, many times Jesus was faced with the knowledge that their practices - religious practices - were not the highest. For example, He often tried to teach His family to pray in their own words and from their own hearts rather than to repeat the written and prescribed Jewish prayers, but He had little success in this endeavor. But out of this did come The Lords Prayer, which we all are thankful for.

So Jesus developed a technique for coping with the discrepancy between His inner truth and His outer practices, which was to never consent to things He knew not to be true - to never consent, but rather to conform to the wishes of His family and culture. Out of this resolution, Jesus developed His technique for teaching through asking questions in such a way as to not offend the person He was questioning or teaching. He was eminently fair and loving, and did not engage in questioning someone for the lowly purpose of winning an argument or advancing His own ego. Rather, Jesus saw every opportunity to reflect the wonderful truth of God as a loving Father and creator of us, to the humans He encountered. This technique served Him well, because it never made the person He was teaching feel defensive or threatened. And yet they were enlightened.

Jesus had to deal with many worldly problems, as we all do. Yet He managed upon much reflective meditation, prayer and communication with His Adjuster to create solutions which benefited everyone. He also used the technique of not disclosing the full truth before others were ready or prepared to hear it. As an example, he did not tell others of His divine nature for many, many years - even after he was sure that He was indeed the Son of God.

So, brothers and sisters, I would like you to use these simple examples in your own lives every day, for much of the stresses that you face can be seen to be rooted in a conflict between loyalty to higher truth and duty to one's family or work situation or culture. And this is the center of how to live “in the world and not be of it.” Using the tools of spirituality, there is always a solution. Step outside mindal logic and intellectual organization into the realm of higher mind and the solution will appear. There need not be anxiety over the tiny decisions which we all face in living an ascension career.

On this world in particular there is a large discrepancy between behavior in the world and what we know to
be spiritual demeanor. However, even 2000 years ago when the world was much more rigid, Jesus managed to marry conflicting philosophies in a way which inspired many, many others and offended very few.

This is the key to spiritual living and practical survival, for one cannot ignore the needs or demands of daily life and retreat into a spiritual vacuum. Nor can one separate the spiritual from the material. Our challenge is to marry both and thus inspire others - man to find God, God to find man, or man to see God when he finds Him - as we live. This can be done, but not without a conscious effort to achieve it.

Too often we forget our real purpose for existence, and we make life easier by separating spiritual life from all the rest. So we might pray in the morning or evening and then forget God the rest of the day. This is not how one should live. We must integrate what we have been given with other situations in order to grow spiritually ourselves, and also to inspire and uplift our brothers and sisters.

There probably have been humans you have encountered who you have been drawn to or liked very much, and without knowing why. These humans possess the talent - ability to reflect the love of God outward. It does not have to come in religious packages. It is a spiritual law that beings are always drawn toward God's love. So if we keep God's love as a goal we are living in spiritual reality rather than in worldly amnesia. Although this sounds simple, very few humans have achieved this consistently.

Jesus is the best example, and there are many insights in part four of the Urantia Book, in terms of specific dilemmas which he resolved. You might want to - as you read - to be aware of these situations and how they apply to spiritual living in a largely non-spiritual world. This is perhaps one of the greatest gifts the life of Jesus can teach us.

You are here for one purpose only, and that is to know God. Please keep this more in the forefront of your conscious mind as you go about your lives.

Jesus was no stranger to disappointment or life's vicissitudes. The difference between Jesus an the average human is that Jesus knew in His heart that He was a Son of God. Therefore, the disappointments like the death of His earthly father, His voluntary giving up of education and career for Himself - for He took care of His brothers and sisters - His putting aside of His own needs and wants - which like all of us, He longed for things, for goals for Himself - were relatively easy things for Him to do because He always knew the spiritual
reality. If one examines His life, you will see that He dealt with as many trials as you do, sometimes more, and always did he handle these trials with great poise and valor. For He always was in deep communion with the heavenly Father.

Jesus longed for comfort on a human level as we all do, more so even than we do, because, as His divine nature was revealed to Him, He knew He could share this with no one. But He still longed for a best friend to confide in, to help ease the burden of His responsibility. Perhaps Rebecca came close, but even Jesus had to reject a life of earthly love because of His divinity. As he suffered this loss, He cared only for her feeling, first. These are more examples of living in the world and not of it. Not that you should not have a life partner, that is not the point. The point is to care more for another's feeling, to put the needs of your brothers and sisters first. This is an attitude of loving service. As you grow spiritually it will become more habitual or easy for you to strike a balance between conflicting needs.

Also, be cautious not to become self-righteous when dealing with organized religion in terms of their belief system. It is arrogant to feel superior when one can never know the faith light that burns within another being. The point is not to discourage, remember. The point is to bring another closer to God. So as you travel through your own life's path, please try to integrate your two assignments, which is to live spiritually and physically in one vessel.

Today I will try to tempt you onward in your spiritual growth, to accelerate your will commitment to the fruits of the spirit. Let us try to soul center and take in these truths.

Glory to God who has created such perfection from imperfection.

Glory to God who has given a Divine, perfect, piece of Himself to the lowest creatures who may seek him - the lowest – the humans.

Glory to God who has given you the bestowal of Christ Michael.

Glory to God who has given the Spirit of Truth.

Glory to God who has given Divine Mother Spirit, Her mind Adjutants, her angels, the Midwayers and other ministering spirits to accelerate your growth.

Glory to God for you, your creation, your personality bestowal, and for you who are the children of the Supreme.

Glory to you, ascendent children of time, who are creating the Supreme.

Glory to you as the Apostle Paul said, “you are the body of Christ.” The body of Christ is really the body of the Supreme. Each one of your tapestries, your decisions, your soul growth, every experience, every thought, every life moment, completes the Supreme, the God of experience - God in formation.

Glory to God for the wondrous outcome of the ascendent children of time: the creation of a new being, spirit, between the Divine and the evolutionary; the wonders yet to come of service; the glorious ascension.

Glory to God for the perfection, the goodness, the inspiration, the mercy, the love, the service, the
tolerance, the perseverance, the human will commitment to participating fully in His most wondrous
plan which we can only glimpse and speculate about.

Children of time, you have it difficult for a short time, only. Such a short part of your career is spent in this struggle to commit to knowing, searching for God. Once you transcend death of the physical body you enact what you only believed. You learn more about the decisions you made to search for God and put them into action. After fusion you begin the actual journey to The Father.

Glory to God who takes his creatures so far and ultimately returns them to their creator, and then sends them outward as His personal agents, representatives, to as yet uncreated beings and children of a new Grand Universe which we can only imagine, but know - by faith – that it will be another perfect element in the plan of the Great I AM, First Source and Center, creator of all beings, all life, all thought, all motion, everything.

How can we inspire you to accelerate? How can we tell you the reality of your importance to The Father?

Give glory and thanks for your beingness. Become aware of your importance, of how The Father, Himself, cherishes everyone down to the lowest creatures who may seek him - every moment of your life. Nothing is ever lost to God. 

Glory to God and remember that God cherishes the children of time, who are designed to make mistakes. The only mistake with any real consequence is the decision not to seek God. The challenges and pitfalls and regressions of your earth career are all to the good. They are part of the Supreme, and part of your gift to the perfect Adjuster, who may only understand struggle and imperfection through your life. What a glorious way to view your times of Gethsemane, and all must walk though Gethsemane. Some may go through the symbolic crucifixion, but like our master, you will become morontial.

The lure of the Mansion worlds should be strong for you, not to cut short your earth life, but to fasten your vision upon the reward of this passage. You will awaken quietly in a resurrection chamber on Mansonia. You will be greeted by your Seraphim, escorted to the halls of repersonalization. Your Thought Adjuster and Seraphim join together in your morontia form, of which there are 570 different bodies before you become spirit. You will meet your Morontia Companions - a most lovable order of beings - who will act as your guides. You will have time to orient yourself to your new surroundings. You will have time to get in touch with some loved ones who have already graduated. You will visit different spheres. You will see and be awed by the beauty of the Mansion Worlds - created by the Physical Controllers, and Morontia Controllers.

You will be made to laugh by the Reversion Directors, and may even join them along your ascension career. Much of your humor will be derived from your past: the foibles of the physical existence, the measuring of growth. The humor there is plentiful but not mean spirited. You will be inspired and thrilled by the concepts of the Celestial Artisans. You will be served by the faithful Spornagia. You will meet many different ascenders along many different levels of the path. You will sense spiritualized ascenders but not able to see them except when the Celestial Artisans portray them for you in pageantry. Much of your trip through the seven mansion worlds will be spent on rehabilitation, correcting imbalances from your planet's history, to get you up to speed so that you may actually progress. Much music, art, recreation, humor, worship, prayer, thanksgiving, and relationship - always relationships.

Yes, there is food, drink, rest, of morontial nature. Yes, there are assignments, but nowhere near the life of toil you experience on this backward planet. Your real job is Godward. You will learn languages and be provided with interpreters so that all may communicate without misunderstanding.

How to describe a life, which is quite the same in terms of your place on the path, but such a different environment! Imagine a world where God is not only present - as he is here - but acknowledged by all, where every will to greater or lesser degrees is dedicated to knowing God, to becoming God-like, where consideration, tenderness, loving service, respect for ones fellows is the norm. Where one lives in a family of brothers and sisters under one God.

Much of your anxieties will disappear, thus train your energy for higher pursuits. You will laugh much over what you considered the huge problems of you earth career. They will be in perspective for you. When our Master said “the meek shall inherit the earth” or “the first shall be last and the last shall be first,” He tried to describe mota of the sort that “what you think are your afflictions are your blessings.” What you think of as strong on earth is not spiritually correct.

Righteousness for God, passion for God, standing up for God is always correct, but so rarely does that happen on Earth. Most humans stand up for themselves, their egos, their belief systems, their own self interests. Meekness is humility in the face of the presence of Deity, meekness of ego.

So immediately does this await you. To you it seems long, but it is so - it is your next moment of beingness. If only you could live this totally, the surety, the promise of the Mansion Worlds. As Jesus said, “My Father has many mansions.” “I am the door, through Me you will enter the kingdom.” You may enter now. You have entered, but you may even step further into the kingdom.

I am trying to tempt you. For the spiritual life is hard. You invite hardship, challenges to overcome. Your soul is not gently formed but honed of steel. Disappointment, grief, deceit, discouragement, fear, anger, devastation, challenges - this is the tempered steel of the morontial soul.

Not the afflictions, but the spiritual transcendence and growth, which come from what you view as troubles. Some day you will see the blessings and you will reap the reward of the faith filled days.

That is God's promise to you. Much reward for so little suffering. Although while you are here your suffering is real to you and all encompassing, I am trying hard to lift you above this to a cosmic perspective! So little is asked from you, so much is given. You have an army of spiritual soldiers standing by your side. When you go through difficulties, call on your army. Remember they are there to serve you. With God nothing is impossible.

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad of it. God has given you this time, this date, this moment, this will, this choice, this life. Be more thankful, even especially in the hard moments. The Mansion Worlds await you, children of time. Great glories lie ahead for you. Your soul is being born now. Give to the Supreme, to The Father, the Son, and the Spirit the best soul you can. Keep joy in your hearts. What joyful, joyful news!

How can you be not excited to know you may seek The Father? You have been created consciously for this path. You have been chosen consciously for this mission. Each of you in your hearts and souls and minds has asked to be used. Your will, prayer, have been answered. Rejoice and be of good cheer. What difference if all earthly things crash? What difference when your bodies turn to dust? You have been chosen by God for a glorious career, children of time. Rejoice and know your specialness. Work for the Mansion Worlds now. Accelerate your spiritual program. Be thankful, be happy, be optimistic, because you know the ending. Live as if you know the ending. Do not sink into the limited vision of this life. Use your soldiers and God's blessings will heap ten-fold upon you now.

You are all in the realms of the spirit. You are impinging upon spiritness. Remember and have faith upon your own knowledge and on your own faiths. Continue to believe. The things that you believe and the things that you act upon are of the greatest importance. This is not a mere figment of your imagination. There are things happening on this sphere that you have no conception of, and you will not know what is going on here until much later in your universe ascension career. But know this, that your faith - faith for your brothers and sisters, faith in Michael, in the Universal Father, the whole concept of universe ascension, are of the utmost importance.

Do not look back upon your animal ancestry, upon your negativeness. Focus on your positive side. Proceed with decisiveness. You have our support and confidence. We love you all. You are being watched and taken care of. You are being loved with tenderness.

Question: Teacher, I am trying so hard to increase my contact with my Thought Monitor and increase my
spiritual growth. The process seems so slow to me. How can I improve my worship and stillness periods? How can I be more God-reflective? How am I doing?

Answer: The best way to become more God conscious is to think of our Father as a personal friend. Talk to The Father each day. Let him know of your thoughts and your feelings. It is true He does know about these things before you speak them, but it does help you. It helps you understand yourself more fully.

The spirit fragment within you knows you far better than you know yourself. Do not worry about making communication. This, too, will happen when the time is right. The best way to make this happen, aside from the constant communion with The Father, is to live your life bravely, to go forth each day and be aware of who you are and your relationship with those that you come in contact with.

Be sensitive to the spirits that are around you, and always be ready to feel the love from within, the God
within, so that this love may flow through you fully, that it may pour forth out on those that you come in
contact with, and that we may bring those people to you that you may share with them your personal
religious experiences, and that you may be an instrument in helping them enter the kingdom of heaven.
This is a long process, this communication with the spirit fragment. It will - for most mortal ascenders - not happen quickly. It takes much hard work and patience. Do not become burdened with the thought that “I am doing what I can yet nothing happens.” You will inch your way into God-consciousness. You do not run.

Always be mindful of who you are. Remember that spiritual growth is an unconscious process. In time you will look back and begin to see some of the decisions that you have made and where it has led you. For now you are in the forest and you cannot yet even see the trees. This is as it should be, for now.

Hopefully, with your whole-hearted dedication to doing the will of The Father, you will rise above the forest and look down and then begin to get a glimpse of where it is you have been. You will see all of the decisions that you have made and know more fully what direction to go.

Be strong! Be faithful! The Father loves you deeply. He has not abandoned you. Your angels watch over you each day. There is more love around you than what you are aware of. Hold on tight to what you know to be real and true. Reach out to others. Learn from their experience.

Lastly, I want to encourage you all again to spend some time each day in communion with The Father. 
This, I hope, gives you something to look forward to. I know how important this is. Go in peace.

Growth is the miracle of life; it appears at times to be a struggle, but it is abundant in life and the most natural occurrence. The potentials actualized in growth through physical development increase your range of activity. Growth of mind expands your capabilities for function and comprehension. But the greatest growth is the enlargement of the arena for personality function in the growth of the soul. There is no final point of attainment, no adult maturity, as in your physical growth. It is perhaps the most intriguing spectacle regarding life in this universe, and it is the capital from which we draw all hope for progress on this world and elsewhere. The unfoldment of personality in human beings is the very reservoir of potential, the very driving force which propels this world toward the ultimate goals which you know to be light and life.

The greatest need here on this planet today is not necessarily a harmoniously functioning United Nations, nor - as desired as it - is that there be no war among nations, no conflict, but rather that individuals like yourselves begin and continue to unfold from within their spiritual awareness and act upon that. This builds the empires of peace and harmony, one which is stable and solid to the core rather than a contrived structure supported through regulation.

This world can demonstrate the ideals of Michael; it can live the truths He taught; it can be the reality He was and is through the exercise of your willing actions, through the outworking of your hopes and your concepts. 

Transformation, as a word, hints at a preexisting condition, the form of spirit idealization which is transferred into your material life. The bridges are you; your transformation creates on the world the initial platforms of higher reality upon which is built the Earth that all Nebadon looks forward to beholding in ages to come.

Think of yourselves as the red blood cells for this planetary organism, carrying the nutrients to all areas.  The cell count has been low in millennia past, but this is changing, demonstrated in people like yourselves. The loving nature of God that you have witnessed and directly experienced is a mighty force which invigorates all hope, all ideals, all mental constructs of future greatness. Without this love the rest appears empty. Love is the enricher. 

Growth may be conceptualized as having three components - soul growth, personality growth, and intellectual growth. It is essential that expansion occur in all three aspects of your being, for when growth occurs in this manner, it is much like a braid. If you can visualize three strands being braided, one over the other, in a linear timeline, the resultant form is much stronger than any of the three strands individually. An illustration may assist. If, for example, you read in a book that much of communication between humans is delivered nonverbally, in other words, in body language, you may make a conscious intellectual decision to change your body language to a more open stance, less closed, more open and welcoming. This is an example of intellectual growth.

The result of this change in behavior may be that people respond differently to you. Your heart may gladden with those who approach with welcoming hugs who would otherwise have been put off by your closed stance. This warming of the heart is personality growth, and is often associated with strong feelings. Thus intellectual growth has led to personality growth, and the subconscious level or soul growth can then occur and keep the circle flowing, keep the linear timeline of growth progressing further. 

As you make the effort to grow, you will encounter uncertainty. It is a natural part of the process, for it would not be growth with certainty; that would be the expression of prior attainment. In order to proceed through your incomplete grasp to reach another stage in personality attainment, you are applying faith, and you are displacing fear. As you walk this path, it becomes ever more clear to you that what you have grown into before is greatly expediting where you are going to now. It has a momentum effect like a snowball. Jesus reached Light and Life at a young age for he was ever diligent in applying himself toward future attainment. 

With each level of actualized growth there results an awakening. At this time when you have stepped upon a new plane of awareness, you may very well expect a feeling of unfamiliarity because of new heights of awareness and acceptance. What you see before you may very well not be acceptable of your way of life. And this new way of knowing, of seeing, because you are at the beginning once again, you may experience doubts. You may experience a feeling of not knowing one's self or understanding those around you. You cannot go from one floor of a building to another and expect the same things. You must explore the new floor you are approaching. It is in this process of exploration that you come to know your new self, your new
understanding, your new acceptance of what is real. This is the awakening. 

Fear not, for this is an absolute natural process and a celebration. This is where being in the moment is helpful, recognizing things as if for the first time; listening as if for the first time. This is where awareness can be exercised in any fashion. This is where judgment is not needed.

The moment that you find yourself in confusion, it is simply because you are trying to recognize the familiarities from the floor below and not that of the new level, the new awakening, that you are now in. You are very aware that your Father is with you in all areas of this new awakening. This is where you rest. This where you go to ground, to stable. You are all aware that your guides are right along side.

It is important to know that this journey, the process of this journey, is that which is most important, not the goal, not how quickly it can happen, not how you will be when it's all over. It is every step, every waking and sleeping moment, knowing that you are becoming more alive, more awake with each and every experience. It is why you are here. Cast away your doubt and fears. You are a child of God. Be the child of God.

It is through the many awakenings that you have experienced thus far that have brought you here to share with one another the laughter, the unity, the love that you share. This is all because of the awakening.

There are many more to look forward to. I urge you to enjoy this process. See the humor. Know that the one standing right next to you is going through the same process. Lend a hand and say "welcome". Remind them that they are a child of God. Remind them that the important part is the process. Remind them of their greatness. And allow them the opportunity to be, to go through their process. Remind them
to trust.

Elyon: In every journey a variety of terrains must be crossed to reach a destination. The spiritual journey is no less released from this variety of terrain crossing. This is why endeavors of a spiritual nature include
philosophical and psychological and relational aspects, for the spiritual journey is a whole-being journey. It includes the health and well-being of your physical vehicle and sanity and sobriety of your mind.

All of these fields can be likened to differing pairs of walking shoes. When the ground beneath you is as hot sand you must wear the appropriate shoes. When the ground beneath is as cool grass, then you are free to walk in your bare feet. Like the seeds that by chance fall upon this varied terrain, as you make your ascent to the Father, you will encounter these differing substrates, and you will of necessity use various protective coverings or appropriate shoes to accommodate your forward progress. Though you know you will never actually walk on water, you may find fins to be appropriate shoes to propel yourself through water.

There can be a point where one will stall in growth when the ground upon which you are traveling is pleasant, when you feel the refreshment and the ease of such a terrain that you will not overtly avoid entering into more difficult terrain, but you may unconsciously not look for that terrain. You have gone far enough in your journey to have discovered the thrill of crossing difficult terrain and realizing the vantage point you have attained in such an ascent. A wise traveler will take shoes that accommodate the necessary protection and abilities that a differing terrain would confront you with.

So, as you make your journey of a spiritual nature, do not fail to take with you a whole sackful of appropriate coverings for your feet that you may be prepared for any turn or twist in the road. Be ever ready to change, to accommodate what has come to your feet. In this manner you will be able to make progress, to grow, to adapt to new conditions, and to apply your prior accomplishments to the new challenges. Though the seed that was unfortunate to fall on hard and barren ground would sprout and wither before the sun, if you pack with you the proper shoes, you  can adapt yourself to the harsh environment of that segment of your journey and cross into more comforting areas. You can withstand those dry times. You can actually grow in what appear to be stifling conditions. Always be willing to acquire one more useful and adapted pair of shoes to face a new hurdle in your progress.

Elyon: Expansive growth is of the nature that a single entity enlarges through some form of accumulation and adoption and activation. This you know from your own efforts in soul expansion. This experience is rewarding, as you find that your onetime mustard seed sized faith has enlarged to become a recognizable
mighty force in your life, has become the dominant driving force, not merely a small speck midst your turmoil.

During times of crisis situations can appear to create circumstances of which you have no apparent influence or power to control. This is when the growth you have undergone may seem once again small and insignificant. But you must recall the saying of the Master, that you are in a family of God's children. Though you may be one individual, you are a whole family, and this is my second point of growth through extension. Every effort to reveal your spiritual nature, to demonstrate your cosmic comprehension, to express yourself in loving service, extends into the life of another the growth you have already undergone. Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you is the process of growth extension. Soon all enter into a mutual pattern of growth.

Growth through extension fosters growth in expansion. There is then witnessed a broad inter-contributing exchange of enlightenment, of comprehension and understanding, of love and trust. When you feel at an impasse in a stage of growth, when you feel you cannot grasp a greater truth for lack of one experience
or another, seek to receive your growth as it comes from another; take their deposit on your behalf. Let their nutrients bring you the energy and the insights that you may undergo the expansion you seek, the enlargement which will help you to embody the truth you seek to grasp.